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“Christ as the Man of Sorrows”
by Colijn de Coter, c. 1500 |
Readings for Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Isaiah 10:5-7, 13b-16
Thus says the Lord:
Woe to Assyria! My rod in anger,
my staff in wrath.
Against an impious nation I send him,
and against a people under my wrath I order him
To seize plunder, carry off loot,
and tread them down like the mud of the streets.
But this is not what he intends,
nor does he have this in mind;
Rather, it is in his heart to destroy,
to make an end of nations not a few.
For he says:
“By my own power I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd.
I have moved the boundaries of peoples,
their treasures I have pillaged,
and, like a giant, I have put down the enthroned.
My hand has seized like a nest
the riches of nations;
As one takes eggs left alone,
so I took in all the earth;
No one fluttered a wing,
or opened a mouth, or chirped!”
Will the axe boast against him who hews with it?
Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it?
As if a rod could sway him who lifts it,
or a staff him who is not wood!
Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
will send among his fat ones leanness,
And instead of his glory there will be kindling
like the kindling of fire.
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Commentary on Is 10:5-7, 13b-16
In this passage from Isaiah, part of what is known as the “The Book of Emanuel,” we find a compilation of oracles from Isaiah probably referring to Assyria’s conquest of the Northern Kingdom in 622 BC. The oracle sees the Assyrians as God’s instrument, used to punish a people who turned away from him. The Assyrians are overly confident in their victories, which were apparently uncontested. (“My hand has seized like a nest the riches of nations; As one takes eggs left alone, so I took in all the earth; No one fluttered a wing, or opened a mouth, or chirped!" In a nest protected, the mother bird would defend the nest with a commotion of activity.)
Completing the reading, Isaiah tells the Assyrians they have nothing to boast about (it was not by their might that they were successful). They were but a tool of the Lord. He uses analogy to show how foolish the boasting of a tool would be, when it is the skill of the person using it that accomplishes the task.
CCC: Is 10:5-15 304
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Psalm 94:5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15
R. (14a) The Lord will not abandon his people.
Your people, O Lord, they trample down,
your inheritance they afflict.
Widow and stranger they slay,
the fatherless they murder.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
And they say, “The Lord sees not;
the God of Jacob perceives not.”
Understand, you senseless ones among the people;
and, you fools, when will you be wise?
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
Shall he who shaped the ear not hear?
or he who formed the eye not see?
Shall he who instructs nations not chastise,
he who teaches men knowledge?
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
For the Lord will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
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Commentary on Ps 94:5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15
Psalm 94 is an individual lament. The psalmist sings of the defeat of the people by their enemies, and then proclaims faith and confidence in God who will continue to support them in the face of their foes.
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Gospel: Matthew 11:25-27
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
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Commentary on Mt 11:25-27
Jesus has just completed a fairly scathing criticism of the people in the places he has been and performed miracles; yet many have not accepted him as the Messiah. He now concludes this section on a more joyous note as he reflects that, while the scribes and Pharisees (“the wise and learned”) have not understood who he is, those with simple faith have accepted him freely. “Jesus can speak of all mysteries because he is the Son and there is perfect reciprocity of knowledge between him and the Father; what has been handed over to him is revealed only to those whom he wishes.”[4]
CCC: Mt 11:25-27 2603, 2779; Mt 11:25-26 2701; Mt 11:25 153, 544, 2785; Mt 11:27 151, 240, 443, 473
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Reflection:
A friend recently made a trip to China and brought back a souvenir. It was a small glass bottle (about 3 inches high), painted with a pair of panda bears in a bamboo stand. When you first glance at it you might say “Oh, that’s nice. Is there anything in it?” And when you are told “no, it’s empty,” the topic is changed. If you are told to look more closely, you see rich detail in the images, incredibly fine lines that were hand-painted on the glass. You might be a bit more impressed. And if you are told to notice how the bottle was painted, you notice that the painting is not on the outside but on the inside of the bottle; that it must have been done through the very small neck (about a quarter inch in diameter). It is then when you are truly impressed. Someone had labored for hours, with precise strokes made with the smallest brushes, to create this piece of work.
The revelation of God through Christ comes the same way, in stages. At first, we hear the words of Scripture inviting us to listen to the story of Jesus, and we are impressed that he would be so humble and meek as to offer himself up. We probably asked (in the very beginning) why he would do that if he was the Son of God. We were invited to look closer, and we see that he pointed back to the Old Testament, to the Law and the Prophets. We see how the prophets predicted the coming of the Son of God, the Messiah, the Anointed One, from the line of King David, and how he would come as a sacrifice as clearly described and prescribed in Mosaic Law. (Here we are reminded about what St. Augustine said: “The New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old is revealed in the New.”) We were more impressed. And finally, we are invited to understand the mind of Christ, and how much he loves us. He tells us that it is only through him that we can find our way to God’s Kingdom. We see the richness of his mission, and how we are linked to that mission through the Apostles and saints.
Ultimately, if God’s grace permits, we come to complete faith in the promise, the gift, and the mission of the Lord. The image of who he is and what he calls us to be becomes finally clear, and we understand humility. This critical understanding allows us to accept God’s love and forgiveness and forgive ourselves.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Christ as the Man of Sorrows” by Colijn de Coter, c. 1500.
[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 11:25ff.
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