Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial for Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome

 
Proper readings for the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major
 
Additional information about the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major

“St Peter is Walking on the Water”
by  Lluis Borrassa, 1411-13

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Numbers 12:1-13
 
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext
of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman.
They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks?
Does he not speak through us also?”
And the LORD heard this.
Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest man on the face of the earth.
So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam,
“Come out, you three, to the meeting tent.”
And the three of them went.
Then the LORD came down in the column of cloud,
and standing at the entrance of the tent,
called Aaron and Miriam.
When both came forward, he said,
“Now listen to the words of the LORD:
 
Should there be a prophet among you,
in visions will I reveal myself to him,
in dreams will I speak to him;
not so with my servant Moses!
Throughout my house he bears my trust:
face to face I speak to him;
plainly and not in riddles.
The presence of the LORD he beholds.
 
Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?”
 
So angry was the LORD against them that when he departed,
and the cloud withdrew from the tent,
there was Miriam, a snow-white leper!
When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, he said to Moses,
“Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin
that we have foolishly committed!
Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe
that comes forth from its mother’s womb
with its flesh half consumed.”
Then Moses cried to the LORD, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!”
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Commentary on Nm 12:1-13
 
In this selection from Numbers, the authority of Moses is challenged because he has married a woman from outside the Hebrew community. In response to this, God first calls the accusers to the “meeting tent.” This action reaffirms the Lord's connection with Moses. God then punishes those who challenged him. This passage sets Moses apart from the later prophets by differentiating the means by which God communicates with him, that is, face to face.
 
CCC: Num 12:3 2576; Num 12:7-8 2576; Num 12:13-14 2577
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13
 
R. (see 3a)  Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
 
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
 
For I acknowledge my offense;
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned;
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
 
That you may be justified in your sentence,
vindicated when you condemn.
Indeed, in guilt was I born,
and in sin my mother conceived me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
 
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not off from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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Commentary on Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13
 
Psalm 51 (one of the great penitential psalms) is an individual lament. The psalmist praises God’s goodness, acknowledges his offenses against God, and asks for absolution from sin. In these strophes we hear the singer beg forgiveness, linking it to the plea of Aaron and Moses in the first reading.
 
CCC: Ps 51:6 431, 1850; Ps 51:12 298, 431
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Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36
 
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
 
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.
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Commentary on Mt 14:22-36
 
This passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel follows the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples return to the boat that brought them to this remote site, while Jesus stays alone to pray. (Recall he had just gotten word of the murder of St. John the Baptist by Herod, and had come to this place to mourn him.)

The events that follow, Jesus' approach to the boat and walking on the water, support the Lord’s earlier demonstration that he has power over the sea and elements (see Matthew 8:26). St. Peter’s response to the Lord is to try to do as the Lord wishes, but his fear prevents him from accomplishing what the Lord has called him to do. This entire episode has one purpose, to allow the readers to share in the awe of the disciples as they make their profession of faith: “Truly, you are the Son of God." This is account stands in stark contrast to St. Mark’s account of their response (see Mark 6:51).
 
CCC: Mt 14:30 448
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Or: (especially in year A where Mt 14:22-36 is read on Monday) Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14
 
Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.”
He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand.
It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man;
but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.”
Then his disciples approached and said to him,
“Do you know that the Pharisees took offense
when they heard what you said?”
He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted
will be uprooted.
Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.
If a  blind man leads a blind man,
both will fall into a pit.”
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Commentary on Mt 15:1-2, 10-14
 
This dispute begins with the question of the Pharisees and scribes why Jesus' disciples are breaking the tradition of the elders about washing one's hands before eating. In front of the larger crowd of followers the Lord refutes them with a parable that is an attack on Mosaic Law concerning clean and unclean foods (see also Matthew 5:31-32, 33-34, 38-39). [4] The concluding remarks concerning the blind leading the blind indicate to the disciples that the Pharisees and scribes do not understand God’s law but lead those who refuse to accept Jesus as the Messiah.
 
