(Optional Memorial for Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr) Or
(Optional Memorial for 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. (USCCB recommends: # 28. The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary or # 34. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Cause of Our Joy)
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| “Isaac Blessing Jacob” by Govert Teunisz Flinck, 1639 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29
Commentary on Gn 27:1-5, 15-29
This passage brings us to Isaac’s deathbed. In this selection we hear the plot of Rebecca and Jacob to trick Isaac into giving his final blessing to Jacob, cheating his twin brother Esau out of it. "Here too, as in the case of Isaac (cf. Genesis 21:8-13), the part played by the mother is stressed; she ignores custom, and plays an active part in the furthering of God's plans. The passage also stresses how shrewd the patriarch is by comparison with Esau. Jacob's action is justified in the overall context of the narrative, given that he bought the birthright previously from his brother." [5]
While nothing is said in this passage as to the morality of the means by which Jacob receives this inheritance, his action is condemned in other parts of scripture (see Hosea 12:3 and Jeremiah 9:3). God punishes them for this act by separating Jacob and his mother. This action shows how God takes even the weak and undeserving and uses them to his greater glory.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 135:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (3a) Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 135:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
Psalm 135 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. The reference in the second strophe is to God choosing Jacob, which he did at the birth of the twins telling his mother: “the older shall serve the younger.”
CCC: Ps 135:6 269
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Gospel: Matthew 9:14-17
Commentary on Mt 9:14-17
Jesus is approached by St. John the Baptist’s disciples about the Pharisaic practices of ritual fasting. In Old Testament usage this action was a token of repentance or of mourning. No fast is actually prescribed in the Law of Moses, except the fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29 and 23:27 and Numbers 29:7). Given this understanding of the Law of Moses, what was being practiced by the Pharisees (and St. John’s disciples) was tradition. Jesus' response, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them,” speaks to the fact that his disciples do not have anything to repent from or mourn for, as long as they are following him.
The next section of the reading seems to contradict an earlier statement of Jesus (Matthew 5:17-20), when he said he had not come to abolish the Law (of Moses) but to fulfill it. But, his metaphors about the wineskins and the cloth refer to a completely new understanding of God’s revelation that cannot be a “patchwork” of ideas, rather a consistent application of Christ’s law of love, mercy, and hope.
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Reflection:
We reflect today upon the cautionary message embedded in the Gospel of St. Matthew. In the passage given, the Lord is challenged by some of the disciples of St. John the Baptist (of which at least one of his own disciples, Andrew, was formerly a member). They ask why Jesus and his disciples do not practice the Pharisaic traditions of ritual fasting. Jesus, also of the Pharisaic tradition, was not following their scrupulous rules and neither were his disciples. It was important that Jesus strike just the right tone in his reply. Recognizing that the Pharisees were following a tradition developed out of their understanding of the Law (not prescriptions of the Law), he explains that his disciples do not need to mourn or repent while he is with them (coming as he does to fulfill the law and the prophets - we understand this).
Where, one may ask is the cautionary message here? Jesus is defending his disciples' actions because what they do, they do out of understanding. They understand that they do not fast because the Son of God is with them and they cannot mourn while he is present. The Pharisees and St. John’s
In a faith so rich in ritual and tradition, we can sometimes fall into the same trap. Our focus might be on the ritual or tradition and we might forget that the reason we do what we do is for God’s greater glory, not simply following the rules or rubrics. We are reminded by this gospel story that when we do the ritual things of our faith, be they as simple as making the sign of the cross or genuflecting, or as complex as the rosary or the Divine Mercy devotionals, we recall the underlying reasons for what we do at each step.
Today we thank God for giving us his word and the means to worship him through our faith. We also pray that when we participate with our brothers and sisters in the practice of that faith we focus on the spiritual aspects of what we do as well as the rubrics of the faith.
Pax
[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5: “Outside Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, and Easter Time, on Saturdays which have no commemoration having the rank of Obligatory Memorial or higher, a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated. This is indicated in the calendar by “BVM.” The readings and prayers may be selected from the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
[2] The picture is “Isaac Blessing Jacob” by Govert Teunisz Flinck, 1639.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio (Saturday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time)
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 139.
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