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| “The Preaching of St Paul at Ephesus” by Eustache Le Sueur, 1649 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Acts 13:13-25
From Paphos, Paul and his companions
set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia.
But John left them and returned
to Jerusalem.
They continued on from Perga and
reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered into the synagogue
and took their seats.
After the reading of the law and the prophets,
the synagogue officials sent word to them,
"My brothers, if one of you has a word of
exhortation
for the people, please speak."
So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and
said,
"Fellow children of Israel and
you others who are God-fearing, listen.
The God of this people Israel chose
our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in
the land of Egypt.
With uplifted arm he led them out,
and for about forty years he put up with them in
the desert.
When he had destroyed seven nations in
the land of Canaan,
he gave them their land as an inheritance
at the end of about four hundred and fifty
years.
After these things he provided judges up to
Samuel the prophet.
Then they asked for a king.
God gave them Saul, son of Kish,
a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty
years.
Then he removed him and raised up David as their
king;
of him he testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my
own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man's descendants God, according to
his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a
baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would
say,
'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his
feet.'"
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Commentary on Acts
13:13-25
This is the first of several
instances recorded in Acts in which St. Paul uses his scholarly knowledge of
the Hebrew tradition to build up a logical rationale for Jesus as savior and
Messiah. In this passage his development ends as he recounts the history of
God’s covenant with the Jewish people, from their exodus from Egypt under Moses
to the appearance of John the Baptist. John was a contemporary figure about
whom these people would have been aware.
CCC: Acts 13:24 523
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and
27
R. (2) For ever I will sing the
goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim
your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is
established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the
Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the
Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with
him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'"
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the
Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps
89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27
Psalm 89, taken as a whole, is a
communal lament. This selection rejoices in God’s establishment of the Davidic
dynasty and the promise of heavenly support for his kingdom.
CCC: Ps 89 709
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Gospel: John 13:16-20
When Jesus had washed the disciples' feet, he
said to them:
"Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is
greater than his master
nor any messenger greater than the one who sent
him.
If you understand this, blessed are you if you
do it.
I am not speaking of all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
The one who ate my food has raised his heel
against me.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I
AM.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the
one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives
the one who sent me."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 13:16-20
This passage from St. John’s Gospel
is set in the upper room following the Passover meal that was to be the Last
Supper. The author’s account of the washing of the disciple’s feet and the
immediate aftermath differs from the Synoptic versions, in that here the Lord
announces his foreknowledge of the events to follow. Jesus uses this predictive
ability to bring the reader to belief in Christ as the Son of God. (“I say
to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me
receives the one who sent me.”)
-------------------------------------------
Homily:
Heavenly Father, we
humbly pray that those suffering from the coronavirus be returned quickly to
full health by the power of your Son’s healing presence, and those in fear be
calmed through the Holy Spirit.
In Christ’s name we
pray. – Amen.
What if Jesus had come to us, as many of the
Jews of his day had expected, and immediately assumed a place of secular and
political power, taking the seat of an emperor or king? What if, instead of
walking through Galilee teaching and performing signs of healing and
forgiveness, he had, with a mere effort of will, taken the seat of the emperor
of Rome (as with the feeding of the multitudes)? How would that example have
changed how we understand God the Father whom Jesus, his Son, came to reveal?
We would never have understood that, even though
we may have great wealth or power, our duty as Jesus’ followers is to serve
others. We are to be stewards of God’s gifts, not kings to wield them as our
own.
In the Gospel today, Jesus has just finished
washing the feet of his disciples (including Judas). In the selection just
proclaimed, he forces them to look at this servant role and understand that, as
he has performed this act of humble service, they too are to express the love
of God to others through this attitude of servant leadership.
It is of this very attitude that the Lord tells
us: “If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.” Today we are
called to express our belief in the Risen Lord by recalling to others his
humility and love. We express this love as our Savior commands, in service to
others.
In this strange year where many
of us will not be able to receive the Blessed Sacrament or celebrate as a
community in our houses of worship, we must be prepared to receive spiritual
communion in prayer:
My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most
Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all
things,
and I desire to receive
You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this
moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually
into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself
wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
Pax
[1]
The picture
used is “The Preaching of St Paul at Ephesus” by Eustache Le Sueur, 1649.
[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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