Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Optional Memorial for Saint Casmir)

Proper for the Memorial of St. Casmir

Biographical information about St. Casmir

“Christ and the Young Rich Man” by Heinrich Hofmann,1889

Readings for Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time [1]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]

Commentary:

Reading 1: Sirach 17:24-28 [4]

Commentary on Sir 17:24-28

The first part of this moral teaching from Sirach (in antiquity called “Wisdom of the Son of Sirach" and in the Middle Ages Ecclesiasticus) deals with penitence. God always invites us back, especially those who have lost hope. All that is necessary is to love what God loves, and to pray constantly to the "Most High God."

The second section asks for conversion or a return to God. Here the author says the dead cannot give God praise (see also Psalm 115:17-18 and Isaiah 38:18-20). This reflects the belief at this point in Hebrew theological development that there was no life after death, no resurrection, only a shadow existence in Sheol. We also hear how God’s mercy flows to those who do return from a sinful past. God forgives those who return to him.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R. (11a) Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.

Commentary on Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

Psalm 32 is an individual hymn of thanksgiving. The psalmist (presumably King David) sings a song of gratitude that the Almighty Father has pardoned his sins (which were freely confessed). In spite of these blemishes, salvation is heaped upon the repentant person.

Providing hope for mankind following the story of the Fall, the psalmist is rejoicing for the one whose sins are forgiven. Then he gives thanks for God’s saving work, emphasizing that only the Lord can deliver us from sin.

CCC: Ps 32 304; Ps 32:5 1502

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Gospel: Mark 10:17-27

Commentary on Mk 10:17-27

The story of the rich young man, presented in St. Mark’s Gospel, is an ideal teaching moment for Christ. Clearly the young man depicted is of Pharisaic persuasion since he believes in the concept of eternal life (Sadducees would not). After he has heard that the young man has carefully followed Mosaic Law (summarized in the Decalogue the Lord mentions), Jesus tells him he has only one more step to take. Selling all he has and giving the proceeds to the poor is too much for the rich young man who leaves downcast.

Jesus uses this example to emphasize, first, that the love of God must come first, before desire for possessions, and before the accumulation of wealth. Those listening were also downhearted and say: “Then who can be saved?”

Jesus then makes his second point. No one earns salvation from God! Only the Lord alone can grant it, and nothing is impossible for him. “For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” God must provide the path.

CCC: Mk 10:19 1858; Mk 10:22 2728

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Reflection:

The Good News offers us a way home if we have fallen or have moved away from the Lord.  There is a billboard in our region of the country that says: “If you feel God is far away, who moved?”  It fits today’s scripture.

In Sirach we are told that the path to God is open for those who have fallen into sin or have denied the Lord.  The opening line is an invitation (that sounds like it came out of an Indiana Jones movie): “To the penitent God provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope and has chosen for them the lot of truth.”  From the oldest times God has provided a way to return if we fail.

We are told that to return we must first want to return.  Actually, if we think about it, that is the major hurdle we must cross.  If we want something, say a new car or a pair of shoes, our behavior supports that desire.  We save money for the car, and we look into offerings by various dealers or stores.  We do our homework so that we achieve what we want.  The larger the item or the goal, the longer it takes to achieve it and the more discipline in our behavior.  We see how goals can come into conflict in the Gospel story.  The rich young man wants exactly what we do, and finds the barrier in himself.  The Lord tells him to remove the things in his life more important to him than God, his material possessions, and he (the young man) cannot do it.

When Jesus turns to his disciples after the young man leaves, he explains: to those who place their wealth first in their lives, the Kingdom of God is not attainable.  Even if we find a way to achieve that perfect state of mind (it is very difficult), it is only through God’s mercy that we will achieve that heavenly place. Thank God his mercy is endless.

Pax

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[1] The picture is “Christ and the Young Rich Man” by Heinrich Hofmann,1889.

[2] S.S. Commemoratio

[4] The Biblical Citation published is incorrect at the USCCB link above. Correct is Sirach 17:24-28 in the NAB.

