Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, Religious

“Christ in the House of Martha and Mary”
by Cornelis Engebrechtsz, c. 1515

(Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time)

Alternate Proper for the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi

Readings for Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Jonah 3:1-10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:

“Set out for the great city of Nineveh,

and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”

So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,

according to the LORD’s bidding.

Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;

it took three days to go through it.

Jonah began his journey through the city,

and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,

“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,”

when the people of Nineveh believed God;

they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,

put on sackcloth.

When the news reached the king of Nineveh,

he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,

covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.

Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,

by decree of the king and his nobles:

“Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,

shall taste anything;

they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.

Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth

and call loudly to God;

every man shall turn from his evil way

and from the violence he has in hand.

Who knows, God may relent and forgive,

and withhold his blazing wrath,

so that we shall not perish.”

When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,

he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;

he did not carry it out.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Jon 3:1-10

Jonah has tried to run from God after the first time the word of God came to him. He has been swallowed by a giant fish and spewed out on dry land.  He now accepts his charge and goes to Nineveh.  Against all odds, the people of that great city believed the prophet’s call and immediately began a fast and repentance.  The Lord held true to his promise and did not destroy the city.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8

R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD

LORD, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to my voice in supplication.

R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,

LORD, who can stand?

But with you is forgiveness,

that you may be revered.

R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

Let Israel wait for the LORD,

For with the LORD is kindness

and with him is plenteous redemption;

And he will redeem Israel

from all their iniquities.

R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Ps 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8

Psalm 130 is an individual lament.  It is implicit that all people sin and require God’s mercy as the singer pleads for forgiveness.  The psalmist exhorts the faithful to wait for the Lord’s redemption, assuring them it will come.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gospel: Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village

where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

She had a sister named Mary

who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,

“Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?

Tell her to help me.”

The Lord said to her in reply,

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part

and it will not be taken from her.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Lk 10:38-42

In this encounter with Martha and Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel we see two distinct messages. First, we see the importance of the role of women and Jesus’ attitude toward them. Second we see the importance of listening to the word of God "Mary has chosen the better part".

The story emphasizes the importance of listening to the teachings of the Lord. While in some early texts the Lord tells Martha there is “need for only a few things” or of one, the message is clear, Mary, in assuming the role of disciple (listening at the master’s feet) has chosen the correct or better role. Martha, concerning herself with the requirements of hospitality (old law) has chosen the lesser.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reflection:

Jonah must be shocked (he will later be angry) that the people of Nineveh have listened to him and, more importantly, believed the word of God he spoke to them.  We are told that only one day into his three day trip across the city the people reacted to his call to repentance and proclaimed a fast.  In accordance with God’s requirement, the entire city participated, putting on sack cloth and ashes, the traditional sign of repentance.  The key for the purpose of the message we receive today is they listened to God’s word and took it to heart. 

In St. Luke’s Gospel, Jesus visits the house of Martha and Mary.  Jewish Law demands that guests be shown hospitality, an obligation Martha takes seriously as she is portrayed “…burdened with much serving”.  Her sister, however, is not helping.  Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, listening to his word.

There are a few remarkable things about the scene St. Luke describes.  First, is that Mary assumes the place, “…beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak” that would normally be reserved for his disciples.  As a woman, her acceptance at this place is remarkable in ancient Palestine.  The fact that the other men present allowed her to stay shows the role women play in St. Luke’s Gospel.  This is capped when Martha approaches Jesus and asks him to have Mary help her (Anyone with siblings could immediately identify with Martha in this situation.).  Instead of doing this the Lord tells Martha that her sister has chosen the better part.

The message delivered by the example of the Ninevites in the story of Jonah is reiterated at an individual level.  Listen to God’s Word; it is more important than almost anything we do.  It is the whole point of this faith journey we share.  The Word of God comes to us each day.  It is important that we listen and try to understand what the Lord is telling us, it is for us “the better part and it will not be taken from” us.

Pax

---

[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture is “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Cornelis Engebrechtsz, c. 1515

[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 re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

“The Good Samaritan”
by Théodule-Augustin Ribot, before 1870

Readings for Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Jonah 1:1–2:1-2, 11

This is the word of the LORD that came to Jonah, son of Amittai:

“Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it;

their wickedness has come up before me.”

But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD.

He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish,

paid the fare, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish,

away from the LORD.

The LORD, however, hurled a violent wind upon the sea,

and in the furious tempest that arose

the ship was on the point of breaking up.

Then the mariners became frightened and each one cried to his god.

To lighten the ship for themselves, they threw its cargo into the sea.

Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship,

and lay there fast asleep.

