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“Saint John Chrysostom”
artist and date are unknown |
Readings for Wednesday of the
Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem
Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Colossians 3:1-11
Brothers and sisters:
If you were raised with
Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the
right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not
of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your
life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life
appears,
then you too will appear with
him in glory.
Put to death, then, the parts
of you that are earthly:
immorality, impurity,
passion, evil desire,
and the greed that is
idolatry.
Because of these the wrath of
God is coming upon the disobedient.
By these you too once
conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way.
But now you must put them all
away:
anger, fury, malice, slander,
and obscene language out of
your mouths.
Stop lying to one another,
since you have taken off the
old self with its practices
and have put on the new self,
which is being renewed, for
knowledge,
in the image of its creator.
Here there is not Greek and
Jew,
circumcision and
uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, slave,
free;
but Christ is all and in all.
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Commentary on Col 3:1-11
St. Paul continues his exhortation to the Colossians by telling
them to focus on their spiritual selves rather than on things of the flesh. He
goes on to provide a litany of conduct that has no place in the Christian
community, sins of the flesh and violations of the commandments. He concludes
by reminding them that in their faith community there must be unity, and that
despite the vast differences in social, economic, and former religious status,
in Christ all are equal.
CCC: Col 3-4 1971; Col 3:1-3 655; Col 3:1 1002; Col 3:3 665, 1003, 1420, 2796; Col 3:4 1003, 2772; Col 3:5-8 1852; Col 3:5 2518; Col 3:10 2809
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:2-3, 10-11, 12-13ab
R. (9) The Lord is compassionate toward all his
works.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name
forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly
to be praised;
his greatness is
unsearchable.
R. The Lord is
compassionate toward all his works.
Let all your works give you
thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones
bless you.
Let them discourse of the
glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is
compassionate toward all his works.
Making known to men your
might
and the glorious splendor of
your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for
all ages,
and your dominion endures
through all generations.
R. The Lord is
compassionate toward all his works.
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Commentary on Ps 145:2-3, 10-11, 12-13ab
Psalm 145 is a
song of praise and thanksgiving. This
part of the song focuses on the kingdom of God, its splendor and its inclusive
nature, indestructible – existing for all eternity.
"God is
infinitely greater than all his works: 'You have set your glory above the
heavens.' Indeed, God's 'greatness is unsearchable.' But because he
is the free and sovereign Creator, the first cause of all that exists, God is
present to his creatures' inmost being: 'In him we live and move and have our
being.' In the words of St. Augustine, God is 'higher than my highest and
more inward than my innermost self'" [4]
CCC: Ps 145:3 300
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Gospel: Luke 6:20-26
Raising his eyes toward his
disciples Jesus said:
“Blessed are you who are
poor,
for the Kingdom of God
is yours.
Blessed are you who are now
hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now
weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people
hate you,
and when they exclude and
insult you,
and denounce your name as
evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on
that day!
Behold, your reward will be
great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated
the prophets
in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your
consolation.
But woe to you who are filled
now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak
well of you,
for their ancestors treated
the false prophets in this way.”
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Commentary on Lk 6:20-26
This passage is the introductory section of St. Luke’s “Sermon on
the Plain.” Addressed primarily to a Gentile audience, this discourse differs
from St. Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5:1-7:27) in that it addresses economic
conditions of the day. It begins, as does St. Matthew’s sermon, with the
Beatitudes but follows these with antithetical woes which contrast the blessed
with those who ignore the poor and hungry. (See also commentary on Matthew 5:1-12.)
CCC: Lk 6:20-22 2444; Lk 6:20 2546; Lk 6:24 2547
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Reflection:
The Christian is confronted
with paradox in an ongoing way. We are
called to be in the world, but apart from it.
We are called to be meek but strong, humble but resolute. The list can go on. In so many ways our call is one of stark
contrasts and seeming opposites. How are
we to resolve these paradoxical exhortations?
Is there a common thread that runs through St. Paul’s
instructions to the Colossians and Jesus’ beatitudes?
St. Paul tells the Colossians that all of the attitudes and
passions associated with “normal” secular behavior must be cast off. What standard does he apply to these
attitudes? It is so fundamental: he tells them to put on the love of God and
the love of one another. He does not say
it in those terms, but that is exactly what he is telling them. If they are to avoid sin, they must avoid the
failure to love. How else does one avoid
“immorality, impurity, passion, evil
desire, and the greed that is idolatry”?
Applying Christ’s rule of loving God first and loving one another will
place these behaviors out of the minds and hearts of the faithful witnesses of
Christ.
In the same way those
attributes blessed by the Lord, the poor
(in spirit), the hungry (for
spiritual food), those who mourn
(earthly loss), and those persecuted
for their faith in Jesus are all reconciled when love is put on. Love is for the Christian the common
denominator. Love of God and love of one
another is the standard by which we should measure ourselves.
When we have internalized
this concept fully, all the paradoxes are resolved. Love of God separates us from the world. Our minds and souls focus on the Lord, not on
earthly demands. Love of others makes us
part of the world and witnesses of God’s love for all his creation. We can be meek, accepting the easy yoke of
slavery to God’s wishes, but strong, unbending in our rejection of hatred and
evil. We can be humble (who could not be in the face of God’s majesty and
power), and at the same time be like a rock in our resolve to transform the
world.
All of this is possible
through love. Today our simple prayer is
that our love of God may be increased, and with it, our love of others. It is his great command.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Saint John Chrysostom” artist and date are unknown.
[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.
[4]
CCC 300, St. Augustine, Conf. 3,6,11: PL 32,688.
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