{"id":4218,"date":"2018-09-25T12:32:21","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T12:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batkol.info\/?p=4218"},"modified":"2018-09-25T12:32:21","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T12:32:21","slug":"the-26th-sunday-of-ordinary-time-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/2018\/09\/25\/the-26th-sunday-of-ordinary-time-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Sunday Liturgy Commentary<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time \u2013 30th September 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lectionary readings: Num. 11:25-29; Ps. 19:8,10,12-14; Jas 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48<\/strong><\/p>\n

Theme: Called to hear and to speak God\u2019s word.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Download<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"\u2018But Jesus said, \u201cDo not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.\u2019 (Mk 9:39) This verse makes an interesting link between deeds of power and not speaking evil of the source of that power. This raises such questions as; \u2018where is the source of my own power?\u2019 and \u2018how do I experience power in others?\u2019 It also invites reflection on how the experience of power reduces our capacity to speak evil of another.<\/p>\n

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\u2018Listen! The wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.\u2019 (Jas 5:4) Listen! What do we hear? The defrauded \u2018wages \u2026 cry out\u2019. To whom? The person who has committed the fraud? There is almost a momentary opportunity to change, to do the right thing perhaps, to hear that brief pang of conscience, before God hears the harvesters themselves who have been defrauded. Our conscience may support us to hear God\u2019s word and do what is right \u2026 but first, we must listen to it.<\/p>\n

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In Numbers 11:29 we read, \u2018Would that all the\u00a0Lord\u2019s people were prophets, and that the\u00a0Lord\u00a0would put his spirit on them!\u201d \u2018The root \u05e0\u05d1\u05d0 appears to be related to Akkadian nab\u00fb, to call. The \u05e0\u05d1’\u05d0 (navi), prophet, is one who is called to announce God\u2019s will.\u2019 (Plaut p1093) The prophet\u2019s power is in hearing God\u2019s word and doing God\u2019s will by speaking that word. The prophet chooses not to \u2018speak evil\u2019 of, or to place a \u2018stumbling block\u2019 before another as he is empowered by God\u2019s word to support the oppressed who are unfairly treated. (Mk 9:39, 42) The poem \u2018A bag of tools\u2019 by R.L. Sharpe captures the choice we\u2019re all given:<\/p>\n

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\u2018Isn’t it strange how princes and kings,<\/p>\n

and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,<\/p>\n

and common people, like you and me,<\/p>\n

are builders for eternity?<\/p>\n

Each is given a list of rules;<\/p>\n

a shapeless mass; a bag of tools.<\/p>\n

And each must fashion, ere life is flown,<\/p>\n

A stumbling block, or a Stepping-Stone.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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God\u2019s word may be a challenge for the prophet to speak but prophets rise above these challenges, turning their own inner stumbling blocks into stepping stones for God\u2019s word by allowing God\u2019s word to transform their attitudes and behaviours. \u2018Would that all \u2026 were prophets\u2019. What a prophet \u2018achieves comes against his will. He does not call for it; he is called upon. God comes upon the prophet before the prophet seeks the coming of God.\u2019 (Plaut p1096)<\/p>\n

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For Reflection and Discussion: [1] How does God call you? [2] Notice for a day or two (or more!) the impact your communication has on others and theirs on you, e.g. how you use and experience silence, words and actions in communication. [3] Are you communicating God\u2019s Word?<\/p>\n

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Bibliography: Levine & Zvi Brettler (eds.), The Jewish Annotated New Testament, (Oxford, 2011); Plaut (ed.), The Torah, A Modern Commentary (New York, 1981), NRSV.<\/p>\n

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This week\u2019s teaching commentary was prepared by<\/p>\n

Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Fitzgerald, nds, Dublin, Bat Kol alum 2015, 2018<\/p>\n

theresefitzgerald7@gmail.com<\/p>\n

[Copyright \u00a9 2018]<\/p>\n

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\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol. Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome<\/p>\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

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Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem<\/p>\n

1983-2018<\/p>\n

\u201cChristians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mail to: gill@batkol.info; Website: www.batkol.info<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Sunday Liturgy Commentary The 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time \u2013 30th September 2018 Lectionary readings: Num. 11:25-29; Ps. 19:8,10,12-14; Jas 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48 Theme: Called to hear and to speak God\u2019s word.   Download   \u2018But Jesus said, \u201cDo not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":4209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4218"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}