Monday, March 18, 2024

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 437, 497, 532-534, 1014, 1846, 2177: Saint Joseph
CCC 2214-2220: Duties of children to their parents
 
Additional Information about St. Joseph

“Joseph's Dream”
by Gaetano Gandolfi, 1790

Readings for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
 
The Lord spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David,
‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
 
Within the historical books of the Old Testament (1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 and 2 Maccabees), this passage is considered to have the most theological significance. Nathan’s oracle, the establishment of the dynasty of king David, marks the beginning of the understanding of royal messianism, our first hint of the Messiah to come.
 
In this passage, Nathan is told by God to tell David that, while he would not build the temple, his son (Solomon) would, and that his (David’s) line would continue: “Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.
 
CCC: 2 Sm 7 709; 2 Sm 7:14 238, 441
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
 
R. (37) The son of David will live for ever.
 
The promises of the Lord I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
 
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
 
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
 
Though Psalm 89 is a lament, this first section is prophetic and reiterates the establishment of the Davidic dynasty. The intended support for 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 is clear. It is likely this hymn was sung entreating God and reminding the people of the covenant between God and David to “establish your throne for all generations.
 
CCC: Ps 89 709
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Reading II: Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
 
Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22
 
St. Paul continues his discourse on justification through faith. He reconciles Jewish history as it applies to Gentiles. He reasserts that Abraham was given the promise, not because of adherence to the law, but because of God’s love. By defining God’s people as the descendants of Abraham, he includes all peoples in the inheritance of Christ. This reconciliation is through faith, not the Law of Moses, and not simply heritage. In an intense theological statement, St. Paul states that the law has the negative function of bringing deep-seated rebellion against God to the surface in specific sins.
 
CCC: Rom 4:16-21 706, 2572; Rom 4:17 298; Rom 4:18-21 723; Rom 4:18 146, 165, 1819
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Gospel: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a
 
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
 
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
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Commentary on Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a
 
This section of the nativity narrative from St. Matthew’s Gospel tells the story of Joseph’s dilemma. He is required by Mosaic Law to file a petition of divorce in front of witnesses. He had resigned himself to this course of action, when he had a dream in which an angel came to him and told him of the origins of the child Mary bore. For his part, Joseph accepted the message and did as the Lord commanded. (See also commentary on Matthew 1: 18-25 below.)
 
“Joseph, the tsaddiq or pious Jew, finds himself before a God who seems to contradict himself, just as he did when he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the only son of the promise. We are always compelled to read anew the deeds of God in our lives. His justice and righteousness are inseparable from a hidden inventiveness whose logic cannot be codified once and for all. ‘To make an example of by punishing publicly’ is the full connotation of the verb δειματίσαι in the legal context in which it appears here, and it is the verb that describes the procedure prescribed by Jewish law for one convicted of adultery. But what Joseph did not want to do with Mary in literal obedience to the Jewish law, God, in a sense, did with her, only in an unexpected way. The Gospel here proposes Mary as the example of how the God-fearing person ought to behave when approached by a God who always has unfathomable reasons for acting as he does. The depth of Mary’s obedience, thus ‘exposed’ by God, ought to convert our disobedience by the sheer force of its radiance! What Joseph did decide to do was λάθϱᾳ ἀπολῦσαι, to ‘dismiss’ or ‘divorce her secretly’.” [5]
 
CCC: Mt 1:16 437; Mt 1:18-25 497; Mt 1:20 333, 437, 486, 497; Mt 1:21 430, 437, 452, 1507, 1846, 2666, 2812
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Or: Luke 2:41-51a
 
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them.
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Commentary on Lk 2:41-51a
 
From the Gospel of St. Luke, we have the story of Jesus in the temple. It is significant from a number of perspectives. First, the story breaks scriptural silence regarding the “lost years” of Jesus’ growth from infancy to adulthood. This story says Jesus is twelve; that would be the time when he would have celebrated his bar miswah. He would have been considered a man.
 
This story is at odds with the apocryphal gospels (such as the Gospel of St. Thomas) that attributed many miracles to Jesus during his early years. This story paints his childhood as fairly normal. The implication, based on Joseph and Mary’s reaction to Jesus' actions in the temple, is that they do not completely understand their son’s mission at this point in his life.
 
With reference to St. Joseph, this passage is the first time God, not St. Joseph, is identified as the father of Jesus. It is also the last time in Scripture he is mentioned. He does, however receive a great tribute as the Lord Jesus returns home with him and is obedient to him (“He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them”).
 
