Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings for Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time[i][ii]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill,
and yet to another who has not labored over it,
he must leave property.
This also is vanity and a great misfortune.
For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
with which he has labored under the sun?
All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation;
even at night his mind is not at rest.
This also is vanity.
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Commentary on Ecc 1:2; 2:21-23
Three hundred years before Christ walked the earth, the Hebrew teacher Qoheleth reflects on the illusion of human wisdom and effort. Even one who works and has earthly success must ultimately leave that result to a person (heir) who did not toil. He develops the idea that God’s wisdom is hidden and nothing mankind can do on this earth will reveal it in a meaningful way. “All is vanity.” The word “vanity” (in Hebrew “hebel”) is used 35 times in this book and translated literally it means “breath” or “vapor.” It is used else where (Psalm 39:6-7 and Psalm 94:11) and indicates something transient, worthless, or empty.[iv]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
R. (1) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the Lord our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
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Commentary on Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
This selection of Psalm 90 is very important to us in that it provides an understanding of God’s time table for creation and man; “For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday…” The psalm laments the mortality of the human life and prays for wisdom and asks for value given to the work of human hands.
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Reading II: Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Brothers and sisters:
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:
immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire,
and the greed that is idolatry.
Stop lying to one another,
since you have taken off the old self with its practices
and have put on the new self,
which is being renewed, for knowledge,
in the image of its creator.
Here there is not Greek and Jew,
circumcision and uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;
but Christ is all and in all.
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Commentary on Col 3:1-5, 9-11
The theme of seeking the higher gifts continues in this section of St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians as those raised to new life in Christ through Baptism is proclaimed. He instructs the church to turn away from the hedonistic instincts of human nature, to make a radical change, dying to the old self (also Romans 6:3), and become the new creation of the Baptized. In this baptism we are unified, one in Christ (similar to Ephesians 2:14ff).
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Gospel: Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”
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Commentary on Lk 12:13-21
The passage begins with Jesus refusing to provide rabbinical guidance to a person in the crowd. Such guidance is provided in Numbers 27:1-11 and Deuteronomy 21:15ff but the Lord saw the greed at the root of the request. He uses the parable (found only in Luke) of the Rich Fool to emphasize the need to focus on the spiritual gifts that do not parish not just on material goods. He tells the one who wishes to have him arbitrate a dispute with that person’s brother to take care against greed.
The parable has elements of other stories used by Jesus in which the unpredictability of the end of life is emphasized. Spoken to the crowd, the Lord tells them to focus on those spiritual attributes without delay. St. Athanasius used these words: “A person who lives as if he were to die every day- given that our life is uncertain by definition- will not sin, for good fear extinguishes most of the disorder of our appetites; whereas he who thinks he has a long life ahead of him will easily let himself be dominated by pleasures (Adversus Antigonum).”[v]
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Homily:
There was once a very good and very wealthy man who died and went to heaven. When he arrived at the pearly gates, St. Peter looked in his book and saw all the good things the man had done and invited him in. As the man walked by, St. Peter noticed a look of great sorrow on his face. He said to the man “Mr. Jones, I don’t understand your depression. You had a wonderful life on earth, filled with good deeds and great wealth and today you are ushered into heaven. Why are you sad?”
The man said in reply “St. Peter, I know I should be happy and I always knew I could not take my wealth with me but I fear I will miss it. I wish I could have brought up just one souvenir of my earthly success.”
St. Peter again consulted his book and thought for a moment. He turned to the man and said “You know, I think you can be allowed to go back and bring just a small memento of your earthly life, nothing big like a yacht, but just a reminder.”
Poof! The man disappeared and poof he was back. He was holding a small shoe box that was clearly quite heavy. St. Peter could not resist and asked the man what he had chosen to bring back. With his face reddening somewhat the man opened the box lid to show St. Peter four bars of gold bullion. Whereupon St. Peter looked up in surprise and exclaimed “You brought pavement?”
The story, of course has a moral and that moral is tied directly to the Gospel from St. Luke. The Lord is, at this point in his ministry, a person of renown. He is respected and looked upon as a person of some authority. He is approached by one of the crowd he is addressing and asked to take on the role of a Rabbi – to settle a dispute about Mosaic Law in a family dealing with how an estate should be settled. Jesus does not choose to deal directly with the issue, but rather sees the motive of the one who asked the question. That motive is greed.
Greed, defined as “excessive desire, as for wealth or power” is a symptom of perverted values and Jesus chooses to address the entire crowd with a story to illustrate the foolishness of the motives the questioner expressed. The story of the wealthy fool is instructive in a few different ways. It tells us, first of all, the same sentiment expressed by the ancient author of Ecclesiastes said in the first reading today – even a person who is successful in his labors on earth may not take those treasures to heaven.
