Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

“David’s Dying Charge to Solomon” by Ferdinand Bol,1643

Readings for Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time[1]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible[2]

Commentary:

Reading I: 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12

Commentary on 1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12

This passage from the Fist Book of Kings provides a description of the succession of the Hebrew Monarchy from David to his son Solomon. We note David’s final instructions to Solomon include the strict stipulation that he keep all of the “statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees” of the Law of Moses. This statement should not be viewed as a contradiction to the promise that David’s line shall be perpetual (see 1 Samuel 7:14ff).

The concluding verses establish the length of King David’s reign and the validity of the succession of the office to his son. It is clear from the language used that there should be no doubt as to Solomon’s right to assume his father’s position as king. Later, the author describes how those who sought to deny succession within the monarchy  were removed.

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Responsorial Psalm: 1 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd

R. (12b) Lord, you are exalted over all.

Commentary on 1 Chr 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd

This great hymn of praise from First Chronicles directs our thoughts toward the power and majesty of God the Father. It rejoices in his omnipotent reign over all the earth. It is called "David's Prayer," and consists of three parts.  This selection is the first part which is a solemn praise for God's sovereignty and power.

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Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

Commentary on Mk 6:7-13

In this account, the twelve disciples are sent two by two to begin the ministry for which Christ has been preparing them. They have been with him since they were called. Now he sends them into the world to, proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God as Jesus had done. We note a few differences from the same account in Matthew 10:5ff and Luke 10:1ff. First, in St. Mark’s account they are allowed to take a staff and sandals (prohibited in the other Gospels). Second, St. Mark does not mention a prohibition against entering “pagan territory,” a reflection of conditions in the region at the time of Mark’s authorship.

The disciples are encouraged to stay in one house as opposed to moving from one place to another (presumably to find greater comfort), so as to avoid giving insult to their host or appearing ungrateful. The instruction to “shake the dust off your feet” to those who were unwelcoming was seen as a testimony against those who rejected repentance.

CCC: Mk 6:7 765, 1673; Mk 6:12-13 1506; Mk 6:13 1511, 1673

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Reflection:

The common thread between the First Book of Kings and the Gospel of Mark is the idea that God’s mission is being passed on.  In the story of King David’s death, he passes on his monarchy to his son Solomon.  He does so with a solemn instruction to carefully keep all of the various elements of Mosaic Law.  Because this chronicle had been passed down through many generations, later authors added bits of language that in 1 Kings 2:1ff might sound contradictory.  God promised that David’s dynasty would be eternal, culminating as we know with Christ, our eternal king.  The instructions given nonetheless make it clear that God’s ongoing rule is primary, coming before all else that a monarch might be expected to do.

In St. Mark’s Gospel, Jesus passes on a different legacy, a different kind of monarchy.  He instructs his adopted heirs, the Apostles, to take the news of God’s Kingdom into the world.  He also has instructions for his friends.  He tells them what to take and how they should deport themselves as they take the Good News into the world.  He tells them that they should keep all of his statutes and laws.  As King David instructed Solomon about Mosaic Law, this is implicit in his charge to them.

For us, we hear that charge to take up God’s mission and move it forward.  We know that the legacy that is our faith has been faithfully handed down by those who have gone before us.  It is now our turn to take the Good News of the Kingdom of God into the world, and our instructions, while slightly different, have many of the same elements.  We are to take the Word to the world in humility, offering not demanding.  We are to offer it freely, expecting nothing, for it was a free gift to us, purchased at a great price of pain.  And when the word is rejected, we are to walk away sad for their loss.

Today we pray for the strength to carry the Good News to the world in all we do.  May the grace given by our Savior allow us to be the best of examples to those we meet.

Pax

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[1] The picture is “David’s Dying Charge to Solomon” by Ferdinand Bol,1643

[2] S.S. Commemoratio

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

“St. John Bosco”

Artist and Date were not sited

Proper for the Memorial of St. John Bosco[1]

Biographical Information about St. John Bosco

Readings for Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible[2]

Commentary:

Reading I: 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17

Commentary on 2 Sm 24:2, 9-17

Completing the Second Book of Samuel is this encounter between the pride of King David and God. The king seeks to measure his strength in terms of numbers of people who can serve in his army, thinking that this strength will bring him victory. Once he has completed the census, the Prophet Gad comes and he sees the sin he has committed in trusting in the strength of his arms instead of the Lord God.

