Thursday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

“Wonderful Catch of Fish”
by Anton Losenko, 1762

Readings for Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23
 
Brothers and sisters:
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:
 
God catches the wise in their own ruses,
 
and again:
 
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
 
So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 3:18-23
 
St. Paul continues his treatise on Christian wisdom telling the church at Corinth that, if they wish true wisdom, they must reject human wisdom (“If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise”). They must be guided by the Spirit of Truth. He does this by quoting first Job 5:12 and then Psalm 94:11.
 
The evangelist concludes by assigning Christian value to all things: life and the Church, the leaders (Paul or Apollos or Cephas), past and future experience, and, most importantly, the ownership of the Christian by Christ, linked to God through him. “Paul assigns all the persons involved in the theological universe a position on a scale: God, Christ, church members, church leaders. Read from top to bottom, the scale expresses ownership; read from bottom to top, the obligation to serve. This picture should be complemented by similar statements such as those in 1 Corinthians 8:6 and 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.” [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
 
R. (1) To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
 
The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
 
Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
 
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
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Commentary on Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
 
Psalm 24 is a processional song. It recalls that God is the great creator, and he calls his people to be faithful. It is part of a hymn of entrance, sung as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple, followed by the faithful. The song asks the question: who can come into his presence, and answers: only those who are sinless (completely reconciled to God). Those who achieve that beatified state will receive the reward of eternal life from the savior.
 
The hymn focuses on the character of the one who worthily seeks God, and the one who is worthy to come into God’s kingdom and stand before him. This same concept is borrowed in a passage from John’s Revelation (Revelation 14:4ff): who are the ones allowed full access to God? They are those: “whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.” In other words they are clean in heart, body, and spirit.
 
CCC: Ps 24:6 2582
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Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
 
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
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Commentary on  Lk 5:1-11
 
St. Luke’s Gospel presents the call of St. Peter, St. James, and St. John to discipleship. The Lord has demonstrated his authority through his teaching, and then through the miraculous catch of fish. We note the similarity of this incident with the post-resurrection incident recounted in St. John’s Gospel (John 21:1-11).
 
At Jesus' summons, Simon and the two sons of Zebedee leave all they have and follow the Lord. No mention is made here of Simon’s (Peter’s) brother Andrew who would also have been there, and in fact, as a disciple of John the Baptist, actually introduced the two (John 1:41 ff). We do hear that James and John, Zebedee’s sons were also there as Simon’s partners, and are called at the same time.
 
Simon Peter’s response to the Lord’s call is one of being sinful and therefore unworthy of the presence of the Lord. In response to Simon’s fearful humility, Jesus invites them all to leave what they have and become fishers of men.
 
CCC: Lk 5:8 208
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Reflection:
 
There is a great deal of symbolism provided by St. Luke in his story about the call of St. Peter (Simon), his brother (Andrew), and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John. The fact that they were fishing symbolizes their later evangelical activity. That they had been ineffective at fishing until they had Christ with them is another strongly symbolic fact in the story. The entire account, taken as a whole, is one of the call of the Lord and the response of the people of God. But there is something else here; something important in the attitudes of those being called.

When Simon-Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah following the great catch of fish, we are told “he fell at the knees of Jesus.” Scripture did not say if he fell prostrate, or simply to his knees, but what is clear is that he recognized Jesus, and realized that he was in a sacred space. The Lord’s presence made it so.

I recently attended Mass in another town, in another diocese. It was a church in which reforms had been made. The tabernacle had been moved out of the sanctuary and placed in an adjoining chapel, and the kneelers had been removed. When people arrived, there was no genuflection, when they celebrated the Mass, even making Christ present in the Eucharist, there was no sense of the space being sacred, sanctified for worship. When contrasted with St. Thomas the Apostle, here in Ann Arbor where the tabernacle is central to our space and the sense that, as the Latin inscription around the dome above the sanctuary says “This is nothing more than the house of God and the gate of Heaven” (Genesis 28:17), there was a feeling that something important was missing. Yes the people were inviting and, with the exception of kneeling during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Mass was a celebration. But that feeling of sacred space was achingly missing.

