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| “The Handing-over the Keys” by Sanzio Raffaello, 1515 |
Readings for Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
What advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task that God has appointed
for the sons of men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time,
and has put the timeless into their hearts,
without man’s ever discovering,
from beginning to end, the work which God has done.
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Commentary on Eccl 3:1-11
This famous passage from Ecclesiastes begins by emphasizing that there is a correct order of events dictated by God (see also Proverbs 15:23, 25:11). The sequence of events in human life (birth, death, happiness and sadness) are ordered and ordained by God alone (timeless). Mankind cannot change time. As a consequence, the faithful should enjoy what comes to them as a gift from God.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 144:1b and 2abc, 3-4
R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
my mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
LORD, what is man, that you notice him;
the son of man, that you take thought of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days, like a passing shadow.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
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Commentary on Ps 144:1b and 2abc, 3-4
Psalm 144, taken in its entirety, is difficult to classify. It opens with a lament, however, in the strophes in this selection, it concludes in thanksgiving (v. 12-15). Supporting the theme of the powerlessness of mankind and human frailty, these first verses present a plea, in humility, to an all-powerful creator.
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Gospel: Luke 9:18-22
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
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Commentary on Lk 9:18-22
As is frequently the case in St. Luke’s Gospel, we find the Lord at prayer. When asked by the Lord about the attitude of the people, the disciples answer much like the counselors of Herod did in Luke 9:7-9 with identities of John the Baptist and Elijah. St. Peter answers for the group when asked about Jesus’ identity, pronouncing him the Messiah. (see also commentary on Matthew 16:13-20)
CCC: Lk 9:18-20 2600
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Reflection:
Heavenly Father, we humbly pray that those suffering from the coronavirus be returned quickly to full health by the power of your Son’s healing presence, and those in fear be calmed through the Holy Spirit.
In Christ’s name we pray. – Amen.
The episode describing Jesus walking with his disciples and asking them who the people say he is has been repeated several times in this past year both in weekday liturgies and Sunday Mass readings. This is no accident. The question is important for the disciples and for us.
Today’s iteration of this story was actually set up by, and can be contrasted to, this same question asked by King Herod in the previous verses. When Herod asked his advisers, they gave essentially the same answers as the Lord’s disciples when first asked. It is clear from these two sets of responses that, at the time he walked the earth as man, Jesus was known to be something very special.
“They said in reply, ‘John the Baptist; others, Elijah.’” These first two responses are significant in that Elijah’s return, according to Hebrew tradition, would announce the coming of the Messiah. Many contemporaries of St. John said he was Elijah returned. St. John the Baptist, in addition to prefiguring Christ, served the same role as Elijah in his time. By associating Jesus with these two figures, the Gospel sets St. Peter up for the revelatory statement identifying Jesus as “The Christ of God,” Christ, the Anointed One, the Deliverer, the Messiah!
This identification for us is anticlimactic. We already profess Jesus as the Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God. But saying it with our lips is not nearly as important as knowing it in our hearts. When we feel that relationship emotionally, as opposed to knowing it logically, something important changes in how we think and act. We have been taught from our earliest memories (those of us born into a Christian family) that Jesus is the Messiah, born of Mary on Christmas, died on Good Friday, risen on Easter. We know these facts like we know that parts of the North American Continent were once British colonies.
Asking ourselves Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?” we must look to our hearts and find there the answer. Not a fact but something more – faith must inform us because only faith can reveal the answer. Jesus tells St. Peter as much in St. Matthew’s version of this story when he said: “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 16:17)
Today we depend upon faith to answer for our hearts as Jesus once more turns to us in scripture asking that remarkable question: “But who do you say that I am?” We pray our hearts respond in a way pleasing to him, and in doing so motivate us to be true followers as well as believers.
In this strange year where many of us will not be able to receive the Blessed Sacrament or celebrate as a community in our houses of worship, we must be prepared to receive spiritual communion in prayer:
My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “The Handing-over the Keys” by Sanzio Raffaello, 1515.
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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