Monday 2 September 2024

Today is Monday the 2nd of September in the 22nd week of Ordinary Time.


Juliano Ravanello sings ‘Hino Cristológico’, based on the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2:4 –11:

‘…Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.’

Jesus Cristo e o Senhor
Para a Gloria de Deus Pai
Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo
De natureza divina
Nao exigiu ser tratado
Na qualidade de Deus
Mas despojou-se ele mesmo
Tomando a forma de servo
Igual aos homens sem tudo
E simples homem julgado
Quis humilhar-se a si proprio
E obediente mostrou-se
Ate a morte de cruz
E por isso Deus o exaltou
E o destituiu como homem
Que todo homem supera
Ao nome pois de Jesus
Todo joelho se dobre
No ceu, na terra e sob a Terra
E toda lingua proclame
Para o esplendor de Deus Pai
Que Jesus Cristo e o Senhor
Jesus Cristo e o Senhor
Para a Gloria de Deus Pai
Jesus Christ is The Lord
For the Glory of God the Father
Our Lord Jesus Christ
Of divine nature
Did not demand to be treated
in the quality of God
But he stripped himself
Taking the form of a servant
Just like men without everything
And simple man judged
I wanted to humiliate myself
And obediently showed
to the death of the cross
And for this God exalted him
And dismissed him as a man
That every man overcomes
To the name of Jesus
Every knee bow
In heaven, on earth and under the earth
And every tongue proclaim
To the splendor of God the Father
That Jesus Christ is Lord
Jesus Christ is The Lord
For the Glory of God the Father




Today’s reading is from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Human beings who profess belief in a loving God wrestle with the problem of evil. Why is there so much suffering in the world? In particular, why is there so much innocent suffering? There are philosophical and theological responses to this question. They vary in quality . . . How do you wrestle with all this in your heart?

St Paul resists any easy or partial answer. Instead, he points to a God who chooses to be human in Jesus. He pays the price and is crucified . . . How do you respond to this?

This is the God Paul believes in and proclaims. Herein lies God’s response to suffering and evil. Here is God’s power . . . Listen once more to St Paul’s words…

As you consider the suffering world, you don’t have to work it all out. Rather, in your mind’s eye, might you gaze at Jesus on the cross . . .

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.