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]

CCC 2563: The heart is the home of truth

CCC 1755-1756: Good acts and evil acts

CCC 1783-1794: Forming conscience and decision-making

CCC 2690: Spiritual direction

CCC 1009-1013: Christian view of death

“The Blind Leading the Blind” by Pieter van der Heyden,c. 1561

Readings for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]

Commentary 

First Reading: Sirach 27:4-7

Commentary on Sir 27:4-7

In this passage the author addresses dangers to human integrity and friendship with three analogies.  The analogy of the shaken sieve refers to the process of separating good grain from husks (or refuses from the Greek kopria). The grain is passed through the sieve but the refuse is thrown away or burned.  The analogy is mindful of the St. John the Baptist’s references to the threshing floor (Matthew 3:12) where the wheat remains but the chaff is burned.  The second analogy, the potter's test, is consistent with the theme of the just being tested through tribulations (see also Sirach 2:5; Wisdom 3:5-6; 1 Peter 1:7).

The passage clarifies what will be considered by God and others to be the fruits of integrity; the words uttered by a person define the person’s heart to others.  Similarly Jesus will also take up this topic as he states “It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” (Matthew 15:11)

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

R. (cf. 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

Commentary on Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

Psalm 92 is a song of thanksgiving. The psalmist sees God’s gifts pouring onto the faithful and in consequence, those who dwell with the Lord will flourish and bear fruit. In their faith there is great strength and endurance in God’s great wholesomeness.

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Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

Commentary on 1 Cor 15:54-58

This passage is St. Paul’s hymn of victory over death. It concludes his discourse on the resurrection. When the bodies of the elect, by resurrection or change, become incorrupt, death is defeated, prophecy is fulfilled (Isaiah 25:8), and the final victory is won. He loosely quotes Hosea 13:14 in which the “sting” of death is vanquished; a reference to the venomous sting of a serpent’s bit, the allegory to sin. The serpent without its sting can no longer harm those clothed in Christ.

St. Paul sees this as existential application of the Law, by which sin was defined and applied but without giving mankind the strength to avoid the sins so defined (see also Romans 7:7-25). The hard work of the faithful Christian is not in vain as Christ’s victory is granted and salvation assured.

CCC: 1 Cor 15:56 602

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Gospel: Luke 6:39-45

Commentary on Lk 6:39-45

St. Luke continues Jesus’ dialogue from the “Sermon on the Plain” concerning the judgment of others. Taking his disciples aside he tells them that in time they will assume his role in proclaiming the Gospel (“but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher”). The exhortation that follows is not intended to say that they should not notice the failings of others; that would be inconsistent with Matthew 7:5,6. Rather it is “against passing judgment in a spirit of arrogance, forgetful of one's own faults.” [5]

The passage concludes Jesus’ discourse on judgment of others using the analogy of the fruits born by a tree – good and bad. The intent of this allegory was to expose false prophets – hypocrites who say one thing but do another. "What matters is not whether or not we wear a religious habit; it is whether we try to practice the virtues and surrender our will to God and order our lives as His Majesty ordains, and not want to do our will but his" (St Teresa of Avila, "Interior Castle", II, 6). [6]

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Reflection:

I recently met a man while on a trip to the North Country.  He was standing outside my hotel room as I checked out and he seemed ordinary enough.  He had a really pretty black Labrador retriever on a leash lying at his feet.  I had come and gone to the room a couple times, bringing out bags, when he struck up a conversation.  I commented on his dog and he told me it was the first time he had been off-leash which surprised me because he was clearly on a leash.  It was then that the man told me he was blind and the dog was in fact a leader dog.   I did not realize the man was blind until he told me.

It begs the question, in light of today’s Gospel from St. Luke, how do we know if those we meet are blind?  Or perhaps even a better question; how do we know when we are blind?  The Lord speaks to us  about being judgmental; of making determinations about others before we understand completely their situations.  Like the blind man who didn’t seem blind, how often do we assume others are blind without trying to understand where their apparent blindness comes from?

As disciples of Christ we are called to treat every person we meet with the dignity that should be afforded to a son or daughter of God.  We are told, in no uncertain terms, that we must not be deceived by appearances or, as the Lord himself showed us as he was tempted in the desert, not to be fooled by smooth speech and overly generous offers.  We are called to examine our own motives and standards. 

Taking the Gospel from Luke with the analogies from Sirach we must draw one piece of wisdom from what we have heard today; embrace God’s wisdom for ourselves, praying for God’s grace and peace, and do not set a bar for the behavior of others we ourselves cannot achieve.

