The General Instruction of the
Roman Missal (GIRM), no. 373, designates January 22 as a particular day of
prayer and penance, called the "Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of
Unborn Children”: “In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January
22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a
particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the
right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person
committed through acts of abortion.”
Note: In the Dioceses of the United
States the Memorial of Saint
Vincent, Deacon and Martyr [USA] and the Memorial of Saint MarianneCope, Virgin [USA] are perpetually transferred to January 23rd.
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| “David with the Head of Goliath” by Guido Reni, c. 1605 |
Reading I: 1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
David spoke to Saul:
“Let your majesty not lose
courage.
I am at your service to go
and fight this Philistine.”
But Saul answered David,
“You cannot go up against
this Philistine and fight with him,
for you are only a youth,
while he has been a warrior from his youth.”
David continued:
“The LORD, who delivered me
from the claws of the lion and the bear,
will also keep me safe from
the clutches of this Philistine.”
Saul answered David, “Go! the
LORD will be with you.”
Then, staff in hand, David
selected five smooth stones from the wadi
and put them in the pocket of
his shepherd’s bag.
With his sling also ready to
hand, he approached the Philistine.
With his shield bearer
marching before him,
the Philistine also advanced
closer and closer to David.
When he had sized David up,
and seen that he was
youthful, and ruddy, and handsome in appearance,
the Philistine held David in
contempt.
The Philistine said to David,
“Am I a dog that you come
against me with a staff?”
Then the Philistine cursed
David by his gods
and said to him, “Come here
to me,
and I will leave your flesh
for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field.”
David answered him:
“You come against me with
sword and spear and scimitar,
but I come against you in the
name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel
Today the LORD shall deliver
you into my hand;
I will strike you down and
cut off your head.
This very day I will leave
your corpse
and the corpses of the
Philistine army for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field;
thus the whole land shall
learn that Israel
All this multitude, too,
shall learn that it is not by
sword or spear that the Lord saves.
For the battle is the LORD’s
and he shall deliver you into our hands.”
The Philistine then moved to
meet David at close quarters,
while David ran quickly
toward the battle line
in the direction of the
Philistine.
David put his hand into the
bag and took out a stone,
hurled it with the sling,
and struck the Philistine on
the forehead.
The stone embedded itself in
his brow,
and he fell prostrate on the
ground.
Thus David overcame the
Philistine with sling and stone;
he struck the Philistine
mortally, and did it without a sword.
Then David ran and stood over
him;
with the Philistine’s own
sword which he drew from its sheath
he dispatched him and cut off
his head.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
We are presented with one of the
more famous bible stories from the Old Testament as Samuel relates the defeat
of Goliath by David. In this somewhat condensed version, an alternative account
of how David came to undertake the combat is omitted (1 Samuel 17:12-31). What is
important for salvation history is that David had the support of God, which
gave him strength and courage to conquer a foe against great odds. This event
demonstrates how in preparation David is faith-filled, giving him courage. And
in victory, he praises God. His motives were morally sound.
"Morally, the scene depicts
two kinds of life squaring off against each other, the old life and the new.
The five stones are the five books of Moses [1 Samuel 17:40], and
their laws are lifted from the stream of human weakness to the bag of divine
grace. David relies on this grace, but Goliath relies on himself and his own
strength. And because pride carries itself on the brow, he is brought
down by a stone hurled at the forehead." [4]
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 144:1b, 2, 9-10
R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for
battle, my fingers for war.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my
Rock!
My refuge and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust,
who subdues my people under
me.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my
Rock!
O God, I will sing a new song
to you;
with a ten-stringed lyre I
will chant your praise,
You who give victory to
kings,
and deliver David, your
servant from the evil sword.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my
Rock!
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10
Psalm 144, taken
in its entirety, is difficult to classify as it opens with a lament. However,
seen in the strophes given in this passage, it concludes in thanksgiving (v.
9-10). In these strophes, we find that David’s faith provides the courage
needed to be victorious in battle. The Lord’s support is celebrated with song,
as God provides the victory over his foes. It also carries with it the
martial theme of heavenly conflict, seen in St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6:10ff, and in Jesus' vision of the impending passion in
Jerusalem from St. Luke’s Gospel (Luke 13:31ff).
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 3:1-6
Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had
a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on
the sabbath
so that they might accuse
him.
He said to the man with the
withered hand,
“Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the
Pharisees,
“Is it lawful to do good on
the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to
destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with
anger
and grieved at their hardness
of heart,
Jesus said to the man,
“Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his
hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and
immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against
him to put him to death.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 3:1-6
Mark’s Gospel again shows a picture
of Jesus in contention with the scribes and Pharisees. This time they use bait.
A man with an affliction is apparently used to trap Jesus into doing something
that, by Pharisaic law, was considered “labor.” Jesus tries to show them the
flaw in their logic with a question: “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they
will not respond because the answer is obvious. With his opponents reduced to
silence, he cures the man (see also John 5:17-18). Their
attempt foiled, they run to the minions of King Herod to continue their
plotting.
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The
Gospel of St. Mark describes another instance
in which the Lord must try to differentiate between the correct observance of
the sabbath and the spirit of the Law. It
is always difficult and dangerous to understand when to apply the law as stated
in scripture and when one must look past the words to the spirit of the law. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the
differences between the doctrines of the various Christian denominations. Too frequently, the schisms that have
occurred are because an individual or group decided that the laws and precepts
of our faith were too difficult to follow as written, and therefore must be
overturned or rewritten.
For
us, we have basic guidelines for the practice of our faith. These are called the “precepts” of our faith
and are the basic rules we are called to follow.
You
shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from
servile labor.
You shall confess your sins
at least once a year.
You shall receive the
sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
You shall observe the days of
fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
You shall help to provide for
the needs of the Church.
There are other rules in the
Church contained in the Code of Canon Law and the General Instructions of the
Roman Missal. These rules govern how the members of the
Church behave in the secular world and how we behave in worship. Coupled with the teaching magisterium of the
Church, which reflects on the practical implications of what and how we
believe, these works constitute the general norms under which all one billion
of us relate to each other and God.
When we think about the size
and scope of the universal Church, this is not really a lot. But, it’s enough to stimulate tension. There are those among us who do not think the
Church should condemn abortion, infanticide.
There are those who believe the Church should bring women into the
ordained ranks and there are those who believe that all the Church has done to
change itself since the Second Vatican Council ended in 1964 is a travesty.
What we hear in the Gospel
today is the story of a group of individuals so focused on the rules that they
have forgotten the spirit of the Law. In
our own Code of Canon Law this lesson is not forgotten. The last words in it are: “Canon 1752 …servata
aequitate canonica et prae oculis habita salute animarum, quae in Ecclesia
suprema semper lex esse debet “ (“the salvation of souls, which must always
be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one’s eyes”).
The problem that most often
surfaces is the belief, on behalf of some, that traditions which have developed
in the local church community are somehow the perfect reflection of the
Church’s precepts, laws, and dogma. As a
consequence, when changes are made (such as the new translation of the Roman
Missal) we become uncomfortable and sometimes even indignant. This cannot be what we are about, lest we
fall into the trap of the Pharisees. We
must focus on the spirit of God’s Law, perfectly exemplified by His Son. Jesus said first and foremost, love one
another.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “David with the Head of Goliath” by Guido Reni, c. 1605.
[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.
[4]
St. Augustine, Sermons 32.
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