Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

“Jesus Is Rejected In His Hometown”
from unknown illustrator of Jerome Nadal's
'Evangelicae Historiae Imagines', 1593

Readings for Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
 
King David said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him,
“Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba
and register the people, that I may know their number.”
Joab then reported to the king the number of people registered:
in Israel, eight hundred thousand men fit for military service;
in Judah, five hundred thousand.
 
Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people,
and said to the LORD:
“I have sinned grievously in what I have done.
But now, LORD, forgive the guilt of your servant,
for I have been very foolish.”
When David rose in the morning,
the LORD had spoken to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying:
“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says:
I offer you three alternatives;
choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.’”
Gad then went to David to inform him.
He asked: “Do you want a three years’ famine to come upon your land,
or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you,
or to have a three days’ pestilence in your land?
Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me.”
David answered Gad: “I am in very serious difficulty.
Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful;
but let me not fall by the hand of man.”
Thus David chose the pestilence.
Now it was the time of the wheat harvest
when the plague broke out among the people.
The LORD then sent a pestilence over Israel
from morning until the time appointed,
and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died.
But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,
the LORD regretted the calamity
and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people,
“Enough now! Stay your hand.”
The angel of the LORD was then standing
at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel who was striking the people,
he said to the LORD: “It is I who have sinned;
it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong.
But these are sheep; what have they done?
Punish me and my kindred.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 2 Sm 24:2, 9-17
 
Completing the Second Book of Samuel is this encounter between the pride of King David and God. The king seeks to measure his strength in terms of numbers of people who can serve in his army, thinking that this strength will bring him victory. Once he has completed the census, the prophet Gad comes, and he sees the sin he has committed in trusting in the strength of his arms instead of the Lord God.
 
Gad offers punishment options, the first of which is similar to that imposed because of Saul’s misdeeds (2 Samuel 21:1ff). The two other options each contain the number three, a number significant in that it represents the most intense representation of the event (three days of pestilence would imply the most intense pestilence). Just as the punishment is to strike Jerusalem, the king pleads with God, recognizing his power.  King David accepts the guilt for his deeds and attitude. Hearing David's contrition, God holds his angel back, similar to the way he withheld the hand of Abraham from striking down Isaac.
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7
 
R. (see 5c) Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
 
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
 
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
 
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
 
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7
 
Psalm 32 is an individual hymn of thanksgiving. The psalmist (presumably King David) sings a song of gratitude that the Almighty Father has pardoned his sins (which were freely confessed). In spite of these blemishes, salvation is heaped upon the repentant person.
 
Providing hope for mankind following the story of “The Fall,” the psalmist is rejoicing for the one whose sins are forgiven. Then he gives thanks for God’s saving work, emphasizing that only the Lord can deliver man from sin.
 
CCC: Ps 32 304; Ps 32:5 1502
 -------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 6:1-6
 
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place,
accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?”
 
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 6:1-6
 
This passage is St. Mark’s account of the Lord returning to his hometown. As is his custom, he goes to speak in the synagogue and amazes the people he grew up with. The Lord encounters intense skepticism, born out of the fact that the people knew him before he took up his mission. In St. Luke's version (Luke 4:28ff), reference is made to the feeling that Jesus, in assuming the role of the Messiah, had blasphemed. The resulting attempt on his life is omitted in St. Mark's Gospel, but we still see the Lord’s response to their lack of faith. Non-canonical documents of the early Church Fathers (c. 400) refer to the relationships of the brothers and sisters of Jesus.  See The History of Joseph the Carpenter [4].
 
CCC: Mk 6:3 500; Mk 6:5 699; Mk 6:6 2610
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
We are given a unique glimpse into the Lord’s early years in this account of Jesus returning home.  There is a reference to the period between age twelve when Jesus was presented at the temple the second time (Luke 2:41-50) and his baptism in the Jordan by St. John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17). The last we were told following his first presentation was: “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40) That does not tell us much about his interaction with the community in which he grew up. This exchange, however, hints at what the young Jesus must have been like in those years.
 
