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| “Christ Enthroned” (detail) by Bartolomeo Vivarini, 1450 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 2 Timothy 2:8-15
Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from
the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my Gospel, for which I am
suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a
criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything
for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the
salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.
Remind people of these things
and charge them before God to stop
disputing about words.
This serves no useful purpose since
it harms those who listen.
Be eager to present yourself as
acceptable to God,
a workman who causes no disgrace,
imparting the word of truth without
deviation.
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Commentary on 2 Tm 2:8-15
St. Paul begins this section with
the slogan: “But the word of God is not chained.” It is believed by
scholars that what follows is a quote from a hymn in common use at the time (“If
we have died with him…”). The reference in the hymn is to the death to sin
in Baptism from which the faithful shall gain the promise of eternal life (“we
shall also reign with him”). The hymn quote concludes with assurance that
Jesus is always faithful and constant even if those who believe in him fail.
The passage concludes with St. Paul
telling his student to faithfully proclaim these truths without dispute. It is
the principles that must be observed not the specific language used.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5ab,
8-9, 10 and 14
R. (4) Teach
me your ways, O Lord.
Your ways, O Lord, make known to
me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach
me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
All the paths of the Lord are
kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant
and his decrees.
The friendship of the Lord is with
those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their
instruction.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
Psalm 25 is an individual lament.
The sinful psalmist prays that “Your ways” (God's ways) be made known.
The request directs us to repentance and ultimately justice. The theme of
guidance is continued in the psalm. This selection gives a clear sense of the
Lord’s path, announced by angelic messengers, prophets, and the very Law of
Moses. It is the culmination and completion of God’s covenants. These
verses are echoed later by Malachi (Malachi 3:1-4) and John
the Baptist (Luke 3:1 ff), also announcing the Lord's path.
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Gospel: Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came to Jesus
and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the
commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your
mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.
There is no other commandment
greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said,
teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other
than he.
And to love him with all your
heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as
yourself
is worth more than all burnt
offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered
with understanding,
he said to him, “You are not far
from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any
more questions.
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Commentary on Mk 12:28-34
In the continuing dialogue with the
Sadducees from the Gospel of St. Mark, we find the scribe is impressed with the
way Jesus handled the challenge by the Sadducees (found in the previous
verses). The Lord answers his question about the law with the Great
Commandment, the opening of the Shema, the great Jewish prayer, and then he
follows that statement with the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself
(see also Leviticus
19:18). When the scholar clearly understands what Jesus is saying, the
Lord tells him he is"... not far from the Kingdom of God" (see
also the commentary on Matthew 22:34ff).
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Homily:
If someone came up to us and told
us they did not want to read the whole Bible to figure out what Christians
believed, but wanted just a few short passages, we could not recommend much
better selections than those we are given today.
While it is extremely important
that we understand the Old Testament because it reveals God’s actions in the
world before Christ arrived, Jesus sums up in one short statement the most
important teaching of that volume – “You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your
strength” which he quotes from Deuteronomy
6:4-5 and then
goes further quoting Leviticus
19:18 “You
shall love your neighbor as yourself”
If someone came up and asked you,
“What did Jesus teach?” this is the first thing, the most important thing we
could say. If they went further and asked “And what does that get you?” we
could answer with the hymn from St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy;
“If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.”
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.”
Encapsulated in this short quote from
an ancient hymn is our belief that through our Baptism we are adopted into the
life of the spirit of God, and our adoption leads to salvation. But even if we
are unfaithful, fail to love him, fail to love others, he still loves us
because he is love as God is love.
It’s all nicely tied up for us
today. The difficulty of course is living the commandment, and our prayer today
is that we have the strength to do so.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Christ Enthroned” (detail) by
Bartolomeo Vivarini, 1450
[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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