Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

 “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child”
by Giacinto Gimignani, c. 1650’s.

Readings for Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 14:17-22
 
Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
look! those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not.
 
Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name's sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain?
Or can the mere heavens send showers?
Is it not you alone, O LORD,
our God, to whom we look?
You alone have done all these things.
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Commentary Jer 14:17-22
 
This reading is part of the prophet Jeremiah’s great lament for the destruction and death that has come to Judah. He uses the metaphor of a young woman, mortally wounded, to describe the damage to the land and people. The concluding verses constitute a plea for mercy, and a confession of past sins (“We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers”). The implication is that the destruction visited upon them was a consequence of their sin. The prophet’s final plea recognizes the one true God who is all powerful.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
 
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
 
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
 
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
 
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
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Commentary Ps 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
 
Psalm 79 is a lament over the destruction of the temple. In this part of the hymn the psalmist asks God for forgiveness of past offenses and compassion in their need. This sin has resulted in their imprisonment and separated them from God. This hymn was offered after the destruction of the temple and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant. It is a plea for compassion and help while repenting from sins (“Deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake”).
 
CCC: Ps 79:9  431
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Gospel: Matthew 13:36-43
 
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
 
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
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Commentary on Mt 13:36-43
 
Jesus dismisses the crowd which, in this instance, represents the unbelieving of Israel. The remainder of this passage is directed at instruction of the disciples. The Lord’s explanation of the parable of the weeds clearly shows the intent of the story. The judgment of the wicked by God through his angels will take place in the eschaton (the end times – the end of the age). The righteous will be vindicated (shine like the sun). The final statement: “Whoever has ears ought to hear,” is both a warning and a statement of the need for patience by the faithful.
 
CCC: Mt 13:41-42 1034; Mt 13:41 333; Mt 13:42 1034
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Reflection:
 
So often we forget that there is a dynamic struggle taking place in the world between God and his nemesis, the Evil One, as the Gospel names him.  We think that evil is passive in the world, and while we should avoid it, it does not seek us out.
 
Jesus makes it clear that the struggle is ongoing, and that the children of God are at risk, not just of sinning of their own accord, but of being seduced by the Evil One and falling into eternal fire.  The warning is apt.  The evil of the world has trapped so many right-intentioned people.  We see the devil portrayed in Scripture as a fallen angel.  If, therefore, we consider how an angel might appear to us, we must also consider what form he might take should the fallen one present himself to us. How are we to know that it is not one of God’s messengers who is persuading us to take a course of action?
 
Recall that in the desert, when Christ was tempted by the same Evil One, the devil even quoted Scripture to the Lord to try to seduce him away from his salvific mission.  He offered food to a hungry man, and water to one who thirsted.  He offered all the kingdoms of the earth, essentially the fulfillment of Christ’s mission, to Jesus who came to save all people for the Heavenly Father.  All this he offered, if our Lord would but bow to him, the fallen angel.  How tempting that must have been to the Lord as he looked past his trial in the desert and saw at the end of his earthly mission the cross of his passion standing starkly on Calvary’s hill.
 
The Lord’s warning to the disciples, and hence to us, is indeed apt.  We, who strive to keep Christ’s mission of love visible in the world, are challenged constantly. Not by some benign evil that sits like a pit for us to avoid, but by a malignant evil, active and insatiable, a spirit that seeks to ambush us, choke us as weeds, as we attempt to do God’s will.  Our attitude must be one of constant vigilance and prayer.  It is only by keeping this vigil and remaining in a state of constant discernment that we can see evil for what it is and avoid the terrible harvest at the end of time. “Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture is  “An Angel and a Devil Fighting for the Soul of a Child” by Giacinto Gimignani, c. 1650’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.

Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Jeremiah Wearing the Girdle”
artist and date are unknown

Readings for Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 

Reading 1: Jeremiah 13:1-11
 
The Lord said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;
wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.
I bought the loincloth, as the Lord commanded, and put it on.
A second time the word of the Lord came to me thus:
Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing,
and go now to the Parath;
there hide it in a cleft of the rock.
Obedient to the Lord’s command, I went to the Parath
and buried the loincloth.
After a long interval, the Lord said to me:
Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth
which I told you to hide there.
Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth
from the place where I had hid it.
But it was rotted, good for nothing!
Then the message came to me from the Lord:
Thus says the Lord:
So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot,
the great pride of Jerusalem.
This wicked people who refuse to obey my words,
who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,
and follow strange gods to serve and adore them,
shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.
For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man’s loins,
so had I made the whole house of Israel
and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord;
to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty.
But they did not listen.
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Commentary on Jer 13:1-11
 
The oracle of Jeremiah uses the metaphor of the loincloth to describe the fallen nature of the people of Judah. The loincloth, unwashed and hidden, represents the people, unrepentant and fallen away. The loincloth worn as an undergarment was the clothing worn closest to man’s most intimate parts and therefore most personal. Jeremiah uses this relationship to describe the Lord’s consideration and love for Israel, which was intense (“to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty”), and whose fall therefore was so grievous to God (“But they did not listen”).
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21
 
R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
 
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you,
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the Lord saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
 
“I will hide my face from them,” he said,
“and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
 
“Since they have provoked me with their ‘no-god’
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a ‘no-people’;
with a foolish nation I will anger them.”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
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Commentary on Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21
 
This passage from Deuteronomy is taken from the last discourse of Moses, a section called the "Song of Moses."  The great leader laments that the people have turned away from the God who saved them. In this selection the warning against forgetting God (the Rock on which they were founded) is issued.  If they turn from God, God’s grace is no longer with them (“I will hide my face from them”) and they become “no-people” to him.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 13:31-35
 
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
 
He spoke to them another parable.
“The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened.”
 
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
 
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation
of the world.
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Commentary on Mt 13:31-35
 
The Lord continues his descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven using two parables. The parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast have the same point. What appears to be small grows to miraculous size. What has been insignificant is vastly important; what cannot be seen is unknowingly immense. The parables of the mustard seed and yeast (see also Mark 4:30-32 and Luke 13:18-21) emphasize that from the smallest of beginnings with the proclamation of the word, the Kingdom of God expands to encompass all peoples.
 
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Reflection:
 
The entire theme of the day is colored by Jeremiah and his vision of God’s lament. He describes God’s love with a rather gritty metaphor, that of a loincloth. We can tease that image apart and see that it has a dimension and depth that, at first blush, we might overlook.
 
Think about underpants – that is the purpose the loincloth served. In this case God told Jeremiah to: “Go buy yourself a linen loincloth.” He then tells the prophet to wear the cloth, but not to wash it. When we understand that this loincloth represents God’s chosen ones, the act of not washing the underwear is symbolic of a people who are not washed.  They become dirty (given the nature of the garment, dirty is perhaps too polite a word, disgustingly filthy might be better). Again, when the image is of a loincloth, they become dirty with not just the dust of the journey, but with bodily filth; left unwashed this filth will fester the skin and chafe the loins. Allowed to continue, this festering will become infected and eventually can kill the person.
 
Once the loincloth is put on, the Lord commands Jeremiah to: “Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing, and go now to the Parath.” The Parath is the name given to the Euphrates River in Old Testament times, a journey of roughly six hundred miles from where Jeremiah was in Palestine. A trek of that distance was undoubtedly symbolic as well. In this case the contamination of the people (i.e. the false gods, the violations of Mosaic Law, and introduction of values contrary to tradition) was perceived to flow from the Assyrians, whose roots were in the Euphrates Valley.
 
When we think about the state of a loincloth, unwashed after such a journey, and buried for the time it would take for Jeremiah to make that journey twice, the state of that undergarment would indeed be rotten. This was no doubt a commentary on how deeply the people had fallen into sin.
 
This deterioration of the relationship between God and his people is the tragic point that God laments through Jeremiah. That same refrain is also demonstrated in the Song of Moses, used as the psalm response today. Humankind constantly refuses to accept God’s love.
 
The shock value of this ancient parable is still there. In light of God’s later gift of his Son, and the revelation of the depth of his love for us through the giving of that gift, we see even more clearly how our unrepentant nature causes grief in the loving parent (our Heavenly Father), who wants only good and wholesome things for us.
 
