Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]

 
CCC 2055: The Decalogue summed up in one command to love
CCC 1443-1445: Reconciliation with the Church
CCC 2842-2845: “As we forgive those who trespass against us”

“Fraternal Correction”
by an unknown illustrator of
Jerome Nadal's 'Evangelicae Historiae Imagines', 1593

 
Readings for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Ezekiel 33:7-9
 
Thus says the Lord:
You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;
when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.
If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die, ”
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way,
the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.
But if you warn the wicked,
trying to turn him from his way,
and he refuses to turn from his way,
he shall die for his guilt,
but you shall save yourself.
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Commentary on Ez 33:7-9
 
This selection is part of the prophet’s call to holiness. Here the oracle of Ezekiel recalls God’s instructions. The prophet is to correct those who are identified to him as behaving in ways that will result in their death. Failure to warn them prophetically would constitute a rejection of God’s call, and the punishment meted out for the sinner would also be applied to the prophet who failed (“but I will hold you responsible for his death”). In a covenant-like formula God also says if the warning is unheeded no punishment shall fall to Ezekiel.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
 
R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
 
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
 
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the Lord who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
 
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
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Commentary on Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
 
This part of Psalm 95, commonly used as the invitatory psalm for the Liturgy of the Hours, is a song of thanksgiving. In these strophes the incident at Meribah is remembered (Exodus 17:3-7), and God’s undeserved mercy proclaimed. The community is rejoicing that the Lord is God and that he has brought us salvation in spite of our forebears' obstinacy. We are encouraged to listen to the Lord, even if what we are asked to do is difficult.
 
CCC: Ps 95:1-6 2628; Ps 95:7-8 2659; Ps 95:7 1165; Ps 95:9 2119
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Reading II: Romans 13:8-10
 
Brothers and sisters:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery;
you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, ”
and whatever other commandment there may be,
are summed up in this saying, namely,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love does no evil to the neighbor;
hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.
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Commentary on Rom 13:8-10
 
St. Paul, in this reading from his Letter to the Romans, restates the second half of the great commandment. The apostle says that following Christ’s commandment to love one another automatically fulfills any other commandment of the law governing Christian interaction. St. Paul essentially paraphrases Jesus' own teaching from St. Matthew’s Gospel as the Lord debated the Sadducees and Pharisees in Matthew 22:34ff.
 
"Those of you who are unlettered should not think that this means you cannot enter paradise, study these two commandments, and when you have fulfilled them, realize that you have done everything laid down in the Law and the Prophets, and everything taught by the Gospel and by the apostles and whatever you are admonished to do by all the countless books that have been written, for the Lord has sent his word to us in (this) manifold form (cf. Rom 9:28)." [5]
 
CCC: Rom 12-15 1454, 1971; Rom 13:8-10 1824, 2196; Rom 13:8 2845; Rom 13:9-10 2055
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Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that ‘every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.
If he refuses to listen even to the church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
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Commentary on Mt 18:15-20
 
St. Matthew relates the Lord's instructions to his disciples (and to the Christian community at large). Passing from the duty of Christian disciples toward those who have strayed from their number, the discourse now turns to how they are to deal with one who sins and yet remains within the community. First there is to be private correction; if this is unsuccessful, further correction before two or three witnesses; if this fails, the matter is to be brought before the assembled community (the church), and if the sinner refuses to attend to the correction of the church, he is to be expelled. The church's judgment will be ratified in heaven, i.e., by God. The section ends with a saying about the favorable response of God to prayer, even to that of a very small number, for Jesus is in the midst of any gathering of his disciples, however small. [6]
 
“In this passage, peace and unity are assumed by Jesus to be the natural state of things in the community gathered in memory of him and in his Name.  When this peace is disturbed the one intolerable attitude is indifference, since those who bear the name of Christ must seek reconciliation among themselves at all costs, so that the full peace that is a divine characteristic may be restored to the community.” [7]
 
CCC: Mt 18:16 2472; Mt 18:18 553, 1444; Mt 18:20 1088, 1373
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Reflection:
 
There are some among our faith community who look to the Mass each day or week for a “sound bite,” a short phrase or sentence that they can use that sums up the message they take away from their time gathered for the Eucharistic Celebration.  If any of you are looking for something to take away today, Sacred Scripture provides a few great possibilities.
 