Without going into details there is another humorous story about the man who gave his lawyer a large sum of cash to put into his casket when he was buried. After the funeral he was asked if he did and he replied “Yes, I left him a check for the total amount.” What is important in our lives is not how much we can accumulate, not even how much we leave to our heirs. But the point the Lord was making in his Gospel story is the treasure we need to accumulate is spiritual, not material.
One may think at this point that gathering spiritual treasure is all fine and good but it does not pay the mortgage nor put food on the table. That is of course correct. We must all work to provide for ourselves and for those who depend upon us. Working in such a way is neither vanity as Qoheleth said nor is it greed. What Jesus refers to is our passion – what are we passionate about? Where our passions lie – we will spend our time, our energy, and our thoughts. Taken to an extreme, our passions become obsessions and obsessions may turn even the best intention into an unwholesome pursuit.
The Gospel begs us to ask ourselves a question today. Where do we spend our time? What are our passions? If we are passionate about our work, have we neglected more important elements of our lives? If we are passionate about a hobby or sport, have we neglected some other aspect of our lives – has work, or friends, or family suffered as a result? Are we passionate about the Lord? Ah, there is the question.
One might argue that, just like other healthy passions, passion for the Lord can be overdone. I submit that it probably could be, but like eating healthy or getting proper exercise, you would have to go along way before passion for Jesus would cause a problem. I seriously doubt that one who truly followed the Lord, no matter how obsessively, if they did so for the right reasons, for God’s greater glory, they could not over do it.
Our concern today is not that our congregation will become obsessive / compulsive about the Lord. But rather do we give Jesus enough of our time, our passion, our thought so that our lives will be transformed? That is the message contained in scripture today – do we spend our time on gifts that we will always have, or do we go after pavement.
Pax[i] ALTRE[ii] The picture today is Allegory of the Vanity of Earthly Things by an UNKNOWN French Master, 1630
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[iv] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 32:8, pp 535.
[v] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, pp.437.
Saint Ignatius Loyola, Priest
(Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time)
Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Readings for Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24
The priests and prophets said to the princes and to all the people,
“This man deserves death;
he has prophesied against this city,
as you have heard with your own ears.”
Jeremiah gave this answer to the princes and all the people:
“It was the Lord who sent me to prophesy against this house and city
all that you have heard.
Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds;
listen to the voice of the Lord your God,
so that the Lord will repent of the evil with which he threatens you.
As for me, I am in your hands;
do with me what you think good and right.
But mark well: if you put me to death,
it is innocent blood you bring on yourselves,
on this city and its citizens.
For in truth it was the Lord who sent me to you,
to speak all these things for you to hear.”
Thereupon the princes and all the people
said to the priests and the prophets,
“This man does not deserve death;
it is in the name of the Lord, our God, that he speaks to us.”
So Ahikam, son of Shaphan, protected Jeremiah,
so that he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Commentary on Jer 26:11-16, 24
The story of Jeremiah’s persecution is continued after he first prophesied in the Temple that if the people did not turn away from their sinful practices, God would destroy the kingdom of Judah including the temple. Here the leaders of the community try to have him put to death.
In the face of this angry mob, the prophet repeats the essence of the prophecy (repent so the Lord will not punish them) and then reminds them that it was not on his own that he came to them but as a servant, a prophet of God who commanded him. If they put him to death they were committing an offense against the law. They were finally convinced (in the omitted verses, 17-23 the example of the Prophet Micah, who also predicted dire consequences was used.) and we are told Ahikam came to his defense. “Ahikam, son of Shaphan: one of Josiah's officials (2 Kings 22:12) and father of Gedaliah, Jeremiah's friend, who was governor of Judah after Zedekiah's deportation (cf Jeremiah 39:14; 40:5-7).”[iv]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:15-16, 30-31, 33-34
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Rescue me out of the mire; may I not sink!
may I be rescued from my foes,
and from the watery depths.
Let not the flood-waters overwhelm me,
nor the abyss swallow me up,
nor the pit close its mouth over me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the Lord hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
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Commentary on Ps 69:15-16, 30-31, 33-34
Psalm 69 is a lament (also continued from the previous day) in which the psalmist sings of being unjustly persecuted and calls on God’s saving help. The faith in God’s mercy is reflected in the confidence of the psalmist as in the final strophe the poor are reassured of His kindness.
