Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
The Prophet Hosea, speaking with the voice of God, condemns the people of Israel, Samaria, and Ephraim for falling away from the Law of Moses and taking up the worship of baal and other false practices (probably those of the local majority population). The prophet is eloquent in describing how these practices not only displease God but will not bring the result hoped for. (“When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind”) He beacons them back to “innocence” in the precepts of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 115:3-4, 5-6, 7ab-8, 9-10R. The house of Israel trusts in the Lord.
Psalm 115 is a hymn of praise to our God who is above all things and creator of all. While he is not seen, all creation is evidence of his power and salvation.
Gospel Matthew 9:32-38
In this selection Jesus continues his healing practice as he travels from town to town. We see growing opposition from the Pharisees as he does so. Using the same language we heard in Luke 10; 1-9 Jesus prepares to send out the disciples to proclaim the Good News.
Reflection:
Hosea continues to be the voice of God calling the people back to fidelity. Perhaps more than any other place in scripture we could see him standing on a street corner of any major city today. The Jews of his time have begun to intermingle with neighboring populations and participate in the ritual practices and idol worship of those neighbors. Much like an adolescent wanting to be accepted by the group of “popular” kids who act out and do edgy things, these Jews (of Israel, Samaria, and Ephraim) take up the religious practices of the region even thought those practices violate the precepts of Mosaic Law.
We can understand how easily this could have happened. Let’s say Joseph, a young Jew who moved to Samaria at the time, saw and fell in love with Barsha, a Samarian girl from down the road. They get married and she asks him why he insists on practicing that boring Jewish religion and they should go to one of the Baal meetings – that would really open his eyes. They have this statue of a golden calf where Baal is housed and he commands them to debauch themselves – it’s a blast, not like those boring prayer things the Jews do to an “invisible” God who doesn’t even have a name. How cool, Joseph thinks. And his in-laws will be there and that will make an excellent impression.
It could happen just that way and who could blame Joseph? He was just fitting in, creating good relationships between cultures. In modern politically correct (PC) language he was facilitating cultural diversity. It would be discriminatory if he objected to those practices, even though they violated every important tenant of his faith. And what harm did it do? (dripping with ironic sarcasm)
The picture painted above has obvious application to our own situations (Please note, however, this is an extreme example and not intended to foster cultural intolerance or elitism.). A more relevant example could be the ongoing debate about stem cell research. There is another push to broaden the availability of embryos stored at fertility clinics to research facilities. The argument made by those favoring such research is “They would be destroyed eventually anyway so why shouldn’t we get some potentially life saving use from them.” The germ of life was initiated by individuals so set on having children that they used expensive and extreme measures to create these fertilized eggs. And they made enough of them so, if the couple wanted more than one child, the costly process of harvesting the eggs and controlling the environment to insure fertilization, would not have to be repeated. It is these extra eggs that are being recommended for use (destruction) by researchers. Oh and there is a nationalistic push as well. You see, Korea and China, whose secular morality has no compunctions about sacrificing human life to advance science, are already making strides in this direction.
Should we, as Christians, accept this direction because it might provide a better life for a person suffering from diabetes or even ALS? That is something for which we all pray. Hosea’s words come back to us; “When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind” The path that can follow from that decision can lead us to so trivialize human life that all flesh becomes just “Biological Material” suitable for what ever research someone might suppose could lead to a better life (for those who could afford it.)
Pax[1] After Links to Readings Expire[2] The picture used today is “The Assyrians in Samaria” by UNKNOWN Dutch Master, c. 1550
Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Hosea 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22
The Prophet Hosea, voicing God’s hope for the people of Israel as husband might speak to a wife who was unfaithful, exhorts the people to turn from the idolatry (the worship of baal). He tells them that if the will but be faithful God’s love and mercy is eternal, that God is always faithful. In Hebrew tradition this would include the gifts for the bride (cf Genesis 24:53)
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. These strophes (because it is in the acrostic form – each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) although loosely assembled, praise God for his mercy and compassion and give thanks for His creation and redemption.
Gospel Matthew 9:18-26
Jesus continues his journey in the passage from Matthew’s Gospel. Again he engages in healing those who have faith in him. First the woman with a hemorrhage, as she touches him in faith, she experiences the healing touch. In Luke the Lord feels this touch and seeks out the woman.
Next Jesus heals the “Official’s Daughter”. In Mark’s Gospel she was at the point of death, here she had already “fallen asleep” meaning she had died. Again Jesus seeing the faith of the requestor raises her from her death bed to new life.
