(Optional Memorial for Saint Faustina Kowalska, Virgin)*
*Note: The optional memorial for St. Faustina was added to the calendar in May of 2020 to be celebrated each year on October 5th.
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Faustina Kowalska
Or
(Optional Memorial for Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Priest) [In the Dioceses of the United States]
Readings for the memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos may be taken from the Common of Pastors: For Missionaries (#719-724).
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| “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Cornelis Engebrechtsz, c. 1515 |
Readings and Commentary: [3]
“Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD’s bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,
“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,”
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,
put on sackcloth.
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
“Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish.”
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.
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Commentary on Jon 3:1-10
Jonah had tried to run from God after the first time the word of God came to him. He was swallowed by a giant fish and spewed out on dry land. Following his miraculous rescue from the belly of the great fish, the Prophet Jonah is sent to Nineveh, a traditional enemy of the Jews. He is sent to spread the news that, unless they repented their ways, the city would be destroyed. It is not explicit in this reading, but Jonah was sure he would fail, and the city would be destroyed. This selection, then, describes his unexpected success and God’s subsequent redemption.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
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Commentary on Ps 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8
Psalm 130 is an individual lament. It is implicit that all people sin and require God’s mercy as the singer pleads for forgiveness. The psalmist exhorts the faithful to wait for the Lord’s redemption, assuring them it will come.
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Gospel: Luke 10:38-42
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”
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Commentary on Lk 10:38-42
In this encounter with Martha and Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel, we see two distinct messages. First, we see the importance of the role of women and Jesus’ attitude toward them. Second, we see the importance of listening to the word of God: "Mary has chosen the better part."
The selection emphasizes the importance of listening to the teachings of the Lord. While in some early texts the Lord tells Martha there is “need for only a few things,” or of one, the message is clear: Mary, in assuming the role of disciple (listening at the master’s feet) has chosen the correct or better role. Martha, concerning herself with the requirements of hospitality (old law) has chosen the lesser.
“Mystically (St. Gregory the Great, Moralia 2, 6): the two women signify two dimensions of the spiritual life. Martha signifies the active life as she busily labors to honor Christ through her work. Mary exemplifies the contemplative life as she sits attentively to listen and learn from Christ. While both activities are essential to Christian living, the latter is greater than the former. For in heaven the active life terminates, while the contemplative life reaches its perfection.” [4]
Reflection:
[1] The picture is “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Cornelis Engebrechtsz, c. 1515.
[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] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 129.
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