18 Now I am going to gather the nations of every tongue, and they will witness my glory, 19 for I will perform a wonderful thing among them. Then I will send some of their survivors to the nations – Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moscheck, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan – to the distant islands where no one has ever heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 They will bring your kindred from all the nations as an offering to Yahweh on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on camels to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says Yahweh, just as the Israelites bring oblations in clean vessels to the house of Yahweh. 21 Then I will choose priests and Levites even from them, says Yahweh.
In this reading from the Old Testament we are reminded of how in the New Testament too the new Christians together with Your Apostles and disciples wnet out into the world to preach the Good News of salvation. You have called to the priesthood people from every culture, tribe, nation, race and creed as You have promised.
Hebrews 12:5-7 & 11-13
5 Do not forget the comforting words that Wisdom addresses to you as children: My son, pay attention when the Lord corrects you and do not be discouraged when he punishes you. 6 For the Lord corrects those he loves and chastises everyone he accepts as a son.
7 What you endure is in order to correct you. God treats you like sons and what son is not corrected by his father?
11 All correction is painful at the moment, rather than pleasant; later it brings the fruit of peace, that is, holiness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Lift up, then, your drooping hands, and strengthen your trembling knees; 13 make level the ways for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but healed.
It is in difficult times O Lord that we learn to be courageous, strong and we can be of greater help to those who suffer as we have.
Luke 13:24-30
24 “Do your best to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you will stand outside; then you will knock at the door calling: ‘Lord, open to us.’ But he will say to you: ‘I do not know where you come from.’
26 Then you will say: We ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets! 27 But he will reply: ‘I don’t know where you come from. Away from me all you workers of evil.’
28 You will weep and grind your teeth when you see Abraham and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves left outside. 29 Others will sit at table in the kingdom of God, people coming from east and west, from north and south. 30 Some who are among the last will be the first, and others who were first will be last!”
In the Gospel of today we are reminded once again that this world is not our home. We are only pilgrims on a journey too the eternal home prepared for us. It is so tempting to be self-indulgent and pamper ourselves to the point of stupidity in matters of food, drink and pleasure. Self-control and self-denial in material things can help us to gain mastery over our selves in spiritual things.
Once again Jesus reminds us that His Way is one of paradox and contradiction, so different from the world and the worldly.
Once again Jesus reminds us that His Way is one of paradox and contradiction, so different from the world and the worldly.
Psalm 117:1-2
1 Alleluia!
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
all you peoples, praise him.
2 How great is his love for us!
His faithfulness lasts forever.
In the end this Psalm will be heard from the mouth of God's people in every part of the globe as He gathers His own to Himself.
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