Reflection:
As we hear the words of God, the loving husband, from the Prophet Hosea and then see the acts of love performed in the miracles of Jesus, we feel God’s love for us at its most intense. The Prophet Hosea, himself the victim of a fickle wife whom he loved desperately, sees God’s love for a fickle and self-centered people in the same way.
God, with his loving hand constantly out-stretched, is repeatedly rebuffed by a people he created and loves. In ancient times, the Prophet sees this as the people turn from faithful worship of God to the worship of idols (although they still call themselves the Children of Abraham). They do not want to give up their possessive relationship with the invisible God who guides and protects them. But the rituals of baal are hedonistic and celebrate the degradation of the body and spirit.
Hosea sees all this and calls them back to God, as the loving husband might call back a degraded wife whom he sill loves. In the case of the loving Father, his love for us is so intense that he sent his Only Son so the invisible God might reveal himself and the people might have hope in Him. The miracles he performs; healing the sick as in the woman with a hemorrhage and the resurrection of the child are evidence of God’s great compassion.
The worship of baal in today’s culture has taken on a different guise. The people of today’s culture are too sophisticated to need to attach a superstitious ritual to their worship of idols. Instead of high altars and human sacrifice, we have casinos, entertainment establishments, and stores where all manner of pleasures may be engaged in and all manner of idols (symbols of wealth) may be purchased, not with prayer and sacrifice in the religious sense, but certainly sacrifice in the sense that we give up our own hard labor merely for prestige or for a moment’s pleasure.
We are not speaking here of simply going out to enjoy an evening’s deserved leisure but of those who literally worship at these altars. We see them, we know them, and like Hosea we can call them back from their excess. Even now the loving Father pleads with them to return.
Today our prayer is that those who have given up on the invisible God and now worship at the modern temples of baal, will return to the loving care of God and that we might be an instrument of that noble work.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire[2] The picture used today is “The Miracle of the Resurrected Child” by Simone Martini, 1312-17
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Zechariah 9:9-10
The oracle of the Prophet Zechariah speaks of the restoration of Israel following the great exile. In this section he speaks of the coming of the Messiah. “The Messiah will come, not as a conquering warrior, but in lowliness and peace. Not like the last kings of Judah, who rode in chariots and on horses (Jeremiah 17:25; 22:4), but like the princes of old (Genesis 49:11; Judges 5:10; 10:4), the Messiah will ride on an ass. The Evangelists see a literal fulfillment of this prophecy in the Savior's triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:4-5; John 12:14-15).”[3]
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. The singer invites all to join in praising God for all he has done; for His creation, His kindness, and His mercy toward those who have fallen on hard times.
Reading II Romans 8:9, 11-13
After his warning in Romans 7 against the wrong route to fulfillment of the objective of holiness expressed in Romans 6:22, Paul points his addressees to the correct way. Through the redemptive work of Christ, Christians have been liberated from the terrible forces of sin and death. Holiness was impossible so long as the flesh (or our "old self"). The same Spirit who enlivens Christians for holiness will also resurrect their bodies at the last day. Christian life is therefore the experience of a constant challenge to put to death the evil deeds of the body through life of the spirit (Romans 8:13).[4]
Gospel Matthew 11:25-30
Jesus has just completed a fairly scathing criticism of the places he has been and performed miracles yet; the people have not accepted him as the Messiah. He now concludes this section on a more joyous note as he reflects that, while the Scribes and Pharisees (“the wise and learned”) have not understood who he is, those with simple faith have accepted him freely. He then issues an invitation to all who “labor and are burdened” quoting an invitation similar to one in Ben Sirach to learn wisdom and submit to her yoke (Sirach 51:23, 26).
Reflection:
Sacred Scripture offers us a clear vision of what Jesus offers us and what we in-turn are to offer in his name. In the first reading from the Prophet Zechariah we see the prediction of the Messiah who (from his view) is to come. We see, unlike the leaders of Jesus’ day, that the Savior will come humbly (“…and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.”) While the prophet is clear that Christ’s dominion will be over the whole world, again, the leaders of his age saw only his mission to free Israel from the Romans. This conflict of images between a “Royal Messiah” imagined to be like King David from whose line Jesus came is the basic reason so many of the leaders of the Jewish community could not accept him.
