Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

“St Paul at his Writing-Desk”
by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1629-30

 
Readings for Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Colossians 1:24–2:3
 
Brothers and sisters:
I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ
on behalf of his Body, which is the Church,
of which I am a minister
in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me
to bring to completion for you the word of God,
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,
to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles;
it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.
It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
For this I labor and struggle,
in accord with the exercise of his power working within me.
 
For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having for you
and for those in Laodicea
and all who have not seen me face to face,
that their hearts may be encouraged
as they are brought together in love,
to have all the richness of assured understanding,
for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
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Commentary on Col 1:24–2:3
 
This selection begins with St. Paul telling the Colossians that the revelation of God’s plan is brought to completion in Christ, and he (Paul), in his suffering for the sake of that Gospel, is passing on that revelation to them. Going forward in his example, he hopes to encourage those whom he has not met to continue to live in the love of Christ and one another. There is a consistent understanding expressed by the apostle that all Christians are called to faith, even in the face of suffering. While through Christ’s suffering salvation was achieved, through the suffering of the faithful, conformity with Christ is brought nearer.
 
CCC: Col 1:24 307, 618, 1508; Col 1:27 568, 772
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 62:6-7, 9
 
R. (8) In God is my safety and my glory.
 
Only in God be at rest, my soul,
for from him comes my hope.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed.
R. In God is my safety and my glory.
 
Trust in him at all times, O my people!
Pour out your hearts before him;
God is our refuge!
R. In God is my safety and my glory.
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Commentary on Ps 62:6-7, 9
 
This song is one of deep and abiding faith. The singer trusts only in God (“He only is my rock”) and is at peace in God’s abiding love. The psalmist calls to the people to come to the Lord in times of trouble. God's refuge is large enough to shelter a whole nation.
 
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Gospel: Luke 6:6-11
 
On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.
But he realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up and stand before us.”
And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
“Stretch out your hand.”
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
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Commentary on Lk 6:6-11
 
"This second sabbath incident comes in the next-to-last position of the sevenfold structure of 5:1–6:16, and is to be read closely with the first such incident. Jesus as Lord of the sabbath has provided on the sabbath for the needs of his disciples; now on the sabbath he meets the needs of the man with the withered right hand. The Pharisees with their old restrictive ways are scandalized." [4]
 
In this passage from St. Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is challenging the strict interpretation of Mosaic Law that says the sabbath must be a day of complete rest and no work may be done. In front of the most scrupulous of these, the Pharisees, Jesus cures the man with a withered hand, exactly what they were waiting for, but asks them before he does so if they understand the difference between good and evil. The deeper question probably made them more upset than the actual action of curing the man.
 
CCC: Lk 6:6-9 581
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Reflection:
 
We hear a caution today that, while we are called to follow the laws set down by our faith, we must also be careful that we do not miss the spirit of the law in an attempt to be faithful to it.  Of all the denominations of Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church and its various subordinate rites have some of the most stringent rules governing the practice of the faith.  As a consequence we must be doubly on guard against falling into that trap.
 
In the Gospel today, the Lord saw into the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees.  He saw that their love for the rules overshadowed their love for God’s creatures, especially those less fortunate than themselves.  He saw that they viewed the man with the withered hand as a sinner, as one punished by God for offenses they did not care about.  The fact that the man had been so afflicted meant that God had seen fit to punish him.  He saw their secret pride in viewing themselves as better than the afflicted man, and he saw their sinister plan to trap him into a perceived violation of those laws they embraced above God.
 
All of this he took in at a glance, and we must understand that his heart was saddened because of the twisted interpretation of the law that set the stage for what he was about to do.  God did not afflict this poor man unless it was to provide a means for Christ to be revealed to this group as the Messiah, the Son of God.  God did not say that keeping the sabbath holy meant to ignore those who need our help.  The fact that the rules gave these scribes and Pharisees power over others had corrupted them, obscured the spirit of God the law had been created to serve.
 
When Jesus cured the man with the withered hand, he held up this twisted logic to the light of God’s love.  In one flash of compassion, he declared that the Son of God was here to reinterpret the law that had forgotten its purpose.  Is it any wonder this event frightened the leaders who thought to use the event as a trap?  His love had revealed their indifference, and the trust placed in them by the people was diminished.
 
These lessons are clear to us today, and we need to examine our own practices under the same light the Lord focused on the scribes and Pharisees.  The Catholic Church is blessed with the magisterium that provides us with a consistent guide. It was developed by those to whom safeguarding the deposit of faith was entrusted by Christ, through apostolic succession.  We, for our part, must redouble our efforts to implement the Church’s teaching regarding the practice of the faith within the boundaries established by the magisterium, but in such a way that all we do brings glory, not to ourselves, but to God, and that our actions reflect the love for one another that was the first and greatest commandment he left to us.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “St Paul at his Writing-Desk” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1629-30.
[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] John Nolland, Luke 1:1–9:20, vol. 35A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1989), 262.