When we become complacent, accepting Christ as merely another friend among friends, our own sense of holiness suffers. When we forget that what happens at the Eucharist is no less miraculous than the multiplication of the loaves, or the miraculous catch of fish, we lose our sense of awe and the appreciation for what the Lord has done. We lose our faith in what he is capable of doing for us.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that where Jesus is truly present, that space becomes sacred space, due our respect and reverence. We must never forget that the building itself is not “the church” but our reverence as a people of God makes it so.
When we become complacent, accepting Christ as merely another friend among friends, our own sense of holiness suffers. When we forget that what happens at the Eucharist is no less miraculous than the multiplication of the loaves, or the miraculous catch of fish, we lose our sense of awe and the appreciation for what the Lord has done. We lose our faith in what he is capable of doing for us.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that where Jesus is truly present, that space becomes sacred space, due our respect and reverence. We must never forget that the building itself is not “the church” but our reverence as a people of God makes it so.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used today is “Wonderful Catch of Fish” by Anton Losenko, 1762.
[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 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.

Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

“Paul and Apollos”
by Sir Edward Poynter, 1872

 
Readings for Wednesday of the Twenty- second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
 
Brothers and sisters,
I could not talk to you as spiritual people,
but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food,
because you were unable to take it.
Indeed, you are still not able, even now,
for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking
according to the manner of man?
Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another,
“I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely men?
 
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers,
just as the Lord assigned each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God’s co-workers;
you are God’s field, God’s building.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 3:1-9
 
St. Paul addresses divisions in the church of Corinth. He speaks to them as “fleshly people” (sarkinos), as a people immature in the faith. In Romans 7:14 the apostle defines “sarkinos” as “sold into the slavery of sin.” Because of their worldly nature, they evaluate preachers motivated by vanity and prejudice, not by the spirit.
Apollos is a leader of that congregation who came after St. Paul had left. Both come from the same master as servants (diakonoi). Paul is sent to establish the church, Apollos to develop it. It is obvious from this reading that divisions and rivalries had occurred, as some favored St. Paul, and others Apollos. St. Paul refutes this division saying he and Apollos are one and the same, being sent by the same God. He calls for unity, because it is God who brings salvation. He states that each of them will receive wages for the hard work of the apostolic mission (see also 1 Thessalonians 3:5; Galatians 4:11; Romans 16:12).
 
CCC: 1 Cor 3:9 307, 755, 756
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21
 
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the Lord looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
Our soul waits for the Lord,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
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Commentary on Ps 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21
 
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise in which God, as the creator, is celebrated. In this selection, the just are invited to share the Lord’s salvation, and are promised his protection. The psalm rejoices in the active help God gives to his chosen people.
 
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Gospel: Luke 4:38-44
 
After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.
 
At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.
 
At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, “To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent.”
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 4:38-44
 
This Gospel passage continues the healing mission of Christ in Capernaum. He first heals Simon’s mother-in-law (at this point in St. Luke’s Gospel Simon has not yet been called). He then proceeds to heal all who are brought to him. The demons he cast out were aware of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God (as was the demon in Luke 4:31-37).
When Jesus tries to leave, the people try to keep him with them. Contrast this response with the people of Nazareth, his hometown, earlier. The Lord then proceeds to teach throughout the region, proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
 
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Reflection:
 
Today we begin with more of Paul’s distance-learning program for the church at Corinth.   Notice he has moved away from his discourse on “Christian wisdom,” and now focuses the problems facing the church itself.  Apparently, there is some division among them because, while Paul and his entourage came and started the church, a person named Apollos carried the work forward. Somehow there was a rift with part of the community claiming orthodoxy based upon Paul’s teachings (“I belong to Paul”), and others supporting Apollos.
 
Paul points out in his letter that by behaving in this rather childish (but true to human nature) way, they were not behaving as a community of faith, but more like the unconverted community at large. (“While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the flesh, and walking according to the manner of man?”)  Even in Paul’s time, there were forces of human nature doing their level best to divide the church.  Does this sound familiar?
 
If we were to bring the time forward about a thousand years, we see that same ugly situation appear, this time in Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade, when members of the Roman Church despoiled the city and churches of the Eastern Church causing a rift that exists to this day.  The fracture exists in spite of numerous attempts on both sides to reconcile the differences.  Some hurts, when allowed to go untreated for too long, may never heal entirely.
 
Fast forward about six hundred years.  We hear cries from within the ranks of the Church: “I am for Leo X,” and others, “I am for Luther.”  This time there was no St. Paul to remind the community that they were behaving childishly, and they should remember the Lord’s teaching.  Once more, the Church was divided and, because of the reactions on both sides, no reconciliation was possible. That wound also exists today in the separation of the Lutheran denomination along with all the Bible-based subdivisions that have occurred subsequent to the initial schism. 
 