CCC: Lk 2:41-52 534; Lk 2:41 583; Lk 2:46-49 583; Lk 2:48-49 503; Lk 2:49 2599; Lk 2:51-52 531; Lk 2:51 517, 2196, 2599
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Reflection:
 
In 2020, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis proclaimed a special “Year of St. Joseph.” We took the opportunity during this focused time to pray for his intercession as the devoted earthly guardian of our beloved Savior.
 
The options for the gospel readings give us both ends of Joseph’s involvement in the life of Christ and two different images to ponder. The dots are all connected in terms of salvation history tumbling down from Abraham to David to Joseph. We are all part of the drama that unfolds as the Messiah is born and raised by earthly parents as true man, born of woman.
 
Of all the roles played by God’s instruction in Christ’s life, St. Joseph is least mentioned, but, like the cotter pin that holds together two great weights, his understated presence is critical to fulfilling the prophecy. He is, as we hear in Matthew, of the line of David and he continues, through his foster son Jesus, the messianic promise.
 
His role for us is one of the persons who, despite social pressure, does the right thing without fanfare. In all humility, he does what God asks. He is the faithful father who works in obscurity to provide for his family. His contribution to the whole may only be seen by inference. The son he helped to raise fulfilled his destiny, as bittersweet as that was.
 
One of the things that sets Catholics apart from our Protestant brethren is our strong affinity to the saints. They have a difficult time understanding. If you are ever asked: “Why do you pray to Mary (or Joseph, or Cyril, etc.)?” Your first answer should be: “We don’t. We ask them to intercede for us, but we pray only to God through Christ.”
 
We look to the saints for a couple of reasons. The first of these is for the reason mentioned above, intercession. We believe that people recognized by the Church as having a special place in the communion of saints, have a special place in heaven (this is supported by Scripture). And because of their unique status, having places of honor in the kingdom of heaven, they are in a position to petition God the Father on our behalf. We believe this to be so because one of the attributes of the saints is that they were some of the best examples of how a person might live a life of faith. And a big part of that faith is compassion and love for all humankind.
 
The second reason we have such reverence for the saints is that they provide us with examples of faith that are real to us. We can understand a St. Joseph whose principal merit was to provide a human father figure for Jesus as he grew up. That sacrifice and love earned him a special place in the heart of the Church and a special significance for all fathers who adopt children or provide that role for them without a biological connection.
 
We love what Pope John Paul the Great said of St. Joseph in his daily meditations: “What emanates from the figure of Saint Joseph is faith. Joseph of Nazareth is a ‘just man’ because he totally ‘lives by faith.’ He is holy because his faith is truly heroic.” And we, whose faith is often challenged, need heroes.
 
Today we end with the prayer of St. Joseph:
 
Almighty God, you entrusted to the faithful care of Joseph the beginnings of the mysteries of man's salvation. Through his intercession may your Church and her pontiff always be faithful in her service so that your designs will be fulfilled. Amen
 
Pax
 
Stations of the Cross
 
In other years on this date: 
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
 
[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 is “Joseph's Dream” by Gaetano Gandolfi, 1790.
[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] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 65.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Optional Memorial for Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Biographical information about St. Cyril of Jerusalem
 
During the Fifth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of Lazarus is not read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.

“Susanna and the Elders” (detail)
by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn 1647

Readings for Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
 
In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim,
who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna,
the daughter of Hilkiah;
her pious parents had trained their daughter
according to the law of Moses.
Joakim was very rich;
he had a garden near his house,
and the Jews had recourse to him often
because he was the most respected of them all.
 
That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges,
of whom the Lord said, "Wickedness has come out of Babylon:
from the elders who were to govern the people as judges."
These men, to whom all brought their cases,
frequented the house of Joakim.
When the people left at noon,
Susanna used to enter her husband's garden for a walk.
When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk,
they began to lust for her.
They suppressed their consciences;
they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven,
and did not keep in mind just judgments.
 
One day, while they were waiting for the right moment,
she entered the garden as usual, with two maids only.
She decided to bathe, for the weather was warm.
Nobody else was there except the two elders,
who had hidden themselves and were watching her.
"Bring me oil and soap," she said to the maids,
"and shut the garden doors while I bathe."
 
