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| “The Scourging of Christ” by Tiziano Vecellio, c. 1560 |
Reading 1: Hosea 14:2-10
Thus says the Lord:
Return, O Israel
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the Lord;
Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.”
I will heal their defection, says the Lord,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon
Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
“I am like a verdant cypress tree”—
because of me you bear fruit!
Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the Lord,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.
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Commentary on
Hos 14:2-10
This prophetic work has an emotional motive on the part of the
author. An ongoing analogy is playing out, using the backdrop of the author’s
unfortunate marriage. Hosea’s prophecy paints Israel as an unfaithful wife
(seduced away by idolatry and hardened by ignoring the poor), and God as the
jealous husband who wants her back in spite of her faults. The language used in
this selection, which is from the very end of the book, has that flavor to it.
The passage can be summed up with: in spite of your sins, come back to God.
The Prophet continues to call Israel back to faithfulness through
repentance (“Forgive all iniquity, and
receive what is good”). God is their only salvation and their strength. The
message to the people is one of complete forgiveness, if they but turn back to
the Law of Moses. The conclusion of the passage is a possible inspiration for
John the Baptist, for which the message of forgiveness and repentance was
central, and whose role as precursor to Messiah is echoed the message: “Straight are the paths of the Lord, in them
the just walk, but sinners stumble in them."
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Responsorial
Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-13,
14 and 17
R. (17b) My mouth will declare your
praise.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your
goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe
out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Behold, you are pleased with sincerity
of heart,
and in my inmost being you teach me
wisdom.
Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I
may be purified;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than
snow.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
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Commentary on
Ps 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 14
and 17
Psalm 51 (one of the great
penitential psalms) is an individual lament imploring God for mercy and
forgiveness. We note the request is coupled with an explicit understanding that
the singer has sinned in the eyes of God, and complete dependence on his mercy
for the expiation of those offenses.
CCC: Ps 51:12 298, 431
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Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.”
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Commentary on
Mt 10:16-23
Jesus concludes his instruction
to the Apostles in this selection from Matthew’s Gospel. We begin to hear about
the persecutions that attend the spreading of the Gospel. Those who spread that
Good News are encouraged not to worry about an apologia (defense), but rather
to trust in the Holy Spirit, the Father “speaking through you.”
Matthew’s final statement,
referring to the coming of the Son of Man, has a couple of possible
explanations. First it could be referring to the return of Christ after his
crucifixion. It could also mean the punishment of the unbelieving Jewish people
by the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD
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Reflection:
Jesus
warns his disciples that they will face extreme opposition, persecution and
imprisonment. It seems ironic that the
Gospel of peace and love should be met this way. It is, in a sense, counterintuitive. Yet his message was not only borne out in his
followers (all but one of whom were martyred), but the prediction has been true
to varying degrees ever since.
Today
we hear stories from around the world about Christians being persecuted,
imprisoned, and even killed. It is
happening on the African continent as open conflict takes place between Muslims
and Christians in a number of countries there.
It is happening in China where the state has dictated that individuals,
not selected by Rome, be Catholic Bishops.
It is taking place in virtually every country in the Middle East. In Iraq and Syria, where ISIS is waging war,
the word genocide has been used to describe this wholesale persecution. Even in
Egypt, Christian groups are being systematically eliminated either by
persecution or forceful conversion to Islam.
And in Israel, Catholic Priests are routinely spit upon by members of
the Hasidic Jewish sects. The Christians
of Bethlehem, the birthplace of our Savior, are persecuted by Arab and Jew
alike.
In
the United States the late Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago, referring to
the direction our country is going said prior to his passing: “I believe I will
die in bed; my successor will die in prison; and his successor will be
martyred.”
No,
things have not changed. If we think
that we are not affected because we live in a more enlightened and cosmopolitan
society, we are mistaken. Our challenges are perhaps even more insidious. At every turn supposedly tolerant people seek
to destroy the values long established by our Christian heritage. Living as Christians and spreading the word
of the Lord in this day and age can be every bit as dangerous as it was in the
day of our Lord.
We
are, however, called as his disciples were called, to go into the world with
his message of peace. We are told that
we must be “…shrewd
as serpents and simple as doves.” That means that, while we are called to
spread the word in a sometimes hostile environment, we cannot throw ourselves
away. The Lord calls us to use our God-given
gifts in dealing with those who revile us.
We should use the systems shrewdly, making them work for us, but not
forgetting that the Lord gave us an example of humility and gentleness.
It is a difficult thing we are called to be – Christians in a
hostile world. But we must be fearless
in our proclamation of the Gospel and steadfast in our love of the Lord. In this way we bring the Kingdom of God
promised by our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Pax
[1]
The pictured used is “The Scourging of Christ” by Tiziano Vecellio, c. 1560
[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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