Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr
Saints Laurence Ruiz and his Companions, Martyrs
Biographical Information about St. Wenceslaus
Biographical Information about St. Laurence Ruiz and Companions[1]
Readings for Friday of the Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Hg 2:1-9
The Prophet Haggai continues his prophecy regarding the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem with two additional statements. First, the second building of the Temple should be even grander than that built originally by Solomon. And second, that God is with them in this great work and will find the means to support it financially.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 43:1, 2, 3, 4
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Psalm 43 is an individual lament. We hear a tone in these strophes that supports the situation in which the Jews of Haggai’s time found themselves – facing resistance to the great work they were to complete. The hope of God’s support is expressed in the final strophe.
Gospel Lk 9:18-22
As is frequently the case in St. Luke’s Gospel, we find the Lord at prayer. When asked by the Lord about the attitude of the people, the disciples answer much like the councilors of Herod did yesterday (Lk 9:7-9) with identities of John the Baptist and Elijah. St. Peter answers for the group when asked about Jesus’ identity pronouncing him the Messiah.
Reflection:
We get another day to answer the question first posed by Herod in the Gospel yesterday and again posed to us today, this time by Jesus himself. "But who do you say that I am?" Today St. Peter answers on behalf of the faithful and the Church he later lead; "The Messiah of God."
The Messiah, what was St. Peter saying? The modern dictionary gives us some attributes and definitions. First among them is “expected deliverer (especially by the Jewish people)”. In addition we find the following; “One who is anticipated as, regarded as, or professes to be a savior or liberator.” In Hebrew and Aramaic it is translated “the anointed one” and in Greek it was written as “Khristos”.
Without getting to academic here, we find it interesting that the first entry for “Messiah” in Roget’s Thesaurus is;
Saints Laurence Ruiz and his Companions, Martyrs
Biographical Information about St. Wenceslaus
Biographical Information about St. Laurence Ruiz and Companions[1]
Readings for Friday of the Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Hg 2:1-9
The Prophet Haggai continues his prophecy regarding the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem with two additional statements. First, the second building of the Temple should be even grander than that built originally by Solomon. And second, that God is with them in this great work and will find the means to support it financially.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 43:1, 2, 3, 4
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Psalm 43 is an individual lament. We hear a tone in these strophes that supports the situation in which the Jews of Haggai’s time found themselves – facing resistance to the great work they were to complete. The hope of God’s support is expressed in the final strophe.
Gospel Lk 9:18-22
As is frequently the case in St. Luke’s Gospel, we find the Lord at prayer. When asked by the Lord about the attitude of the people, the disciples answer much like the councilors of Herod did yesterday (Lk 9:7-9) with identities of John the Baptist and Elijah. St. Peter answers for the group when asked about Jesus’ identity pronouncing him the Messiah.
Reflection:
We get another day to answer the question first posed by Herod in the Gospel yesterday and again posed to us today, this time by Jesus himself. "But who do you say that I am?" Today St. Peter answers on behalf of the faithful and the Church he later lead; "The Messiah of God."
The Messiah, what was St. Peter saying? The modern dictionary gives us some attributes and definitions. First among them is “expected deliverer (especially by the Jewish people)”. In addition we find the following; “One who is anticipated as, regarded as, or professes to be a savior or liberator.” In Hebrew and Aramaic it is translated “the anointed one” and in Greek it was written as “Khristos”.
Without getting to academic here, we find it interesting that the first entry for “Messiah” in Roget’s Thesaurus is;
“Main Entry: Jesus Christ
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: Son of God
Synonyms: Christ, Good Shepherd, Jesus, King of kings, Lamb of God, Lord, Lord of lords, Messiah, Prince of Peace, Redeemer, Savior, Son of Man “[3]
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: Son of God
Synonyms: Christ, Good Shepherd, Jesus, King of kings, Lamb of God, Lord, Lord of lords, Messiah, Prince of Peace, Redeemer, Savior, Son of Man “[3]
So now we have confirmed that St. Peter has identified Jesus as the Christ (Khristos), the Messiah, the one who has come to lead a people out of domination or bondage. But this was not just a historical reference. The idea of a Messiah had been part of the Judeo-Christian tradition from the time of the Prophets, before Rome and before Babylon. What was the Messiah’s purpose?
It is becoming clear to us as we see the nature of the divine person of Jesus. He came to lead us out of the bondage of sin and death to the Father who in His love for us has opened the gates of heaven and offered eternal life.
Pax
[1] The Picture of St. Laurence Ruiz is taken from a holy card, artist and date UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
[3] Source: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1) Copyright © 2007 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
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