One might be from the first reading from Ezekiel.  The prophet is told by God that he is called to warn the wicked that their sins will bring them death.  We heard Jeremiah cry out in a similar way. He wished he had never been born because he was called to correct the wicked and tell them of the doom that awaited them if they did not repent (“I did not sit celebrating in the circle of merrymakers; Under the weight of your hand I sat alone because you filled me with indignation” Jeremiah 15:17).  In a matter-of-fact way, Ezekiel understands the Lord is telling him that he is compelled to correct those on the wrong path.  If he does not, if he shirks his duty to correct the sinful, he will be responsible for the fate they suffer.
 
The sound bite we might take from Ezekiel could be: “You, child of God, have been appointed as a guardian of your brothers and sisters.”
 
We can also look at the second reading, St. Paul’s letter to the Romans.  That one is almost too easy since the apostle is paraphrasing Jesus’ own words when he relates the Great Commandment.  St. Paul gives the second half of that wonderful command which fits nicely with Ezekiel’s call.  Put simply, “Love your neighbor as yourself” can be paraphrased as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
 
Since Ezekiel started talking about correcting those who are headed down wrong paths, we can consider how we would want to be corrected ourselves if we were the ones in error.  Would we want someone to shout our sins from the roof-tops?  Would we want to be chastised in front of our friends, co-workers, or family?  Wouldn’t we rather be lovingly taken aside and chided privately.  Wouldn’t we rather be given the opportunity to correct our own behavior without public humiliation?  That is how “Love your neighbor as yourself” must be applied as “guardian of your brothers and sisters.’
 
Not surprisingly, that is also what Jesus says to his disciples in the reading from St. Matthew’s Gospel.  Because his disciples are leaders of those who follow the Lord, and because of the depth of his love for all people everywhere, he gives his friends more authoritative instructions on how to correct those who are in danger of giving up peace in this life and eternal life with him in the next.
 
Although it may seem odd to us, it is clear that Jesus knows that not everyone will choose a path that leads to him.  Notice how he makes provision for people who, even after being confronted by the whole community of faith, refuse to correct their behavior.  He tells the disciples to “treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.”  In Jesus’ time a Gentile was excluded or excommunicated from the community.  They were to be told they were not welcome in the community of believers until such time as they conformed to the commandments.
 
The Holy Church takes its authority to do the same to those who refuse to follow those same commandments, passed down from St. Peter and his successors.  But when we bring the teaching of Ezekiel and St. Paul together with what the Lord tells the disciples in the Gospel, our own responsibility becomes very clear. 
 
Let’s set a scenario to demonstrate.  Let’s say a very close friend, perhaps our best friend, decides to start taking illegal drugs. What does our faith require us to do?  First, we know from Ezekiel’s words that we are our friend’s guardian, whether we want to be or not.  It is clear that the answer to Cain’s question “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) when God asked him about Abel in the Book of Genesis is – Yes, we are.  So, sitting by and doing nothing is not an option for us.
 
But how do we try to correct our friend?  Do we call the police and have him arrested? No – that is not the first step Jesus commanded.  We should approach our friend directly and privately (because that is how we would hope another would treat us if fortunes were reversed).  We should lovingly point out his error and try to correct him.  We should explain that he or she is destroying the temple of their body which God so lovingly gave them.
 
If our friend refused to listen, then we get other friends and perhaps family member to confront them a second time, again – out of love, without condescension, without anger, allowing our friend their human dignity.  If that still does not work, perhaps it is best to forgo our friendship with that person or perhaps encourage the friend's family to get that person the help they need.
 
So, for those who look for those sound bites to take away, today we have a rich trove of them.  It could be “I am my brother’s keeper” or “You, child of God, have been appointed as a guardian of your brothers and sisters.”  There is the quote from St. Paul - “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  But perhaps most important is the idea that loving one another as Christ teaches is not simply feeling affection, it is doing the hard things that true Christians must do for one another, out of love.
 
