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| “Christ Blessing the Children” by Nicolaes Maes, 1652-53 |
(Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest,
Doctor)
(Saint Gregory VII, Pope)
(Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi, Virgin)
Reading 1: Sirach 17:1-15
God from the earth created
man,
and in his own image he made
him.
He makes man return to earth
again,
and endows him with a
strength of his own.
Limited days of life he gives
him,
with power over all things
else on earth.
He puts the fear of him in
all flesh,
and gives him rule over
beasts and birds.
He created for them counsel,
and a tongue and eyes and ears,
and an inventive heart,
and filled them with the
discipline of understanding.
He created in them knowledge
of the spirit;
With wisdom he fills their
heart;
good and evil he shows them.
He put the fear of himself
upon their hearts,
and showed them his mighty
works,
That they might glory in the
wonder of his deeds
and praise his holy name.
He has set before them
knowledge,
a law of life as their
inheritance;
An everlasting covenant he
has made with them,
his justice and his judgments
he has revealed to them.
His majestic glory their eyes
beheld,
his glorious voice their ears
heard.
He says to them, “Avoid all
evil”;
each of them he gives
precepts about his fellow men.
Their ways are ever known to
him,
they cannot be hidden from
his eyes.
Over every nation he places a
ruler,
but God’s own portion is Israel
All their actions are clear
as the sun to him,
his eyes are ever upon their
ways.
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Commentary on Sir
17:1-15
This selection is part of
Sirarch’s treatise linking God’s Wisdom to creation. We note here that Sirach does not consider
mankind before and after the fall but rather accepts the faithful in the cultural
situation of his day. Creation is a part of God’s salvific work. Mankind (especially Israel
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:13-14,
15-16, 17-18
R. (see 17) The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those
who fear him.
As a father has compassion on
his children,
so the LORD has compassion on
those who fear him,
For he knows how we are
formed;
he remembers that we are
dust.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who
fear him.
Man’s days are like those of
grass;
like a flower of the field he
blooms;
The wind sweeps over him and
he is gone,
and his place knows him no
more.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who
fear him.
But the kindness of the LORD
is from eternity
to eternity toward those who
fear him,
And his justice toward
children’s children
among those who keep his
covenant.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who
fear him.
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Commentary on Ps
103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18
Psalm 103 is a hymn of praise
(and thanksgiving). It is a simple and beautiful reaction to God’s goodness. Reflecting upon human mortality, the psalmist
reflects on the brevity of life and the blessing God bestows upon us in his
eternal blessing of those who follow him and keep his covenant.
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Gospel: Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing children
to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked
them.
When Jesus saw this he became
indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me;
do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children
and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
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Commentary on Mk
10:13-16
This picture of Jesus demonstrates
that those who had seen his works and heard his words saw in him greatness.
They brought their children to him instinctively that they might receive the
grace empowered by his touch. This activity made his disciples indignant that
their master should be pestered by these little ones. The Lord, however, used
this as a teaching moment and told the crowd that only complete dependence upon
God’s support would allow them salvation (“…for
the kingdom of God
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Reflection:
We must, given the direction
offered by Sacred Scripture, contemplate the need and power for prayer in our
lives. If we think about this relationship we hope to establish with God our
Father and His Son, Jesus we can use as a worldly model the relationships we
build on earth.
When we wish to get to know
someone well, we speak with them. We ask them questions we hope that by
speaking with them we can uncover who they are, where they were from, how and
were did they grow up, what do they like and dislike. The more intensely we
want this relationship, the deeper and more intensely we talk to them, spending
hours conversing about all manner of things.
With members of our own
families, much of this discussion is not necessary since we share a common
history and life. Much of what we need to know we have learned through long
association. The love we have for these family members is stimulated by our
common desires, our common experiences, and the deep understanding we build
with them over time.
A child so knows the mind of
their loving parent that the worst thing they could contemplate is disappointing
that parent through actions they know would be against their wishes. Likewise
the child knows, without question, that if they are in trouble, that parent
will do every thing in their power to rescue them from that situation. And if
that child falls ill, the loving parent does whatever they can to see the child
of their love return to health.
The analogy comes so easily.
If we wish to know God, to build that relationship with Him, prayer is our best
approach. Much of who God is and what he likes and does not like, we discover
in the Sacred Texts of the Bible. The deeper we delve into that treasure chest
of past experiences of God, the better we understand how to know Him in our
lives.
But God was not a “Historical
Figure”, he is a living God who loves and cares for us. It is this present and
living Trinity that we want to know. So we talk to Him. We tell him we love
him, we honor him because he deserves honor, and when we are in need, we ask
for his help. We ask, confident as the child with a loving parent, that he will
do all he can to save us from our difficulty. He may show us the way, he may
open a door, and if all that is not enough and he wishes to demonstrate his
love more visibly, he may offer up a miracle. They are more common than we
know.
Today we pray to know our
Loving Father better. We thank him for all he has done for us and in a special
way, we pray for all those who are sick that through the Sacrament of
Anointing, they might be restored to health and oneness with our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
Pax
[2]
The picture is “Christ Blessing the Children” by Nicolaes Maes, 1652-53
[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.
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