 |
“Pietà”
by Daniele Crespi, c. 1626 |
Readings
for Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings
from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
1 Timothy 2:1-8
Beloved:
First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,
petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,
for kings and for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity.
This is good and pleasing to God our savior,
who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God.
There is also one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as ransom for all.
This was the testimony at the proper time.
For this I was appointed preacher and Apostle
(I am speaking the truth, I am not lying),
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,
lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.
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Commentary on 1 Tm
2:1-8
St. Paul instructs Timothy and his followers on the communal
prayers of the Church. He tells Timothy that everyone is to be prayed for, from
the king to the servants. His intentions make it clear that he came to bring
the Gentiles the good news, and that there should be unity in Christ.
The final verse is an instruction on the posture of communal
prayer: “in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy
hands, without anger or argument.” "St Augustine uses this text to
explain the various parts of the Mass: 'We take as “supplications” those
prayers which are said in celebrating the Mysteries before beginning to bless
(the bread and wine) that lie on the table of the Lord. We understand “prayers”
as meaning those prayers that are said when (the offering) is blessed,
consecrated and broken for distribution, and almost the whole Church closes
this prayer with the Lord's prayer [...]. “Intercessions” are made when the
blessing is being laid on the people [...]. When this rite is completed and all
have received this great sacrament, the whole ceremony is brought to an end by
'”hanksgiving” -- which is also the word which concludes this passage of the
apostle's (‘Letter 149’, 2, 16)." [4]
CCC: 1 Tm 2:1-2 1349, 1900;
1 Tm 2:1 2636;
1 Tm 2:2 2240;
1 Tm 2:3-4 2822,
Sans;; 1 Tm 2:4 74, 851,
1058, 1256, 1261, 1821; 1 Tm 2:5-8 2634;
1 Tm 2:5 618, 1544,
2574
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Psalm 28:2, 7, 8-9
R. (6) Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my
prayer.
Hear the sound of my pleading, when I cry to you,
lifting up my hands toward your holy shrine.
R. Blessed be
the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
The Lord is my strength and my shield.
In him my heart trusts, and I find help;
then my heart exults, and with my song I give him thanks.
R. Blessed be
the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
The Lord is the strength of his people,
the saving refuge of his anointed.
Save your people, and bless your inheritance;
feed them, and carry them forever!
R. Blessed be
the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 28:2, 7, 8-9
The psalmist, in this selection, uses language describing the
posture of prayer (see also 1 Timothy 2:8) “lifting
up my hands toward your holy shrine.” The holy shrine for the Christian is
Christ who rules the kingdom of heaven. The song continues, as a lament, asking
for God’s salvation.
“The suppliant’s prayer (28:1–4). The psalmist begins his
prayer by asking God to hear him (vv 1–2); the words convey a sense of
desperation, as though his situation had lasted for some time, but God had not
answered. The Lord to whom he prays is addressed as “my Rock”; in general
terms, the word “rock” designates permanence, strength, and security.” [5]
-------------------------------------------
The sequence Stabat Mater may follow.
SEQUENCE (OPTIONAL)
Stabat Mater
At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.
Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.
Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole begotten One!
Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.
Is there one who would not weep,
'Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that mother's pain untold?
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.
For the sins of his own nation
Saw him hang in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent.
O sweet Mother! font of love,
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.
Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
Let me share with you his pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.
Let me mingle tears with you,
Mourning him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.
By the cross with you to stay,
There with you to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of you to give.
Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.
Let me to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of yours.
Wounded with his every wound,
Steep my soul till it has swooned
In his very Blood away.
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In his awful judgment day.
Christ, when you shall call me hence,
Be your Mother my defense,
Be your cross my victory.
While my body here decays,
May my soul your goodness praise,
Safe in heaven eternally.
Amen. (Alleluia)
GOSPEL
First Option: John 19:25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
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Commentary on Jn 19:25-27
Here is Jesus’ last address to his mother. Although the address
sounds unnecessarily formal ("Woman, behold, your son.") this
would have been considered a polite address in biblical times. The reference,
“Woman,” is possibly to Genesis 3:15 which describes the mother of the
Messiah as the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618) [6].
The Lord, nearing the end of his life, commends the care of his mother to the
disciple whom he loved. It is presumed this is done because Jesus has no
brothers or sisters, and his adoptive father, Joseph, has already died.
In this instance, while it can be assumed that the disciple
referred to is St. John, the author of the Gospel, the tender consignment of
the care of the Lord’s mother is seen as iconic. That is, she is given into the
care of all of the disciples, whom Jesus loves. Seeing her son dying upon the
cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.
CCC: Jn 19:25-27 726, 2618; Jn
19:25 495; Jn
19:26-27 501, 964, 2605; Jn
19:27 2677, 2679
-------------------------------------------
OR
Second Option: Luke 2:33-35
Jesus' father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 2:33-35
In this passage we hear Simeon’s prediction, a man, we are told
earlier, who “was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel.”
Simeon was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not pass away until he had
seen the Messiah. He has declared that this promise has been fulfilled and then
turns to Mary and makes the prediction about the nature of Christ’s ministry
and the nature of the sorrow she will endure, “and you yourself a sword will
pierce.” The sword indicates that Mary will have a share in her Son’s
sufferings; hers will be an unspeakable pain which pierces her soul. Our Lord
suffered on the cross for our sins, and it is those sins which forge the sword
of Mary’s pain. [7]
CCC: Lk 2:32 713; Lk 2:34 575, 587; Lk 2:35 149, 618
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The strains of Sabat Mater capture a shadow of the pain and sorrow
of the passing of the Jesus, the Son of Mary, from true man to true God. With
all of our joy at the resurrection and the hope that flows from that salvific
event we sometimes forget the real human drama that overtook the young mother
of Jesus who was first in faith, first in love of him who came to save us.
The Blessed Mother has long been the icon of what it means to love
unconditionally, without any reservation. She demonstrated that ability from
our first scriptural encounter with her as she accepted, without hesitation,
the honor that would belong to the vessel of God and the sorrow promised by
Simeon at the great passion of her son.
While tradition holds up for us the seven sorrows of the Lord, any
mother who has loved a child knows the constant anxiety that goes with watching
a child grow to adulthood and beyond. St. Mary was no different, in fact she is
the exemplar for all mothers; the icon of love itself. So great was her love
that it continues to transform the world. From the very earliest of her
apparitions to the children of God to the present, her love for Christ and her
love for all of God’s creation bleeds into our consciousness in her miraculous
appearances. She is a constant reminder of God’s great love that sacrifices a
son, the Son of God and son of Mary, for our salvation.
Today we carry on that long tradition, recalling the great sorrow
born by the Mother of Jesus the Christ. We lift up our own sufferings and when
we offer them for her intercession, our pain feels that much lifted. Thank you
Jesus, for choosing so great a mother for us.
Pax
[1]
The picture is
“Pietà” by Daniele Crespi, c. 1626.[2]
S.S. Commemoratio
443/
639[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]
The Navarre Bible: “Letters of St. Paul” (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, ©
2003), 561-62.
[5]
Peter C. Craigie, Psalms 1–50, 2nd ed., vol. 19, Word Biblical Commentary
(Nashville, TN: Nelson Reference & Electronic, © 2004), 238.
[6]
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. © 2010),
198.
[7]
The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002),
363
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