Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

“St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN

Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Ligouri

Readings for Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Jeremiah 26:1-9

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim,

son of Josiah, king of Judah,

this message came from the Lord:

Thus says the Lord:

Stand in the court of the house of the Lord

and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah

who come to worship in the house of the Lord;

whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.

Perhaps they will listen and turn back,

each from his evil way,

so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them

for their evil deeds.

Say to them: Thus says the Lord:

If you disobey me,

not living according to the law I placed before you

and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,

whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,

I will treat this house like Shiloh,

and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth

shall refer when cursing another.

Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people

heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord.

When Jeremiah finished speaking

all that the Lord bade him speak to all the people,

the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,

“You must be put to death!

Why do you prophesy in the name of the Lord:

‘This house shall be like Shiloh,’ and

‘This city shall be desolate and deserted’?”

And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

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Commentary on Jer 26:1-9

The opening comment in this selection sets the date of this incident at about 609 B.C.  Most scholars agree the narrative is a third party (probably Baruch).  The prophet causes a scandal in the Temple by calling on those who consider themselves devout to repent and return to following the Law of Moses.  According to Jeremiah, if they do not, the Lord’s anger will be unleashed against them and Judah will be decimated. 

The specific mention of Shiloh is significant in that Shiloh was once a high place, central to the worship of Yahweh (see Joshua 18:1 and Judges 18:31)[4], but was destroyed; a reminder that God will not spare even places where he is worshiped if the people turn away from his desired path. As a result of this vitriolic discourse, Jeremiah is accused of blasphemy and seized by the leadership of the temple. 

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14

R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Those outnumber the hairs of my head

who hate me without cause.

Too many for my strength

are they who wrongfully are my enemies.

Must I restore what I did not steal?

R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Since for your sake I bear insult,

and shame covers my face.

I have become an outcast to my brothers,

a stranger to my mother’s sons,

Because zeal for your house consumes me,

and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.

R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

But I pray to you, O Lord,

for the time of your favor, O God!

In your great kindness answer me

with your constant help.

R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

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Commentary on Ps 69:5, 8-10, 14

Psalm 69 is a lament in which the psalmist sings of being unjustly accused of crimes and forced to make restitution. “The psalm, which depicts the suffering of the innocent just person vividly, is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts, e.g., Psalm 69:5 in John 15:25”[5].

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Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.

They were astonished and said,

“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?

Is he not the carpenter’s son?

Is not his mother named Mary

and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

Are not his sisters all with us?

Where did this man get all this?”

And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them,

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place

and in his own house.”

And he did not work many mighty deeds there

because of their lack of faith.

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Commentary on Mt 13:54-58

This story from Matthew’s Gospel focuses on the people most familiar with Jesus the boy growing up among them. They are seeking the “Royal Messiah”, one coming with great power and majesty and are disappointed because of the Lord’s familiar and humble beginnings. Matthew’s story tells us that because of their lack of faith, the Lord did not perform any signs in their midst, ending the passage with the often quoted “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house." (See also John 1:11, those who were overly familiar with Jesus could not place their faith in him.)

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Reflection:

If we were very lucky growing up, when we came home from school or play, our mothers would be there to give us a snack, patch up our cuts and scrapes, or listen to our tales of triumph or woe.  As children, we grew to expect them to be there; expected them to lend a sympathetic ear and a loving touch.  Growing older we may have come to take that love and presence for granted.  Mom was always there, we could forget about appreciating the fact that for her, our happiness and wellbeing were one of the most important things in her life.  As we grew older still, we may have challenged her wisdom and even become antagonistic towards her.  We may have thought “What does she know? We can take care of ourselves.”

This whole idea of taking something for granted – over familiarity, is at the heart of what Jesus encounters in the Gospel.  The people who knew him growing up could not accept what was being revealed about his true identity – the Messiah.  They knew his parents and his extended family members.  It is clear they did not know of his miraculous birth or the circumstances surrounding the Blessed Mothers conception or they would have behaved differently.  They only knew Jesus, the carpenter’s son who had grown up in their midst.  They were even upset by him.  They saw him assuming authority they would not give him and they rejected him.  We hear the Lord’s response, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house."

