Saint Alphonsus Mary de Liguori, Bishop, Doctor
Biographical Information about St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori[1],
Readings for Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Ex 34:29-35
This passage chronicles the second time the tablets are given to the Children of Israel. Moses placing a veil across his face because of the radiance of his spirit after meeting with God is used by St. Paul in 2 Cor 3:7-18 to symbolize the failure of the Jews to recognize Jesus as Messiah.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 99:5, 6, 7, 9
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Once again the psalmist gives thanks for the gift of God’s Law, given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. This song remembers the origins of God’s covenant with the people.
Gospel Mt 13:44-46
We continue to hear the wonders of the Kingdom of God in parables. The two we hear today give the same conclusions. “The person who finds a buried treasure and the merchant who finds a pearl of great price sell all that they have to acquire these finds; similarly, the one who understands the supreme value of the kingdom gives up whatever he must to obtain it. The joy with which this is done is made explicit in the first parable, but it may be presumed in the second also.” (From NAB footnote)
Reflection:
We reflect today on the outward signs of inner conversion. In the first reading today we hear how Moses, after having a close encounter of the holiest kind, came down the mountain and “he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant”. It was as if he had stepped across the threshold and had entered the Kingdom of God. From that point, the light of his spirit burst out and his physical appearance to those who knew him changed.
So remarkable was this change that his friends asked him to veil his face so they would not see it. Why would they ask such a thing? It could have been because they were afraid that by looking upon one who had been so thoroughly converted by God they might die, which is what they thought would happen if they ever saw God, face to face.
Their fear could also have been because they recognized their own sinfulness. Like placing a poor copy of a beautiful painting next to the original, the contrast became so apparent that they could not accept their own flaws. As a result, they asked Moses to cover himself so he would not shame them.
Faith and conversion have that effect. Internal conversion manifests itself externally. It is something we must all remember. A wise person once said, “The person who can remain calm in the face of a heated argument has already won.” This true statement has a side effect. The person who cannot remain calm in the face of an emotional argument will become even more incensed and irrational in the face of that calm. The same is true of the outward peace of conversion in the face of the enemy. That wondrous peace of Christ can stir up resentment and mistrust in those who do not understand it. It is something we must be at least aware of because that resentment can blind side us if we are not aware that our inner peace has an exterior affect.
None the less, today we pray for that complete conversion that will cause us to glow with the light of our spirit. May all who encounter us see that light and be comforted by it.
Pax
[1] The picture of St. Alphonsus Mary is taken from the web site of Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, (Redemptorists). No artist is cited.
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Biographical Information about St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori[1],
Readings for Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Ex 34:29-35
This passage chronicles the second time the tablets are given to the Children of Israel. Moses placing a veil across his face because of the radiance of his spirit after meeting with God is used by St. Paul in 2 Cor 3:7-18 to symbolize the failure of the Jews to recognize Jesus as Messiah.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 99:5, 6, 7, 9
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Once again the psalmist gives thanks for the gift of God’s Law, given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. This song remembers the origins of God’s covenant with the people.
Gospel Mt 13:44-46
We continue to hear the wonders of the Kingdom of God in parables. The two we hear today give the same conclusions. “The person who finds a buried treasure and the merchant who finds a pearl of great price sell all that they have to acquire these finds; similarly, the one who understands the supreme value of the kingdom gives up whatever he must to obtain it. The joy with which this is done is made explicit in the first parable, but it may be presumed in the second also.” (From NAB footnote)
Reflection:
We reflect today on the outward signs of inner conversion. In the first reading today we hear how Moses, after having a close encounter of the holiest kind, came down the mountain and “he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant”. It was as if he had stepped across the threshold and had entered the Kingdom of God. From that point, the light of his spirit burst out and his physical appearance to those who knew him changed.
So remarkable was this change that his friends asked him to veil his face so they would not see it. Why would they ask such a thing? It could have been because they were afraid that by looking upon one who had been so thoroughly converted by God they might die, which is what they thought would happen if they ever saw God, face to face.
Their fear could also have been because they recognized their own sinfulness. Like placing a poor copy of a beautiful painting next to the original, the contrast became so apparent that they could not accept their own flaws. As a result, they asked Moses to cover himself so he would not shame them.
Faith and conversion have that effect. Internal conversion manifests itself externally. It is something we must all remember. A wise person once said, “The person who can remain calm in the face of a heated argument has already won.” This true statement has a side effect. The person who cannot remain calm in the face of an emotional argument will become even more incensed and irrational in the face of that calm. The same is true of the outward peace of conversion in the face of the enemy. That wondrous peace of Christ can stir up resentment and mistrust in those who do not understand it. It is something we must be at least aware of because that resentment can blind side us if we are not aware that our inner peace has an exterior affect.
None the less, today we pray for that complete conversion that will cause us to glow with the light of our spirit. May all who encounter us see that light and be comforted by it.
Pax
[1] The picture of St. Alphonsus Mary is taken from the web site of Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, (Redemptorists). No artist is cited.
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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