Less than one hundred years after the Reformation schism, the most recent of the major divisions of the church occurred. When King Henry VIII of England could not win the Church’s blessing for a divorce, he broke away from the Church of Rome and established the Church of England. The Anglican Church also exists to this day as a separate band of Christians, looking to a leader outside of Rome.
 
Looking back at the history of these schismatic times, what lesson is there for us today?  How do we approach the whole idea of Christian unity when so many different ideologies have evolved, and there are so many varying interpretations of the will of God in Christ?  The Roman Catholic Church has long maintained, based upon apostolic succession and the teaching magisterium handed down through it, that ours is the authentic path to salvation, and that our spawned brothers and sisters, separated dogmatically from us for good reasons or bad, need to follow our lead. 
 
The problem is once more, as it was in the time of Paul, a human one.  There are so many people in positions of authority in those denominations who would rather be in those prestigious leadership roles, rather than being seen as having caved in to the Roman Church, or reconciling years of rejection of papal primacy with a call to unity.   I believe the path must continue to be walked.  As a friend of mine likes to point out, we are all sailing to the same destination.  Some of us are on the “big boat” and some are on small boats following as best they can.  We pray for those who travel with us that the truth of Paul’s words come to them and they come at last to know: “we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Paul and Apollos” by Sir Edward Poynter, 1872.
[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.

Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

“St. Paul”
by Domenico Beccafumi, 1515

Readings for Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 2:10b-16
 
Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Among men, who knows what pertains to the man
except his spirit that is within?
Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.
And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom,
but with words taught by the Spirit,
describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.
 
Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God,
for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it,
because it is judged spiritually.
The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything
but is not subject to judgment by anyone.
 
For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 2:10b-16
 
St. Paul continues his discourse on Christian wisdom and perfection in the spirit. In this passage he talks about the discernment of things of the spirit, and how Christian wisdom allows the faithful to discern the will of God ("no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God”). The “will of God” seems foolish to human wisdom (“to him it is foolishness”). The Christian, however, has access to the Wisdom of God and is guided by it. (“But we have the mind of Christ.”)
 
CCC: 1 Cor 2:10-15 2038; 1 Cor 2:10-11 152; 1 Cor 2:11 687; 1 Cor 2:16 389
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
 
R. (17) The Lord is just in all his ways.
 
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The Lord is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
 
Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
 
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
 
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The Lord lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
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Commentary on Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
 
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. These strophes call on the faithful to give thanks to God for opening the gates of his Heavenly Kingdom.  The psalmist sings his praise to God, who is faithful to his people, and who saves those who are in need. The selection gives praise God for his mercy and compassion, and thanks for his creation and redemption. There is also a subtle link to "Christian wisdom" that comes with putting on the mind of Christ. The entire song is in the acrostic form (although loosely assembled), each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
 
CCC: Ps 145:9 295, 342
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Gospel: Luke 4:31-37
 
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
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Commentary on Lk 4:31-37
 
This passage from St. Luke’s Gospel begins a series of events around Capernaum that expand his public image from prophet to teacher, exorcist, healer and proclaimer of God’s kingdom. Here he expels an evil spirit that asks him if he has come to destroy evil. “How does your concern affect me?: literally, ‘What is this to me and to you?’--a Hebrew expression of either hostility (Judges 11:12; 2 Chronicles 35:21; 1 Kings 17:18) or denial of common interest (Hosea 14:9; 2 Kings 3:13). Cf Mark 1:24; 5:7 used by demons to Jesus.” [4]  It is interesting that the spirit uses the Lord's full name, perhaps in an attempt to control him. Instead, the Lord commands the evil spirit and it leaves, amazing the crowd and spreading his fame in the region.
 
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Reflection:
 
Those of you who are fortunate enough to have fluency in a second language or specialized training in a field of employment are going to have an easier time with St. Paul’s letter today than those of us who only speak a single language.  Paul says today
 

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.

 
There is a second language that we must learn to speak when discussing the things of God.  It is “The Language of God.”  The language of God is different from the language of logic or even philosophy used in describing the things of man.  Let’s look at a few examples.
 