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Reflection:
 
Faith is a very hard thing to wrap our heads around.  We are taught that it is a gift, freely given, a consequence of our baptism in the Lord.  We know that some people (look at St. Dominic) seem to have faith in abundance while others have little or no faith at all.  We cannot see it. Faith is an intangible quality of the soul, but we can feel it inside ourselves.
 
In Scripture today we see two examples of faith in action.  In the first reading, Miriam and Aaron apparently lost faith in Moses.  They presumed to pass judgment on him because he had married outside the Hebrew community; how could the person to whom God spoke do such a thing.  In response or out of bigotry they publicly refuted his spiritual leadership.  Scripture tells us that God had an immediate response, calling them to account and then punishing Miriam with the outward sign of her sinfulness, leprosy.  Was her sin the lack of faith in God’s selected holy one, the one to whom he spoke, face to face?  Or was her sin the bigotry in her heart as she rejected the wife Moses had selected?  Scripture does not say, but had her faith been stronger, she would not have fallen into that trap.
 
In the Gospel, we see the disciples in a bad way.  They had ventured out into the sea and were caught in a storm.  Jesus comes to their aid in an unexpected way, walking on the water.  Unprepared for his appearance, the disciples think he is a ghost at first.  Peter, first among the disciples, sees (or thinks he sees) the Lord and calls out to him: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." (Not quite sure, is he?)  When Peter goes out to the Son of God, his faith is fastened on Christ.  He does not see the sea or the waves.  He does not feel the wind.  But when he loses that focus and starts looking around. He sees that he is doing the impossible and becomes frightened and starts to sink.  God, of course, saves him.  We can almost hear the Lord speaking to his friend in secular tones saying “Peter, you almost had it.  Why didn’t you just keep coming?”
 
We often feel that way don’t we?  We almost had it, our faith was almost strong enough to withstand the temptation of doing something we should not have.  It was almost strong enough to carry us through a difficult situation without faltering.  But in the end, like Peter, the Lord had to help us out as well.
 
Faith may be a gift, but it also acts like a muscle.  If we don’t use it, we lose it.  If we don’t exercise it, when we need the strength that comes from a strong and lively faith, it will not be there.  Our challenge today is to renew our dedication to get into the gym (church), get on the machines (prayer), and do some jogging (exercise charity), so that when we are called out onto the water we will not fail.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “St Peter is Walking on the Water” by  Lluis Borrassa, 1411-13.
[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] NAB footnote on Matthew 15:1.

Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest

Proper for the Memorial of St. John Mary Vianney
 
Biographical Information about St. John Vianney

“St. John Vianney”
artist and date are unknown

 
Readings for Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Numbers 11:4b-15
 
The children of Israel lamented,
“Would that we had meat for food!
We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt,
and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks,
the onions, and the garlic.
But now we are famished;
we see nothing before us but this manna.”
 
Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin.
When they had gone about and gathered it up,
the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar,
then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves,
which tasted like cakes made with oil.
At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell.
 
When Moses heard the people, family after family,
crying at the entrance of their tents,
so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved.
“Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the Lord.
“Why are you so displeased with me
that you burden me with all this people?
Was it I who conceived all this people?
Or was it I who gave them birth,
that you tell me to carry them at my bosom,
like a foster father carrying an infant,
to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers?
Where can I get meat to give to all this people?
For they are crying to me,
'Give us meat for our food.’
I cannot carry all this people by myself,
for they are too heavy for me.
If this is the way you will deal with me,
then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress.”
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Commentary on Nm 11:4b-15
 
This excerpt follows the departure of the people from their sojourn in Sinai. The “foreign elements” or “riffraff” (Numbers 11:4a) were dissatisfied with only manna and wanted meat to eat as well. At this lament, the passage describes Moses' complaint to God that the people would not be satisfied. His lament emphasizes that it was not Moses who brought the people out of Egypt, and it was not him who fed them, but the Lord God who did these things. Moses recognizes that freeing the people and depositing them in their own land is beyond the strength and ability of even the prophet.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 81:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
 
