“The Last Judgment” Frans Francken II, 1606 |
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
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Commentary on Eph 4:1-6
St. Paul begins this chapter of his letter to the Ephesians with an exhortation to live (walk) in unity with each other. The theological foundation (the "mystery" of Christ - the calling of all men, Gentiles and Jews, to form a single people, the Church) laid down in the previous parts of the letter is now translated into the need to act upon that reality. The apostle's plea for unity uses the litany of bonds that bring Christian unity: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one baptism, and one God and Father.
"To show the importance of unity in the Church, and the theological basis of that unity, St Paul quotes an acclamation which may well have been taken from early Christian baptismal liturgy. It implies that the unity of the Church derives from the unicity of the divine essence. The text also reflects the three persons of the Blessed Trinity who are at work in the Church and who keep it together – one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father." [4]
CCC: Eph 4-6 1454; Eph 4-5 1971; Eph 4:2 2219; Eph 4:3-5 866; Eph 4:3 814; Eph 4:4-6 172, 249, 2790
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
The earth is the LORD'S and all it holds,
the world and those who live there.
For God founded it on the seas,
established it over the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who may go up the mountain of the LORD?
Who can stand in his holy place?
"The clean of hand and pure of heart,
who are not devoted to idols,
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
They will receive blessings from the LORD,
and justice from their saving God.
Such are the people that love the LORD,
that seek the face of the God of Jacob." Selah
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
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Commentary on Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
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 12:54-59
“When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny.”
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Commentary on Lk 12:54-59
Reflection:
[1] The picture is “The Last Judgment” Frans Francken II, 1606.
[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] Letters of St. Paul, The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2003, p. 391.
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