(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. Suggested for this date: # 35 The Blessed Virgin Mary, Pillar of Faith
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| “The Worship of Mammon” by Evelyn De Morgan, 1909 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: 2 Chronicles 24:17-25
Commentary on 2 Chr 24:17-25
King Joash does not direct the people to worship God, but embraces idol worship, and disregards the prophets sent to him. Then Zechariah arises and challenges King Joash and the people, telling them that unless they turn back to God, they will be punished. The king, even though he owed his own life to Zechariah’s father, Jehoiada (see 2 Kings 11:4-17), had Zechariah murdered. (This event is referenced by Jesus, speaking about the Jews ignoring and killing prophets in Luke 11:51, although there is some confusion over this because of Matthew 23:35, where Zechariah is identified as “son of Barachiah” the minor prophet. See Zechariah 1:1.)
The actions of the king and the people are seen to be avenged by God through the Arameans. The chronicler records that a small force later attacks Judah, and inexplicably defeats the much larger army of Judah. They then proceed to kill the king and his court, not according him the honor of his kingship.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:4-5, 29-30, 31-32, 33-34
R. (29a) For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
Commentary on Ps 89:4-5, 29-30, 31-32, 33-34
Psalm 89 is a communal lament sung after the defeat of the Davidic king. Because defeat calls into question God’s promise, made in the strophes cited here wherein God promised David’s throne to stand forever, the community asks God to remember his promise.
CCC: Ps 89 709
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Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34
Commentary on Mt 6:24-34
Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount being very clear about what must be placed first in the life of his disciples. Here the word mammon is used, an Aramaic word meaning wealth. The Lord does not deny that people need the physical things of the world (i.e. food, clothing, and water), but tells them that, if they have faith in God and pursue the things of God’s Kingdom, the heavenly Father will provide for them. He goes further to say that, if they are constantly focused on material goods, they will not extend their lives even a little.
CCC: Mt 6:24 2113, 2424, 2729, 2821, 2848; Mt 6:25-34 2547, 2830; Mt 6:25 2608; Mt 6:26-34 322; Mt 6:26 2416; Mt 6:31-33 305; Mt 6:32 270; Mt 6:33 1942, 2604, 2608, 2632; Mt 6:34 2659, 2836
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Reflection:
The sacred history of God’s involvement with mankind repeatedly demonstrates the lesson Jesus tries to teach in the selection proclaimed from the Sermon on the Mount. People who place physical wealth and power first in their lives perish with it. Those who worship the idols of avarice and greed, ignoring God, who created all things, find only dust at the end of their earthly lives.
We see the historical evidence of this warning played out in the reading from Second Book of Chronicles. King Joash, who himself was rescued from the tyranny of a predecessor (ironically kept hidden and safe in the temple for six years by a priest, the father of Zechariah, whom he had killed for calling the people to return to authentic worship) is punished for his idol worship. Like so many stories related in the historical books of the Bible (1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles), leaders who allow or encourage the people to turn away and forget that the one true God created them, offers them peace, and asks only for obedience and love, find that destruction follows their disobedience.
Jesus, who is trying desperately to show the people the depth of God’s love, tells the disciples and those with them that loving wealth, power, and material goods leaves the soul empty. What comfort and consolation does a bar of gold give when one is frightened or ill? What strength does a mansion of bricks and mortar give when our mortal shell begins to fail? What genuine love is received from hirelings paid to serve?
It is only in the Lord, whose love for us is unimaginable, that comfort, consolation, and strength may be found. It is only strength of spirit, bolstered by the indwelling Holy Spirit, that allows us to look into the eye of defeated death, and walk forward unafraid.
As disciples of the Lord, we are reminded once more that our energy and focus in life must be to embrace the spiritual treasure that the Lord offers us. It is by prizing him above all else that this treasure is accumulated. We pray today that our minds constantly flow to Jesus who, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, is the author of our creation.
Pax
[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5.
[2] The picture is “The Worship of Mammon” by Evelyn De Morgan, 1909
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