(Saint Pontian, Pope and Martyr and Saint Hippolytus, Priest and Martyr)
Readings
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| “Eleazar commissioning Joshua” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1851-60 |
Reading 1: Deuteronomy 31:1-8
When Moses had finished
speaking to all Israel
“I am now one hundred and
twenty years old
and am no longer able to move
about freely;
besides, the LORD has told me
that I shall not cross this Jordan
It is the LORD, your God, who
will cross before you;
he will destroy these nations
before you,
that you may supplant them.
It is Joshua who will cross
before you, as the LORD promised.
The LORD will deal with them
just as he dealt with Sihon and Og,
the kings of the Amorites
whom he destroyed,
and with their country.
When, therefore, the LORD
delivers them up to you,
you must deal with them
exactly as I have ordered you.
Be brave and steadfast; have
no fear or dread of them,
for it is the LORD, your God,
who marches with you;
he will never fail you or
forsake you.”
Then Moses summoned Joshua
and in the presence of all Israel
said to him, “Be brave and
steadfast,
for you must bring this
people into the land
which the LORD swore to their
fathers he would give them;
you must put them in
possession of their heritage.
It is the LORD who marches
before you;
he will be with you and will
never fail you or forsake you.
So do not fear or be
dismayed.”
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Commentary on Dt
31:1-8
In this passage
from Deuteronomy, Moses passes the leadership of the Children of Israel to
Joshua. Because of Moses’ long standing
image as the one who could speak face to face with God and because he was told
that he would not lead them on this final part of the journey, he tells the
Israelites that God Himself will lead them into the land that was promised to
them. In the final section Moses places the mantle of leadership on
Joshua. He enjoins him to be “brave and steadfast”
since he must lead the people to the fulfillment of God’s promise.
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Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:3-4ab, 7, 8,
9 and 12
R. (9a) The portion of the Lord is his people.
For I will sing the LORD’s
renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of
our God!
The Rock–how faultless are
his deeds,
how right all his ways!
R. The portion of the Lord
is his people.
Think back on the days of
old,
reflect on the years of age
upon age.
Ask your father and he will
inform you,
ask your elders and they will
tell you.
R. The portion of the Lord
is his people.
When the Most High assigned
the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the
descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of
the peoples
after the number of the sons
of Israel
R. The portion of the Lord
is his people.
While the LORD’s own portion
was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel
The LORD alone was their
leader,
no strange god was with him.
R. The portion of the Lord
is his people.
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Commentary on Dt
32:3-4ab, 7, 8, 9 and 12
In this hymn of praise for
God’s salvation we hear the pledge of Moses again, that God himself would lead
them into the land promised to the Children of Israel (who was once named
Jacob).
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Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
The disciples approached
Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the
Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over,
placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless
you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the
Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like
this child
is the greatest in the
Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child
such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise
one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their
angels in heaven
always look upon the face of
my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep
and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the
ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the
stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I
say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine
that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is
not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones
be lost.”
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Commentary on Mt
18:1-5, 10, 12-14
Jesus, in this
selection from St. Matthew’s Gospel, summarizes what is known as “church order”. It is called this because, in response to the
question “who will be greatest in the
Kingdom of heaven”, Jesus
refutes the rank and privilege of the secular world and indicates that those
whose faith is like a small child will find greatness in heaven. He goes on to remind the disciples that
angles of God watch over those with child-like faith and that there is no
greater sin than leading a child to sin.
Nor is there a greater duty than seeking a child who is lost (to sin).
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Reflection:
Imagine standing among the
ranks of the Saints in God’s Heavenly
Kingdom
It is this innocence the Lord
holds up in St. Matthew’s Gospel. It is
the ability to cast aside the rational view, the practical attitudes, and the
secular shrewdness the Lord sees as necessary in order for us to attain the
spiritual strength he calls his faithful to accept.
How easy the yoke but how
difficult the acceptance. The very
attitudes we must set aside are those that some might call “survival instincts”
in the secular world. Some of the saints
have seen the need to remove themselves from all the material possessions of
world, desiring no ownership whatsoever; adopting an ascetic lifestyle. In this way they would not be tempted to
accept the mantle of secular success but would attain that innocence demanded
by the Lord.
For those of us who remain
part of the world it is much more difficult to achieve and retain that singular
focus on Christ. All of us cannot forego
the material things of the world. We
must use our God-given gifts to provide for ourselves and our families as best
we can. In a sense that responsibility
is lost innocence, however, we overcome it by a constant effort to seek Christ
even as we labor.
On this day, we pray that
while we must make our way in the world, let us not be seduced by material
wealth, but rather seek the spiritual wealth of God’s Heavenly Kingdom.
Pax
[2]
The picture is “Eleazar commissioning Joshua” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld,
1851-60
[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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