Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

“St. Ambrose”
by Matthias Stom, c. 1630s

(Friday of the First Week of Advent)

Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Ambrose

Readings for Friday of the First Week of Advent[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Isaiah 29:17-24

Thus says the Lord GOD:

But a very little while,

and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,

and the orchard be regarded as a forest!

On that day the deaf shall hear

the words of a book;

And out of gloom and darkness,

the eyes of the blind shall see.

The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,

and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

For the tyrant will be no more

and the arrogant will have gone;

All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,

those whose mere word condemns a man,

Who ensnare his defender at the gate,

and leave the just man with an empty claim.

Therefore thus says the LORD,

the God of the house of Jacob,

who redeemed Abraham:

Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,

nor shall his face grow pale.

When his children see

the work of my hands in his midst,

They shall keep my name holy;

they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,

and be in awe of the God of Israel.

Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,

and those who find fault shall receive instruction.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Is 29:17-24

This selection from Isaiah is probably a proverb of redemption. We hear the language of messianic hope as the oracle foresees a time when unjust rulers will be cast down and those who perjure themselves making false accusations (“…those whose mere word condemns a man”) will be discredited. God who redeemed Abraham (by converting him from idol worship) will save all of the faithful through the messiah.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom should I fear?

The LORD is my life’s refuge;

 of whom should I be afraid?

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

One thing I ask of the LORD;

this I seek:

To dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD

and contemplate his temple.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD with courage;

be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14

Psalm 27 is an individual lament. Here the signer expresses faith in God who is the refuge of the faithful, longing to find the ultimate safety and bounty of God’s heavenly kingdom. This passage from the psalm captures the two major themes of the song, hope in God’s mercy and complete trust in his goodness. David here longs for the Lord’s protection and the gift of life which flows from his salvation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gospel: Matthew 9:27-31

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,

“Son of David, have pity on us!”

When he entered the house,

the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,

“Do you believe that I can do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they said to him.

Then he touched their eyes and said,

“Let it be done for you according to your faith.”

And their eyes were opened.

Jesus warned them sternly,

“See that no one knows about this.”

But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Mt 9:27-31

The two blind men in this selection from St. Matthew’s Gospel address Jesus with his messianic title “Son of David”. The Lord proceeds to respond to that title fulfilling a major part of the predictive prophecies about the Messiah by causing the blind to see. This event is seen as fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah (“And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” Isaiah 29:18).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reflection:

The sighted person can never truly appreciate what it means to be blind, except by one who was bind and has had their sight restored.  We think about the two blind men in the Gospel story from St. Matthew.  In their day they would have begged to scratch out a meager living, depending upon the charity of others for their subsistence.  What must they have thought?  We can safely assume they were religious Jews.  They knew Isaiah’s prophecy about the blind having their sight restored.  It was their only hope of ever seeing.  Sitting beside the road they would have heard the commotion of Jesus’ entourage approaching.  Perhaps they asked some passerby who it was.  What did that witness say to them?  It must have been something like “It is Jesus of Nazareth – haven’t you heard about him – he cured a lame guy up in Capernaum and some lepers too.  People are wondering if he might be the Messiah.  He’s coming up the road now.”

Hearing this, hope must have soared within them.  In their minds they would have been thinking; “The lame walk, the dead are raised (perhaps having heard about man whose daughter had been brought back [Matthew 9:18-26]) he must be the one we were told to expect.”  So when they heard him approaching they called out; “Son of David, have pity on us!”  That address was a reference to the prophecy as well – a shoot from the stump of Jesse – of the house of David – it was from there the Messiah was to come.  It would have stopped Jesus in his tracks to hear someone correctly identify him as the Messiah.

We can imagine him looking at these two blind beggars who had seen what others could not.  In a rush of purest compassion he gave them back their sight, even though they had seen more clearly with their faith that many others did with their eyes.  With their hope confirmed the newly restored eyes beheld the Lamb of God.  Even as they started to open their mouths in exultation the Lord cautions them.  His time is not yet, “Don’t tell anyone what has happened.” He tells them.  There is no containing their joy and we hear how they went and spread the word.

What do we learn from this story?  Are we surprised, as some of St. Matthew’s original audience must have been, to learn this carpenter’s son was the Messiah?  No, we have known that since we first heard the Jesus story.  Do we believe he has the power to do all that we read about; give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, even raise the dead?  If we do then what we ask of him, no matter how difficult, can be given.  But our faith must be strong.   In our hearts we must be certain that the Son of God can give us what we need.

We pray for that depth of faith today.  May God give us the faith of the two blind men and may his will be done in us as well.

Pax

---

[1] ALTRE

[2] The Picture is “St. Ambrose” by Matthias Stom, c. 1630s

[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.