As soon as the maids had left,
the two old men got up and hurried to her.
"Look," they said, "the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us;
give in to our desire, and lie with us.
If you refuse, we will testify against you
that you dismissed your maids because a young man was here with you."
 
"I am completely trapped," Susanna groaned.
"If I yield, it will be my death;
if I refuse, I cannot escape your power.
Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt
than to sin before the Lord."
Then Susanna shrieked, and the old men also shouted at her,
as one of them ran to open the garden doors.
When the people in the house heard the cries from the garden,
they rushed in by the side gate to see what had happened to her.
At the accusations by the old men,
the servants felt very much ashamed,
for never had any such thing been said about Susanna.
 
When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day,
the two wicked elders also came,
fully determined to put Susanna to death.
Before all the people they ordered:
"Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah,
the wife of Joakim."
When she was sent for,
she came with her parents, children and all her relatives.
All her relatives and the onlookers were weeping.
 
In the midst of the people the two elders rose up
and laid their hands on her head.
Through tears she looked up to heaven,
for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly.
The elders made this accusation:
"As we were walking in the garden alone,
this woman entered with two girls
and shut the doors of the garden, dismissing the girls.
A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her.
When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this crime,
we ran toward them.
We saw them lying together,
but the man we could not hold, because he was stronger than we;
he opened the doors and ran off.
Then we seized her and asked who the young man was,
but she refused to tell us.
We testify to this."
The assembly believed them,
since they were elders and judges of the people,
and they condemned her to death.
 
But Susanna cried aloud:
"O eternal God, you know what is hidden
and are aware of all things before they come to be:
you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of the things
with which these wicked men have charged me."
 
The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to execution,
God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
"I will have no part in the death of this woman."
All the people turned and asked him, "What is this you are saying?"
He stood in their midst and continued,
"Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her."
 
Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
"Come, sit with us and inform us,
since God has given you the prestige of old age."
But he replied,
"Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them."
 
After they were separated one from the other,
he called one of them and said:
"How you have grown evil with age!
Now have your past sins come to term:
passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.'
Now, then, if you were a witness,
tell me under what tree you saw them together."
"Under a mastic tree," he answered.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
and split you in two."
Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him,
"Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you,
lust has subverted your conscience.
This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
and in their fear they yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together."
"Under an oak," he said.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you also your head,
for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you both."
 
The whole assembly cried aloud,
blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
They rose up against the two elders,
for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood spared that day.
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Commentary on Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
 
The story of Susanna and the Elders is one of three stories that now exist only in Greek. Neither this story nor the stories of "Bel and the Dragon" (Daniel 14) and "The prayer of Azariah" (Daniel 3:24ff) are included in the Hebrew canon but have always been included by the Church.
 
This story is one of justice and the application of Mosaic Law.  Mosaic Law states in Deuteronomy 17:619:5 that two witnesses must corroborate testimony against one charged. The innocent Susanna is rescued by the hero of the book, Daniel. In demanding the law be followed scrupulously, he rescues Susanna and expunges wickedness.
 
Within the story we find Susanna and her family likely intended to represent Israel. The two elders may have some link with the two false prophets who committed adultery and who are denounced in Jeremiah 29:21-23. The point is clearly made that what leads them astray is lust. A work attributed to St John Chrysostom comments on this passage: "If no passion undermines and corrupts it, the soul will remain clean and unstained. But if he does not guard his eyes and looks at whatever he wants around him in the world, […] the poison of desire will enter through a man's sight and strike to the bottom of his heart; and he who was once a sober and modest man will be overwhelmed by a whirlwind of passions" (De Susanna, col. 591).[4]
 
-------------------------------------------
OR
Shorter Form: Daniel 13:41c-62
 
The assembly condemned Susanna to death.
 
But Susanna cried aloud:
"O eternal God, you know what is hidden
and are aware of all things before they come to be:
you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of the things
with which these wicked men have charged me."
 
The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to execution,
God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
"I will have no part in the death of this woman."
All the people turned and asked him,
"What is this you are saying?"
He stood in their midst and continued,
"Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her."
 
Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
"Come, sit with us and inform us,
since God has given you the prestige of old age."
But he replied,
"Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them."
 
After they were separated one from the other,
he called one of them and said:
"How you have grown evil with age!
Now have your past sins come to term:
passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.'
Now, then, if you were a witness,
tell me under what tree you saw them together."
"Under a mastic tree," he answered.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
and split you in two."
Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him, "Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah,
beauty has seduced you, lust has subverted your conscience.
This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
and in their fear they yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together."
"Under an oak," he said.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you also your head,"
for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you both."
 
