Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop

Proper readings for the Memorial of Sts. Cyril and Methodius
 
Biographical Information about St. Cyril

“Saints Cyril and Methodius”
artist and date are unknown

 
Biographical Information about St. Methodius
 
Readings for Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: 1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
 
Jeroboam thought to himself:
“The kingdom will return to David’s house.
If now this people go up to offer sacrifices
in the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem,
the hearts of this people will return to their master,
Rehoboam, king of Judah,
and they will kill me.”
After taking counsel, the king made two calves of gold
and said to the people:
“You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough.
Here is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
And he put one in Bethel, the other in Dan.
This led to sin, because the people frequented those calves
in Bethel and in Dan.
He also built temples on the high places
and made priests from among the people who were not Levites.
Jeroboam established a feast in the eighth month
on the fifteenth day of the month
to duplicate in Bethel the pilgrimage feast of Judah,
with sacrifices to the calves he had made;
and he stationed in Bethel priests of the high places he had built.
 
Jeroboam did not give up his evil ways after this,
but again made priests for the high places
from among the common people.
Whoever desired it was consecrated
and became a priest of the high places.
This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam
for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 12:26-32; 13:33-34
 
Following the breakup of the Davidic kingdom under Solomon’s rule, Jeroboam, fearing for his own life, tries to ensure that the kingdom will not be reunited.  To ensure the people do not reunite, he creates graven images and temples other than the temple in Jerusalem.  He violates Mosaic Law on numerous points. Because he is unrepentant and has led many to sin against God, he and his line are doomed to be wiped out.
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:6-7ab, 19-20, 21-22
 
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
We have sinned, we and our fathers;
we have committed crimes; we have done wrong.
Our fathers in Egypt
considered not your wonders.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
They made a calf in Horeb
and adored a molten image;
They exchanged their glory
for the image of a grass-eating bullock.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 106:6-7ab, 19-20, 21-22
 
Psalm 106 is a national lament. The psalmist recalls the times the chosen people failed to follow the Law of Moses. Instead, they were seduced by foreign religions and barbaric practices. The flight of the Hebrews from Egypt is remembered and how the people lost faith and sinned – creating graven images even though they had been rescued by God’s mighty hand at the Red Sea.
 
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 8:1-10
 
In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat,
Jesus summoned the disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
because they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
If I send them away hungry to their homes,
they will collapse on the way,
and some of them have come a great distance.”
His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread
to satisfy them here in this deserted place?”
Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
They replied, “Seven.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them,
and gave them to his disciples to distribute,
and they distributed them to the crowd.
They also had a few fish.
He said the blessing over them
and ordered them distributed also.
They ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets.
There were about four thousand people.
He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples
and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 8:1-10
 
This selection describes one of the major miracles, the multiplication of loaves and fishes. There are actually two accounts, (Mark 8:1-10 above and Mark 6:31-44). It is proposed by some scholars that this is actually the same event told from two different traditions, but regardless, the implication is Eucharistic.
 
Much can be speculated about this event. The number of the loaves being seven would seem to indicate, through Hebrew numerology, the fullness of loaves was present. The fact that they all ate until they were satisfied (spiritually?) would indicate that the meal was complete. The fragments left over filled seven baskets; again, that perfect number is used.
 
CCC: Mk 8:6 1329
-------------------------------------------
Reflection
 
It is said that those who ignore the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them.  This is a wise saying, and one we take to heart as we examine the fall of Solomon and the subsequent machinations of Jeroboam.  We step back today because we have been watching this saga unfold for the past weeks.  We saw the rise of King David, and how God anointed him.  With the exception of the one big mistake with Bathsheba, he was faithful to what God asked of him and even in sin he was repentant.  The people saw this and followed him. 
 
Next came his son Solomon, a good and wise young man, filled with dedication to the people.  His prayer brought him wisdom and wealth, power over the whole domain and even as the power of leadership came to him, like his father he abused it. In Solomon’s case, he married foreign women and adopted pagan religious practices which caused his fall from grace.  He fell not just because of his excesses, but because he failed to provide an example of faith to those who looked to him.
 
Jeroboam seized upon this weakness and, because there was no credible central leader (Solomon having betrayed the Law of Moses), he was able to widen the gulf between the people and God’s law.  He committed the sin of Aaron (Exodus 32:1-6), building not one but two golden calves.  He told the people they did not have to go to the temple in Jerusalem as the law required (see Exodus 23:14ff) (that was a difficult journey and he offered an easier alternative).  Because it was easier, and because it was more in line with their baser instincts, the people followed Jeroboam into sin.
 
