Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori
 
Biographical information about St. Alphonsus Liguori

“St. Alphonsus Liguori,”
artist and date unknown

Readings for Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24
 
The priests and prophets said to the princes and to all the people,
“This man deserves death;
he has prophesied against this city,
as you have heard with your own ears.”
Jeremiah gave this answer to the princes and all the people:
“It was the Lord who sent me to prophesy against this house and city
all that you have heard.
Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds;
listen to the voice of the Lord your God,
so that the Lord will repent of the evil with which he threatens you.
As for me, I am in your hands;
do with me what you think good and right.
But mark well: if you put me to death,
it is innocent blood you bring on yourselves,
on this city and its citizens.
For in truth it was the Lord who sent me to you,
to speak all these things for you to hear.”
 
Thereupon the princes and all the people
said to the priests and the prophets,
“This man does not deserve death;
it is in the name of the Lord, our God, that he speaks to us.”
 
So Ahikam, son of Shaphan, protected Jeremiah,
so that he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
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Commentary on Jer 26:11-16, 24
 
The story of Jeremiah’s persecution is continued after he first prophesied in the temple that if the people did not turn away from their sinful practices, God would destroy the kingdom of Judah, including the temple. Here the leaders of the community try to have him put to death.
 
In the face of this angry mob, the prophet repeats the essence of the prophecy (repent so the Lord will not punish them), and then reminds them that it was not on his own that he came to them, but as a servant, a prophet of God, who commanded him. If they put him to death, they were committing an offense against the law. They were finally convinced (in the omitted verses, 17-23, the example of the prophet Micah, who also predicted dire consequences, was used) and we are told Ahikam came to his defense: “Ahikam, son of Shaphan: one of Josiah's officials (2 Kings 22:12) and father of Gedaliah, Jeremiah's friend, who was governor of Judah after Zedekiah's deportation (cf Jeremiah 39:14; 40:5-7).” [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:15-16, 30-31, 33-34
 
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
 
Rescue me out of the mire; may I not sink!
may I be rescued from my foes,
and from the watery depths.
Let not the flood-waters overwhelm me,
nor the abyss swallow me up,
nor the pit close its mouth over me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
 
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
 
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the Lord hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 69:15-16, 30-31, 33-34
 
Psalm 69 is a lament in which the psalmist sings of being unjustly persecuted, and calls on God’s saving help. The faith in God’s mercy is reflected in the confidence of the psalmist as in the final strophe the poor are reassured of the Lord's kindness.
 
-------------------------------------------
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.
-------------------------------------------
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.
 
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
It is a tense day in Scripture.  First, we hear Jeremiah who has been really haranguing the leadership for a couple of weeks. He is, at this point, about ready to be put to death.  His response: “Don’t blame me, God is the one who sent me, and it is God who wants you to change.”   He dodged a proverbial bullet.  Then in the Gospel, just when it seems like King Herod is getting very concerned about Jesus (thinking he is the reincarnation of John the Baptist), we get a flashback to the execution of John.
 
As we watch the lives of the servants of God unfold, we come to one inescapable conclusion: working for God can be hazardous to your health.  Granted, special honor was accorded to the great prophet Jeremiah, and similar honor was given to the precursor of the Lord, his cousin, John the Baptist.  Still, when the message of God is placed against the backdrop of society’s norms, it is not what most people want to hear.  And when those people are of a far distant time, a time when human life was less revered, the common outcome was pain, frequently resulting in death.
 
What message does that bring to us today?  First, we must understand that if we take our faith into the secular world, we will not win any popularity contests.  Those that don’t avoid us will probably do what they can to make us figures of ridicule or contempt.  They will make jokes at our expense, and the names they use for us such as Jesus freak, fanatic, or hater are not meant to be badges of honor (although some of them [not hater – that’s just a lie put out by those who would pervert sexual morality] we should be proud to earn).
 
