Catechism Links [1]
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| “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by Giacinto Gimignani 1660’s |
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1 Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
In those days, the princes said to the king:
"Jeremiah ought to be put to death;
he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city,
and all the people, by speaking such things to them;
he is not interested in the welfare of our people,
but in their ruin."
King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power";
for the king could do nothing with them.
And so they took Jeremiah
and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah,
which was in the quarters of the guard,
letting him down with ropes.
There was no water in the cistern, only mud,
and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech, a court official,
went there from the palace and said to him:
"My lord king,
these men have been at fault
in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,
casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot,
for there is no more food in the city."
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite
to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before
he should die.
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Commentary on Jer 38:4-6, 8-10
Placing this incident in perspective, Jeremiah is already being held by the guards of the princes who have complained to the king about the prophet. What Jeremiah has been saying is that the city is going to fall to the king of Babylon because the people have turned from God, and any who wish to be saved should flee the city and go to the Chaldeans.
When they are allowed to deal with Jeremiah in their own way, the guards put Jeremiah into a drained water cistern where he sinks into the mud at the bottom. Clearly, he is in imminent danger of death. Not wishing to bring more of God’s wrath upon him, the king authorizes Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian, to rescue him.
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Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18
R. (14b) Lord, come to my aid!
I have waited, waited for the Lord,
and he stooped toward me.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
The Lord heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the Lord.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Though I am afflicted and poor,
yet the Lord thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, hold not back!
R. Lord, come to my aid!
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18
Psalm 40 is a lament. This selection gives reference to calling for God’s help in times of distress, and the reference to being drawn out of "the pit of destruction, out of the muddy swamp" could be a contextual reference to Jeremiah’s situation described in the first reading.
CCC: Ps 40:2 2657
-------------------------------------------
Reading II Hebrews 12:1-4
Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
he endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Heb 12:1-4
Speaking to the Hebrews, St. Paul exhorts them to follow the example of witnesses both ancient (from the Old Testament) and contemporary. He uses Christ as the banner of steadfast faith, who, seeing the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven, endured the Cross for the sake of salvation for the people.
The author returns to his principal theme in this selection. He encourages the faithful to redouble their zeal for the faith. It is interesting that the author mentions specifically how the community (cloud of witnesses) strengthens the faith. The reading goes on to place Christ’s passion as a model of steadfastness, encouraging the faithful to resist against all opposition. This resistance, says the author, should include shedding one’s own blood for the faith.
CCC: Heb 12:1-2 165; Heb 12:1 1161, 2683; Heb 12:2 147; Heb 12:3 569, 598
-------------------------------------------
Gospel Luke 12:49-53
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 12:49-53
This discourse from St. Luke’s Gospel emphasizes the divisive nature of Christ’s message. He has already encountered resistance, and the author sees that his message of peace will have an even more profound influence on the world. It is clear that the Lord knows many will not be able to accept his words, and this will cause enmity among people, even within families.
In this passage, there is a glimpse of the passion (the baptism mentioned in v.50 shares the image presented in Psalm 124:4-5), and the anguish the Lord feels for the message he is bringing. He sees the flame of faith igniting the whole world. Jesus knows there will be those who accept the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, and those who will reject both it and him.
CCC: Lk 12:49 696; Lk 12:50 536, 607, 1225, 2804
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Reflection:
Here we are enjoying a very warm summer. Parents are on the cusp of sending their children back to school and it feels like we will all melt before that happens. To comfort us, we come to Mass and hear the words of hope proclaimed from Sacred Scripture. I thought we could start with excerpts from the readings just proclaimed.
From the Book of Jeremiah, we hear:
"Jeremiah ought to be put to death; he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin."
Then from the last line of the reading from the Book of Hebrews:
“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.”
And finally, from Saint Luke’s Gospel message:
"I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”
Are we feeling that warm glow of hope and love that our Lord Jesus so famously proclaims? No, this Sunday we are reminded that the world is not a nice place, a welcoming place for us who believe in Jesus’ great commandment: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
“This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
What we get today is what we can consider a warning label. We the “so great a cloud of witnesses” to which the author of Hebrews was referring, are asked to use Christ as our example. We are asked, no, commanded, to live the great commandment. And in doing so we are not expected to be embraced by our society in loving arms. For far too long our secular value system has ignored the Christian faith upon which our Constitution was based. The freedoms expressed in the Bill of Rights: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly have been eroded, being replaced by a hedonistic and litigious social norm which does not want to hear the inviting words of our Savior or adhere to basic commandments by which we are governed.
It is important, this warning label, that it should come at the end of summer, as students are preparing to go back into their classrooms where their Christian values are not necessarily going to be shared by their peers or even in many cases by their teachers. We, as members of their families, need to remind them what it is we believe. We need to reemphasize the values that Jesus, our Savior, has shown us in his life.
We also need to take a moment to think about where we are going – to the workplace or to social gatherings where we also are exposed to the toxic values that lead to death of the soul, not to life. How will we combat the crass humor or dehumanizing behavior we encounter. Shall we stand up and say “that is not right?” Or, do we remain silent, passively encouraging that behavior or those attitudes to go unopposed?
If we choose to vocally oppose what is wrong, but accepted, we follow in the footsteps of Jeremiah who was cast down a cistern to sink into the mud and die. If we are silent and assumed to accept the values so quickly adopted by the secular majority, we follow the ancient inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and should expect the consequences when we stand before the just judge.
There is a third option for those of us not quite as brave as the outspoken among us. And sometimes it can be effective. When we encounter a situation like the one described above, we can physically react in a way that lets all present see that we reject their values. We turn and walk away, rejecting the company of those who degrade human dignity or disrespect others.
Those of us who are ardent fans of the psalms hear often as we find in Psalm 40:5ff:
”Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD”
This is the heart of our warning label today. If we follow the example of our Lord, we will not be embraced by our secular peers but are likely to encounter strong resistance if not violence. (“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.”) The Lord commands that we follow him and in doing so we may carry our own cross.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by Giacinto Gimignani 1660’s.
[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.
"Jeremiah ought to be put to death;
he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city,
and all the people, by speaking such things to them;
he is not interested in the welfare of our people,
but in their ruin."
King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power";
for the king could do nothing with them.
And so they took Jeremiah
and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah,
which was in the quarters of the guard,
letting him down with ropes.
There was no water in the cistern, only mud,
and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech, a court official,
went there from the palace and said to him:
"My lord king,
these men have been at fault
in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,
casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot,
for there is no more food in the city."
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite
to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before
he should die.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 38:4-6, 8-10
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18
and he stooped toward me.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the Lord.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
yet the Lord thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, hold not back!
R. Lord, come to my aid!
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18
-------------------------------------------
Reading II Hebrews 12:1-4
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
he endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Heb 12:1-4
-------------------------------------------
Gospel Luke 12:49-53
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 12:49-53
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Reflection:
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD”
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by Giacinto Gimignani 1660’s.
[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.
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