What also caused difficulty was the radical change in understanding of God’s desires for His people ushered in by the Lord. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans speaks of this fundamental change as he calls the faithful claimed by and for Christ as “…not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit,” In the grip of the Holy Spirit we need to be conformed to Christ accepting his “easy yoke”.
Finally in the Gospel Jesus makes his invitation and promise. After he laments that the people who should have seen his mission most clearly, the “wise and the learned”, he issues an invitation to all who are doing daily labor, not focused exclusively on things of God. He also states clearly that accepting his mission and wisdom should not be difficult but rather acceptance should bring us peace.
Given what we hear, those of us who strive to follow him are called to reach out as well. It is the great paradox of our faith. We are to remain separate and untouched by the secular world and its values but also reach out to other in that world offering them Christ’s peace, the “light burden”.
Our prayer today is that we present that humble image, so easy to accept and love, to those we meet. In turn that loving peace will infuse us with His love and consolation.
Pax[1] After Links to Readings Expire[2] The picture used today is “Christ the Redeemer” by Andrea Del Sarto, c. 1650
[3] NAB footnote on Zechariah 9:9
[4] Taken in part from the NAB footnote on Romans 8:1-13
Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Saint Antony Mary Zaccaria
Biographical Information about St Antony Mary Zaccaria[1]
Readings for Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Amos 9:11-15
The Prophet speaks of God’s purpose in causing the fall of the Kingdom of Israel (in actuality all kingdoms of that region in his day). The people were sinful and those that did not follow God’s Law were either killed of carried off into bondage. But the faithful remnant would be saved and rebuilt (“On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David”), saying that the House of Israel would be restored. The oracle predicts that it will be greater than before. All this is accomplished only through the will and might of God.
“In Acts 15:15-17 St. James interprets this passage in a messianic sense. Fallen hut: the kingdom. The nations that shall bear my name: the Gentile peoples who shall be converted to the Lord, that is, conquered by him, and therefore shall bear his name.”[3]
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Psalm 85 is a communal lament that focuses on the woes of the nation. These strophes reflect the joy of salvation at the restoration of the land following the destruction of the temple and the Diaspora. Those faithful to God see the reward; a land restored, justice returned, and the salvation of God.
Gospel Matthew 9:14-17
Jesus is approached by St. John the Baptist’s disciples about the Pharisaic practices of ritual fasting. In Old Testament usage this action was a token of repentance or of mourning. No fast is actually prescribed in the Law of Moses except the fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29 and 23:27 and Numbers 29:7). Given this understanding of the Law of Moses, what was being practiced by the Pharisees (and St. John’s disciples) was tradition and Jesus response;” Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” speaks to the fact that his disciples do not have anything to repent from or mourn for as long as they are following him.
The next section of the reading seems to contradict an earlier statement of Jesus (Matthew 5:17-20) when he said he had not come to abolish the Law (of Moses) but to fulfill it. But his metaphors about the wineskins and the cloth refer to a completely new understanding of God’s revelation that cannot be a “patchwork” of ideas but rather a consistent application of Christ’s law of love, mercy, and hope.
Reflection:
In the Gospel today, the Lord is challenged by some of the disciples of St. John the Baptist (of which at least one of his own disciples, Andrew, was formerly a member). They ask why Jesus and his disciples do not practice the Pharisaic traditions of ritual fasting. Jesus, also of the Pharisaic tradition, was not following their scrupulous rules and neither were his disciples. It was important that Jesus strike just the right tone in his reply. Recognizing that the Pharisees were following a tradition developed out of their understanding of the Law (not prescriptions of the Law), he explains that his disciples do not need to mourn or repent while he is with them (coming as he does to fulfill the law and the prophets we understand this).
Now using metaphor Jesus explains that his coming changes the understanding of God’s intent and character. Where the Hebrew’s understanding of God based upon the Law and the Prophets had been of a God of Justice, anthropomorphized with the emotions and motives of man, Christ changed all of that as the incarnated Son shows the world God’s infinite love and compassion. His metaphors tell us that there can be no human motives assigned to God, that is old cloth, old wineskins.
We rejoice today as we see Christ once more reveal to us the love and promise of the Father and the salvation He offers to those who believe in Him. We pray, today, that we can be an example of that love to those we meet and thereby bring the message of the Kingdom of God to the world.
