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| “Pilgrimage at Sunset (Sunrise)” by Caspar David Friedrich, 1805 |
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Ephesians 4:32–5:8
Brothers and sisters:
Be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.
Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you,
as is fitting among holy ones,
no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place,
but instead, thanksgiving.
Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person,
that is, an idolater,
has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no one deceive you with empty arguments,
for because of these things
the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient.
So do not be associated with them.
For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light.
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Commentary on Eph 4:32–5:8
St. Paul continues to exhort the church at Ephesus to live as imitators of God in Christ. He lists the virtues of Christ’s love and excludes a litany of behaviors inappropriate for those who wish to be part of the community, insisting that such people have no share in the inheritance of the Kingdom of God (of Christ).
He concludes this section with a strong statement warning that those who turn away from God, and embrace the darkness, will receive God’s wrath. He then calls them to “Live as children of the light.” (This passage is quoted during the Sacrament of Baptism as the newly baptized are presented with a candle lighted from the Easter Candle, the light of Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit.)
CCC: Eph 4:32 2842; Eph 5:1 1694; Eph 5:2 616; Eph 5:3-5 1852; Eph 5:4 2204; Eph 5:5 2113; Eph 5:8 1216, 1695
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (see Eph. 5:1) Behave like God as his very dear children.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Behave like God as his very dear children.
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Commentary on Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Psalm 1 serves as a preface to the whole book of psalms. The psalmist here exalts those who follow the Lord’s commands, and reflects upon the blessings they will receive. As in Romans 6:19ff, this selection emphasizes the contrast between the salvation of the just and the punishment of the wicked.
This wisdom psalm begins by extolling the virtue of those who follow the law. The focus is to look to God for guidance, and not to trust only in the counsel of men. Those who reject the law will be blown away like “chaff,” an image used in the Gospel as well (Matthew 3:12).
This portion of the psalm is later echoed in Isaiah 48:17-19, like an overlapped formula of covenant. Blessed is the man who “delights in the law day and night,” but “the way of the wicked vanishes.” It also takes up the theme of following right paths and staying true to the teachings of God: “Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night.”
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Gospel: Luke 13:10-17
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
“There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”
The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?”
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.
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Commentary on Lk 13:10-17
The story of the cure of the crippled woman is parallel to the story of Jesus curing the man with dropsy on the Sabbath (see Luke 14:1-6). He is challenged by the local Jewish leadership for doing “work” on God’s holy day (cf. Exodus 20:8; 31:14; Leviticus 19:3-30). As before, he uses the need to tend to the necessities of life on the Sabbath as parallel to his need to cure the woman. He reinterprets the Law establishing the need to please God through acts of mercy and kindness (cf. Hosea 6:6; James 2:13).
CCC: Lk 13:15-16 582
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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.
“Live as children of the light.” We are all called to that reality, and images of light and darkness fill our culture and myth. So ingrained has this analogy of good and evil become that we use it without thinking. Many see those who embrace the “Goth” look (dressing in black, striving for a dark appearance) as seeking a persona that is intimidating because of its embrace of darkness. When we think of a “dark” place, we automatically associate it with fear (afraid of the dark), and evil deeds (most crime is conducted at night- in the darkness).
On the other side we are called as “children of the light,” the antithesis of darkness. Our actions are to represent the goodness of one to another. St. Paul defines this understanding of “children of the light” with his exhortation to the church at Ephesus. He tells them to love one another, as Christ loved us. He calls them to be compassionate: there is no place among them for greed, malice, or even suggestive behavior, which leads to dehumanizing attitudes and detracts from the dignity which all deserve as children of the same God.
This last example is subtle. We might think that, even in polite company, friendly or suggestive banter is acceptable. What harm does it do? It generally injects humor into a conversation and that is a happy thing. We take St. Paul’s warning to heart, though. Too often the butt of this humor is hurtful (even innocently so), and while the person who is the target of this wit may even laugh with us, the intent can lead down a path that is destructive or may encourage inappropriate, even licentious behavior.
In essence, St. Paul warns about the slippery slope that can come through familiarity and familial fraternity. Where else is this type of interplay more prevalent than with friends, co-workers, or classmates? We are called to be “children of the light” and as such we do not need to be condescending or critical of our peers. We can choose to stand apart from these types of activities. Our lack of participation will mark us for what we hope to be, and when it is appropriate and can be done in a loving way, we can gently chide our friends for their insensitivity to the dignity of the person.
Being “children of the light” is a call we dare not refuse; but it is difficult. We pray today for the strength and wisdom to find the lighted path and to always choose that way. And when we fail, we ask God and His Son to forgive us and show us the light once more.
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 “Pilgrimage at Sunset (Sunrise)” by Caspar David Friedrich, 1805.
[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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