Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year 2 2022

Title

Self-Examination instead of Schadenfreude

Outline

I have heard Catholic who would rejoice at the death of Pope Francis

I have heard others who would rejoice at the death or downfall of certain German bishops or American priests

Others feel this way about certain politicians

Such folk had best be careful, for in looking at others they are failing to look at oneself

Jesus spoke to this in our gospel

“Those Galileans ‘got theirs’. We always knew that Galileans were part gentile.”

“I bet those on whom the Tower of Siloam fell were a bunch of hypocrites.”

No, says Jesus, they were not worse than you - you need to repent.

Then he gives the example of the fig tree - God is waiting for repentance; Jesus and his Church who know the heart of God say “Wait.” They have compassion, they want the fig tree to grow into a fig tree as God desires it. The know judgment must come, but they do not desire it.

Now look at Paul

The ascended Christ gave gifts “for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ.” This is not to condemn or throw down or curse, but to unify all in the one faith until all attain “the full stature of Christ.”

This is so “that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.” Is that not where many Catholics and non-Catholics are at? Caught up in the trickery of humans. If we focus on their faults, we become, as Ephrem the Syrian says, Satans; we get caught in Satan’s trickery and become in his image.

Instead, “living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.” The goal is love, which is what God is, unity of the body, becoming like or even in the head, Christ.

OK, Sisters, let us tend our fig tree

We curb our Satan speech or our Schadenfreude by doing the opposite: God desires not the death of a sinner, so we should weep with God over evil. In our prayers we pray for repentance to be granted to them. When others cluck over their evil, we may respond, “That is above my pay grade, for only God knows enough to judge. All I know is that to the extent that they are evil, God desires their repentance, so that is what I must pray for.”

We curb our inner desire for their downfall by praying, “Show me, O Lord, where I am not bearing fruit. I surely deserve more judgment than they, for you have given me great privileged.”

In other words, every day and in every way we should desire to be like Jesus. When his Father directed, he could give prophetic warnings - but it was likely with Jeremiah’s tearful edge to his voice rather than Jonah’s joy in judgment. Mostly we find him building up those who would listen and weeping over those who would not.

We are gifted, gifted to build up the body of Christ, gifted to help everyone become more like Christ, but the leading edge of these gifts is self-examination and humility that has us living Christ before others rather than playing the role of Satan in Job.

Readings

Catholic Daily Readings 10-22-2022: Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

FIRST READING

Ephesians 4:7–16

7 But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore, it says:

“He ascended on high and took prisoners captive;

he gave gifts to men.”

9 What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower [regions] of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

11 And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. 15 Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.

Catholic Daily Readings 10-22-2022: Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

RESPONSE

Psalm 122:1

1 A song of ascents. Of David.

I rejoiced when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

PSALM

Psalm 122:1–5

1 A song of ascents. Of David.

I rejoiced when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”

2 And now our feet are standing

within your gates, Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem, built as a city,

walled round about.

4 There the tribes go up,

the tribes of the LORD,

As it was decreed for Israel,

to give thanks to the name of the LORD.

5 There are the thrones of justice,

the thrones of the house of David.

Catholic Daily Readings 10-22-2022: Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Ezekiel 33:11

11 Answer them: As I live—oracle of the Lord GOD—I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! Why should you die, house of Israel?

GOSPEL

Luke 13:1–9

1 At that time some people who were present there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. 2 He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? 3 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! 4 Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? 5 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

6 And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, 7 he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. [So] cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ 8 He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; 9 it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’ ”

Notes

Catholic Daily Readings 10-22-2022: Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2022 | ORDINARY TIME

SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY-NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

YEAR 2 | ROMAN MISSAL | LECTIONARY

First Reading Ephesians 4:7–16

Response Psalm 122:1

Psalm Psalm 122:1–5

Gospel Acclamation Ezekiel 33:11

Gospel Luke 13:1–9

GREEN