R. (2a) Sing with joy to God our help.
 
“My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels.”
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
 
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand.”
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
 
“Those who hated the LORD would seek to flatter me,
but their fate would endure forever,
While Israel I would feed with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
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Commentary on Ps 81:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
 
Psalm 81 is a song of thanksgiving. The psalm generally gives thanks for the gift of the law and its prescriptions, recalling also the salvation brought about by God.  These strophes contain a lament for the times when Israel turned from the law and a condemnation for those who do not hear it.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21
 
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.
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Commentary on Mt 14:13-21
 
St. Matthew’s account of the feeding of the multitudes is framed with Jesus’ grief over the death of his cousin, St. John the Baptist. He hopes to grieve in solitude, and so takes a boat to “a deserted place by himself.” While it is not said explicitly, we assume at least some of the disciples accompanied him in the boat. When the crowds catch up with him (Jesus is well established as an important teacher now), he does not turn them away but continues his work among them.
 
Possibly continuing his formation process with the disciples, Jesus tells them to feed the hungry people rather than dismiss them. The miracle occurs with significant symbolic numbers associated with it. Five loaves and two fish would add up to seven, in Hebrew numerology the perfect or most complete number. The fragments filled twelve baskets, enough for the twelve tribes of Israel. Five thousand men was a representation for a huge number and probably not meant as a census of the participants.
 
For the early Christian, there would have been even more subtle symbolism, as the loaves would represent the “Bread of Life,” the Eucharist; and the fish, the Christian symbol that identified themselves to each other as a consequence of the Greek letters used. Taken in its larger context the story is preparatory to Jesus' final trip to Jerusalem.
 
CCC: Mt 14:13-21 1335; Mt 14:19 1329
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Reflection:
 
The Gospel records Jesus telling his disciples, “give them some food yourselves.” The language is unambiguous. He is telling his disciples to feed this massive crowd. We could surmise that this is just to highlight what he is about to do in feeding the multitudes. But Jesus does not generally invite his friends to participate in his ministry when he is present and then not expect them to accede to his requests. We recall (and will hear tomorrow) another time when the disciples were in a boat. They saw the Lord walking out to them on the water and he invited Peter to come to him (Matthew 14:25-31). When Peter tried and failed the Lord admonished him: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
 
The miracle itself frequently overshadows his invitation to the disciples. St. John’s Gospel presumes it was a test of their faith. The fact is, the Lord expects his disciples to participate with him in feeding those who follow. This is not a passive role.
 
We look around ourselves in this day and age and see the multitudes that are hungry. The poor hunger for basic necessities, food, shelter, and the means to subsist. Others hunger for hope in a secular world that has denied the Lord of Love. We see these various constituencies and pray for them. Even as our heartfelt “Amen” is being uttered, we hear the Lord’s voice: “give them some food yourselves.”
 
We hear that voice and feel like Peter must have felt as he began to sink. “The job is too big and I am but one person, not God.” Unfortunately, that excuse does not let us off the hook. The Lord invites us to participate in his ministry. It is the outward face of our paradox (to be part of the world but separate from it). While we feed ourselves with the bread he gives, we must also share that grace with others.
 
Our prayer today is that we always remember that all of us are asked to participate in the miracle that is Christ Jesus. We are called and we are sent.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “St. John Vianney” 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.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]
CCC 661, 1042-1050, 1821: hope for a new heaven and a new earth 
CCC 2535-2540, 2547, 2728: the disorder of covetousness

“Allegory of the Vanity of Earthly Things”
by an unknown French master, 1630

 
Readings for Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23
 
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
 
Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill,
and yet to another who has not labored over it,
he must leave property.
This also is vanity and a great misfortune.
For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
with which he has labored under the sun?
All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation;
even at night his mind is not at rest.
This also is vanity.
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Commentary on Ecc 1:2; 2:21-23
 