The whole assembly cried aloud,
blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
They rose up against the two elders,
for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood spared that day.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dn 13:41c-62
 
The shorter version omits all that led up to the trial and conviction of Susanna. In doing so, this shorter form requires the reader to infer, based upon the final verdict, the injustice being plotted by the wicked elders. Daniel, now a judge raised up by God to protect the innocent, not a seer or interpreter of dreams, intervenes to rescue Susanna and demonstrate the justice of Mosaic Law.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
 
R. (4ab) Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
 
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
 
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
 
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
 
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
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Commentary on Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
 
Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar songs in the entire psalter. “God's loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Psalm 23:1-4) and a host's generosity toward a guest (Psalm 23:5-6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Isaiah 40:1149:10Jeremiah 31:10).”[5] While the theme of Shepherd is mentioned in the first strophe, the psalm really speaks to the peace given to those who follow the Lord and place their trust in Him, even into the “dark valley.”
 
The reference in the third strophe above: “'You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes' occurs in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies watch: my enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15Matthew 26:7Luke 7:3746John 12:2).” [6]
 
CCC: Ps 23:5 1293
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Gospel: John 8:1-11
 
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to him,
“Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?”
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
“Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
“Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
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Commentary on Jn 8:1-11
 
John’s Gospel places Jesus once more in the temple precincts. The story of Jesus and the adulterous woman constitutes another example of how the Jewish leadership attempts to trap Jesus with a difficult legal problem.  They have no doubt heard the Lord’s teaching about loving one another and believe that he will not condemn the adulterous woman and thereby give them reason to call him “blasphemer.” As a side note, most Scripture scholars believe this passage was not originally in St. John’s Gospel but was borrowed from St. Luke.  Regardless, from a very early period it has been considered sacred in the current context.
 
It is not completely clear what Jesus is being asked to judge.  The law concerning adultery by a betrothed virgin was stoning (see Deuteronomy 22:23-24).  However, the law concerning married women was simply death (see Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22) and was generally carried out by strangulation.
 
In response, rather than debating the law, he simply begins writing in the dust. Tradition tells us that what he wrote with his finger was a list of the sins of those gathered to stone the woman caught in adultery. He then asked that the one without sin should cast the first stone. (The first stones were to be thrown by the witnesses.)
 
In either case, Jesus should not have been able to commute her sentence without going against the law so he uses his knowledge of people’s hearts to have the charges withdrawn.  As we saw in the first reading, two accusers are required to condemn a person under the law.
 
The story continues that after his second set of writings in the dust, the group gathered to stone the woman; “went away one by one, beginning with the elders.” Even, or more importantly, first, the elders left. No one was without sin. In the closing statement Jesus does something unexpected. He does not judge the woman either; rather he tells her to go and sin no more, emphasizing that Jesus came into the world not to judge it but through his presence to save it.
 
CCC: Jn 8:2 583
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
With less than two weeks until we celebrate the great high feast of the Lord’s resurrection, now deep within our desert journey, we are reminded of our responsibility to testify truthfully to the light and to turn from darkness.  The story from Daniel of the evil elders, men of authority, who allowed their base instincts to rule them, should be example enough.  The warning was clear, when we give in to the beast that howls in the night our only reward will be death, if not of body – of spirit.
 
Our testimony – our words, our actions and our thoughts – must testify to the light of the world.  It is a constant struggle because just as the elders were seduced by the spirit of the evil one first to lust and then to dishonor themselves further in lies, so that same spirit of evil exists today begging us to give in to invitations to abandon our Lord’s path.  Many have been lured away with promises of pleasure and gain at the expense of the poor and the weak.  They call out to the righteous, “Come, enjoy, it is your right to have all that you can take.”  The seduction is smooth and cunning.  Its logic twists and turns, it makes sense of the senseless acts of greed and overindulgence.
 
We are called by the Gospel to be children of the light.  That means that all our actions and our thoughts should be able to be submitted to the light of the world without blemish or shame.  And when those times occur as they do in the best of us, we must take those stains and offer them to the one whose blood cleansed the world in the sacrament of the confessional.
 
Our Lenten journey flows toward Easter quickly. Let us pledge that when we stand in the new light of Easter, we will be children of the light indeed.
 
