Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Alternate Proper for the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary[1]
Readings for Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
Naomi had a prominent kinsman named Boaz,
of the clan of her husband Elimelech.
Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi,
“Let me go and glean ears of grain in the field
of anyone who will allow me that favor.”
Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter,” and she went.
The field she entered to glean after the harvesters
happened to be the section belonging to Boaz
of the clan of Elimelech.
Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter!
Do not go to glean in anyone else’s field;
you are not to leave here.
Stay here with my women servants.
Watch to see which field is to be harvested, and follow them;
I have commanded the young men to do you no harm.
When you are thirsty, you may go and drink from the vessels
the young men have filled.”
Casting herself prostrate upon the ground, Ruth said to him,
“Why should I, a foreigner, be favored with your notice?”
Boaz answered her:
“I have had a complete account of what you have done
for your mother-in-law after your husband’s death;
you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth,
and have come to a people whom you did not know previously.”
Boaz took Ruth.
When they came together as man and wife,
the LORD enabled her to conceive and she bore a son.
Then the women said to Naomi,
“Blessed is the LORD who has not failed
to provide you today with an heir!
May he become famous in Israel!
He will be your comfort and the support of your old age,
for his mother is the daughter-in-law who loves you.
She is worth more to you than seven sons!”
Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became his nurse.
And the neighbor women gave him his name,
at the news that a grandson had been born to Naomi.
They called him Obed.
He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ru 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
The story of Ruth is continued as she and her mother-in-law return to the Hebrew lands around Bethlehem. As is customary, widows without support of any other male relatives glean in the fields – follow the harvesters and pick up any left over grain not collected by them. Boaz, seeing in Ruth humility and grace, takes her as his wife. This story celebrates the piety and fidelity of Ruth, a Moabite (non-Hebrew) who becomes attached to Israel through marriage. Out of that union we find the beginnings of King David’s line and hence the line of Jesus in Bethlehem.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R. (4) See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
You wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 128:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
Supporting the pleasure God takes in the fidelity shown in the reading from Ruth, this hymn of praise extols the virtuous wife and the role she has in the home. It continues, celebrating the faithful family.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 23:1-12
This passage is the introduction to the invective against the Scribes and Pharisees. This reading sets the stage for the “Seven Woes” which follow in the chapter. St. Matthew uses Jesus' teaching about the leaders of the Jewish faith as counter-examples of what the leaders of the Christian faith must be like. The scribes and Pharisees, lead from the authority given by the Temple. According to the Gospel, they did not practice what they taught and performed their worship for others to see rather than out of true faith and worship of God.
The passage concludes saying that the true leader of the faith must be first the servant of others, as Jesus himself came to serve, not to be served. The final line of the passage is a summary; “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Why should children be forced to learn arithmetic in school? Why should they be forced to lean adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing skills? Anyone today can afford electronic calculators that do these functions (and many more) faster and more accurately than even the greatest mathematicians; so why should they suffer the constant repletion necessary for learning their times tables? There is so much more to learn for children today than there was even fifty years ago. Shouldn’t the teachers just skip that part of the curriculum, take a day or so to teach them to use the calculator and move on to something more important like learning to use the internet for research. (insert dry irony)
It is an interesting question but fundamentally the answer is children need to use their own “organic computer” before they are given access to one that does things for them. There was a line in the novel Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton that states that the scientists that did the genetic engineering that, in the book, resulted in the re-creation of dinosaurs “stood on the shoulders of giants”. That is, they took science that existed, without having developed the discipline to appreciate what had gone into creating it and extended it without thinking about possible consequences.
In the Gospel, Jesus pronounces a “Woe” to the Pharisees because they likewise “stood on the shoulders of giants”. They took the Law of Moses and the prophecies of Elijah and created complex rules for following their words but without the faith or understanding of God’s intent. They focused so much on their ritual that they forgot the basics. Like a child who only knows how to use a calculator, the underlying spiritual process is lost on them.
In his criticism of the Pharisees Jesus calls us to be sure we understand why we do what we do for God. We don’t just say grace before meals to see how quickly we can get through it. We don’t go to Mass just because it’s a requirement. We pray so that we might hear God as well as having our petitions heard. We go to Mass so that God can touch us with his sacramental grace, not just to impress others or to satisfy a guilty conscience.
Christ asks us today to practice what we preach – to be the people commanded by love that he calls us to be not simply going through the motions. Our prayer today is that we might, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Queen of Heaven, become what God calls us to be, a light to the world.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Ruth Gleaning” by Louis Bruck-Lajos, 1870s
[2] ALTRE
[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.