Pax
[1] The picture today is of St Antony Mary Zaccaria, Artist and Date are UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
[3] Taken from the NAB footnote on Amos 9:11-12
Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal
Biographical Information about Saint Elizabeth of Portugal[1]
Readings for Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Amos 8:4-6, 9-12
The Prophet Amos’ oracle now turns to God’s response to greed. The Israelites wait impatiently for the end of the Holy Days (“When will the new moon be over” see Numbers 28: 11-15) so they can engage in business. Their practices of cheating on the measure of grain (the Ephah is slightly more than a bushel) is strictly forbidden by Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19: 36 and Deuteronomy 25: 13-15).
The response by God is a judgment against them. Although the original intent was an attack on those who were dishonest, we see the deeper allusion to God’s response to the rejection of Christ and the death of his Son. The total eclipse is always a sign of God’s impending judgment, and the lamentations that follow (“I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentations”). Finally the prediction that the Word of the Lord (the sacred name is used in the Hebrew text) will be gone from them and they will search for it in vein can be seen not only as the loss of the prophet (the original intent) but the loss of the Logos, the Messiah.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
The strophes selected from this very long psalm focus on the fidelity of the singer to the “ordinances, statutes and decrees” of the Law in direct reference the oracle of Amos above who condemns those who violate God’s Law.. Psalm 119 is an individual lament asking for God’s support in times of difficulty
Gospel Matthew 9:9-13
The journey of Jesus continues with the Lord’s encounter with Matthew (Levi in St. Mark’s Gospel), the tax collector. The Pharisees are scandalized because this renowned teacher has chosen to associate with “sinners” who clearly violate some of the numerous laws about ritual purity (Matthew 5:46). Jesus’ response using the quote from Hosea 6:6 “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” makes it clear that interior faith is more highly prized than purely ritualistic rigor.
Reflection:
It is interesting that in spite of having heard the call of St. Matthew twice already within the last year (First at the Feast of St. Matthew in September and then just last month on the 10th Sunday in Ordinary time) when that story is set against the back drop of the oracle of the Prophet Amos, a new understanding of God’s plan is revealed.
If we look just at the Gospel story we see Christ’s encounter with St. Matthew, future Apostle and Gospel author. We note that Matthew does not come from the ranks of the Pharisees, the Scribes, or any profession that would be obvious for one chosen to become a religious disciple. In fact, if we thought the Lord’s first choice of common fishermen was counter-intuitive, this choice is really strange. Yet, even though the choice of St. Matthew is a strange one, when the Lord calls him with a simple “Follow me”, he immediately follows, supposedly leaving his customs post and his livelihood behind.
Looking just at the story of the call of St. Matthew we see the Lord call a flawed person. One considered to be a sinner; one who took advantage of the poor and was deceitful in business; One who should be punished by God. Without Jesus’ call he most certainly would have, in Hebrew tradition, been subject to all forms of punishment by the Lord. By applying the reference by Amos to God’s displeasure with those who were greedy (a perfect picture of the tax collector) we see how Jesus not only made him his own, but rescued all who sin, taking on the sins of all.
And for us, these two stories, linked by the psalmists sung thought about the need to be faithful to God’s laws and statutes, demonstrates the love of God for all who find their past sins too much a burden. He reaches out to all of us, regardless of how far we may have fallen, and invites us to follow him. He does so without judgment, without conditions, and without reservation. And he stood behind his invitation with the pledge of his life, given up for all.
Pax[1] The picture used is “Elizabeth of Portugal” by Francisco de Zurbarán, c. 1650
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle
Biographical Information about St. Thomas the Apostle[1]
Readings for Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle[2]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Ephesians 2:19-22
In this passage, St. Paul describes the unity brought about among all believers in Christ. This unity is formed under a common teaching flowing from the Hebrew Prophets, through the Apostles to Christ himself who is described as the “capstone” or cornerstone. This unity of spirit becomes the Church – the “dwelling place for God in the Spirit.”
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 117:1bc, 2R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
Using a refrain from St. Mark’s Gospel, the psalm is one of praise for the Good News of God’s salvation.
Gospel John 20:24-29
This story from St. John’s Gospel picks up just after Mary Magdalene has brought news to the disciples of the Risen Christ and he has appeared to them in the locked room. He (the Lord) has departed and now Thomas returns to find his friends speaking of Jesus’ return from the dead.
Thomas acquires his nickname by doubting what the other disciples tell him and persists until the Lord again comes to the locked upper room. To his credit, following the Lord’s own challenge St. Thomas applies the title “My Lord and my God”. It is the first time this title, reserved for God the Father, is given to the Son, proclaiming his divinity. The passage concludes with Jesus acknowledging the title but praising those not present who will believe in him without requiring physical proof.
