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“Christ Blessing the Children”
by Nicolaes Maes, 1652-53 |
Readings for Saturday of the
Seventh Week in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem
Bible [3]
Readings and
Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Sirach 17:1-15 [5]
God from the earth created
man,
and in his own image he made
him.
He makes man return to earth
again,
and endows him with a
strength of his own.
Limited days of life he gives
him,
with power over all things
else on earth.
He puts the fear of him in
all flesh,
and gives him rule over
beasts and birds.
He created for them counsel,
and a tongue and eyes and ears,
and an inventive heart,
and filled them with the
discipline of understanding.
He created in them knowledge
of the spirit;
With wisdom he fills their
heart;
good and evil he shows them.
He put the fear of himself
upon their hearts,
and showed them his mighty
works,
That they might glory in the
wonder of his deeds
and praise his holy name.
He has set before them
knowledge,
a law of life as their
inheritance;
An everlasting covenant he
has made with them,
his justice and his judgments
he has revealed to them.
His majestic glory their eyes
beheld,
his glorious voice their ears
heard.
He says to them, “Avoid all
evil”;
each of them he gives
precepts about his fellow men.
Their ways are ever known to
him,
they cannot be hidden from
his eyes.
Over every nation he places a
ruler,
but God’s own portion is Israel.
All their actions are clear
as the sun to him,
his eyes are ever upon their
ways.
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Commentary on Sir 17:1-15
This selection is part of Sirach’s treatise linking God’s wisdom
to creation. We note here that Sirach does not consider mankind before and
after the fall but rather accepts the faithful in the cultural situation of his
day. Creation is a part of God’s salvific work. Mankind (especially Israel) is
given a privileged position in having dominion over what God has provided but
is still a debtor to God. Man's wisdom is but a shadow of the wisdom of God.
The Father gave a part of his wisdom as the law imparted at the covenant at Sinai
and sees how it is kept.
"The sacred writer does not have access to God's last
revelation in the form of Jesus Christ; but by contemplating God's favors to
Israel, he is able to get more insights into man and the nature of man. John
Paul II points out that: 'These are questions in every human heart, as the
poetic genius of every time and every people has shown, posing again and again
-- almost as the prophetic voice of humanity -- the 'serious question' which
makes human beings truly what they are.'" [6]
CCC: Sir 15:14 1730, 1743
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18
R. (see 17) The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those
who fear him.
As a father has compassion on
his children,
so the LORD has compassion on
those who fear him,
For he knows how we are
formed;
he remembers that we are
dust.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who
fear him.
Man’s days are like those of
grass;
like a flower of the field he
blooms;
The wind sweeps over him and
he is gone,
and his place knows him no
more.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who
fear him.
But the kindness of the LORD
is from eternity
to eternity toward those who
fear him,
And his justice toward
children’s children
among those who keep his
covenant.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who
fear him.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18
Psalm 103 is a hymn of praise (and thanksgiving). It is a simple
and beautiful reaction to God’s goodness. Reflecting upon human mortality, the
psalmist sings of the brevity of life, and the mercy God bestows upon us in his
eternal blessing of those who follow him and keep his covenant.
CCC: Ps 103 304
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Gospel: Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing children
to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked
them.
When Jesus saw this he became
indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me;
do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God
belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children
and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 10:13-16
The image of Jesus portrayed by this passage demonstrates that
those who had seen his works and heard his words saw greatness in him. They
brought their children to him instinctively, that these little ones might
receive the grace bestowed by his touch. This activity made his disciples
indignant. They felt that their master should not be pestered by the children.
The Lord, however, used this situation as a teaching moment. Jesus told the
crowd that only complete dependence upon God’s support would allow them
salvation (“for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these”).
CCC: Mk 10:11 2380; Mk
10:14 343, 1261; Mk
10:16 699
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We must, given the direction
offered by Sacred Scripture, contemplate the need for prayer and its power in
our lives. If we think about the relationship we hope to establish with God our
Father, and his Son, Jesus, we can use the relationships we build on earth as a
worldly model.
When we wish to get to know
someone well, we speak with them. We ask them questions. We hope that by speaking with them we can
uncover who they are, where they were from, how and where they grew up, and what
do they like or dislike. The more intensely we want this relationship, the
deeper and more intensely we talk to them, spending hours conversing about all
manner of things.
With members of our own
families, much of this discussion is not necessary since we share a common
history and life. Much of what we need to know we have learned through long
association. The love we have for these family members is stimulated by our common
desires, our common experiences, and the deep understanding we build with them
over time.
For a child who knows the
mind of their loving parent, the worst thing they could imagine is
disappointing that parent through actions they know would be against their
wishes. Likewise, the child knows, without question, that if they are in
trouble, that parent will do everything in their power to rescue them from that
situation. And if that child falls ill, the loving parent does whatever they
can to see that the child of their love returns to health.
The analogy comes so easily.
If we wish to know God, to build that relationship with him, prayer is our best
approach. Much of who God is and what he likes or does not like, we discover in
the sacred texts of the Bible. The deeper we delve into that treasure chest of our
predecessors’ past experiences of God, the better we understand how to know him
in our lives.
But God was not a “historical
figure,” he is a living God who loves and cares for us. It is this present and
living Trinity that we want to know. So we talk to him. We tell him we love
him, we honor him because he deserves honor, and when we are in need, we ask
for his help. We ask, confident as the child with a loving parent, that he will
do all he can to save us from our difficulty. He may show us the way, he may
open a door, and if all that is not enough and he wishes to demonstrate his
love more visibly, he may offer up a miracle. They are more common than we
know.
Today we pray to know our
Loving Father better. We thank him for all he has done for us, and in a special
way we pray for all those who are sick that through the sacrament of anointing,
they might be restored to health and oneness with our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
Pax
[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 “Christ Blessing the Children” by Nicolaes Maes, 1652-53.
[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]
Note: The citation for this reading is incorrect in the published index from
the Lectionary for Mass
[6]
The Navarre Bible: “Wisdom Books,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003,
pp. 440-41.
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