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Gospel: Matthew 14:1-12
Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison
on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,
for John had said to him,
“It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,
for they regarded him as a prophet.
But at a birthday celebration for Herod,
the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests
and delighted Herod so much
that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.
Prompted by her mother, she said,
“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.
His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,
who took it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the corpse
and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.
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Commentary on Mt 14:1-12
In this passage, recalling the manner of the death of John the Baptist, Herod unwittingly predicts Jesus future glory as he assumes the Lord is John the Baptist raised from the dead. His guilt over the murder of John wears heavily on him.
In St. Matthew’s account of the murder of John the Baptist we not that there is a much more detailed explanation than that found in the Gospel of St. Mark (Mark 6:14ff). We also see that according to St. Matthew, the murder of St. John was the intent of Herod from the beginning where St. Mark’s Gospel infers it was Herodias.
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Reflection:
It is a tense day in scripture. First we hear Jeremiah who has been really haranguing the leadership for a couple weeks now is about ready to be put to death. His response; “Don’t blame me, God is the one who sent me and it is God that wants you to change.” He dodged a proverbial bullet. Then in the Gospel, just when it seems like King Herod is getting very concerned about Jesus (thinking he is the re-incarnation of John the Baptist), we get a flashback to the execution of John.
As we watch the lives of the servants of God unfold, we come to one inescapable conclusion, working for God can be hazardous to your health. Granted, special honor was accorded to the great Prophet Jeremiah and similar honor was given to the precursor of the Lord, his cousin, John the Baptist. Still when the message of God is placed against the back drop society’s norms, it is not what most people want to hear. And when those people are of a far distant time when human life was less revered, the common outcome was pain, frequently resulting in death.
What message does that bring to us today? First, we must understand that if we take our faith into the secular world we will not win any popularity contests. Those that don’t avoid us will probably do what they can to make us figures of ridicule or contempt. They will make jokes at our expense and the names they use for us such as Jesus freak and fanatic are not meant to be badges of honor (although we should be proud to earn them).
In other parts of the world, especially those parts where radical Islam seems to be taking hold, being labeled Christian can be a death sentence. In the predominantly Islamic states around the holy land (Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, not to mention Iran) professing Christianity is actually a civil crime punishable by death. In China, Christianity is tolerated but subordinate to the state. We in the “Christian World” are actually quite lucky.
We have an obligation to be faithful to our Creed and to proclaim our Lord Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. We are required to live a life of faith at home, at school and at work. We need to show the face the face of Christ to our families, our friends and neighbors, and especially the stranger we meet. But as we do what we are obligated to do in the name of our faith, let us remember Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and above all Jesus. They gave us an example of what the faith is worth to us and the world.
Pax
[i] ALTRE[ii] The picture used is “St John Reproaching Herod” by Mattia Preti, 1662-66
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[iv] See NAB footnote on Jeremiah 26:24
Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Doctor
Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus
Readings for Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 26:1-9
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim,
son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this message came from the Lord:
Thus says the Lord:
Stand in the court of the house of the Lord
and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the Lord;
whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.
Perhaps they will listen and turn back,
each from his evil way,
so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them
for their evil deeds.
Say to them: Thus says the Lord:
If you disobey me,
not living according to the law I placed before you
and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,
whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,
I will treat this house like Shiloh,
and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth
shall refer when cursing another.
Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people
heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord.
When Jeremiah finished speaking
all that the Lord bade him speak to all the people,
the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,
“You must be put to death!
Why do you prophesy in the name of the Lord:
‘This house shall be like Shiloh,’ and
‘This city shall be desolate and deserted’?”
And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
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Commentary on Jer 26:1-9
The opening comment in this selection sets the date of this incident at about 609 B.C. Most scholars agree the narrative is a third party (probably Baruch). The prophet causes a scandal in the Temple by calling on those who consider themselves devout to repent and return to following the Law of Moses. According to Jeremiah, if they do not, the Lord’s anger will be unleashed against them and Judah will be decimated.
The specific mention of Shiloh is significant in that Shiloh was once a high place, central to the worship of Yahweh (see Joshua 18:1 and Judges 18:31)[iv], but was destroyed; a reminder that God will not spare even places where he is worshiped if the people turn away from his desired path. As a result of this vitriolic discourse, Jeremiah is accused of blasphemy and seized by the leadership of the temple.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Those outnumber the hairs of my head
who hate me without cause.
Too many for my strength
are they who wrongfully are my enemies.
Must I restore what I did not steal?
