In the United State, Labor
Day: readings may be taken from For the Blessing of Human Labor #907-911
(Sacramentary #26).
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| "Saint Gregory the Great" by Jacopo Vignali, c. 1630. |
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
When I came to you, brothers
and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of
God,
I did not come with sublimity
of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know
nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him
crucified.
I came to you in weakness and
fear and much trembling,
and my message and my
proclamation
were not with persuasive
words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of
spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest
not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 2:1-5
The apostle goes
into an explanation of his axiomatic expression: “the foolishness of God is
wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human
strength.” (1
Corinthians 1:25)
The difficulty he had in proclaiming his gospel in Athens using Hellenistic
rhetoric (Acts 17:16-34) caused him to proclaim Christ to the
Corinthians in an unvarnished way, “Christ and him crucified.” Coming to
them in humility, he provides an example and faith based, not upon logic but
upon the spirit that goes beyond human wisdom. He offers this same “kenosis”
in Philippians
2:6-11.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102
R. (97) Lord, I love your commands.
How I love your law, O Lord!
It is my meditation all the
day.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Your command has made me
wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more understanding
than all my teachers
when your decrees are my
meditation.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
I have more discernment than
the elders,
because I observe your
precepts.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From every evil way I
withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
From your ordinances I turn
not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
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Commentary on Ps 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102
Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem.
Each of the eight verses of the first strophe begins with the first letter
of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph). Each verse of the second strophe begins with
the second letter (beth), and so on for all 22 letters of the alphabet.
The entire work is in praise of the
Law, and the joys to be found in keeping it. It is not "legalism" but
a love and desire for the word of God in Israel's Law, which is the expression
of the Lord's revelation of himself and his will for man. These particular
verses focus on the wisdom transmitted through the Law: “Your command has made me wiser than my enemies.”
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Gospel: Luke 4:16-30
Jesus came to Nazareth
and went according to his
custom
into the synagogue on the
sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was
handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and
found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to
the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to
the blind,
to let the oppressed go
free,
and to proclaim a year
acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the
attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the
synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage
is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the
gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not
the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you
will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’
and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were
done in Capernaum
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no
prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel
when the sky was closed for
three and a half years
and a severe famine spread
over the entire land.
It was to none of these that
Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in
Zarephath in the land
of Sidon
Again, there were many lepers
in Israel
during the time of Elisha the
prophet;
yet not one of them was
cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the
synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with
fury.
They rose up, drove him out
of the town,
and led him to the brow of
the hill
on which their town had been
built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the
midst of them and went away.
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Commentary on Lk 4:16-30
In this passage from St. Luke’s
Gospel we find the Lord back in his home town of Nazareth. He reads from the
Book of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2) and then
tells those present that he has come to fulfill the oracle he proclaimed (“he
has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind”). These were clear
references to the miraculous works he had already performed in other parts of
the country. The Lord saw that they were expecting that he would perform signs
there as well but the lack of faith would prevent him. Those congregated knew
him from boyhood and did not believe he was the Messiah or even a prophet.
In response to this unbelief, Jesus
brought out two examples from the stories about the prophets that demonstrated
that those unworthy of God’s grace were ignored in favor of more worthy
subjects. This caused the wholesale uprising against him, and he left them. In
the eyes of those former friends and neighbors, Jesus had committed blasphemy,
punishable by death. But, because they were uncertain given the power and
authority they had witnessed, none dared lay a hand on him. “He passed though
the midst of them and went away.”
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Reflection:
The episode in Jesus’
ministry we see depicted in St. Luke’s Gospel when Jesus goes to the place where
he grew up is a foretaste of where his mission will lead him. He comes home,
not to a hero’s welcome, but to anger and near tragedy. The story is analogous
to a common business cliché that defines an “expert” as someone who comes from
out of town and carries a brief case. The implication is that a person who is
in your midst cannot be an “expert,” that level of knowledge must reside
outside the local area.
The situation in Nazareth Nazareth
When he is invited to speak
at the synagogue he tells them that the boy they watched grow up and the young
man who had learned the carpenter trade at the elbow of Joseph, was a great
prophet – even quoting from Isaiah at them – like he was something special.
They were sorry for Joseph and Mary but he had to be stopped so they took him
out of town with the idea of killing him for his blasphemy. It was permitted,
in fact it was their obligation, probably condoned and encouraged by the local rabbi.
But there was something else
at work. The words he spoke and the way he said them – this was different.
Never mind that they had heard the book of Isaiah before. Others had always
used future tense –looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. Jesus taught
with authority, as if the prophet had come back to life in him, making the words
real and present. It stirred them inside. It frightened them. While their
rational minds said “We know this young man,” in the backs of their minds the
truth was screaming at them – here is something new, the likes of which they
had never seen before. And they stopped what they were doing, staring at him in
fear and hesitation. Seeing this reaction, Jesus pushed through them without
resistance and left the area. No doubt he was saddened by the reaction but
probably not surprised.
For us, this reaction of
those who knew Jesus is seen as the greatest lost opportunity of all time. Yet
don’t we find in ourselves that same incredulous rejection of Christ’s presence
in those around us? Don’t we often fail to see the Lord present in those we encounter,
especially members of our own families?
The lesson we receive today
from St. Luke’s Gospel is that we must be constantly vigilant, looking for the
Lord not just in prayer, not just in the sacraments, but in the people we meet.
We must listen for the Word of God at all times and in all peoples because we
do not know the hour or the day of his coming.
Pax
[1]
The picture is "Saint Gregory the Great" by Jacopo Vignali, c. 1630.
[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 republication is
not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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