In other parts of the world, especially those parts where radical Islam seems to be taking hold, being labeled Christian can be a death sentence.  In the predominantly Islamic states around the holy land (Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, not to mention the ISIS terror state containing parts of Iraq and Syria where there is currently a pogrom taking place), professing Christianity is actually a civil crime punishable by death.  In China, Christianity is tolerated but subordinate to the state.  We in the “Christian West” are actually quite lucky.
 
We have an obligation to be faithful to our creed, and to proclaim our Lord Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  We are required to live a life of faith at home (the domestic church), at school and at work.  We need to show the face of Christ to our families, our friends, neighbors, and especially the stranger we meet.  But as we do what we are obligated to do in the name of our faith, let us remember Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and above all Jesus.  They gave us an example of what the faith is worth to us and the world.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used is “St. Alphonsus Liguori,” artist and date 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.
[4] NAB footnote on Jeremiah 26:24.

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola
 
Biographical information about St. Ignatius of Loyola

“Saint Ignatius of Loyola”
by Francisco Zurbaran (1598-1664)

Readings for Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]

Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 26:1-9
 
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim,
son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this message came from the Lord:
Thus says the Lord:
Stand in the court of the house of the Lord
and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the Lord;
whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.
Perhaps they will listen and turn back,
each from his evil way,
so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them
for their evil deeds.
Say to them: Thus says the Lord:
If you disobey me,
not living according to the law I placed before you
and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,
whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,
I will treat this house like Shiloh,
and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth
shall refer when cursing another.
 
Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people
heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord.
When Jeremiah finished speaking
all that the Lord bade him speak to all the people,
the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,
“You must be put to death!
Why do you prophesy in the name of the Lord:
‘This house shall be like Shiloh,’ and
‘This city shall be desolate and deserted’?”
And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 26:1-9
 
The opening comment in this selection sets the date of this incident at about 609 BC. Most scholars agree the narrative is from a third party (probably Baruch). The prophet causes a scandal in the temple by calling on those who consider themselves devout to repent, and return to following the Law of Moses. According to Jeremiah, if they do not, the Lord’s anger will be unleashed against them and Judah will be decimated.
 
The specific mention of Shiloh is significant in that Shiloh was once a high place, central to the worship of Yahweh (see Joshua 18:1 and Judges 18:31), [4] but was destroyed, a reminder that God will not spare even places where he is worshiped if the people turn away from his desired path. As a result of this vitriolic discourse, Jeremiah is accused of blasphemy and seized by the leadership of the temple. 
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14
 
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
 
Those outnumber the hairs of my head
who hate me without cause.
Too many for my strength
are they who wrongfully are my enemies.
Must I restore what I did not steal?
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
 
Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother’s sons,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
 
But I pray to you, O Lord,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 69:5, 8-10, 14
 
Psalm 69 is a lament in which the psalmist sings of being unjustly accused of crimes, and forced to make restitution. “The psalm, which depicts the suffering of the innocent just person vividly, is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts, e.g., Psalm 69:5 in John 15:25.” [5]
 
CCC: Ps 69:10 584
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Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58
 
Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
"Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?"
And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house."
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 13:54-58
 
This story from Matthew’s Gospel focuses on the people most familiar with Jesus, the boy growing up among them. They are seeking the “Royal Messiah,” one coming with great power and majesty, and are disappointed because of the Lord’s familiar and humble beginnings. Matthew’s story tells us that because of their lack of faith, the Lord did not perform any signs in their midst, ending the passage with the often quoted “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house." (See also John 1:11; those who were overly familiar with Jesus could not place their faith in him.)
 
CCC: Mt 13:55 495, 500
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Reflection:
 
If we were very lucky growing up, when we came home from school or play, our mothers would be there to give us a snack, patch up our cuts and scrapes, or listen to our tales of triumph or woe.  As children, we grew to expect them to be there; expected them to lend a sympathetic ear and a loving touch.  Growing older we may have come to take that love and presence for granted.  Mom was always there; we could forget about appreciating the fact that for her, our happiness and well-being were among the most important things in her life.  As we grew older still, we may have challenged her wisdom and even become antagonistic towards her.  We may have thought “What does she know? We can take care of ourselves.”
 