If we observe a person who is making a living wage, not wealthy, not highly paid, but a living wage, and see that person giving a large piece of that wage, say 10%, to a charity, thereby depriving that person of any luxury items, and some things we might even classify as necessities,  using the language of logic, that is the language of the secular world, we would call that person foolish, or even stupid.
 
Using the language of the Holy Spirit in the same situation, we instantly are reminded of the Scripture from the Gospel of Mark:
 

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood." (Mk 12 42-44)

 
We would say, using the language of the Holy Spirit, how blessed that person is, and what a wonderful example of faith.  We would praise that person as an example to be followed.  It’s a different language.
 
Let’s look at another situation. A person is at work and sees the boss doing something very wrong and unjust, let’s say doctoring timecards of other employees so he can make his labor budget.  The person goes to that boss and tells the boss that what he is doing is wrong and illegal, and must be corrected.  Because the boss wants to keep looking good so he can make more money, he has the employee fired under false pretenses.  Using secular logic, the person that confronted the boss would, again, be considered foolish or stupid.  After all, it was someone else’s time card not theirs and the rule is: “Look out for number one.”
 
Again looking at the same situation using the language of the Holy Spirit, the person in our example would have done exactly the right thing.  That person imitated our Lord, Jesus Christ, who came to bring justice; attacking the act (notice in our story, the sin was attacked, not the sinner) was a noble action.  It was made even more admirable because the personal consequences were ignored.  The person in our story clearly knew a better rule: “Love one another.”  It is after all a different language.
 
The lesson from St. Paul today is a good one for us. We must learn the language of the Holy Spirit, the language of Jesus himself.  And, just as when we are learning a foreign language, the best way to do that is to immerse ourselves in the culture of that language.  We need to force ourselves to speak only that language until we can think in it.  How to do that is very difficult, but let’s give it our best effort.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used today is “St. Paul” by Domenico Beccafumi, 1515.
[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 John 2:4. 

Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Proper readings for the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist
 
Additional Information about the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist

“Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” (detail)
by Caravaggio, 1608

Readings for Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Note: for this memorial, the Gospel from the proper of the saint is used.
 
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
 
When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 2:1-5
 
The Apostle goes into an explanation of his axiomatic expression: “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) The difficulty he had in proclaiming his gospel in Athens using Hellenistic rhetoric (Acts 17:16-34) caused him to proclaim Christ to the Corinthians in an unvarnished way, “Christ and him crucified.” Coming to them in humility, he provides an example of faith based, not upon logic but upon the spirit that goes beyond human wisdom. He offers this same “kenosis” in Philippians 2:6-11.
 
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Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102
 
R. (97) Lord, I love your commands.
 
How I love your law, O Lord!
It is my meditation all the day.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
 
Your command has made me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
 
I have more understanding than all my teachers
when your decrees are my meditation.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
 
I have more discernment than the elders,
because I observe your precepts.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
 
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
 
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
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Commentary on Ps 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102
 
Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem.  Each of the eight verses of the first strophe begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph). Each verse of the second strophe begins with the second letter (beth), and so on for all 22 letters of the alphabet.
 
The entire work is in praise of the Law, and the joys to be found in keeping it. It is not "legalism" but a love and desire for the word of God in Israel's Law, which is the expression of the Lord's revelation of himself and his will for man. These particular verses focus on the wisdom transmitted through the Law: “Your command has made me wiser than my enemies.”
 
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Gospel: Mark 6:17-29
 
Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
"It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias' own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."
He even swore many things to her,
"I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom."
She went out and said to her mother,
"What shall I ask for?"
She replied, "The head of John the Baptist."
The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request,
"I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist."
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
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Commentary on  Mk 6:17-29
 
The story of St. John the Baptist's life from St. Mark’s Gospel gives a concise picture of St. John’s end. Especially here we note the similarities between the passing of St. John and the passion of Jesus in Mark 15:1-47 . The rationale in both cases was the anger and guilt felt at the truth proclaimed; in the case of John the guilt of Herodias; in the case of Jesus, the Jewish leaders'.
 
Both Herod and Pilot acknowledge the holiness of the ones they are to put to death. In both cases following the executions, faithful followers insure the body is given a respectful burial. St. Matthew’s Gospel gives a more complete introduction of Herod and Herodias (see Matthew 14:1-3). The actual account presented here is done as a flashback as Herod questions the identity of Jesus whose disciples have just been sent into his region with great authority.
 
