Servant of the Word: Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Friday, June 09, 2017

Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(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.

“Portrait of a Widow at her Devotions”

by Leanardo Bassano, c. 1612

Readings for Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time[2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible[3]

Readings and Commentary:[4]

Reading 1: Tobit 12:1, 5-15, 20

Commentary on Tb 12:1, 5-15, 20

At this point in the story of Tobit, the prophet asks his son to pay the “man” that had accompanied him, not realizing that who they thought was a man was really Raphael, the Archangel. When they approached him to give a generous reward, Raphael unmasked himself and instructed them to give praise to God for the saving acts.

Special emphasis is made, in Raphael’s instruction, to act in accordance with the Law of Moses (righteousness) and acts of charity (almsgiving). These two public actions are even better than prayer and fasting, private worship of God. Echoing this idea, we find the recurring statement: “A king’s secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of God are to be declared and made known.”

CCC: Tb 12:8 1434; Tb 12:12 336

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Responsorial Psalm: Tobit 13:2, 6efgh, 7, 8

R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

Commentary on Tb 13:2, 6efgh, 7, 8

This psalm and response are taken from the Book of Tobit. It is Tobit's response to the Archangel Raphael’s instruction to give thanks to God for his blessings. It is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God for his help and salvation. It recalls the Diaspora and the restoration of Israel. Echoing the prayer of Ezra (Ezra 9:6), it recalls that it was through God’s mercy that these things were accomplished rather than the merit of a sinful people.

CCC: Tb 13:2 269

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Gospel: Mark 12:38-44

Commentary on Mk 12:38-44

In this passage from Mark, Jesus warns against scribes (holy men) who wear their faith on the outside and accept homage for their religious acts. Their acts of charity are missing. In contrast to those who flaunt their faith and their wealth the Lord praises the poor widow who gives alms from her need, not from her excess as they wealthy did. “The widow is another example of the poor ones in this gospel whose detachment from material possessions and dependence on God leads to their blessedness (Luke 6:20). Her simple offering provides a striking contrast to the pride and pretentiousness of the scribes denounced in the preceding section.”[5]

CCC: Mk 12:38-40 678; Mk 12:41-44 2444

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Reflection

The scripture today is in complete accord: our faith must be supported by acts of charity and service to others or it is empty. In the first instance, today the Archangel Raphael is enjoining Tobit and his son Tobiah to praise God loudly, and that while prayer and fasting are good things, God wishes his love for people to be known through acts of charity and righteousness performed in his name.

The same theme is the subject in the passage we are given from the Gospel of St. Mark. Jesus takes aim at the practices of the scribes who proclaim their faith by dressing in distinctive ways and accepting accolades for following scrupulously the letter of Mosaic Law as it applies to individual piety. He is emphatic in his rejection of this practice saying, “They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers,” indicating that they accept donations from the needy for giving what only God can give.

St. Mark goes on relating Christ’s observance of the rich members of the faith community placing alms in the temple treasury (making sure, we are told, that their acts of generosity are observed). The Lord contrasts this practice to a poor widow who gives a fraction of the material wealth deposited by the rich but her contribution amounts to all she had. Hers was a gift from the heart; the rich gave from their excess.

The message today is to the point and emphatic. We who are called to be the adopted sons and daughters of God are called to be a people who proclaim God’s love to humanity through our acts of service and charity. Nothing proclaims the glory of God more loudly and publicly than our actions in his name. The more anonymously these actions are performed the louder the praise to God who made the blessing possible.

Pax