This whole idea of taking something for granted – over-familiarity – is at the heart of what Jesus encounters in the Gospel.  The people who knew him growing up could not accept what was being revealed about his true identity – the Messiah.  They knew his parents and his extended family members.  It is clear they did not know of his miraculous birth or the circumstances surrounding the Blessed Mother's conception, or they would have behaved differently.  They only knew Jesus, the carpenter’s son who had grown up in their midst.  They were even upset by him.  They saw him assuming authority they would not give him, and they rejected him.  We hear the Lord’s response, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house."
 
We take two different lessons from this encounter (and that of the prophet Jeremiah as well).  First, God’s message is not going to be popular with everyone.  In fact, people closest to you, those who know you and know your failings, will find it difficult if not impossible to accept you if you adopt a Christ-centered lifestyle.  Asking others to follow God can be a very unpopular thing to do.
 
A second lesson, and perhaps a more subtle one, is the pitfall of over-familiarity with sacred things and places.  The challenge we often face with becoming disciplined in our faith is that the things we do, prayer, worship, acts of charity, can become routine and we can take them for granted.  When that happens, we lose the grace God gives us in return for our dedication.  It is like our mother’s love: if we have taken it for granted, we lose the wonder of it and much of the benefit we would otherwise derive from it.
 
In the face of the Gospel message we are given today our prayer is twofold.  First, we pray that we may always be fearless in proclaiming the kingdom of God, even when that message is unwelcome and unpopular.  And second, we pray that we will never become complacent in the love our Lord has for us nor will we take for granted the wondrous gifts he gives us with his infinite grace.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Saint Ignatius of Loyola” by Francisco Zurbaran (1598-1664).
[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] McKenzie, John L., Dictionary of the Bible (Macmillan Publishing, ©1965), 807.
[5] NAB footnote on Psalm 69.

Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial for Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus 
 
Biographical information about St. Peter Chrysologus

“Sorting the Catch”
by Bernardus Johannes Blommers, c. 1900

Readings for Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 18:1-6
 
This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
Rise up, be off to the potter’s house;
there I will give you my message.
I went down to the potter’s house and there he was,
working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand,
he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.
Then the word of the Lord came to me:
Can I not do to you, house of Israel,
as this potter has done? says the Lord.
Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,
so are you in my hand, house of Israel.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 18:1-6
 
The author of the book of Jeremiah has been dwelling on the source of life in God, and the importance of repentance. In the story of the visit to the potter, God symbolically demonstrates his absolute power to reshape civilization (to destroy and remake). This image recalls the creation of mankind from the clay of the ground in Genesis 2:7, and is used in other prophetic works of the Old Testament (Isaiah 45:9) and New Testament (Romans 9:20-23), in which it appears St. Paul may be reflecting on this very passage.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
 
R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Praise the Lord, O my soul;
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Put not your trust in princes,
in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.
When his spirit departs he returns to his earth;
on that day his plans perish.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord, his God.
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
 
Psalm 146 is from the wisdom tradition. Here we are given a vision of God’s salvation. His saving power (envisioned in the oracle of Isaiah and fulfilled in Jesus the Christ) lifts up the poor and downtrodden and heals those afflicted with every sort of malady.
 
CCC: Ps 146:3-4 150
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Gospel: Matthew 13:47-53
 
Jesus said to the disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
 
"Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old."
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 13:47-53
 
Jesus concludes his discourse about the Kingdom of Heaven with a final parable about the fisherman’s net. The parable borrows imagery from Habakkuk 1:14-15. As God created the sea and dry land, Jesus now defines the harvest."The dragnet cast over the waters represents the moment of judgment at the end of time when all shall be summoned before God. The parable insists by this image on the universality of the call to salvation; but ‘salvation’ is here conceived as the infallible recognition of what each ‘fish’ has become within the total context of its particular nature and the environment in which it has  been  placed. Time and  again, the images of salvation in these parables are fundamentally images of growth (seed, dough, pearl, fish)." [4]
 
He next makes reference to the disciples’ (and their successors') role as “Christian scribes” or teachers of the kingdom of God. In his description, he refers to the “new and the old” being brought out. This reference is to the new teaching from Jesus and the old from the Law of Moses and the prophets.
 
