Alternate for the Proper of St. John Mary Vianney
Readings for Tuesday of the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordianry Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Numbers 12:1-13
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext
of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman.
They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks?
Does he not speak through us also?”
And the LORD heard this.
Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest man on the face of the earth.
So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam,
“Come out, you three, to the meeting tent.”
And the three of them went.
Then the LORD came down in the column of cloud,
and standing at the entrance of the tent,
called Aaron and Miriam.
When both came forward, he said,
“Now listen to the words of the LORD:
Should there be a prophet among you,
in visions will I reveal myself to him,
in dreams will I speak to him;
not so with my servant Moses!
Throughout my house he bears my trust:
face to face I speak to him;
plainly and not in riddles.
The presence of the LORD he beholds.
Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?”
So angry was the LORD against them that when he departed,
and the cloud withdrew from the tent,
there was Miriam, a snow-white leper!
When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, he said to Moses,
“Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin
that we have foolishly committed!
Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe
that comes forth from its mother’s womb
with its flesh half consumed.”
Then Moses cried to the LORD, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Nm 12:1-13
In this selection from Numbers, the authority of Moses is challenged because he has married a woman from outside the Hebrew community. In response to this, God fist calls the accusers to the “meeting tent”, reaffirms his connection with Moses, and then punishes those who challenged him. This passage sets Moses apart from the later Prophets by differentiating the means by which God communicates with him – that is face to face.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13
R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense;
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned;
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
That you may be justified in your sentence,
vindicated when you condemn.
Indeed, in guilt was I born,
and in sin my mother conceived me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not off from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13
Psalm 51 is an individual lament. The psalmist praises God’s goodness, acknowledges his offenses against God, and asks for absolution from sin. In these strophes we hear the singer beg forgiveness, linking it to the plea of Aaron and Moses in the first reading.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 14:22-36
In St. Matthew’s story (see also (Mark 6:45-52), the disciples are caught in a violent storm a few miles from shore. Jesus exhibits his power over the elements by coming out to them on the water. Here St. Matthew builds his particular view of Peter by having him walk out to Jesus but loosing heart and failing. Also unlike St. Mark’s version of this event, the disciples make a remarkable profession “Truly, you are the Son of God.", where in St. Marks version they were “astounded”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or: (especially in year A where Mt 14:22-36 is read on Monday) Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14
Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.”
He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand.
It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man;
but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.”
Then his disciples approached and said to him,
“Do you know that the Pharisees took offense
when they heard what you said?”
He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted
will be uprooted.
Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.
If a blind man leads a blind man,
both will fall into a pit.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 15:1-2, 10-14
This dispute begins with the question of the Pharisees and scribes why Jesus' disciples are breaking the tradition of the elders about washing one's hands before eating. In front of the larger crowd of followers the Lord refutes them with a parable that is an attack on Mosaic law concerning clean and unclear foods (see also Matthew 5:31-32, 33-34, 38-39)[4] The concluding remarks concerning the blind leading the blind indicate to the disciples that the Pharisees and scribes do not understand God’s law but lead those who refuse to accept the Jesus as the Messiah.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Faith is a very hard thing to wrap our heads around. We are taught that it is a gift, freely given, a consequence of our Baptism in the Lord. We know that some people (look at St. John Vianney) seem to have faith in abundance while others have little or no faith at all. We cannot see it, faith is an intangible quality of the soul, but we can feel it inside ourselves.
In scripture today we see two examples of faith in action. In the first reading, Miriam and Aaron apparently lost faith in Moses. They presumed to pass judgment on him because he had married outside the Hebrew community and how could the person to whom God spoke do such a thing. In response or out of bigotry they publicly refuted his spiritual leadership. Scripture tells us that God had an immediate response, calling them to account and then punishing Miriam with the outward sign of her sinfulness – leprosy. Was her sin the lack of faith in God’s selected holy one – the one to whom he spoke, face to face? Or was her sin the bigotry in her heart as she rejected the wife Moses had selected? Scripture does not say but had her faith been stronger, she would not have fallen to that trap.