The Gospel makes it explicit. What we turn our backs upon is nothing less than the Kingdom of God, which has now encompassed all peoples of all nations. The invitation that started with a small and insignificant nomadic people (in terms of world population) has now been extended (like yeast in dough) to include the whole world.
 
And still God’s offer is rejected. Even people once faithful turn away. But as fickle as we can be, God is always faithful. His hand is always extended and he invites us to wash ourselves clean and come back to him. It was for this reason that he sent his Son Jesus and for that gift we are truly thankful.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used today is “Jeremiah Wearing the Girdle” 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.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]

 
CCC 407: Cannot ignore wound of sin in discerning human situation
CCC 1777-1785: Moral decision-making in rapport with God’s will
CCC 1786-1789: Seeking will of God in divine law in difficult circumstances
CCC 1038-1041: Separation of good and evil at Judgment
CCC 1037: God predestines no one to hell

“Hell” (detail) by Hieronymus Bosch, 1500-04

Readings for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]

Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
 
The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“O Lord, my God, you have made me, your servant, king
to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
 
The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him:
“Because you have asked for this—
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches,
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right—
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12
 
King Solomon is in the process of uniting the kingdom of Israel’s worship with the construction of the temple. It is still unfinished when this dream occurs. Solomon has just offered a huge holocaust (“a thousand holocausts”) and in response God offers to grant him a request. Because Solomon, in humility, asks for “understanding” rather than a selfish boon, God grants him wisdom, a wise and understanding heart.
 
"Solomon’s request is an anticipation of the proper order which, according to Christ’s teaching, should be present in prayer of petition: 'The one Master and Lord teaches us how and in what order we ought to pray to God for the things we want; since we indicate and express our desires and petitions in prayer, then we pray properly and well when the order of our petitions matches the right order of desires. True charity teaches us that we ought to dedicate ourselves and all our desires to God; God, the supreme Good, deserves the highest form of love. And God cannot be loved from the heart, exclusively, if his honor and glory are not valued above all other things and creatures; all good things, those we have and those we do not possess, all things that are called good, must be subordinated to the supreme Good from whom they derive their goodness' ('Roman Catechism', 4, 10, 1)." [5]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130
 
R. (97a) Lord, I love your commands.
 
I have said, O Lord, that my part
is to keep your words.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
 
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
 
For I love your command
more than gold, however fine.
For in all your precepts I go forward;
every false way I hate.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
 
Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
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Commentary on Ps 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130
 
Psalm 119, the longest of the psalms, is a hymn in praise of the law. It is not legalism, but rather a love of doing what is right in the sight of God. In these strophes, the psalmist proclaims his faithfulness to the law in the face of his adversaries and waits for final salvation.
 
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Reading II: Romans 8:28-30
 
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.
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Commentary on Rom 8:28-30
 
St. Paul outlines the call to a life in Christ. He reflects that God so loves his children. He called some individuals to participate in his redemptive plan at a deeper level. Because Christ existed eternally, those called to him were carefully chosen, or elected from the beginning of time, to be called to salvation. These “elect,” because of their unwavering service to God, will also be glorified. The Church recognizes this call to holiness.  It also recognizes that, while all are called, those who accept this call must do it from the heart (on-going conversion) in order to be justified and glorified. 
 
Created with free will, many will choose an easier path.  This passage is among several that are central to the Calvinist idea of predestination. (Note: This reading used on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary clearly points to her glorious vocation and the honored place she has in heaven and on earth.)
 
CCC: Rom 8:26-39 2739; Rom 8:28-30 1821, 2012; Rom 8:28 313, 395; Rom 8:29 257, 381, 501, 1161, 1272, 2790
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Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
 
“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household
who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”
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Commentary on Mt 13:44-52
 
“The three brief parables that conclude this series of seven are linked together with the particle ‘again’ at 13:45 and 47. All three have to do with discrimination – the ability to recognize quality when one encounters it.”[6]
 
The Parable of the Buried Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl have the same point. One who understands the Kingdom of Heaven and sees its worth, places obtaining the promise of the kingdom before all else. It is the primacy of Christ’s teaching that guides the disciple in all things. The third parable in this group speaks of the eschaton, or end times. Those who have remained faithful in their pursuit of the Kingdom of God will be saved. Those who have chosen evil over good will suffer eternal death.
 
