(Optional Memorial for Saint Anthony Mary Claret,
Bishop)
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| “St. Michael Fighting Demons“ by Master of the Legend of St. Ursula, 1480-1500 |
Reading 1: Romans 6:19-23
Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking in human terms
because of the weakness of your nature.
For just as you presented the
parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity
and to lawlessness for
lawlessness,
so now present them as slaves
to righteousness for sanctification.
For when you were slaves of
sin, you were free from righteousness.
But what profit did you get
then
from the things of which you
are now ashamed?
For the end of those things
is death.
But now that you have been
freed from sin and have become slaves of God,
the benefit that you have
leads to sanctification,
and its end is eternal life.
For the wages of sin is
death,
but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Commentary on Rom 6:19-23
St. Paul now adds an active
dimension to his discussion of salvation. Up to this point he has focused on
faith in Christ. He now expands his argument to include the consequences of the
actions of the person. He points out that, sinful acts end in death (death of
the spirit through guilt “from the things of which you are now ashamed”),
but righteous acts gain sanctification (holiness).. He concludes this passage
with the famous verse: "For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
CCC: Rom 6:19 1995; Rom
6:22 1995; Rom
6:23 1006,
1008
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (Ps 40:5) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows
not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of
sinners,
nor sits in the company of
the insolent,
But delights in the law of
the LORD
and meditates on his law day
and night.
R. Blessed are they who
hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due
season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who
hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the
wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the
way of the just,
but the way of the wicked
vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who
hope in the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Psalm 1 serves as a preface to the
whole book of psalms. The psalmist here exalts those who follow the Lord’s
commands, and reflects upon the blessings they will receive. As in Romans 6:19ff, this
selection emphasizes the contrast between the salvation of the just and the
punishment of the wicked.
This wisdom psalm begins by
extolling the virtue of those who follow the law. The focus is to look to God
for guidance, and not to trust only in the counsel of men. Those who reject the
law will be blown away like “chaff,” an image used in the Gospel as well (Matthew 3:12).
This portion of the psalm is later
echoed in Jeremiah
17:7 and Isaiah
48:17-19, like an overlapped formula of covenant. Blessed is the man
who “delights in the law day and night,” but “the way of the wicked vanishes.”
It also takes up the theme of following right paths and staying true to the
teachings of God: “Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked
nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but
delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night.”
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Gospel: Luke 12:49-53
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth
on fire,
and how I wish it were
already blazing!
There is a baptism with which
I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish
until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come
to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather
division.
From now on a household of
five will be divided,
three against two and two
against three;
a father will be divided
against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her
mother,
a mother-in-law against her
daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law.”
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Commentary on Lk 12:49-53
This discourse from St. Luke’s
Gospel emphasizes the divisive nature of Christ’s message. He has already
encountered resistance, and the author sees that his message of peace will have
an even more profound influence on the world. It is clear that the Lord knows
many will not be able to accept his words, and this will cause enmity among
people, even within families.
In this passage, there is a glimpse
of the passion (the baptism mentioned in v.50 shares the image
presented in Psalm
124:4-5), and the anguish the Lord feels for the message he is bringing.
He sees the flame of faith igniting the whole world. Jesus knows there will be
those who accept the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, and those who will
reject both it and him.
CCC: Lk 12:49 696; Lk
12:50 536,
607, 1225, 2804
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Homily:
No one knows the truth of the
Gospel passage from St. Luke just proclaimed better than the parents of
children they have attempted to raise in the faith. It is so clear to the parent when their
children embark upon courses of action that will lead them down dark
paths. We can warn them, we can attempt
to dissuade them through logic, or even discipline them, but frequently, the
more serious the issue the more intense the disagreement. Ultimately the parent must trust that the
example they have tried to show their children will, at some point, serve to
guide them back on the right path. The
road for the parent is very difficult when the forces of the world conspire to
steal the innocence from their children and lead them into danger.
The pain and sorrow felt by
parents in the situation just described are magnified in Jesus as he is
depicted in the Gospel. His love for the
children of the world is greater than any parent’s love for their children, and
his anxiety over what his message brings is made clear. He knows that what he brings is not going to
bring peace because it is opposed, often violently, by the status quo of the
world. As St. Paul tells the Romans,
what the Lord offers is salvation through forgiveness and freedom from sin.
That offering will be opposed by sin.
We hear the anguish in the
Lord as he contemplates the difficulty he brings to his family on earth. Parents feel a shadow of this pain when they
deny their children things they would like, but would lead them in wrong
directions. We feel a touch of his pain
when we publicly take a stand that we know will alienate those who are clinging
to the world view of things. Does that
mean the parent should give in to the child’s request, or that we should go
along with the popular secular view of issues in the world? Did the Lord seek to turn away from the
Cross?
No, we pray fervently today
that we be given the strength of spirit to do what the Lord asks, knowing that
frequently those actions will generate division not unity, and hatred instead
of love. We also pray that we are given
the grace to respond to those who hate us for our stance with love.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “St. Michael Fighting Demons“ by Master of the Legend of St.
Ursula, 1480-1500.
[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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