In the Gospel, we see the disciples in a bad way. They had ventured out into the sea and were caught in a storm. Jesus comes to their aid in an unexpected way, walking on the water. Unprepared for his appearance, the disciples think he is a ghost at first. Peter, first among the disciples, sees (or thinks he sees) the Lord and calls out to him “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water" (not quite sure is he). When Peter goes out to the Son of God, his faith is fastened on Christ. He does not see the sea or the waves. He does not feel the wind. But when he loses that focus and starts looking around, he sees that he is doing the impossible and becomes frightened and starts to sink. God, of course, saves him. We can almost hear the Lord speaking to his friend in secular tones saying “Gosh, Peter, you almost had it. Why didn’t you just keep coming?”
We often feel that way don’t we? We almost had it – our faith was almost strong enough to withstand the temptation of doing something we should not have. It was almost strong enough to carry us through a difficult situation without faltering. But in the end, like Peter, the Lord had to help us out as well.
Faith may be a gift but it also acts like a muscle. If we don’t use it, we loose it. If we don’t exercise it, when we need that strength it will not be there. Our challenge today is to renew our dedication to get into the gym (Church) and get on the machines (prayer) do some jogging (exercise charity), so that when we are called out onto the water we will not fail.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is ” St Peter Walking on the Water” by Alessandro Allori,1590s
[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.
[4] See NAB footnote on Matthew 15:1
Readings for Tuesday of the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordianry Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Numbers 12:1-13
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext
of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman.
They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks?
Does he not speak through us also?”
And the LORD heard this.
Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest man on the face of the earth.
So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam,
“Come out, you three, to the meeting tent.”
And the three of them went.
Then the LORD came down in the column of cloud,
and standing at the entrance of the tent,
called Aaron and Miriam.
When both came forward, he said,
“Now listen to the words of the LORD:
Should there be a prophet among you,
in visions will I reveal myself to him,
in dreams will I speak to him;
not so with my servant Moses!
Throughout my house he bears my trust:
face to face I speak to him;
plainly and not in riddles.
The presence of the LORD he beholds.
Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?”
So angry was the LORD against them that when he departed,
and the cloud withdrew from the tent,
there was Miriam, a snow-white leper!
When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, he said to Moses,
“Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin
that we have foolishly committed!
Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe
that comes forth from its mother’s womb
with its flesh half consumed.”
Then Moses cried to the LORD, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Nm 12:1-13
In this selection from Numbers, the authority of Moses is challenged because he has married a woman from outside the Hebrew community. In response to this, God fist calls the accusers to the “meeting tent”, reaffirms his connection with Moses, and then punishes those who challenged him. This passage sets Moses apart from the later Prophets by differentiating the means by which God communicates with him – that is face to face.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13
R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense;
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned;
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
That you may be justified in your sentence,
vindicated when you condemn.
Indeed, in guilt was I born,
and in sin my mother conceived me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not off from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13
Psalm 51 is an individual lament. The psalmist praises God’s goodness, acknowledges his offenses against God, and asks for absolution from sin. In these strophes we hear the singer beg forgiveness, linking it to the plea of Aaron and Moses in the first reading.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 14:22-36
In St. Matthew’s story (see also (Mark 6:45-52), the disciples are caught in a violent storm a few miles from shore. Jesus exhibits his power over the elements by coming out to them on the water. Here St. Matthew builds his particular view of Peter by having him walk out to Jesus but loosing heart and failing. Also unlike St. Mark’s version of this event, the disciples make a remarkable profession “Truly, you are the Son of God.", where in St. Marks version they were “astounded”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or: (especially in year A where Mt 14:22-36 is read on Monday) Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14
Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.”
He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand.
It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man;
but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.”
Then his disciples approached and said to him,
“Do you know that the Pharisees took offense
when they heard what you said?”
He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted
will be uprooted.
Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.
If a blind man leads a blind man,
both will fall into a pit.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 15:1-2, 10-14
This dispute begins with the question of the Pharisees and scribes why Jesus' disciples are breaking the tradition of the elders about washing one's hands before eating. In front of the larger crowd of followers the Lord refutes them with a parable that is an attack on Mosaic law concerning clean and unclear foods (see also Matthew 5:31-32, 33-34, 38-39)[4] The concluding remarks concerning the blind leading the blind indicate to the disciples that the Pharisees and scribes do not understand God’s law but lead those who refuse to accept the Jesus as the Messiah.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Faith is a very hard thing to wrap our heads around. We are taught that it is a gift, freely given, a consequence of our Baptism in the Lord. We know that some people (look at St. John Vianney) seem to have faith in abundance while others have little or no faith at all. We cannot see it, faith is an intangible quality of the soul, but we can feel it inside ourselves.