CCC: Mk 6:17-29 523
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Reflection:
 
We continue to marvel at God’s plan for us as we are given the end of St. John the Baptist. From the womb he was chosen to be a forerunner of Jesus Christ. He was the one predicted by the prophets – the new Elijah who prepared the way for Jesus’ mission on earth – the ultimate revelation of God in human flesh. He preceded Jesus in life, in ministry, and, as we see in Mark’s Gospel, in his death at the hands of those he invited to repent and return to the path to God’s Kingdom.
 
In his martyrdom St. John the Baptist shared in Christ’s victory. Victory? One might think that being beheaded by a lecherous, hedonistic, and sadistic ruler like Herod was not a victory. Yet, as St. Paul points out in his First Letter to the Corinthians, Jesus used the cross to redefine victory. His death became a defeat for death, for all those who lay aside the wisdom of the world and have faith.
 
And what practical lesson do we take away from this “redefinition,” this incredible act that defies the wisdom of the world, and changes the perspective of those struggling to know God? First, with intense humility, we thank God for giving us the faith needed to understand how his love expressed itself through the sacrifice of his Son, foreshadowed by St. John’s own death. We see in the events that unfold in the Gospel that we must not expect the world to welcome the love we offer as followers of Christ.  We know Jesus obediently followed St. John in death at the hands of his captors.
 
We thank God for the examples of St. John the Baptist and all the saints who have gone before us in faith, for their examples of heroic fidelity to the Lord, and their unswerving dedication to passing on the message they were given. We pray today that our own examples of faith will give encouragement to our brothers and sisters who, like St. John, are persecuted for their faith, and demonstrate for those who have not heard the Lord’s call that his hand is outstretched to them as well.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Beheading of Saint John the Baptist” (detail) by Caravaggio, 1608.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio 431/634
[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.

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]
CCC 525-526: the Incarnation as a mystery of humility
CCC 2535-2540: the disorder of concupiscence
CCC 2546, 2559, 2631, 2713: prayer calls for humility and poverty of spirit
CCC 1090, 1137-1139: our participation in the heavenly liturgy
CCC 2188: Sunday lets us share in the festal assembly of heaven

“Banquet at the house of Simon” (detail)
by Bernardo Strozzi, 1630

 
Readings for Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
 
My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find favor with God.
What is too sublime for you, seek not,
into things beyond your strength search not.
The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise.
Water quenches a flaming fire,
and alms atone for sins.
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Commentary on Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
 
Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach, the author of this book, provides a list of “wisdom sayings.” The haughty attitude of unworthy children gives the author a vehicle to extol the virtue of humility. He points these exhortations specifically at Hellenistic philosophers (“What is too sublime for you, seek not”) who attempt to bring God to the level of mankind. The prophet reproaches them for trying to apply human logic to things of faith. In the final verses, the son of Eleazar moves into the virtue of almsgiving. He identifies this means of atonement as giving to the traditional poor of the Old Testament – the orphan, the widow, and the poor (Deuteronomy 24:14-18).
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11
 
R. (cf. 11b) God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
 
The just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the Lord.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
 
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
 
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
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Commentary on Ps 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11
 
Psalm 68 gives thanks to God for his saving works.  In its historical context, the reference to the homeless and prisoners refers to the Diaspora. Christians see it as having a broader connotation. The psalmist sings of God’s special attention to the poor to whom the Lord has provided a home and sustenance.
 
CCC: Ps 68:6 238
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Reading II: Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a
 
Brothers and sisters:
You have not approached that which could be touched
and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness
and storm and a trumpet blast
and a voice speaking words such that those who heard
begged that no message be further addressed to them.
No, you have approached Mount Zion
and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
and God the judge of all,
and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.
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Commentary on Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a
 
A stark contrast is portrayed in this passage between the old covenant (Mt. Zion - the Law of Moses) which is heartless in its judgment, and the new covenant (Mt. Sinai – the heavenly Jerusalem), made perfect by Jesus.
 
“This remarkably beautiful passage contrasts two great assemblies of people: (and Covenants) that of the Israelites gathered at Mount Sinai for the sealing of the old covenant and the promulgation of the Mosaic law [taken from Exodus 19:12-14,16-19], and that of the followers of Jesus gathered at Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the assembly of the new covenant. This latter scene, marked by the presence of countless angels and of Jesus with his redeeming blood, is reminiscent of the celestial liturgies of the Book of Revelation.” [5]
 
“The last mentioned reality of the heavenly sanctuary is that which has opened it to the faithful, the sacrifice of Jesus. The Blood of Abel cried out for vengeance (Genesis 4:10) that of Jesus brings forgiveness and access to God (Hebrews 10:19).” [6] (See also Colossians 1:20.)
 
