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| “St. Mary Crowned” (detail) from The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck, 1432 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Judges 6:11-24a
Commentary on Jgs 6:11-24a
This passage introduces Gideon, judge and military leader from the tribe of Manasseh from Ephra. This selection recounts the story of Gideon’s encounter with the Angel of God. As in many of the stories from this period, the hero, Gideon, does not know that it is Yahweh who commands him and calls him to be a champion of his people. His disbelief stems in part from his humble station in life (“My family is the lowliest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house”). He needs proof.
Gideon sees the sign that is given. The sacrifice he offers is made into a holocaust, meaning it is consumed completely in the fire (by Yahweh). Gideon realizes it is God, and he accepts and believes. His immediate fear is that he will die, since seeing God face to face is considered to happen only in death. As with Moses, the Lord reassures Gideon and, as is customary, he marks that place where he encountered God by building an altar of sacrifice.
CCC: Jgs 6:11-24 332
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9, 11-12, 13-14
R. (see 9b) The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Commentary on Ps 85:9, 11-12, 13-14
This selection is part of a hymn of thanksgiving. It relates nicely to the Judges reading as it refers to receiving what God has spoken. Note also the reference to peace links to the name Gideon gave to the altar he built, Yahweh Shalom (“God’s Peace").
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Gospel: Matthew 19:23-30
Commentary on Mt 19:23-30
St. Matthew’s Gospel continues the focus on valuing the spiritual life above the material pursuits of earthly existence. The disciples were dismayed at the asceticism required for discipleship. They ask the Lord who could be saved, since all people have fallen prey to the desire for comfort for themselves and material wealth, and even the poorest of people desire material possessions.
The Lord then provides the answer that, for God, all things are possible, and that through their faith in him they will find their reward. Jesus continues his discourse with an eschatological description of who shall receive the gift of eternal life. All who come to the Lord, regardless of when they come to faith, may find the reward (“the last shall be first”).
CCC: Mt 19:23-29 2053; Mt 19:23-24 226; Mt 19:26 276, 308, 1058; Mt 19:28 765
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Reflection:
As we strive to hear the voice of God in Sacred Scripture, one of the principal difficulties we face is the fact that we cannot “earn” salvation. That gift is freely given to those who ask for God’s forgiveness and mercy. Yet, we feel in our souls the need to somehow atone for what we have done. There must be a component of effort on our part so God will accept our request.
Jesus tells us that this is just not so. “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” This statement, of course, refers to our human inability to come to the state of spiritual perfection found in Christ himself. The exception to this statement is, of course, the Blessed Virgin Mary, crowned Queen of Heaven for her spiritual perfection. As hard as we try, we cannot achieve the perfect love expressed by Christ for all, love he has for even those who killed him. As hard as we try, we cannot avoid the temptations of this life and even (or perhaps especially) the most pious cloistered religious fall prey to unwholesome desires or evil thoughts.
The “especially” is stated because the more we seek spiritual perfection, the more we strive to be “Christ-like” in all we do, the more flaws we find in ourselves and the further it seems we have to go. There is nothing more humbling than attempting spiritual perfection made incarnate in Christ. If it is done with diligence, it can be likened to the great Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea who proposed “The Paradox of the Motionless Runner.” He proposed that in order for a runner to run a certain distance they would need to first run half that distance, then half of the remaining distance and so on. His logical proof was that since any distance could be halved, the runner, needing to cross half the remaining distance, could never finish the race since he would always need to cross half the remaining distance first. For those of us who seek diligently to be Christ-like, half the distance always remains.
No matter how hard we work or how much we pray, it is God alone who can set things right. It is only through Christ that our atonement was made. Our own efforts, while necessary for our peace, are not counted as “service points” – so many needed to get into heaven.
Once again today we pledge to seek the Lord with all our strength. We do so knowing that what we do does not “earn” the reward he promises, but is simply an expression of love for him that we try to be more like him. Our constant prayer today is the opening to the Liturgy of the Hours: “God come to my assistance, Lord make haste to help me.” (an earlier translation of Psalm 70:2)
Pax
[1] The picture is “St. Mary Crowned” (detail) from The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck, 1432
[2] S.S Commemoratio
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