Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:
with two they veiled their faces,
with two they veiled their feet,
and with two they hovered aloft.
They cried one to the other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
He touched my mouth with it and said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 6:1-8
This selection from the book of the Prophet Isaiah (an introduction to the “Book of Emmanuel”) describes the prophet’s first vision of his encounter with God. It is set in the Temple in Jerusalem probably on a high holy day. The six winged “Seraphim” (literally “the burning ones”) are images common in art of the ancient near east and represent angelic messengers. “Each has six wings. Reverence for the divine majesty causes them to veil their faces with two wings; modesty, to veil their extremities in similar fashion; alacrity in God's service, to extend two wings in preparation for flight.”[iv]
The reference to God in the prefix “Holy, holy, holy”, describes the Father as perfect and omnipotent. (Note: in ancient Hebrew, there were no words “Holier or Holiest”, in order to express that thought it was necessary to repeat the phrase three times to express the ultimate state of perfection. This literary form is carried into the Roman Rite liturgy today.) We hear the prophet lament that he is “doomed” since it was believed that such an encounter with God would be fatal (Genesis 32:31; Exodus 33:20; Judges 13:22.)
The image of the prophet’s mouth being purified so that God’s word might be proclaimed is also present in the modern liturgy uttered in prayer by the clergy before the Gospel is proclaimed. “Almighty God Cleanse my heart and my lips that I might worthily proclaim your Holy Gospel.” This encounter with God is important in understanding Isaiah’s entire mission and purpose. (“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ ’Here I am,’ I said; ‘send me!’”)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The Lord is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the Lord and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O Lord.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
This important psalm is well described by the following statement from the notes: “The Lord is king”: literally, "the Lord reigns." This psalm, and Psalms 47; 96-99, are sometimes called enthronement psalms. They may have been used in a special liturgy during which God's ascent to the throne was ritually reenacted. They have also been interpreted eschatologically, pointing to the coming of God as king at the end-time.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 10:24-33
Jesus concludes his instructions to the Apostles as he sends them out. Here he tells them that they go with his authority and his purpose which may be hidden from others but which they will proclaim from “the housetops.” He tells them not to fear the persecution he has told them they will face, because while the body may be killed, their souls are safe with him. He concludes this passage telling them that the Father is watching over them and they have nothing to fear.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
This response issued by the Prophet Isaiah and popularized in Christian song is the reply each Christian hopes to make when discerning a call from God. We all hope that we can answer in the affirmative and do what God asks of us. But there are a couple of issues that confront us.
First, we have to have a clear idea of what, in our specific lives, God is calling us to. Is it His voice we hear or is it our own, urging us to do something to glorify ourselves rather than God? Discovering if the call is genuine or self serving is frequently not an easy task but it is a question that we all must ask before undertaking any significant task in the name of the Lord.
The second issue facing us is preparation. Have we clearly thought out what we need to do in answer to God’s call and what tools we will need to accomplish that work in His name? It sounds so basic. When we set out to do other chores we think ahead to what we will need. If we are going to clean out the garage, for instance, we would gather cleaning supplies (and in my case, rent a dumpster). Yet when we embark on a mission for God, we frequently behave impulsively, like the children who went on the “Children’s Crusade”; many of whom simply stopped what they were doing and left on the quest. Ill prepared and under provisioned, many died for want of simple preparation.
Scripturally, Jesus reminds us of this need in his parable about the two houses; one built on rock, the other on sand. When we undertake a task for the Lord (and we’re sure it’s for Him), we must first and foremost shore up our faith foundation with prayer. We must then ask God for His assistance and assemble the physical and spiritual tools we will need. In Isaiah’s instance we hear how his lips were purified and his sins purged before embarking upon his prophetic journey. We too must make sure we have been prepared for our tasks.
Today, even as we hope to be able to respond to the Lord with a resounding “Here I am,” I said; “send me!” Let us remember to prepare ourselves, physically and spiritually to undertake whatever the Lord may require.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture used today is “The Prophet Isaiah” by Raffaello Sanzio, 1511-12
[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 Isaiah 6: 1-3
Readings for Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time[i][ii]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[iii]
Reading 1: Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:
with two they veiled their faces,
with two they veiled their feet,
and with two they hovered aloft.
