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| ” Communion of the Apostles” by Albrecht Altdorfer,1516-18 |
The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers,
that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their
faith,
they might have courage.
Your people awaited the salvation of the just
and the destruction of their foes.
For when you punished our adversaries,
in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.
For in secret the holy children of the good were offering
sacrifice
and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.
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Commentary on
Wis 18:6-9
This passage is part of what is known as the Fifth Diptych (a
hinged two-leaved tablet used in ancient times for writing on with a stylus), a
reflection on God’s salvation as he first chose and then led the children of Israel out of Egypt Egypt
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R. (12b) Blessed the people the
Lord has chosen to be his own.
Exult, you just, in the Lord;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is the
Lord,
the people he has chosen for his own
inheritance.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those
who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the Lord,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
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Commentary on
Ps 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise in which God as creator is
celebrated. In this selection the just
are invited to share the Lord’s salvation and are promised his protection.
Yahweh is the only salvation for Israel
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Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign
country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
—and Sarah herself was sterile—
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only
son,
of whom it was said,
“Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
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Commentary on
Heb 11:1-2, 8-19
The beginning of
this reading gives us a classic definition of faith: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things
not seen.” We note that this definition describes what faith does rather
than a pure theological description. “Through faith God guarantees the
blessings to be hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith
that what he promises will eventually come to pass.[4]” Looking at the
translation above it is instructive to look at the same verse as translated in
the Jerusalem Bible; “Only faith can
guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the
realities that at present remain unseen.” That eloquent statement is
followed by a description a few verses later of Abraham’s response to faith and
the Lord’s reward, incomplete before Christ and completed by him.
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Or
Second Option: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-12
Brothers
and sisters:
Faith
is the realization of what is hoped for
and
evidence of things not seen.
Because
of it the ancients were well attested.
By
faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that
he was to receive as an inheritance;
he
went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By
faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling
in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for
he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose
architect and maker is God.
By
faith he received power to generate,
even
though he was past the normal age
—and
Sarah herself was sterile—
for
he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
So
it was that there came forth from one man,
himself
as good as dead,
descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky
and
as countless as the sands on the seashore.
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Commentary on
Heb 11:1-2, 8-12
The
optional shorter form does not include the final example of Abraham’s faithful
response to God’s request that he offer Sarah’s first son Isaac as sacrifice.
This additional pair of verses provides a description of how Abraham came to
understand God’s power to raise the dead. This thought would link the Hebrews
closely to the resurrection apologetic.
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Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a
wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”
Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with
more.”
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Commentary on
Luke 12:32-48
In the longer form of the Gospel, St. Luke explains the example found
in the parable of the vigilant servants that is the heart of the shorter
form. Jesus tells his disciples that the
most valuable prize, the prize of faith and fidelity to God, is given to them
freely and that all their worldly
possessions amount to nothing in comparison.
He tells them that the treasure they hold most dearly will define them
to the world and that constant focus on the spiritual gifts is the prize that
will win salvation. The story is clear
that those who fail; who focus on the things of earth and are not vigilant will
be found faithless and suffer the consequences.
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Or
Second Option: Luke 12:35-40
Jesus
said to his disciples:
“Gird
your loins and light your lamps
and
be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready
to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed
are those servants
whom
the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen,
I say to you, he will gird himself,
have
the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And
should he come in the second or third watch
and
find them prepared in this way,
blessed
are those servants.
Be
sure of this:
if
the master of the house had known the hour
when
the thief was coming,
he
would not have let his house be broken into.
You
also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the
Son of Man will come.”
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Commentary on
Lk 12:35-40
The
idea of placing constant faithfulness first (most importantly present) is given
as the moral of the Lord’s parable.
Peter questions whether the parable is meant for every one of just for
he disciples he is addressing. The Lord
then clarifies that any who would inherit the Kingdom of God
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Reflection:
The
very powerful Gospel injunction from St. Luke’s Gospel drives the theme
today. There is actually a logic
progression present in the selection we are given rather than a single point to
be made. That progression links two key
verses;
“For where your treasure is, there also will
your heart be.”
And:
“Much will be required of the person
entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted
with more.”
Between
these two statements, through the use of allegory and parable, the Lord drives
home the fact that the most important gift ever received is the gift of the Kingdom of God
We
have all seen the truth of this pronouncement by the Lord. When we look around at our brothers and
sisters with whom we have daily contact, don’t we see in them what they
treasure? Can’t we easily see where
their passions lie? If they love
material things, there will be trophies of those things were ever they
are. Whether it be pictures of their
prized possessions on their desks or if all they do is directed to maintaining
what they have or obtaining more, the signs are there. What they put first in their lives will be
celebrated by them constantly. For us
that means that, if we truly put the Kingdom
of God
By
the very nature of our love and our passion we will either accept that we must
be constantly prepared to meet the judgment promised in the Gospel or we will
accept that we must reorient our priorities.
We don’t know when and were our life’s accomplishments will be held up
in front of that great judge. What was
made clear in that passage today is that, at our resurrection we, all of us who
are faithful, will not be held to the same measure. No, that last verse in the Gospel hits us
right between the eyes. “Much will be
required by the person entrusted with much.”
If we start to get cocky or condescending saying, “I am so much better
at practicing my faith than that person.
I will surely get a place of honor in the next life” we are in for a big
surprise. The Lord does not give us an
easy path, he expects us to work hard with what we have. (I would not want to be the Pope.)
Today
the logic brings us to our final place.
What we are given must be used as well as we can. It should be apparent to all we meant that we
have been given this gift. It will be
what we are asked for on the last day.
Let us pray that we pass that test.
Pax
In
Other Years: August 11 Saint Clair,
Virgin Memorial
[2]
The picture used today is” Communion of the Apostles” by Albrecht Altdorfer,1516-18
[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 Hebrews 11:1-40
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