The question Jesus poses to his disciples following the parables requires an understanding of the structure of the Christian community at the time of Matthew. That is well described in the following: “The church of Matthew has leaders among whom are a group designated as ‘scribes’ (Matthew 23:34). Like the scribes of Israel, they are teachers. It is the Twelve and these their later counterparts to whom this verse applies. The scribe […] instructed in the kingdom of heaven knows both the teaching of Jesus (the new) and the Law and Prophets (the old) and provides in his own teaching both the new and the old as interpreted and fulfilled by the new. On the translation head of a household (for the same Greek word translated householder in Matthew 13:27), see the note on Matthew 24:45-51.”[7]
 
CCC: Mt 13:44-45 546; Mt 13:50 1034; Mt 13:52 1117
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Or
Shorter Form: Matthew 13:44-46
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
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Commentary on Mt 13:44-46
 
The shorter form provides only the Parable of Buried Treasure and the Parable of the Pearls.  It does not offer the Lord's explanation (v. 51-52) nor the consequences of failure in this key understanding.
 
“Anyone who understands the Kingdom which Christ proposes realizes that it is worth staking everything to obtain it […]. The Kingdom of heaven is difficult to win.  No one can be sure of achieving it, but the humble cry of the repentant man can open wide its doors” (St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 180).[8]
 
CCC: Mt 13:44-45 546
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Reflection:
 
Oh, that we all could have been granted the boon given to Solomon.  We would always be able to discern the proper action. We would always make the right choices, and we would always be in accord with God’s plan for us.  But that is not the case.  Even though we may pray for it constantly, God does not wish to take away the freedom he gave us to choose our own course.
 
The parables we are given in St. Matthew’s Gospel show us what we should do.  The person who finds a buried treasure should do everything in their power to possess it.  The same is true with the analogy of the pearl.  If we follow the parables, that is, state their meaning in clear language, God’s desired response to them becomes clear. 
 
Let us look at buried treasure.  First, we understand that the treasure (and the pearl) are metaphors for our understanding of what it takes to reach God’s Kingdom (both on earth and in the eternal sense).  God’s Kingdom on earth is achieved through a harmony with the whole of God’s creation.  That harmony is possible only if we put on Christ.  His love for all people gave him such peace that God’s expressed hope for his children from the beginning of time was revealed through him.  The way for us to achieve God’s Kingdom on earth, therefore, is to emulate the mind and heart of Christ as best we can.  Now that we know where the treasure of God’s Kingdom can be found, as the parable says, attaining that stated goal becomes the point, the goal of all we do.  The parable says, “out of joy (he) goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”  We understand the object of the parable.
 
The same basic meaning is true for the Parable of the Pearl.  The pearl, like the treasure, drives all of our actions on this earth toward our goal of attaining the Kingdom of Heaven.  We do this because striving to achieve it on earth places us on a path to achieve eternal peace in heaven.
 
We pledge ourselves once more then to do all we can to emulate Christ who places us on the path to the insurmountable joy embodied in the love of God.  Through the one who is love we find the peace and contentment possible only by sacrificing hedonistic pursuits for those which build the spirit and build treasure in heaven.  We once again wish Solomon’s gift might be ours in some small measure.
 
Pax
 
In other years on this date: Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of he Blessed Virgin Mary

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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 today is “Hell” (detail) by Hieronymus Bosch, 1500-04.
[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] The Navarre Bible, Joshua-Kings, (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003), 425-26.
[6] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II, (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003), 192.
[7] NAB footnote on Matthew 13:52.
[8] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002),136.

Feast of Saint James, Apostle

Biographical Information about St. James

“St James“
by Andrea Del Sarto,  1528-29

Readings for the Feast of Saint James, Apostle  [1]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]

Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15
 
Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
 
So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 4:7-15
 
St. Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about suffering and death in the human existence of this life, in spite of living in the faith. The image he uses, fragile earthen pots, speaks of God’s instruments being easily broken but nonetheless effective. The image of small terracotta lamps in which light is carried is mentioned elsewhere. The point the evangelist makes contrasts our mortality with God’s omnipotence and power, our death in the flesh with life in the spirit of Christ. With such a spirit at work within us, we must, like St. Paul, spread that news to others (“we too believe and therefore speak”).
 