Does this sound familiar?  Do the elements ring of more recent failures?  When civic leaders offer more comfortable alternatives, when they tell us our God is not a Just God, but his rules are too harsh and they offer us more pleasant alternatives, are we not on the same path?  When our leaders tell us that God would not want us to have children we did not plan for, or when they tell us the potential for human life should be sacrificed in the name of science so others might live more pleasant lives, are we not walking the same path as those who followed Jeroboam so eagerly?
 
Moral leadership is something we need at all levels, not just in the federal government.  We need it locally and we need it in our schools, our workplaces, and in our homes – the domestic church.  Ultimately it is our responsibility to lead based upon Christ’s law of love.  It is our responsibility to challenge those who offer an easier way that leads to death.  The life of the Christian may never be an easy one, but if we are faithful, it will last an eternity.
 
Pax

---

[1] The picture is “Saints Cyril and Methodius” artist and date are unknown.
[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.

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus Heals the Mute”
by Alexandre Bida, 1850s

Readings for Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: 1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19
 
Jeroboam left Jerusalem,
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:
“Take ten pieces for yourself;
the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’”
Israel went into rebellion against David’s house to this day.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19
 
This selection from the First Book of Kings describes how the kingdom of Israel, united under King David, was broken apart. God had spoken to Solomon warning him not to worship foreign gods (see 1 Kings 11:4-13). As this installment begins, Jeroboam is chosen through the court prophet Ahijah to take a majority of the people (ten of the twelve tribes) as their leader. This leaves only one tribe and the city of Jerusalem to Solomon, and that small portion only out of respect for his father, King David.
 
With this action and the subsequent efforts on the part of Jeroboam to make sure the kingdom cannot be reunited around centralized worship in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 12:26-32), Solomon is reduced to governing only a fraction of his former kingdom. The reading concludes taking a verse from the next chapter of the book, summarizing the dissolution of the united kingdom of David, and stipulating that it remained divided “to this day.”
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15
 
R. (11a and 9a) I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
 
“There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
 
“My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
 
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15
 
Psalm 81 is a prophetic liturgy. The voice is a priest speaking in God’s name. Through him God warns against the sin of Solomon – worshiping false gods. It warns that the faithful must remain firm, and if they do, God will be with them.
 
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 7:31-37
 
Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 7:31-37
 
Returning from his encounter with the Syrophoenician woman, the Lord now heals the deaf mute. This action, especially the wording of the final quote: “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak,” which is a paraphrase from Isaiah 35:5-6, demonstrates the fulfillment of prophecy.
 
The Lord’s actions are sacramental in nature, that is, they accomplish what they signify. As the Lord takes the man aside, he puts his fingers into the man’s mouth and ears. He then sighs or groans ("he sighed: A sign either of his deep emotion over the man's pitiful condition, or, as Lohmeyer believes, of Jesus' transcendence, which is contained by human limits foreign to it.") [4], looking heavenward, demonstrating his intimate relationship to the father, and says, “ephphatha!,” or “be opened."
 
This passage has two unusual characteristics. First, the Lord takes the man aside, in private, implying something private was offered by the Messiah. Next, after his cure was affected, he tells the man not to tell anyone.  However, not only does the man continue to do so, but proclaims it. We are given the sense that the event taking place is significant in that it is pointedly revelatory, citing a new creation (cf. Genesis 1:31).
 
CCC: Mk 7:32-36 1504; Mk 7:33-35 1151
-------------------------------------------
Reflection
 
The Gospel story of Jesus healing the deaf mute gives us hope that all things are possible in Christ – through our faith in him.  It is clear that the afflicted man had done nothing to merit the attention of Jesus.  We are told that his friends brought him to Jesus and made the request.  The hope we are given is that, if we encounter some distress in our lives, and if, in good faith, we bring it to Jesus, he has the power to remove the pain, take care of the problem.  There is a catch in this case.
 
If it were so simple to get Jesus to intervene, there would be no sick; there would be no cancer or polio.  Faith in Jesus and a simple request would have wiped all of those things out long ago.  If Jesus were the “silver bullet” cure, the word would have long ago spread, and every person with a serious illness would have converted instantly and brought their request to the Lord.
 
So we ask, as do multitudes of sufferers from various diseases or ailments, why is a miraculous cure not possible?  Why does God allow illness to exist?  While God was creating the human race, why didn’t he just make us immortal?  If we chase that logic down to the final question, we can see that there are problems.  If no one ever died the world would have long ago been “used up.”  If no one ever died, there would be no one but angels in the kingdom of Heaven.  God did not create life on earth as the final destination.  He gave us a biological shell to wear that we might have time on this earth he created, that we might find in this time the wonders and immensity of God’s power and love for us.
 
