(Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.[1] Mass texts may be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a Votive Mass, or from the special collection of Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Suggested for this date: # 28. The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or # 34. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Cause of Our Joy.
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| “Mourning the Dead Christ” by Ortolano, c. 1522 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Amos 9:11-15
Commentary on Am 9:11-15
The Prophet speaks of God’s purpose in causing the fall of the Kingdom of Israel (in actuality all kingdoms of that region in his day). The people were sinful, and those that did not follow God’s Law were either killed or carried off into bondage. But the faithful remnant would be saved and rebuilt (“On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David”), saying that the House of Israel would be restored. The oracle predicts that it will be greater than before. All this is accomplished only through the will and might of God.
Commentary on Am 9:11-15
The Prophet speaks of God’s purpose in causing the fall of the Kingdom of Israel (in actuality all kingdoms of that region in his day). The people were sinful, and those that did not follow God’s Law were either killed or carried off into bondage. But the faithful remnant would be saved and rebuilt (“On that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David”), saying that the House of Israel would be restored. The oracle predicts that it will be greater than before. All this is accomplished only through the will and might of God.
“In Acts 15:15-17 St. James interprets this passage in a messianic sense. Fallen hut: the kingdom. The nations that shall bear my name: the Gentile peoples who shall be converted to the Lord, that is, conquered by him, and therefore shall bear his name.” [5]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (see 9b) The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Commentary on Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14
Psalm 85 is a communal lament that focuses on the woes of the nation. These strophes reflect the joy of salvation at the restoration of the land following the destruction of the temple and the Diaspora. Those faithful to God see the reward: a land restored, justice returned, and the salvation of God.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (see 9b) The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Commentary on Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14
Psalm 85 is a communal lament that focuses on the woes of the nation. These strophes reflect the joy of salvation at the restoration of the land following the destruction of the temple and the Diaspora. Those faithful to God see the reward: a land restored, justice returned, and the salvation of God.
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Gospel: Matthew 9:14-17
Commentary on Mt 9:14-17
Jesus is approached by St. John the Baptist’s disciples about the Pharisaic practices of ritual fasting. In Old Testament usage this action was a token of repentance or of mourning. No fast is actually prescribed in the Law of Moses, except the fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29 and 23:27 and Numbers 29:7). Given this understanding of the Law of Moses, what was being practiced by the Pharisees (and St. John’s disciples) was tradition. Jesus' response, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them,” speaks to the fact that his disciples do not have anything to repent from or mourn for, as long as they are following him.
Gospel: Matthew 9:14-17
Commentary on Mt 9:14-17
Jesus is approached by St. John the Baptist’s disciples about the Pharisaic practices of ritual fasting. In Old Testament usage this action was a token of repentance or of mourning. No fast is actually prescribed in the Law of Moses, except the fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29 and 23:27 and Numbers 29:7). Given this understanding of the Law of Moses, what was being practiced by the Pharisees (and St. John’s disciples) was tradition. Jesus' response, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them,” speaks to the fact that his disciples do not have anything to repent from or mourn for, as long as they are following him.
The next section of the reading seems to contradict an earlier statement of Jesus (Matthew 5:17-20), when he said he had not come to abolish the Law (of Moses) but to fulfill it. But, his metaphors about the wineskins and the cloth refer to a completely new understanding of God’s revelation that cannot be a “patchwork” of ideas, rather a consistent application of Christ’s law of love, mercy, and hope.
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Reflection:
In the Gospel today, the Lord is challenged by some of the disciples of St. John the Baptist (of which at least one of his own disciples, Andrew, was formerly a member). They ask why Jesus and his disciples do not practice the Pharisaic traditions of ritual fasting. Jesus, also of the Pharisaic tradition (based upon his knowledge of the resurrection), was not following their scrupulous rules and neither were his disciples. It was important that Jesus strike just the right tone in his reply. Recognizing that the Pharisees were following a tradition developed out of their understanding of the Law (not prescriptions of the Law), he explains that his disciples do not need to mourn or repent while he is with them (coming as he does to fulfill the Law and the Prophets).
Now, using metaphor, Jesus explains that his coming changes the understanding of God’s intent and character. Where the Hebrew’s understanding of God, based upon the Law and the Prophets, had been as a God of Justice, humanized and given the emotions and motives of man, Christ changed all of that, as the incarnated Son shows the world God’s infinite love and compassion. His metaphors tell us that there can be no human motives assigned to God: that is old cloth, old wineskins.
We rejoice today as we see Christ once more reveal to us the love and promise of the Father, and the salvation he offers to those who believe in him. We pray, today, that we can be an example of that love to those we meet, and thereby bring the message of the Kingdom of God to the world.
Pax
[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5.
[2] The picture is “Mourning the Dead Christ” by Ortolano, c. 1522.
[5] NAB footnote on Amos 9:11-12.
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