Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs
Memorial Bench for Saints Marcellinus and Peter
Readings for Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Tobit 2:9-14
On the night of Pentecost, after I had buried the dead,
I, Tobit, went into my courtyard
to sleep next to the courtyard wall.
My face was uncovered because of the heat.
I did not know there were birds perched on the wall above me,
till their warm droppings settled in my eyes, causing cataracts.
I went to see some doctors for a cure
but the more they anointed my eyes with various salves,
the worse the cataracts became,
until I could see no more.
For four years I was deprived of eyesight, and
all my kinsmen were grieved at my condition.
Ahiqar, however, took care of me for two years,
until he left for Elymais.
At that time, my wife Anna worked for hire
at weaving cloth, the kind of work women do.
When she sent back the goods to their owners, they would pay her.
Late in winter on the seventh of Dystrus,
she finished the cloth and sent it back to the owners.
They paid her the full salary
and also gave her a young goat for the table.
On entering my house the goat began to bleat.
I called to my wife and said: "Where did this goat come from?
Perhaps it was stolen! Give it back to its owners;
we have no right to eat stolen food!"
She said to me, "It was given to me as a bonus over and above my wages."
Yet I would not believe her,
and told her to give it back to its owners.
I became very angry with her over this.
So she retorted: "Where are your charitable deeds now?
Where are your virtuous acts?
See! Your true character is finally showing itself!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Tb 2:9-14
This story from the Book of Tobit describes how the Prophet became blind. The event would have been viewed as a punishment from God by members of the community. The once wealthy Tobit has come to a point were his wife works as a weaver. Tobit in either his pride or his suspicion tells his wife to give back a goat given to her as a an additional payment. In her response his wife provides the moral lesson of the story as she points out that charitable deeds and virtuous acts begin in the home.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 112:1-2, 7-8, 9
R. (see 7c) The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 112:1-2, 7-8, 9
This hymn of praise and thanksgiving from Psalm 112 commends the people faithful to the Law of Moses. The one who is blameless in the eyes of God does not fear from his community or others since the Lord is his protector.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 12:13-17
Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent
to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech.
They came and said to him,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you are not concerned with anyone's opinion.
You do not regard a person's status
but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?
Should we pay or should we not pay?"
Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,
"Why are you testing me?
Bring me a denarius to look at."
They brought one to him and he said to them,
"Whose image and inscription is this?"
They replied to him, "Caesar's."
So Jesus said to them,
"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."
They were utterly amazed at him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 12:13-17
The Pharisees and Herodians come to Jesus with a dispute. Is it right for Jews to pay a tax to Caesar? If he sides with the Herodians (who would want the tax to be paid) he would be trapped because he was authorizing tribute to one who claimed to be a god, violating Jewish Law. If he sided with the Pharisees against the Herodians, he would be in conflict with civil law and be taken before the Roman Authorities.
Jesus saw the trap and avoided it using the powerful argument for the separation of Church and State by the famous statement: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Scripture today, in all three of the passages used, pointes to the need for constant vigilance on our part to insure that we are following God’s laws. In the reading from Tobit we find a truly applicable scenario. Tobit has his sight taken from him in a rather disgusting fashion when birds defecate in his eyes while he is sleeping. This, for a proud and once powerful man, must have been especially humiliating.
Then, Tobit’s wife, who has been forced to work since he was deprived of his wealth in their exile to Nineveh, gets a bonus, a goat. The prideful and condescending Tobit tells her to take it back it must be stolen. The domestic argument concludes as his wife dutifully reminds him that his acts of charity (he was certainly not charitable to her) and virtue (again his actions were not virtuous with her) should start at home. With the exception of the type of bonus and the source of his medical problem, this same kind of thing could have happened today.
In the Psalm Response we hear exhortations about stay faithful to God’s Law supporting the lesson from Tobit. And in the Gospel, the Lord neatly avoids a trap laid by the Pharisees and Herodians by using a graven image approach to get out of a now win question. He uses the Law, both civil and Mosaic to provide a reasonable solution.
Yes, today we are called to follow God’s Law at home and at work or school or in our social environment. I should be constantly before us because by our scrupulous adherence to it we identify ourselves as Christian – further spreading the word through our actions.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Tobit’s Wife with the Goat” by Harmenszoon van Rijn Rembrandt, 1645
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Memorial Bench for Saints Marcellinus and Peter
Readings for Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Tobit 2:9-14
On the night of Pentecost, after I had buried the dead,
I, Tobit, went into my courtyard
to sleep next to the courtyard wall.