Jesus cannot be a “silver bullet,” but he can demonstrate the possibilities of loving him and having faith in him.  There are times, in order to inspire us, that God, for his own purposes, intercedes in our lives.   Miracles are real – they happen – and faith generally plays a huge part in it.  But it is for God’s purpose not our own.
 
Pax

---

[1] The picture is “Jesus Heals the Mute” by Alexandre Bida, 1850s.
[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] Jerome Biblical Commentary (Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968), 42:45, p. 38.

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

 

“Christ and the Canaanite”
by Jean-Germain Drouais, 1784

Readings for Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: 1 Kings 11:4-13
 
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).
 
So the LORD said to Solomon: “Since this is what you want,
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 11:4-13
 
At the beginning of Solomon’s reign, he had promised God that he would be faithful to the Law of Moses as his father, King David, had been (1 Kings 3:1-15). In reply to that promise, God had promised him all prosperity and peace.  In this passage we see the consequences of his failure by falling into idolatry. All Solomon had worked for will be taken from his son except a small portion left because of God's promise to David that his kingdom would last (2 Samuel 7:16).
 
“The glorious rise of Solomon, his piety and wisdom, administrative skill and wealth, the extension of his kingdom, his prestige among neighboring rulers, his reign of peace, above all his friendship with God-these are now eclipsed by his sins of intermarriage with great numbers of pagan wives and the consequent forbidden worship of their gods (Exodus 34:11-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-5). His construction of temples in their honor merited the punishment of loss of a united kingdom to his posterity, and the opposition of adversaries to himself (1 Kings 11:14; 1 Kings 11:23-37).” [4]
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40
 
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people;
visit us with your saving help.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
But they mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
And the LORD grew angry with his people,
and abhorred his inheritance.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 106:3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40
 
Psalm 106 is a national lament. The psalmist recalls the times the chosen people failed to follow the Law of Moses, having been seduced by foreign religions and barbaric practices. As a consequence, they walked far from God, the Father who had adopted them (“And the LORD grew angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance.”).
 
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 7:24-30
 
Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 7:24-30
 
In this selection Jesus has withdrawn from Palestine to escape the persecution of the Pharisees and scribes and to spend time training his disciples. The region they come to is predominantly Gentile and sets the scene for his encounter with the Syrophoenician woman.
 
The exchange recorded in St. Mark’s Gospel is intended to describe the universal nature of the messianic mission. Within the dialogue we see Jesus first refuse to accede to the woman’s request (even though she recognized his authority: “She came and fell at his feet.”). This same pattern of refusal and then acquiescence is found in St. John’s Gospel (John 2:4, John 4:48).
 
The metaphor being exchanged in this banter refers to the “children” being the Hebrews and the “dogs” a reference to the Gentiles (frequently referred to as such by Hebrews of the day). While this seems out of character for the Lord, our translation leaves out some conversational nuances that soften the dialogue. The word translated as “dogs” in this translation could be more accurately expressed as “pups.” It is also significant that the children and pups are eating at the same table, again expressing the universal nature of the mission of the Messiah.
 
As in other instances in St. Mark’s Gospel when Jesus cures a Gentile, he does so from a distance. “When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.”
 
CCC: Mk 7:29 2616
-------------------------------------------
Reflection
 
In spite of the way the exchange between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman sounds, the message given is actually one of unity. We hear Jesus refuse the woman who has come to him. She caught him at a very bad time. He had just traveled to Tyre; he needed a rest, time away from the confrontations with the Pharisees in Palestine. We are told he “wanted no one to know about it.” Yet, here comes this woman, a Gentile, and throws herself at him.
 
Jesus is true man as well as true God. He became tired just as we do and curing the sick and casting out demons took much effort on his part. So, he declines. He has not been as successful with the children of Israel as he had hoped. The gospel he brought had not been well received in his native land, and here comes this Gentile woman making claims on that message of salvation.
 
Jesus uses a slang expression but softens it. In Scripture we hear the word used was “dogs,” however, the Aramaic expression would have been more like pups. The woman persists and uses the metaphor to her own advantage and the Lord expels the unclean spirit from her daughter.
 
What is clear from this encounter is that Jesus brought his message to everyone, not just a select few. And his call to us is to take up that message and pass it on to others. We find that difficult to do at times. We even find it difficult to express that message to others who are tasked with sharing the same message, our brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
This then is what the Gospel calls us to do on this day – to bring the message of God’s love to those we meet. To express it in words and actions in a way that cannot be misunderstood. In this way we respond to the Lord as he responds to us – in love and understanding.
 