When he came to teach in the synagogue that sabbath, we are told that those who heard him were “astonished.” They asked themselves where he had come by the knowledge and wisdom he displayed. In order for them to react the way they did, we can only assume that as a young man, Jesus was humble and unassuming. He did not presume to instruct his elders or even his peers. He was growing into what he must become, a humble and compassionate man who could weep for those who mourned at the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35).
 
The people of his community would have certainly seen the young Jesus, unassuming, learning the carpenter’s trade at the side of his foster father, St. Joseph. He would not have stood out among his peers with the exception that he never seemed to get into mischief. He could not take the lead in these early years except by example; his ultimate role was much larger.
 
Is it any wonder then that when he came home after his remarkable transformation at the Jordan, after going into the desert and confronting his nemesis, the people who knew him before he assumed his Father’s mission would be amazed and then angered? They were not with him to see the Holy Spirit descending upon him (Luke 3:22), they were not there when he returned from the desert (“in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all” (Luke 4:14-15)).
 
Now, robed as he was in his Father’s mighty mission, we can feel the Lord’s disappointment as the great lack of faith displayed by those friends with whom he had grown up was shown in their petty attacks on him. Such lack of faith would naturally prevent the full impact of his healing power from being effective with those people. We are told: “he was not able to perform any mighty deed there.”
 
And what message do we take away from this encounter? Do we think our friends and families will be kinder to us as we go through our ongoing conversion? We should expect to be received as Christ was, especially if we are away for a while and come home with great zeal for our faith. Human nature has not changed. Our hope remains in the Lord. When we do encounter this kind of response, we rejoice, for the trials we face for the faith are a blessing from God our Father. In this case, we know we are doing something right.
 
Pax
 

---

[1] The picture is “Jesus Is Rejected In His Hometown” from unknown illustrator of Jerome Nadal's
'Evangelicae Historiae Imagines', 1593.
[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.
[4] Based upon a comment from my collaborator, Joanne Faulkner, Brant PItre makes a good case for those 4 [brothers] being the sons of another Mary, the wife of Clopas. And if Joseph's "other" Mary wife was still alive, he would be a bigamist! Pitre cites Mark 15:37, 40-41, 47, 16:1;  Mt 27:55-56, 59-61; John 19:25. Citing: Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary (NY, Crown Publishing, 2018), ch. 5.
 

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial for Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Blaise
 
Biographical information about St. Blaise
 
OR
 
Optional Memorial for Saint Ansgar, Bishop
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Ansgar
 
Biographical information about St. Ansgar

“Christ Resurrects the Daughter of Jairus”
by Friedrich Overbeck 1815

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3
 
Absalom unexpectedly came up against David’s servants.
He was mounted on a mule,
and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth,
his hair caught fast in the tree.
He hung between heaven and earth
while the mule he had been riding ran off.
Someone saw this and reported to Joab
that he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth.
And taking three pikes in hand,
he thrust for the heart of Absalom,
still hanging from the tree alive.
 
Now David was sitting between the two gates,
and a lookout went up to the roof of the gate above the city wall,
where he looked about and saw a man running all alone.
The lookout shouted to inform the king, who said,
“If he is alone, he has good news to report.”
The king said, “Step aside and remain in attendance here.”
So he stepped aside and remained there.
When the Cushite messenger came in, he said,
“Let my lord the king receive the good news
that this day the Lord has taken your part,
freeing you from the grasp of all who rebelled against you.”
But the king asked the Cushite, “Is young Absalom safe?”
The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king
and all who rebel against you with evil intent
be as that young man!”
 
The king was shaken,
and went up to the room over the city gate to weep.
He said as he wept,
“My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!
If only I had died instead of you,
Absalom, my son, my son!”
 
Joab was told that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom;
and that day’s victory was turned into mourning for the whole army
when they heard that the king was grieving for his son.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 2 Sm 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3
 
The tale of King David’s family continues with these verses. They describe the death of the king’s rebellious son, Absalom. It certainly must have felt like divine intervention that the leader of the rebel forces was accidentally caught by the hair as he passed under a tree. The end of Absalom was also against King David’s explicit orders. When Joab, the leader of King David’s forces, ordered the trapped prince to be killed, he did so in violation of his orders and, as we see, caused his king great grief.
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
 
R. (1a) Listen, Lord, and answer me.
 
Incline your ear, O Lord; answer me,
for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
 
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
 
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
 
Psalm 86 is an individual lament. It asks for mercy from God. The psalmist sings of an afflicted life, and asks God to give his servant relief. The song indicates the faithfulness of the singer, even in times of distress.
 
