(Optional Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed. [1] Mass texts may be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a Votive Mass, or from the special collection of Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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| “The Calling of Matthew” by Marinus van Reymerswaele, 1536 |
Commentary:
Reading I: 1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1
Commentary on 1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1
We are introduced in this passage to Saul. While on a journey of three days to try to recover livestock that went missing from his home, Saul encounters Samuel who is called Seer as opposed to Prophet at this point in history. Samuel is told by God that this is the person he is to appoint as King of Israel. He invites Saul to dine with him and the next day anoints his head with oil as a sign that he is commander over the heritage given to the Jewish people by God.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (2a) Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
Commentary on Ps 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
In this psalm of praise, the faithful king is honored. This is the first of two parts in the psalm. “In the first, addressed to God, it puts on record that the king’s success comes from God (v. 1-6) […] The general tone of the psalm goes beyond the way things were in the ancient kingdom of Israel and points to the ideal king. For this reason both Judaism and the Church read it as a psalm about the Messiah.”[5]
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Gospel: Mark 2:13-17
Commentary on Mk 2:13-17
This passage from St. Mark’s Gospel documents the call of Matthew, here named Levi. The Gospel of St. Matthew renames Levi to Matthew so this tax collector, whose call is given special notice, will be included with the elevated status of the call of the first four disciples.
This story is the setting for the next conflict/response interchange. Once Matthew follows Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees challenge the Lord about the people with whom he chooses to associate because it threatens his status as “teacher.” The Lord uses the famous analogy of a doctor not being needed by those who are well in response: "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."
CCC: Mk 2:14-17 574; Mk 2:17 545, 1484, 1503
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Reflection:
Today we take notice of St. Mark’s record of Jesus’ ironic reply to the Scribes and Pharisees regarding his mission. He tells them: “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” The probable reaction to this statement by those to whom he addressed it was: “Oh, he’s on a mission to save those poor sinners,” excluding themselves from the population that needed calling since they were self-righteous.
We, of course, having been exposed to the full ministry of Jesus, recognize that the Son of God came into the world for all peoples, and that no one is free from sin except he who came to wipe away sin, and the vessel from which he was delivered. Still, we see these pious Jews thinking that by consorting with those who had been marginalized; Jesus was contaminating himself, being pulled down to their level, himself being made unfit for their righteous company.
We think to ourselves: “How blind these scribes and Pharisees must have been, not to have seen that they themselves were sinful.” But we are pulled up short. Are we not guilty of the same condescension we see in those who looked down on Jesus’ actions in calling Levi, a tax collector? Do we not see the poor and those trapped in sin and feel (even secretly) that we are better than they are, more righteous, more grace-filled, and closer to God?
The great gift of the Gospel is that it holds up God’s mirror to our faces and tells us to look closely at ourselves. It calls us to see if we are truly conforming ourselves to the Lord or simply giving lip service to the one who came to save all who had sinned, even those of us who believe we are righteous and free from the worst ravages of sin. If we fall into this latter category it is probably more difficult for us to find intimate closeness with the Lord than one who is fully aware of their great failings. For that tax collector or sinner, society helps them by pointing out their sins and humiliating them, and in their humility they can find Christ. Those who cling to their righteousness find humility elusive, and Jesus, who dines with the sinners, is difficult to find in the lofty palaces of self-righteousness.
We learned long ago not to pray for humility because, as Monsignor Robert Lundsford was fond of reminding us, those who pray for humility should expect God to find a way to humiliate them. We do pray that we may always be reminded that Christ came to call sinners and that we are all in that category. Whenever we start to think that we have somehow avoided sin and have come closer to Jesus, may we look at the Blessed Mother, the Apostles, and all the saints and see how far we have yet to go.
Pax
[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5
[3] The picture is “The Calling of Matthew” by Marinus van Reymerswaele, 1536
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Psalms”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 89
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