Gad offers punishment options, the first of which is similar to that imposed because of Saul’s misdeeds (2 Samuel 21:1ff). The two other options each contain the number three, a number significant in that it represents the most intense representation of the event (three days of pestilence would imply the most intense pestilence). Just as the punishment is to strike Jerusalem, the King pleads with God, recognizing his power.  King David accepts the guilt for his deeds and attitude. Hearing David's contrition,  God holds his angel back, similar to the way he withheld the hand of Abraham from striking down Isaac.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R. (see 5c) Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Commentary on Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

Psalm 32 is an individual hymn of thanksgiving. The psalmist (presumably King David) sings a song of gratitude that the Almighty Father has pardoned his sins (which were freely confessed). In spite of these blemishes, salvation is heaped upon the repentant person.

Providing hope for mankind following the story of “The Fall,” the psalmist is rejoicing for the one whose sins are forgiven. Then he gives thanks for God’s saving work, emphasizing that only the Lord can deliver man from sin.

CCC: Ps 32 304; Ps 32:5 1502

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Gospel: Mark 6:1-6

Commentary on Mk 6:1-6

This passage is St. Mark’s account of the Lord returning to his home town. As is his custom, he goes to speak in the synagogue and amazes the people he grew up with. The Lord encounters intense skepticism, born out of the fact that the people knew him before he took up his mission. In St. Luke's version (Luke 4:28ff), reference is made to the feeling that Jesus, in assuming the role of the Messiah, had blasphemed. The resulting attempt on his life is omitted in St. Mark's Gospel, but we still see the Lord’s response to their lack of faith. Non-canonical documents of the early Church Fathers (c. 400) refer to the relationships of the brothers and sisters of Jesus.  See The History of Joseph the Carpenter.

CCC: Mk 6:3 500; Mk 6:5 699; Mk 6:6 2610

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Reflection:

We are given a unique glimpse into the Lord’s early years in this account of Jesus returning home.  There is a reference to the period between age 12 when Jesus was presented at the temple the second time (Luke 2:41-50) and his baptism in the Jordan by St. John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17). The last we were told following his first presentation was: “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40) That does not tell us much about his interaction with the community in which he grew up. This exchange, however, hints at what the young Jesus must have been like in those years.

When he came to teach in the synagogue that sabbath, we are told that those who heard him were “astonished.” They asked themselves where he had come by the knowledge and wisdom he displayed. In order for them to react the way they did, we can only assume that as a young man, Jesus was humble and unassuming. He did not presume to instruct his elders or even his peers. He was growing into what he must become, a humble and compassionate man who could weep for those who mourned at the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35).

The people of his community would have certainly seen the young Jesus, unassuming, learning the carpenter’s trade at the side of his foster father, St. Joseph. He would not have stood out among his peers with the exception that he never seemed to get into mischief. He could not take the lead in these early years except by example; his ultimate role was much much larger.

Is it any wonder then that when he came home after his remarkable transformation at the Jordan, after going into the desert and confronting his nemesis, the people who knew him before he assumed his Father’s mission would be amazed and then angered? They were not with him to see the Holy Spirit descending upon him (Luke 3:22), they were not there when he returned from the desert (“in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all” (Luke 4:14-15)).

Now, robed as he was in his Father’s mighty mission, we can feel the Lord’s disappointment as the great lack of faith displayed by those friends with whom he had grown up was shown in their petty attacks on him. Such lack of faith would naturally prevent the full impact of his healing power from being effective with those people. We are told: “he was not able to perform any mighty deed there.”

And what message do we take away from this encounter? Do we think our friends and families will be kinder to us as we go through our ongoing conversion? We should expect to be received as Christ was, especially if we are away for a while and come home with great zeal for our faith. Human nature has not changed. Our hope remains in the Lord, and when we do encounter this kind of response, we rejoice, for the trials we face for the faith are a blessing from God our Father. In this case, we know we are doing something right.

