(Optional Memorial for the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Readings
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: #33. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Good Counsel.
 |
| “St John the Baptist Baptizes the People” by Nicolas Poussin, c. 1635 |
Reading 1: 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Brothers and sisters:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the
conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might
no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their
sake died and was raised.
Consequently, from now on we
regard no one according to the flesh;
even if we once knew Christ
according to the flesh,
yet now we know him so no
longer.
So whoever is in Christ is a
new creation:
the old things have passed
away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to
himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of
reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling
the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses
against them
and entrusting to us the
message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for
Christ,
as if God were appealing through
us.
We implore you on behalf of
Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to
be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the
righteousness of God in him.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 5:14-21
This passage from St. Paul’s Second
Letter to the Corinthians has a distinctly initiative flavor. First he speaks
of dying with Christ, becoming one with him in the spirit. This occurs in the
sacrament of baptism. The whole idea of being reconciled to God in Christ is
inherent in the sacrament of confirmation and concluded in the Eucharist. These
of course are the three sacraments of Christian Initiation.
CCC: 2 Cor 5:14 616,
851; 2 Cor 5:15 605,
655, 1269; 2 Cor 5:17 1214,
1265; 2 Cor 5:17-18 1999; 2 Cor
5:18-21 2844; 2 Cor
5:18 981,
1442, 1461; 2 Cor 5:19 433,
620; 2 Cor 5:20 859,
1424, 1442; 2 Cor 5:21 602
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his
holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his
benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and
merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from
destruction,
he crowns you with kindness
and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and
merciful.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath
forever.
Not according to our sins
does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us
according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and
merciful.
For as the heavens are high
above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness
toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from
the west,
so far has he put our transgressions
from us.
R. The Lord is kind and
merciful.
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Commentary on Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
Psalm 103 is a song of praise and
thanksgiving to God for his mercy. It recognizes both God’s mercy and our need,
as sinners, for it. The psalmist rejoices in God’s saving help following a
period of adversity. The link between forgiveness and healing is brought
out driving home the fact that forgiveness by God heals the soul and that his
forgiveness is available always.
CCC: Ps 103 304
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Gospel: Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it
was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all
that you vow.
But I say to you, do not
swear at all;
not by heaven, for it is
God's throne;
nor by the earth, for it is
his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem
Do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single
hair white or black.
Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,'
and your 'No' mean 'No.'
Anything more is from the
Evil One."
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Commentary on Mt 5:33-37
Jesus paraphrases the Old Testament
(see Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11; Leviticus 19:12). He is
attacking the practices of guaranteeing one’s promise by calling on God to
witness the pledge. The Lord tells his disciples that no oaths should be made,
that what they say should need no guarantee beyond their own character (“Let
your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil
one.”). This last reference speaks of the implied sinfulness of mankind in
oath-breaking.
CCC: Mt 5:33-34 581,
2141, 2153; Mt 5:33 592,
2463; Mt 5:37 2153,
2338, 2466
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Reflection:
We are “ambassadors for Christ,” as St. Paul says. As such we represent to others that which has
been given to us. If this is not enough
to scare us, nothing ever will. We are
called “Christians” by the world. They
look at us and say: “This is what believing that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son
of God means.” How we live and interact
with those we meet is to demonstrate that lived reality.
The Gospel from St. Matthew gives us just one characteristic that we are
to evince as “ambassadors of Christ.” We
are to be honest to a fault. Our word
should be our bond. If we promise to do
something, there should be no need of formal documents or commitments in the
legal sense. These instruments are for
use among those of the secular world who require such pledges because there is
a lack of trust. In Jesus’ day, this was
a practice of swearing an oath. It was
more than children saying, “cross my heart and hope to die.” It held the force of a covenant between
individuals. When Jesus told his
disciples not to swear oaths he was telling them that honesty was to be an
integral part of loving one another.
“Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’” does not mean
we should be frank to the point of hurting another person, especially when it
is our opinion that we are expressing.
There are those who would say: “I was only being honest,” knowing that
what they said was hurtful or demeaning of another. What parent would look at their toddler’s
stick drawing and say: “That’s terrible.
What is it supposed to be?” Would
they not say instead: “That’s very nice,” recognizing the effort that had gone
into it and the generosity of offering that work to them?
We are ambassadors of
Christ. As such our first obligation to
Christ is to do as he asked, love one another!
We are to see those we meet through those loving eyes, being honest and
loving in our interactions. It is not
easy. We must constantly subvert our
human nature that strives to place our own interests above others'. But ambassadors do not have easy jobs,
especially when the one they represent gave up his life for the world.
Pax
[1]
General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous
Notes no. 5.
[2]
The picture is “St John the Baptist Baptizes the People” by Nicolas Poussin, c.
1635.
[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.
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