Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

Proper for the Memorial of St. Pius X 

Biographical information about St. Pius X

“Saint Pius X”
photographer and date are unknown

 
Readings for Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
 
Naomi had a prominent kinsman named Boaz,
of the clan of her husband Elimelech.
Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi,
“Let me go and glean ears of grain in the field
of anyone who will allow me that favor.”
Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter,” and she went.
The field she entered to glean after the harvesters
happened to be the section belonging to Boaz
of the clan of Elimelech.
 
Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter!
Do not go to glean in anyone else’s field;
you are not to leave here.
Stay here with my women servants.
Watch to see which field is to be harvested, and follow them;
I have commanded the young men to do you no harm.
When you are thirsty, you may go and drink from the vessels
the young men have filled.”
Casting herself prostrate upon the ground, Ruth said to him,
“Why should I, a foreigner, be favored with your notice?”
Boaz answered her:
“I have had a complete account of what you have done
for your mother-in-law after your husband’s death;
you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth,
and have come to a people whom you did not know previously.”
 
Boaz took Ruth.
When they came together as man and wife,
the LORD enabled her to conceive and she bore a son.
Then the women said to Naomi,
“Blessed is the LORD who has not failed
to provide you today with an heir!
May he become famous in Israel!
He will be your comfort and the support of your old age,
for his mother is the daughter-in-law who loves you.
She is worth more to you than seven sons!”
Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became his nurse.
And the neighbor women gave him his name,
at the news that a grandson had been born to Naomi.
They called him Obed.
He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
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Commentary on Ru 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
 
The story of Ruth is continued as she and her mother-in-law return to the Hebrew lands around Bethlehem. As is customary, widows without support of any other male relatives glean in the fields – follow the harvesters and pick up any leftover grain not collected by them. Boaz, seeing in Ruth humility and grace, takes her as his wife. This story celebrates the piety and fidelity of Ruth, a Moabite (non-Hebrew) who becomes attached to Israel through marriage. Out of that union we find the beginnings of King David’s line and hence the line that produced Jesus in Bethlehem.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
 
R. (4) See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
 
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
 
You wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
 
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
 
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
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Commentary on Ps 128:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
 
Psalm 128 is a song of thanksgiving. It begins here with the typical blessings given to those following and having faith in the Lord. This selection uses the analogy of the family and the blessing it brings to the faithful, using the symbolism of vines and olives, imagery commonly used in Sacred Scripture.
 
It also supports the creation of woman and the marriage theme in Genesis 2:18-25. It is the logical extension of the two becoming one flesh and the children flowing from that union.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
 
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
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Commentary on Mt 23:1-12
 
This passage is the introduction to the invective against the scribes and Pharisees. It sets the stage for the “seven woes” which follow in the chapter. St. Matthew uses Jesus' teaching about the leaders of the Jewish faith as counter-examples of what the leaders of the Christian faith must be like. The scribes and Pharisees led from the authority given by the temple. According to the Gospel, they did not practice what they taught and performed their worship for others to see rather than out of true faith and worship of God.

St. Matthew continues the theme of authentic worship (that is, worship that changes the actions of the faithful). The author gives us Jesus' discourse that upholds the Law of Moses and, at the same time, chastises those who misuse it. He describes in detail how the scribes burden the people with ritual, but do not practice that same law. The complaint is twofold: first is the rigor with which the law is interpreted (“They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders”), and second is the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees: “All their works are performed to be seen” (see also Matthew 6:1-8).

The selection promotes an interpretation of Christian leadership which is one of humility and compassion rather than one of prideful superiority. “These verses, warning against the use of various titles, are addressed to the disciples alone. While only the title 'Rabbi' has been said to be used in addressing the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:7), the implication is that Father and 'Master' also were. The prohibition of these titles to the disciples suggests that their use was present in Matthew's church. The Matthean Jesus forbids not only the titles but the spirit of superiority and pride that is shown by their acceptance. Whoever exalts . . . will be exalted: cf. Luke 14:11.” [4]
 
CCC: Mt 23:9 2367; Mt 23:12 526
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Reflection:
 
Why should children be forced to learn arithmetic in school?  Why should they be forced to learn adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing skills?  Anyone today can afford electronic calculators (and now voice activated devices like Amazon’s Echo) that do these functions (and many more) faster and more accurately than even the greatest mathematicians. So, why should they suffer the constant repetition necessary for learning their times tables?  There is so much more to learn for children today than there was even fifty years ago.  Shouldn’t the teachers just skip that part of the curriculum, take a day or so to teach them to use the calculator, and move on to something more important like learning to use the internet for research (inserted dry irony).
 
It is an interesting question but fundamentally the answer is children need to use their own “organic computer” before they are given access to one that does things for them.  There was a line in the novel Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton that states that the scientists that did the genetic engineering that, in the book, resulted in the re-creation of dinosaurs “stood on the shoulders of giants.”  That is, they took science that existed, without having developed the discipline to appreciate what had gone into creating it and extended it without thinking about possible consequences.
 
In the Gospel, Jesus pronounces a “Woe” to the Pharisees because they likewise “stood on the shoulders of giants.”  They took the Law of Moses and the prophecies of Elijah and created complex rules for following their words but without the faith or understanding of God’s intent.  They focused so much on their ritual that they forgot the basics.  Like a child (or in some cases the local cashier) who only knows how to use a calculator, the underlying spiritual process is lost on them.
 
In his criticism of the Pharisees Jesus calls us to be sure we understand why we do what we do for God.  We don’t just say grace before meals to see how quickly we can get through it.  We don’t go to Mass just because it’s a requirement.  We pray so that we might hear God as well as having our petitions heard.  We go to Mass so that God can touch us with his sacramental grace, not just to impress others, or to satisfy a guilty conscience.
 
Christ asks us today to practice what we preach; to be the people commanded by love that he calls us to be, not simply going through the motions.  Our prayer today is that we might, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, become what God calls us to be, a light to the world.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Saint Pius X” photographer and date are unknown.
[2] S.S Commemoratio
[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] NAB footnote on Matthew 23:8-12