Readings for Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Ezekiel 2:2-5
As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me
and set me on my feet,
and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:
Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,
rebels who have rebelled against me;
they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart
are they to whom I am sending you.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!
And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—
they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ez 2:2-5
The introduction to the Prophet in Ezekiel 1 describes the heavenly vision in which the prophet is engaged. In this beginning of the second chapter, God issues his call to Ezekiel, sending him to call the Israelites back to faithfulness from which they had rebelled. The implication is clear – the prophet is to expect resistance but God’s support will identify him as coming from the Lord God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 123:1-2, 2, 3-4
R. (2cd) Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven —
As the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
Have pity on us, O LORD, have pity on us,
for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
with the mockery of the arrogant,
with the contempt of the proud.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 123:1-2, 2, 3-4
Psalm 123 is an individual lament. In these strophes we hear the prayer of the psalmist who expresses faith in God’s power. Using the image of the vulnerable servant the song pleads to God for salvation from those who have the power to harm them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Brothers and sisters:
That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness."
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 2 Cor 12:7-10
As part of his defense of his own Apostolate, St. Paul describes, in rather convoluted terms, an out of body experience in which Christ revealed the mission he was to undertake. Rather than helping him, these revelations brought persecution “a thorn in the flesh”. The Apostle uses the Christ-like response to physical and rhetorical challenges by saying that through his weakness and humility he is given the power of the Holy Spirit to carry on the Lord’s work.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Joses 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 home town. 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 the version today the part about their attempt on his life is omitted, but we still see the Lord’s response to their lack of faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
Why is it that we come together in the Church? Beyond the fact that we were taught that it is an obligation of our faith that we attend Mass on Sunday, what is it we hope to gain?
Ø Do we come seeking comfort? Some of us absolutely come for just that reason.
Ø Do we come to reinforce the grace God gives us through the Sacraments? Yes, many come for that reason.
Ø Do we come hoping to be inspired – a sort of spiritual pep rally? Certainly there are those who come for inspiration.
Ø Do we come to Give God thanks for what he has done for us or asking him to do more in our hour of need? Many attend Mass offering God huge burdens of pain, helplessness, and hopelessness.
Ø Do we come to be guided as we go out into a world that is intolerant and unsympathetic to the values Christ mandates? Indeed, many will seek help in this area as well.
Our reasons for coming together in this place of worship are complex and varied. What we receive is generally what we are willing to accept. Whether it is comfort, inspiration, consolation, or guidance, what we seek here is offered through word or by rite.
Sacred Scripture tells us that God has sent us this help and instruction. In the first reading from the Book of Ezekiel we are told the story of how the Prophet was called. How God sends him to call the people of Israel back to fidelity. The very tenor of the brief passage shows the tension that exists between people who have chosen the secular world over the spiritual.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you.
But God does not send him alone – he gives the prophet hope because God goes with him.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!
And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—
they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
St. Paul tells the Corinthians about his call to the Gospel in the second reading. Like Ezekiel, he has a mystic experience in which he encounters God in Christ. He is given the same kind of mission through that revelatory event – to proclaim God’s Kingdom to the world. And also like Ezekiel, he is told that this will not be easy.
That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
But God did not send him on this mission without all he needed. The Apostle tells Corinth:
…but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness."
He was given a strength of spirit that would rise up when needed – all he had to do was call upon it – which he did frequently.
Finally, in the Gospel of St. Mark, we hear Jesus himself as he continues his mission. This time he comes to his home town, where he grew up and were his extended family still lived (in the language of the Hebrew tradition, the reference in this passage to “brothers” and “sisters” is inclusive of the extended family – these cousins were referred to in this way). Because of his close affiliation to the people and his familiarity to them, they could not see past the boy they had seen grow up to the Son of God. His word may have moved them but they could not accept it because of their prejudice regarding his heritage.
The word of God is an action verb today. God calls us through the example of his servants Ezekiel and St. Paul to proclaim his love and mercy to a world that will not be sympathetic and accepting. Even God’s own Son encountered this same resistance from people who knew and loved him as a boy. We know what to expect as we try to follow theses examples. If the likes of Ezekiel, St. Paul, and Jesus were challenged and rejected by many, we must be prepared to meet resistance to our own attempts to carry the message of love into the world.
That is part of the message we hear today – we also are sent. While we come here for different reason; with different hopes and different expectations, we are sent. The really good news is we are sent with what we need to accomplish what the Lord asks. In addition to God’s task our celebration includes food for the road – we receive the sacramental grace of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. In it we are strengthened, given hope for the future, peace for the present, all coupled with forgiveness of the past.
We conclude with the same question that started our remarks; why is it that we come together in the Church?
Ø If we came seeking comfort – God’s comfort is offered, he tests those he loves but gives them boundless strength in his Holy Spirit.
Ø If we came seeking grace – grace is offered in word and sacrament – we hear God’s voice.
Ø If we came seeking inspiration – God calls us to action – inspired by his examples.
Ø If we came giving thanks or to express our further needs – God listens and answers.
God offers us all we will accept in this place, it is our choice as to what we take and what we give in return.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The illustration used is “Jesus Is Rejected In His Hometown” from UNKNOWN; Illustrator of Jerome Nadal's 'Evangelicae Historiae Imagines', 1593
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Ezekiel 2:2-5
As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me
and set me on my feet,
and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:
Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,
rebels who have rebelled against me;
they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart
are they to whom I am sending you.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!
