Reflection on the Daily Readings for 10/03/09 by Fr. Bertrand Buby, SM

Today’s Readings

Scripture: Lectionary # 460. Baruch 4:5-12.27-29. Psalm 69:33-35.36-37.
Luke 10:17-24.

Luke is the Evangelist of Prayer and the Holy Spirit.  Today we have
a great example of this in the prayer that Jesus has with the Father.  It
is easily grasped in its content and could be a help to us throughout this
day to make it a joyous one while remembering this prayer of Jesus.
Simplicity, clarity, and love are easily seen within the few verses that
allow us to be privileged to one of Jesus' communication with his Father
through the Holy Spirit's inspiration. Here is the short passage from the
Gospel for today's liturgy:  "At that moment Jesus rejoiced in the Holy
Spirit and said, ' i offer you grateful praise, O Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because what you have hidden from the learned and the clever,
you have revealed to the merest children.  Yes, Father, you have graciously
willed it so. Everything has been given over to me by my Father. No one
knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the
Son--and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
Jesus has deliberately taken the long way up to Jerusalme to give
ample time for the formation of his disciples as he journeys up to
Jerusalem for the last time. We now put ourselves in their places and go up
to the holy city with our Lord. Our whole journey through these readings
contains lessons for our contemporary discipleship.  Prayer is at the heart
of the mission and ministry that Jesus gives us.  By being one with him in
prayer we then can do the the work of evangelizing in an effective way.
Prayer allows us to be transparent not only before God but also in our
relationships with others.  Jesus always gives us the example and never
asks of us something which he himself would not do or has not done for our
own formation as disciples.
The intimate relationship of the persons of the Blessed Trinity are
easily recognized in today's liturgical reading. We have an excellent
teacher in Jesus who models for us the gift of prayer.  Prayer helps us
transcend ourselves and reduces our anxiety about what we need to do.  It
tells us that we need to be first and then do. We transcend our humanity
and unite ourselves to the divinity through prayer. Our minds and hearts
are lifted up to the Lord. (Sursum corda= Lift up your hearts). We too are
called to have an intimate relationship with the Father and the Son through
the Holy Spirit's inspiration.  We may wish to address each of the Persons
separately from time to time to help us pray within a Trinitarian prayer.
Blessed William Joseph Chaminade who founded the Society of Mary on
Oct 2, 1817 always asks of his members to place themselves within the
company of Mary to learn how to approach the Trinity. One of the prayers he
was fond of has this conclusion :"May the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit be glorified in all places through the Immaculate Virgin Mary." She
knew the Son very well as a mother. He would not have kept her from praying
in the manner he speaks of in today's Sciptures.  Amen.