CCC: Heb 12:22-23 2188; Heb 12:23 1021
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Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14
 
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
 
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then he said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
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Commentary on Lk 14:1, 7-14
 
In this passage from Luke’s Gospel (see also Matthew 22:1-10) the virtue of humility is exhorted in an allegorical parable that depicts the messianic banquet.  He first speaks of the charism of humility using the example of a feast (just like the one to which he was invited) saying that one should assume the lowly station and be invited up, rather than assuming the higher station and being dismissed (Proverbs 25:6-7). He then turns his attention to the gathering itself, telling the Pharisee who had invited him that his efforts should not be to the rich who might repay him in kind, but for the poor, the crippled and the lame who needed his service.  In this way God’s purpose would be satisfied.
 
The entire story places emphasis on God's first invitation of the Hebrew people and then the broadened invitation expressed by Jesus in the story. When those first invited (the Hebrews) rejected Christ’s invitation to revelation, his message was expanded to include all peoples. The joined imagery of the banquet and the invitation recall that similar invitation extended in Isaiah 25:6-10a.
 
CCC: Lk 14:1 575, 588
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Reflection:
 
How easy living the life God intends for us would be if all of the rules by which we, as Christians, were required to conduct ourselves were as simple as the Ten Commandments.  That list of ten cardinal laws is nicely black and white.  Love God (keep him first) is a bit tough at times, but once we get beyond the rules about the Sabbath, there is simply a list of things we may not do.  Sure, sometimes in our daily lives, it is difficult not to lie, but we can generally rationalize little white lies, and telling a whopper lands us in the confessional with a clear-cut violation of our most direct set of behavioral requirements.  We are also given the Lord’s new laws.  Where the Ten Commandments tells us what we must not do, the Lord tells us, in nine blessings what we should do in his Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12).
 
What Jesus throws us today (supported by Sirach) is one of those very difficult “gray requirements.”  We call them gray because there is a scale when it comes to measuring humility.  On one end of the scale there is complete lack of humility, easily identified as pride or arrogance.  It is obvious to the observer that a person exhibiting these traits has fallen into the sin of pride.  At the other end of that spectrum is the one who is completely self-effacing.  The person with no sense of self-worth, self-esteem or appreciation for God’s gifts poured out abundantly on all of us likely suffers from what psychologists would call clinical depression, and possibly even suicidal tendencies, again may, depending upon the circumstances, be identified as sin. (Recall, my working simple definition of sin is a conscious failure to love; love God, love one’s self, love others, and love what God has created for us.)
 
Most of us sit somewhere in between these two extremes, struggling valiantly to appreciate the great love God has for us, and at the same time, not feeling prideful over our great good fortune in having discovered the love of God and Christ in our faith.  We fight against the secular message of the New Age philosophers who would have us so filled with pride that Dives (the rich man who wanted a drink from Lazarus in Luke 16:19ff) would see us as arrogant.  We are told that our children need to be self-confident and have high self-esteem and we ask ourselves: how much is good?
 
How do we measure ourselves on that scale?  Clearly the Lord values humility, but at what point does humility become servile to the point of allowing sin out of timidity?  We must balance our humility with a single measure, love.  We ask ourselves: at what point am I called to love myself as much as I love the poor?   At what point am I to honor God’s creation of me as much as offering myself to the person who would destroy me as sacrifice?  The Church, after all, calls those who seek martyrdom sinners. Even those religious who practice extreme asceticism are cautioned by the Church to moderation.  We must, through our love of God and love of others, find a balance in ourselves so that we please God with our humility, our praise and our thanksgiving for his gifts.
 
Alas, all of God’s commandments are not easy, and today we are reminded of our need for humility and the difficulty we face in finding balance along that scale.  May we always err on the side of loving the Lord too much, and, in doing so, be invited forward, not pushed back.
 
Pax
 
In other years on August 28^th: Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “Banquet at the house of Simon” (detail), by Bernardo Strozzi, 1630.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] 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.
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 249.
[6] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 61:68, p. 402.