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| “Youth between Virtue and Vice” by Paolo Veronese, 1580-82 |
Reading 1: Ephesians 3:14-21
Brothers and sisters:
I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in
heaven and on earth is named,
that he may grant you in
accord with the riches of his glory
to be strengthened with power
through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in
your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded
in love,
may have strength to
comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and
length and height and depth,
and to know the love of
Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled
with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to
accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine,
by the power at work within
us,
to him be glory in the Church
and in Christ Jesus
to all generations, forever
and ever. Amen..
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Commentary on
Eph 3:14-21
St. Paul has informed the
Ephesians of the difficulties (imprisonment) he is facing but has asked them to
stay focused on their own spiritual growth rather that concern themselves over
his “afflictions” (Ephesians
3:1). He offers the following
“Apostle’s Prayer: “The apostle prays that those he is addressing may, like the
rest of the church, deepen their understanding of God's plan of salvation in
Christ. It is a plan that affects the whole universe with the breadth and
length and height and depth of God's love in Christ or possibly the universe in
all its dimensions. The apostle prays that they may perceive the redemptive
love of Christ for them and be completely immersed in the fullness of God. The
prayer concludes with a doxology to God.” [4]
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Responsorial Psalm: Ps 33:1-2,
4-5, 11-12, 18-19
R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Rejoice, you just, in the
LORD;
praise from the upright is
fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on
the harp;
on the ten-stringed lyre
offer praise.
R. The earth is
full of the goodness of the Lord.
For the LORD'S word is true;
all his works are
trustworthy.
The LORD loves justice and
right
and fills the earth with
goodness.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
But the plan of the LORD
stands forever,
wise designs through all
generations.
Happy the nation whose God is
the LORD,
the people chosen as his very
own.
R. The earth is
full of the goodness of the Lord.
But the LORD'S eyes are upon
the reverent,
upon those who hope for his
gracious help,
Delivering them from death,
keeping them alive in times
of famine.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
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Commentary on
Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19
Psalm 33 is a song of praise
and thanksgiving. In this selection the emphasis is on faithfulness to God who has
saving power combined with hope, a central component of faith in God. It concludes almost in answer to St. Paul
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Gospel: Luke 12:49-53
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth
on fire,
and how I wish it were
already blazing!
There is a baptism with which
I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish
until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come
to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather
division.
From now on a household of
five will be divided,
three against two and two
against three;
a father will be divided
against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her
mother,
a mother-in-law against her
daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law.”
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Commentary on
Lk 12:49-53
This discourse from St. Luke’s
Gospel emphasizes the divisive nature of Christ’s message. He has already
encountered resistance and sees that his message of peace will have an even
more profound affect on the world. It is clear the Lord knows that many will
not be able to accept his words and this will cause enmity between people, even
families.
In this passage there is a
glimpse of the passion (this baptism foresees Psalm 124:4-5) and anguish
the Lord feels for the message he is bringing. He sees the flame of faith
igniting the whole world. He knows there will be those who accept the
proclamation of the Kingdom of God and those who will reject both it and him.
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Homily:
Those who are most concerned
about their own happiness and comfort look at the Christians who dare to live
the faith in a public way as fools! They
hear the message that is at the root of Christ’s teaching and reject it
completely as being naiveté or as gullible.
Ironically, the only reason they do not take more advantage of those of
us who believe in Christ is there are those among us who are not sufficiently
committed to “turning the other cheek”.
As a consequence, the wolves must be cautious.
The message in the Gospel and
tangentially in the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians is that Christ’s Gospel
will not create harmony in the world. It
will not even create peace in families.
The commandment to love one another is not a requirement that everyone
can accept. It is too difficult for some
to overcome their need for self-gratification, either physically or
emotionally.
As a consequence, when we
leave the comfort and support of the faith community, those with whom we share
God’s love and grace, we enter mission territory. If we forgive a person in that often hostile
environment, we must not expect understanding and should not be surprised if
our forgiveness is met with suspicion.
When we offer compassion and understanding, as we are taught, we should
not expect the same in return and should not be surprised if our love is met
with fear and fear’s companion, hatred.
As in all relationships,
trust must be earned and we, the Christian Community must continue to reach out
to others. In spite of the fact that we know our out-stretched hand may be
bitten, we are asked to evangelize the world. Jesus tells us that he did not
come to magically bring peace to the world. He came on a mission and is now sending
us to bring people back to him, one at a time.
Pax
[2]
The picture used today is “Youth between Virtue and Vice” by Paolo Veronese, 1580-82
[3]
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.
[4]
See NAB footnote on Ephesians 3:14-21
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