In scripture today we see two examples of faith in action. In the first reading, Miriam and Aaron apparently lost faith in Moses. They presumed to pass judgment on him because he had married outside the Hebrew community and how could the person to whom God spoke do such a thing. In response or out of bigotry they publicly refuted his spiritual leadership. Scripture tells us that God had an immediate response, calling them to account and then punishing Miriam with the outward sign of her sinfulness – leprosy. Was her sin the lack of faith in God’s selected holy one – the one to whom he spoke, face to face? Or was her sin the bigotry in her heart as she rejected the wife Moses had selected? Scripture does not say but had her faith been stronger, she would not have fallen to that trap.
In the Gospel, we see the disciples in a bad way. They had ventured out into the sea and were caught in a storm. Jesus comes to their aid in an unexpected way, walking on the water. Unprepared for his appearance, the disciples think he is a ghost at first. Peter, first among the disciples, sees (or thinks he sees) the Lord and calls out to him “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water" (not quite sure is he). When Peter goes out to the Son of God, his faith is fastened on Christ. He does not see the sea or the waves. He does not feel the wind. But when he loses that focus and starts looking around, he sees that he is doing the impossible and becomes frightened and starts to sink. God, of course, saves him. We can almost hear the Lord speaking to his friend in secular tones saying “Gosh, Peter, you almost had it. Why didn’t you just keep coming?”
We often feel that way don’t we? We almost had it – our faith was almost strong enough to withstand the temptation of doing something we should not have. It was almost strong enough to carry us through a difficult situation without faltering. But in the end, like Peter, the Lord had to help us out as well.
Faith may be a gift but it also acts like a muscle. If we don’t use it, we loose it. If we don’t exercise it, when we need that strength it will not be there. Our challenge today is to renew our dedication to get into the gym (Church) and get on the machines (prayer) do some jogging (exercise charity), so that when we are called out onto the water we will not fail.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is ” St Peter Walking on the Water” by Alessandro Allori,1590s
[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.
[4] See NAB footnote on Matthew 15:1
4 comments:
I do not know why Moses remarried. What happened to his first wife? Did she die? Was Moses polygamous? I am not being a Miriam, just asking a question. I still do not get it but I am not questioning God also. Miriam was speaking the truth. Was Moses setting a good example? Did God command him to marry the non-Hebrew woman?
This is one of my difficult passages. Yet God is saying 'shut up' and allow me to deal with this.
I believe God punished their defiance in order to keep his leadership. I think that leaders must also be very careful not to send the wrong signals. Leaders must st a good example. This includes priests, parents, deacons and all. I hope people will not take this to mean that people in authority should not be questioned. I have heard preached somewhere that people should not talk about priests or pastors who embezzle church funds because of this. Then also what we see in our society is that many women do not accept their brother's choice for a wife (all things being equal) as if they know better.
My prayer today is Lord save me. We must always be ready to call for his help. This shows our dependence on him.He is always prent to help in trouble. I had this experience of total dependance on my swimming instructior. I had faith in him that he will save me. then I understood that the Lord is with us in the deepest pool (our world) and he will never , never let us drown.
I need to get into my "gym" and persist in the 'exercises' but we all know that this needs will power and routine. Lord teach us to prevail in prayer, Lord have mercy on us all.
Judith,
The identity of the Cushite woman has been debated by scholars for some time. Many believe that Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro (Raguel), Moses first (only?) wife was the the Cushite mentioned in Numbers, although this can only be speculation since nothing definitive is said about Zipporah's fate or any other identity for the Cushite woman.
The episode had the effect of reaffirming God's support of Moses as the leader of the Hebrews. As is typical in this part of salvation history, God punishes Miriam for her resistance to God’s will and Moses intercedes for her.
As to your statement that those placed in positions of authority need to set exceptional examples, I could not agree with you more. The bar is, and should be higher for those called to lead God's people.
Pax
Dcn. Jim
Thank you Dcn Jim for your comments on the fate of Zipporah. Wsa she a Cushite?
Judith,
As indicated in my first reply, there is debate about that but my personal opinion is that she probably was.
Pax,
Dcn. Jim
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