-------------------------------------------
Gospel Mark 5:21-43
 
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
“My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live.”
He went off with him
and a large crowd followed him.
 
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to him,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, Who touched me?”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
 
While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,
“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?”
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
“Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep.”
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child’s father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”
which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 5:21-43
 
This selection from Mark’s Gospel begins with Jesus continuing his journey of healing. The passage relates two interwoven examples of the power of faith in healing. First, it presents the synagogue official’s plea to Jesus to heal his daughter. This is important in that it is recognition of Jesus' status by the local faith community. An official from the synagogue would only consult with one widely recognized as an authority in spiritual matters.
 
On the way to the little girl, a woman with a hemorrhage that had been incurable by local physicians pressed in close and touched his cloak. She was cured; it was as if her faith reached out and touched Jesus. Unlike the others crowded around, he felt her touch among all the others. He turned and was able to specifically identify her. The Lord’s words to her were: “your faith has saved you.”
 
Arriving at the synagogue official's house, Jairus’ faith was tested a second time as he was informed his daughter had died. Jesus ignored these reports and proceeded to reward Jairus’ faith by bringing his daughter back from death, a sign of his mission to all mankind.
 
 
CCC: Mk 5:21-42 994; Mk 5:25-34 548; Mk 5:28 2616; Mk 5:34 1504; Mk 5:36 1504, 2616
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
One of the many rewards of faith in a loving and merciful God is the consolation of Christ in times of grief.   Pope Benedict XVI expressed this much better than I could in his encyclical Spe Salvi:
 
“Indeed, to accept the 'other' who suffers, means that I take up his suffering in such a way that it becomes mine also. Because it has now become a shared suffering, though, in which another person is present, this suffering is penetrated by the light of love. The Latin word con-solatio, ‘consolation’, expresses this beautifully. It suggests being with the other in his solitude, so that it ceases to be solitude.” (Spe Salvi, II, 38.)
 
In simple language, the grief or sorrow we experience, especially at the loss of a loved one, a friend, or even a relationship, is indeed the feeling of being alone, deprived of the person whose loss we have suffered.  Into this void comes Jesus, his loving hand outstretched, bridging the gap between life and death.  In him we are never alone.  It is his consolation that lifts us out of hopelessness and gives us grace to overcome even the greatest of obstacles.
 
As Pope Benedict said, Christ’s consolation is expressed most visibly though his followers (that would be us).  Our compassion for those who suffer becomes a miracle in itself.  It is not easy to accept another’s suffering though, is it?  Accepting that burden necessarily means to experience the pain felt by the one who suffers.  That pain, we submit, is quantifiable.  That is, there is only so much to go around and the more who share in that suffering, the less burdensome it becomes to the group within which it is shared.  It is Christ’s (con-solatio) consolation – we are no longer alone.
 
Today as we think about the grief of King David who endures the loss of a son, and Jairus, who briefly was stabbed with the pain of losing a daughter, let us remember those who grieve the loss of those they love: husbands, wives, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers, and sisters.  May all those who suffer the loss be blessed with Christ’s steadfast presence and our offer to share their suffering so it might be lessened though the consolation and mercy of God.
 
Pax

---

[1] The picture is “Christ Resurrects the Daughter of Jairus” by Friedrich Overbeck 1815.
[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.

