The Fourth Sunday of the Apostles’ season 

The Church put in front of us the following readings:

 

*The first reading from Isaiah (1:10-20)

Today, the iniquity of humanity has increased. Nations have begun to refuse to hear the words of God. Rulers and leaders are indifferent neither to God’s call for brotherhood and cooperation among people nor by warning them of the injustice and evil that they inflict on people every day. They are hypocritical and pretend to care about the common good. They call their oppression politics and the liberation of nations. They cover their iniquity with a few acts of kindness and mercy that they show their victims. Humans were brutalized and fought over supremacy and leadership, competed for looting and plunder, and competed for cruelty and neglect. Some pretend to have faith, and others to good morals and generosity, but they do not deceive God. Woe to the world if God raises his hand and withdraws it from protecting the world. If people today do not hear the word of God and do not abide by the law of love and brotherhood, their fate may not be better than the fate of the Jewish people who knew the bitterness of captivity and the cruelty of exclusion and enslavement. And globalization, whose clouds seemed to cover the space of the world, is not lighter than captivity. The believers in Christ must dispel those clouds by spreading their straight faith and cultivating their transparent morals, even if they go against the world's current.

 

*The second reading from  1 Cor (9:13-27)

The apostle talks about the service of the gospel and their livelihood. He who serves the temple shall eat from the temple. Likewise, he who proclaims the good news gets his livelihood from it. It is a divine principle that no injustice should occur, neither to the good news nor to those who serve it. Because the good news is the salvation of people and not the gain of their goods. Whoever works for the salvation of the children of God does not care first about the food and money that his mission brings him. His first and last concern is the service of souls.

 

The gospel service costs effort and requires sacrifices, but it promises in return glory and eternal bliss. As for the effort, it is because it works against the world's current and thus throws opposition and resistance. As for the sacrifice, it is because the Preacher renounces his own will and diligence to complete the will of God, who calls upon him and directs his work. He must then trust God, walk in His ways, and comply with His guidance. He is entrusted with a trust that he communicates and protects from those who guard it. Paul compares the believer to the contestant to win the prize. Each contestant “exercises restraint in all things for the sake of the wreath.” Thus the Christian pressures himself for faithfulness to Christ and perseverance in Him. The Christian preaches to others and invites them to a specific behavior that guarantees to obtain the divine award. And the truthful and intelligent Messenger is the first to implement what he calls others to so that he is the first to win the crown of glory and not lose it. He may need to bear the consequences of his mission and perform his task with awareness, determination, and impartiality. Paul says: “I do not run like one who does not know the goal, nor do I punch as one who strikes the air, but I am hard on my body, and I enslave it lest, after I preached to others, I should not be among the losers” (verse 27). The Christian learned the equation: “The way to glory passes through the cross of sacrifice and pain.” So, “Oh, Father! Do not be my will, but yours.”

 

*The third reading from Luke (6:12-46)

Luke mentions Jesus' seclusion in prayer before choosing twelve among his followers called "apostles." Then he tells the news of the multitudes that followed him in abundance and of his healing of the sick, as “everyone tried to touch him because power came out of him and healed them all” (verse 19). Then he lists the beatitudes, dividing them between "beatitudes and curses." He comforts the poor, the hungry, the afflicted, the outcast, or the persecuted because of their faith, claiming that it is a cause of joy and pride. Then woe is given to the rich, the laughing, and those whom people praise. He then immediately goes to enumerate some articles of the Christian constitution, such as love of enemies, kindness to the unjust, prayer for the evil, forgiving aggressors, and others, summarizing them with the phrase “treat people as you would like them to treat you” (verse 31). Luke conveys Jesus' call to his disciples to excel over the righteousness of the scribes, the Pharisees, and the ordinary people of the world so that they expect from others neither example nor appreciation nor reward. He invited them to focus on self-purification and producing good fruits.

 

In this way, Jesus calls his followers to excel in their behavior and to respond to the demands of the faith consciously and continuously. Man deviated from the path of righteousness in thought and action, so he measured truth and righteousness with his logic and benefit. And the Lord came to restore things to their rightful place.” In the beginning, it was not so” (Matthew 19:8). The truth is measured by the will of God and what has organized the nature of man from the beginning for it to realize itself and reach its goal. A person does not reach perfection in receiving but in giving. God gave a man a law that is a fence that protects him from the invasion of evil in his field. However, he did not seek protection from it but trampled on it himself so as not to hinder the freedom of his desires, so “they neglected the most important thing in the law” (Matthew 23:23). Humanity needs to regain its authentic divine purity. Jesus called for knowing God's love and obedience and lived the love and forgiveness of man. He did for others what he wished they would do for him. He established an association, the Church, to continue these morals and change humanity. He trained a team of his students to lead the process. It is good news, commitment, and sacrifice to the point of martyrdom. Their message is not in keeping with the people of the world, their thoughts, and morals, nor in their judgment. Instead, it is about teaching the world and its people with the thought and spirit of Christ. The Prophet has no rights but a duty to perform. His rights are reserved to God, who entrusted him with this service. The Christian rises above the world, not to be superior to it, but to elevate it towards God. Not to benefit from it, but to benefit him and obtain glory and happiness for him,” preferring others over yourselves, looking not at your benefit, but the benefit of others. So be in the mind of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5), and learn “humility and gentleness” from His Sacred Heart (Matthew 11:29). This is the desired and expected fruit of the Christian, the messenger of heaven on earth.