MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND 2024.

TWENTY-SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.

FIRST READING
I proclaimed to you Christ crucified.
1ST CORINTHIANS 2: 1 – 5

When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling; and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 119: 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102 (R.) 97a

R/.  O Lord, how I love your law!

O Lord, how I love your law:
my meditation all the day! R/.

Your command makes me wiser than my foes,
for it is with me always. R/.

I have more insight than all who teach me,
for I ponder your decrees. R/.

I have gained more understanding than my elders,
for I keep your precepts. R/.

I keep my feet from every evil path,
to obey your word. R/.

I have not turned away from your decrees;
you yourself have taught me. R/.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Luke 4: 18

Alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL              
“He has sent me to preach good news to the poor. No prophet is acceptable in his own country.”
LUKE 4: 16 – 30

At that time: Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as was his custom, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country.”’ And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Muvhuro 2 Gunyana – September;

Vhiki 22 regore –

Chiverengo chechiposhi: 1 VaKorinde 2,1-5

Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mutsamba yokutanga yaPauro kuvaKorinde
1 Hama dzangu, ini pandakauya kwamuri,
handina kuuya ndichikuparidzai
chakavandika chaMwari,
ndichishandisa mazwi akadzama kana
oungwaru hunoshamisa.
2 Zvandaiva pakati penyu, hapana chandakada
kunzi ndinoziva, kunze kwaJesu Kristu, uye iye
akarovererwa pamuchinjikwa.
3Pandaiva nemi ndakanga ndisina kusimba
ndichitya, ndichidedera.
4 Shoko rangu nokuparidza kwangu,
zvakanga zvisiri zvokupwisa vanhu namazwi
oungwaru, asi kuratidza Mweya nesimba,
5 kuti musimboti wechitendero chenyu urege
kuva ungwaru hwavanhu, asi simba raMwari.
Shoko raTenzi.

Rwiyo rwokutsinhira:
Nziyo 119,97.98.99.100.101.102. (D – 97)

(D) – Hakusi kuuda ikoko kwandinoita mutemo wenyu.
97 Hakusi kuuda ikoko kwandinoita mutemo
wenyu, ndiwo wandinongofunga zuva rose.
98 Mutemo wenyu unoita kuti ndive akangwara
kupinda vavengi vangu, nokuti unogara uineni.
(D) – Hakusi kuuda ikoko kwandinoita mutemo wenyu.
99 Ndinotonzwisisisa kupinda vadzidzisi vangu
vose,
nokuti mitemo yenyu ndiyo yandinongofunga. 100 Ndinotonzwisisa kupinda vakwegura,
nokuti ndinochengeta mitemo yenyu.
(D) – Hakusi kuuda ikoko kwandinoita mutemo wenyu.
101 Ndinozvidzora kunzira dzose dzakaipa,
kuitira kuti ndichengete shoko renyu. 102 Handitsaukani nezvirevo zvenyu,
nokuti makandidzidzisa.
(D) – Hakusi kuuda ikoko kwandinoita mutemo wenyu.

Kupemberera Shoko Rakanaka:
Ruka 4,18

Areruya, Areruya.
Mweya waTenzi uri
pandiri, kuti ndiparidze Shoko Rakanaka
kuvarombo. Areruya.

