Readings for Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 11:1-9
The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.
While the people were migrating in the east,
they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
They said to one another,
"Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire."
They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the sky,
and so make a name for ourselves;
otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth."
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower
that they had built.
Then the LORD said: "If now, while they are one people,
all speaking the same language,
they have started to do this,
nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
Let us then go down and there confuse their language,
so that one will not understand what another says."
Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth,
and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel,
because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world.
It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 11:1-9
The author uses this story as an explanation of how there came to be multiple languages used around the world. It is coupled with the moral lesson to illustrate how pride in one’s own strength is punished by God. In the story of the Tower of Babel, based upon the temple towers or ziggurats of Babylonia, the author describes the increasing wickedness of the people as they thought they could accomplish anything they wanted without God’s help.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
The LORD brings to naught the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise. In this selection the lesson presented in Genesis is reinforced; “The Lord brings to naught the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples.” Without God there is no creation, progress or salvation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 8:34--9:1
He (Jesus) summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the Gospel will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words
in this faithless and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of
when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
He also said to them,
"Amen, I say to you,
there are some standing here who will not taste death
until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 8:34--9:1
In the previous verses, the Lord has chastised St. Peter for encouraging him to avoid the passion and death he is destined to endure. Now turning to the rest of his followers, Jesus calls all of those who are with him to authentic discipleship. He tells them that answering that call means placing Christian sacrifice first and if necessary denying even ones life for the sake of the truth of the Son of God.
He challenges those who are wavering by indicating the sort of reception they will receive when they come before him on the last day; “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
In these economic times, the words of the Lord can give us peace. While it sounds like a huge challenge (and it is) there is a sense of hope. Hope because what the Lord is telling us is that what is truly important is not strictly our physical or financial well being, but our spiritual focus.
We listen to the news each day and see what is going on around us in the secular world. Worse, much of this news affects us directly and if we dwell upon it we find only depression and hopelessness. It seems in parallel to the story from Genesis we heard today about the great tower the Babylonians were building. Because they were so arrogant, they thought they could undertake a work of human hands that would rival God’s creation.
In response to their arrogance and unbelief, God showed them the error of false pride by introducing serious communication problems – they could not understand on another. We see that today, in the work place and in our lives. Without the common language of a united purpose or goal, our language fails us and what we attempt is doomed to failure.
Into this confusion comes the words; “follow me.” Christ is our uniting purpose. He is the one who gives us direction and shows us what is truly important in our lives. In difficult and desperate times, we contemplate drastic and extreme actions. Christ calls to us – what good is it to gain the whole world and loose you life?
He keeps us focused on what is important; what is at the core of Christian faithful; love of God and love of neighbor. Let us keep those words in mind in the difficult days ahead.
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Christ Carrying the Cross” by El Greco, 1600=05
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 11:1-9
The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.
While the people were migrating in the east,
they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
They said to one another,
"Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire."
They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the sky,
and so make a name for ourselves;
otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth."
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower
that they had built.
Then the LORD said: "If now, while they are one people,
all speaking the same language,
they have started to do this,
nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
Let us then go down and there confuse their language,
so that one will not understand what another says."
Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth,
and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel,
because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world.
It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 11:1-9
The author uses this story as an explanation of how there came to be multiple languages used around the world. It is coupled with the moral lesson to illustrate how pride in one’s own strength is punished by God. In the story of the Tower of Babel, based upon the temple towers or ziggurats of Babylonia, the author describes the increasing wickedness of the people as they thought they could accomplish anything they wanted without God’s help.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
The LORD brings to naught the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise. In this selection the lesson presented in Genesis is reinforced; “The Lord brings to naught the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples.” Without God there is no creation, progress or salvation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 8:34--9:1
He (Jesus) summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the Gospel will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words
in this faithless and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of
when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
He also said to them,
"Amen, I say to you,
there are some standing here who will not taste death
until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 8:34--9:1
In the previous verses, the Lord has chastised St. Peter for encouraging him to avoid the passion and death he is destined to endure. Now turning to the rest of his followers, Jesus calls all of those who are with him to authentic discipleship. He tells them that answering that call means placing Christian sacrifice first and if necessary denying even ones life for the sake of the truth of the Son of God.
He challenges those who are wavering by indicating the sort of reception they will receive when they come before him on the last day; “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
In these economic times, the words of the Lord can give us peace. While it sounds like a huge challenge (and it is) there is a sense of hope. Hope because what the Lord is telling us is that what is truly important is not strictly our physical or financial well being, but our spiritual focus.
We listen to the news each day and see what is going on around us in the secular world. Worse, much of this news affects us directly and if we dwell upon it we find only depression and hopelessness. It seems in parallel to the story from Genesis we heard today about the great tower the Babylonians were building. Because they were so arrogant, they thought they could undertake a work of human hands that would rival God’s creation.
In response to their arrogance and unbelief, God showed them the error of false pride by introducing serious communication problems – they could not understand on another. We see that today, in the work place and in our lives. Without the common language of a united purpose or goal, our language fails us and what we attempt is doomed to failure.
Into this confusion comes the words; “follow me.” Christ is our uniting purpose. He is the one who gives us direction and shows us what is truly important in our lives. In difficult and desperate times, we contemplate drastic and extreme actions. Christ calls to us – what good is it to gain the whole world and loose you life?
He keeps us focused on what is important; what is at the core of Christian faithful; love of God and love of neighbor. Let us keep those words in mind in the difficult days ahead.
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Christ Carrying the Cross” by El Greco, 1600=05
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] 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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