Pax

[1] The picture is “Susanna and the Elders” (detail) by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn 1647.
[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] The Navarre Bible: “Major Prophets” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 873.
[5] NAB footnote on Psalm 23.
[6] Ibid.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Note: Alternate readings used for Year A Scrutinies are found below in a second section below.
 
Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 606-607: Christ’s life an offering to the Father
CCC 542, 607: Christ’s desire to give his life for our salvation
CCC 690, 729: the Spirit glorifies the Son, the Son glorifies the Father
CCC 662, 2853: Christ ascended in glory as our victory
CCC 56-64, 220, 715, 762, 1965: the history of the covenants

“Salvator Mundi”
by Leonardo da Vinci, c.1500
 
(Year B Readings)
 
Readings for Fifth Sunday of Lent [2] 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 31:31-34
 
The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 31:31-34
 
This passage is called by Scripture scholars “Jeremiah’s Spiritual Testament." [5] In his announcement of the “new covenant,” he condenses his entire message into these few words. While in his day, he is speaking to the returning exiles about the re-establishment of the relationship with God, it can also be seen as predictive of the messianic covenant. This is especially clear given the language in the final verse regarding forgiveness: “All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
 
CCC: Jer 31 1611; Jer 31:31-34 64, 715, 762, 1965; Jer 31:33 368, 580, 2713
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15
 
R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
 
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
 
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
 
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15
 
Psalm 51 provides a call to repentance. It is a lament and the most famous of the seven penitential psalms. “The Psalmist’s plea extends beyond a desire for a physical cure (that cure is a sign that his sin has been forgiven). He begs God to renew his inner being by an act of creation (v. 10), which will allow him to dwell in the presence of God and share in the life that he possesses and bestows (‘thy holy Spirit’, thy deliverance’; v. 11-12). The psalmist speaks of the fidelity to God which the prophets have said will appear in the New Covenant that God will make with his people (cf. Jeremiah 24:731:33Ezekiel 36: 25-27).” [6]
 
CCC: Ps 51:12 298, 431
-------------------------------------------
Reading II: Hebrews 5:7-9  
 
In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Heb 5:7-9  
 
This is an important passage from the standpoint of understanding the call to ministry, especially the priesthood. In an extended form, it is frequently used at ordinations and provides an understanding of what it means to be called to a vocation. This selection continues with Christ’s own call. The author does an excellent job of capturing Christ’s humanity in this description.

"To emphasize the force of Christ's prayer, the writer adds, 'with loud cries and tears'. According to rabbinical teaching, there were three degrees of prayer, each stronger than the last--supplications, cries and tears. Christian tradition has always been touched by the humanity of the Redeemer as revealed in the way he prays. 'Everything that is being said here may be summed up in one word--humility: that stops the mouths of those who blaspheme against Christ's divinity saying that it is completely inappropriate for a God to act like this. For, on the contrary, the Godhead laid it down that [Christ's] human nature should suffer all this, in order to show us the extreme to which he truly became incarnate and assumed a human nature, and to show us that the mystery of salvation was accomplished in a real and not an apparent or fictitious manner' (Theodoret of Cyrus, 'lnterpretatio Ep. ad Haebreos, ad loc.')." [7]
 
CCC: Heb 5:1-10 1564; Heb 5:7-9 609, 2606; Heb 5:7-8 612, 1009; Heb 5:7 2741; Heb 5:8 2825; Heb 5:9 617
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 12:20-33
 
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus."
Philip went and told Andrew;
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them,
"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.
"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
'Father, save me from this hour'?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name."
Then a voice came from heaven,
"I have glorified it and will glorify it again."
The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;
but others said, "An angel has spoken to him."
Jesus answered and said,
"This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself."
He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 12:20-33
 
St. John leads us to understand how Jesus’ mission expands from one directed to Israel to include all peoples of all nations. It begins with the Greeks asking for Jesus (in this case “Greeks” likely means Greek speaking Gentiles). It is significant that this request is made of Philip (and of Andrew) the only two of the Twelve bearing Greek names.

Jesus' response to this request “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” implies that only after his crucifixion could the Gospel encompass everyone. He then goes on to educate his disciples about the mystery of his atoning death. He uses the metaphor of the grain of wheat found in the other Gospel traditions (see Mark 8:35Matthew 16:25Luke 9:24Matthew 10:39Luke 17:33). When the evangelist follows this with the statement that “Who ever loves his life loses it…” it is understood that the reference is to body and spirit since the Hebrews at this point did not recognize the separation of the two. The statement leads into and exhortation that those who follow Jesus (“whoever serves me”) must accept the same defamatory treatment.