Three hundred years before Christ walked the earth, the Hebrew teacher Qoheleth (in other translations referred to simply as "preacher") reflects on the illusion of human wisdom and effort. Even one who works and has earthly success must ultimately leave that result to a person (heir) who did not toil. He develops the idea that God’s wisdom is hidden, and nothing mankind can do on this earth will reveal it in a meaningful way. “All is vanity.” The word “vanity” (in Hebrew “hebel”) is used 35 times in this book, and translated literally it means “breath” or “vapor.” It is used elsewhere (Psalm 39:6-7 and Psalm 94:11), and indicates something transient, worthless, or empty.[5]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
 
R. (1) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
 
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
 
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
 
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
 
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the Lord our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
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Commentary on Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
 
This selection of Psalm 90 is very important to us, in that it provides an understanding of God’s timetable for creation and man: “For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday.”  The psalm laments the mortality of the human life, and prays for wisdom, requesting success for the work of human hands (for human endeavor).
 
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Reading II: Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
 
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.
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 3:1-5, 9-11
 
The theme of seeking the higher gifts continues in this section of St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, as the focus on building spirituality by those raised to new life in Christ through baptism is exhorted.  He instructs the church to turn away from the hedonistic instincts of human nature, to make a radical change, dying to the old self (also Romans 6:3), and become the new creation of the baptized.  In this baptism we are unified, one in Christ (similar to Ephesians 2:14ff).
 
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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Gospel: Luke 12:13-21
 
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
 
Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”
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Commentary on Lk 12:13-21
 
The passage begins with Jesus refusing to provide rabbinical guidance to a person in the crowd. Such guidance is provided in Numbers 27:1-11 and Deuteronomy 21:15ff, but the Lord saw greed at the root of the request. He uses the parable (found only in Luke) of the rich landowner (fool in some translations) to emphasize the need to focus on the spiritual gifts that do not perish, not just on material goods. He tells the one who wishes to have Jesus arbitrate a dispute with that person’s brother to take care against greed.
 
The parable has elements of other stories used by Jesus in which the unpredictability of the end of life is emphasized. Speaking to the crowd, the Lord tells them to focus on those spiritual attributes without delay. St. Athanasius used these words: “A person who lives as if he were to die every day- given that our life is uncertain by definition- will not sin, for good fear extinguishes most of the disorder of our appetites; whereas he who thinks he has a long life ahead of him will easily let himself be dominated by pleasures (Adversus Antigonum).” [6]
 
CCC: Lk 12:13-14 549
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Reflection:
 
There was once a very good and very wealthy man who died and went to heaven. When he arrived at the pearly gates, St. Peter looked in his book and saw all the good things the man had done and invited him in. As the man walked by, St. Peter noticed a look of great sorrow on his face. He said to the man, “Mr. Jones, I don’t understand your depression. You had a wonderful life on earth, filled with good deeds and great wealth, and today you are ushered into heaven. Why are you sad?”
 
The man said in reply, “St. Peter, I know I should be happy, and I always knew I could not take my wealth with me, but I fear I will miss it. I wish I could have brought up just one souvenir of my earthly success.”
 
St. Peter again consulted his book and thought for a moment. He turned to the man and said, “You know, I think you can be allowed to go back and bring just a small memento of your earthly life, nothing big like a yacht, but just a reminder.”
 
Poof! The man disappeared and poof, he was back. He was holding a small shoe box that was clearly quite heavy. St. Peter could not resist and asked the man what he had chosen to bring back. With his face reddening somewhat, the man opened the box lid to show St. Peter four bars of gold bullion. Whereupon St. Peter looked up in surprise and exclaimed, “You brought pavement?”
 
The story, of course, has a moral and that moral is tied directly to the Gospel from St. Luke.  The Lord is, at this point in his ministry, a person of renown.  He is respected and looked upon as a person of some authority.  He is approached by one of the crowd he is addressing and asked to take on the role of a rabbi, to settle a dispute about Mosaic Law in a family dealing with how an estate should be settled.  Jesus does not choose to deal directly with the issue, but rather sees the motive of the one who asked the question.  That motive is greed.
 