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother’s sons,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I pray to you, O Lord,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
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Commentary on Ps 69:5, 8-10, 14
Psalm 69 is a lament in which the psalmist sings of being unjustly accused of crimes and forced to make restitution. “The psalm, which depicts the suffering of the innocent just person vividly, is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts, e.g., Psalm 69:5 in John 15:25”[v].
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Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58
Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter’s son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?”
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house.”
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Commentary on Mt 13:54-58
This story from Matthew’s Gospel focuses on the people most familiar with Jesus the boy growing up among them. They are seeking the “Royal Messiah”, one coming with great power and majesty and are disappointed because of the Lord’s familiar and humble beginnings. Matthew’s story tells us that because of their lack of faith, the Lord did not perform any signs in their midst, ending the passage with the often quoted “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house." (See also John 1:11, those who were overly familiar with Jesus could not place their faith in him.)
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Reflection:
If we were very lucky growing up, when we came home from school or play, our mothers would be there to give us a snack, patch up our cuts and scrapes, or listen to our tales of triumph or woe. As children, we grew to expect them to be there; expected them to lend a sympathetic ear and a loving touch. Growing older we may have come to take that love and presence for granted. Mom was always there, we could forget about appreciating the fact that for her, our happiness and well being were one of the most important things in her life. As we grew older still, we may have challenged her wisdom and even become antagonistic towards her. We may have thought “What does she know? We can take care of ourselves.”
This whole idea of taking something for granted – over familiarity, is at the heart of what Jesus encounters in the Gospel. The people who knew him growing up could not accept what he had become. They knew his parents and his extended family members. It is clear they did not know of his miraculous birth or the circumstances surrounding the Blessed Mothers conception or they would have behaved differently. They only knew Jesus, the carpenter’s son who had grown up in their midst. They were even upset by him. They saw him assuming authority they would not give him and they rejected him. We hear the Lord’s response, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house."
We take two different lessons from this encounter (and that of the Prophet Jeremiah as well). First, God’s message is not going to be popular with everyone. In fact, people closest to you, those who know you and know your failings, will find it difficult if not impossible to accept you if you adopt a Christ centered lifestyle. Asking others to follow God can be a very unpopular thing to do.
A second lesson, and perhaps a more subtle one, is the pitfall of over familiarity with sacred things and places. The challenge we often face with becoming disciplined in our faith is that the things we do; prayer, worship, acts of charity, these things can become routine and we can take them for granted. When that happens, we loose the grace God gives us in return for our dedication. It is like our mother’s love, if we have taken it for granted, we loose the wonder of it and much of the benefit we would otherwise derive from it.
In the face of the Gospel message we are given today our prayer is two fold. First we pray that we may always be fearless in proclaiming the Kingdom of God, even when that message is unwelcome and unpopular. And second, we pray that we will never become complacent in the love our Lord has for us nor will we take for granted the wondrous gifts he gives us with his infinite grace.
Pax[i] ALTRE[ii] The picture is “The Prophet Jeremiah” by Antoine Coypel, c.1700’s
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[iv] McKenzie, John L., Dictionary of the Bible, Macmillan Publishing, 1965, pp. 807
[v] See NAB footnote on Psalm 69
Memorial of Saint Martha
Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Martha[i]
Readings for the Memorial of St. Martha[ii]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
(Note: on this memorial, the Gospel of the memorial is proper.)
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 18:1-6
This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
Rise up, be off to the potter’s house;
there I will give you my message.
I went down to the potter’s house and there he was,
working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand,
he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.
Then the word of the Lord came to me:
Can I not do to you, house of Israel,
as this potter has done? says the Lord.
Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,
so are you in my hand, house of Israel.
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Commentary on Jer 18:1-6
The oracle of Jeremiah has been dwelling on the source of life in God and the importance of repentance. In the story of the visit to the Potter God symbolically demonstrates the absolute power of God to reshape civilization (to destroy and remake). This image recalls the creation of mankind from the clay of the ground in Genesis 2:7 and is used in other prophetic works of the Old Testament (Isaiah 45:9) and New Testament (Romans 9:20-23 in which it appears St. Paul may be reflecting on this very passage).
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Responsorial Psalm Psalm 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the Lord, O my soul;
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Put not your trust in princes,
in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.
When his spirit departs he returns to his earth;
on that day his plans perish.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord, his God.
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
Psalm 146 is from the wisdom tradition. Here we are given a vision of God’s salvation. His saving power (envisioned in the oracle of Isaiah and fulfilled in Jesus the Christ) lifts up the poor and down trodden and heals those afflicted with every sort of malady.