The Lord’s lament (“I am troubled…”) seems to interrupt this discourse; however, the narrative comes closest to the agony in the garden found in the other Gospels. Jesus, faced with a cruel and imminent death feels the anguish of his human fear. His petition (“Yet what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'?”), followed by acceptance (in this instance “But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour”) echoes the sentiment of complete acceptance of the Father’s will and justifies the Lord’s request that he be glorified by Him.
The discourse concludes with God’s answer to Jesus’ plea, understood only by Jesus. Those who heard and did not understand are informed by Jesus that the events that will unfold will open the gates to the judgment seat of God. Again the use of the term “lifted up” conveys the dual meaning of lifted up upon the cross in the crucifixion and raised to glory in the resurrection.
 
CCC: Jn 12:24 2731; Jn 12:27 363, 607; Jn 12:28 434; Jn 12:31 550, 2853; Jn 12:32 542, 662, 786, 1428, 2795
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
We enter the fifth week of Lent and the culmination of our fast is nearly in sight.  Ironically the events taking place in the Gospel story from St. John happen during the middle of next week – Holy Week.  The passage takes us through a flurry of concepts and emotions.  He speaks first of the universal mission of the Messiah.  When the gentiles approach Philip and he and Andrew in turn approach Jesus (without the Gentiles present – symbolically indicating that it will only be after Jesus’ death that the mission is expanded to include all humankind) the Lord launches into his beautiful discourse about the necessity for his passion and death, equating it to the grain of wheat which falls to earth and springs up to new life.
 
He strengthens this metaphor which is shared in all of the Gospel accounts, telling his disciples that “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.  The Father will honor whoever serves me.  He lets them know that the road will not be an easy one.  But the effort they employ will be rewarded by the Father.
 
We are then provided with Jesus’ passionate plea to His Father.  He clearly sees the road ahead and knows what is coming.  He would be less than human if the prospect of his passion and death did not cause him to ask that it be taken from him (although in St. John’s account this request is couched in terms indicating the Lord has already accepted the necessity of the events that follow).  Jesus’ acceptance does not reduce the emotion we feel in the Lord.
 
Finally, his acceptance and prayer complete, the Father answers his Son – He, the Lord God, is pleased with his Son’s fidelity and bravery in the face of the passion to come.  He has loved him and now will glorify him further; giving to him all the praise and glory that heaven can offer.
 
The passage concludes with Jesus saying it is time.  All that he came to do, all the seeds he had come to plant, have been planted.  The earth has been plowed; now must he become wheat and die so that all his creation might have access to God’s saving power.
 
For us this story is almost premature.  We still have a week to go before we plunge into the events of Holy Week and see that dreadful story once more unfold before the Messiah.  This foretaste of what is to come drives us to accelerate our own preparations, inwardly readying our selves to accept the great sacrifice and rejoice in its offer of eternal life.
 
We pray for our own resolve this week.  May we for whom such a wondrous sacrifice was made, do as the Lord asked his friends, and follow his example, and bring God’s peace to all those we meet.
 
Pax
 
Stations of the Cross
In other years on March 17thOptional Memorial for St. Patrick, Bishop
 
________________________________________
Fifth Sunday of Lent (For use with RCIA)
 
Catechism Links [1]
CCC 992-996: the progressive revelation of resurrection
CCC 549, 640, 646: raising a messianic sign prefiguring Christ’s Resurrection
CCC 2603-2604: the prayer of Jesus before the raising of Lazarus
CCC 1002-1004: our present experience of resurrection
CCC 1402-1405, 1524: the Eucharist and the Resurrection
CCC 989-990: the resurrection of the body
 
Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent (A)
 
Readings and Commentary:
 
Reading 1: Ezekiel 37:12-14
 
Thus says the Lord God:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the Lord,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the Lord.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ez 37:12-14
 
The prophet Ezekiel, in this part of his oracle, was speaking metaphorically of the Hebrew people in exile being returned to the land God had promised. In this mystic vision he sees this event as a type of resurrection, the gift of new life. Within the context of Christ’s revelation the fuller truth is revealed as Christ comes in the new resurrection.
"The image of the resurrection would not have been used to describe the restoration of the people of Israel if the future resurrection of the dead had not been foreseen, because no one can be led to draw a conclusion from an idea that has no basis in reality." (St. Jerome, Commentarii in Ezechielem, 27, 1ff.)
 