Greed, defined as “excessive desire, as for wealth or power,” is a symptom of perverted values, and Jesus chooses to address the entire crowd with a story to illustrate the foolishness of the motives the questioner expressed.  The story of the wealthy fool is instructive in a few different ways.  It applies the same sentiment expressed by the ancient author of Ecclesiastes in the first reading today: Even a person who is successful in his labors on earth may not take those treasures to heaven.
 
Without going into details, there is another humorous story about the man who gave his lawyer a large sum of cash to put into his casket when he was buried.  After the funeral he was asked if he did and he replied, “Yes, I left him a check for the total amount.”  What is important in our lives is not how much we can accumulate; not even how much we leave to our heirs. Rather our goal should be what the Lord was suggesting in his Gospel story; the treasure we need to accumulate is spiritual, not material.
 
One may think, at this point, that gathering spiritual treasure is all fine and good, but it does not pay the mortgage or put food on the table.  That is, of course, correct.  We must all work to provide for ourselves and for those who depend upon us.  Working in such a way is not vanity, as Qoheleth said, nor is it greed.  What Jesus refers to is our passion: What are we passionate about?  Where our passions lie we will spend our time, our energy, and our thoughts.  Taken to an extreme, our passions become obsessions, and obsessions may turn even the best intention into an unwholesome pursuit.
 
The Gospel begs us to ask ourselves a question today.  Where do we spend our time?  What are our passions?  If we are passionate about our work, have we neglected more important elements of our lives?  If we are passionate about a hobby or sport, have we neglected some other aspect of our lives? Have work, or friends, or family suffered as a result?  Are we passionate about the Lord?  Ah, there is the question.
 
One might argue that, just like other healthy passions, passion for the Lord can be overdone.  I submit that it probably could be, but like eating healthily, or getting proper exercise, you would have to go a long way before passion for Jesus would cause a problem.  I seriously doubt that one who truly followed the Lord, no matter how obsessively, if they did so for the right reasons, for God’s greater glory, could overdo it.
 
Our concern today is not that our congregation will become obsessive / compulsive about the Lord.  But rather do we give Jesus enough of our time, our passion, our thought, so that our lives will be transformed?  That is the message contained in Scripture today. Do we spend our time on gifts that we will always have, or do we go after pavement?
 
Pax
 

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture today is “Allegory of the Vanity of Earthly Things” by an unknown French master, 1630.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] 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.
[5] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 32:8, p. 535.
[6] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002), p.437.

Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial for Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop
Proper readings for St. Eusebius of Vercelli
Biographical information for St. Eusebius of Vercelli
 
Or
 
Optional Memorial for Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Priest
Proper readings for St. Peter Julian Eymard
Biographical information about St. Peter Julian Eymard

Or
 
(Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
 
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed. [1]  Mass texts may be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a Votive Mass, or from the special collection of Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary. (USCCB recommends: # 28. The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

“St John Reproaching Herod”
by Mattia Preti,1662-66

 
Readings for Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary:[4]
 
Reading 1: Leviticus 25:1, 8-17
 
The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai,
“Seven weeks of years shall you count–seven times seven years–
so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years.
Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month, let the trumpet resound;
on this, the Day of Atonement, the trumpet blast shall re-echo
throughout your land.
This fiftieth year you shall make sacred
by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants.
It shall be a jubilee for you,
when every one of you shall return to his own property,
every one to his own family estate.
In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee,
you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth
or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines.
Since this is the jubilee, which shall be sacred for you,
you may not eat of its produce,
except as taken directly from the field.
 
