Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Catechism Links [1]
CCC 790, 1003, 1322-1419: the Holy Eucharist

CCC 805, 950, 2181-2182, 2637, 2845: the Eucharist and the communion of believers
CCC 1212, 1275, 1436, 2837: the Eucharist as spiritual food
 
In other regions: Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
 
Additional Information about the Solemnity of Corpus Christi

“The Institution of the Eucharist”
by Nicolas Poussin,1640

Readings for Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
 
Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the Lord, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord.
"Do not forget the Lord, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers."
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Commentary on Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a
 
This reading is taken from the second address of Moses to the Hebrews. This section of the address can be called “an appeal to remembrance” since Moses is recounting all that God had done for them since they were led out of Egypt. The focus of these verses is on the feeding of the people with manna (see Exodus 16; 4-16). Jesus also quoted this passage “not by bread alone does one live” (see Matthew 4:4). Beyond manna, Moses also recalls the saraph staff (see Numbers 21; 5-9), and water drawn from the rock at Horeb (see Exodus 17; 2-6).
 
CCC: Dt 8:3 1334, 2835
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
 
R. (12) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
 
Psalm 147 is a hymn of praise. In these strophes, the singer celebrates God’s gifts to his people: the gift of faith to the patriarch Jacob, and the gift of his presence in the Holy City Jerusalem. These strophes are from the third section (each section offering praise for a different gift from God to his special people). This section focuses on the gift of the Promised Land with Jerusalem as its spiritual center. We see the call to praise Jerusalem, the Holy City, because in it was revealed the Word of God, and a call to holiness. The Lord is praised for sending food that sustains the people. The final strophe also rejoices that the law was handed on to them through Jacob.
 
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Reading II: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
 
Brothers and sisters:
The cup of blessing that we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break,
is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one,
we, though many, are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 10:16-17
 
Although this is part of a comparison being brought between Christ’s sacrifice and idolatry, what is given here expresses the unity forged through the Eucharist, the only true sacrifice. The Blood of Christ and the Body of Christ shared in communion unites us spiritually and physically and we become that living Body of Christ on earth, the Church, through Jesus.
 
“The principal effect of the Blessed Eucharist is intimate union with Jesus. The very name "communion’--taken from this passage of St Paul (cf. "St Pius V Catechism’, II, 4, 4)--points to becoming one with our Lord by receiving his body and blood. ‘What in fact is the bread? The body of Christ. What do they become who receive Communion? The body of Christ’ (Chrysostom, ‘Hom. on 1 Cor, 24, ad loc.’).” [5]
 
CCC: 1 Cor 10:16-17 1329, 1331, 1396; 1 Cor 10:16 1334; 1 Cor 10:17 1621
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Gospel: John 6:51-58
 
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."
 
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
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Commentary on Jn 6:51-58
 
The “Bread of Life” discourse continues, and the Lord escalates his language. The people who had come to him because they had been fed with the five barley loaves just cannot make the leap from bread made from wheat or barley to the Bread of Life offered as true food and drink for the spirit. Even when he uses manna as an example of real food, they still do not see that the Son of God offers them his resurrected body as their meal and they are repulsed – especially because of the language he uses (Jesus uses the word gnaw, not just eat, in the original texts.).
 
CCC: Jn 6 1338; Jn 6:51 728, 1355, 1406, 2837; Jn 6:53-56 2837; Jn 6:53 1384; Jn 6:54 994, 1001, 1406, 1509, 1524; Jn 6:56 787, 1391, 1406; Jn 6:57 1391; Jn 6:58 1509
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Reflection:
 
Christ’s love for us, demonstrated countless times throughout his earthly ministry, is a profound expression of God’s mercy. God feeds us, feeds our faith, as he has done from the beginning. He fed our first parents, Adam and Eve, in the garden; gave the Hebrews manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16) as he led them to a land of “milk and honey” (Exodus 3:17). Through the prophets he prefigured Christ’s own role with Elisha feeding one hundred men with twenty loaves of barley bread (2 Kings 4:42-44).
 
Jesus' gift of himself in the Eucharist was announced most clearly and straightforwardly in St. John’s Gospel.  But Matthew, Mark, and Luke forewarn us of this mystery with the feeding of the multitudes and Luke, specifically as the resurrected Jesus dines with the disciples on the road to Emmaus.  Christ feeds us with has spiritual gifts and expresses his own love for us in doing so.
 