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Gospel: John 11:19-27
Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
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Commentary on Jn 11:19-27
Within the story or the death and resurrection of Lazarus we see the very human emotions of Jesus they range from confidence in his relationship with the Father at the end of the story to the all too human grief and fear as he expresses his concern at what this revelatory event has cost his close friends, Martha and Mary, as they see their brother die. The encounter describes how Martha’s fear and remorse change to faith as she makes her profession of faith (“I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”) This exchange of fear for faith seen in the witnesses is the same conversion the Gospel attempts to initiate in the Christian faithful in response to these events.
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OR
Second Option: Luke 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Commentary on Lk 10:38-42
The story of Jesus’ meeting with Martha and Mary conveys the importance of listening to the teachings of the Lord (faith). While in some early texts the Lord tells Martha there is “need for only a few things” or of one, the message is clear, Mary, in assuming the role of disciple (listening at the master’s feet) has chosen the correct or better role. Martha, concerning herself with the requirements of hospitality (old law) has chosen the lesser.
“Mystically (St. Gregory the Great, Moralia 2, 6): the two women signify two dimensions of the spiritual life. Martha signifies the active life as she busily labors to honor Christ through her work. Mary exemplifies the contemplative life as she sits attentively to listen and learn from Christ. While both activities are essential to Christian living, the latter is greater than the former. For in heaven the active life terminates, while the contemplative life reaches its perfection.”[iv]
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Reflection:
The memorial of St. Martha represents a very special day in the life of almost all faith communities. It is special because we all know “Martha”. It is Martha who is in the kitchen at parish functions, making sure the food is placed before the people, making sure the decorations are just right, washing dishes when we leave to go home. It is Martha who makes sure there are flowers in the Sanctuary and the altar has a clean cloth. It is Martha who does all those thankless jobs so that we can enjoy fellowship and worship without a care for all of the details and mundane tasks so necessary for our gatherings to be times of calm and reflection.
We see Martha in sacred scripture in something of a different role. Her brother Lazarus has died and like many of us her thoughts at the time of his death went to God asking “Why have you taken him from me?” When she hears that her brother’s great friend, Jesus, is coming she rushes out to meet him. Her greeting reflects her grief as she virtually accuses the Lord of allowing her brother to die ““Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
In almost the same breath she catches herself and continues hopefully; “But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Her faith overrules her heartfelt grief and she makes the ultimate profession – that Jesus, because he is the Messiah, has power, even over death.
The Marthas in our lives have that same strength of faith. It is they who feel the grief of loss and it is they who remind us that God can accomplish anything. The Lord is, as Jeremiah said in his visit to the Potter, able to make and remake all things by his will. It is this faith we pray for on the Feast of St. Martha. We ask for her prayers that we may do what needs to be done, but always with supreme faith in God’s mercy and love.
Pax[i] The picture is “Christ in the House of Mary and Martha” Vincenzo Campi, c. 1580
[ii] ALTRE (Reading and Psalm only)[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[iv] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 129
Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21
Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!
a man of strife and contention to all the land!
I neither borrow nor lend,
yet all curse me.
When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
I did not sit celebrating
in the circle of merrymakers;
Under the weight of your hand I sat alone
because you filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain continuous,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook,
whose waters do not abide!
Thus the Lord answered me:
If you repent, so that I restore you,
in my presence you shall stand;
If you bring forth the precious without the vile,
you shall be my mouthpiece.
Then it shall be they who turn to you,
and you shall not turn to them;
And I will make you toward this people
a solid wall of brass.
Though they fight against you,
they shall not prevail,
For I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the Lord.
I will free you from the hand of the wicked,
and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.
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Commentary on Jer 15:10, 16-21
This selection continues the Prophet Jeremiah’s lament. In these verses the prophet is having a crisis of faith in his own mission. He cries out first that he wishes he had never been born (since he was called from the womb to his mission -Jeremiah 1:4-5). Because he constantly challenges the social traditions that are evolving, because he calls for the people to reform themselves and predicts God’s punishment if they do not, he is outcast (“I did not sit celebrating in the circle of merrymakers; Under the weight of your hand I sat alone because you filled me with indignation.”)
In response to his lament, the Lord calls Jeremiah to continue his prophetic work. First Jeremiah himself must repent from his own rebellious way and return to ritual purity (“If you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece.”) The Lord pledges unfailing support for the prophet’s mission and ultimate victory over God’s foes. (“…for I am with you, to deliver and rescue you, says the Lord.”)
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18
R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.
Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O Lord.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
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Commentary on Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18
Psalm 59 is a lament which alternates prayers for salvation with petitions to punish the enemies of the faithful. The plea for salvation in the psalm strikes a counterpoint to the lament of Jeremiah who is isolated because of his call to serve the Lord.