Pax

In other years on March 2^nd, Optional Memorial for Saint Katherine Drexel, Virgin

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[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 “The Blind Leading the Blind” by Pieter van der Heyden,c. 1561.

[3] S.S. Commemoratio

[5] See NAB footnote on Matthew 7:1.

[6] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, pp. 396.

Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(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 #29 The Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of All Creation).

“Christ Blessing the Children” by Nicolaes Maes, 1652-53

Readings for Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time [2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]

Commentary:

Reading 1: Sirach 17:1-15 [5]

Commentary on Sir 17:1-15

This selection is part of Sirach’s treatise linking God’s Wisdom to creation. We note here that Sirach does not consider mankind before and after the fall, but rather accepts the faithful in the cultural situation of his day. Creation is a part of God’s salvific work. Mankind (especially Israel) is given a privileged position in having dominion over what God has provided, but is still a debtor to God. Man's wisdom is but a shadow of the Wisdom of God. The Father gave a part of his wisdom as the law imparted at the covenant at Sinai, and sees how it is kept.

CCC: Sir 15:14 1730, 1743

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18

R. (see 17) The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.

Commentary on Ps 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18

Psalm 103 is a hymn of praise (and thanksgiving). It is a simple and beautiful reaction to God’s goodness. Reflecting upon human mortality, the psalmist sings of the brevity of life, and the mercy God bestows upon us in his eternal blessing of those who follow him and keep his covenant.

CCC: Ps 103 304

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Gospel: Mark 10:13-16

Commentary on Mk 10:13-16

The image of Jesus portrayed by this passage demonstrates that those who had seen his works and heard his words saw greatness in him. They brought their children to him instinctively, that these little ones might receive the grace bestowed by his touch. This activity made his disciples indignant. They felt that their master should not be pestered by the children. The Lord, however, used this situation as a teaching moment. Jesus told the crowd that only complete dependence upon God’s support would allow them salvation (“for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these”).

CCC: Mk 10:14 343, 1261; Mk 10:16 699

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Reflection:

We must, given the direction offered by Sacred Scripture, contemplate the need for prayer and its power in our lives. If we think about the relationship we hope to establish with God our Father, and his Son, Jesus, we can use the relationships we build on earth as a worldly model.

When we wish to get to know someone well, we speak with them. We ask them questions.  We hope that by speaking with them we can uncover who they are, where they were from, how and where they grew up, and what do they like or dislike. The more intensely we want this relationship, the deeper and more intensely we talk to them, spending hours conversing about all manner of things.

With members of our own families, much of this discussion is not necessary since we share a common history and life. Much of what we need to know we have learned through long association. The love we have for these family members is stimulated by our common desires, our common experiences, and the deep understanding we build with them over time.

For a child who knows the mind of their loving parent, the worst thing they could imagine is disappointing that parent through actions they know would be against their wishes. Likewise the child knows, without question, that if they are in trouble, that parent will do everything in their power to rescue them from that situation. And if that child falls ill, the loving parent does whatever they can to see that the child of their love returns to health.

The analogy comes so easily. If we wish to know God, to build that relationship with him, prayer is our best approach. Much of who God is and what he likes or does not like, we discover in the sacred texts of the Bible. The deeper we delve into that treasure chest of our predecessors’ past experiences of God, the better we understand how to know him in our lives.

But God was not a “historical figure,” he is a living God who loves and cares for us. It is this present and living Trinity that we want to know. So we talk to him. We tell him we love him, we honor him because he deserves honor, and when we are in need, we ask for his help. We ask, confident as the child with a loving parent, that he will do all he can to save us from our difficulty. He may show us the way, he may open a door, and if all that is not enough and he wishes to demonstrate his love more visibly, he may offer up a miracle. They are more common than we know.

Today we pray to know our Loving Father better. We thank him for all he has done for us, and in a special way we pray for all those who are sick that through the sacrament of anointing, they might be restored to health and oneness with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Pax

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[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5.

[2] The picture is “Christ Blessing the Children” by Nicolaes Maes, 1652-53.

[3] S.S. Commemoratio

[5] Note: The citation for this reading is incorrect in the published index from the Lectionary for Mass