Pax

---

[1] The picture is “Christ and the Canaanite” by Jean-Germain Drouais, 1784.
[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] NAB footnote on 1 Kings 11:1, 3, 7.

Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial for Our Lady of Lourdes
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes
 
Additional information about Our Lady of Lourdes

“The Queen of Sheba Kneeling before King Solomon”
by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, c. 1790’s

Readings for Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: 1 Kings 10:1-10
 
The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame,
came to test him with subtle questions.
She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue,
and with camels bearing spices,
a large amount of gold, and precious stones.
She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject
in which she was interested.
King Solomon explained everything she asked about,
and there remained nothing hidden from him
that he could not explain to her.
 
When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom,
the palace he had built, the food at his table,
the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters,
his banquet service,
and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD,
she was breathless.
“The report I heard in my country
about your deeds and your wisdom is true,” she told the king.
“Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes,
I have discovered that they were not telling me the half.
Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard.
Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours,
who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.
Blessed be the LORD, your God,
whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel.
In his enduring love for Israel,
the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice.”
Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents,
a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones.
Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices
as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 10:1-10
 
This selection documents the visit of the queen of Sheba. (Queen of Sheba: women rulers among the Arabs are recorded in eighth century B.C. Assyrian inscriptions. Sheba was for centuries the leading principality in what is now Yemen.[4])  What is important in this encounter is the queen’s profession that it is God, the Lord God served by Solomon, that has graced him with wisdom, wealth, and greatness.  The queen states clearly that God has favored Israel, thus reinforcing the notion of Israel’s chosen status.
 
"This visit stayed in Israel's memory as a symbol of what would happen sometime in the future when the messianic king would appear (cf. Psalm 72:10, 15) and when Jerusalem, revived by God, would recover its place among the nations (cf. Isaiah 45:14; 60:6-7)." [5]
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40
 
R. (30a) The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
 
Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.
R. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
 
The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom
and his tongue utters what is right.
The law of his God is in his heart,
and his steps do not falter.
R. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
 
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40
 
The main thrust of this selection of Psalm 37 is evil will pass away but God and his law are eternal. It exhorts the listener to trust in God, and the “light” of truth will show the way of righteousness. The psalm appropriately extols the true teaching of God.
 
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 7:14-23
 
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.”
 
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 7:14-23
 
Jesus takes that first command of God to man in the Garden (Genesis 2:15-17) and interprets it. It was not the fruit of "the tree of knowledge of good and evil," but the spirit of evil which caused them to disobey God's word.
 
The Lord also seems to refute Jewish dietary law that declares some foods to be unclean (see also Matthew 15:11 ff.). The importance of this statement to the Christian community would not be understood until the debate about the need for Gentiles to follow Jewish law was taken up (see Acts 10:14ff; 15:28-29; Galatians 2:11-17). The point he makes is that the food that enters the body cannot destroy it but actions and words that contravene God’s law will.
 
“7:19 Thus he declared all foods clean: This teaching of Christ was explicitly confirmed in a vision received by Peter in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts 10:1-16). Sin and evil do not originate in created goods but from the human heart. Human passions must be governed by the use of reason inspired by the natural law. The removal of the dietary prohibitions is also a sign of the new People of God liberated from legalisms to be replaced by the new law of grace and charity. (CCC 582)” [6]
 
CCC:  Mk 7:14-23 574; Mk 7:18-21 582; Mk 7:21 1764
-------------------------------------------
Reflection
 
The wisdom of Solomon pales in comparison to the insights of Jesus.  The Lord sees many of the Jewish dietary laws as being impediments to understanding the real purpose the Father intended.  While not contradicting the spirit of discipline relating to the laws, Jesus points out that true sin comes not from what goes into the body but from actions that violate God’s laws.
 
Jesus is making it clear in this passage that human behaviors governed by the love of God and neighbor are the important elements of life, as opposed to fearing for one’s salvation because a person unwittingly violated one of the dietary regulations.  His purpose in clarifying God’s will was to establish a hierarchy of virtue.
 
What we must take away from this Scripture is at the heart of our thoughts when reviewing our actions.  We must, as disciples of Christ, look to what comes out of us.  We are called to be beacons of light to the world.  How can we do that if what issues from us is clothed in the darkness of sin?  Our call is to be emissaries of Christ.  How can we do that if we do not live his message?
 
Today we are reminded that we must work diligently to conform ourselves to Christ; to avoid sin and the near occasion of sin; to become children of light so that all the world might see us and believe in the true Son of God. Above all we must embrace the Holy Spirit as guide while striving to follow the traditions of our faith being obedient to the Lord’s law of love.
 
