Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Catechism Links[1]

CCC 796: the Church as the Bride of Christ

CCC 1061-1065: God’s utter fidelity and love

CCC 1612-1617, 2360-2365: marriage in the Lord

“The Institution of the Eucharist “ (detail) 
by Federico Fiori Barocci,1608

 

Readings for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time [2][3]

 

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

 

Commentary:

 

Reading 1: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b

 

Commentary on Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b

 

In this last chapter of the Book of Joshua we hear of the final act Joshua performs.  Gathering the tribes together, this passage is the prelude to the Covenant at Shechem.  Joshua asks the people who they will serve; “the gods your fathers served beyond the River” (“beyond the river” is most likely east of the Euphrates.  That their fathers in that land were polytheistic is hinted at in Genesis 28:20-21 and Genesis 35:2-4.)?

 

In response to Joshua’s challenge, the people recall the Exodus from Egypt and other signs performed on their behalf and then pledge, as Joshua did (“As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” [5]) to follow the Lord.

 

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

 

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

 

Commentary on Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

 

Psalm 34 is a song of thanksgiving and a favorite for celebrating the heroic virtue of the saints. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone. This psalm, in the words of one being unjustly persecuted, echoes hope for deliverance and freedom. 

 

The final strophe contains a reference which may be derived from the ordinance on sacrifices of atonement (see Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12) (he watches over all his bones; not one of them shall be broken).  It can also be seen of predictive of the fact that the Christ’s bones were not broken after his death on the cross.

 

CCC: Ps 34:3 716

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Reading II

First Option

Ephesians 5:21-32

 

Commentary on Eph 5:21-32

 

St. Paul uses the relationship of Christ to the Church to exhort married couples to mutual love and respect.  He defines that relationship as sacred; with reciprocal responsibilities – wives respecting their husbands and being obedient as was fitting in this highly patriarchic society.  He emphasizes the model of the Church’s obedience to Christ   He then enjoins the husband to love his wife the way Christ loves his Church, having laid down his life so that they might be saved from any harm. He concludes by describing the mystery of the sacramental relationship of marriage; meaning in this case – beyond human understanding.

 

Recent western social norms have caused this passage to become controversial since the use of the word “subordinate” is considered by some to imply complete subservience i.e. slavish unquestioning servitude.  Placed in the full context of this reading, the language describes the unique love expressed by Christ and the Church which seeks of its own will to follow him in all things.   St. Paul describes beautifully the mutual love and respect expressed by Christ for his people and the Church for our Bridegroom, Jesus. 

 

CCC: Eph 5:21-26 2204; Eph 5:21 1269, 1642; Eph 5:25-27 772; Eph 5:25-26 757, 1616; Eph 5:25 616, 1659; Eph 5:26-27 757, 1617; Eph 5:26 628, 796, 1228; Eph 5:27 773, 796, 1426; Eph 5:29 757, 796; Eph 5:31-32 796, 1602, 1616; Eph 5:31 1627; Eph 5:32 772, 1624, 1659

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Or:

Second Option

Ephesians 5:2a, 25-32

 

Commentary on Eph 5:2a, 25-32

 

This alternate reading omits the language describing the role of the wife in the marriage relationship, removing the implied hierarchy and the offense that may be taken by those who feel St. Paul’s analogy and description of the wife’s role may be demeaning.  This omission changes the focus from the mutual love expressed by Christ and the Church to the love expressed by Christ for his bride the Church.

 

CCC: Eph 5:21-26 2204; Eph 5:25-27 772; Eph 5:25-26 757, 1616; Eph 5:25 616, 1659; Eph 5:26-27 757, 1617; Eph 5:26 628, 796, 1228; Eph 5:27 773, 796, 1426; Eph 5:29 757, 796; Eph 5:31-32 796, 1602, 1616; Eph 5:31 1627; Eph 5:32 772, 1624, 1659

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Gospel: John 6:60-69

 

Commentary on Jn 6:60-69

 

St. John describes the ebb and flow of the Lord’s followers. He is concluding his discourse on the “Bread of Life” and has just told the disciples once more: “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” This was cannibalism, they did not get it and they did not like what they did get, so many who had seen him perform the sign of the Multiplication of the Loaves and followed him now were repulsed and went home.

