 |
| “Ordination” by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, 1712 |
(Saint Stephen of Hungary)
Reading 1: Joshua 24:1-13
Joshua gathered together all
the tribes of Israel
summoning their elders, their
leaders,
their judges and their
officers.
When they stood in ranks
before God, Joshua addressed all the people:
“Thus says the LORD, the God
of Israel:
In times past your fathers,
down to Terah,
father of Abraham and Nahor,
dwelt beyond the River and
served other gods.
But I brought your father
Abraham from the region beyond the River
and led him through the
entire land of Canaan
I made his descendants
numerous, and gave him Isaac.
To Isaac I gave Jacob and
Esau.
To Esau I assigned the
mountain region of Seir in which to settle,
while Jacob and his children
went down to Egypt
“Then I sent Moses and Aaron,
and smote Egypt
which I wrought in her midst.
Afterward I led you out of Egypt
the Egyptians pursued your
fathers to the Red Sea
with chariots and horsemen.
Because they cried out to the
LORD,
he put darkness between your
people and the Egyptians,
upon whom he brought the sea
so that it engulfed them.
After you witnessed what I
did to Egypt
and dwelt a long time in the
desert,
I brought you into the land
of the Amorites
who lived east of the Jordan
They fought against you, but
I delivered them into your power.
You took possession of their
land, and I destroyed them,
the two kings of the
Amorites, before you.
Then Balak, son of Zippor,
king of Moab
prepared to war against Israel
He summoned Balaam, son of
Beor, to curse you;
but I would not listen to
Balaam.
On the contrary, he had to
bless you, and I saved you from him.
Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho
the men of Jericho
but I delivered them also
into your power.
And I sent the hornets ahead
of you that drove them
(the Amorites, Perizzites,
Canaanites,
Hittites, Girgashites,
Hivites and Jebusites)
out of your way; it was not
your sword or your bow.
“I gave you a land that you
had not tilled
and cities that you had not
built, to dwell in;
you have eaten of vineyards
and olive groves
which you did not plant.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jos
24:1-13
This selection of
Joshua summarizes God’s plan for the children of Israel
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22 and
24
R. His mercy endures
forever.
Give thanks to the LORD, for
he is good,
for his mercy endures
forever;
Give thanks to the God of
gods,
for his mercy endures
forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of
lords,
for his mercy endures
forever.
R. His mercy endures
forever.
Who led his people through
the wilderness,
for his mercy endures
forever;
Who smote great kings,
for his mercy endures
forever;
And slew powerful kings,
for his mercy endures
forever.
R. His mercy endures
forever.
And made their land a
heritage,
for his mercy endures
forever;
The heritage of Israel
for his mercy endures
forever;
And freed us from our foes,
for his mercy endures
forever.
R. His mercy endures
forever.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps
136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22 and 24
This ancient
litany of praise to God was probably sung just as we do in responsorial or
antiphonal fashion. Like the first
reading this selection summarizes God’s saving works directed to the people of Israel
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 19:3-12
Some Pharisees approached
Jesus, and tested him, saying,
“Is it lawful for a man to
divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
He said in reply, “Have you
not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male
and female and said,
For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh?
So they are no longer two,
but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has
joined together, man must not separate.”
They said to him, “Then why
did Moses command
that the man give the woman a
bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
He said to them, “Because of
the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce
your wives,
but from the beginning it was
not so.
I say to you, whoever
divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is
unlawful)
and marries another commits
adultery.”
His disciples said to him,
“If that is the case of a man
with his wife,
it is better not to marry.”
He answered, “Not all can
accept this word,
but only those to whom that
is granted.
Some are incapable of
marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made
so by others;
some, because they have
renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom
of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought
to accept it.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt
19:3-12
This passage from Matthew’s
Gospel is foundational to our understanding of the Sacrament of Matrimony. Here
we find Jesus challenged by Pharisees (possibly being asked to take sides in an
argument but more likely to be tricked). Jesus comments on the origins of
marriage and its sanctity are attacked again using Mosaic Law. Jesus once more
goes back to the Father’s intent but does give and out – “unless the marriage is unlawful”,
that is, the sacramental bond did not exist from the beginning.
The discourse then switches
to one between Jesus and his disciples as they discuss the idea of living the
celibate life. Again the Lord tells them that this is not for everyone but “only for those to whom that is granted.” The Gospel links the call to marriage and celibacy,
both are gifts from God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The Gospel passage from St.
Matthew is so important that volumes have been written about its implications
on both the Sacrament of Marriage and Holy Orders. It is interesting that the two sacraments are
joined even in scripture.
Central to our understanding
of the sacramental bond celebrated in both these sacraments is the idea of
indelibility. If a sacrament exists it
cannot be broken, it cannot leave.
Jesus, in this passage speaks the words used in the Sacrament of
Marriage to describe the permanent nature of the bond (“what God has joined together, man must not separate”).
It is the understanding of
the Church when it witnesses the sacraments that they cannot be undone. Rather, if at a later time it is found that
the call to the sacrament of marriage is untenable or not present or if the
call to Holy Orders no longer exists, a mistake was made at the onset and the
sacraments were not present in the first place.
This is the reason for the existence of the Marriage Tribunals and the
mechanisms at the Vatican
Today we thank God for the
gift of Marriage and the gift of Holy Orders.
We ask the heavenly Father to strengthen the gifts of grace provided in
these sacraments and pray that those so called will be faithful to their
callings.
Pax
[2]
The picture is “Ordination” by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, 1712
[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.
No comments:
Post a Comment