 
CCC: Mt 13:50 1034; Mt 13:52 1117
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Reflection:
 
We are given a perfect example to examine the deeper meaning of the parable of the fisherman's net today. In the reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, we see in the analogy of the potter, God’s ability to reshape mankind (he speaks specifically of Israel, but the important idea to understand is he is talking about destroying and remaking a society, not destroying mankind at an individual biological level). If we read the next six verses (Jeremiah 18:7-12), we see that God does not take this step on a whim, but rather considers the reflection, repentance, and conversion of the people. The message is clear: God has the power to tear down and build up until, like the potter, he reaches a form pleasing to himself.
 
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the Kingdom of God. In this passage he refers to their role as scribes or teachers. Indeed, this is what they became, spreading the Lord’s words of salvation and his promise of the Kingdom throughout the world. These words reshaped the world’s understanding of God. They tore down the old perceptions of God. They changed the perception of God into the idea of a loving Father, rather than a God of justice and vengeance and, through the story of Christ, God’s Son, showed the face of our Father’s inestimable love. He continues even now to use his word to reshape the world.
 
The most ancient and authentic words those Christian scribes left us are contained in Holy Scripture, which we study fervently. The precepts contained in those pages are most authentically captured by the teaching magisterium of the Church. It is the legacy of Christ himself, who appointed Peter, the first pontiff, as keeper of the keys to the Kingdom. It has been faithfully passed down to us, like a tool in the potter’s hand, a tool that has been molding clay, reshaping the world for two thousand years.
 
The shaping tool changes over time. Like those who have gone before us, we are given the guidance of the scribes, teaching us from the books of the Law of Moses and Prophets in the Old Testament (the old we bring out), and those who chronicled the story of Christ in the New Testament (the new vision of God’s Kingdom). We thank God today for His guidance and pray for the strength to be his tool working to bring the world to a shape pleasing to him.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Sorting the Catch” by Bernardus Johannes Blommers, c. 1900.
[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] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003), 305.

Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus

Proper readings for the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
 
Additional Information about St. Martha
 
Additional information about St. Mary of Bethany
 
Additional information about St. Lazarus of Bethany

“Christ in the House of Martha and Mary”
by Johannes Vermeer, 1654-55

 
Readings for Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21
 
Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!
a man of strife and contention to all the land!
I neither borrow nor lend,
yet all curse me.
When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
I did not sit celebrating
in the circle of merrymakers;
Under the weight of your hand I sat alone
because you filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain continuous,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook,
whose waters do not abide!
Thus the Lord answered me:
If you repent, so that I restore you,
in my presence you shall stand;
If you bring forth the precious without the vile,
you shall be my mouthpiece.
Then it shall be they who turn to you,
and you shall not turn to them;
And I will make you toward this people
a solid wall of brass.
Though they fight against you,
they shall not prevail,
For I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the Lord.
I will free you from the hand of the wicked,
and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 15:10, 16-21
 
This selection continues the prophet Jeremiah’s lament (his “Second Confession"). In these verses the prophet is having a crisis of faith about his own mission. He cries out that he wishes he had never been born (since he was called from the womb to his mission, Jeremiah 1:4-5). Because he constantly challenges the social traditions that are evolving, because he calls for the people to reform themselves and predicts God’s punishment if they do not, he is outcast (“I did not sit celebrating in the circle of merrymakers; Under the weight of your hand I sat alone because you filled me with indignation”).
 
In response to his lament, the Lord calls Jeremiah to continue his prophetic work. First, Jeremiah himself must repent from his own rebellious way, and return to ritual purity (“If you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece”). The Lord pledges unfailing support for the prophet’s mission, and ultimate victory over God’s foes (“For I am with you, to deliver and rescue you, says the Lord.”).
 
CCC: Jer 15:15-18 2584
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18
 
R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O Lord.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
-------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18
 
Psalm 59 is a lament which alternates prayers for salvation with petitions to punish the enemies of the faithful. The plea for salvation in the psalm strikes a counterpoint to the lament of Jeremiah, who is isolated because of his actions in response to his call to serve the Lord.
 