The captain came to him and said, “What are you doing asleep?

Rise up, call upon your God!

Perhaps God will be mindful of us so that we may not perish.”

Then they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots

to find out on whose account we have met with this misfortune.”

So they cast lots, and thus singled out Jonah.

“Tell us,” they said, “what is your business?

Where do you come from?

What is your country, and to what people do you belong?”

Jonah answered them, “I am a Hebrew,

I worship the LORD, the God of heaven,

who made the sea and the dry land.”

Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him,

“How could you do such a thing!–

They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD,

because he had told them.–

They asked, “What shall we do with you,

that the sea may quiet down for us?”

For the sea was growing more and more turbulent.

Jonah said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,

that it may quiet down for you;

since I know it is because of me

that this violent storm has come upon you.”

Still the men rowed hard to regain the land, but they could not,

for the sea grew ever more turbulent.

Then they cried to the LORD: “We beseech you, O LORD,

let us not perish for taking this man’s life;

do not charge us with shedding innocent blood,

for you, LORD, have done as you saw fit.”

Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea,

and the sea’s raging abated.

Struck with great fear of the LORD,

the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him.

But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah;

and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish

three days and three nights.

From the belly of the fish Jonah prayed

to the LORD, his God.

Then the LORD commanded the fish to spew Jonah upon the shore.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Jon 1:1–2:1-2, 11

We begin the Book of the Prophet Jonah with the command from God to go to the Assyrian town of Nineveh.  Jonah represents a narrow-minded group of Jews who believe that as God’s Chosen people, the Lord does not care about other nations.  He is afraid of going to this town so he runs in the opposite direction, to the far west – to Tarshish (believed to have been south west of modern Spain).

The ship Jonah has sailed upon runs into a serious storm and the sailors (although not identified as Jews) have the mindset that the storm is a punishment sent by God for someone on board.  Jonah knows he is the one and tells the sailors to cast him over the side, which they do after praying to God not to punish them.

The story tells how a giant fish swallowed up Jonah and kept him in his belly for three days (significant from a Christian perspective), and then spewed him out on dry land.  Note, the prayer uttered by Jonah while inside the fish is the Psalm Response we use today.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Responsorial Psalm: Jonah 2:3, 4, 5, 8

R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.

Out of my distress I called to the LORD,

and he answered me;

From the midst of the nether world I cried for help,

and you heard my voice.

R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.

For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea,

and the flood enveloped me;

All your breakers and your billows

passed over me.

R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.

Then I said, “I am banished from your sight!

yet would I again look upon your holy temple.”

R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.

When my soul fainted within me,

I remembered the LORD;

My prayer reached you

in your holy temple.

R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Jon 2:3, 4, 5, 8

Jonah’s prayer from inside the giant fish that swallowed him is an individual lament.  The prophet calls to God out of fear, pleading to be restored to favor and asking that once more he might “look upon your holy temple.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?

How do you read it?”

He said in reply,

“You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your being,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind,

and your neighbor as yourself.”

He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;

do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,

“And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied,

“A man fell victim to robbers

as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.

They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.

A priest happened to be going down that road,

but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

Likewise a Levite came to the place,

and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him

was moved with compassion at the sight.

He approached the victim,

poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.

Then he lifted him up on his own animal,

took him to an inn, and cared for him.

The next day he took out two silver coins

and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,

‘Take care of him.

If you spend more than what I have given you,

I shall repay you on my way back.’

Which of these three, in your opinion,

was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”

He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Lk 10:25-37

In this passage from St. Luke’s Gospel, we find Jesus being challenged by a person referred to as a “scholar”. It seems clear that this man has a good idea of how Jesus is likely to respond to his initial question about what he must do to inherit eternal life. As soon as the man tells Jesus what the law says, the scholar asks for still more clarification asking “And who is my neighbor?”

The illustration Jesus uses in answering him does clarify the answer and at the same time uses a cultural tension to heighten the lesson. First he says a Priest of the Jewish Temple passes the victim of robbery by, one who is most scrupulous in observing the letter of the Law, next a member of the priestly class, a Levite does the same. The one who helps the victim, presumably a Jew, is a member of the Samaritan culture, antagonists of the Jewish people. In this way the Lord provides a moral lesson along with an explanation of the Law.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reflection:

The message today is very clear – God is the Father of all mankind and His expectation is that the love he has shown for us, we should show each other.  The message comes at us hard from both the old and the new testaments. 

