Sunday Scripture Nicaraguan police continue harassing Catholics -p6

FIRST READING: Ecclesiasticus 3:17-20. 28-29 Behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord. My son, be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved than a lavish giver. The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favour with the Lord; for great though the power of the Lord is, he accepts the homage of the humble. There is no cure for the proud man’s malady, since an evil growth has taken root in him. The heart of a sensible man will reflect on parables, an attentive ear is the sage’s dream.

Psalm 67

1. The just shall rejoice at the presence of God, they shall exult and dance for joy. O sing to the Lord, make music to his name; rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence. Response 2. Father of the orphan, defender of the widow, such is God in his holy place. God gives the lonely a home to live in; he leads the prisoners forth into freedom. Resp. 3. You poured down, O God, a generous rain: when your people were starved you gave them new life. It was there that your people found a home, prepared in your goodness, O God, for the poor. Resp.

SECOND READING: Hebrews 12:18-19. 22-24 You have to come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God What you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them. But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant. Gospel Acclamation Jn 14: 23 Alleluia, alleluia! If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Alleluia! or Mt 11: 27 Alleluia, alleluia! Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. Alleluia!

GOSPEL: Luke 14:1. 7-14 Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted . On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man”. And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher”. In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’ Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’ ❖

Today’s readings remind us of a chief virtue that characterizes the Christian steward: humility. This is a virtue that is widely thought of as a form of self-abasement. That understanding, however, is off the mark. Humility is simply the awareness of who (and Whose) we truly are. On one hand, we are children of the distinguished guest arrives and we are Most High God who loved us into asked to move to a lower place. existence and who, by virtue of our Jesus has much more in mind here Baptism, have the Holy Trinity dwell- than an etiquette lesson. He is remind-ing within us. On the other hand, we ing us that all glory belongs to God. are children who are completely de- The visual image He offers in having to pendent on God for our existence and slink down to a lower seat at the table for every breath we take. points out how silly we are when we Our Lord speaks of true humility in our forget to give God the credit for our Gospel passage from Luke, telling the blessings and talents. parable of the guests invited to a On the other hand, when we live in wedding banquet and instructing us humility —recognizing that all we have not to seek a place of honour at the is a gift from God and using those gifts banquet table, lest a more to serve Him and others — then God “exalts” us by filling us with even more of Himself and His grace. Jesus goes on to encourage us to serve and share our blessings with people facing circumstances that would make it impossible for them offer us any worldly advantage or prestige— “the poor, the crippled, the lame.” Our attitude and the way in which we serve and share should be centred on true humility — recognizing that we are all “little” ones in the eyes of God. We are all His children; brothers and sisters invited to our Father’s heavenly banquet. ❖

