Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Optional Memorial for Saint Sharbel Makhluf, Priest)

Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhluf

Biographical information about St. Sharbel Makhluf
 
Or
 
(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. (USCCB recommends: # 39. Holy Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy, I, II)

“Moses Forbids the People to Follow Him”
by James Tissot, 1896 -1900

Readings for Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Exodus 24:3-8
 
When Moses came to the people
and related all the words and ordinances of the Lord,
they all answered with one voice,
“We will do everything that the Lord has told us.”
Moses then wrote down all the words of the Lord and,
rising early the next day,
he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar
and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
Then, having sent certain young men of the children of Israel
to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice young bulls
as peace offerings to the Lord,
Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;
the other half he splashed on the altar.
Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,
who answered, “All that the Lord has said, we will heed and do.”
Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,
“This is the blood of the covenant
that the Lord has made with you
in accordance with all these words of his.”
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Commentary on Ex 24:3-8
 
Following the presentation of the precepts of the Law, Moses gets consensus from all of the people whom God has brought out of bondage, the children of Israel (Jacob), that they will follow the law handed down to them. Moses erects pillars, one for each tribe, and makes a sacrifice to seal the covenant. He then sprinkles the people with the blood of the (old) covenant sacrifice. "References to this solemn ratification of the covenant with blood is also found in Zechariah 9:11 and Hebrews 9:18-20. Likewise was the New Covenant to be ratified in blood, i.e. Christ's blood (cf. Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25)" [5]
 
CCC: Ex 24 2060; Ex 24:7 2060; Ex 24:8 613
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 50:1b-2, 5-6, 14-15
 
R. (14a) Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
 
God the Lord has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
 
“Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
 
“Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
and fulfill your vows to the Most High;
Then call upon me in time of distress;
I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me.”
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
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Commentary on Ps 50:1b-2, 5-6, 14-15
 
Psalm 50 recalls the sealing of the covenant with sacrifice. It gives praise to God remembering his promise to the faithful that he would be with them as long as they kept the precepts of the Law – their part of the covenant of Moses. “Gather my faithful ones before me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” This verse from the second strophe of Psalm 50 reminds us that God supports those faithful to him in their distress.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30
 
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man
who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?’
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’
His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
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Commentary on Mt 13:24-30
 
Jesus tells another parable, about the harvest this time. Here we see his reference to the “good seed” and “bad seed.” The good seed here, as an analogy to the Kingdom of God, represents those who remain faithful to God’s laws and precepts. The fact that the householder does not permit his slaves to tear out the weeds, for fear of killing the wheat as well, is a warning to the disciples not to judge or attempt to alienate themselves from those with whom they have contact who reject the word. The “bad seed” represents those converted by God’s enemy, who choke off the good seed and, in the eschaton, will be condemned to hell.

"This weed ̶ cockle looks very like wheat and can easily be mistaken for it until the ears appear. If it gets ground up with wheat it contaminates the flour and any bread made from that flour causes severe nausea when eaten. In the East personal vengeance sometimes took the form of sowing cockle among an enemy's wheat. Roman law prescribed penalties for this crime.

"When the careless servants ask the Lord why weeds have grown in his field, the explanation is obvious: 'inimicus homo hoc fecit: an enemy has done this.' (St. J. Escriva, 'Christ Is Passing By', 123)." [6]
 
CCC: Mt 13:24-30 827
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Reflection:
 
Jesus today gives us a story about those who are faithful vs. those who are not.  We hear, in the first reading from Exodus, Moses getting the promise of the children of Israel that they would follow all of God’s laws (actually more than a promise – committing to a covenant, a binding contract with God). This is followed by the Gospel analogy that talks about an active enemy trying to destroy the Gospel by perverting it and destroying its value.
 
These two stories are clearly linked for us and the message becomes very clear.  We have been given God’s precepts.  They have come to us through his word and through the Church which he founded on this earth that we might continue to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit through her.  We choose each day to be either faithful to those precepts, or to turn our backs upon them.  We choose each day if we will be good seed or bad.
 
The imagery used in the parable is really exquisite because if one looks at a field newly planted and sees all the new growth, it is difficult to tell which is good and which is bad until the plants mature and their identities become clear.  It is by their fruit that we recognize them as good and bad.  Similarly it is by the outcomes we effect each day that we know if what we have done is good or bad.  That is not always easy to know.  In some cases we do not know ourselves unless we examine our intentions.  If what we do is out of love for ourselves and others, we have been the good seed.  If on the other had our motives were selfish or hurtful, even if they appear on the surface to be good, we have fallen.
 
We are reminded today that in the end, we will stand before the high judge and he will look upon us and decide if we are good or bad seed and this decision will be made based upon our promises, kept or broken.  Let us pray for the wisdom to make good choices.
 
Pax

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[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5: “Outside Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, and Easter Time, on Saturdays which have no commemoration having the rank of Obligatory Memorial or higher, a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated. This is indicated in the calendar by “BVM.” The readings and prayers may be selected from the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
[2] The picture is: “Moses Forbids the People to Follow Him” by James Tissot, 1896 -1900.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio 
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc.© 1968, 3:68, p. 61.
[6] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 134.