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Additional Information about the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

“Presentation of Jesus in the Temple” (detail)
by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1631

Readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Malachi 3:1-4
 
Thus says the Lord God:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the Lord whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the Lord,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 3:1-4
 
In this passage, from the fourth oracle in the book of the prophet Malachi ("My Messenger"), the prophet has visions of three personages.  The prophet sees God directly intervening in sacred history as he did with the great prophets.  In the light of the revealed Messiah, the prophet’s visions are interpreted as representing, first, John the Baptist (“Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me”), and then the coming of the Messiah (“And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek”). When these two revelatory events have occurred, the whole Law and Prophets are fulfilled; God's promise of salvation is given.
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10
 
R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
 
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
 
Who is this king of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
 
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
 
Who is this king of glory?
The Lord of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10
 
In Psalm 24 we hear a longing for the coming of the Lord to his people. The psalmist gives us the image of the inanimate gates of the new Jerusalem, God’s heavenly kingdom, welcoming the Lord of Hosts. For Christians, we have God in the person of Jesus coming into the temple.  This second section of the song praises God as the true king of the people who leads them to victory over their foes. The song was sung as part of a liturgical procession recalling the transfer of the ark of the covenant to the temple in Jerusalem.  Again, for Christians the ark is analogous to the Blessed Virgin, the new ark who carries the Savior of the world.
 
CCC: Ps 24:7-10 559; Ps 24:8-10 269; Ps 24:9-10 2628
-------------------------------------------
Reading II: Hebrews 2:14-18
 
Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Heb 2:14-18
 
The Letter to the Hebrews presents an apologia on the Lord’s humanity. The author is eloquent in logic as he says: “Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham,” meaning he came as man not as spirit in support of the sons of Abraham. By assuming humanity, the Lord became the perfect vessel in which the sins of all mankind were assumed and contained. As additional proof of Jesus’ humanity, the Lord’s passion is referenced as a source of strength for those who are likewise tested on account of their faith. He came as the sacrificial offering, that through his suffering and death, those he loves may not have to endure the fate reserved for those who live in darkness.
 
The language used at the beginning of the passage, “blood and flesh,” makes reference to human nature, its weakness and frailty in contrast with the “spirit” and God (see Psalm 78:39, Isaiah 31:3, 2 Chronicles 32:8). From the Fall, mankind has been under the bane of death. Now in the Christian paradox, Christ’s death defeats death and sin (also Romans 8:3).
 
CCC: Heb 2:14-15 635; Heb 2:14 407, 636; Heb 2:15 1520, 2602; Heb 2:17-18 609
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40
 
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
 
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
 
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
 
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
-and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
 
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 2:22-40
 
St. Luke begins the account of the Lord’s presentation recalling that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, followed Mosaic Law by observing the rite of purification, which, by tradition, was required of any member of the community who had come in contact with the “mystery”: life and death (the birth of a child or the burial of the dead).
 
At the temple in Jerusalem, the Holy Family encounters two prophetic figures, Simeon and Anna. Both of these figures proclaim that the Messiah has come in the person of the Lord. We also hear from Simeon an image of the Lord’s passion, and how a sword of sorrow will pierce the Holy Mother’s heart.
 
Simeon, a man who “was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel,” was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not pass away until he had seen the Messiah. Upon seeing the Lord, he declares that this promise has been fulfilled, and then turns to Mary, making the prediction about the nature of Christ’s ministry and the nature of the sorrow she will endure.
 
CCC: Lk 2:22-39 529, 583; Lk 2:25 711; Lk 2:26-27 695; Lk 2:32 713; Lk 2:34 575, 587; Lk 2:35 149, 618; Lk 2:38 711
-------------------------------------------
Or: Luke 2:22-32
 
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
 
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
 
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 2:22-32
 
In the shorter version of the Gospel, the focus is more on the revelation of the Christ, as opposed to the impact of this revelation on Mary, the Mother of God. St. Luke’s account of Jesus being presented at the temple provides a unique insight into the Holy Family. They are faithful observers of the Law of Moses. “Their purification: syntactically, their must refer to Mary and Joseph, even though the Mosaic law never mentions the purification of the husband. Recognizing the problem, some Western scribes have altered the text to read 'his purification,' understanding the presentation of Jesus in the temple as a form of purification; the Vulgate version has a Latin form that could be either 'his' or 'her.' According to the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 12:2-8), the woman who gives birth to a boy is unable for forty days to touch anything sacred or to enter the temple area by reason of her legal impurity.” [4] In addition to this description, we see that Jesus returned to Nazareth to grow in stature. The passage ends with the Canticle of Simeon, having seen the Christ, now being able to go to his final rest fulfilled.
 