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Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Commentary on Mt 13:44-46
The parable of the Buried Treasure and the parable of the Pearl have the same point. One who understands the Kingdom of Heaven and sees its worth, places obtaining that promise before all else and sees it. It is the primacy of Christ’s teaching that guides the disciple in all things.
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Reflection:
The two parables of the Gospel seem on the surface to be saying the same thing. Indeed they both speak of the inestimable value of finding the Kingdom of God (in this life and the next). They both speak of the great joy of the person who is able to acquire it. But there is a difference in the means by which this occurs.
In the analogy to the buried treasure, the seeker is said to have found the treasure. It is as if they are simply walking in a field and stumble upon it. In this analogy it would be like the casual Christian, the person who is of the faith by accident of birth and upbringing who has followed the teaching of the Lord more out of habit than real desire to understand the Lord. One day this person has a revelation and suddenly sees the value or the peace of Christ which is what the Kingdom of God provides in this life. With that revelation and without much fanfare, that person’s life is transformed and they are filled with joy at their discovery.
The other parable; the parable of the pearl, speaks of the merchant searching for pearls. That person’s encounter is not an accident but rather the result of long effort. In this instance, it would be like the diligent seeker of truth who explores all manner of faith traditions finally finding Christ and His wisdom. Like the accidental discovery of the buried treasure, this one sees the priceless nature of God’s love and salvation and dedicates themselves completely to the goal of attaining that end.
Regardless of our template, whether we stumble across buried treasure or if we find the pearl of great price after long effort, we are told that attainment of that treasure requires single minded dedication to the attainment of that which is freely offered. It is the lesson Christ offers and one we rededicate ourselves to living.
Pax
[i] ALTRE[ii] The picture used is “The Hidden Treasure” By James Tissot, 1886-94
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 14:17-22
Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
look! those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not.
Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name's sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain?
Or can the mere heavens send showers?
Is it not you alone, O LORD,
our God, to whom we look?
You alone have done all these things.
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Commentary Jer 14:17-22
This reading is part of the Prophet Jeremiah’s great lament for the destruction and death that has come to Judah. He uses the metaphor of a young woman morally wounded to describe the damage to the land and people. The concluding verses constitute a plea for mercy and a confession of past sins (“We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers”). The implication being the destruction visited upon them was a consequence of their sin. The Prophet’s final plea recognizes the one True God who is all powerful.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
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Commentary Ps 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
Psalm 79 is a communal lament. Continuing the lament of Jeremiah above, these verses plead with God to forgive the people of the sins they have committed. They see in their destruction and defeat the punishment of God of these past offenses and issue a plea fro mercy.
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Gospel: Matthew 13:36-43
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Commentary on Mt 13:36-43
Jesus dismisses the crowd who, in this instance, represent the unbelieving of Israel. The remainder of this passage is directed at instruction of the disciples. His explanation of the parable of the weeds clearly shows the intent of the story. The judgment of the wicked by God through his angels will take place in the Eschaton (the end times – the end of the age. The righteous will be vindicated (shine like the sun). The final statement; “Whoever has ears ought to hear” is both a warning and a statement of need for patience by the faithful.
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Reflection:
So often we forget that there is a dynamic struggle taking place in the world between God and his nemesis, the Evil One, as the Gospel names him. We think that evil is passive in the world and while we should avoid it, it does not seek us out.
Jesus makes it clear that the struggle is on-going and that the children of God are at risk, not just of sinning of their own accord, but of being seduced by the Evil One and falling into eternal fire. The warning is apt. The evil of the world has trapped so many right-intentioned people. We see the devil portrayed in scripture as a fallen angel. If, therefore, we consider how an angel might appear to us, we must also consider that should the fallen one present himself to us, how are we to know that it is not one of God’s messengers who persuades us to take a course of action?
In the desert, when Christ was tempted by the same Evil One, the devil we recall even quoted scripture to the Lord to try to seduce him away from his salvific mission. He offered food to a hungry man and water to one who thirsted. He offered all the kingdoms of the earth; essentially the fulfillment of Christ’s mission to Jesus who came to save all people for the Heavenly Father. All this he offered if our Lord would but bow to him, the fallen angel. How tempting that must have been to the Lord as he looked past his trial in the desert and saw at the end of his earthly mission the cross of his passion standing starkly on Calvary’s hill.
