Luke 8:19-21

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13

Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44

Luke 8:19-21

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him

but were unable to join him because of the crowd.

He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside

and they wish to see you.”

He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers 

are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, open my ears to hear your Word and Wisdom! Move my heart and will to put your holy word into practice. Overcome my stubbornness and resistance to your will. Your will is the path that leads to eternal life with you. I want to follow this path always.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Jesus and the Path of Wisdom: Jesus teaches the path of wisdom in the Gospel. He calls us to the obedience of faith, to hear the Word of God and act on it. This is the way true sons and daughters of God act; this is the way the brothers and sisters of Christ act. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is blessed not only because she was chosen to be the Mother of God, but also because she walked blamelessly in the way of the Lord. She gave her complete yes to God’s Word and considered herself as the handmaid of the Lord. All generations call her blessed and seek to imitate her unconditional acceptance of God’s will.

2. The Second Collection of Solomon’s Proverbs: Today’s First Reading is taken from the Second Collection of Solomon’s proverbs (Proverbs 10:1-22:16). Many of these proverbs have to do with the two ways: the way of wisdom and life and the way of foolishness and death. The righteous are those who listen to the voice of wisdom and lead a life of prayer. They are urged to trust in the Lord and to be diligent in work, humble in spirit, open to correction, and committed to truthful and guarded speech (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, 14). The senseless, by contrast, are given to pride, laziness, drunkenness, and all manner of perverse and deceitful speech. They tend to be merciless, contentious, and quick-tempered. They have no qualms about perverting justice and conducting crooked business deals. What is worse, they despise correction from others that would lead them toward wisdom. “The way of folly is ultimately ‘the way of evil’ (2:12), and the one who follows it ‘dies for lack of discipline’ (5:23)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, 14).

3. Empty Sacrifices vs. Works of Mercy: In particular, our First Reading sees the foolish as having haughty eyes and proud hearts. The fruit of their work is sin. Those who are wicked desire evil; those who are arrogant will be punished; those who are indifferent to the cry of the poor will not be heard when they cry out in their need. We are called in the Psalm to reject the way of the foolish and to walk in the law of the Lord. When we meditate on God’s deeds and seek to understand his precepts, we can be led by God along the path of life, the path of his commandments. What God desires, more than empty sacrifices, is for us to imitate him and do what is right, just, and merciful. The sacrifice of our lives – our self-offering – is not empty when it is united to that of Christ, empowered by divine grace, and full of works of charity.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you saved me from sin and death by following the humble path of divine wisdom. Teach me to follow in your footsteps along this path. Help me to know what to avoid, how to stay on the path, how to overcome temptation, how to persevere through trial, and how to finish the race.

Living the Word of God: Looking at this past week, what have I offered to God as a pleasing sacrifice? Did I unite the offering to that of Jesus in prayer? Looking ahead to the upcoming week, what can I offer to the Father through the Son and in the Spirit?