“1323 At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.[6]”
 
This definition from the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the “why” of our celebration of the Eucharist.  St. John’s Gospel describes what that meal truly was.  Rather than trying to express this in our own words we once again rely on the Catechism to do that;
 
1374 The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend."²⁰¹ In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained."²⁰² "This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present. ²⁰³"[7]
 
All of this understanding comes from millennia of prayer, reflection, and reliance on the Holy Spirit.  Faith-filled people throughout our history have gazed in awe at the Most Holy Sacrament and have been transformed by it as it was transubstantiated for us.  It started as simple bread and wine and through Christ’s promise becomes the bread from heaven and the blood of our Savior, poured out for us.
 
There are those who do not believe in the miracle that occurs.  There are many, even those who say they take what is written in the Holy Bible literally, who cannot accept that Jesus, who tells the people “For my flesh is true food,” left us his remarkable essence to unite us with God. 
 
Today we celebrate the gift once more.  We pray for those who struggle with their faith and are unable to accept the wondrous gift.  Today we find ourselves in awe of the love of Christ which is beyond all understanding.  And today we once more we approach the Lord’s Table in abject humility; amazed that one so perfect could embrace us in such a way.
 
Pax
 

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[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 “The Institution of the Eucharist” by Nicolas Poussin,1640.
[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] The Navarre Bible, Letters of St. Paul (Four Courts Press, 2003), 243
[6] Catechism of the Catholic Church number 1323.
[7] Footnotes within the text of the Catechism of the Catholic Church refer to the following:
²⁰¹ St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III,73,3c.
²⁰² Council of Trent (1551): DS 1651.
²⁰³ Paul VI, MF 39.

 
 

Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial for Saint Norbert, Bishop
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Norbert
 
Biographical information about St. Norbert
 
Or
 
Optional Memorial for the Blessed Virgin Mary
 
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.[1] Mass texts may be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a Votive Mass, or from the special collection of Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary. (USCCB recommends: #39. Holy Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy)

“The Widow’s Mite”
by Gustave Doré, 1865

Readings for Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
 
Beloved:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth
and will be diverted to myths.
But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances;
put up with hardship;
perform the work of an evangelist;
fulfill your ministry.
 
For I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well;
I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
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Commentary on 2 Tm 4:1-8
 
The apostle begins this chapter with a solemn injunction to St. Timothy: “perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.“ St. Paul warns that the task will be difficult, and that false teachers will arise with competing doctrines and “self-serving myths.”
 
He concludes this passage with a clear view that he will soon be martyred, and feels he has done what the Lord has asked (“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith”). Confident in God’s mercy he awaits his own judgment and resurrection.
 
CCC: 2 Tm 4 2015; 2 Tm 4:1 679
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 71:8-9, 14-15ab, 16-17, 22
 
R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
 
My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your glory day by day.
Cast me not off in my old age;
as my strength fails, forsake me not.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
 
But I will always hope
and praise you ever more and more.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
 
I will treat of the mighty works of the Lord;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
 
So will I give you thanks with music on the lyre,
for your faithfulness, O my God!
I will sing your praises with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel!
R. I will sing of your salvation.
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Commentary on Ps 71:8-9, 14-15ab, 16-17, 22
 
Psalm 71 is an individual lament (of an old person: “Cast me not off in my old age”). These strophes begin the second part of the psalm in which the singer proclaims the hope of the faithful, and trust in God’s mercy.
 
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Gospel: Mark 12:38-44
 
In the course of his teaching Jesus said,
“Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes
and accept greetings in the marketplaces,
seats of honor in synagogues,
and places of honor at banquets.
They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext,
recite lengthy prayers.
They will receive a very severe condemnation.”
 
He sat down opposite the treasury
and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood.”
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Commentary on Mk 12:38-44
 
In this passage from Mark, Jesus warns against scribes (holy men) who wear their faith on the outside and accept homage for their religious acts. Their acts of charity are missing. In contrast to those who flaunt their faith and their wealth. The Lord praises the poor widow who gives alms from her need, not from her excess as the wealthy did. “The widow is another example of the poor ones in this gospel whose detachment from material possessions and dependence on God leads to their blessedness (Luke 6:20). Her simple offering provides a striking contrast to the pride and pretentiousness of the scribes denounced in the preceding section.” [5]
 
CCC: Mk 12:38-40 678; Mk 12:41-44 2444
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Reflection:
 
We are challenged today to look at what we do in response to God’s call and ask ourselves “Am I doing these things because it looks good to others, or because it’s convenient?” St. Paul starts us down the road to that question as he gives St. Timothy a sharp kick to the backside with “perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry. “It’s sort of like that old military quote often used on complaining soldiers ‘Shut up and soldier, soldier!’”
 