We begin with the story of Jonah, a Prophet called by God to take a warning to Nineveh.  Because that town was in Assyria, enemies of the Jews, Jonah, like many of his contemporaries, could not believe God would help non-Jews.  On top of that, since they were hostile to the Jews, what kind of a reception would he receive, and why would they even listen to him.  Faced with these views and feelings, Jonah did the logical thing – he ran in the opposite direction. 

The commentary above gives a description of the story.  The lesson to be learned is clear – God did not come “just” for one group of people; He came for the whole human race, his children.

From that story, some seven hundred years before the Lord walked the earth, we are given a more pointed and personal story with the same message – the story of the Good Samaritan.  Here a person hoping to “justify himself” before Jesus as a faithful member of the Jewish community asks Jesus to explain the Lord’s own Great Commandment by asking, “Who is my neighbor?”

The story of the Good Samaritan, also a group known as hostile to the Jews,  tells him that all peoples of all races are neighbors and that the story should be an example for him to follow.  It is a good reminder to all of us.  In the world climate in which we find ourselves, it is easy to develop stereotypes and biases that would lead us to behave as if some groups are not worthy of our love.  When we run into a vocal group whose message is hate and violence it is easy to forget the Good Samaritan.

Our prayer today must be that we, as faithful followers of the Lord who spent three days in a tomb that we might find a path to eternal life, might emulate the Good Samaritan.  We pray that all those we meet today will see in our actions that we treat them as “neighbors” and extend to them the love of Christ.

Pax

---

[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture is “The Good Samaritan” by  Théodule-Augustin Ribot, before 1870

[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 re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The Heir of the Vineyard”
by James Tissot 1886-96

Readings for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Isaiah 5:1-7

Let me now sing of my friend,

my friend's song concerning his vineyard.

My friend had a vineyard

on a fertile hillside;

he spaded it, cleared it of stones,

and planted the choicest vines;

within it he built a watchtower,

and hewed out a wine press.

Then he looked for the crop of grapes,

but what it yielded was wild grapes.

Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,

judge between me and my vineyard:

What more was there to do for my vineyard

that I had not done?

Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,

did it bring forth wild grapes?

Now, I will let you know

what I mean to do with my vineyard:

take away its hedge, give it to grazing,

break through its wall, let it be trampled!

Yes, I will make it a ruin:

it shall not be pruned or hoed,

but overgrown with thorns and briers;

I will command the clouds

not to send rain upon it.

The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,

and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;

he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!

for justice, but hark, the outcry!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Is 5:1-7

This selection marks the beginning of what is known as the “Song of the Vineyard”. Using the analogy of vineyard as the “hosts of the house of Israel”, the prophet first describes how the people had been prepared by the law and the prophets. The implication is that all preparations had been made to produce God’s intended result. However, the “stiff necked” people turned away from God “…but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!” Isaiah warns the people that God will cause the house of Israel to be destroyed- a clear reference to the Babylonian Exile.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20

R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

A vine from Egypt you transplanted;

you drove away the nations and planted it.

It put forth its foliage to the Sea,

its shoots as far as the River.

R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Why have you broken down its walls,

so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,

The boar from the forest lays it waste,

and the beasts of the field feed upon it?

R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Once again, O Lord of hosts,

look down from heaven, and see;

take care of this vine,

and protect what your right hand has planted

the son of man whom you yourself made strong.

R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

Then we will no more withdraw from you;

give us new life, and we will call upon your name.

O Lord, God of hosts, restore us;

if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.

R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20

Psalm 80 is a communal lament. In these strophes the image of the vineyard is applied to the house of Israel. The destruction of the vineyard is also referenced in support of Isaiah’s imagery form Isaiah 5:1ff. The psalmist entreats the Lord to restore the people to favor and rescue them from their situation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reading II: Philippians 4:6-9

Brothers and sisters:

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

make your requests known to God.

Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters,

whatever is true, whatever is honorable,

whatever is just, whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,

if there is any excellence

and if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things.

Keep on doing what you have learned and received

and heard and seen in me.

Then the God of peace will be with you.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Phil 4:6-9

St. Paul begins this address, as part of a series of ethical instructions, by exhorting the Christian community to prayer. Through prayer God’s peace will come into their hearts and minds as a gift from Christ Jesus. He calls upon them to meditate upon the great good that is provided through God and provides a litany of adjectives; true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious as descriptors of Christ’s actions in their midst. Through a focus on what is excellent they will achieve the peace of Christ.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:

"Hear another parable.

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,

put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.

Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.

When vintage time drew near,

he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.

But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,

another they killed, and a third they stoned.

Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,

but they treated them in the same way.

Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,

'They will respect my son.'

But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,

'This is the heir.

Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’

They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"

They answered him,

"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death

and lease his vineyard to other tenants

who will give him the produce at the proper times."

Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

by the Lord has this been done,

and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you,

the kingdom of God will be taken away from you

and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Mt 21:33-43

St. Matthew describes Jesus applying the Parable of the Vineyard as he confronts the Jewish leadership. His motivation is clearly to let them know that by rejecting Jesus and his message about the Kingdom of God, they have forfeited their place in the that kingdom. The description used for the vineyard is remarkably similar to Isaiah 5:1ff (above). Reference to the servants who were beaten and killed refers to the prophets similarly treated. The reference to the landowner’s son is an obvious reference to Jesus as the Son of God. The scripture quote of Psalm 118:22-23 was seen in the early church as a reference to Jesus’ resurrection. This is seen as the vindication of the Lord and God.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Homily

The authors of the Roman Missal, those scholars who chose the readings from sacred scripture we use each day, often select readings from different books of the Holy Bible that relate to one another, either in subject matter or theological importance.  Today, on this Sunday of the twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time, they have given us two passages that demonstrate clearly that Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

Look, if you would at the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  In this early chapter of the book, the prophet is warning the people of Jerusalem using the metaphor of the vineyard.  In his description, he likens Jerusalem to a carefully planted and cared for vineyard.  He then tells the Hebrew people that, in spite of all the hard work of preparation (again a metaphor for the gift of the Law of Moses and the call of the Chosen People), what developed in that center of faith was not the choice grapes that had been anticipated by the prophet’s friend (God) but rather worthless fruit, wild grapes.

Seeing that what was built did not produce the intended bounty, the owner would destroy the vineyard and allow it to go fallow.  This was a clear message to the people of his day.  It predicted the sacking of Jerusalem and the exile associated with it.

Now look at the Gospel of St. Matthew’s Parable of the Vineyard.  Jesus tells us the same builder, his Heavenly Father, again has created a vineyard.  In his day, the Lord was speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees, those whose responsibility it was to tend the metaphorical vineyard of the Hebrew faithful.  He tells the story of his own coming, bringing to completion the message of God.  He follows the Prophets, Isaiah among them, who were poorly treated and in some cases even killed.  He describes in faintly veiled terms his own coming as Messiah and predicts his death at their hands.

These two stories are separated by over seven hundred years.  Jesus did not retell Isaiah’s story, he completed it.  Indeed, Isaiah’s prediction about the fate of Jerusalem came to pass.  Assyria invaded Judah and enslaved the people.  As Isaiah also predicted, the jewel of Jerusalem was restored and the Jewish people were once more united in that city.  It to this same “vineyard” Jesus comes and, using the same metaphor, completes the story of God’s attempt to find a bountiful harvest for his Kingdom.

It is easy for us to see the relationship of these two stories as we look back across the millennia since they were first told.  We saw how Jerusalem was destroyed (and again, as Jesus predicted in 70 AD following his own passion).  But what lesson do we take away from these related passages?  Are they simply quixotic tales about the history of our faith?

Of course there is a meaning directed squarely at us.  Just as the Isaiah and Jesus use the metaphor of the vineyard to describe a place where a harvest may be produced, we recognize that we too have been entrusted with producing a harvest for our Father.  Each of us have been adopted through Baptism to be God’s sons and daughters.  In that adoption we have been given a share of the responsibility and the rewards of being part of our Father’s family.

One might say “rewards” what rewards.  All Jesus talks about is the work of the harvest, what’s in it for me?  Fortunately that question is answered in part by St. Paul as he writes to the Philippians.  He tells us in that second reading:

 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

make your requests known to God.

Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:6-7)

What is every parent’s dream for their children?  Isn’t it that they be happy and at peace in the world?  It is exactly this our Heavenly Father offers us in Christ Jesus.

But to achieve our inheritance and fulfill our responsibility as his sons and daughters, we are given the responsibility of tending the harvest, insuring the vineyard produces good fruit, to continue the metaphor.  To do that, we must first look to our own actions and behaviors.  We are called to follow the examples of those holy ones who have gone before us; living our faith in the world.  A world that is full of weeds and thickets that can choke us; kill the crop before it can be harvested.

Today we thank those scholars of the word who placed these passages together for us.  We see the relationships between the Prophet and the Son of God who came to fulfill his prophetic word.  We also see our own place in this story and pray for the strength to assume our rightful place in our adoptive Fathers kingdom, here on earth and then with his help, in his Eternal Kingdom.

Pax

---

[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture is ““The Heir of the Vineyard” by James Tissot 1886-96

[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 re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.