They cried one to the other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
He touched my mouth with it and said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 6:1-8
This selection from the book of the Prophet Isaiah (an introduction to the “Book of Emmanuel”) describes the prophet’s first vision of his encounter with God. It is set in the Temple in Jerusalem probably on a high holy day. The six winged “Seraphim” (literally “the burning ones”) are images common in art of the ancient near east and represent angelic messengers. “Each has six wings. Reverence for the divine majesty causes them to veil their faces with two wings; modesty, to veil their extremities in similar fashion; alacrity in God's service, to extend two wings in preparation for flight.”[iv]
The reference to God in the prefix “Holy, holy, holy”, describes the Father as perfect and omnipotent. (Note: in ancient Hebrew, there were no words “Holier or Holiest”, in order to express that thought it was necessary to repeat the phrase three times to express the ultimate state of perfection. This literary form is carried into the Roman Rite liturgy today.) We hear the prophet lament that he is “doomed” since it was believed that such an encounter with God would be fatal (Genesis 32:31; Exodus 33:20; Judges 13:22.)
The image of the prophet’s mouth being purified so that God’s word might be proclaimed is also present in the modern liturgy uttered in prayer by the clergy before the Gospel is proclaimed. “Almighty God Cleanse my heart and my lips that I might worthily proclaim your Holy Gospel.” This encounter with God is important in understanding Isaiah’s entire mission and purpose. (“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ ’Here I am,’ I said; ‘send me!’”)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The Lord is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the Lord and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O Lord.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
This important psalm is well described by the following statement from the notes: “The Lord is king”: literally, "the Lord reigns." This psalm, and Psalms 47; 96-99, are sometimes called enthronement psalms. They may have been used in a special liturgy during which God's ascent to the throne was ritually reenacted. They have also been interpreted eschatologically, pointing to the coming of God as king at the end-time.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 10:24-33
Jesus concludes his instructions to the Apostles as he sends them out. Here he tells them that they go with his authority and his purpose which may be hidden from others but which they will proclaim from “the housetops.” He tells them not to fear the persecution he has told them they will face, because while the body may be killed, their souls are safe with him. He concludes this passage telling them that the Father is watching over them and they have nothing to fear.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
This response issued by the Prophet Isaiah and popularized in Christian song is the reply each Christian hopes to make when discerning a call from God. We all hope that we can answer in the affirmative and do what God asks of us. But there are a couple of issues that confront us.
First, we have to have a clear idea of what, in our specific lives, God is calling us to. Is it His voice we hear or is it our own, urging us to do something to glorify ourselves rather than God? Discovering if the call is genuine or self serving is frequently not an easy task but it is a question that we all must ask before undertaking any significant task in the name of the Lord.
The second issue facing us is preparation. Have we clearly thought out what we need to do in answer to God’s call and what tools we will need to accomplish that work in His name? It sounds so basic. When we set out to do other chores we think ahead to what we will need. If we are going to clean out the garage, for instance, we would gather cleaning supplies (and in my case, rent a dumpster). Yet when we embark on a mission for God, we frequently behave impulsively, like the children who went on the “Children’s Crusade”; many of whom simply stopped what they were doing and left on the quest. Ill prepared and under provisioned, many died for want of simple preparation.
Scripturally, Jesus reminds us of this need in his parable about the two houses; one built on rock, the other on sand. When we undertake a task for the Lord (and we’re sure it’s for Him), we must first and foremost shore up our faith foundation with prayer. We must then ask God for His assistance and assemble the physical and spiritual tools we will need. In Isaiah’s instance we hear how his lips were purified and his sins purged before embarking upon his prophetic journey. We too must make sure we have been prepared for our tasks.
Today, even as we hope to be able to respond to the Lord with a resounding “Here I am,” I said; “send me!” Let us remember to prepare ourselves, physically and spiritually to undertake whatever the Lord may require.
Pax
[i] ALTRE
[ii] The picture used today is “The Prophet Isaiah” by Raffaello Sanzio, 1511-12
[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 Isaiah 6: 1-3
No comments:
Post a Comment