Reflection:
Dying and rising – it is the promise and the reality of what Christ brings us. We see it in Christ, we see it in our selves, and we see it in all that is holy. It points us, the followers of Jesus who are so human and like St. Thomas and need the physical reality Christ to fully have faith in him, to what he left us, the Eucharist.
Dying and rising – in the Gospel we see the Lord rising, now showing us true God as well as true man. In rising we rejoice in the great promise of God who through His sacrifice offers us a means of unbounded happiness, free from sin. But first we must accept Jesus as St. Thomas does as “My Lord and my God.” It is in that acceptance that we find the reality of our baptismal promise to die to our sinful selves that we might also rise with Christ. Even as we profess those words we feel our nature altered, we grasp what it means to be a holy people, a Eucharistic people truly free of darkness.
Dying and rising - each night in sleep we understand the little death, putting behind us a day filled with striving to follow the example of God’s Only Son. As we finally pray “May the all powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death” we do so anticipating our new rising either to face a new day of effort to be like the Lord or in the new resurrection promised to his faithful.
As we once more celebrate the gift of Didymus, St. Thomas who was first to understand that his teacher and Lord was true God, let us also celebrate the reality Jesus left us of his Body and Blood so that we to might gaze upon it and profess from our hearts “My Lord and my God.”
Pax[1] The image used today is “Doubting Thomas” by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), 1623
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Amos 5:14-15, 21-24
The Prophet continues his pronouncement of “Woes to Israel” with what is called the Third Word. “The Lord condemns, not ritual worship in itself, but the cult whose exterior rites and solemnity have no relation to interior morality and justice. The Israelites falsely worshiped him as neighboring nations adored Baal or Chamos, deities which were thought to protect their respective peoples against their enemies in return for ritual observances, without any relation to right conduct.”[3]
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 50:7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 16bc-17R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Psalm 50 is a “covenant lawsuit”, that is a lament against those who have violated God’s law and the covenant made with Him upon which it was based. Echoing the charges leveled against Israel by the Prophet Amos (Am 5:14ff) the psalmist condemns empty ritual and sacrifice not reflective of external actions and internal faith.
Gospel Matthew 8:28-34
Jesus comes to a region about five miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee and encounters the two demoniacs (people taken over by demons). He drives them out into a herd of swine (the symbolism here for the Jewish audience would be powerful as swine were unclean animals and even they preferred death to the presence of evil.). The gentle population, probably very superstitious, was afraid of Christ’s power over evil and did not want any more damage as a result of his presence.
Reflection:
Many years ago, in the late 1980’s, a rather progressive pastor came to a parish that had a significant vocal minority of staunch traditionalists (claiming affiliation to Catholics United For the Faith or CUFF). The pastor walked carefully as he began to implement changes that would bring the liturgical worship in the parish to the norms of the post-Vatican II Church. The liturgy became more vibrant and the parish grew as it attracted new members.
Then the pastor did something rather progressive. You see, he had gone to Rome with a group from the parish and it was noted that in many of the parishes in Rome, young ladies were given the opportunity to serve as Acolytes (altar servers or the even older “Altar Boys” designation). The pastor thought that if it was OK in Rome, he would provide that opportunity for young ladies at his parish. After all, even though there was a school attached to the parish, he was having a difficult time finding servers for all the Masses.
To put numbers into perspective, the parish had about twelve hundred families at the time, not a small parish. Father put the announcement in the parish bulletin and a dozen or so young ladies immediately signed up. Father also got a number of angry letters from several members of CUFF indicating that it was simply not right to “profane” the liturgy by allowing this departure from the traditional “boys only” participation in the role of Acolyte.
The pastor had expected some resistance but assumed that once the initial novelty wore off, the angry parishioners would be silenced and the parish would resume its happy growth trend. For the most part this was true. However one small group found this break with tradition so offensive that they took it upon themselves to attempt to intimidate the new female volunteers and their families to get them to withdraw their offer of service. To this end they wrote letters to the parents of the young ladies who had volunteered. They explained in these letters that the pastor had over-reached his authority and had trampled on the sacred traditions of the Church and that by allowing their daughters to participate in this fashion they (the parents) were leading their children into mortal sin.