St. Paul warns his pupil that it will not be easy, this call to take Christ’s Gospel to the world. It is a hard path and others who claim teaching authority will offer easier roads to follow. We think of modern-day Scientology, the kind of thing he speaks of as “following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.” (We enjoyed L. Ron Hubbard’s science fiction writing and are amazed that supposedly intelligent people cannot see how his creative genius created a philosophy that now passes itself off as a “religion.” But then not too long ago we saw how some three hundred thousand people in the UK identified “Jedi” as their faith tradition.)
 
The unvarnished point St. Paul makes is that “time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine” and when that happens those who proclaim the truth will be persecuted for it. With that our thoughts are immediately drawn to Jesus’ situation in the Gospel story. He is sitting with his disciples in the temple area watching as the religious and the rich make themselves known either through their apparel or through their pompous behavior as they present their gifts to the temple treasury. Jesus’ teaching must have incensed the rich and powerful members of that Jewish community. They must have hated that this teacher from Galilee sat with his friends and made them out as hypocrites in front of the very people they are trying to impress.
 
Out of both the mouth of St. Paul (poured out like a libation for Jesus) and the Savior himself, we are challenged to do the right thing, without fanfare, even when it is difficult or inconvenient. We pray today that we are given the strength of character to challenge the status quo of our own society. We especially pray today for the young people – teenagers and young adults who face intense peer pressure to follow the path of “acceptability,” not realizing that the easy path is usually the wrong path. May they be given the strength of their convictions in Christ and feel the promise of the Savior.
 
Pax
 

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[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 “The Widow’s Mite” by Gustave Doré, 1865.
[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] NAB footnote on Luke 21:1ff.

Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Boniface
 
Biographical information about St. Boniface

"Saint Boniface"
by Cornelis Bloemaert, c. 1630

 
Readings for Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 2 Timothy 3:10-17
 
You have followed my teaching, way of life,
purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions,
and sufferings, such as happened to me
in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra,
persecutions that I endured.
Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me.
In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.
But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse,
deceivers and deceived.
But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching,
for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
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Commentary on 2 Tm 3:10-17
 
St. Paul, in this passage, enjoins St. Timothy to remain steadfast because, like Paul, he will be persecuted: “all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” He warns that others will attempt to challenge the truth, or use it for their own ends.
 
To combat this attempt by false teachers, St. Paul recommends “sacred Scriptures” as giving “wisdom for salvation.” This selection, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work,” is a foundational belief of the Church used as a major support for “Dei Verbum” (The Word) from the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation.
 
CCC: 2 Tm 3:12 2847
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:157, 160, 161, 165, 166, 168
 
R. (165a) O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
 
Though my persecutors and my foes are many,
I turn not away from your decrees.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
 
Permanence is your word’s chief trait;
each of your just ordinances is everlasting.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
 
Princes persecute me without cause
but my heart stands in awe of your word.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
 
Those who love your law have great peace,
and for them there is no stumbling block.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
 
I wait for your salvation, O Lord,
and your commands I fulfill.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
 
I keep your precepts and your decrees,
for all my ways are before you.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
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Commentary on Ps 119:157, 160, 161, 165, 166, 168
 
Psalm 119, the longest of the psalms, in general is a hymn in praise of the law. It is not legalism, but rather a love of doing what is right in the sight of God. In these strophes, the psalmist proclaims his faithfulness to the law in the face of his adversaries and waits for final salvation.
 
CCC: Ps 119:160 215
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Gospel: Mark 12:35-37
 
As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said,
“How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?
David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:
The Lord said to my lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
until I place your enemies under your feet.’
David himself calls him ‘lord’;
so how is he his son?”
The great crowd heard this with delight.
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Commentary on Mk 12:35-37
 
It is now Jesus’ turn to question the Pharisees. He asks them who the Messiah will be. They answer that he will be a son of David (of the lineage of David). Jesus then, while not denying their statement (as he is from the line of David), tells them, quoting Psalm 110:1, that David called the Messiah “Lord” and would he do that to his own offspring? In other words, the Messiah would be more than just true man, he would be true God as well existing before David and with David.
 
