Proper
readings for the Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola
Biographical information about
St. Paulinus of Nola
Or
Optional Memorial for Saint John
Fisher, Bishop and Martyr and Saint Thomas More, Martyr
Proper
readings for the Memorial of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More
Biographical information about
St. John Fisher
Biographical information about
St. Thomas More
Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist - Vigil
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| “Josiah” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, c. 1850's |
Readings for Wednesday
of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings
from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: 2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3
The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan,
“I have found the book of the law in the temple of the Lord.”
Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.
Then the scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported,
“Your servants have smelted down the metals available in the
temple
and have consigned them to the master workmen
in the temple of the Lord.”
The scribe Shaphan also informed the king
that the priest Hilkiah had given him a book,
and then read it aloud to the king.
When the king heard the contents of the book of the law,
he tore his garments and issued this command to Hilkiah the
priest,
Ahikam, son of Shaphan,
Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan,
and the king’s servant Asaiah:
“Go, consult the Lord for me, for the people, for all Judah,
about the stipulations of this book that has been found,
for the anger of the Lord has been set
furiously ablaze against us,
because our fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book,
nor fulfill our written obligations.”
The king then had all the elders of Judah
and of Jerusalem summoned together before him.
The king went up to the temple of the Lord with all the men of
Judah
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
priests, prophets, and all the people, small and great.
He had the entire contents of the book of the covenant
that had been found in the temple of the Lord, read out to them.
Standing by the column, the king made a covenant before the Lord
that they would follow him
and observe his ordinances, statutes and decrees
with their whole hearts and souls,
thus reviving the terms of the covenant
which were written in this book.
And all the people stood as participants in the covenant.
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Commentary
on 2
Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3
This passage chronicles the reign of King Josiah, who followed
King Manasseh, who had reigned for 55 years and had done evil in the eyes of
the Lord, following “abominable practices” (2 Kings 21:2ff). King
Josiah had ordered the gifts of precious metals given to the temple to be
melted down, and paid out to workmen who repaired the temple. During this
renovation, the book of the law was rediscovered, and the people were brought
back to the faith through the reaffirmation of the covenant. The
historical ebb and flow of faith in Israel continues.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:33, 34, 35,
36, 37, 40
R. (33a) Teach me the way of your decrees, O
Lord.
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Incline my heart to your decrees
and not to gain.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Turn away my eyes from seeing what is vain:
by your way give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary
on Ps
119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40
The strophes selected from this very long psalm focus on the
fidelity of the singer to the “ordinances, statutes and decrees” of the Law, in
direct reference to the communal lament offered in 2 Kings 22. Psalm 119
is an individual lament asking for God’s support in times of difficulty.
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary
on Mt
7:15-20
In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against
people claiming to be God’s messengers, but whose message goes against God’s
commands. Jesus uses an analogy of the fruit produced by various plants as a
way to test the authenticity of those who claim to come in God’s name. He tells
them that the product, or result, of the words offered by a self-proclaimed
messenger will identify them. In his time, this was probably another warning
about the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees, who placed self-serving
demands upon the people.
CCC: Mt 7:15 2285; Mt
7:20 2005
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Between February 28 and April 19, 1993, a great tragedy occurred
in Waco Texas at the compound of a religious group called the Branch Davidians.
A charismatic leader named David Koresh was able to convince a large group of
people that he was from God and was leading them to God. The fruits of his
teaching tell us what he truly was. On November 18, 1978 in a place commonly
known as Jonestown in Guyana, a charismatic religious leader named Jimmy Jones
lead 913 men women and children to mass suicide claiming that he was leading
them to God. The fruits of his teaching identified him clearly.
If we believe that the warning from the Lord repeated in Sacred Scripture
regarding false teachers can be lightly taken because we have two thousand
years of history and understanding to fortify us against those who might lead
us down the wrong path, all we need to do is look at recent history. If we
believe that, because we have saints like those whom we memorialize this day,
who fought the battles to defeat challenges to Church teaching throughout
history, we are free from those who would twist the word of God to their own
purposes, then look at the present day. Look at the saga of Jose Luis De Jesus
Miranda who died in 2013. He was building a financial empire based in Miami
predicated upon the idea that he himself was the incarnation of God, and people
believed him!
The words of Jesus come rushing upon us today. We are reminded
that we base our hope and trust on those whose fruits are clearly seen. The
Church, for all her faults, is an on-going force for good in the world. Her
message of the Risen Lord, justice for the poor and love for all mankind is
what we look at and see the fingerprints of God. Let us take the time to inform
ourselves and inform those we love about the truth, so they too may avoid the
many false prophets who come, seeming good, but whose fruits proclaim them as
messengers of darkness.
Pax
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[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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