Pax

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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 used is “Fraternal Correction” by an unknown illustrator of Jerome Nadal's 'Evangelicae Historiae Imagines', 1593.
[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.
[5] St. John of Avila "Sermons", Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost.
[6] NAB Footnote on Matthew 18:15-20.
[7] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003), 629.

Saturday of the Twenty-second 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: #42. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians)

“The Heavenly Jerusalem”
by an Italian Romanesque painter c. 1090

Readings for Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 4:6b-15
 
Brothers and sisters:
Learn from myself and Apollos not to go beyond what is written,
so that none of you will be inflated with pride
in favor of one person over against another.
Who confers distinction upon you?
What do you possess that you have not received?
But if you have received it,
why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?
You are already satisfied; you have already grown rich;
you have become kings without us!
Indeed, I wish that you had become kings,
so that we also might become kings with you.
 
For as I see it, God has exhibited us Apostles as the last of all,
like people sentenced to death,
since we have become a spectacle to the world,
to angels and men alike.
We are fools on Christ’s account, but you are wise in Christ;
we are weak, but you are strong;
you are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty,
we are poorly clad and roughly treated,
we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands.
When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
when slandered, we respond gently.
We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all,
to this very moment.
 
I am writing you this not to shame you,
but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Even if you should have countless guides to Christ,
yet you do not have many fathers,
for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 4:6b-15
 
This reading is part of an introduction to St. Paul’s discourse on divisions in the community. He begins with an individual instruction: “That you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written.
The words ‘to go’ are not in the Greek but have here been added as the minimum necessary to elicit sense from this difficult passage. It probably means that the Corinthians should avoid the false wisdom of vain speculation, contenting themselves with Paul's proclamation of the cross, which is the fulfillment of God's promises in the Old Testament (what is written). Inflated with pride: literally, 'puffed up,' i.e., arrogant, filled with a sense of self-importance.” [5]
 
St. Paul makes three ironic statements as to the benefits the Corinthians have already received (“satisfied,” “rich,” “kings”). These are really rhetorical questions that get at a general tendency by this community to have an exaggerated sense and understanding of the eschaton, or the end times (i.e. the imminent return and rapture).
 
St. Thomas Aquinas comments on this passage as follows: "The apostle here considers four types of pride: the first, when one thinks that what one has does not come from God [...]; the second, which is similar, when one thinks that one has done everything on one's own merit; the third, when one boasts of having something which one does not in fact have [...]; the fourth, when one despises others and is concerned only about oneself" ("Commentary on 1 Cor, ad loc.").[6]
 
The apostle continues this selection with a description of the conditions in which the apostles (himself included) are viewed and treated by the world. He contrasts the difficulty they encounter with the ease and comfort of those who believe (in error) that they have achieved a state of glory and bask in the light of Christ. The description of the suffering of the apostles St. Paul provides, “place the apostles in the class of those to whom the beatitudes promise future relief (Matthew 5:3-11; Luke 6:20-23); whereas the Corinthians' image of themselves as ‘already’ filled, rich, ruling (1 Corinthians 4:8), as wise, strong, and honored (1 Corinthians 4:10), places them paradoxically in the position of those whom the woes threaten with future undoing (Luke 6:24-26). They have lost sight of the fact that the reversal is predicted for the future.” [7]
 
Almost as if to take the sting out of his ironically charged chastisement, St. Paul describes his relation to them as a “father” who teaches his children through his lived example.
 
CCC: 1 Cor 4:7 224
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:17-18, 19-20, 21
 
R. (18) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
 
The Lord is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
 
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him,
he hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord keeps all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
 
May my mouth speak the praise of the Lord,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
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Commentary on Ps 145:17-18, 19-20, 21
 
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. These strophes call on the faithful to give thanks to God for opening the gates of his heavenly kingdom. They continue praising God for his justice and his creating hand.
 
