(Optional Memorial for Saint Lawrence Ruiz, Martyr, and his Companions, Martyrs)
(Optional Memorial for Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr)
Alternate readings for the Memorial of St. Lawrence Ruiz and his Companions may be taken from the Common of Martyrs
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| “The Feast of Herod” (detail) by Pieter Pauwel Rubens, 1633 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Haggai 1:1-8
Commentary on Hg 1:1-8
The Prophet Haggai was the first of the Minor Prophets and a contemporary of Ezra. It is suggested that he was either a priest or a cultic prophet, heavily involved in temple worship.[4] Here the Prophet calls on the people to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. This is his principal ministry and he sees that, while the foundation for the new temple has been laid (Ezra 3:7-13), nothing further has been done (Ezra 4). The excuse apparently presented by the people of being too poor is rejected by the prophet, and he accuses them of sloth in this effort. His strong message is: think of God before yourselves.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
Commentary on Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
Psalm 149 is a communal song of praise, rejoicing in God’s kingship and inviting the faithful to celebrate his saving works. We rejoice because God brings victory to the lowly and hope to the oppressed. The psalmist calls to the faithful to give praise in the assembly of the people – to give witness to their faith publicly – communally, as God’s chosen ones.
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Gospel: Luke 9:7-9
Commentary on Lk 9:7-9
This passage from St. Luke’s Gospel begins a section that assembles incidents from the life of the Lord. In this introduction, King Herod asks the question, “Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” The proposed identities of Jesus coincide directly with the later report of the disciples to Jesus in Luke 9:18-19. Confusion about Jesus’ identity will be clarified in the subsequent passages as his divinity is revealed.
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Reflection:
There are days at work, at school, or in the home when no matter how hard we work, we don’t feel like we’ve accomplished enough or perhaps done the “right things.” There is an emptiness, a mild feeling of frustration that we can’t quite pull into focus. It’s like the cherished recipe passed down from generation to generation but missing one ingredient. It looks the same when finished but when eaten it’s not quite right – something is missing.
The prophet Haggai points this out to the people of Israel because they have been too focused on themselves. They have been busy rebuilding their city after being returned to it after a long exile in Babylonia . Haggai sees the temple foundation has been laid but no further work has been done and points out that no matter how hard the people work they will not feel prosperity, no matter how much they eat they will not be filled. There is a missing ingredient, and that ingredient is the worship and praise of God.
In a similar way, King Herod must feel that, with the loss of St. John the Baptist, something is not quite right. He questions his advisors regarding the identity of Jesus about whom he has heard. That queasy feeling that God’s justice is coming for him is growing again, and he needs to know why. He has seen St. John’s head on a platter and knows Jesus is not the Baptist somehow returned from the dead, but who is he? He is the missing ingredient.
Back to our own sense that something is missing. When we have those feelings, even if we believe we have done all we should have done in a given situation, it is likely that we have relied too heavily on our own efforts and not allowed the Lord to be present in our actions. When we listen to our internal voice of faith, one cultivated in prayer, echoed in Sacred Scripture, and strengthened in the sacraments, we will feel complete.
Our prayer today is that all the ingredients are present and applied in the right order. We pray that the Lord, through the Holy Spirit will support the work of our hands this day and bring us peace.
Pax
[1] The picture is “The Feast of Herod” (detail) by Pieter Pauwel Rubens, 1633
[2] S.S Commemoratio
[4] See Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, pp.388, 6
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