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| “St. James the Elder” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1861 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15
Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in
earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may
be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every
way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to
despair;
persecuted, but not
abandoned;
struck down, but not
destroyed;
always carrying about in the
body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may
also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are
constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may
be manifested in our mortal flesh.
So death is at work in us,
but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same
spirit of faith,
according to what is written,
I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore
speak,
knowing that the one who
raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his
presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in
abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to
overflow for the glory of God.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 4:7-15
CCC: 2 Cor 4:7 1420; 2 Cor 4:14 989
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
R. (5) Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
When the LORD brought back
the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled
with laughter,
and our tongue with
rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
Then they said among the
nations,
"The LORD has done great
things for them."
The LORD has done great
things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the
southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
Although they go forth
weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back
rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
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Commentary on Ps 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
Psalm 126 is a
lament. In this short psalm, the singer rejoices at the return of Israel
following the Diaspora, the conquering of Israel and its enslavement. In this
hymn, the people remember the greatness of God as he restores their nation and
brings them back to their own land ("Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their
sheaves"). The sense is one of being overflowing with thanksgiving.
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Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28
The mother of the sons of
Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing
to ask him for something.
He said to her,
"What do you wish?"
She answered him,
"Command that these two
sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the
other at your left, in your Kingdom."
Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what
you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice
that I am going to drink?"
They said to him, "We
can."
He replied,
"My chalice you will
indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at
my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it
has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the
two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and
said,
"You know that the
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their
authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among
you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be
great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first
among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did
not come to be served
but to serve and to give his
life as a ransom for many."
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CCC: Mt 20:26 2235
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Reflection:
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.
On this feast day, as we
recall the inspired life of St. James, we reflect upon two aspects of the faith
that motivated him and supported him. We
think of them as the outward face of the evangelist, and the inward face of
spirituality. They are of course
interrelated, but one, the outward face, is giving; the other, the inward face,
is seeking and receiving. It is, to use
the Lord’s metaphor, like the vine. The
outward face is the leaves and branches, reaching out into the world, producing
great fruit to nourish others. The
inward face is like the roots that support it, drinking in the earth’s
nourishment sustaining the life in leaves and branches.
Using this metaphor, St.
James was rooted in Christ. The Lord
established him and nurtured him. Along
with his brother, St. John, another of the sons of Zebedee, he was called into
a special relationship with Jesus. As one
of the Twelve, we know he took a leadership position in the Christian community
that grew up in Jerusalem. It was this
role and his outspoken love of Jesus that earned for him the title of First
Martyred of the Apostles, fulfilling the prophetic words recorded in the Gospel
from St. Matthew: “My chalice you will
indeed drink.”
This outward and zealous face
was supported by an interior spirituality rooted in the love of Christ and
constant communion with him in prayer.
We know that James was with Jesus at all of the important times: on the
high place where the Lord was transfigured (Matthew 17: 1ff);
with him praying in the Garden at Gethsemane (Matthew 26: 37). Along with St. Peter and his brother St.
John, St. James was clearly one of great prayer and spiritual strength.
It was from this deep-rooted
faith that he was able to draw the fire with which he enlightened those he
met. It was through his inner peace that
he was given the courage to face cruel martyrdom at the hands of Herod, the
grandson of Herod the Great, four years after the Lord had charged him, with
the others, to “go out and teach all the
nations” (Matthew 28: 19).
One of the great lessons this
Apostle teaches is that we too must constantly tend to the inward face of our
spirituality if we are to be effective evangelists and disciples of the
Lord. Our care must be for that inward
face, for without strength in the roots, the vine will wither and die.
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
In other years on
this date: Saturday of the Sixteenth Week
in Ordinary Time (Year II)
[1]
The picture is “St. James the Elder” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1861.
[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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