“In this year of jubilee, then,
every one of you shall return to his own property.
Therefore, when you sell any land to your neighbor
or buy any from him, do not deal unfairly.
On the basis of the number of years since the last jubilee
shall you purchase the land from your neighbor;
and so also, on the basis of the number of years for crops,
shall he sell it to you.
When the years are many, the price shall be so much the more;
when the years are few, the price shall be so much the less.
For it is really the number of crops that he sells you.
Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God.
I, the LORD, am your God.”
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Commentary on Lv 25:1, 8-17
 
The establishment of the jubilee (taken from the Hebrew word yobel or “ram's horn” blown in response to the instruction) was important for preserving economic equilibrium among the Israelites. The rule was that land had to be returned to its original owner in the jubilee year.  According to later prophets who denounced those who did not abide by this law, the people did not follow this law very well.  The whole concept was that the land was a divine gift, and those to whom it was given were to hold it in trust for the Lord.  Featured prominently is the use of seven, the “perfect number,” in Hebrew numerology.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 7-8
 
R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
 
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
 
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
 
The earth has yielded its fruits;
God, our God, has blessed us.
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
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Commentary on Ps 67:2-3, 5, 7-8
 
This psalm is a song of thanksgiving. These strophes request a blessing, that through the Lord’s graciousness the nation might be an example of faith others will follow. Psalm 67 recalls the gift of creation in its thankfulness for the harvest, the fruits of God’s bounty. The land given to the people was a divine gift that provided sustenance and home.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 14:1-12
 
Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
 
Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison
on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,
for John had said to him,
“It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,
for they regarded him as a prophet.
But at a birthday celebration for Herod,
the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests
and delighted Herod so much
that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.
Prompted by her mother, she said,
“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.
His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,
who took it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the corpse
and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.
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Commentary on Mt 14:1-12
 
In this passage, recalling the manner of the death of John the Baptist, Herod unwittingly predicts Jesus' future glory as he assumes that the Lord is John the Baptist, raised from the dead. His guilt over the murder of John weighs heavily on him.
 
In St. Matthew’s flashback of the murder of John the Baptist, we note that there is a much more detailed explanation than that found in the Gospel of St. Mark (Mark 6:14ff). We also see that, according to St. Matthew, the murder of St. John was the intent of Herod from the beginning, where St. Mark’s Gospel infers it was Herodias that manipulated him into the act. Matthew portrays this event as what has been called a satanic eucharist, an exhibition of hedonism and lust diametrically opposed to the selfless love of John the Baptist and Jesus.
 
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Reflection:
 
The evil one does not need much of an opening to find ways to tilt those who are ambivalent about the faith.  Look at today’s Gospel.  King Herod was not inclined to harm John the Baptist.  He was worried about him, yes.  He thought John might stir up the people in revolt against him because of his reputation as holy man and prophet.  That is why John was arrested. 
 
Tradition also holds that John was critical of Herod for entering into an adulterous relationship with Herodias who had first married her uncle Herod II, had given birth to Salome her daughter, then married another uncle Herod Antipas (the Herod in our Gospel story).  It was Herodias that really wanted John killed.  She was shamed by his call to repentance, and her sin was an open door for the evil one who used the occasion of the birthday of Herod Antipas to have Salome tempt Herod into offering her anything she wanted, publicly.
 
In this way, John the Baptist, who had from the beginning prefigured Christ, first announcing his coming as the Messiah, then providing some of his first disciples (remember, Andrew, brother of Simon Peter, was one of John’s disciples first), now precedes him in death.  As we hear later in the Gospel story, this event greatly affected the Lord.  The evil one could not get directly to Jesus, but he found a way to hurt him nonetheless. 
 
Following this story, we see how “the worm turns,” twisting the will of weak and sinful people to do his will. It is a lesson for us.  It was not the evil intent of Herod to murder John; he was tricked into the act.  Was he culpable? Absolutely.  Was he the tool of the evil one? Again, absolutely.  It has been so from the time when Eve was deceived in the Garden and brought Adam with her into sin.
 
This lesson reminds us that we must constantly be on our guard.  It is easy for those whose guilt is allowed to fester to be twisted and turned into tools to use against us.  How simple it seems for that evil, which injured even the Lord of life, to injure him again because of his love for us.
 
Pax

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[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5: “Outside Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, and Easter Time, on Saturdays which have no commemoration having the rank of Obligatory Memorial or higher, a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated. This is indicated in the calendar by ‘BVM.’ The readings and prayers may be selected from the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
[2] The picture is “St John Reproaching Herod” by Mattia Preti,1662-66.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] 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.