Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Memorial of Saint Agnes


Virgin and Martyr

Biographical Information about St. Agnes

Readings for Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:
[3]

Reading 1:
Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17

This “Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,
met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings”
and “blessed him.”
And Abraham apportioned to him “a tenth of everything.”
His name first means righteous king,
and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace.
Without father, mother, or ancestry,
without beginning of days or end of life,
thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up
after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so,
not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent
but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.
For it is testified:
You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
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Commentary on
Heb 7:1-3, 15-17

This selection uses two sets of verses from the 7th chapter of Hebrews. The first set, verses 1-3 describes the appointment by Abraham of Melchizedek as High Priest (see
Genesis 14:17-20). The significance of the “High Priest” is emphasized by a description of the meaning of his name; “righteous king” and “king of peace”. “Since Genesis gives no information on the parentage or the death of Melchizedek, he is seen here as a type of Christ, representing a priesthood that is unique and eternal “[4]

The second set of verses, 15-17 references Jesus’ coming and how his authority comes, not from appointment or lineage like the levitical priesthood, but rather from his immortal existence. In doing so and fulfilling the immortal priesthood of Psalm 110: 4 (below), Jesus supersedes both the law and the contemporary Hebrew understanding of High Priest.

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Responsorial Psalm:
[5] Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
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Commentary on
Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4

Psalm 110 thanks God for earthly authority, recognizing that it is only through His strength that authority is exercised. Using Melchizedek as an arch example, he was a secular king in the time of Abraham who ruled on the spiritual side as well. Since the ancient text refer neither to his lineage nor his death, his office is seen as eternal (“You are a priest forever…”)

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Gospel:
Mark 3:1-6

Again he (Jesus) entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees,
“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.
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Commentary on
Mk 3:1-6

Mark’s Gospel today again shows us a picture of Jesus in contention with the scribes and Pharisees. This time they use bate; a man with an affliction is apparently used to trap Jesus into doing something that by Pharisaic Law was considered “labor”. Jesus tries to show them the flaw in their logic with a question; “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they will not respond because the answer is obvious. With his opponents reduced to silence, the cures the man (see also
John 5:17-18). Their attempt foiled, they run to the minions of King Herod to continue their plotting.

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Reflection:

See the lesson Jesus teaches in St. Mark’s Gospel. The Lord comes to the synagogue to both participate in worship and to teach. Those who have nervously watched him with suspicion (“Is he a prophet – a holy man?”) have seen a weakness. This man cannot turn his back on suffering people and he has reportedly healed people on the sabbath before. So they devise a trap. While he is in the synagogue – on sabbath, they bring him a man with a withered hand. We can only imagine the human emotions that must have played through the Lord’s mind when they trotted out this poor dupe.

Jesus easily saw the trap. Being the consummate interpreter of human motivation, he would have noted the cliquish group with their large Phylacteries and long Tassels, clear marks of the Pharisees. He would have noted their hushed whispers as the deformed man came forward and have instantly understood their motives. He turned to them, perhaps sternly and asked them a fundamental question; “’Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?’” They would were caught in their own trap. How could they deny that it was lawful to do good? How could they argue that to save life was unlawful? They could say nothing.

Seeing the effect of his words, the Lord would turn once more to the poor man who carried an affliction these same Pharisees had told him was a punishment from God. Because of the attitudes and pronouncements of these same men, the man with a withered hand not only carried a physical disability but also endured the constant stigma of being under God’s punishment. The Lord, with a word “Stretch out your hand” gave the man his life.

We see in the petty attitudes of the Pharisees the trap we can also fall into if we are not careful. We, in the Catholic Church, have the most disciplined requirements for living our faith. We are required to remain in a constant state of grace so that we are eligible to receive the Body of Christ. We require attendance at Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor; confession of our sins at least once a year; reception the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. We are required to observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church and help to provide for the needs of the Church.

These precepts are the minimum requirements of our faith. Yet; faced with the needs of the Great Commandment, even these are placed in perspective. The precepts are the discipline we offer as service to the Lord; loving God and neighbor are the outward signs that we know what these acts of devotion mean.

Jesus sends us a message through St. Mark today. We are called to be a holy and sanctified people who not only follow the Laws of the Church but follow its spirit as well. We pray for the strength and discipline to do both.

Pax

[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “Study of Hands” by Leonardo da Vinci, 1474
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] See NAB footnote on Hebrews 7: 1-3
[5] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved

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