-------------------------------------------------
GOSPEL
 
First Option John 11:19-27
 
Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
"Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you." Jesus said to her,
"Your brother will rise."
Martha said to him,
"I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day."
Jesus told her,
"I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?"
She said to him, "Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 11:19-27
 
Within the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus, we see the very human emotions of Jesus. They range from confidence in his relationship with the Father at the end of the story, to the all-too-human grief and fear, as he expresses his concern at what this revelatory event has cost his close friends, Martha and Mary, as they see their brother die. The encounter describes how Martha’s fear and remorse change to faith as she makes her profession of faith (“I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”). This exchange of fear for faith, seen in the witnesses, is the same conversion the Gospel attempts to initiate in the Christian faithful in response to these events.
 
CCC: Jn 11 994; Jn 11:24 993, 1001; Jn 11:25 994; Jn 11:27 439
-------------------------------------------
OR
 
Second Option Luke 10:38-42
 
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”
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Commentary on Luke 10:38-42
 
In this encounter with Martha and Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel we see two distinct messages. First, we see the importance of the role of women and Jesus’ attitude toward them. Second we see the importance of listening to the word of God "Mary has chosen the better part."
 
The selection emphasizes the importance of listening to the teachings of the Lord. While in some early texts the Lord tells Martha there is “need for only a few things” or of one, the message is clear, Mary, in assuming the role of disciple (listening at the master’s feet) has chosen the correct or better role. Martha, concerning herself with the requirements of hospitality (old law) has chosen the lesser.
 
“Mystically (St. Gregory the Great, Moralia 2, 6): the two women signify two dimensions of the spiritual life. Martha signifies the active life as she busily labors to honor Christ through her work. Mary exemplifies the contemplative life as she sits attentively to listen and learn from Christ. While both activities are essential to Christian living, the latter is greater than the former. For in heaven the active life terminates, while the contemplative life reaches its perfection.”  [4]
 
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Reflection:
 
The roles of Sts. Marth, Mary, and Lazaraus in the life of Christ resonate with those who have chosen to take an active role in service to the Church. Whether that role is in the form of lay or ordained ministry, active participation means we have chosen to assist with the labor involved in ministering to God’s people. When we choose those roles, we frequently (especially over time) take ownership of the tasks, and when disruptive forces come along, or when it seems we have taken on more than our share, we assume the Martha persona we see in the Gospels.
 
To place this tendency in the form of analogy, Martha’s sister Mary represents the congregation we serve. They sit at the Lord’s feet, without all the turmoil and distraction of the tasks necessary to serve the guests in which Martha (representing those of us who serve) is involved. There are times when we long for that peaceful place at the Master’s feet. There are times when we would like to go to them and say: “Would you mind helping? There is much work to do here.”
 
In times of personal stress or crisis, we pray we are in the role of St. Lazarus, close friend and beloved of the Christ. We pray he comes soon to comfort use and we pray that we are worthy of being called back to eternal life by the Lord.
 
It is at these times we must remember that other role that Martha had in the life of Christ. When Mary and the other mourners were sitting with their brother Lazarus who had died, it was Martha who met the Lord (she met the lord!) and spoke with him. Not only that, but after she chastised him (completely out of place to complain to the Lord, right? We would never do that), it was Martha who was honored to make the great profession of faith. What an exalted role she played in Christ’s life.
 
The life and ministry of St. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus should be a constant reminders to all of us who work for Christ in our time on earth. There will be times when we too become tired and frustrated; when we pray for a little help in doing what we have set our hearts to do for God. Like St. Martha, we are very human and prone to these outbursts. Let us pray that when our work is done, and we at last are face to face with the Lord, we too many be allowed to proclaim to the heavens and earth “I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God the one who is coming into the world.”
 
Pax

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[1] S.S. Commemoratio 403 / 607
[2] The picture used is “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Johannes Vermeer, 1654-55.
[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] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. © 2010), 129