 

The twelve stayed with him and in response to Jesus question; “Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answers with his profession of faith; “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

 

CCC: Jn 6:60 1336; Jn 6:61 473; Jn 6:62-63 728; Jn 6:62 440; Jn 6:63 2766; Jn 6:67 1336; Jn 6:68 1336; Jn 6:69 438

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Reflection:

 

The scripture today is just big, that’s the best word for it. There is a connection between the three readings but at the 1,000 foot level. We can actually use the flow of today’s scripture as sort of a courtship analogy. The first reading is like a proposal of marriage.

 

Joshua asks the leaders of the people if they want to serve the Lord our God or some other religion. We can assume Christ’s soon to be fiancé was being a bit wayward so the “will you marry me” question was asked in a way that seemed to give the people options. Then we have the famous scripture passage from Joshua where the quote; “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." The passage ends with the rest of the people he gathered also swearing allegiance to the Father, recounting it was He who brought them out of Egypt and protected them on their journey. In and of itself this passage is a profession of faith and a reminder of God’s love for his people. To the question “will you marry me?” the answer is "I will."

 

Next we come to the Psalm where again we hear echoes of the Bead of Life discourse from last two Sundays. In the context of the flow of scripture today, we can be reminded that this is our engagement dinner. “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” is our refrain. It is a life giving meal.

 

In Matthew 19:3-12 we hear Jesus talking about divorce. The sacramental nature of the bond between husband and wife and how that differs from the civil contract formed during the ceremony is described.  Because it is so hard to explain in terms of current social norms, that passage is frequently de-emphasized.  Today, in what will be in our analogy of courtship, the wedding vows, we are given another very difficult passage. It is one that is commonly pushed to the rear because it is difficult to reconcile with the push toward less polarizing language and can be interpreted literally as male domination. Fortunately, it is given in its entirety so we can focus on the very first line.

 

“Brothers and sisters: Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

 

Be subordinate to one another! That means mutual respect. Granted, St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written back in the first century, just years after the death of Christ, to a male dominated society. His definition of roles is consistent with Hebrew tradition of the time. The most important element we must take away from what he writes here is that marriage is a partnership, a partnership in which husband and wife must be “subordinate to one another”. That mutual subordination is based upon the bond of love they share. It is a love that is the very image of Christ’s love for his bride, the Church. Determining roles and views within that partnership is what is accomplished throughout the courtship process and, that it is discussed and verified in the marriage preparation process. The roles in our analogy today between Christ and His Church are codified by scripture, the Magisterium, and Canon Law.

 

Finally we come to the Gospel. The situation we see from St. John today follows the Bread of Life discourse we have heard for the past two Sundays. Jesus has just told his followers (it appears that he was being followed by a pretty big number by this time) that “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”

 

Then we hear today; “Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard; who can accept it?’” Does that sound familiar? Who else do we know that cannot accept that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist? Because it is “hard”, they have turned and gone back to their old way of belief.

 

Participating in the marriage between Christ and His Church is difficult. We are asked, as part of our renewed commitment, to accept that Christ is head of the Church and for us to remain faithful we must eat his flesh and drink his blood so that we might have life within us. We were adopted in Baptism, we have had our Coming-Out Party in Confirmation, we celebrate our marriage to Christ in Eucharist mark our anniversary each time we eat of the flesh of the Son of God. Today, let us renew our vows. Once more accept the Bridegroom, who is Christ, and vow to be faithful to him

 

Pax

 

In other years on this date: Optional Memorial for St. Rose of Lima

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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] ALTRE

[3] The picture is “The Institution of the Eucharist “ (detail) by Federico Fiori Barocci,1608

[5] The use of all capital letters for the words LORD and GOD in these scriptural references indicate instances where the actual word for God was used.