(Optional Memorial for Saint Angela Merici, Virgin)
Proper for the Memorial of St. Angela Merici
Biographical information about St. Angela Merici
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| "Sower with Setting Sun" by Vincent Van Gogh, 1888 |
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Hebrews 10:11-18
Every priest stands daily at his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering he has made perfect forever
those who are being consecrated.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying:
This is the covenant I will establish with them
after those days, says the Lord:
“I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,”
he also says:
Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.
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Commentary on Heb 10:11-18
When one of the early Jews committed an act contrary to Hebrew Law, they were required to make a “sin offering” to mitigate the dire consequences that were likely to follow. It was the Hebrew belief that, when they were afflicted by disease or ill fortune, it was God punishing them for an offense against him. In these circumstances there was the need for a “sin offering” given by the priest.
Jesus, through his supreme sacrifice, forgave sins once and for all, something no false sacrifice could accomplish. The author of Hebrews again emphasizes the New Covenant. Psalm 110 (Psalm 110:1) is quoted and then the book of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34). He takes the prophecy of the New Covenant and shows how it is fulfilled in Christ.
CCC: Heb 10:14 1544; Heb 10:16 64
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4
R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
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Commentary on Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4
We are given the reference point used in Hebrews 5:1-10. The psalmist, David, reflects upon the call to service of the people. The final verse specifically mentions the High Priest Melchizedek. Melchizedek was the ancient king of Salem (Jerusalem) who blessed Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20). Like other kings of the time, he also performed priestly functions.
Psalm 110 thanks God for earthly authority, recognizing that it is only through the Lord's strength that authority is exercised. The psalmist uses Melchizedek as an archetype. He was a secular king in the time of Abraham who ruled on the spiritual side as well. Though he was not of the Hebrew race, he was nonetheless chosen by God to be priest, not of the line of Aaron. Since the ancient text refers neither to his lineage nor his death, his office is seen as eternal: “You are a priest forever.”
CCC: Ps 110 447; Ps 110:1 659; Ps 110:4 1537
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Gospel: Mark 4:1-20
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him
so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
“Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
And when he was alone,
those present along with the Twelve
questioned him about the parables.
He answered them,
“The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you.
But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that
they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but not understand,
in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.”
Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?
Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word.
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once
and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who,
when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy.
But they have no roots; they last only for a time.
Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
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Commentary on Mk 4:1-20
St. Mark’s Gospel begins a section of teachings on the kingdom of God through parables. We note that Jesus is teaching from a boat, which would provide a natural amphitheater with the ground sloping to the shore. Here the Lord presents the parable of the Sower. As in St. Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 13:1-18) he follows the unvarnished parable with a deeper explanation to the disciples.
In the parable of the Sower from Mark’s Gospel, Jesus uses the rich analogy of the seed (of faith given in baptism) to show the various courses of faith in human endeavor. Because this selection gives not only the parable, but the Lord’s explanation of its meaning, the only historical note we will make is that, at that point in history in that region, when planting a field, the seed was sown first and then the field was plowed.
CCC: Mk 4:4-7 2707; Mk 4:11 546; Mk 4:15-19 2707
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Reflection:
The parable of the Sower is a powerful one. It reminds us that we are both the sower/harvester and the seed in the parable. Initially the sower was Jesus and before him to a lesser extent the prophets of the Old Testament. They sought to reveal God’s will to the people, and much of what they said fell on deaf ears. That would be, according to the parable’s legend, the seed that fell on the “path." It had no chance to bear fruit because it was never planted. Similar fates awaited the seed that landed on “rocky ground,” and among the “thorns”; while they germinated the plants never reached maturity.
The sower’s task was handed on. It was handed from the Apostles who received it from Jesus to the saints and especially the Doctors of the Church. The task came down through all those millennia to us, the disciples of Christ in this age. And here is where the analogy gets interesting. Today, if we looked at the same agrarian analogy, we would wonder why, in those early days, so much was wasted. Today, mechanical planters multitask to plow the fields, plant the grain, and then cover it so the birds cannot get it. Now, with aid of modern techniques, the labor of a single person can produce yields that far exceed anything the farmers of Jesus’ day could have expected.
The sowers of the word today have similar automated tools that can help spread the word. But unlike the agricultural counterpart, more is wasted, not less. In the end, words are cheap. Words that are not backed by action are not only cheap, but they could be analogized with sterile seed. As sowers, we must first be the seeds that fall on fertile ground and grow to maturity. We must make sure our roots go deep to withstand the harsh conditions that we will face. We must insure that that stalk of grain we hope will provide the next generation of grain is well nourished with food and water, that is, word and sacrament.
Pax
[2] The picture today is "Sower with Setting Sun" by Vincent Van Gogh, 1888.
[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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