(Optional Memorial for Saint Stephen of Hungary)
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| “Moses's Testament and Death” (detail) by Luca Signorelli, 1481-82 |
Reading 1: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Moses went up from the plains
of Moab to Mount Nebo
the headland of Pisgah which
faces Jericho
and the LORD showed him all
the land—
the land of Ephraim
all the land
of Judah as far as the Western Sea
the Negeb, the circuit of the
Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their
descendants.
I have let you feast your
eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab
died as the LORD had said;
and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab
but to this day no one knows
the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and
twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed
and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children
of Israel
in the plains of Moab
the period of grief and
mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was
filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his
hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel
thus carrying out the LORD’s
command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has
arisen in Israel
whom the LORD knew face to
face.
He had no equal in all the
signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform
in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his
servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the
terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the
sight of all Israel
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Commentary on Dt 34:1-12
This passage from Deuteronomy
describes the death of Moses and the conclusion to the entire Pentateuch
(Torah). All that the Lord had said to Moses had come to pass. Reference is
made to God’s promise of the land. This statement supports other references
about the land to be given (see Deuteronomy 1:37, 3:25-27, 4:21-22, 32:48-52).
After the set period of mourning,
Joshua assumes leadership of the people for the completion of their journey
from Egypt to the promised land. Joshua’s installation as Moses' successor was
described earlier in Deuteronomy 31:1-8.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17
R. (see 20a and 10b) Blessed be God who filled my
soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all
the earth;
sing praise to the glory of
his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: “How tremendous
are your deeds!”
R. Blessed be God who
filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of
God,
his tremendous deeds among
the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
R. Blessed be God who
filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear
God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in
words,
praise was on the tip of my
tongue.
R. Blessed be God who
filled my soul with fire!
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Commentary on Ps 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17
Psalm 66 is a hymn of praise
and thanksgiving. In the first part presented here, the psalmist praises God
for his salvation, recalling the exodus from Egypt and the great signs he gave
the people.
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Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against
you,
go and tell him his fault
between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you
have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along
with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or
three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to
them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even
to the Church,
then treat him as you would a
Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if
two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they
are to pray,
it shall be granted to them
by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are
gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of
them.”
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Commentary on Mt 18:15-20
St. Matthew
relates the Lord's instructions to his disciples (and to the Christian community
at large). “Passing from the duty of Christian disciples toward those who have
strayed from their number, the discourse now turns to how they are to deal with
one who sins and yet remains within the community. First there is to be private
correction; if this is unsuccessful, further correction before two or three
witnesses; if this fails, the matter is to be brought before the assembled
community (the church), and if the sinner refuses to attend to the correction
of the church, he is to be expelled. The church's judgment will be ratified in
heaven, i.e., by God. The section ends with a saying about the favorable
response of God to prayer, even to that of a very small number, for Jesus is in
the midst of any gathering of his disciples, however small.”[4]
CCC: Mt
18:16 2472; Mt 18:18 553, 1444; Mt 18:20 1088, 1373
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Reflection:
Scripture speaks of
transitions today. First, we encounter
the story of Moses’ passing and Joshua taking up the mantle of leader of the
people of Israel St.
Matthew describes the transition of magisterial authority.
The Gospel is important for
us as Catholics, who trace our papacy back to the Apostles. St. Matthew
describes Jesus giving authority to his successors to provide guidance as to
what is right and wrong. It is the foundation of the Magisterium of the Church.
Without giving this authority and charge, we would have no evidence that the
will of God was entrusted to those first disciples who in turn, through
Apostolic Succession, hand on that authority to our Pope, Francis.
Jesus also gives some very
practical advice, echoed in Paul’s letters, about how to settle disputes among
members of the community of faith. It is advice that has unfortunately gotten
lost in our litigious society. It presupposes a unified Church since its
authority assumes that excommunication would be a deterrent, and the law of the
Church would be the ultimate standard of conduct. (“If he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would
a Gentile or a tax collector.”)
The lesson should ring loudly
for us. How often in our dealings with others, even with people whom we know as
members of our faith community, do we take offense and sulk or devolve into
petty squabbles? Should we not rather do as the Lord prescribes? Should we not
take our problem directly to the person we perceived has done us an injustice
and make that argument directly with them? (Haven’t we all heard that advice in
the Confessional?)
If we examine the fundamental
underpinnings of the rule the Lord gives the disciples, we can see it is based
on mutual respect and love of one another. Ultimately that is where he always
pushes us. How can we say we love someone if we harbor a perceived hurt or
injustice? It is like getting a sliver of wood in our finger. If we leave it in
there, it is going to fester and become even more painful than the initial
removal process. If we don’t take action to remove it even after it becomes
painful, it can become infected. If we don’t take drastic action once it is
infected, it can cause serious and permanent damage, and in extreme cases, even
death.
No, it is better to take that
perceived injury to the person who caused it. Even if they don’t accept
responsibility, then we have at least unburdened ourself of any resentment that
might have festered. We have acted in accordance with our faith and we are
given the opportunity to forgive the unrepentant which is something very
Christ-like. We get great blessings and tough lessons from the Lord today.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Moses's Testament and Death” (detail) by Luca Signorelli,
1481-82
[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]
See NAB footnote on Matthew 18:15ff
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