We take two different lessons from this encounter (and that of the Prophet Jeremiah as well).  First, God’s message is not going to be popular with everyone.  In fact, people closest to you, those who know you and know your failings, will find it difficult if not impossible to accept you if you adopt a Christ centered lifestyle.  Asking others to follow God can be a very unpopular thing to do.

A second lesson, and perhaps a more subtle one, is the pitfall of over familiarity with sacred things and places.  The challenge we often face with becoming disciplined in our faith is that the things we do; prayer, worship, acts of charity, these things can become routine and we can take them for granted.  When that happens, we lose the grace God gives us in return for our dedication.  It is like our mother’s love, if we have taken it for granted, we lose the wonder of it and much of the benefit we would otherwise derive from it.

In the face of the Gospel message we are given today our prayer is twofold.  First we pray that we may always be fearless in proclaiming the Kingdom of God, even when that message is unwelcome and unpopular.  And second, we pray that we will never become complacent in the love our Lord has for us nor will we take for granted the wondrous gifts he gives us with his infinite grace.

Pax

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[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture is “St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN

[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] McKenzie, John L., Dictionary of the Bible, Macmillan Publishing, 1965, pp. 807

[5] See NAB footnote on Psalm 69

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

“Saint Ignatius of Loyola”
by Francisco Zurbaran (1598-1664)

Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Readings for Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Jeremiah 18:1-6

This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

Rise up, be off to the potter’s house;

there I will give you my message.

I went down to the potter’s house and there he was,

working at the wheel.

Whenever the object of clay which he was making

turned out badly in his hand,

he tried again,

making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.

Then the word of the Lord came to me:

Can I not do to you, house of Israel,

as this potter has done? says the Lord.

Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,

so are you in my hand, house of Israel.

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Commentary on Jer 18:1-6

The oracle of Jeremiah has been dwelling on the source of life in God and the importance of repentance.  In the story of the visit to the Potter God symbolically demonstrates the absolute power of God to reshape civilization (to destroy and remake). This image recalls the creation of mankind from the clay of the ground in Genesis 2:7 and is used in other prophetic works of the Old Testament (Isaiah 45:9) and New Testament (Romans 9:20-23 in which it appears St. Paul may be reflecting on this very passage). 

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Praise the Lord, O my soul;

I will praise the Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God while I live.

R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Put not your trust in princes,

in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.

When his spirit departs he returns to his earth;

on that day his plans perish.

R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord, his God.

Who made heaven and earth,

the sea and all that is in them.

R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

or:

R. Alleluia.

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Commentary on Ps 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

Psalm 146 is from the wisdom tradition. Here we are given a vision of God’s salvation. His saving power (envisioned in the oracle of Isaiah and fulfilled in Jesus the Christ) lifts up the poor and down trodden and heals those afflicted with every sort of malady.

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Gospel: Matthew 13:47-53

Jesus said to the disciples:

"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,

which collects fish of every kind.

When it is full they haul it ashore

and sit down to put what is good into buckets.

What is bad they throw away.

Thus it will be at the end of the age.

The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous

and throw them into the fiery furnace,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

"Do you understand all these things?"

They answered, "Yes."

And he replied,

"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven

is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom

both the new and the old."

When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

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Commentary on Mt 13:47-53

Jesus concludes his discourse about the Kingdom of Heaven with a final parable about the fisherman’s net.  He then makes reference to the disciples’ (and their successor’s) role as “Christian scribes” or teachers of the Kingdom of God.  In his description he refers to the “new and the old” being brought out.  This reference is to the new teaching from Jesus and the old from the Law and Prophets.

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Homily:

We are given a perfect example to examine the deeper meaning of the parable of the Net today. In the reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah, we see in the analogy of the potter, God’s ability to reshape mankind (he speaks specifically of Israel but the important idea to understand is he is talking about destroying and remaking a society, not destroying mankind at an individual biological level). If we read the next six verses (Jeremiah 18:7-12) we see that God does not take this step on a whim but rather considers reflection, repentance, and conversion. The message, however, is clear, God has the power to tear down and build up until, like the potter he reaches a form pleasing to himself.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is speaking to is disciples about the Kingdom of God. In this passage he refers to their role as scribes or teachers. Indeed this is what they became, spreading the Lord’s words of salvation, his promise of the Kingdom throughout the world. These words reshaped the world’s understanding of God. They tore down the old perceptions of God. They reshaped the perception of God into the idea of a Loving Father; rather than a God of Justice and vengeance and, through the story of Christ, God’s Son, showed the face of our Father’s inestimable love. He continues even now to use his word to reshape the world.

