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| “Polyptych of St James” (Detail) by Michele Giambono, c. 1450 |
Reading 1: 2
Corinthians 4:7-15
Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in
earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may
be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every
way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to
despair;
persecuted, but not
abandoned;
struck down, but not
destroyed;
always carrying about in the
body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may
also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are
constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may
be manifested in our mortal flesh.
So death is at work in us,
but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same
spirit of faith,
according to what is written,
I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore
speak,
knowing that the one who
raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his
presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in
abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to
overflow for the glory of God.
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Commentary on 2
Cor 4:7-15
On the feast of
the first Apostle to be martyred we hear St.
Paul
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
R. (5) Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
When the LORD brought back
the captives of Zion
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled
with laughter,
and our tongue with
rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
Then they said among the
nations,
"The LORD has done great
things for them."
The LORD has done great
things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the
southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
Although they go forth
weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back
rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
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Commentary on Ps
126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
Psalm 126 is a
song of praise. It rejoices here in the
return of the captives placed in servitude during the Diaspora and seeks the
Lord’s blessings in hopes of returning to their former prosperity.
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Gospel: Matthew
20:20-28
The mother of the sons of
Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing
to ask him for something.
He said to her,
"What do you wish?"
She answered him,
"Command that these two
sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the
other at your left, in your Kingdom."
Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what
you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice
that I am going to drink?"
They said to him, "We can."
He replied,
"My chalice you will
indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at
my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it
has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the
two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and
said,
"You know that the
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their
authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among
you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be
great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first
among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did
not come to be served
but to serve and to give his
life as a ransom for many."
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Commentary on Mt
20:20-28
This exchange
takes place immediately following the Lord's description of his coming passion
in Jerusalem. The sons of Zebedee, James and John, are pushed forward by their
mother who (naturally) wishes them to achieve places of honor in the Kingdom of
God. Jesus uses this event to speak
first of his own passion and then about Christian leadership. The Servant Leader, as Jesus describes, leads
through example.
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Reflection:
On this Feast Day as we
recall the inspired life of St. James we reflect upon two aspects of the faith
that both motivated him and supported him.
We think of them as the outward face of the evangelist and the inward
face of spirituality. They are of course
interrelated, but one, the outward face is giving. The other, the inward face, is seeking and receiving. It is, to use the Lord’s metaphor, like the
vine. The outward face is the leaves and
branches, reaching out into the world, producing great fruit to nourish
others. The inward face is like the
roots that support it, drinking in the earth’s nourishment sustaining the life
in leaves and branches.
This outward and zealous face
was supported by an interior spirituality rooted in the love of Christ and
constant communion with him in prayer.
We know that James was with Jesus at all of the important times – on the
high place where the Lord was transfigured (Matthew
17: 1ff), he was with him praying in
the Garden at Gethsemane (Matthew
26: 37). Along with St. Peter and his brother St. John
It was from this deep rooted
faith that he was able to draw the fire with which he enlightened those he
meet. It was through his inner peace
that he was given the courage to face even cruel martyrdom at the hands of
Herod, the grandson of Herod the Great forty four years after the Lord had
charged him, with the others to “go out and teach all the
nations” (Matthew
28: 19)
One of the great lessons our
consideration of this Apostle teaches is that we too must constantly tend to
the inward face of our spirituality if we are to be effective evangelists and
disciples of the Lord. Our care must be
for that inward face, for without strength in the roots, the vine will wither
and die.
Pax
In other Years: Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Year
II)
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
[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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