(Optional
Memorial of Saint John Capistrano, Priest)
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| “Christ in the Garden” by Caravaggio, 1603 |
Reading 1: Ephesians
2:12-22
Brothers
and sisters:
You
were at that time without Christ,
alienated
from the community of Israel
and
strangers to the covenants of promise,
without
hope and without God in the world.
But
now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have
become near by the Blood of Christ.
For
he is our peace, he made both one
and
broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his Flesh,
abolishing
the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that
he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus
establishing peace,
and
might reconcile both with God,
in
one Body, through the cross,
putting
that enmity to death by it.
He
came and preached peace to you who were far off
and
peace to those who were near,
for
through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
So
then you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but
you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and
members of the household of God,
built
upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with
Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through
him the whole structure is held together
and
grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in
him you also are being built together
into
a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
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Commentary on
Eph 2:12-22
St. Paul addresses the former
division between Gentile and Jew (the uncircumcised and the circumcised). In
the opening verses, he refers to the Gentiles as being cut off from God’s
salvation (“alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the
covenants of promise”).
This alienation was symbolized by
the “dividing wall” in the temple beyond which Gentiles could not pass
on pain of death. The apostle uses this symbol, saying that, through Christ’s
sacrifice, he “broke down the dividing wall of enmity.” In essence, he
unified the Jew and Gentile and brought peace to the community of faith. By
removing the burden of the law (“abolishing the law with its commandments
and legal claims,” here referring to dietary and minor commandments), he
brought them together in the Spirit.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9ab-10,
11-12, 13-14
R. (see 9) The Lord speaks
of peace to his people.
I
will listen for the word of God;
surely
the LORD will proclaim peace
Near
indeed is his salvation
Near
indeed is salvation for the loyal;
prosperity
will fill our land
R. The Lord speaks of peace
to his people.
Love
and truth will meet;
justice
and peace will kiss.
Truth
will spring from the earth;
justice
will look down from heaven.
R. The Lord speaks of peace
to his people.
The
LORD will surely grant abundance;
our
land will yield its increase.
Prosperity
will march before the Lord,
and
good fortune will follow behind.
R. The Lord speaks of peace
to his people.
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Commentary on
Ps 85:9ab-10, 11-12, 13-14
Psalm 85 is a communal lament that
focuses on the woes of the nation. These strophes reflect the joy of salvation
at the restoration of the land following the destruction of the temple and the
Diaspora. Those faithful to God see the reward, a land restored, justice
returned, and the salvation of God.
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Gospel: Luke 12:35-38
Jesus
said to his disciples:
“Gird
your loins and light your lamps
and
be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready
to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed
are those servants
whom
the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen,
I say to you, he will gird himself,
have
them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And
should he come in the second or third watch
and
find them prepared in this way,
blessed
are those servants.”
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Commentary on
Lk 12:35-38
This selection from St. Luke’s
Gospel emphasizes the need for fidelity and faithfulness to Christ’s teachings
because the hour and the day of the Lord’s return are not known. The image used
to describe this preparedness, “Gird your loins and light your lamps,”
instructs the faithful to be prepared for a journey from darkness into light.
Similar ideas are presented in Matthew 25 1-13, in the
parable of the Ten Virgins (see commentary on Matthew 25:1ff). To gird
one’s loins refers to the practice of tucking the long, oriental style robes
into a belt in order to move more rapidly (see Exodus 12:11; 1 Peter 1:13). The
evangelist makes it clear that the time of the Parousia is unknown and the need
for continual preparedness is expressed in the statement, “And should he
come in the second or third watch.” The Hebrews divided the evening hours
into three watches (the Romans into four). The third watch would have lasted
until the night ended.
CCC: Lk 12:35-40 2849
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Reflection:
There were once two sisters
who became estranged at the death of their father (their mother had already died). The source of their intense animosity stemmed
from the disposition of the estate and it should be noted that the estate was
humble as estates go. Yet the two
argued, accused, and at length, the older disowned the younger.
Sometime later, the younger
sibling recognized how foolish the argument had been and reached out to her
older sister, expressing a wish to put differences aside. The older sister embraced her anger and
hatred and rejected any attempt to reconcile.
This went on for years and the older sister became desperately ill. Still clinging to her perceived injury, she
instructed her family to make sure her younger sister was informed she would
not be welcome at the funeral; seeing this action as her final attempt to cause
pain or injury to her sister.
There is no happy ending to this
story. The older sister will endure what
must be endured by those who foster hatred in this life. She will be required to atone for her
conscious failure to love – seen by a loving Savior as sin. The irony of the story is that in her earlier
life, the elder sister had been a stalwart of the church. She had been involved with and led numerous
activities that fostered faith and community within her local parish.
We ask these questions – did
her earlier works on the Lord’s behalf earn her a place in the Kingdom of God
Ultimately, we are reminded
of St. Augustine’s famous quote: “Resentment is like taking poison and hoping
the other person dies.”
The Gospel tells us we must
remain vigilant, even to the second or third watch. The story of the two sisters points out what
can happen when pride enters in, especially (and ironically) in families. St. Paul calls us to unity in Christ, and
this union, like the love witnessed in a Sacramental Marriage is
unbreakable. We pray today that we will
be constantly vigilant and work always for the unity of all peoples in Christ
Jesus, thereby coming at last to the great banquet.
Pax
[1]
The picture used today is “Christ in the Garden” by Caravaggio, 1603.
[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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