Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

“Christ Praying in the Garden”
(detail) by Marco Basaiti, c. 1510

Readings for Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Haggai 1:15b-2:9
 
In the second year of King Darius,
on the twenty-first day of the seventh month,
the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
Tell this to the governor of Judah,
Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak,
and to the remnant of the people:
 
Who is left among you
that saw this house in its former glory?
And how do you see it now?
Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?
But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD,
and take courage, Joshua, high priest, son of Jehozadak,
And take courage, all you people of the land,
says the LORD, and work!
For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts.
This is the pact that I made with you
when you came out of Egypt,
And my spirit continues in your midst;
do not fear!
For thus says the LORD of hosts:
One moment yet, a little while,
and I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all the nations,
and the treasures of all the nations will come in,
And I will fill this house with glory,
says the LORD of hosts.
Mine is the silver and mine the gold,
says the LORD of hosts.
Greater will be the future glory of this house
than the former, says the LORD of hosts;
And in this place I will give you peace,
says the LORD of hosts!
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Commentary on Haggai 1:15b-2:9
 
The Prophet Haggai continues his prophecy regarding the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem with two additional statements. First, the second building of the temple should be even grander than that built originally by Solomon. And second, that God is with them in this great work and will find the means to support it financially.
 
From the Christian perspective, the return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple is prophetic of the coming of Christ into the world, and the building of the temple is symbolic of the building of his Church. "’The coming of the Lord into this world was like the building of a great temple, glorious beyond imagining; this temple is more perfect and beautiful than that of old, as the worship of Christ according to his Gospel is more perfect than the worship of God according to the law, as the reality is more beautiful than its image […]. The glory of the new temple, the Church, is much greater than the glory of the old. Those who give of themselves and work devoutly to build the new temple will receive Christ himself, as their reward from the Savior and as a gift from heaven; he is our peace, the peace of all mankind, the one through whom we can go to the Father in the one Spirit. He himself said: and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts’ (St Cyril of Alexandria, "Commentarius in Aggaeum", 14)." [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 43:1, 2, 3, 4
 
R. (5) Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
 
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight
against a faithless people;
from the deceitful and impious man rescue me.
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
 
For you, O God, are my strength.
Why do you keep me so far away?
Why must I go about in mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me?
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
 
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
 
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
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Commentary on Ps 43:1, 2, 3, 4
 
Psalm 43 is an individual lament.  We hear a tone in these strophes that supports the situation in which the Jews tasked with rebuilding the temple found themselves (Haggi 2:1-9) – facing resistance to the great work they were to complete.  The hope of God’s support is expressed in the final strophe.
 
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Gospel: Luke 9:18-22
 
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
 
He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
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Commentary on Lk 9:18-22
 
As is frequently the case in St. Luke’s Gospel, we find the Lord at prayer. When asked by the Lord about the attitude of the people, the disciples answer much like the counselors of Herod did in Luke 9:7-9 with identities of John the Baptist and Elijah. St. Peter answers for the group when asked about Jesus’ identity, pronouncing him the Messiah. (see also commentary on Matthew 16:13-20).
 
CCC: Lk 9:18-20 2600
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Reflection:
 
There is a favorite question asked by teachers of Christology: “At what point in his life did Jesus know he was the Son of God?”  The answer to this question is, of course, not known.  Theological and scripture scholars can cite dozens of examples to support positions that say he knew who he was from his earliest moments to those who say he was not fully aware until his crucifixion.
 
We pose this question today because of Jesus’ question to his disciples in the Gospel “Who do the crowds say that I am?”  We wonder if the Lord was curious or whether he wanted to see what the disciples would say.  Perhaps he was asking God in prayer who he was (“Father, I heard the voice at my baptism – you said "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." (Luke 3:22) Am I truly your son?”)  As true man, even Jesus must have had doubts at times.  We see them in the Garden when he also prayed "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)
 
While it is good for us to consider questions like this because it helps us get a more complete image of the Lord, it is only good so far as it helps us understand who the Lord is in our own lives.  Ultimately, we stand in the place of the disciples.  We are there with St. Peter and the others.  We see the Lord break from his commune with the Father, look at us and ask “Who do you say that I am?”  And when we answer as we are expected to – Jesus, Lord, you are the Only Begotten Son of the Living God.  He looks into our hearts to see what that means to us.  He sees if our lives are patterned on that belief or if we are just saying what we have been taught to say.
 
Today we pray that the question “Who do you say that I am?” is answered with our actions and words, that others may see what we believe.  We pray that the Lord walks and talks through us so that others will see and believe as well.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture is “Christ Praying in the Garden” (detail) by Marco Basaiti, c. 1510.
[2] S.S Commemoratio
[3] 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.
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Minor Prophets,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 282.