CCC: Mk 12:35-37 202
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Reflection:
 
In St. Mark’s Gospel we see Jesus confronting the Pharisees in debate. He breaks open the word of God in Psalm 110:1. He uses the truth of scripture to identify his Messianic identity as more than what was expected. The Pharisees (and scribes) believed that the Messiah would be a man (albeit sent by God) to reestablish the power and grandeur of Israel during the reign of King David. This meant he would throw off the Roman occupation and once more give the Hebrew people autonomy. There were many assumptions about the methods that must be used to accomplish this feat, all of them wrong.
 
Jesus challenges the Pharisees. He does not challenge the prophecy that the Messiah will be of the house of King David. He is of that line. Rather he tries to get them to see God’s power in a much broader way. God does not send the Messiah so Israel can be freed of the Romans. He wants all his creation to come to him. The Pharisees are locked into a notion that, as God’s chosen people, only they will receive the benefits of faith. Jesus tries to make them see the larger plan by showing them how the scripture they understand to be the inspired word of God is telling them something different.
 
The Messiah is not simply man born of woman, although he is born of woman. Rather the Messiah existed before David as well as being from his genealogy. David described the relationship in his own writings. How many Hebrew scholars had pored over the sacred texts and missed the understanding that the Messiah would be eternal, more than simply a holy man with a mission?
 
St. Paul tells St. Timothy that reading and understanding Sacred Scripture is necessary “that one who belongs to God may be competent.” We see the truth of his words in the debate between Jesus and the Pharisees. With the Holy Spirit as guide, we too must constantly be on guard against applying human limitations to the supernatural abilities of our God. We pray that our own study will make us competent to be witnesses of God to the world.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture is "Saint Boniface" by Cornelis Bloemaert, c. 1630.
[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.

Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

“Christ Enthroned” (detail)
by Bartolomeo Vivarini, 1450

Readings for Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 2 Timothy 2:8-15
 
Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
 
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.
 
Remind people of these things
and charge them before God to stop disputing about words.
This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who listen.
Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God,
a workman who causes no disgrace,
imparting the word of truth without deviation.
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Commentary on 2 Tm 2:8-15
 
St. Paul begins this section with the slogan: “But the word of God is not chained.” It is believed by scholars that what follows is a quote from a hymn in common use at the time (“If we have died with him”). The reference in the hymn is to the death to sin in baptism from which the faithful shall gain the promise of eternal life (“we shall also reign with him”). The hymn quote concludes with assurance that Jesus is always faithful and constant even if those who believe in him fail.
 
The passage concludes with St. Paul telling his student to faithfully proclaim these truths without dispute. It is the principles that must be observed, not the specific language used.
 
CCC: 2 Tm 2:8 437; 2 Tm 2:11-13 2641
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
 
R. (4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
 
Your ways, O Lord, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
 
Good and upright is the Lord;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
 
All the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the Lord is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
 
Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The sinful psalmist prays that God’s”ways” be made known. The request directs us to repentance and ultimately justice. The theme of guidance is continued in the psalm. This selection gives a clear sense of the Lord’s path, announced by angelic messengers, prophets, and the very Law of Moses.  It is the culmination and completion of God’s covenants. These verses are echoed later by Malachi (Malachi 3:1-4) and John the Baptist (Luke 3:1 ff), also announcing the Lord's path.
 
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Gospel: Mark 12:28-34
 
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
 
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Commentary on Mk 12:28-34
 
In the continuing dialogue with the Sadducees from the Gospel of St. Mark, we find the scribe is impressed with the way Jesus handled the challenge by the Sadducees (found in the previous verses). The Lord answers the scribe's question about the law with the Great Commandment, the opening of the Shema, the great Jewish prayer, and then he follows that statement with the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself (see also Leviticus 19:18). When the scribe clearly understands what Jesus is saying, the Lord tells him he is "not far from the Kingdom of God" (see also the commentary on Matthew 22:34ff).
 
CCC: Mk 12:28-34 575; Mk 12:29-31 129, 2196; Mk 12:29-30 202; Mk 12:29 228
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Reflection:
 
If someone told us they did not want to read the whole Bible to figure out what Christians believe, but wanted just a few short passages, we could not recommend much better selections than those we are given today.
 
While it is important to understand the Old Testament because it reveals God’s actions in the world before Christ arrived, Jesus sums up in one short statement the most important teaching of that volume – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” -- which he quotes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and then goes further quoting Leviticus 19:18 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”
 
If someone asked you, “What did Jesus teach?” this is the first thing, the most important thing we could say. If they went further and asked, “And what does that get you?” we could answer with the hymn from St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy;
 
“If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.”
 
