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“Crucifixion”
by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, 1822 |
Readings for Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading I: Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32
The word of the Lord came to me:Son of man, what is the meaning of this proverbthat you recite in the land of Israel:
“Fathers have eaten green grapes,
thus their children’s teeth are on edge”?
As I live, says the Lord God:I swear that there shall no longer be anyone among youwho will repeat this proverb in Israel.For all lives are mine;the life of the father is like the life of the son, both are mine;only the one who sins shall die.
If a man is virtuous—if he does what is right and just,if he does not eat on the mountains,nor raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel;if he does not defile his neighbor’s wife,nor have relations with a woman in her menstrual period;if he oppresses no one,gives back the pledge received for a debt,commits no robbery;if he gives food to the hungry and clothes the naked;if he does not lend at interest nor exact usury;if he holds off from evildoing,judges fairly between a man and his opponent;if he lives by my statutes and is careful to observe my ordinances,that man is virtuous—he shall surely live, says the Lord God.
But if he begets a son who is a thief, a murderer,or lends at interest and exacts usury–this son certainly shall not live.Because he practiced all these abominations, he shall surely die;his death shall be his own fault.
Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel,each one according to his ways, says the Lord God.Turn and be converted from all your crimes,that they may be no cause of guilt for you.Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed,and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.Why should you die, O house of Israel?For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,says the Lord God. Return and live!-------------------------------------------Commentary on Ez 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32
Although the idea of individual responsibility for sins did not originate with Ezekiel (see 2 Kings 14:6, Jeremiah 31:29 and Deuteronomy 24:16), he gives the most detailed and explicit meaning to the concept. The proverb he quotes is believed, by some scholars, to be a rather cynical formulation of Exodus 20:5 (see Exodus 34:7). His statement refutes the interpretation of other parts of the Law of Moses (specifically Exodus 20:5, Leviticus 26:39-40, and Deuteronomy 5:9) that indicate that God would hold a son accountable for the father’s sins. The new hope of personal accountability is exhorted by the final call to conversion in the final verse of the selection – “Return and live!”
CCC: Ez 18:5-9 2056
-------------------------------------------Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19
R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God
A clean heart create for me, O God;and a steadfast spirit renew within me.Cast me not out from your presence,and your Holy Spirit take not from me.R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,and a willing spirit sustain in me.I will teach transgressors your ways,and sinners shall return to you.R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
-------------------------------------------------Commentary on Ps 51:12-15, 18-19
Psalm 51 is the fourth and most famous of the penitential psalms. The psalmist sings, in these verses, that only God can reverse the awful effects of sin. Through this action, taken by the Holy Spirit, God’s salvation is made manifest in the repentant and contrite heart.
CCC: Ps 51:12 298, 431; Ps 51:19 1428, 2100
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Gospel: Matthew 19:13-15
Children were brought to Jesusthat he might lay his hands on them and pray.The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said,“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”After he placed his hands on them, he went away.-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 19:13-15
In this passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel, we see Jesus inviting everyone to come to him, this time including the children. There are two important lessons here. First, we remember that the Lord said earlier in the Gospel that the Kingdom of God belonged to those who possessed the faith of a child. The Lord continues to teach his disciples, in this case combining the reality and the metaphor of little children. Second, this account is understood by some as justification for the practice of infant baptism. That interpretation is based principally on the command not to prevent the children from coming, since that word sometimes has a baptismal connotation in the New Testament (see Acts 8:36ff). The children are claimed for Christ in that sacrament.
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Reflection:
Our pontiff’s recent visit to Canada to apologize for crimes against indigenous populations of our neighbor emphasizes how changes in cultural mores can impact our views of historical events. Throughout the conquest of the Americas during the 1600’s and into the 1900’s the church’s missionary zeal among non-European populations routinely sought to suppress culture and language to further Christianity. At the time, it was considered a kindness, an attempt to provide salvation to those who had never known or heard of Christ. In modern times, these actions are seen as racist and suppressive. So, the Holy Father asks, in this day and age for forgiveness. Indeed, the lens of history is often unkind, forgetting the intentions of those who, in their zeal forgot the ultimate call for the dignity of the human person. As individuals we need to be guided by these events in our own lives, lest history find us guilty of failing to love as Christ loved.
The two great poles of our lives in faith are sin and forgiveness. Sin pulls us away from God who is at our spiritual center, and forgiveness leads us toward him. It sounds so very easy when put into those simplistic terms. If forgiveness leads us to the Father, then we should always choose to forgive, and allow ourselves to be forgiven.
If the forces of sin and forgiveness were static, if they always had the same value and presented themselves in the same way, it would be easy. But that is not the case. Sin and forgiveness are dynamic. They find avenues of resistance and acceptance that are as different as life’s changing circumstances. No matter how much we detest sin and choose to avoid it (and its near occasion), sin seems to find us. Even though our hereditary association with man’s fallen nature was destroyed in baptism, the expression of sin in the world impacts us, tempts us, derails our choices to love, and substitutes hatred, vanity, envy, lust, and sloth.
We look at these failings and see our human frailty, repulsed by it, even as our baser instincts are attracted to those hedonistic impulses. In our hearts we know Jesus forgives us and has opened the doors to paradise for us through his sacrifice. Yet there is a barrier to his forgiveness: that is of course, our own inability to forgive ourselves. Even as we struggle to accept Christ’s forgiveness, in the recesses of our logical mind, we think – I will sin again.
What then is our solution? We must not give up. The founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, Venerable Bruno Lanteri, is famously quoted as saying “Saints are sinners who refused to give up.” His motto, “Nunc Coepi” or “Now I begin,” refers to this recognition, that we will never be perfect. We will fall, but it is our opportunity to begin again, washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb.
Today our prayer is simple. We ask for the prayers of all the saints, those who always got up after a fall, that they may lend us their strength and grace so we too may say, “Nunc Coepi,” now I begin, again.
Pax
[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5: “Outside Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, and Easter Time, on Saturdays which have no commemoration having the rank of Obligatory Memorial or higher, a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated. This is indicated in the calendar by ‘BVM.’ The readings and prayers may be selected from the
Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
[2] The picture is “Crucifixion” by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, 1822.
[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.
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