 |
”Communion of the Apostles”
by Albrecht Altdorfer,1516-18 |
Readings
for Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings
from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading I: Wisdom 18:6-9
The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers,
that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their
faith,
they might have courage.
Your people awaited the salvation of the just
and the destruction of their foes.
For when you punished our adversaries,
in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.
For in secret the holy children of the good were offering
sacrifice
and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.
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Commentary on
Wis 18:6-9
This passage is
part of what is known as the Fifth Diptych (a hinged two-leaved tablet used in
ancient times for writing on with a stylus), a reflection on God’s salvation as
he first chose the children of Israel, and then led them out of Egypt. In
this diptych the author relates Moses' tenth plague (Exodus 11:1ff), the death of Egypt’s first born. Wisdom's author speaks to the
fact that the Egyptians had committed infanticide in killing the infants of
Moses’ generation (v. 1-5). The passage refers to the time before the Passover,
the sacrifices made by those who had not seen the Exodus, and to following
God's will.
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Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19,
20-22
R. (12b) Blessed the people the
Lord has chosen to be his own.
Exult, you just, in the Lord;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is the
Lord,
the people he has chosen for his own
inheritance.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those
who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the Lord,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
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Commentary on
Ps 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise which celebrates God as creator. This invites the just to share the Lord’s
salvation and promises his protection. Yahweh is the only salvation for Israel.
“In Ps. 33 there are integrated some of the most basic themes of
Hebrew theology: creation, history, covenant, and human response of worship.
And the integration of these themes indicates their fundamental inseparability
in Hebrew religion; they are interdependent not independent.” [5]
-------------------------------------------
Reading II: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19
Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign
country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
—and Sarah herself was sterile—
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only
son,
of whom it was said,
“Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Heb 11:1-2, 8-19
The
beginning of this reading gives us a classic definition of faith: “Faith is
the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” We
note that this definition describes what faith does rather than giving a pure
theological description. “Through faith God guarantees the blessings to be
hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith that what he
promises will eventually come to pass.”[6]
Looking at the translation above, it is instructive to consider the same verse
as translated in the Jerusalem Bible: “Only faith can guarantee the
blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at
present remain unseen.” That eloquent statement is followed by describing,
a few verses later, Abraham’s response to faith, and the Lord’s reward,
incomplete before Christ and completed by him.
CCC: Heb
11:1 146; Heb
11:2 147; Heb
11:8 145; Heb
11:17 145, 2572; Heb
11:19 2572
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Or
Shorter Form: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-12
Brothers
and sisters:
Faith
is the realization of what is hoped for
and
evidence of things not seen.
Because
of it the ancients were well attested.
By
faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that
he was to receive as an inheritance;
he
went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By
faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling
in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for
he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose
architect and maker is God.
By
faith he received power to generate,
even
though he was past the normal age
—and
Sarah herself was sterile—
for
he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
So
it was that there came forth from one man,
himself
as good as dead,
descendants
as numerous as the stars in the sky
and
as countless as the sands on the seashore.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Heb 11:1-2, 8-12
The
optional shorter form does not include the final example of Abraham’s faithful
response to God’s request, that he offer Sarah’s only son Isaac as sacrifice.
This additional pair of verses provides a description of how Abraham came to
understand God’s power to raise the dead. This thought would link the Hebrews
closely to the resurrection apologia.
CCC: Heb
11:1 146; Heb
11:2 147; Heb
11:8 145
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 12:32-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a
wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”
Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with
more.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Luke 12:32-48
In
the longer form of the Gospel, St. Luke explains the example found in the
parable of the vigilant servants, which is the heart of the shorter form.
Jesus tells his disciples that the most valuable prize, the prize of
faith and fidelity to God, is given to them freely, and that all of their
worldly possessions amount to nothing in comparison. He tells them that
the treasure they hold most dearly will define them to the world, and that
constant focus on the spiritual gifts is the prize that will win salvation.
The story makes it clear that those who fail, who focus on the things of
earth and are not vigilant, will be found faithless and suffer the
consequences.