The most ancient and authentic words those “Christian Scribes” left us are contained in Holy Scripture which we study fervently. The precepts contained in those pages are most authentically captured by the Teaching Magisterium of the Church. It is the legacy of Christ, Himself, who appointed Peter, the first Pontiff, as keeper of the Keys to the Kingdom. It has been faithfully passed down to us like a tool in the potter’s hand. The tool that has been molding clay, reshaping the world for two thousand years.

The shaping tool changes over time like those who have gone before us we are given the guidance of the “scribes” teaching us from the books of the Law and Prophets in the Old Testament (the old we bring out) and the twelve and those who chronicled the story of Christ in the New Testament (the new vision of God’s Kingdom). We thank God today for His guidance and pray for the strength to be his tool working to bring the world to a shape pleasing to him.

Pax

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[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture is “Saint Ignatius of Loyola” by Francisco Zurbaran (1598-1664)

[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.

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Optional Memorial for Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)

Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus

“The Hidden Treasure” By James Tissot, 1886-94

Readings for Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21

Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!

a man of strife and contention to all the land!

I neither borrow nor lend,

yet all curse me.

When I found your words, I devoured them;

they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,

Because I bore your name,

O Lord, God of hosts.

I did not sit celebrating

in the circle of merrymakers;

Under the weight of your hand I sat alone

because you filled me with indignation.

Why is my pain continuous,

my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook,

whose waters do not abide!

Thus the Lord answered me:

If you repent, so that I restore you,

in my presence you shall stand;

If you bring forth the precious without the vile,

you shall be my mouthpiece.

Then it shall be they who turn to you,

and you shall not turn to them;

And I will make you toward this people

a solid wall of brass.

Though they fight against you,

they shall not prevail,

For I am with you,

to deliver and rescue you, says the Lord.

I will free you from the hand of the wicked,

and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.

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Commentary on Jer 15:10, 16-21

This selection continues the Prophet Jeremiah’s lament (his “Second Confession).  In these verses the prophet is having a crisis of faith in his own mission.  He cries out first that he wishes he had never been born (since he was called from the womb to his mission -Jeremiah 1:4-5).  Because he constantly challenges the social traditions that are evolving, because he calls for the people to reform themselves and predicts God’s punishment if they do not, he is outcast (“I did not sit celebrating in the circle of merrymakers; Under the weight of your hand I sat alone because you filled me with indignation.”)

In response to his lament, the Lord calls Jeremiah to continue his prophetic work.  First Jeremiah himself must repent from his own rebellious way and return to ritual purity (“If you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece.”)  The Lord pledges unfailing support for the prophet’s mission and ultimate victory over God’s foes. (“…for I am with you, to deliver and rescue you, says the Lord.”)

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18

R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.

Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;

from my adversaries defend me.

Rescue me from evildoers;

from bloodthirsty men save me.

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

For behold, they lie in wait for my life;

mighty men come together against me,

Not for any offense or sin of mine, O Lord.

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

O my strength! for you I watch;

for you, O God, are my stronghold,

As for my God, may his mercy go before me;

may he show me the fall of my foes.

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

But I will sing of your strength

and revel at dawn in your mercy;

You have been my stronghold,

my refuge in the day of distress.

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

O my strength! your praise will I sing;

for you, O God, are my stronghold,

my merciful God!

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

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Commentary on Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18

Psalm 59 is a lament which alternates prayers for salvation with petitions to punish the enemies of the faithful.  The plea for salvation in the psalm strikes a counterpoint to the lament of Jeremiah who is isolated because of his call to serve the Lord.

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Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus said to his disciples:

“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,

which a person finds and hides again,

and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant

searching for fine pearls.

When he finds a pearl of great price,

he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

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Commentary on Mt 13:44-46

The parable of the Buried Treasure and the parable of the Pearl have the same point. One who understands the Kingdom of Heaven and sees its worth, places obtaining that promise before all else and sees it. It is the primacy of Christ’s teaching that guides the disciple in all things (see also commentary on Matthew 13:44-52*).