Some of the parents who did not want to confront these vocal zealots had their daughters withdraw. But most went forward. When this attempt to convince the parents failed, a few of the more vocal members of the group decided to take a more disruptive approach. They began to stand at the back of the church before Mass and deride the young ladies saying things like; “Don’t you know you will go to hell for what you are doing.” And “You are committing an offense to God by what you are doing.” Eventually, these parishioners were ordered to either stop what they were doing of to leave the church. Some left and the situation normalized but serious damage had been done. The stain of that controversy set the parish back a couple of years. The episode demoralized the young pastor who became much less open to introducing change.
If we look at the reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos today, how do we view the situation? We are certain that those who tried to prevent the young ladies from serving thought they were acting in the best interests of the Church. So were the young ladies and their parents who encouraged them to take a more active role in worship. But the results of this schism must have had the Devil dancing on the roof of that church. Was the ritual more important than the commandments? Had tradition become more important that God’s Spirit? It is a question we must always ask when we go forward or back with change. Is it for God’s glory or is it to satisfy some other motive? Sometimes that is a difficult question to answer.
Pax[1] After Links to Readings Expire[2] The picture today is “The Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus” by Wilhelm von Kaulbach, 1846
[3] NAB footnote on Amos 5:21
Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12
The Prophet Amos issues a warning to Israel (the Northern Kingdom). He begins his address by explaining that because the people of Israel are God’s chosen ones, the Lord will hold them to a higher standard of behavior (were not they given the Law of Moses?). Then he starts with his own divinely inspired compulsion to exhort them with his prophetic vision using a series of every day events to which his listeners would have been familiar (“Do two walk together unless they have agreed?” Agreement goes before harmony. “Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey?” The answer would also be, yes. etc.) The prophet therefore must also speak “The Lord God speaks—who will not prophesy!” The concluding remarks in this selection indicate the Lord’s judgment is at hand.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 5:4b-6a, 6b-7, 8R. Lead me in your justice, Lord.
Psalm 5 is a lament pleading for rescue from those who are evil and do not follow the statutes of God. The love of God is for has faithful people and those who do not follow his law “the Lord abhors”.
Gospel Matthew 8:23-27
Jesus calming the sea is the first of the next set of miracles recorded in St. Matthew’s Gospel. There are notable differences between St. Matthew’s account and that of St. Mark (Mark 4:35-41). First we note that Jesus leads the disciples into the boat rather than the disciples taking him there. We also see a more reverent attitude on the part of the twelve as the wake him contrasted with the accusatory tone in St. Mark (“…do you not care that we are perishing?") This account of the disciple’s experience, in both cases, points directly at Jesus as the Son of God and serves as a proof for the reader.
Reflection:
Beyond the obvious proof of Jesus identity as the Messiah, the Son of God, the story of Jesus calming the sea has another important lesson for us, his modern day followers. Simply stated the story is; Jesus beacons, the disciples follow. A storm threatens them and Jesus calms both the storm and their fears. The story encapsulates one of the many gifts Christ offers those who trust in him, His peace.
The peace of Christ is something so valuable, so cherished by his faithful that we should thank God for it daily. It is that peace that gave the early martyrs the courage to stand up under torture. It is that peace which opened the hearts of many of the saints to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When the storm rages around us and all seems to be chaotic our natural emotional state tends to imitate the chaos around us and cloud our vision. But the peace of Christ calms those turbulent waters and allows us to see clearly, as Diodocious of Photice said, into the very depths of the sea.
The peace of Christ requires something of the believer. To attain this serenity in the face of calamity, it is necessary to place our trust, our complete trust, in the Lord our Savior. We are reminded of an old movie called “The Court Jester” with Danny Kay. In one scene Danny, a bumbling minstrel, was hypnotized by a minion of the beguiling princess (Angela Lansbury) and was transformed into a champion fencer. While he was under the influence of the suggestion, he fought bravely and with skill against the evil Sir Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone). But when the trance was broken he became the terrified jester flailing wildly. Without the trust and faith in Christ our human emotions betray us and, like horses fleeing fire, we can be lead to do exactly the wrong thing.
When we are faced with crisis, it is so important that we pause and place our trust in Christ. Allow Him to take on the fearful situation, as he did the storm in the Gospel, and he will calm our fears, bring us peace, and show us the way. Does that mean he will intervene and change our physical reality? No, but he can change our mental state, providing the comfort, consolation, and peace that will make all the difference in how we react and how others perceive God acting through us.
Our prayer today is that God will strengthen us and give us His peace that we might boldly proclaim His Name to all we meet this day.
Pax[1] After Links to Readings Expire[2] The picture used is “Sleep of Jesus During the Storm” by Alexandre Bida, c. 1875