CCC: 2 Cor 4:7 1420; 2 Cor 4:14 989
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
 
R. (5) Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
 
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
 
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
 
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
 
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
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Commentary on Ps 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
 
Psalm 126 is a lament. In this short psalm, the singer rejoices at the return of Israel following the Diaspora, the conquering of Israel and its enslavement. In this hymn, the people remember the greatness of God as he restores their nation and brings them back to their own land ("Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves"). The sense is one of being overflowing with thanksgiving.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28
 
The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her,
"What do you wish?"
She answered him,
"Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom."
Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"
They said to him, "We can."
He replied,
"My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
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Commentary on Mt 20:20-28
 
This exchange takes place immediately following the Lord's description of his coming passion in Jerusalem. The sons of Zebedee, James and John, are pushed forward by their mother who (naturally) wishes them to achieve places of honor in the Kingdom of God. Jesus uses this event to speak first of his own passion and then about Christian leadership. The servant leader, as Jesus describes, leads through example.
 
CCC: Mt 20:26 2235
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Reflection:
 
On this feast day, as we recall the inspired life of St. James, we reflect upon two aspects of the faith that motivated and supported him.  We think of them as the outward face of the evangelist, and the inward face of spirituality.  They are of course interrelated, but one, the outward face, is giving; the other, the inward face, is seeking and receiving.  It is, to use the Lord’s metaphor, like the vine.  The outward face is the leaves and branches, reaching out into the world, producing great fruit to nourish others.  The inward face is like the roots that support it, drinking in the earth’s nourishment sustaining the life in leaves and branches.
 
Using this metaphor, St. James was rooted in Christ.  The Lord established him and nurtured him.  Along with his brother, St. John, another of the sons of Zebedee, he was called into a special relationship with Jesus.  As one of the Twelve, we know he took a leadership position in the Christian community that grew up in Jerusalem.  It was this role and his outspoken love of Jesus that earned for him the title of First Martyred of the apostles, fulfilling the prophetic words recorded in the Gospel from St. Matthew: “My chalice you will indeed drink.”
 
This outward and zealous face was supported by an interior spirituality rooted in the love of Christ and constant communion with him in prayer.  We know that James was with Jesus at all of the important times: on the high place where the Lord was transfigured (Matthew 17: 1ff); with him praying in the Garden at Gethsemane (Matthew 26: 37).  Along with St. Peter and his brother St. John, St. James was clearly one of great prayer and spiritual strength.
 
It was from this deep-rooted faith that he was able to draw the fire with which he enlightened those he met.  It was through his inner peace that he was given the courage to face cruel martyrdom at the hands of Herod, the grandson of Herod the Great, four years after the Lord had charged him, with the others, to “go out and teach all the nations” (Matthew 28: 19).
 
One of the great lessons this apostle teaches is that we too must constantly tend to the inward face of our spirituality if we are to be effective evangelists and disciples of the Lord.  Our care must be for that inward face, for without strength in the roots, the vine will wither and die.
 
Pax
 
In other years on this date: Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
 

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[1] The picture is “St James“ by Andrea Del Sarto,  1528-29.
[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 Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, priest
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Sharbel Makhlūf
 
Biographical information about St. Sharbel Makhlūf

“Sower with Setting Sun” by Vincent Van Gogh, 1888

Readings for Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 3:14-17
 
Return, rebellious children, says the LORD,
for I am your Master;
I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan,
and bring you to Zion.
I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart,
who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.
When you multiply and become fruitful in the land,
says the LORD,
They will in those days no longer say,
"The ark of the covenant of the LORD!"
They will no longer think of it, or remember it,
or miss it, or make another.
 