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Gospel:  Luke 6:1-5
 
While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
his disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
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Commentary on Lk 6:1-5
 
The Pharisees attack the disciples because they picked some grain to eat on the sabbath. In pharisaic law (Mishnah: Shabat 7:2) [8] that act is considered work and is forbidden on the Lord’s Day (Exodus 34:21). It is noteworthy that this action is permitted in other parts of the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 23:26). [9] The Lord reinterprets their law, citing the First Book of Samuel (1 Samuel 21:2-7) and Leviticus (Leviticus 24:8). The implication of his final statement in this passage is clear to us. “The ultimate justification for the disciples' violation of the sabbath rest is that Jesus, the Son of Man, has supreme authority over the law.” [10]
 
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Reflection:
 
There is a management methodology highly praised in business circles that states: If you want to achieve an organizational goal, you need to manage the team as if that goal had already been achieved. Stated another way this means, if you want to have something occur, behave as if it already had. Where people often find difficulty with this is when they forget they are working toward an end result and begin to think they have already made the journey and have arrived. Those who have fallen into that trap are often seen as arrogant or (a favorite description being used in election campaign rhetoric) “out of touch with reality.”
 
St. Paul has observed this flaw in the faith community at Corinth. He realized that if the people who believe they have already achieved an enlightened or beatified state as a consequence of their adoption in the Lord continue down this path, real harm will be caused in the development of the Christian community, and their true faith journey. He challenges them about their attitudes. He contrasts the relative ease and peace of their self-imposed idyllic faith to the difficult and gritty life of the apostles, who are propagating the Gospel (himself included).
 
The passage we are given is a prelude to his deeper attack on divisions in the Body of Christ, but these opening remarks have their own lesson for us. Those of us who are working hard at developing our own spiritual center, trying to walk closely with Christ and God, must never think we are somehow better than those who struggle mightily, but are caught up so deeply in the net of the world’s entanglements that they cannot even see the light of Christ (or so it might seem to us). We must remember the model Christ has provided: the humility with which he led us when he walked among us as a man.
 
It is easy to see the trap the Corinthians fell into. They were so taken with the bliss that will come with the perfect communion with God that is his ultimate promise that they began to act as if it were imminent, and forgot the difficult journey required to get to that place. We must always remember that our mission in this life is to walk the hard path, the humble path, the dusty path that was walked with Christ by those disciples on the road to Emmaus. We have not arrived. Much of our journey lies ahead of us, and we must constantly invite those we meet along the way to join us.
 
Pax

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[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5.
[2] The picture used today is “The Heavenly Jerusalem” by an Italian Romanesque painter c. 1090.
[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.
[5] NAB footnote on 1 Corinthians 4:6.
[6] The Navarre Bible, Letters of St. Paul  (Four Courts Press, © 2003).
[7] NAB footnote on 1 Corinthians 4:9-13.
[8] Mishnah: an authoritative collection of exegetical material embodying the oral tradition of Jewish law and forming the first part of the Talmud.
[9] Pablo T. Gadenz , The Gospel of Luke (Baker Academic, Grand Rapids MI, © 2018),122.
[10] NAB footnote on Matthew 12:1-8.

Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

“Blessing Christ and Praying Virgin”
by Master of Flémalle, c. 1424

Readings for Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
 
Brothers and sisters:
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now it is of course required of stewards
that they be found trustworthy.
It does not concern me in the least
that I be judged by you or any human tribunal;
I do not even pass judgment on myself;
I am not conscious of anything against me,
but I do not thereby stand acquitted;
the one who judges me is the Lord.
Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,
until the Lord comes,
for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness
and will manifest the motives of our hearts,
and then everyone will receive praise from God.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 4:1-5
 
This selection is part of St. Paul’s pre-oration regarding the need for unity in the church in Corinth. In this concluding section, the apostle calls upon the community to be faithful to the teachings passed on to it. He speaks of Christian wisdom with an exhortation to the community not to pass judgment on their leaders. He summarizes his thought with the statement: "Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." The words St. Paul uses to describe the roles are, in the first instance: “servants of Christ,” hypēretēs, a word that designated rowers on the lowest rank of a galley, later coming to mean assistant or helper. The word “stewards” (or managers) was oikonomos, a name given to servants put in charge of their master’s property.
 