Pax

---

[1] The picture is “The Queen of Sheba Kneeling before King Solomon” by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein, c. 1790’s.
[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] NAB footnote on 1 Kings 10:1.
[5] The Navarre Bible, Joshua-Kings (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003), 457.
[6] Rev. James Socias, Didache Bible (First Edition, Ninth Printing. Copyright © 2014-2021), 1327.

Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin

Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Scholastica
 
Biographical information about St. Scholastica

“Saint Scholastica”
artist and date are unknown

Readings for Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
 
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD
in the presence of the whole community of Israel,
and stretching forth his hands toward heaven,
he said, “LORD, God of Israel,
there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below;
you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants
who are faithful to you with their whole heart.
 
“Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?
If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,
how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O LORD, my God,
and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant,
utter before you this day.
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel
which they offer in this place.
Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30
 
King Solomon concludes the dedication of the temple with theological wisdom. He tells the priests and people who believed that God had come to reside “completely and solely present” in the temple that this was not so.  Rather he says that God was omnipresent. “’Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built!’” He continues his prayer of intercession asking that God hear the prayers of the people offered there and grant them mercy as they repent and atone for their sins.
 
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 84:3, 4, 5 and 10, 11
 
R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
 
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
 
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young—
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
 
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
O God, behold our shield,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
 
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 84:3, 4, 5 and 10, 11
Psalm 84 is a hymn in praise of the temple, a song of Zion. The psalmist sings of the joy felt by the faithful who can spend time with the Lord in his house. It is a hymn for those who depend on God (Blessed they who dwell in your house!). This selection captures the reverence for the temple that is part of the Hebrew tradition, a tradition carried on in part by reverence to church structures today.
 
CCC: Ps 84:3 1770
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 7:1-13
 
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 
He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:
 
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
 
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
He went on to say,
“How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
‘If someone says to father or mother,
“Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 7:1-13
 
We begin the seventh chapter of Mark’s Gospel with an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees. Jesus’ disciples are not following strict Pharisaic laws regarding ritual purification and the Lord, who is their teacher, is taken to task for it. Jesus responds indignantly, asserting that it is the Pharisees with their man-made laws who are sinning against God. He points out that not only have they placed Pharisaic law above Mosaic Law (see also Galatians 1:14), but they have violated the Law of Moses by doing so. He gives one example about children who, under Mosaic Law, are to honor and support their parents. Instead of supporting them directly, they satisfy their obligation by contributing it to the temple and count that as support, even though it gives the parents no comfort.
 
CCC: Mk 7:8-13 2196; Mk 7:8 581
-------------------------------------------
Reflection
 
Captured within Sacred Scripture today is the tension that exists between formal worship and living the faith in the world.  In the reading from the First Book of Kings, Solomon demonstrates the wisdom he was given by God (1 Kings 3:9ff) by dispelling a long-held belief.  From earliest times it was thought that God was present in smoke or fog and that his presence was announced in earth tremors.  The belief the Levites had held was that, since the temple was to be the permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant, God would dwell there, to the exclusion of his omnipresent essence.  Solomon makes it clear that the temple he has built is a place where God’s presence may be felt, but that God is greater than any man-made structure can contain.
 
At a more esoteric level, the encounter between the Pharisees and Jesus in St. Mark’s Gospel centers on a tangential issue.  The Pharisees are complaining about Jesus’ disciples not following the strict rituals associated with Pharisaic law.  They complain to Jesus because his disciples have not done the prescribed rituals of purification and Jesus becomes indignant.  He points out that the Pharisees have missed an important element of worship.  They have focused so much on ritual that they have missed God’s real message of love for his people.
 
There are a few lessons we can take away from these attempts to discern how God wishes to be worshiped.  First, we must recognize that while a church building is a sacred space, God’s presence is universal.  At the same time we also recognize that coming together to worship our Triune God in a house of worship, by way of his promise that where two or three are gathered in his name he will be present (Matthew 18:20), assures us of his palpable presence.
 
The Gospel message is also clear.  Jesus reminds us that the objective of worship must be to fulfill God’s commandments.  Most specifically, Christ commands us to love God (which we do in formal liturgy), and love one another, which is something we must do even as we walk in the world.
 
The two linked lessons we are given today assure us that our obligation to God has two parts.  First, we are called to come together as a people of faith in a house of God to worship him.  It is part of our discipline of faith.  Second, we are tasked with taking our faith into the world so that all people may benefit from God’s love, passed first to us so it may be passed on to others.  Scripture challenges us today; may we be up to that challenge.
 
Pax

---

[1] The picture is “Saint Scholastica” artist and date are unknown.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, except for 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.