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“Christ in Glory”
by Mattia Preti, c. 1660 |
Readings for Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: 2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30
Brothers and sisters:
Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.
To my shame I say that we were too weak!
But what anyone dares to boast of
(I am speaking in foolishness)
I also dare.
Are they Hebrews? So am I.
Are they children of Israel? So am I.
Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
Are they ministers of Christ?
(I am talking like an insane person).
I am still more, with far greater labors,
far more imprisonments, far worse beatings,
and numerous brushes with death.
Five times at the hands of the Jews
I received forty lashes minus one.
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned,
three times I was shipwrecked,
I passed a night and a day on the deep;
on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers,
dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race,
dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city,
dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea,
dangers among false brothers;
in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights,
through hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings,
through cold and exposure.
And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me
of my anxiety for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak?
Who is led to sin, and I am not indignant?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 11:18, 21-30
St. Paul continues his criticism of false teachers in Corinth with a list of his sacrifices for the Gospel message. Of these hardships suffered he says, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” Presumably, those who are contradicting St. Paul in Corinth cannot make such claims of dedication to the ministry of Christ.
“Paul sets out his position vis-à-vis the opponents in several ways: (a) they rule over the congregation (v 20); he is the Corinthians’ sponsor as a bridegroom’s agent (vv 2–3); (b) where the Corinthians have been “fleeced,” Paul has proclaimed a “free” gospel (vv 7–11); (c) in place of enticing words that have ensnared the church members (v 18), Paul’s message is the truth of Christ (v 10) and the only gospel of God (vv 4, 7); (d) instead of self-praise, Paul has come with a lowly posture (v 7a); and (e) far from inflicting injury on them, he loves them (v 11).” [4]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (see 18b) From all their distress God rescues the just.
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
Glorify the Lord with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the Lord heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
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Commentary on Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Psalm 34 sings a song of salvation at the hands of the Lord. It tells of God’s love for those who serve him. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone. This psalm, in the words of one being unjustly persecuted, echoes hope for deliverance and freedom.
The psalmist sings of God’s mercy and salvation, in reference to the promise made to the people of a land flowing with milk and honey. From a more prophetic perspective we also have an image of Christ in the Eucharist, the taste of God’s mercy.
CCC: Ps 34:3 716
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Gospel: Matthew 6:19-23
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”
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Commentary on Mt 6:19-23
Jesus concludes his sermon with a caution about placing importance on “treasures on earth.” In this context, St. Matthew’s Gospel also recalls the Lord’s analogy of faith being light, using it as a symbol of seeking one’s desires. Here we see that if what we seek is of darkness (material wealth), as contrasted with seeking the light (spiritual wealth), how dark will that spirit inside us be?
The passage weaves in imagery used in the preceding text of the Gospel. The moth and the rust “disfigure and make unrecognizable” their subjects, an image used earlier (Matthew 6:1-2) to describe the fasting hypocrites who disfigure their faces. The thieves on earth are said to dig through walls to steal your treasure (using the Greek verb), reminding us of the storeroom in the middle of the house where no thief can come; and finally, he constantly reminds us to store up “treasures in heaven,” God’s storeroom which by inference is also that “secret inner chamber of the heart.”
“All of this powerfully reminds us that the Gospel, far from being a blueprint for any particular kind of action in the world, is above all the furnace where Christ transforms the heart and mind of man.” [5]
CCC: Mt 6:21 368, 2533, 2551, 2604, 2608, 2729, 2848
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Reflection:
After a few days reflecting on our life of prayer, Scripture now directs us back to the material world and asks the question once more: “What is important to you?” St. Paul for his part gives a litany of his sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel. Although it must be taken in context, he is using those sufferings as a demonstration of his own worthiness as a purveyor of the faith in contrast to those false teachers who have apparently sprung up in Corinth while he was in other parts of the world. Still, given his contributions and the record of his life and death, we cannot doubt his utter devotion to the Savior. We cannot see in him any passion but for Christ Jesus.
The Lord in his ongoing sermon from St. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that our principal passion in life must be for spiritual wealth not earthly things. The old adage “You can’t take it with you” springs to mind (as does a really good joke about a dying wealthy man, his doctor, his priest and his lawyer but that will have to wait). Yet perhaps humor can serve us here. Try this one.
There was once a very good and very wealthy man who died and went to heaven. When he arrived at the pearly gates, St. Peter looked in his book and saw all the good things the man had done and invited him in. As the man walked by, St. Peter noticed a look of great sorrow on his face. He said to the man “Mr. Jones, I don’t understand your depression. You had a wonderful life on earth, filled with good deeds and great wealth and today you are ushered into heaven. Why are you sad?”
The man said in reply “St. Peter, I know I should be happy, and I always knew I could not take my wealth with me but I fear I will miss it. I wish I could have brought up just one souvenir of my earthly success.”
St. Peter again consulted his book and thought for a moment. He turned to the man and said “You know, I think you can be allowed to go back and bring just a small memento of your earthly life, nothing big like a yacht, but just a reminder.”
Poof! The man disappeared and poof he was back. He was holding a small shoe box that was clearly quite heavy. St. Peter could not resist and asked the man what he had chosen to bring back. With his face reddening somewhat, the man opened the box lid to show St. Peter four bars of gold bullion. Whereupon St. Peter looked up in surprise and exclaimed “You brought pavement?”
Pax
[1] The picture is “Christ in Glory” by Mattia Preti, c. 1660.
[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] Ralph P. Martin, 2 Corinthians, ed. Ralph P. Martin, Lynn Allan Losie, and Peter H. Davids, Second Edition., vol. 40, Word Biblical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 547–48.
[5] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 272.
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