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Reflection:

The two parables of the Gospel seem on the surface to be saying the same thing.  Indeed they both speak of the inestimable value of finding the Kingdom of God (in this life and the next).  They both speak of the great joy of the person who is able to acquire it.  But there is a difference in the means by which this occurs.

In the analogy to the buried treasure, the seeker is said to have found the treasure.  It is as if they are simply walking in a field and stumble upon it.  In this analogy it would be like the casual Christian, the person who is a member of the faith community by accident of birth and upbringing who has followed the teaching of the Lord more out of habit than real desire to understand the Lord.  One day this person has a revelation and suddenly sees the value of the peace of Christ which is what the Kingdom of God provides in this life.  With that revelation and without much fanfare, that person’s life is transformed and they are filled with joy at their discovery.

There are many such individuals and they give hope to families who struggle to bring their children to faith in a world that devalues its teaching.  As parents we must never give up on pushing our children.  Our hope is they discover the treasure we cherish.

The other parable; the parable of the pearl, speaks of the merchant searching for pearls.  That person’s encounter is not an accident but rather the result of long effort.  In this instance, it would be like the diligent seeker of truth who explores all manner of faith traditions finally finding Christ and His wisdom.  Like the accidental discovery of the buried treasure, this one sees the priceless nature of God’s love and salvation and dedicates themselves completely to the goal of attaining that end.

Regardless of our template, whether we stumble across buried treasure or if we find the pearl of great price after long effort, we are told that attainment of that treasure requires single minded dedication to the attainment of that which is freely offered.  It is the lesson Christ offers, and one we rededicate ourselves to living.

Pax

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[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture used is “The Hidden Treasure” By James Tissot, 1886-94

[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.

Memorial of Saint Martha

“Christ in the House of Martha and Mary”
by Tintoretto, 1570-75

Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Martha[1]

Readings for the Memorial of St. Martha[2]

Note: For this Memorial, the Gospel of the Proper is used.

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Jeremiah 14:17-22

Let my eyes stream with tears

day and night, without rest,

Over the great destruction which overwhelms

the virgin daughter of my people,

over her incurable wound.

If I walk out into the field,

look! those slain by the sword;

If I enter the city,

look! those consumed by hunger.

Even the prophet and the priest

forage in a land they know not.

Have you cast Judah off completely?

Is Zion loathsome to you?

Why have you struck us a blow

that cannot be healed?

We wait for peace, to no avail;

for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.

We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,

the guilt of our fathers;

that we have sinned against you.

For your name's sake spurn us not,

disgrace not the throne of your glory;

remember your covenant with us, and break it not.

Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain?

Or can the mere heavens send showers?

Is it not you alone, O LORD,

our God, to whom we look?

You alone have done all these things.

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Commentary Jer 14:17-22

This reading is part of the Prophet Jeremiah’s great lament for the destruction and death that has come to Judah.  He uses the metaphor of a young woman morally wounded to describe the damage to the land and people.  The concluding verses constitute a plea for mercy and a confession of past sins (“We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers”). The implication being the destruction visited upon them was a consequence of their sin.  The Prophet’s final plea recognizes the one True God who is all powerful.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13

R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;

may your compassion quickly come to us,

for we are brought very low.

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Help us, O God our savior,

because of the glory of your name;

Deliver us and pardon our sins

for your name's sake.

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;

with your great power free those doomed to death.

Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,

will give thanks to you forever;

through all generations we will declare your praise.

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

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Commentary Ps 79:8, 9, 11 and 13

Psalm 79 is a lament over the destruction of the Temple. In this part of the hymn the psalmist asks God for forgiveness of past offenses and compassion in their need. This sin has resulted in their imprisonment and separated them from God. This hymn was offered after the destruction of the temple and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant. It is a plea for compassion and help while repenting from sins (“Deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake.”).

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GOSPEL

First Option[4]

John 11:19-27

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary

to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,

she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus,

"Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died.

But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,

God will give you." Jesus said to her,

"Your brother will rise."

Martha said to him,

"I know he will rise,

in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus told her,

"I am the resurrection and the life;

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,

and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?"

She said to him, "Yes, Lord.

I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,

the one who is coming into the world."

