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| “St. Lucy” by Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo, 1530’s |
Reading 1: Zephaniah 3:1-2,
9-13
Thus says the LORD:
Woe to the city, rebellious and
polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn
near.
For then I will change and purify
the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the
name of the LORD,
to serve him with one accord;
From beyond the rivers of
Ethiopia
and as far as the recesses of the
North,
they shall bring me offerings.
On that day
You need not be ashamed
of all your deeds,
your rebellious actions against
me;
For then will I remove from your
midst
the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt
yourself
on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in
your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name
of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their
mouths
a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch
their flocks
with none to disturb them.
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Commentary on Zep 3:1-2, 9-13
This reading from the Book of the
Prophet Zephaniah contains parts of two oracles. In the first section (v. 1-2),
the leaders of Jerusalem are chastised as far from God (“She hears no voice”
– To hear the voice of God was to be holy: the antithesis is to hear no voice.).
Although not explicit in the verses given, in v. 8 the oracle foresees that God
will judge the unholy and they shall be thrown down.
The next section (v.9-13) speaks
of the coming messianic era, a time after the tyranny has passed, when the
faithful remnant will be rewarded with salvation. The “poor in spirit” are
saved and they shall live in peace (“They shall pasture and couch their
flocks with none to disturb them”). This poetic vision is used elsewhere as
an image of peace (see Isaiah 14:30, Ezekiel 34:25, and Micah 4:4). The definition
developed by the Prophet of the “poor in spirit” will be used by Jesus
later describing the messianic expectation.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all
times;
his praise shall be ever in
my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the
LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be
glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry
of the poor.
Look to him that you may be
radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush
with shame.
When the poor one called out,
the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he
saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry
of the poor.
The LORD confronts the
evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of
them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the
LORD hears them,
and from all their distress
he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry
of the poor.
The LORD is close to the
brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in
spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of
his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes
refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry
of the poor.
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Commentary on Ps 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23
Psalm 34 is a song of
thanksgiving. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm
34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust
in God alone. This psalm, in the words of one being unjustly persecuted, echoes
hope for deliverance and freedom with the often used response: “The LORD
redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him."
CCC: Ps 34:3 716
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Gospel: Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests
and the elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the
vineyard today.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will
not,’
but afterwards he changed his
mind and went.
The man came to the other son and
gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but
did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s
will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say
to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God
before you.
When John came to you in the way
of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and
prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your
minds and believe him.”
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Commentary on Mt 21:28-32
This passage is the first of
three parables concerning the judgment of the people of Israel. The parable
could be taken simply as the difference between saying and doing (see also Matthew 7:21; 12:50). Jesus clarifies his meaning by
posing a question to religious leaders using the hypothetical situation of the
“two sons.”
The point of his example is
intended to be analogous to the difference between those who disbelieved the
message of repentance taught by St. John the Baptist and those who believed it,
the sinners (tax collectors and prostitutes) who have repented. Presented as it
is, as a question to the Jewish leaders, the chief priests are forced to admit
that (in the story of the two sons) the son who did the father’s will was the
one justified (those who accepted the message of St. John the Baptist).
Ultimately the example tells the Jewish leaders that those they look down upon
(the sinners who had rejected the Law), because of their acts of repentance and
devotion, are achieving the inheritance of God before the leaders themselves.
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Reflection:
The events described in St.
Matthew’s Gospel give us some insight into how well the Lord understands human
nature. In the situation described in
the Gospel, the Lord was taking the Jewish leaders to task, because they gave
only lip service to their belief in what God had told the people through the
prophets. While they used pious acts to outwardly show others that they were
faithful, by their rejection of John the Baptist, the Voice calling them to
repent, and then their rejection of Jesus, they had failed to follow their own
vows to God.
On the other hand, the
sinners and tax collectors who accepted Jesus, even though they recognized they
had sinned against God, would be the ones to inherit God’s Kingdom. The moral, accepted even by the chief priests,
was that those who do God’s will, even if they are imperfect in voicing their
acceptance of it, will be the ones who receive God’s favor.
Seeing this description, we
understand why the Gospel is called the Good News. Have we not all found ourselves rejecting
what God asks of us, because it is hard?
Haven’t we all, at least in prayer, asked God to give us an easier
way? Worse, haven’t we gone along with a
crowd doing what we know would be displeasing to God: professed our faith in
Church, but in practice done just the opposite?
At these times the Lord (and St. John the Baptist) calls us to repent, turn away from
sin and be true to the Gospel. It is an
offer, an invitation, that is always being extended and one we are tasked with
extending as well. When the Lord tells
the chief priests the story related in the Gospel, it is not to condemn them.
It is to point out their error and invite them once more to put aside their
disbelief and believe.
Today we pray that we will
have the strength to be different from either of the sons in his story. We pray that our yes will mean yes and our
no, no. We pray that our yes will always be to humbly walk with the Lord and do
his will, as we have promised.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “St. Lucy” by Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo, 1530’s
[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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