He goes on to exhort them not to pass judgment upon each other, but rather to follow his own example of being nonjudgmental, even about his own actions. He concludes by reminding them that, at the “appointed time” (referring to the eschaton), the Lord will reveal all motives of the human heart and judgment will be passed.
 
CCC: 1 Cor 4:1 859, 1117; 1 Cor 4:5 678
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 37:3-4, 5-6, 27-28, 39-40
 
R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
 
Trust in the Lord and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
 
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 salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
 
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the Lord loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
Criminals are destroyed
and the posterity of the wicked is cut off.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
 
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 salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 37:3-4, 5-6, 27-28, 39-40
 
Psalm 37, a lament, continues the plea to be faithful to God and remain steadfast in the time of adversity. The psalmist adds a call for repentance, a return to righteousness. Failure to do so brings death. But those who take refuge in the Lord, and remain steadfast in their faith, God saves.
 
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Gospel: Luke 5:33-39
 
The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but yours eat and drink.”
Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days.”
And he also told them a parable.
“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.
Otherwise, he will tear the new
and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,
and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.
Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.
And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,
for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
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Commentary on Lk 5:33-39
 
In this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees we see the liberal use of metaphors to describe a new relationship.  There is a new covenant, but it is related to the old. The bridal metaphor clearly establishes a relationship between God and man, different than that expressed in the Hebrew tradition. God and man are in a love relationship as opposed to God being superior to man and man subservient to God.
 
The Lord uses the metaphors of the new and old cloth and the new and old wineskins to illustrate that this Gospel message cannot be grafted on to Mosaic Law, but it becomes something entirely new. Attempting to hold both views is not possible; it will destroy both. (It is likely that St. Luke actually rewrote the new vs. old cloth parable also found in St. Mark’s Gospel - Mark 2:19ff.)
 
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Reflection:
 
“The old is good.” St. Luke sees the difficulty many members of his audience, especially the Pharisees, are having in accepting the idea that Christ came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. They have had the “old wine” of these traditions and beliefs for their entire lives, and the traditions they inherited were passed down from generation upon generation, during which time they gained such rigidity of form and substance that they seemed indestructible.
 
The great irony is that it was for that very purpose God sent his Son into the world. The people to whom God had revealed himself in the signs and wonders in the age of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the great Exodus facilitated by Moses, had adopted traditions and they had taken upon themselves a life of their own. The acts themselves had become the object of worship, rather than God to whom they all pointed.
 
Through the ages God had sought to change this, to reveal himself and his will by sending the prophets: Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea and all those great instruments of God.  They cried out to the people, telling them, among other things, that God did not want sacrifices and holocausts. His intention was not to smell the burning flesh of the sacrificial altar.  His desire was the conversion of heart (see especially Psalm 51:18-19). He called to them to love each other and in doing so love him all the more. But the old wine was good.
 
The saying of Jesus about the old and new wineskins has a lesson for us as well. We must never become so rooted in our personal traditions that we fail to see what the Holy Spirit does in our midst. God calls us to constant conversion. That means change, and change is always difficult. The old wine, the wine to which we have become accustomed, always tastes good. The new wine of conversion needs some getting used to.
 
Today our prayer is this, that even as we savor the old wine that is good, we are constantly ready to accept the new wine of conversion, inviting us deeper into the will of God and his call to us.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture used today is “Blessing Christ and Praying Virgin” by Master of Flémalle, c. 1424.
[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.

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Gregory the Great

Biographical Information about St. Gregory the Great

"Saint Gregory the Great"
by Jacopo Vignali, c. 1630

 
Readings for Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23
 
Brothers and sisters:
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:
 
God catches the wise in their own ruses,
 
and again:
 
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
 
So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
 
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Commentary on 1 Cor 3:18-23
 
St. Paul continues his treatise on Christian wisdom telling the church at Corinth that, if they wish true wisdom, they must reject human wisdom (“If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise”). They must be guided by the Spirit of Truth. He does this by quoting first Job 5:12 and then Psalm 94:11.
 