The Lord’s warning to the disciples and hence to us is indeed apt. We, who strive to keep Christ’s mission of love visible in the world, are challenged constantly not by some benign evil that sits like a pit for us to avoid; but by a malignant evil active and insatiable that seeks to ambush us, choke us as weeds, as we attempt to do God’s will. Our attitude must be one of constant vigilance and prayer. It is only by keeping this vigil and remaining in a state of constant discernment that we can see evil for what it is and avoid the terrible harvest at the end of time. “Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Pax[i] ALTRE[ii] The Picture is “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by Giacinto Gimignani, c. 1650’s
An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne,
parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Alternate Proper for the Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne
Readings for Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 13:1-11
The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;
wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.
I bought the loincloth, as the LORD commanded, and put it on.
A second time the word of the LORD came to me thus:
Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing,
and go now to the Parath;
there hide it in a cleft of the rock.
Obedient to the LORD's command, I went to the Parath
and buried the loincloth.
After a long interval, the LORD said to me:
Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth
which I told you to hide there.
Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth
from the place where I had hid it.
But it was rotted, good for nothing!
Then the message came to me from the LORD:
Thus says the LORD:
So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot,
the great pride of Jerusalem.
This wicked people who refuse to obey my words,
who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,
and follow strange gods to serve and adore them,
shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.
For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man's loins,
so had I made the whole house of Israel
and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD;
to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty.
But they did not listen.
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Commentary on Jer 13:1-11
The oracle of Jeremiah uses the metaphor of the loincloth to describe the fallen nature of the people of Judah. The loincloth unwashed and hidden represents the people unrepentant and fallen away. The loincloth worn as an undergarment was the clothing worn closest to man’s most intimate parts and therefore most personal. Jeremiah uses this relationship to describe the Lord’s consideration and love for Israel which was intense (“…to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty”) whose fall therefore was so grievous to God (“But they did not listen.”)
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Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21
R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you,
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"I will hide my face from them," he said,
"and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!"
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god'
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a 'no-people';
with a foolish nation I will anger them."
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
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Commentary on Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21
This passage from Deuteronomy is taken from the last discourse of Moses, a section called the Song of Moses. The great leader laments that the people have turned away from the God who saved them. The song echoes God’s anger at the people who turn their backs and worship foreign gods.
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Gospel:
Matthew 13:31-35
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"
He spoke to them another parable.
"The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened."
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation
of the world.
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Commentary on Mt 13:31-35
The Lord continues his descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven using two parables. The parable of the mustard seed and the parable of yeast have the same point. What appears to be small grows to miraculous size. What has been insignificant is vastly important, what cannot be seen is unknowingly immense. The parables of the “Mustard Seed” and “Yeast” (see also Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13:18-21) emphasize that from the smallest of beginnings with the proclamation of the word, the Kingdom of God expands to encompass all peoples. St. Matthew tells us that Jesus spoke in these parables “to fulfill what had been said through the prophet”, however, the scripture quoted is Psalm 78:2. The psalm’s author, King David, is referred to as a prophet elsewhere in the New Testament (see Acts 2:29-30).
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Reflection:
Perhaps the best way to convey the underlying message from St. Matthew’s Gospel is to close your eyes and remember at time when you were so filled with hope and expectation that your spirit virtually buoyed you up. Perhaps that time was when you were waiting for someone you loved who had been gone a long time who was returning at any moment or maybe it was when you were a child, waiting to get up on Christmas morning. Recall that feeling of joyous expectation.
It is exactly this kind of anticipation the Lord places before his audience as he explains about the Kingdom of God. With the Parable of the Mustard seed he provides an image of a small beginning that grows into a magnificent result. In this example he gives us the hope that our small germ of faith may sprout and grow into a immensely powerful force within us.
Similarly, the Parable of the Yeast instills hope in us that what we are given, faith in the Kingdom of God may spread through us to all we meet, transforming the world and bringing peace in our time.
Our hope in Christ’s promise creates in us anticipation and hope. It becomes a motive for acting with love as he commanded us, just as other hopes in our lives moved us to act in ways that were pleasing to others and to God. Our prayer today is that the hope we feel in God’s promise will transform us, like leaven in dough and that we may do the same to others.
Pax[i] ALTRE[ii] The picture used today is “The Infant Jesus Distributing Bread to Pilgrims” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1678
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings for Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time[i][ii]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1 Genesis 18:20-32
In those days, the Lord said: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out.”
While Abraham’s visitors walked on farther toward Sodom,
the Lord remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer and said:
“Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?”
The Lord replied,
“If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Abraham spoke up again:
“See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.”
But Abraham persisted, saying “What if only forty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty.”
Then Abraham said, “Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there.”
Still Abraham went on,
“Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?”
The Lord answered, “I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty.”
