Readings for Saturday of the Third Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Hosea 6:1-6
In their affliction, they shall look for me:
"Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth."
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 6:1-6
Once again in Hosea, the people of Israel are portrayed as the faithless harlot. Repenting past sins she thinks to return to God who will raise them up to salvation after three days in the tomb. The image prefigures the messiah. The prophet continues with the voice of God recognizing their faithlessness he calls for authentic love, not empty sacrifices.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
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. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
The psalm response is taken from the end of the Hosea reading we just received. The psalm itself is a lament, asking God for compassion as a consequence of the Baptismal bath (“Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.”) It then echoes the need for the spirit of authentic worship, not empty sacrifices.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 18:9-14
He (Jesus) then addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity
greedy, dishonest, adulterous or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.'
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 18:9-14
The Gospel story is the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Tax Collector). Here we find Jesus addressing those who think of themselves as closer to God and therefore better than those who are not so scrupulous in their worship.
Jesus points out that the Pharisee who focuses on the letter of the law misses the point of the God’s desire for authentic worship while the humility and authenticity of the Tax Collector will be “justified”, it’s easier to hear in the Jerusalem Bible version where it says; “This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The Olympic Games are not scheduled for another few years but when they are presented a ritual tableau will unfold. Athletes from around the world will come together to compete in their various sports in a spirit of international unity and national pride. Also taking place at the individual competitions will be stories of human interest. An obscure champion from a small or emerging country will struggle valiantly but will be clearly out-classed by those of major countries with long traditions of excellence in the sport. Once in a while these stories will be plucked out by the media and the underdog, for a moment will be on the world stage. They are the ones we see trailing the field by long distances; struggling to finish but in solitary loneliness. Most of the time, however, they will struggle in obscurity, being eliminated in the first round and go back to their native land defeated, but hopefully glad they competed.
We admire these athletes who try. We admire them because they have humility as they dare to stand shoulder to shoulder with world champions possessing seemingly Herculean abilities. While we might believe this description is an allegory for the Gospel story in which the Tax Collector is held up as the one closer to God over the Pharisee, it is instead juxtaposed as a paradoxical situation. Rather than being like the Olympic event in which the contestants attempt to achieve a goal. This story would be different. It would be as if a powerful athlete came to the Olympics and then competed in the wrong event. All of their superior training, form, and natural ability is wasted because the event in which they are competing has a different scoring system.
In this situation, the competitor who knows the scoring system wins. In the Gospel this analogy gets even worse. The seemingly stronger competitor (Pharisee) thinks they know the scoring system better than the underdog (Tax Collector). The Pharisee is like the marshal artist who trains for hours and hours learning the forms and techniques of his sport but never learns how to apply them when matched against an opponent in competition. All the form and artistry in the world will not bring that person victory. It must be applied.
In the case of the Gospel story, the Tax Collector expresses true contrition, knowing the sins that have been committed, knowing the inadequacy and unworthiness brought before the Lord. The Pharisee on the other hand believes he is better than the tax collector. He does not see that his sins are more grievous in the eyes of God and he is not contrite.
Although poorly expressed today, the message given to us is that like the athlete from the emerging country who dreams of being a champion, we must have as our standard the world champion. In the case of heat felt love of God, that standard is Christ “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2: 6-8).
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Hosea 6:1-6
In their affliction, they shall look for me:
"Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth."
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Hos 6:1-6
Once again in Hosea, the people of Israel are portrayed as the faithless harlot. Repenting past sins she thinks to return to God who will raise them up to salvation after three days in the tomb. The image prefigures the messiah. The prophet continues with the voice of God recognizing their faithlessness he calls for authentic love, not empty sacrifices.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
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. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
The psalm response is taken from the end of the Hosea reading we just received. The psalm itself is a lament, asking God for compassion as a consequence of the Baptismal bath (“Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.”) It then echoes the need for the spirit of authentic worship, not empty sacrifices.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 18:9-14
He (Jesus) then addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity
greedy, dishonest, adulterous or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.'
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 18:9-14
The Gospel story is the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Tax Collector). Here we find Jesus addressing those who think of themselves as closer to God and therefore better than those who are not so scrupulous in their worship.
Jesus points out that the Pharisee who focuses on the letter of the law misses the point of the God’s desire for authentic worship while the humility and authenticity of the Tax Collector will be “justified”, it’s easier to hear in the Jerusalem Bible version where it says; “This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The Olympic Games are not scheduled for another few years but when they are presented a ritual tableau will unfold. Athletes from around the world will come together to compete in their various sports in a spirit of international unity and national pride. Also taking place at the individual competitions will be stories of human interest. An obscure champion from a small or emerging country will struggle valiantly but will be clearly out-classed by those of major countries with long traditions of excellence in the sport. Once in a while these stories will be plucked out by the media and the underdog, for a moment will be on the world stage. They are the ones we see trailing the field by long distances; struggling to finish but in solitary loneliness. Most of the time, however, they will struggle in obscurity, being eliminated in the first round and go back to their native land defeated, but hopefully glad they competed.
We admire these athletes who try. We admire them because they have humility as they dare to stand shoulder to shoulder with world champions possessing seemingly Herculean abilities. While we might believe this description is an allegory for the Gospel story in which the Tax Collector is held up as the one closer to God over the Pharisee, it is instead juxtaposed as a paradoxical situation. Rather than being like the Olympic event in which the contestants attempt to achieve a goal. This story would be different. It would be as if a powerful athlete came to the Olympics and then competed in the wrong event. All of their superior training, form, and natural ability is wasted because the event in which they are competing has a different scoring system.
In this situation, the competitor who knows the scoring system wins. In the Gospel this analogy gets even worse. The seemingly stronger competitor (Pharisee) thinks they know the scoring system better than the underdog (Tax Collector). The Pharisee is like the marshal artist who trains for hours and hours learning the forms and techniques of his sport but never learns how to apply them when matched against an opponent in competition. All the form and artistry in the world will not bring that person victory. It must be applied.
In the case of the Gospel story, the Tax Collector expresses true contrition, knowing the sins that have been committed, knowing the inadequacy and unworthiness brought before the Lord. The Pharisee on the other hand believes he is better than the tax collector. He does not see that his sins are more grievous in the eyes of God and he is not contrite.
Although poorly expressed today, the message given to us is that like the athlete from the emerging country who dreams of being a champion, we must have as our standard the world champion. In the case of heat felt love of God, that standard is Christ “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2: 6-8).
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “Christ Carying the Cross” by Cecchino del Salviati, 1540’s
[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.
No comments:
Post a Comment