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Commentary on Jn 11:19-27

Within the story or the death and resurrection of Lazarus we see the very human emotions of Jesus they range from confidence in his relationship with the Father at the end of the story to the all too human grief and fear as he expresses his concern at what this revelatory event has cost his close friends, Martha and Mary, as they see their brother die. The encounter describes Martha’s fear and remorse change to faith as she makes her profession of faith (“I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”) This exchange of fear for faith seen in the witnesses is the same conversion the Gospel attempts to initiate in the Christian faithful in response to these events.

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OR

Second Option

Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village

where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

She had a sister named Mary

who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,

“Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?

Tell her to help me.”

The Lord said to her in reply,

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part

and it will not be taken from her.”

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Commentary on Lk 10:38-42

In this encounter with Martha and Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel we see two distinct messages. First, we see the importance of the role of women and Jesus’ attitude toward them. Second we see the importance of listening to the word of God "Mary has chosen the better part".

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Reflection:

On this Feast of St. Martha, as if to renew our own wonder at the miracle promised by the Lord when he invited us to share in his own resurrection from the dead, we are presented with the wonderful story of the Resurrection of Lazarus from St. John’s Gospel.

In this story we find ourselves most easily standing in the place of Martha and Mary.  We have met these sisters before in St. Luke’s Gospel.  Martha is the outspoken one.  To her falls the practical tasks of life.  She must concern herself with daily chores and keeping the home; a home she shares with her sister and brother.  She is the one responsible for running it smoothly.  She is fearless and completely un-intimidated by the holiness of Jesus.  Mary, her sister, is the less intense but more spiritual of the two.  We remember her sitting at the feet of Jesus and we are reminded by St. John that it was Mary who anointed him with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair.  We can all empathize with the sisters as their brother Lazarus falls ill and dies.

They had sent for Jesus sometime earlier, hoping he would arrive to heal their brother. While he was still some way off, Martha heard that he was coming and went to meet him.  We are given a glorious exchange between the outspoken Martha and our Savior.  Martha takes him to task. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”  Knowing Martha, we can almost hear the accusation in her words. She is not calm in her grief for her brother, but she still has faith in Jesus.

The Lord tries to tell Martha what he is about to do. But, she does not understand, thinking he is speaking about the resurrection on the last day. (Martha’s understanding of resurrection is likely the same as the Pharisaic Definition, that the righteous dead would be raised at the end of time.  The Lord, after all, had not demonstrated the truth in his own resurrection at this point.)

Finally, he corrects hear and puts the question directly to her; “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  We can see the light of understanding come into her eyes as she responds; “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

What an exalted role she played in Christ’s life.

The life and ministry of St. Martha should be a constant reminder to all of us who work for Christ in our time on earth. There will be times when we too become tired and frustrated; when we pray for a little help in doing what we have set our hearts to do for God. Like St. Martha, we are very human and prone to these outbursts. Let us pray that when our work is done and we at last are face to face with the Lord, we too many be allowed to proclaim to the heavens and earth “I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God the one who is coming into the world.”

Pax

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[1] The picture is “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Tintoretto, 1570-75

[2] ALTRE 402/607

[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] Recommended by USCCB for this year

Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Jeremiah Buries the Girdle”
by Rom de Hogge, published in 1908

Readings for Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Jeremiah 13:1-11

The Lord said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;

wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.

I bought the loincloth, as the Lord commanded, and put it on.

A second time the word of the Lord came to me thus:

Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing,

and go now to the Parath;

there hide it in a cleft of the rock.

Obedient to the Lord’s command, I went to the Parath

and buried the loincloth.

After a long interval, the Lord said to me:

Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth

which I told you to hide there.

Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth

from the place where I had hid it.

But it was rotted, good for nothing!

Then the message came to me from the Lord:

Thus says the Lord:

So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot,

the great pride of Jerusalem.

This wicked people who refuse to obey my words,

who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,

and follow strange gods to serve and adore them,

shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.

For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man’s loins,

so had I made the whole house of Israel

and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord;

to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty.

But they did not listen.

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Commentary on Jer 13:1-11

The oracle of Jeremiah uses the metaphor of the loincloth to describe the fallen nature of the people of Judah.  The loincloth, unwashed and hidden, represents the people, unrepentant and fallen away.  The loincloth worn as an undergarment was the clothing worn closest to man’s most intimate parts and therefore most personal.  Jeremiah uses this relationship to describe the Lord’s consideration and love for Israel which was intense (“…to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty”) whose fall therefore was so grievous to God (“But they did not listen.”)

