Proper for the Memorial of St. Agnes
Biographical information about St. Agnes
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| “Saint Agnes” by Andrea del Sarto, 1524-1530 |
Readings for Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Hebrews 7:25—8:6
Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them.
It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:
holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests,
to offer sacrifice day after day,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people;
he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,
but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,
appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.
The main point of what has been said is this:
we have such a high priest,
who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up.
Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices;
thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer.
If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest,
since there are those who offer gifts according to the law.
They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary,
as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle.
For God says, “See that you make everything
according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry
as he is mediator of a better covenant,
enacted on better promises.
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Commentary on Heb 7:25—8:6
The author provides a summation of the comparison between the Hebrew faith embodied in its priesthood, and faith in Jesus. The Lord has approached us as our intercessor, and he represents a new covenant and a new promise, superseding the covenant and promise of Moses.
The passage establishes a number of theological points in making this comparison. First Jesus is the eternal intercessor, not simply a newer version of the Hebrew high priest. The Lord’s absolute purity (“holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens”) provides graces beyond anything previously experienced by mankind. Jesus’ high priesthood has no need of sacrifices since he himself was the sacrifice of atonement for all.
The final section, from the eighth chapter, describes the ultimate difference between the leadership of the Hebrew people and the Christ, the Eternal High Priest of the Christian. The author describes the celestial throne, of which the earthly tabernacle in the temple is but a “copy and shadow.” The worship offered there is only a parody of the efficacious sacrifice of Christ, the old covenant contrasted with the new.
CCC: Heb 7:25-27 1364; Heb 7:25 519, 662, 2634, 2741; Heb 7:26 1544; Heb 7:27 1085, 1366, 1540; Heb 8:2 1070; Heb 8:6 1070
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
R. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
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Commentary on Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
Psalm 40 is a song of thanksgiving. It is also combined with a lament. In these strophes the thanksgiving of those who hear the voice of God and obey his words is sung. This obedience is loved by God above ritual sacrifices. The Lord especially loves those who follow his law. Once heard, the good news is proclaimed to all the people.
Supporting the new covenant, the psalm selection tells us that the animal sacrifices and sin offerings of the Hebrews are not what the Lord wants; he would rather have a humble and contrite heart.
CCC: Ps 40:7-9 LXX 462; Ps 40:7 2824
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Gospel: Mark 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
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Commentary on Mk 3:7-12
This selection from St. Mark’s Gospel marks a transition from Jesus ministering to the people on his own and his teachings to the disciples. Here, the Gospel provides a summary of the activities of Jesus whose healing ministry has caused a great crowd to follow him. His rising popularity is a testament to the power of what he teaches, and the signs he performs are a prelude to the universal spread of the Gospel message.
The encounter with unclean spirits is met, as earlier, with attempts to ward off his power over them using his title: “You are the Son of God.” It is interesting that the recognition of his true nature comes from those sent by the evil one. “Their prostration before him is not a sign of genuine worship but an obeisance compelled by Jesus’ irresistible authority (as in Mark 5:6). Nor is their clamorous shout a confession of faith, but a futile attempt to render him harmless, in accord with the common view that one could acquire mastery over another by using the individual’s name (see Mark 1:24; Mark 5:7).” [4]
CCC: Mk 3:10 1504
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Reflection:
We pause to consider those who have either lost faith in Christ or who have rejected God out of ignorance. We consider what they are denying themselves. We believe that Jesus, as the Gospel passage from St. Mark has just told us, came to heal us, heal any who could touch him. Those of his own time pressed in on him to a point where he actually had to have a boat standing ready to rescue him if necessary. God incarnate walked among them, and it was only through that mystical joining of deity and humanity that salvation was accomplished.
Those who have heard this story and will not believe it, or call it myth, have taken a path to death. They are of the same mind as those who believe that modern medicine is unnecessary, and refuse treatment of any kind when even the untrained eye can see that pain and suffering could easily be relieved. They do not know the gift that has been refused.
Many of the people we encounter that do not accept the healing hand of the Savior have consciously done so. They have heard the word and rejected it. Others, however, were never truly invited to partake of the Christ, who offers healing and peace. They come from family traditions that never exposed them to the positive model of a loving Christ. It is to these especially that we should be reaching out.
And how, we might ask, can this be done. We do not know who these people are; we do not feel it is within our ability to go from person to person asking: “Do you know that Jesus came to heal our brokenness?” While that is certainly a direct way of finding and inviting those who are ready to crowd in on the Lord, it may be uncomfortable, or, depending upon the circumstances, ineffective. What our duty requires is that we provide an example to all we meet. Our own love, compassion and peace will motivate many to ask: “What makes you so calm?” or: “You are always so nice, what is your secret?” “Secret,” yes they think it is some self-help program or even a drug like Prozac. It is at these times we turn our tongues over to the Holy Spirit, and explain and invite. Would we not do the same for a person who was ill or crippled and we had the ability to bring them to help?
Today’s message is pretty simple (difficult but simple). In order to continue the mission handed down to us, to bring healing to those in pain, all we need to do is provide a witness in the world. If we follow the dictates of our faith, others will see and ask. May God give us the strength and wisdom to provide that witness.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Saint Agnes” by Andrea del Sarto, 1524-1530.
[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.
[4] The Gospel of Mark, Mary Healy © 2008, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids MI, p. 71.
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