And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—
they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ez 2:2-5
The introduction to the Prophet in Ezekiel 1 describes the heavenly vision in which the prophet is engaged. In this beginning of the second chapter, God issues his call to Ezekiel, sending him to call the Israelites back to faithfulness from which they had rebelled. The implication is clear – the prophet is to expect resistance but God’s support will identify him as coming from the Lord God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 123:1-2, 2, 3-4
R. (2cd) Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven —
As the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
Have pity on us, O LORD, have pity on us,
for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
with the mockery of the arrogant,
with the contempt of the proud.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 123:1-2, 2, 3-4
Psalm 123 is an individual lament. In these strophes we hear the prayer of the psalmist who expresses faith in God’s power. Using the image of the vulnerable servant the song pleads to God for salvation from those who have the power to harm them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Brothers and sisters:
That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness."
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 2 Cor 12:7-10
As part of his defense of his own Apostolate, St. Paul describes, in rather convoluted terms, an out of body experience in which Christ revealed the mission he was to undertake. Rather than helping him, these revelations brought persecution “a thorn in the flesh”. The Apostle uses the Christ-like response to physical and rhetorical challenges by saying that through his weakness and humility he is given the power of the Holy Spirit to carry on the Lord’s work.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Joses 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 home town. 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 the version today the part about their attempt on his life is omitted, but we still see the Lord’s response to their lack of faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
Why is it that we come together in the Church? Beyond the fact that we were taught that it is an obligation of our faith that we attend Mass on Sunday, what is it we hope to gain?
Ø Do we come seeking comfort? Some of us absolutely come for just that reason.
Ø Do we come to reinforce the grace God gives us through the Sacraments? Yes, many come for that reason.
Ø Do we come hoping to be inspired – a sort of spiritual pep rally? Certainly there are those who come for inspiration.
Ø Do we come to Give God thanks for what he has done for us or asking him to do more in our hour of need? Many attend Mass offering God huge burdens of pain, helplessness, and hopelessness.
Ø Do we come to be guided as we go out into a world that is intolerant and unsympathetic to the values Christ mandates? Indeed, many will seek help in this area as well.
Our reasons for coming together in this place of worship are complex and varied. What we receive is generally what we are willing to accept. Whether it is comfort, inspiration, consolation, or guidance, what we seek here is offered through word or by rite.
Sacred Scripture tells us that God has sent us this help and instruction. In the first reading from the Book of Ezekiel we are told the story of how the Prophet was called. How God sends him to call the people of Israel back to fidelity. The very tenor of the brief passage shows the tension that exists between people who have chosen the secular world over the spiritual.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you.
But God does not send him alone – he gives the prophet hope because God goes with him.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!
And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—
they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
St. Paul tells the Corinthians about his call to the Gospel in the second reading. Like Ezekiel, he has a mystic experience in which he encounters God in Christ. He is given the same kind of mission through that revelatory event – to proclaim God’s Kingdom to the world. And also like Ezekiel, he is told that this will not be easy.
That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
But God did not send him on this mission without all he needed. The Apostle tells Corinth:
…but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness."
He was given a strength of spirit that would rise up when needed – all he had to do was call upon it – which he did frequently.
Finally, in the Gospel of St. Mark, we hear Jesus himself as he continues his mission. This time he comes to his home town, where he grew up and were his extended family still lived (in the language of the Hebrew tradition, the reference in this passage to “brothers” and “sisters” is inclusive of the extended family – these cousins were referred to in this way). Because of his close affiliation to the people and his familiarity to them, they could not see past the boy they had seen grow up to the Son of God. His word may have moved them but they could not accept it because of their prejudice regarding his heritage.
The word of God is an action verb today. God calls us through the example of his servants Ezekiel and St. Paul to proclaim his love and mercy to a world that will not be sympathetic and accepting. Even God’s own Son encountered this same resistance from people who knew and loved him as a boy. We know what to expect as we try to follow theses examples. If the likes of Ezekiel, St. Paul, and Jesus were challenged and rejected by many, we must be prepared to meet resistance to our own attempts to carry the message of love into the world.
That is part of the message we hear today – we also are sent. While we come here for different reason; with different hopes and different expectations, we are sent. The really good news is we are sent with what we need to accomplish what the Lord asks. In addition to God’s task our celebration includes food for the road – we receive the sacramental grace of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. In it we are strengthened, given hope for the future, peace for the present, all coupled with forgiveness of the past.
We conclude with the same question that started our remarks; why is it that we come together in the Church?
Ø If we came seeking comfort – God’s comfort is offered, he tests those he loves but gives them boundless strength in his Holy Spirit.
Ø If we came seeking grace – grace is offered in word and sacrament – we hear God’s voice.
Ø If we came seeking inspiration – God calls us to action – inspired by his examples.
Ø If we came giving thanks or to express our further needs – God listens and answers.
God offers us all we will accept in this place, it is our choice as to what we take and what we give in return.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The illustration used is “Jesus Is Rejected In His Hometown” from UNKNOWN; Illustrator of Jerome Nadal's 'Evangelicae Historiae Imagines', 1593
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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