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Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21

R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you,

You forgot the God who gave you birth.

When the Lord saw this, he was filled with loathing

and anger toward his sons and daughters.

R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

“I will hide my face from them,” he said,

“and see what will then become of them.

What a fickle race they are,

sons with no loyalty in them!”

R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

“Since they have provoked me with their ‘no-god’

and angered me with their vain idols,

I will provoke them with a ‘no-people’;

with a foolish nation I will anger them.”

R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

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Commentary on Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21

This passage from Deuteronomy is taken from the last discourse of Moses, a section called the Song of Moses.  The great leader laments that the people have turned away from the God who saved them.  The song echoes God’s anger at the people who turn their backs and worship foreign gods.

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Gospel: Matthew 13:31-35

Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.

“The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed

that a person took and sowed in a field.

It is the smallest of all the seeds,

yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.

It becomes a large bush,

and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”

He spoke to them another parable.

“The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast

that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour

until the whole batch was leavened.”

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.

He spoke to them only in parables,

to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:

I will open my mouth in parables,

I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation

of the world.

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Commentary on Mt 13:31-35

The Lord continues his descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven using two parables.  The parable of the mustard seed and the parable of yeast have the same point.  What appears to be small grows to miraculous size.  What has been insignificant is vastly important, what cannot be seen is unknowingly immense.  The parables of the “Mustard Seed” and “Yeast” (see also Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13:18-21) emphasize that from the smallest of beginnings with the proclamation of the word, the Kingdom of God expands to encompass all peoples.

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Reflection:

The entire theme of the day is colored by Jeremiah and his vision of God’s lament. He describes God’s love with a rather gritty metaphor, that of a loincloth. We can tease that image apart and see that it has a dimension and depth that, at first blush, we might overlook.

Think about underpants – that is the purpose the loincloth served. In this case God told Jeremiah to “Go buy yourself a linen loincloth”. He then tells the prophet to wear the cloth but not to wash it. When we understand that this loincloth represents God’s chosen ones, the act of not washing the underwear is symbolic of a people who are not washed – they become dirty (given the nature of the garment - dirty is perhaps too polite a word, disgustingly filthy might be better). Again, when the image is of a loincloth, they become dirty with not just the dust of the journey but with bodily filth that left unwashed will fester the skin and chafe the loins. Allowed to continue, this festering will become infected and eventually can kill the person.

Once the loincloth is put on, the Lord commands Jeremiah to “Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing, and go now to the Parath.” The Parath is the name given to the Euphrates River in Old Testament times, roughly six hundred miles from where Jeremiah was in Palistine. A journey of that distance was undoubtedly symbolic as well. In this case the contamination of the people (i.e. the false gods, the violations of Mosaic Law, and introduction of values contrary to tradition) was perceived to flow from the Assyrians whose roots were in the Euphrates Valley.

When we think about the state of a loincloth, unwashed after such a journey, buried for the time it would take for Jeremiah to make that journey twice, the state of that undergarment would indeed be rotten. This was no doubt a commentary on how deeply the people had fallen into sin.

This deterioration of the relationship between God and his people is the tragic point that God laments through Jeremiah. That same refrain is also demonstrated in the Song of Moses, used as the psalm response today. Human kind constantly refuses to accept God’s love.

The shock value of this ancient parable is still there. In light of God’s later gift of his Son, and the revelation of the depth of his love for us through that action, we see even more clearly how our unrepentant nature causes grief in the loving parent (our Heavenly Father) who wants only good and wholesome things for us.

The Gospel makes it explicit. What we turn our backs on is nothing less than the Kingdom of God, which has now encompassed all peoples of all nations. The invitation that started with a small and insignificant nomadic people (in terms of world population) has now been extended (like yeast in dough) to include the whole world.

And still God’s offer is rejected. Even people once faithful turn away. But as fickle as we can be, God is always faithful. His hand is always extended and he invites us to wash ourselves clean and come back to him. It was for this reason that he sent his Son Jesus and for that gift we are truly thankful.

Pax

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[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture used today is “Jeremiah Buries the Girdle” by Rom de Hogge, published in 1908

[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.