(Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin
Mary)
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time
when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed
Virgin Mary is allowed.[1]
Mass texts may be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a Votive Mass, or from the special collection of Masses
for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Suggested for this date: #39B. Holy Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy.
 |
| “The Redeemer” by Master of the Osservanza, c. 1450 |
Reading 1: Ephesians 4:7-16
But grace was given to each
of us
according to the measure of
Christ’s gift.
Therefore, it says:
He ascended on high and took prisoners captive;
he gave gifts to men.
What does “he ascended” mean
except that he also descended
into the lower regions of the
earth?
The one who descended is also
the one who ascended
far above all the heavens,
that he might fill all
things.
And he gave some as apostles,
others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others
as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for
the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of
Christ,
until we all attain to the
unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of
God, to mature manhood
to the extent of the full
stature of Christ,
so that we may no longer be
infants,
tossed by waves and swept
along by every wind of teaching
arising from human trickery,
from their cunning in the
interests of deceitful scheming.
Rather, living the truth in
love,
we should grow in every way
into him who is the head, Christ,
from whom the whole Body,
joined and held together by
every supporting ligament,
with the proper functioning
of each part,
brings about the Body’s
growth and builds itself up in love.
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Commentary on Eph 4:7-16
St. Paul continues his plea for
unity in this passage. He defines unity as more than just sharing a belief in
Christ through his analogy and example. Unity is exemplified by the gifts (and
grace) given by Christ. The apostle uses a quote from an older form of Psalm 68:18-19.
(The psalm itself depicts Yahweh leading Israel to salvation, while St. Paul
sees in this image Jesus' entry into the New Jerusalem.) The Apostle uses this
quote to describe how Jesus (metaphorically capturing the spirits of the
faithful) brought gifts to each person. The reference, “he also descended,”
likely refers to Christ’s incarnation rather than to his descent following his
crucifixion.
St. Paul continues his discourse,
enumerating the leadership gifts given to “building up the Body of Christ,”
bringing the fledgling Church to maturity. In maturity, the apostle tells the
Ephesians, they will resist those who teach falsely and become more unified in
the love they share.
CCC: Eph 4:7 913; Eph 4:8-10 661; Eph 4:9-10 611, 2795; Eph 4:9 633, 635; Eph 4:10 668; Eph 4:11-16 794; Eph 4:11-13 669; Eph 4:11 1575; Eph 4:13 674, 695, 2045; Eph 4:16 798
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 122:1-2,
3-4ab, 4cd-5
R. (1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced when they said to
me,
"Let us go to the house
of the LORD."
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
walled round about.
Here the tribes have come,
the tribes of the LORD,
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
As it was decreed for Israel
to give thanks to the name of
the LORD.
Here are the thrones of
justice,
the thrones of the house of
David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5
Psalm 122 is a song of thanksgiving
centered upon returning to the temple in Jerusalem. (Mosaic Law required such a
trip three times in an individual's life.) The song rejoices in the visit to
the holy place, the seat of King David. The original singers would have been
rejoicing at returning to the one temple. For Christians, the new Jerusalem is
the one and only house of God in his heavenly kingdom. There the Lord sits in
judgment.
In these strophes the image of
“going up to Jerusalem” echoes the Lord’s return in St. Paul’s quote of Psalm 68:18-19 in Ephesians 4:8.
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Gospel: Luke 13:1-9
At that time some people who
were present there
told Jesus about the
Galileans
whose blood Pilate had
mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply,
“Do you think that because
these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners
than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not
repent,
you will all perish as they
did!
Or those eighteen people who
were killed
when the tower at Siloam fell
on them–
do you think they were more
guilty
than everyone else who lived
in Jerusalem
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not
repent,
you will all perish as they
did!”
And he told them this
parable:
“There once was a person who
had a fig tree planted in his orchard,
and when he came in search of
fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘For three years now I have
come in search of fruit on this fig tree
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the
soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year
also,
and I shall cultivate the
ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the
future.
If not you can cut it down.’”
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Commentary on Lk 13:1-9
In the story from St. Luke, there
is once more a reminder that urgency is required in seeking repentance. The
story begins with an explanation by the Lord that victims of Roman punishment
("whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices"),
and victims of an accident ("those eighteen people who were killed when
the tower at Siloam fell on them"), were not singled out by God
for punishment. These statements are followed by the parable of the barren fig
tree as a way of saying that God, at some point, will become impatient, and
will call sinners to account for their actions.
The incidents recorded at the
beginning of this reading (likely the accidental death of those on whom the
tower fell) are found only in St. Luke’s Gospel. Based upon historical works of
the time, the actions of Pilate were in keeping with his character. Jesus uses the
event to call his audience to repentance.
“Following on the call to
repentance, the parable of the barren fig tree presents a story about the
continuing patience of God with those who have not yet given evidence of their
repentance (see Luke 3:8). The
parable may also be alluding to the delay of the end time, when punishment will
be meted out, and the importance of preparing for the end of the age because
the delay will not be permanent.” [5]
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Reflection:
Scripture today, especially from the Gospel, points to one very
important lesson for the faithful. The
Lord is being told by a member of one of the crowds that frequently gathered about
two situations in which unexpected death had occurred. First, Pilate (yes, that Pilate) had
apparently slaughtered a group of people, probably at the temple since the Gospel
relates that: “whose blood Pilate had
mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.”
The Gospel goes on to talk about eighteen people who were killed
in Jerusalem when one of the towers that guarded the aqueduct that fed the pool
of Siloam collapsed on them. Scholars
believe this may have been an act of zealot sabotage.
In both these cases, the Lord does not condemn the person, in the
case of Pilate, or persons in the second instance. Rather, he points to the need for repentance,
implying what he later said plainly: we do not know the hour or day when we
will be called home to the Father.
In the second part of the Gospel, Jesus gives us the parable of
the fig tree. He tells the story of a
landowner who was waiting for one of his trees to bear fruit and, after three
years, when it did not, the owner told his gardener to cut it down. Since all it was doing was depleting the soil
of his garden it was of no value. The
gardener asked for patience and offered to:” cultivate the ground around it and fertilize It,” if the landowner
would be patient a while longer.
This story is very good news for us. It tells us that the Lord, while he expects
us to bear fruit through our prayers, words, and actions, is willing to be
patient. The urgency of that call to
repentance is amplified by the parable.
Jesus comes as the gardener to nourish us and intercede for us so that
we might bear fruit, but we must turn away from sin to do so.
The story also tells us we have free will. We can choose salvation through
repentance. Even though we may have
fallen far from Christ, the great gardener continues to till soil, that we may
bear fruit.
As
we continue our journey of faith looking for ways to more effectively answer
God’s call to us (a burning bush would be nice), we recognize that we must
repent. We must repent not just in our
heart and prayers, but those thoughts and prayers must be expressed in actions,
what we do, and how we treat others. We
need to be constantly striving to live the example Jesus gave us, because we do
not know the day or the hour.
Pax
[1]
General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar
Miscellaneous Notes no. 5.
[2]
The picture used today is “The Redeemer” by Master of the Osservanza, c. 1450.
[4]
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.
[5]
See NAB footnote on Luke 13:6-9.
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