CCC: Lk 2:22-39 529, 583; Lk 2:25 711; Lk 2:26-27 695; Lk 2:32 713
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
Jesus should have been only forty days old when Mary and Joseph took him with them to the temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the requirements of the Hebrew law. However, we also know that Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to avoid Herod following the Lord’s birth, so the timing may be questionable. (Note: The texts do not explicitly say how long it has been since the Lord’s birth, only that Mary has returned in accordance with the law.)
 
This feast has significance for parents, and rightly so, since the Holy Family coming to the temple is a great example, reminding us that the bond of faith is part of what holds a family together. This year we reflect about another tradition that has grown up around this feast, Candlemas. Because this is an ancient tradition not much celebrated today, the reference may be confusing. Before the Vatican II reforms, the Church celebrated the day with a procession with candles, and at the end of that procession, the celebrant would bless the candles, hence the name “Candlemas.”  We understand this tradition continues in some of the Eastern Rite churches.
 
The reason this is mentioned is not to remind anyone that a tradition was lost, but rather that the Church’s theology and understanding of the events revealed in Scripture continues to evolve. You see when we celebrated Candlemas, we were focused on the ritual purification of the Virgin Mary. What does that feel like in today’s understanding of Mary’s nature and role within the Church?  It may seem as if we missed something important: Mary was without sin, and why should she need purifying? We understand the answer to that question from a historical perspective.  It was because she was following the Mosaic Law that required it. But what was more important as a focus of the feast? Was it Mary’s purification or Simeon’s song of joy over the revelation of the Messiah?
 
The Church is constantly holding up her understanding of events, even ancient events, in the life of the Church to the light of faith. While revelation of the Lord was completed in Holy Scripture, the actions of the Holy Spirit within the life of the community of faith are dynamic and the Church, in her wisdom, keeps a careful eye out for God’s actions through that mechanism. The fingerprints God leaves are visible to the searching eye in the life of the community of faith, and within the lives of its individual members.
 
Today we pray that the message that Simeon rejoiced over, the incarnation of the Messiah, will become clear to all the hearts of the world and that message will transform the world.
 
We have heard Scripture reveal the Lord in the Old Testament (“And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek” Malachi 3:1b), and in the New Testament (In the Canticle of Simeon “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation” Luke 2:29), and we are once more called to believe in the incarnation of God in the form of his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Baptized into this belief, we are transformed.  We are adopted into the household of God and as his children, we are given the mission, which was also given to Jesus, to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God.
 
Today we pray that the message that Simeon rejoiced over, the incarnation of the Messiah, will become clear to all the hearts of the world supported by our own example, and that message will transform the world.
 
Pax
 
In other years on this date: Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

---

[1] The picture is “Presentation of Jesus in the Temple” (detail) by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1631.
[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.
[4] NAB Footnote on Luke 2:22.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 459, 520-521: Jesus a model of the beatitudes for followers

CCC 1716-1724: call to beatitude 
CCC 64, 716: the poor and humble remnant bear hope of Messiah

“Sermon on the Mount”
by Pietro Annigoni, 1953

 
Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13
 
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth,
who have observed his law;
seek justice, seek humility;
perhaps you may be sheltered
on the day of the Lord’s anger.
 
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
they shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Zep 2:3; 3:12-13
 
In this selection the prophet Zephaniah sends a caution to Jerusalem similar to Amos 1-2 and Isaiah 1:21-26. The leadership must renounce pride and return in humility to the Lord. In this way they will avoid God’s anger (an anger that nearly destroyed Nineveh and is described as bringing down destruction on any groups who have assaulted God's chosen people). 
 
Moving forward to the next chapter, the focus is changed from a warning to the promise of salvation. The righteous “remnant” (of the house of Judah, v 2:7) who trust in God are given peace and prosperity as a reward for their humility and obedience to the Lord.
 