CCC: Ez 37:1-14 715; Ez 37:10 703
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
 
R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
 
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
 
If you, O Lord, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
 
I trust in the Lord;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the Lord.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
 
For with the Lord is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
 
Psalm 130 is a song of lament. The psalmist cries out to God to hear the voice of the one who calls, and to forgive the sins they have committed. The second verse, which is also the refrain, sums up the lament, saying that if there is no forgiveness all will fall because all have sinned.
 
CCC: Ps 130:3 370
-------------------------------------------
Reading 2Romans 8:8-11
 
Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit dwelling in you.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rom 8:8-11
 
St. Paul focuses on what disciples of Christ must do to please God, which must come through the spirit, not the flesh. Paul makes it clear that the Spirit is "of God," for the new principle of Christian vitality is derived from the same source as all the other divine manifestations of salvation. The baptized Christian is not only "in the Spirit," but the Spirit is now said to dwell in him. Still, even with baptismal grace, the Christian must chose which path to follow – spirit or flesh.

"St. John Chrysostom makes an acute observation: if Christ is living in the Christian, then the divine Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, is also present in him. If this divine Spirit is absent, then indeed death reigns supreme, and with it the wrath of God, rejection of his laws, separation from Christ, and expulsion of our Guest. And he adds: ‘But when one has the Spirit within, what can be lacking? With the Spirit one belongs to Christ, one possesses Him, one vies for honor with the angels. With the Spirit, the flesh is crucified, one tastes the delight of an immortal life, one has a pledge of future resurrection and advances rapidly on the path of virtue. This is what Paul calls putting the flesh to death’ ("Hom. On Rom.", 13)." [8]
 
CCC: Rom 8:2 782; Rom 8:3 602; Rom 8:9 693; Rom 8:11 632, 658, 693, 695, 989, 990
-------------------------------------------
GospelJohn 11:1-45
 
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
 
So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
when Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”
 
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
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 everyone 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.”
 
When she had said this,
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
 
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
 
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
 
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 11:1-45
 
We join Jesus’ last journey to Jerusalem recounted in St. John’s Gospel. The story of Lazarus’ resurrection is part of what is known as the "Seventh Sign.” The Jerome Biblical Commentary does a nice job of summarizing the purpose: “In the narration of this miracle Jn gives at one and the same time a supreme proof of the Lord's life-giving power and a visualization of the doctrine contained in the conversation of vv. 23-27. The miracle literally fulfills the words of Jesus in 5:28; it is a sign, therefore, both of the final resurrection and of the rising from sin to grace that takes place in the soul of the believer.” [9]
 
Within the story we see the very human emotions of Jesus they range from 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, to confidence in his relationship with the Father at the end of the story. 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; Jn 11:28 581; Jn 11:34 472; Jn 11:39 627; Jn 11:41-42 2604; Jn 11:44 640
-------------------------------------------
OR
Shorter Form: John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45
 
The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
+Let us go back to Judea.”
 
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
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,
“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 everyone 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.”
 
He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
 
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
 
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45
 
Perhaps the most significant omission from the Lazarus story in this shortened form is the subtext around the situation in Bethany, and the danger Jesus walked into. Also left out was the disciples' reluctance to take that path, knowing that the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem was plotting against him. We see that clearly when St. Thomas says, as they are departing “Let us also go to die with him.” The shorter form removes the story from the context of the journey toward the cross and establishes it as a proof of the identity of Jesus.
 
CCC: Jn 11 994; Jn 11:24 993, 1001; Jn 11:25 994; Jn 11:27 439; Jn 11:34 472; Jn 11:39 627; Jn 11:41-42 2604; Jn 11:44 640
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
The theme of Sacred Scripture for this our Fifth Sunday of Lent is resurrection.  It is a term Christians use without much pause especially when speaking of Jesus who was the one who leads us from death to life and the one who calls us to follow him, returning to life when our mortal bodies fail as they all must.  The simple definition from the dictionary says that “Resurrection is the act of rising from the dead or returning to life.”  This is something miraculous, yet we followers of Jesus proclaim it in our creed and speak of it as calmly as if we were expecting to cross a street when our lives ended.
 
