(Optional
Memorial for Saint Sixtus II,
Pope and Martyr,
and His Companions, Martyrs)
or
(Optional Memorial for Saint Cajetan, Priest)
 |
| “Christ Carrying the Cross” (detail) by Lorenzo Lotto,1526 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading
1: Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7
See, upon the mountains there
advances
the bearer of good news,
announcing peace!
Celebrate your feasts, O Judah,
fulfill your vows!
For nevermore shall you be invaded
by the scoundrel; he is completely
destroyed.
The Lord will restore the vine of
Jacob,
the pride of Israel,
Though ravagers have ravaged them
and ruined the tendrils.
Woe to the bloody city, all lies,
full of plunder, whose looting
never stops!
The crack of the whip, the rumbling
sounds of wheels;
horses a-gallop, chariots bounding,
Cavalry charging, the flame of the
sword, the flash of the spear,
the many slain, the heaping
corpses,
the endless bodies to stumble upon!
I will cast filth upon you,
disgrace you and put you to shame;
Till everyone who sees you runs
from you, saying,
“Nineveh is destroyed; who can pity
her?
Where can one find any to console
her?”
-------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Na
2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7
This passage takes excerpts from the
two sections of the short book of the Prophet Nahum. He was a contemporary of
Jeremiah, writing in about 612 BC. The focus of this selection is on the
significance of the fall of Nineveh. His
oracle envisions the restoration of Judah and Israel as well as God’s just
retribution against the Assyrians, whose ruthlessness was legendary.
-------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41
R. (39c) It is I who deal
death and give life.
Close at hand is the day of their
disaster,
and their doom is rushing upon
them!
Surely, the Lord shall do justice
for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“Learn then that I, I alone, am
God,
and there is no god besides me.
It is I who bring both death and
life,
I who inflict wounds and heal them.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
I will sharpen my flashing sword,
and my hand shall lay hold of my
quiver,
“With vengeance I will repay my
foes
and requite those who hate me.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt
32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41
In this selection from Deuteronomy,
Moses begins to describe the unique participation of the Hebrew people, the
Chosen People, in God’s covenant. Moses actually presents a homily on the
election of Israel, how God has shown his omnipotence through the salvific acts
and signs (e.g. plagues in Egypt, saving miracles that facilitated the exodus).
These proofs, Moses explains, are
the reason they must be faithful to God, and instruct their children to do the
same. In doing so they receive the reward for their fidelity: “that you and
your children after you may prosper." This section acts as a
prologue to the introduction to the Law.
CCC: Dt 4:37 218
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 16:24-28
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me
must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life
will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my
sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one
to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange
for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with
his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each
according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some
standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man
coming in his Kingdom.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt
16:24-28
This is the second time, within the
Gospel of St. Matthew, the Lord instructs the disciples that if they wish to
follow him, they must take up the cross (the first time is in Matthew 10:38).
"Jesus' paradox at 16:25 ('whoever
would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will
find it') is fulfilled first of all in Jesus himself, in the way his life's
loss on the Cross flowers in the Resurrection and the birth of the
Church." [4]
This passage focuses the followers
of Christ on the idea that serving the Lord must come before any other purposes
in life, since it is through following Jesus that eternal life is gained. It is
also explicit that bringing the Word of God, the message of the Kingdom of God,
to the world will lead to persecution, and even the possibility of death.
CCC: Mt 16:24-26 736; Mt 16:24 226, 618, 2029; Mt
16:25-26 363; Mt 16:25 2232; Mt 16:26 1021
-------------------------------------------
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.
The message that resonates
with us today is the Lord calling us to “deny
himself, take up his cross and follow me.”
That call is different for each one of us. Denying oneself we interpret to mean putting
aside our personal desires and goals when they conflict with what we perceive
God is calling us to. This phrase, taken
to extremes, has led many of our saintly predecessors in the faith to excesses
of physical hardship, even to the point of death in some cases. Each of us must look into our own heart and
find there that reflexive relationship between what it means to deny our human
ambitions, and answer Christ’s call to follow him.
The “following Christ” part
of our call may dictate what necessarily needs to be denied. For example, there is an individual in our
parish who feels called to take Holy Communion to the sick and elderly, to
bring them the sacramental grace and hope in eternal life that flows from that
sacrament. Each Sunday after Mass he
goes to the houses of a number of the elderly or homebound on that holy
errand. He has done this for over ten
years. In following Christ this way he
has reflexively given up his leisure pursuits on that day. In placing the mission of Christ before his
own personal comfort, he has denied himself and followed Christ.
There is another example of a
husband and wife who are actively involved in ministry to migrant workers who
come to the region each summer to work in the fields. In addition to going to the camps to minister
to them, this family has spent thousands of dollars of their own funds to put
together a special day for these people, the poor and burdened, that included
bringing in speakers, putting on a meal (for three hundred, for which they paid)
and having a Spanish-speaking Bishop preside at a special Mass for them. They denied themselves, gave up time and
resources in order to follow Christ’s call to serve the poor.
There is one other example
that should be shared. There is an
elderly parishioner who is afflicted with osteoporosis; she can barely walk
because of the pain. Each day she comes
to Mass and prays for people who have written down prayer requests in the book
of intentions. She prays for others! She has given of her time and her own comfort
to take up her cross and follow the Lord.
It is up to us to examine our
own call to follow Christ. What has he
given us that can be used to proclaim his love to the world through our
efforts? What are we called to offer to
him? It is a question that needs to be
considered constantly and we are called to do that once more today.
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 is “Christ Carrying the Cross” (detail) by Lorenzo Lotto,1526.
[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]
Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius
Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003 p. 543.
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