Readings for Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 4:1-15, 25
The man had relations with his wife Eve,
and she conceived and bore Cain, saying,
"I have produced a man with the help of the LORD."
Next she bore his brother Abel.
Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil.
In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD
from the fruit of the soil,
while Abel, for his part,
brought one of the best firstlings of his flock.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
but on Cain and his offering he did not.
Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.
So the LORD said to Cain:
"Why are you so resentful and crestfallen.
If you do well, you can hold up your head;
but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door:
his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master."
Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field."
When they were in the field,
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the LORD asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
He answered, "I do not know.
Am I my brother's keeper?"
The LORD then said: "What have you done!
Listen: your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil!
Therefore you shall be banned from the soil
that opened its mouth to receive
your brother's blood from your hand.
If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce.
You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth."
Cain said to the LORD: "My punishment is too great to bear.
Since you have now banished me from the soil,
and I must avoid your presence
and become a restless wanderer on the earth,
anyone may kill me at sight."
"Not so!" the LORD said to him.
"If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold."
So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight.
Adam again had relations with his wife,
and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth.
"God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel," she said,
"because Cain slew him."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 4:1-15, 25
The story of Cain and Abel gives us the rational for some of the peoples being nomadic. It also establishes the rights of these peoples to subsist on the land. At a deeper level, however, we see that when Cain first became envious, the Lord warned him about sin. God explains that it is always reading to take the unwary, a “demon barking at the door”
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Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 50:1 and 8, 16bc-17, 20-21
R. (14a) Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always."
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
"You sit speaking against your brother;
against your mother's son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes."
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 50:1 and 8, 16bc-17, 20-21
Placed as it is next to the story of Cain and Abel, this part of Psalm 50 bears witness to Cain’s folly in being envious of Abel’s sacrifice. God looks beyond sacrifice to a sincere and righteous heart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 8:11-13
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with him (Jesus),
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
"Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 8:11-13
Ironically, this passage follows the story of the “Multiplication of the Loaves”. “The objection of the Pharisees that Jesus' miracles are unsatisfactory for proving the arrival of God's kingdom is comparable to the request of the crowd for a sign in John 6:30-31. Jesus' response shows that a sign originating in human demand will not be provided; cf Numbers 14:11, 22.”[5]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We find in scripture the real impact of the fall from grace, the punishment given to Adam and Eve as a consequence of their disobedience to God. In Genesis, the fallen nature of their offspring Cain and Able is manifested in the jealousy “…sin is a demon lurking at the door”.
It was likely that same “resentful” attitude that caused the Pharisees to be blinded to the nature of Christ. Demanding signs they could not see, they were to become the new Cain as they would ultimately persecute and kill Jesus.
It is for this reason Jesus came, so mankind, all mankind, could be restored to grace and once more enjoy God’s loving presence. When Jesus offered himself, the first fruits of salvation as the perfect sacrifice, he reopened the gates of heaven; closed and barred since Adam’s first bite at the apple ended innocence in introduced sin to the world.
In Baptism we were adopted by God. We were washed clean of Original Sin, Adam’s Sin and sanctified – made holy so that we might have the grace of Christ as part of our inheritance. While sin remains in the world and we need to be aware of it, it no longer finds easy roots in our hearts. The Holy Spirit has strengthened that place in our being and we can reject it if we draw on that strength. That same grace given to us in Baptism allows us to see the signs Christ gave to this generation. We only need open the eyes of faith and we see that Christ’s miracles abound.
Pax
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 4:1-15, 25
The man had relations with his wife Eve,
and she conceived and bore Cain, saying,
"I have produced a man with the help of the LORD."
Next she bore his brother Abel.
Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil.
In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD
from the fruit of the soil,
while Abel, for his part,
brought one of the best firstlings of his flock.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
but on Cain and his offering he did not.
Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.
So the LORD said to Cain:
"Why are you so resentful and crestfallen.
If you do well, you can hold up your head;
but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door:
his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master."
Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field."
When they were in the field,
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the LORD asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
He answered, "I do not know.
Am I my brother's keeper?"
The LORD then said: "What have you done!
Listen: your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil!
Therefore you shall be banned from the soil
that opened its mouth to receive
your brother's blood from your hand.
If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce.
You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth."
Cain said to the LORD: "My punishment is too great to bear.
Since you have now banished me from the soil,
and I must avoid your presence
and become a restless wanderer on the earth,
anyone may kill me at sight."
"Not so!" the LORD said to him.
"If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold."
So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight.
Adam again had relations with his wife,
and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth.
"God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel," she said,
"because Cain slew him."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 4:1-15, 25
The story of Cain and Abel gives us the rational for some of the peoples being nomadic. It also establishes the rights of these peoples to subsist on the land. At a deeper level, however, we see that when Cain first became envious, the Lord warned him about sin. God explains that it is always reading to take the unwary, a “demon barking at the door”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 50:1 and 8, 16bc-17, 20-21
R. (14a) Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always."
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
"You sit speaking against your brother;
against your mother's son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes."
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 50:1 and 8, 16bc-17, 20-21
Placed as it is next to the story of Cain and Abel, this part of Psalm 50 bears witness to Cain’s folly in being envious of Abel’s sacrifice. God looks beyond sacrifice to a sincere and righteous heart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 8:11-13
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with him (Jesus),
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
"Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 8:11-13
Ironically, this passage follows the story of the “Multiplication of the Loaves”. “The objection of the Pharisees that Jesus' miracles are unsatisfactory for proving the arrival of God's kingdom is comparable to the request of the crowd for a sign in John 6:30-31. Jesus' response shows that a sign originating in human demand will not be provided; cf Numbers 14:11, 22.”[5]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We find in scripture the real impact of the fall from grace, the punishment given to Adam and Eve as a consequence of their disobedience to God. In Genesis, the fallen nature of their offspring Cain and Able is manifested in the jealousy “…sin is a demon lurking at the door”.
It was likely that same “resentful” attitude that caused the Pharisees to be blinded to the nature of Christ. Demanding signs they could not see, they were to become the new Cain as they would ultimately persecute and kill Jesus.
It is for this reason Jesus came, so mankind, all mankind, could be restored to grace and once more enjoy God’s loving presence. When Jesus offered himself, the first fruits of salvation as the perfect sacrifice, he reopened the gates of heaven; closed and barred since Adam’s first bite at the apple ended innocence in introduced sin to the world.
In Baptism we were adopted by God. We were washed clean of Original Sin, Adam’s Sin and sanctified – made holy so that we might have the grace of Christ as part of our inheritance. While sin remains in the world and we need to be aware of it, it no longer finds easy roots in our hearts. The Holy Spirit has strengthened that place in our being and we can reject it if we draw on that strength. That same grace given to us in Baptism allows us to see the signs Christ gave to this generation. We only need open the eyes of faith and we see that Christ’s miracles abound.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Cain Killing Abel” by Daniele Crespi, 1818-1820
[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.
[5] See NAB footnote on Mark 8:11-12
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