Encapsulated in this short quote from an ancient hymn is our belief that through our baptism we are adopted into the life of the spirit of God, and our adoption leads to salvation. But even if we are unfaithful, fail to love him, fail to love others, he still loves us because he is love as God is love.
 
It’s all nicely tied up for us today. The difficulty of course is living the commandment, and our prayer today is that we have the strength to do so.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Christ Enthroned” (detail) by Bartolomeo Vivarini, 1450.
[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.

Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs

Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and companions
 
Additional information about St. Charles Lwanga and companions

“St. Charles Lwanga and His Followers”
by Albert Wider, 1962

Readings for Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1:2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12
 
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
 
For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
 
He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel,
for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.
On this account I am suffering these things;
but I am not ashamed,
for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day.
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Commentary on 2 Tm 1:1-3, 6-12
 
This selection contains the formal beginning of the Second Letter of St. Paul to St. Timothy. Following the formula address, the apostle exhorts his former student and traveling companion to be forthright, even outspoken in proclaiming the faith (“For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control”).
 
There is a clear reference that St. Timothy was ordained for this task by St. Paul as is shown by his statement: “the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.” This passage is also foundational to the understanding that there is an indelible change imparted by the reception of Holy Orders. The apostle concludes his introduction, summarizing the call they have both received, and his faith in salvation through Christ, important here because he (St. Paul) is in prison and his physical well-being is in question.
 
CCC: 2 Tm 1:3 1794; 2 Tm 1:6 1577, 1590; 2 Tm 1:8 2471, 2506; 2 Tm 1:9-10 257, 1021; 2 Tm 1:12-14 84; 2 Tm 1:12 149
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 123:1b-2ab, 2cdef
 
R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
 
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven.
Behold, as the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
 
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the Lord, our God,
till he have pity on us.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
 
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Commentary on Ps 123:1b-2ab, 2cdef
 
Psalm 123 is an individual lament. In these strophes we hear the prayer of the psalmist who expresses faith in God’s love and compassion.
 
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Gospel: Mark 12:18-27
 
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled.”
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Commentary on Mk 12:18-27
 
The Sadducees are approaching Jesus, in this passage, with a twofold attack against his teaching on the resurrection (Sadducees, as a group, do not hold with the theology of resurrection of the dead). First they ask Jesus to solve the puzzle of to whom the widow of seven husbands would be married in heaven. (It is likely this example was taken from Tobit 3:8.) Jesus chides them for their lack of understanding, telling them that life in the kingdom of heaven transcends life in the body. He then goes further, attacking their disbelief in the resurrection by quoting Exodus 3; 6, telling them the Father is the God of the living not the dead.
 
CCC: Mk 12:24 993; Mk 12:25 1619; Mk 12:27 993
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Reflection:
 
How many times have we wilted in embarrassment when confronted with a situation where we should have boldly proclaimed our faith in Jesus Christ? Those of us called in a special way, through Holy Orders, are not exempt from this flaw. We want to fit in, be liked, be accepted as one of the guys or one of the girls. Most of us who have been active in the faith community for any periods of time actually feel uncomfortable in secular situations where we don’t know the people well.
 
Given the beginning of the Second Letter of St. Paul to St. Timothy, we see that this is nothing new. Apparently, St. Timothy, either because of social circumstances or because of natural humility, was not being as bold as St. Paul wanted him to be. The instruction points out another paradox of the Lord’s instructions to us.
 
What is the first and foremost teaching of Jesus about how he wants his disciples to lead? He told them just a few chapters earlier in St. Mark’s Gospel “whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” (Mark 10: 43-44) One of the hallmarks of Christianity is the idea of servant leadership. Yet, there is a fine line that must be observed between being a humble servant and an outspoken “Prisoner of Christ.” While the servant leader must not autocratically order people about, even in Christ’s name (especially not in Christ’s name), they must not be wishy-washy when it comes to standing up for his principles in the secular world.
 
Today we examine our own faith example. We hope that others see us and know we are Christians because we love one another as he loved us. Our faith shows in how we treat others, with love and respect. We also hope that when we encounter injustice, behaviors that go against what the Lord stands for, we are not embarrassed to stand up and say, “This is not right.” Don’t we tell our children to do the same? We are reminded that we are to practice what we preach. We also know that being labeled as a Christian sometimes also labels us as uncomfortable people to be around or fanatics. If the party is going in a very wrong direction, it’s better to be the death of the party than its life.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture is “St. Charles Lwanga and His Followers” by Albert Wider, 1962.
[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.