CCC: Lk
12:32 764; Lk
12:35-40 2849
-------------------------------------------
Or
Shorter Form: Luke 12:35-40
Jesus
said to his disciples:
“Gird
your loins and light your lamps
and
be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready
to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed
are those servants
whom
the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen,
I say to you, he will gird himself,
have
the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And
should he come in the second or third watch
and
find them prepared in this way,
blessed
are those servants.
Be
sure of this:
if
the master of the house had known the hour
when
the thief was coming,
he
would not have let his house be broken into.
You
also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the
Son of Man will come.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Lk 12:35-40
The
selection presented from St. Luke’s Gospel is one of a series that relates
specifically to the Lord’s exhortation about the end times, the eschaton. Here
he reminds his disciples that they must be constantly focused on God’s work
(servants of the master – the one God). We see also in this brief reading an
echo of the Last Supper as the master reclines at table. However, in the
broader context, the lesson relates more to faithfulness.
The
idea of placing constant faithfulness first (most importantly present) is given
as the moral of the Lord’s parable. Peter questions whether the parable
is meant for everyone or just for the disciples he is addressing. The
Lord then clarifies that any who would inherit the Kingdom of God must be
constantly faithful to the Lord’s precepts. He goes on to conclude that
no one may know the day or the hour that they will be called to account.
Finally, he tells the disciples, who have been given much in their
association with the Christ, that to those which much is given, even more is
expected, essentially telling them that they must be examples to everyone, even
each other.
CCC:
Lk 12:35-40 2849
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Reflection:
The
very powerful Gospel injunction from St. Luke’s Gospel drives the theme
today. There is actually a logical
progression present in the selection we are given, rather than a single point
to be made. That progression links two
key verses;
“For where your treasure is, there also will
your heart be.” (Luke
12:34)
And:
“Much will be required of the person
entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted
with more.” (Luke
12:48)
Between
these two statements, through the use of allegory and parable, the Lord drives
home the fact that the most important gift ever received is the gift of the
Kingdom of God. With that gift comes
God’s Law, given through a long line of prophets and patriarchs to the people
of faith. We see a glimpse of this
history in the first reading from the Book of Wisdom. Rejoicing in that blessing, the faithful will
be a gift to the world and will be seen as blessed (Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be).
We
have all seen the truth of the Lord's pronouncement. When we look around at our brothers and
sisters, with whom we have daily contact, don’t we see in them what they
treasure? Can’t we easily see where
their passions lie? If they love
material things, there will be trophies of those things wherever they are. Whether it is pictures of their prized
possessions on their desks, or if all they do is directed to maintaining what
they have or obtaining more, the signs are there. What they put first in their lives will be
celebrated by them constantly. For us
that means that, if we truly put the Kingdom of God first in our lives, those
with whom we have contact should be well aware of that as well. Our question is, does that show?
By
the very nature of our love and our passion, either we will accept that we must
be constantly prepared to meet the judgment promised in the Gospel, or we will
accept that we must reorient our priorities.
We don’t know when and where our life’s accomplishments will be held up
in front of that great judge. What was
made clear in that passage today is that, at our resurrection, we, all of us
who are faithful, will not be held to the same measure. No, that last verse in the Gospel hits us
right between the eyes. “Much will be required of the person
entrusted with much.” If we start to
get cocky or condescending saying: “I am so much better at practicing my faith
than that person. I will surely get a
place of honor in the next life,” we are in for a big surprise. The Lord does not give us an easy path, he
expects us to work hard with what we have.
(I would not want to be the pope.)
Today
the logic brings us to our final place.
We must use what we are given as well as we can. It should be apparent to all we meet that we
have been given this gift. It will be
what we are asked for on the last day.
Let us pray that we pass that test.
Pax
In
other years on August 10th: Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
[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 used today is ”Communion of the Apostles” by Albrecht
Altdorfer,1516-18.
[3]
S.S. Commemoratio[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, except for 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]
The Word Biblical Commentary, Psalms 1-50, Vol. 19 (Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2004),
275.
[6]
NAB footnote on Hebrews 11:1-40.
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