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“Pietà”
by Daniele Crespi, c. 1626 |
Readings for Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
(Note: The Gospel for this Memorial is from the Proper)
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the Gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the Apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.
For I am the least of the Apostles,
not fit to be called an Apostle,
because I persecuted the Church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 15:1-11
St Paul delivers an apologia (a defense) on the basic tenet of the faith: Christ died for our sins and following his death there was a physical resurrection. He goes on to offer proofs that Jesus was raised from the dead by giving what amounts to a chronology of his post-resurrection appearances, in which he includes his own vision on the road to Damascus.
St. Paul concludes this selection as he professes his own witness, marking himself as least among the Apostles (because of his earlier role as emissary of the Sanhedrin, persecutor of the Church). It is supposed that this chapter is directed at refuting those who believe there was no physical resurrection.
CCC: 1 Cor 15:3-5 186; 1 Cor 15:3-4 639, 652; 1 Cor 15:3 519, 601, 619, 624; 1 Cor 15:4-8 642; 1 Cor 15:4 627; 1 Cor 15:5 552, 641; 1 Cor 15:7-8 857; 1 Cor 15:8 659; 1 Cor 15:9 752
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Psalm 118:1b-2, 16ab-17, 28
R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
“The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord has struck with power.”
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
You are my God, and I give thanks to you;
O my God, I extol you.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
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Commentary on Ps 118:1b-2, 16ab-17, 28
Psalm 118 is a song of thanksgiving emphasizing the fidelity of God. These strophes focus on God’s infinite mercy and his saving grace. All are invited to give thanks for his saving hand.
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The sequence Stabat Mater may follow.
SEQUENCE (OPTIONAL)
Stabat Mater
At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.
Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.
Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole begotten One!
Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.
Is there one who would not weep,
'Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that mother's pain untold?
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.
For the sins of his own nation
Saw him hang in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent.
O sweet Mother! font of love,
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.
Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
Let me share with you his pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.
Let me mingle tears with you,
Mourning him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.
By the cross with you to stay,
There with you to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of you to give.
Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.
Let me to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of yours.
Wounded with his every wound,
Steep my soul till it has swooned
In his very Blood away.
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In his awful judgment day.
Christ, when you shall call me hence,
Be your Mother my defense,
Be your cross my victory.
While my body here decays,
May my soul your goodness praise,
Safe in heaven eternally.
Amen. (Alleluia)
GOSPEL
First Option
John 19:25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
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Commentary on Jn 19:25-27
Here is Jesus’ last address to his mother. Although the address sounds unnecessarily formal ("Woman, behold, your son.") this would have been considered a polite address in biblical times. The reference, “Woman,” is possibly to Genesis 3:15 which describes the mother of the Messiah as the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618)[4]. The Lord, nearing the end of his life, commends the care of his mother to the disciple whom he loved. It is presumed this is done because Jesus has no brothers or sisters, and his adoptive father, Joseph, has already died.
In this instance, while it can be assumed that the disciple referred to is St. John, the author of the Gospel, the tender consignment of the care of the Lord’s mother is seen as iconic. That is, she is given into the care of all of the disciples, whom Jesus loves. Seeing her Son dying upon the cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.
CCC: Jn 19:25-27 726, 2618; Jn 19:25 495; Jn 19:26-27 501, 964, 2605; Jn 19:27 2677, 2679
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OR
Second Option
Luke 2:33-35
Jesus' father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
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Commentary on Lk 2:33-35
In this passage we hear Simeon’s prediction, a man, we are told earlier, who “was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel.” Simeon was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not pass away until he had seen the Messiah. He has declared that this promise has been fulfilled, and then turns to Mary and makes the prediction about the nature of Christ’s ministry, and the nature of the sorrow she will endure, “and you yourself a sword will pierce.” The sword indicates that Mary will have a share in her Son’s sufferings. Hers will be an unspeakable pain which pierces her soul. Our Lord suffered on the cross for our sins, and it is those sins which forge the sword of Mary’s pain. [5]
CCC: Lk 2:32 713; Lk 2:34 575, 587; Lk 2:35 149, 618
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Reflection:
The strains of Stabat Matar capture a shadow of the pain and sorrow of the passing of the Jesus, the Son of Mary, from the human form he wore on earth to the Glorified Body we share. With all our joy at the resurrection and the hope that flows from that salvific event, we sometimes forget the real human drama that overtook the young mother of Jesus, who was first in faith and first in love of him who came to save us.
The Blessed Mother has long been the icon of what it means to love unconditionally, without any reservation. She demonstrated that ability from our first scriptural encounter with her as she accepted, without hesitation, the honor that would belong to the vessel of God, and the sorrow promised by Simeon at the great passion of her son.
While tradition holds up for us the seven sorrows of the Lord, any mother who has loved a child knows the constant anxiety that goes with watching a child grow to adulthood and beyond. St. Mary was no different. In fact, she is the exemplar for all mothers, the icon of love itself. So great was her love, that it continues to transform the world. From the very earliest of her apparitions to the children of God to the present, her love for Christ and her love for all of God’s creation bleeds into our consciousness in her miraculous appearances. She is a constant reminder of God’s great love, a love that sacrifices a son, the Son of God and Son of Mary, for our salvation.
Today we carry on that long tradition, recalling the great sorrow borne by the Mother of Jesus the Christ. We lift up our own sufferings, and when we offer them for her intercession, our pain feels that much lifted. Thank you, Jesus, for choosing so great a mother for us.
Pax
[1] The picture today is “Pietà” by Daniele Crespi, c. 1626.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
446/639[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] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 198.
[5] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p.363. 
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