Gospel Refl ection Humility is a word that does not mean much in our society today. It gives the impression of being meek and timid. Many people feel that you cannot succeed in the world while being humble because it means putting aside your own interest in favour of that of another person. It seems to go against the way of modern society – one does not sacrifice one’s own interest for the sake others. Does it mean that most people are out to benefit at the expense of others? On the other hand, we notice that today’s First Reading suggests that a humble person is more open to God and so is more likely to find favour with the Almighty. This is because in order to humble ourselves, we have to let go of those things that give us a false sense of importance and superiority and which separate us from others. Generosity in giving has always been considered an important part of being a Christian. In fact, you can tell a true Christian from those who pretend to be one by the presence or absence of generosity in giving, even if it is only some of your time. But giving by itself is not all. We hardly ever think of the quality of our giving. It is the way we give and the spirit in which we give, that is important. Today’s Gospel sets a very high standard for us in our act of giving. Jesus points out that true giving happens when nothing is expected in return. We know that the Lord is not like we are when it comes to giving. The Lord is the greatest giver of all. For one thing, he gives to those who are at times most undeserving of his gifts. We are invited to the banquet of God’s love and we take our places as children of our loving Father, neither grasping for a place of honour nor holding back out of fear. We answer God’s loving invitation with our own loving response. God calls us, welcomes us and puts us to sit down where we belong, in the company of those who pay attention to God’s Word, who listen with open hearts for God’s wisdom. Remember it is not the place that honours the guest, but the guest that honours the place.❖ [From: Journeying with the Word of God, The Religious Education Department, Diocese of Georgetown, Guyana ] (CNS) - Following the arrest of a bishop and 11 others, police continued harassing Nicaraguan Catholics, even as Pope Francis called for “open and sincere” dialogue in the Central American country. Photos posted to social media showed police and paramilitaries surrounding St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Masaya, Nicaragua, Aug. 21 — the same day Pope Francis expressed “concern and sorrow” for the situation in Nicaragua, where the Catholic Church has suffered increasing persecution from the regime of President Daniel Ortega. Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa remains under house arrest in Managua after being seized in an Aug. 19 raid on the diocesan offices. The 11 other priests and laity arrested alongside the bishop continue languishing in the notorious El Chipote political prison. Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes of Managua visited Bishop Álvarez Aug. 19 and described the bishop as “physically deteriorated, but spiritually strong,” according to the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference. The bishops’ statement was subdued — a reflection of the risks of speaking out in Nicaragua, though prelates outside the country were more vocal. “I want to tell Nicaraguans not to lose hope; let us trust in the Lord and pray for Bishop Rolando Álvarez and the priests of Matagalpa and the others who are imprisoned together with other laypeople, and all the political prisoners of these countries,” Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Báez said in his Aug. 21 homily, delivered in Miami, where he is exiled. His comments followed Pope Francis’ call for dialogue in Nicaragua, where church charitable projects have been prohibited, priests arrested and stopped from celebrating Mass and the Missionaries of Charity expelled. During his Aug. 21 Angelus address, Pope Francis did not specifically mention Bishop Álvarez’s arrest, but he prayed for peace in the country through Mary’s intercession. “The Vatican has preferred a quiet, backdoor engagement with the government to try and persuade it to downscale its repressive tactics and resume talks with the opposition, rather than public condemnation,” said Tiziano Breda, Central America analyst for the International Crisis Group. “This stems from the understanding that the louder and more outspoken is the critic against Ortega … the more livid the presidential couple’s reaction is going to be, and any feeble communication channel still possibly

As pope calls for dialogue, Nicaraguan open is likely to be shut,” he added. Ortega’s wife, Rosario Murillo, is vice president. A priest in Nicaragua, who preferred anonymity for security reasons, called the papal comments, “bittersweet,” adding, “They say the pope was not explicit, but at least he broke the silence.” The pope’s call for dialogue was met with skepticism by many Nicaraguans on social media. “An ‘open and sincere’ dialogue to restore peaceful coexistence in Nicaragua, as Pope Francis proposes, is only possible without a police state, without political prisoners, and with international guarantors who supervise the agreements,” tweeted prominent Nicaraguan journalist Carlos F. Chamorro, editorial director of the news organization Confidencial. The Nicaraguan bishops mediated a national dialogue in 2018 after protests erupted, demanding Ortega’s ouster. The talks broke down, however, as the bishops saw little goodwill on the government side. In a 2021 interview with Catholic News Service, Bishop Álvarez defended the dialogues, which he said were held as “Nicaragua was literally bleeding to death, and it was necessary for all the A Nicaraguan exiled in Costa Rica holds a poster with a Vatican City flag parties directly involved to sit down and talk to make an effort to find a during the "Vigil of Faith and Freedom" outside the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Jose, Costa Rica, Aug. 19, 2022. The vigil was to protest solution.” Bishop Álvarez said of the churchthe detention of Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. ’s (CNS photo/Mayela Lopez, Reuters) experience since 2018: “We have vividly experienced what the spirit of Pope Francis means when he has called us to build a field hospital in churches, which have since been even more open.” He continued, “We have experienced firsthand what it means to be a church in exodus, a church that leaves its parishes, a church on the periphery accompanying the most vulnerable, the poorest, the simplest, a church … that we have not only lived conceptually, but experientially.” The National Police said Bishop Álvarez was under investigation for “trying to organize violent groups, inciting them to execute acts of hate against the population, provoking an environment of chaos and disorder, disturbing the peace and harmony in the community with the objective of destabilizing the Nicaraguan state and attacking the constitutional authorities.” This announcement came on the heels of Bishop Álvarez vociferously objecting to regulators ordering the closure of Catholic radio stations in the Diocese of Matagalpa; parishioners had tried to impede police confiscating equipment. Around the world, especially in the Americas, Catholic leaders issued statements expressing their solidarity with the people and the church in Nicaragua and urging Catholics to pray for peace.❖