My face was uncovered because of the heat.
I did not know there were birds perched on the wall above me,
till their warm droppings settled in my eyes, causing cataracts.
I went to see some doctors for a cure
but the more they anointed my eyes with various salves,
the worse the cataracts became,
until I could see no more.
For four years I was deprived of eyesight, and
all my kinsmen were grieved at my condition.
Ahiqar, however, took care of me for two years,
until he left for Elymais.
At that time, my wife Anna worked for hire
at weaving cloth, the kind of work women do.
When she sent back the goods to their owners, they would pay her.
Late in winter on the seventh of Dystrus,
she finished the cloth and sent it back to the owners.
They paid her the full salary
and also gave her a young goat for the table.
On entering my house the goat began to bleat.
I called to my wife and said: "Where did this goat come from?
Perhaps it was stolen! Give it back to its owners;
we have no right to eat stolen food!"
She said to me, "It was given to me as a bonus over and above my wages."
Yet I would not believe her,
and told her to give it back to its owners.
I became very angry with her over this.
So she retorted: "Where are your charitable deeds now?
Where are your virtuous acts?
See! Your true character is finally showing itself!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Tb 2:9-14
This story from the Book of Tobit describes how the Prophet became blind. The event would have been viewed as a punishment from God by members of the community. The once wealthy Tobit has come to a point were his wife works as a weaver. Tobit in either his pride or his suspicion tells his wife to give back a goat given to her as a an additional payment. In her response his wife provides the moral lesson of the story as she points out that charitable deeds and virtuous acts begin in the home.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 112:1-2, 7-8, 9
R. (see 7c) The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 112:1-2, 7-8, 9
This hymn of praise and thanksgiving from Psalm 112 commends the people faithful to the Law of Moses. The one who is blameless in the eyes of God does not fear from his community or others since the Lord is his protector.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 12:13-17
Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent
to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech.
They came and said to him,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you are not concerned with anyone's opinion.
You do not regard a person's status
but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?
Should we pay or should we not pay?"
Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,
"Why are you testing me?
Bring me a denarius to look at."
They brought one to him and he said to them,
"Whose image and inscription is this?"
They replied to him, "Caesar's."
So Jesus said to them,
"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."
They were utterly amazed at him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 12:13-17
The Pharisees and Herodians come to Jesus with a dispute. Is it right for Jews to pay a tax to Caesar? If he sides with the Herodians (who would want the tax to be paid) he would be trapped because he was authorizing tribute to one who claimed to be a god, violating Jewish Law. If he sided with the Pharisees against the Herodians, he would be in conflict with civil law and be taken before the Roman Authorities.
Jesus saw the trap and avoided it using the powerful argument for the separation of Church and State by the famous statement: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Scripture today, in all three of the passages used, pointes to the need for constant vigilance on our part to insure that we are following God’s laws. In the reading from Tobit we find a truly applicable scenario. Tobit has his sight taken from him in a rather disgusting fashion when birds defecate in his eyes while he is sleeping. This, for a proud and once powerful man, must have been especially humiliating.
Then, Tobit’s wife, who has been forced to work since he was deprived of his wealth in their exile to Nineveh, gets a bonus, a goat. The prideful and condescending Tobit tells her to take it back it must be stolen. The domestic argument concludes as his wife dutifully reminds him that his acts of charity (he was certainly not charitable to her) and virtue (again his actions were not virtuous with her) should start at home. With the exception of the type of bonus and the source of his medical problem, this same kind of thing could have happened today.
In the Psalm Response we hear exhortations about stay faithful to God’s Law supporting the lesson from Tobit. And in the Gospel, the Lord neatly avoids a trap laid by the Pharisees and Herodians by using a graven image approach to get out of a now win question. He uses the Law, both civil and Mosaic to provide a reasonable solution.
Yes, today we are called to follow God’s Law at home and at work or school or in our social environment. I should be constantly before us because by our scrupulous adherence to it we identify ourselves as Christian – further spreading the word through our actions.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Tobit’s Wife with the Goat” by Harmenszoon van Rijn Rembrandt, 1645
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 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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