Shoko Rakanaka:
Ruka 4,16-30

Inzwai Shoko Rakanaka rakanyorwa naRuka
16 Jesu akauya kuNazareti kwaakanga arerwa.
Akapinda musinagogu nomusi weSabata, samaitiro
ake. Akasimuka kuti averenge, 17 ndokupiwa bhuku
romuporofita Isaya. Akati aripetenura akawana
pakanyorwa kunzi,
18 “Mweya waTenzi uri pandiri,
nokuti akandizodza kuti ndiparidze shoko
rakanaka kuvarombo.
Akandituma kuti ndizivise nhapwa
zverusununguko rwadzo,
namapofu zvekusvinudzwa kwawo,
nokupa rusununguko kuna vakadzvinyirirwa,
19 uyezve kuparidza gore renyasha dzaTenzi.”
20Akazarira bhuku riya ndokuridzorera kumutariri,
ogara pasi. Maziso avose avanhu vakanga vari
musinagogu akaramba akamutarisa. 21 Zvino
akatanga kutaura kwavari achiti, “Nhasi uno, gwaro
dzvene iri ramazvinzwira nenzeve dzenyu razadziswa.”
22 Vose vakataura zvakanaka nezvake, uye vakashamiswa namazwi anotora mwoyo akabuda
mumuromo make. Vakati, “Ko, uyu haazi mwanakomana waJosefi here?”
23 Iye ndokuvati, “Ndine chokwadi chokuti munoda
kundiitira tsumo iyi inoti, ‘N’anga zvirape.’ Muchindiudzawo kuti zviya zvatakanzwa, zvawakaita
kuKapenaumu, zviitewo muno munyika mako.” 24 Uye ndokuti, “Zvirokwazvo ndinoti kwamuri,
hakuna muporofita anogamuchirwa munyika make.
25 Zvirokwazvo ndinoti kwamuri muIsiraeri makanga muine chirikadzi, zhinji pamazuva aEriya,
panguva iya yakapfigwa denga kukasanaya kwamakore matatu nemwedzi mitanhatu, kukava nenzara
huru munyika yose, 26 asi Eriya haana kutumwa
kune imwe yadzo kusiya chete kune mukadzi aive
chirikadzi kuZarefati munyika yeSidhoni. 27 Uyezve
muIsiraeri maiva navazhinji vaiva namaperembudzi
panguva yomuporofita Erisha, asi hakuna nomumwe wavo akabviswa maperembudzi akachenurwa, kunze kwaNaamani muSiria.”
28 Pakunzwa izvi, vose vakanga vari musinagogu
vakazadzwa nehasha. 29 Vakasimuka vakabva
vamudzingira kunze kweguta, vakandosvika naye
pamusoro pegomo, pakanga pakavakirwa guta
ravo, kuti vamusaidzire kumawere. 30 Asi iye
akapfuura napakati pavo, ndokuenda zvake.
Shoko Rakanaka raTenzi.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: An Emotional Reaction to Jesus
September 2, 2024

When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away. (Luke 4:28–30)

It’s hard to believe that those people who knew Jesus, those from the town in which He had been raised, reacted in such a severe way to our Lord. Jesus had just entered the Synagogue and read from the Prophet Isaiah who stated that “the Spirit of the Lord” was upon him and that he had come to “proclaim liberty to captives.” Jesus’ mission was clear. He was the Messiah, sent from the Father, in fulfillment of the teachings of the prophets, and yet Jesus was rejected to the point that the people drove Him out of the town and tried to throw Him off a cliff near the town to kill Him. Again, it’s hard to comprehend the extreme emotions that people experienced in regard to Jesus. Some came to love Jesus with the deepest passion, others were outraged at Him and sought His life.

One thing that these extreme emotions experienced by many should tell us is that we cannot remain indifferent to Jesus when we truly listen to His words. Indifference comes when Jesus is ignored. But when He is heard and understood, it is clear that His message demands a response. If we do not fully accept Him as we listen to His message, then we will be tempted to reject Him and all that He speaks.

Jesus wants to do the same with us. He wants a response from us. First, He wants us to hear Him, to understand the radical nature of His message, and then to make a choice. He wants us to follow Him with passion and zeal, to believe in everything He teaches, and to radically change our lives as a result. And if we will not change, then Jesus’ words will challenge us and evoke a response.

One example of this that is common today is the strong response that sometimes comes from a teenager or young adult when a loving parent confronts them when they begin to go astray. When confronted in love and with the truth, emotion is often evoked and stirred up. But that is not always bad. The temptation on the part of the parent is to back off and compromise. But that’s not what Jesus did with the townspeople. He spoke the truth in love and accepted their response. So it is with those in our lives. At times we must speak the hard but loving truth others need to hear even if we know they will lash out. In the end, challenging them with compassion and truth may ultimately win them over. We do not know what ultimately happened to those townspeople who tried to kill Jesus that day out of anger, but it is entirely possible that the extreme emotion they experienced eventually led them to the truth.

Reflect, today, upon the courage and love Jesus had as He directly confronted and challenged His own townspeople for their lack of faith. Try to understand that Jesus’ challenge of them was a mercy He offered them to move them from indifference. In your life, are there ways in which you need to be challenged? Are there things you have reacted strongly to and even with a form of rage? Try to see yourself as one of those townspeople who became enraged by our Lord. Be open to any way that you have reacted negatively to that which Jesus has spoken to you. Consider, also, any ways that Jesus may want to use you to speak His clear message of love to another, even if you know it may not immediately be received. Pray for courage, compassion, clarity and love so that you will be able to imitate Jesus as He sought to move those of His own hometown out of the indifference they were experiencing.

PRAYER:
My challenging Lord, You desire that all Your children turn to You with their whole heart. Your chastisements are acts of mercy meant to move us out of indifference. Please speak to me the truths that I need to hear this day and use me to share Your holy word with others, especially those of my own family. Jesus, I trust in You.