Pax

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[1] The picture is “St. John Bosco” Artist and Date were not sited

[2] S.S. Commemoratio

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time

“Christ Resurrects the Daughter of Jairus” by Friedrich Overbeck 1815

Readings for Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time[1]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible[2]

Commentary:

Reading 1: 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3

Commentary on 2 Sm 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3

The tale of King David’s family continues with these verses. They describe the death of the king’s rebellious son, Absalom. It certainly must have felt like divine intervention that the leader of the rebel forces was accidentally caught by the hair as he passed under a tree. The end of Absalom was also against King David’s explicit orders. When Joab, the leader of King David’s forces, ordered the trapped prince to be killed, he did so in violation of his orders and, as we see, caused his king great grief.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (1a) Listen, Lord, and answer me.

Commentary on Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Psalm 86 is an individual lament. It asks for mercy from God. The psalmist sings of an afflicted life, and asks God to give his servant relief. The song indicates the faithfulness of the singer, even in times of distress.

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Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

Commentary on Mk 5:21-43

This selection from Mark’s Gospel begins with Jesus continuing his journey of healing. The passage relates two interwoven examples of the power of faith in healing. First the synagogue official’s plea to Jesus to heal his daughter is presented. This is important from the standpoint that it is recognition of Jesus' status by the local faith community. An official from the synagogue would only consult with one widely recognized as an authority in spiritual matters.

On the way to the little girl, a woman with a hemorrhage that had been incurable by local physicians pressed in close and touched his cloak. She was cured and it was as if her faith reached out and touched Jesus, unlike the others crowded around because he felt her touch among all the others. He turned and was able to specifically identify her. The Lord’s words to her were: “…your faith has saved you.”

Arriving at the synagogue official's house, Jairus’ faith was tested a second time as he was informed his daughter had died. Jesus ignored these reports and proceeded to reward Jairus’ faith by bringing his daughter back from death, a sign of his mission to all mankind.

CCC: Mk 5:21-42 994; Mk 5:25-34 548; Mk 5:28 2616; Mk 5:34 1504; Mk 5:36 1504, 2616

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Reflection:

One of the many rewards of faith in a loving and merciful God is the consolation of Christ in times of grief.  The Holy Father, Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI, expresses this much better than I could in his encyclical Spe Salvi:

“Indeed, to accept the 'other' who suffers, means that I take up his suffering in such a way that it becomes mine also. Because it has now become a shared suffering, though, in which another person is present, this suffering is penetrated by the light of love. The Latin word con-solatio, ‘consolation’, expresses this beautifully. It suggests being with the other in his solitude, so that it ceases to be solitude.” (Spe Salvi, II, 38.)

In simple language, the grief or sorrow we experience, especially at the loss of a loved one, a friend, or even a relationship, is indeed the feeling of being alone, deprived of the person whose loss we have suffered.  Into this void comes Jesus, his loving hand outstretched, bridging the gap between life and death.  In him we are never alone.  It is his consolation that lifts us out of hopelessness and gives us grace to overcome even the greatest of obstacles.

As Pope-Emeritus Benedict says, Christ’s consolation is expressed most visibly though his followers (that would be us).  Our compassion for those who suffer becomes a miracle in itself.  It is not easy to accept another’s suffering though, is it?  Accepting that burden necessarily means to experience the pain felt by the one who suffers.  That pain, we submit, is quantifiable.  That is, there is only so much to go around and the more who share in that suffering, the less burdensome it becomes to the group within which it is shared.  It is Christ’s (con-solatio) consolation – we are no longer alone.

Today as we think about the grief of King David who endures the loss of a son and Jairus, who briefly was stabbed with the pain of losing a daughter, let us remember those who grieve the loss of those they love: husbands, wives, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters.  May all those who suffer the loss be blessed with Christ’s steadfast presence and our offer to share their suffering so it might be lessened though the consolation and mercy of God.

Pax

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[1] The picture is “Christ Resurrects the Daughter of Jairus” by Friedrich Overbeck 1815

[2] S.S. Commemoratio