At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD's throne;
there all nations will be gathered together
to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem,
and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness.
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Commentary on Jer 3:14-17
 
"The fall of the city to the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and the deportations that followed (587 BC) marked the depth of Judah's misfortune; her repeated infidelity was the sole cause. Here, as in the previous oracle, the prophet [Jeremiah] says that God is ready to receive Israel and Judah back, provided they seek his forgiveness (Jeremiah 3:12-13)." [4]
 
Jeremiah, speaking in the prophetic voice of God, introduces a new idea. Previously the Hebrew peoples saw the Ark of the Covenant as the focus of God’s presence on earth (Exodus 25:8ff). A day was coming when Jerusalem would become that focus, and the temple in Jerusalem would come to be called the Throne of the Lord. When that occurred, the people would be united in their dedication to the Lord and they would no longer be led astray.
 
CCC: Jer 2-3 1611; Jer 3:4-19 370
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Responsorial Psalm: Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13
 
R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
 
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
 
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD's blessings:
The grain, the wine, and the oil,
the sheep and the oxen.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
 
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
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Commentary on Jer 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13
 
The prophet Jeremiah foresees the return of the people from exile and the joyful restoration of Jerusalem.  The people rejoice as they return to prosperity, led by the Lord, the faithful shepherd who accomplishes this saving act. As in Isaiah 42:10 and Isaiah 49:1, all nations are called to witness God’s saving hand stretched out to his people.
 
The song from Jeremiah recalls the Diaspora, the exile of the Hebrews. In these strophes, the prophet sees the salvific work of God who shepherds his people as they return from exile in the “new exodus,” and the reunification of the people. He prophesies their return to the land from which they had been driven, giving praise to God for his mercy.
 
CCC: Jer 31 1611
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Gospel: Matthew 13:18-23
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."
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Commentary on Mt 13:18-23
 
This passage from St. Matthew is the explanation of the “Parable of the Sower.” This explanation is given to the disciples as St. Matthew’s way of explaining it to his broader audience. It follows Jesus’ earlier response to their question about why he teaches using parables and his lament that many will not see the message contained or hear these teachings.
 
“Jesus here acts as ‘mystagogue,’ initiating the disciples into the ‘mystery,’ or secret meaning, of the parable. The incarnate Logos, Jesus of Nazareth, is the One in whom the eternal Wisdom both devised and realized the structure of the cosmic order, the structure of man’s being, as well as the plan for our redemption. […] For this reason, only can he personally reveal the internal meaning, workings, and interconnections of these various planes of the divine creativity.” [5]
 
CCC: Mt 13:3-23 1724; Mt 13:22 29
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Reflection
 
We reflect on the amazing imagery of the parable of the Sower. This parable is so rich for us because not only do we look at it and see ourselves as the seed (and the various circumstances of its growth) but we can also see ourselves as the sower. We can even look at ourselves as the soil in which the seed falls.
 
If we see ourselves as the seed, we concern ourselves with accepting God’s word in our hearts so we can put out deep roots. When we do so we cannot be snatched away, the sun cannot burn us and the weeds cannot choke us. As we see, the only way for us to do that is by constant care and attention. We water ourselves with the sacraments, we feed ourselves with the word of God and our roots become our prayer.
 
If we see ourselves as the Sower, we must have the attitude of Christ. He knew that the life-giving words he spoke would not generally fall on receptive ears (hence the reason for the parable in the first place). He (and we) must accept that we have a task to do as the sower. We must put the seeds of God’s love out there in that vast field that is the world and trust God to watch over it.
 
When we see ourselves as the soil, ah, that is something we can control. We can easily see the seeds of faith in others. Sometimes that faith has germinated, and we will be the rich fertile soil that helps it grow. Other times when it has not even germinated, we encourage it providing examples and nurturing. Sometimes we see it choked by weeds and we do our best to move that seed to a more wholesome environment. And sometimes we see the seeds parched due to lack of nourishment and we do our best to provide it. The hardest part of the parable of the sower is being the soil.
 
Today let us pray that we have the strength to be that seed in good ground. Let us ask God to help us be good sowers of his love. And finally, we ask God to make us the best possible soil, encouraging those around us to grow and helping them build the roots of prayer that will sustain them.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Sower with Setting Sun” by Vincent Van Gogh, 1888
[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] The Navarre Bible, Major Prophets (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002), 313-14.
[5] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume III (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2012), 215.