Reading I
Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak till midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
— for he was standing higher up than any of the people —;
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
“Amen, amen!”
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
“Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep”—
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
reading II
1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27
Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
If a foot should say,
“Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, “
it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
Or if an ear should say,
“Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body, “
it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?
If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But as it is, God placed the parts,
each one of them, in the body as he intended.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you, “
nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.”
Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker
are all the more necessary,
and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable
we surround with greater honor,
and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,
whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.
But God has so constructed the body
as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
so that there may be no division in the body,
but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it;
if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the church
to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers;
then, mighty deeds;
then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
alternative:
Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
You are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.
Gospel
Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” |
|
|
|
Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:
Ezra, the priest, brought The Operating Instructions before those old enough to download them.
It took half a day to accomplish the download.
He showed them the scroll on which The Operating Instructions for The Programmer's beloved human programs were compiled.
When he opened the scroll, everyone rose to show their respect for The Programmer, and cried, "So be it, so be it!"
Then, they fell to the ground out of respect for The Programmer.
Ezra told them exactly what The Operating Instructions were.
They told those chosen to hear The Operating Instructions that it was a great and holy day, that downloading The Operating Instructions was cause for rejoicing.
A feast was proclaimed for everyone on this day, one that was sacred to The Programmer. Giving thanks to The Programmer for all He has done, and rejoicing in His continued programming assistance has to be what gives you the strength to prevail (over the forces of evil).
Your Operating Instructions, O Programmer, are Your Spirit and our life.
The Programmer's Operating Instruction are error-free, and restore our damaged operating systems. The Programmer's orders are to be relied upon, giving effective programming abilities to those open to them.
Your Operating Instructions, O Programmer, are Your Spirit and our life.
The Programmer's Operating Instructions are free from error. They give us joy and help us understand His Creation Program and how we fit into it.
Your Operating Instructions, O Programmer, are Your Spirit and our life.
Understanding The Programmer's Power drives away our tendency to error. His Operating Instructions are error free and right in every way.
Your Operating Instructions, O Programmer, are Your Spirit and our life.
Let me think and speak accurately of You, O Programmer and let my obedience to You cause You to provide programming assistance. I stand on Your Instructions and You will save me.
Your Operating Instructions, O Programmer, are Your Spirit and our life.
You who share belief in Him and His Operating Instructions: As our huge, complicated individual program is one, it is made from many sub-programs.
Jesus Christ, The Program in perfect, living, obedient human form, is The Entirety of the Creation Program.
By the Power of The Holy Wireless Connector, we were all made a part of The Program, no matter what our earthly condition was.
We are part of The Program as any part of our body is part of our individual program. It would be ridiculous if any bodily sub-program should say:
"I'm a hand, foot, ear, or eye program, and I'm not part of your body program."
All parts of your own body are sub-programs of your individual program.
By themselves, they are useless.
It is The Programmer Who programmed you in your entirety, made up of your (countless) sub-programs.
There are many sub-programs that have been compiled to make you what you are. All of them are necessary.
What seem to be lesser programs (we may consider the pineal gland) are actually very important.
The Programmer has programmed our bodies with our soul, which will live after the sub-programs have disappeared, to keep our sub-programs working well together. If one sub-program downloads an error, your entire body is affected.
Now, you have been downloaded into The Program, and each of you is a sub-program within it. Each of you has been programmed with a different set of skills. Some witness, some are able to access future downloads, some are programmed to do great deeds.
Some have been programmed with the ability to heal, some to help, some to organize, and some to speak in tongues.
All do not download the same programming skills, but each has his own, and all are important parts of The Body of The Program.
Fellow downloaders of The Program in human form, Jesus Christ, each of our individual programs, though it is compiled of many sub-programs, is one program.
Christ is The One Program, encompassing all, and by The Holy Wireless Connector, we were all downloaded into that Holy Program, and it doesn't matter what the earthly status of our individual program was.
Just as our body is composed of many sub-programs, your body is now an individual sub-program of Christ's Body.
Since many have begun to record what happened when The Program was downloaded on earth before our very eyes, I have decided to review and write down what happened in an orderly manner.
Jesus Christ, The All-Encompassing Program in human form, came to Galilee in the power of The Holy Wireless Connector Who joins us to The Program and Programmer. People talked and wrote about Him wherever He went as He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
He went to Nazareth, where He'd grown up, and went, as He always did, into the synagogue on the Sabbath. He stood up to read, and was (by the design of The Programmer?) given a passage from Isaiah, who'd been given the power to access future downloads. In that passage, it said:
"The Holy Wireless Connector is upon me because He's given Me the power to let people access The Programmer through The Program. It will make the poor happy, because they'll see their purpose and salvation, and those who can't get away from programmed entities, human and otherwise, will be freed from them. This is the year The Programmer has programmed for this download (of Me) to be made, and I am here."
Then, He rolled up the section of The Programming Log He'd read, gave it to the assistant, and sat down. The visual sub-programs of the congregation stared at Him, trying to absorb how the download related to Him. He said, "Today, this prediction from The Programming Log has been downloaded, and your hearing programs have put it into your minds." |