Ezekiel speaks about resurrection in the first reading.  To his original audience he was speaking in metaphor about the people of Israel who had been scattered in the Babylonian exile, returning to the land God had promised.  In a sense the prophet spoke about the resurrection of hope, as a people who had died in the spirit were brought back to faith in God as he restored their homes, their culture, and their faith.
 
This same understanding of a spiritual as well as a physical revival is alluded to in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, our second reading.  Here he speaks of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us that gives life to our mortal bodies and will allow them to live again as a consequence of Christ’s resurrection.
 
As if to renew our own wonder at the miracle promised by the Lord when he invited us to share in his own resurrection from the dead, we are presented with the wonderful story of the resurrection of Lazarus from St. John’s Gospel.
 
In this story we find ourselves most easily standing in the place of Martha and Mary.  We have met these sisters before in St. Luke’s Gospel.  Martha is the outspoken one.  To her falls the practical tasks of life.  She must concern herself with daily chores and keeping the home she shares with her sister and brother running smoothly.  She is fearless and completely unintimidated by the holiness of Jesus.  Mary, her sister, is the less intense but more spiritual of the two.  We remember her sitting at the feet of Jesus and are reminded by St. John that it was Mary who anointed him with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair.  We can all empathize with the sisters as their brother Lazarus falls ill. 
 
They send for Jesus, having faith that the great healer will be able to save their brother.  We are surprised at Jesus’ response when he receives this message.  He does not rush back to save Lazarus – rather he tells his disciples (who must have been relieved because of the danger they would face if they went back there) that Lazarus will not die but that this whole incident is so that God’s Son might be revealed more clearly.
 
We are told he delayed two full days before starting off for Bethany.  The disciples even tried to talk him out of it fearing the danger they faced.  Our patron, St. Thomas, even said “Let us also go to die with him.”
 
While he was still some way off, Martha heard that he was coming and went to meet him.  We are given a glorious exchange between the outspoken Martha and our Savior.  Martha takes him to task. “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.”  Knowing Martha, we can almost hear the accusation in her words. She is not calm in her grief for her brother but still has faith in Jesus.
 
The Lord tries to explain what he is about to do but she does not understand thinking he is speaking about the resurrection on the last day.  Finally, he corrects her and puts the question directly to her; “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  We can see the light of understanding come into her eyes as she responds; “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
 
Finally understanding, she sends for her sister, the emotional one who comes to the Lord in inconsolable grief, weeping.  The Lord sees the great sorrow this great proof of his identity has caused his friends and he becomes very upset.  The famous “shortest verse in Scripture” is uttered: “Jesus wept.”  He did not weep for Lazarus.  He was going to bring Lazarus back.  He wept for those who were weeping, those he loved, Martha and Mary.  They did not have enough faith to know what was possible in Christ.  In that one moment he wept for all who grieve their own loss, forgetting the joy of those who return to the Father in death.  He wept for all of us that we have to endure the suffering of loss before we see what is promised by the Lord.
 
Immediately he asks to be taken to the tomb where they have laid him.  Martha still does not understand what he is about to do.  She tries to prevent him from opening the tomb, thinking he simply wants to see his friend’s body once more.  She warns him that it will smell.  He’s been dead for four days. (also symbolic – Hebrew tradition stated that the spirit remained in the vicinity of the body for three days and then departed.).
 
We are told that at this point Jesus prayed aloud ̶ for our sake, that we might understand the power of prayer and know that it was not Jesus who did this thing but God the Father.  Then he called to Lazarus “Lazarus, come out.”  And the one who was dead (The words are: “the dead man came out.”) came back to Jesus who commanded that the bonds of death be untied “Untie him and let him go.”
 
It is said in Scripture that after this event, many of those who saw this event came to believe.  We must ask ourselves if we believe.  We, who assume the roles of Martha and Mary, are asked as Martha was, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  What is our response?  When we talk about the resurrection, do we speak with the awe and wonder that should accompany the greatest gift ever offered?
 
We are entering into the final days of our Lenten journey.  The high Holy Days are rushing upon us and we are challenged again – Do you believe this?  Our actions must reflect our words and the love of Christ must flow from us as it flowed to Lazarus whom Jesus called back to himself as he calls us.
 
Pax
 
[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 is “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci, c.1500.
[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] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, p.327, 89.
[6] The Navarre Bible: “Psalms,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 186-87.
[7] The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 182.
[8] The Navarre Bible: “Letters of St. Paul”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 100.
[9] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 63:123, p. 446.