Alternate Proper for the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary[1]
Readings for Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
Naomi had a prominent kinsman named Boaz,
of the clan of her husband Elimelech.
Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi,
“Let me go and glean ears of grain in the field
of anyone who will allow me that favor.”
Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter,” and she went.
The field she entered to glean after the harvesters
happened to be the section belonging to Boaz
of the clan of Elimelech.
Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter!
Do not go to glean in anyone else’s field;
you are not to leave here.
Stay here with my women servants.
Watch to see which field is to be harvested, and follow them;
I have commanded the young men to do you no harm.
When you are thirsty, you may go and drink from the vessels
the young men have filled.”
Casting herself prostrate upon the ground, Ruth said to him,
“Why should I, a foreigner, be favored with your notice?”
Boaz answered her:
“I have had a complete account of what you have done
for your mother-in-law after your husband’s death;
you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth,
and have come to a people whom you did not know previously.”
Boaz took Ruth.
When they came together as man and wife,
the LORD enabled her to conceive and she bore a son.
Then the women said to Naomi,
“Blessed is the LORD who has not failed
to provide you today with an heir!
May he become famous in Israel!
He will be your comfort and the support of your old age,
for his mother is the daughter-in-law who loves you.
She is worth more to you than seven sons!”
Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became his nurse.
And the neighbor women gave him his name,
at the news that a grandson had been born to Naomi.
They called him Obed.
He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ru 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
The story of Ruth is continued as she and her mother-in-law return to the Hebrew lands around Bethlehem. As is customary, widows without support of any other male relatives glean in the fields – follow the harvesters and pick up any left over grain not collected by them. Boaz, seeing in Ruth humility and grace, takes her as his wife. This story celebrates the piety and fidelity of Ruth, a Moabite (non-Hebrew) who becomes attached to Israel through marriage. Out of that union we find the beginnings of King David’s line and hence the line of Jesus in Bethlehem.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R. (4) See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
You wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 128:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
Supporting the pleasure God takes in the fidelity shown in the reading from Ruth, this hymn of praise extols the virtuous wife and the role she has in the home. It continues, celebrating the faithful family.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 23:1-12
This passage is the introduction to the invective against the Scribes and Pharisees. This reading sets the stage for the “Seven Woes” which follow in the chapter. St. Matthew uses Jesus' teaching about the leaders of the Jewish faith as counter-examples of what the leaders of the Christian faith must be like. The scribes and Pharisees, lead from the authority given by the Temple. According to the Gospel, they did not practice what they taught and performed their worship for others to see rather than out of true faith and worship of God.
The passage concludes saying that the true leader of the faith must be first the servant of others, as Jesus himself came to serve, not to be served. The final line of the passage is a summary; “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Why should children be forced to learn arithmetic in school? Why should they be forced to lean adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing skills? Anyone today can afford electronic calculators that do these functions (and many more) faster and more accurately than even the greatest mathematicians; so why should they suffer the constant repletion necessary for learning their times tables? There is so much more to learn for children today than there was even fifty years ago. Shouldn’t the teachers just skip that part of the curriculum, take a day or so to teach them to use the calculator and move on to something more important like learning to use the internet for research. (insert dry irony)
It is an interesting question but fundamentally the answer is children need to use their own “organic computer” before they are given access to one that does things for them. There was a line in the novel Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton that states that the scientists that did the genetic engineering that, in the book, resulted in the re-creation of dinosaurs “stood on the shoulders of giants”. That is, they took science that existed, without having developed the discipline to appreciate what had gone into creating it and extended it without thinking about possible consequences.
In the Gospel, Jesus pronounces a “Woe” to the Pharisees because they likewise “stood on the shoulders of giants”. They took the Law of Moses and the prophecies of Elijah and created complex rules for following their words but without the faith or understanding of God’s intent. They focused so much on their ritual that they forgot the basics. Like a child who only knows how to use a calculator, the underlying spiritual process is lost on them.
In his criticism of the Pharisees Jesus calls us to be sure we understand why we do what we do for God. We don’t just say grace before meals to see how quickly we can get through it. We don’t go to Mass just because it’s a requirement. We pray so that we might hear God as well as having our petitions heard. We go to Mass so that God can touch us with his sacramental grace, not just to impress others or to satisfy a guilty conscience.
Christ asks us today to practice what we preach – to be the people commanded by love that he calls us to be not simply going through the motions. Our prayer today is that we might, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Queen of Heaven, become what God calls us to be, a light to the world.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Ruth Gleaning” by Louis Bruck-Lajos, 1870s
[2] ALTRE
[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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