CCC: Zep 2:3 64, 711, 716
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
 
R. (Mt 5:3) Blessed the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
The Lord keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free.
R. Blessed the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
The Lord gives sight to the blind;
the Lord raises up those who were bowed down.
The Lord loves the just;
the Lord protects strangers.
R. Blessed the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
The fatherless and the widow the Lord sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The Lord shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Blessed the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
 
Psalm 146 is from the wisdom tradition. Here we are given a vision of God’s salvation. His saving power (envisioned in the oracle of Isaiah and fulfilled in Jesus the Christ) lifts up the poor and the downtrodden. The Lord heals those afflicted with every sort of malady.
 
-------------------------------------------
Reading: II 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
 
Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.
Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God.
It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God,
as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
so that, as it is written,
“Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Cor 1:26-31
 
St. Paul continues his attack on “worldly wisdom” by reminding the members of the church at Corinth that the community is comprised of all strata of society. He points out that all are called to the same Lord, and that the wisdom that is Jesus (“who became for us wisdom from God”) makes them righteous, sanctified, and redeemed in him. It is for this reason that the only boast a Christian should make is in God. The evangelist does so, paraphrasing Jeremiah 9:23.
 
CCC: 1 Cor 1:27 489; 1 Cor 1:30 2813
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a
 
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 5:1-12a
 
This section of the Sermon on the Mount begins the first of five great discourses in St. Matthew’s Gospel. He begins using a formula common in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”(Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:13; Sirach 25:8-9) This designation identifies those without material resources, completely dependent upon God. (This distinction is for the devout poor.) The discourse continues, blessing those who mourn, who are meek, who “hunger” for righteousness (to adopt the Lord’s law of love in their hearts), the merciful, the clean of heart (those who are reconciled to God), the peacemakers, the persecuted, and finally those who will be reviled because they profess faith in Christ.
 
The litany of praises for those to be blessed by the Lord has an overarching theme. It holds up the spiritual strength of complete dependence on God for life, health, and prosperity. St. Matthew captures the strength in that dependence, and God’s promise of salvation through the words of the Savior.
 
It is noteworthy that the word “blessed” [μακάριοι (makάrios) in Greek and beati in Latin] is translated “happy” in many Old Testament texts.  The idea of happiness or peace as a blessing from God is an important understanding about the intent of this discourse.
 
CCC: Mt 5:1 581; Mt 5:3-12 1716; Mt 5:3 544, 2546; Mt 5-7 2763; Mt 5-6 764; Mt 5:8 1720, 2518; Mt 5:9 2305, 2330; Mt 5:11-12 520
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
It is said that in ancient times the King of Babylon called his seers and wise men together and asked them to provide him with a statement he could make that would be true at all times, and for any occasion.  After great deliberation they presented him with the phrase: “This too shall pass.”
 
It is a fatalistic statement but meets the test of truth.  All things eventually pass – except the love and mercy of God.  God alone is the exception to that temporal and human truth.  In the physical world and among mortal men the statement is accurate.  All physical and experiential realities change over time.  But at the metaphysical level, God is omnipresent and unchanging.  Only our perception of his intent for us and love for us may change.
 
It is this distinction the Lord makes in the words of the Sermon on the Mount, recorded by St. Matthew.  When he calls out: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” he offers hope for the hopeless.  He reminds them that while their condition of poverty, physical, emotional, or spiritual, may seem a desolate state; God’s mercy will always offer a path to peace in God’s Kingdom.  When he says “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted,” he tells those worn down by humanly inconsolable grief that God’s consolation is there to support them.
 
Throughout the Beatitudes the Lord offers the ever-present mercy of God. For it is Jesus’ presence among us that confirms the promise that, with faith, all of God’s mercy abounds.  There is no situation so difficult or so depressing that consolation is not offered by turning to God in faith. In the Lord, there is always hope and redemption.
 
Had they known of the One True God, the seers of that ancient Babylonian king would not have given their liege lord the statement they did.  Instead, they would have told him “God loves us and his mercy has no bounds.”  Here at last is a statement that is true for all times and on all occasions.
 
Pax
 

---

[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture today is “Sermon on the Mount” by Pietro Annigoni, 1953.
[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.