The evangelist concludes by assigning Christian value to all things: life and the Church, the leaders (Paul or Apollos or Cephas), past and future experience, and, most importantly, the ownership of the Christian by Christ, linked to God through him. “Paul assigns all the persons involved in the theological universe a position on a scale: God, Christ, church members, church leaders. Read from top to bottom, the scale expresses ownership; read from bottom to top, the obligation to serve. This picture should be complemented by similar statements such as those in 1 Corinthians 8:6 and 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.” [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
 
R. (1) To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
 
The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
 
Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
 
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
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Commentary on Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
 
Psalm 24 is a processional song. It recalls that God is the great creator, and he calls his people to be faithful. It is part of a hymn of entrance, sung as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple, followed by the faithful. The song asks the question: who can come into his presence, and answers: only those who are sinless (completely reconciled to God). Those who achieve that beatified state will receive the reward of eternal life from the savior.
 
The hymn focuses on the character of the one who worthily seeks God, and the one who is worthy to come into God’s kingdom and stand before him. This same concept is borrowed in a passage from John’s Revelation (Revelation 14:4ff): who are the ones allowed full access to God? They are those: “whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.” In other words they are clean in heart, body, and spirit.
 
CCC: Ps 24:6 2582
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Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
 
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
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Commentary on  Lk 5:1-11
 
St. Luke’s Gospel presents the call of St. Peter, St. James, and St. John to discipleship. The Lord has demonstrated his authority through his teaching, and then through the miraculous catch of fish. We note the similarity of this incident with the post-resurrection incident recounted in St. John’s Gospel (John 21:1-11).
 
At Jesus' summons, Simon and the two sons of Zebedee leave all they have and follow the Lord. No mention is made here of Simon’s (Peter’s) brother Andrew who would also have been there, and in fact, as a disciple of John the Baptist, actually introduced the two (John 1:41 ff). We do hear that James and John, Zebedee’s sons were also there as Simon’s partners and are called at the same time.
 
Simon Peter’s response to the Lord’s call is one of being sinful and therefore unworthy of the presence of the Lord. In response to Simon’s fearful humility, Jesus invites them all to leave what they have and become fishers of men.
 
CCC: Lk 5:8 208
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Reflection:
 
There is a great deal of symbolism provided by St. Luke in his story about the call of St. Peter (Simon), his brother (Andrew), and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John. The fact that they were fishing symbolizes their later evangelical activity. That they had been ineffective at fishing until they had Christ with them is another strongly symbolic fact in the story. The entire account, taken as a whole, is one of the call of the Lord and the response of the people of God. But there is something else here; something important in the attitudes of those being called.
 
When Simon-Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah following the great catch of fish, we are told “he fell at the knees of Jesus.” Scripture did not say if he fell prostrate, or simply to his knees, but what is clear is that he recognized Jesus, and realized that he was in a sacred space. The Lord’s presence made it so.
 
I recently attended Mass in another town, in another diocese. It was a church in which reforms had been made. The tabernacle had been moved out of the sanctuary and placed in an adjoining chapel, and the kneelers had been removed. When people arrived, there was no genuflection, when they celebrated the Mass, even making Christ present in the Eucharist, there was no sense of the space being sacred, sanctified for worship. When contrasted with St. Thomas the Apostle, here in Ann Arbor where the tabernacle is central to our space and the sense that, as the Latin inscription around the dome above the sanctuary says “This is nothing more than the house of God and the gate of Heaven” (Genesis 28:17), there was a feeling that something important was missing. Yes, the people were inviting and, with the exception of kneeling during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Mass was a celebration. But that feeling of sacred space was achingly missing.
 
When we become complacent, accepting Christ as merely another friend among friends, our own sense of holiness suffers. When we forget that what happens at the Eucharist is no less miraculous than the multiplication of the loaves, or the miraculous catch of fish, we lose our sense of awe and the appreciation for what the Lord has done. We lose our faith in what he is capable of doing for us.
 
Today’s Gospel reminds us that where Jesus is truly present, that space becomes sacred space, due our respect and reverence. We must never forget that the building itself is not “the church” but our reverence as a people of God makes it so.
 
Pax
 
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[1] The picture used today is "Saint Gregory the Great" by Jacopo Vignali, c. 1630.
[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 Corinthians 3:21-23.