Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori
 
Biographical information about St. Alphonsus Liguori

“St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori”
artist and date are unknown

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28
 
The tent, which was called the meeting tent,
Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp.
Anyone who wished to consult the LORD
would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.
Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise
and stand at the entrance of their own tents,
watching Moses until he entered the tent.
As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down
and stand at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses.
On seeing the column of cloud stand at the entrance of the tent,
all the people would rise and worship
at the entrance of their own tents.
The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face,
as one man speaks to another.
Moses would then return to the camp,
but his young assistant, Joshua, son of Nun,
would not move out of the tent.
 
Moses stood there with the LORD and proclaimed his name, “LORD.”
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,
and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin;
yet not declaring the guilty guiltless,
but punishing children and grandchildren
to the third and fourth generation for their fathers’ wickedness!”
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O LORD,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people;
yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own.”
 
So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights,
without eating any food or drinking any water,
and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant,
the ten commandments.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28
 
The excerpts from the Book of Exodus paint a picture of Moses' relationship with God. It is clear from this and previous readings about Moses that he had a unique relationship with the Lord, and was able, as he did in this passage, to intercede on behalf of the people. The construction of the meeting tent described in this passage is taken up in later Scripture. The Ten Commandments are restored to the people following their destruction in Exodus 32:19 as Moses fasts. We note the duration of his fast is of the same duration as Christ’s fast in the desert following his baptism by John.
 
CCC: Ex 33:9-10 697; Ex 33:11 2576; Ex 34:9 210; Ex 34:28 2056
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13
 
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
 
The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
 
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
 
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
 
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13
 
Psalm 103 echoes in gratitude the gift of Mosaic Law from Exodus, and the relationship of Moses to God the Father. Though we are unworthy, God shows us love and compassion.
 
CCC: Ps 103 304
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 13:36-43
 
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
 
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 13:36-43
 
Jesus dismisses the crowd which, in this instance, represents the unbelieving of Israel. The remainder of this passage is directed at instruction of the disciples. The Lord’s explanation of the parable of the weeds clearly shows the intent of the story. The judgment of the wicked by God through his angels will take place in the eschaton (the end times – the end of the age). The righteous will be vindicated (shine like the sun). The final statement, “Whoever has ears ought to hear,” is both a warning and a statement of the need for patience by the faithful.
 
CCC: Mt 13:41-42 1034; Mt 13:41 333; Mt 13:42 1034
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
So often we forget that there is a dynamic struggle taking place in the world between God and his nemesis, the Evil One, as the Gospel names him.  We mistakenly think that evil is passive in the world and while we should avoid it, it does not seek us out.
 
Jesus makes it clear that the struggle is ongoing and that the children of God are at risk, not just of sinning of their own accord, but of being seduced by the Evil One and falling into eternal fire.  The warning is apt.  The evil of the world has trapped so many right-intentioned people.  We see the devil portrayed in Scripture as a fallen angel.  If, therefore, we consider how an angel might appear to us, we must also consider that should the fallen one present himself to us, how are we to know that it is not one of God’s messengers who persuades us to take a course of action?
 
In the desert, when Christ was tempted by the same Evil One, the devil, we recall, even quoted Scripture to the Lord to try to seduce him away from his salvific mission.  He offered food to a hungry man and water to one who thirsted.  He offered all the kingdoms of the earth, essentially the fulfillment of Christ’s mission, to Jesus who came to save all people for the Heavenly Father.  All this he offered if our Lord would but bow to him, the fallen angel.  How tempting that must have been to the Lord as he looked past his trial in the desert and saw at the end of his earthly mission the cross of his passion standing starkly at Golgotha.
 
The Lord’s warning to the disciples and hence to us is indeed apt.  We, who strive to keep Christ’s mission of love visible in the world, are challenged constantly not by some benign evil that sits like a pit for us to avoid; but by a malignant evil, active and insatiable that seeks to ambush us, choke us as weeds, as we attempt to do God’s will.  Our attitude must be one of constant vigilance and prayer.  It is only by keeping this vigil and remaining in a state of constant discernment that we can see evil for what it is and avoid the terrible harvest at the end of time. “Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
 
Pax

---

[1] The picture is “St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori” artist and date are unknown.
[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.