But he still persisted:
“Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?”
He replied, “For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.”
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Commentary on Gn 18:20-32
This selection continues the story of Abraham’s encounter with the Lord at the terebinth of Mamre. The Lord and two messengers have already predicted the birth of a son to Abraham and Sara. They now have departed for Sodom and Gomorrah joined by Abraham “to see them on their way”. The text envisions God coming down to see what punishment must come to the cities. While the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is not specifically known (the account from Genesis says homosexuality (Genesis 19:4-5), Isaiah lack of social justice (Isaiah 1:9-10; 3:9), Ezekiel disregard for the poor (Ezekiel 16:46-51), and Jeremiah general immorality (Jeremiah 23:14)). “Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?” In early Israel it was common for the innocent to be punished along with the guilty (see Joshua 7:16-26). We find Moses challenging this idea, interceding for the innocent who reside in those cities. The Lord agrees to spare them if there are 10 innocent people from those towns.
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Responsorial Psalm Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
The Lord is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;
against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The Lord will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O Lord, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
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Commentary on Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
Psalm 138 is a song of thanksgiving. In this selection we find an individual hymn thanking God for salvation. We note the belief in angels, messengers of God, who join the song of praise in the holy temple The psalmist sees God’s protection and mercy as being eternal “…your kindness, O Lord, endures forever” and a profound faith that God, creator of mankind, should not forsake what he has created and adopted “….the work of your hands.”
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Reading II Colossians 2:12-14
Brothers and sisters:
You were buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
And even when you were dead
in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
he brought you to life along with him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,
which was opposed to us,
he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.
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Commentary on Col 2:12-14
St. Paul refers to the “death of baptism” (see also Romans 6:1-11). He is referring to the process where the baptized die to their sins and rise as a new creation. He places this effect in the present, that is, the risen Christ already has transformed them through his adoption. Paul also talks about “… obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims” this is a reference to breaking or transgressing against Mosaic Law and the proscribed punishments for such violations.
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Gospel Luke 11:1-13
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you,
if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
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Commentary on Lk 11:1-13
The focus of this passage from the Gospel of Luke is prayer. First we are given the Lord’s Prayer from Luke’s Gospel which differs somewhat from the same prayer offered in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 6:9-15). We are taken further in this case to be reminded that God answers prayers. He does this, first as a parable, and then in a litany of assurances.
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Reflection:
The readings today speak of the efficacy of prayer and our call to be a people of prayer. This call starts as we hear in St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, with our baptism in Christ and the resulting death to sin, rebirth to innocence in the Holy Spirit and the grace provided in that resurrection. As a new creation, Christ tells us in the Gospel of St. Luke, we are called to be people of prayer.
Do we ask, “Lord teach us to pray? “ No, because that question is already answered. In scripture today it is answered three times! First, we hear Moses in what is perhaps one of the first intercessory prayers as he talks to God’s messengers who are sent to investigate the prayerful cries against Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleads with God to spare the innocent and his prayers are answered. (Note – his prayer is not answered in the way he thought it would be. Moses thought that if there were innocent people in those cities the Lord would spare the city. Instead he told Lott and his family to leave and destroyed the cities none the less.)
The second prayer form scripture gives us today is song. Psalm 138 given for us today is a beautiful example of how we praise God in song. For those in Holy Orders and in vowed religious life, the Psalms are sung (said) at least twice a day in the prayer of the Church – the Liturgy of the Hours. This prayer form offers up in a very real way the words of our ancestors echoed through all the ages of the Church, a song of praise and thanksgiving constantly floating up to our Heavenly Father as each successive region takes up the chant.
Finally, in the Gospel, the Lord offers us the Lord’s Prayer. We note it starts with a blessing of praise to the Father – Holy is His Name. We pray that the Kingdom of God might come to us here on earth so we may live in the purity and joy of the Heavenly Kingdom. We then ask God for our needs, both spiritual and physical as we reference bread for our bodies and bread for our souls in the Eucharist. Finally we ask for forgiveness and the strength to forgive others as Christ has done and we pray most fervently that we not be required to face the same test as our savior.
This compact prayer that we utter most frequently (and in many cases without thinking) is the template upon which the Lord tells us to speak with God. Most important in the Gospel passage is the assurance from God’s only Son that our prayers will be answered. That promise is our great hope and the hope of all the faithful. Today, may our prayers rise up to God and his grace flow back to us. As a people of prayer may we always have faith in the gentile Father who hears our call and answers.
Pax[i] ALTRE[ii] The picture today is “Decent Toward Sodom” by Marc Chagall, 1931-39
[iii] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
