Catechism Links [1]
CCC 2232-2233: To follow Christ is first vocation of a Christian
CCC 537, 628, 790, 1213, 1226-1228, 1694: Baptism, to die to self, to live for Christ
CCC 1987: Grace justifies through faith and baptism
CCC 537, 628, 790, 1213, 1226-1228, 1694: Baptism, to die to self, to live for Christ
CCC 1987: Grace justifies through faith and baptism
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| “Christ Carrying His Cross” by El Greco, 1580’s |
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a
where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her.
Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine.
So she said to her husband, "I know that Elisha is a holy man of God.
Since he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof
and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp,
so that when he comes to us he can stay there."
Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.
His servant Gehazi answered, "Yes!
She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years."
Elisha said, "Call her."
When the woman had been called and stood at the door,
Elisha promised, "This time next year
you will be fondling a baby son.
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Commentary on 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your
faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and to the Holy One of Israel, our king.
R. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 89:2-3, 16-17,18-19
CCC: Ps 89 709
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Reading 2: Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
As to his death, he died to sin once and for all;
as to his life, he lives for God.
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin
and living for God in Christ Jesus.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rom 6:3-4, 8-11
CCC: Rom 6:3-9 1006; Rom 6:3-4 1214, 1227, 1987; Rom 6:4-5 790; Rom 6:4 537, 628, 648, 654, 658, 730, 977, 1697; Rom 6:8-11 1987
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GOSPEL: Matthew 10:37-42
"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is a righteous man
will receive a righteous man's reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because the little one is a disciple—
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 10:37-42
In the second section of this passage, St. Matthew reminds the faithful of their own obligation to support others in the Christian community, especially the “little ones,” indicating the apostles, who depend upon the support of the community to continue their work.
CCC: Mt 10:37 2232; Mt 10:38 1506; Mt 10:40 858
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Reflection:
In contemplating the Sacred Scripture you have heard today, I would like to surprise you by saying, thank you for coming here to this house of God and gate of heaven. Thank you for your faith in Jesus Christ that brought you here to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Today you are with Simon of Cyrene. It was Simon who carried the Cross of Christ. It is in Simon’s place we who are his emissaries in today’s word are asked to stand, carrying the Cross of Jesus.
In doing so we are saying to society that we reject the hedonism, and narcissism at the heart of secular values. We are saying, by our presence here that we choose to follow behind Jesus and to accept his mission as a major part of our lives.
We say thank you because it is difficult, this faith we share. Some of us may have been taken by surprise to hear the St. Paul ask his Roman audience: “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Yet, we all know that we will not live forever. St. Paul reminds us that in baptism we were adopted by God. We became members of his household and share in the inheritance of God’s household, which is resurrection following our physical death. We are given grace, grace to carry the cross which sometimes seems limited to our own lives but in carrying that burden without complaint and in good spirits we show others the power of our faith, the power of our savior who took all of our burdens of sin upon himself.
The Gospel message from St. Matthew is a challenging one. But it does help to put it into context. The passage proclaimed today was part of a longer dialogue with his disciples. It began with his commissioning them, explaining where they were to go and what they were to take with them. He then warned them about coming persecutions. He warned them that the message they were bringing would not be popular and would cause division. And with that dire warning, he told them what strength of character they would need to follow behind him, taking the mission he gave them forward.
It becomes clear that he is establishing a needed priority. He is not telling them that they (and we) should not love our parents, our families, our friends. No, he is saying that their priority must be to love God. The decision was theirs and is now ours.
My favorite author, Fr. Simeon wrote the following about this passage:
“We read that Elijah, during his struggle with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, “stepped forward and said to the people, ‘How long will you go in both directions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him’” (1 Kings 18:21). This is the fundamental purpose of the sword of division brought by Christ to compel each of us to decide whether to adhere to him or to any one of a multitude of false gods. In the present passage, Jesus proclaims one of the indispensable conditions for following him, and his tone is just as solemn and full of prophetic authority as the utterance of Elijah.” [6]
Thank you. By being present today, you have made this choice. You have chosen to follow behind Jesus and to carry his cross as Simon did, proclaiming to all who see you that you follow Christ. You have made this choice knowing that it is not easy, it is not popular, and it can even cause divisions with those you love.
This decision we have made must be a public witness. That does not mean we need to stand on street corners proclaiming the Lord. It means we are called to do what Jesus asked of his disciples, to be in the world and demonstrate the love of God to those we meet. That was Jesus great message, that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
Thank God we have the help of the Holy Spirit (also given in baptism). All we need to do is walk behind the carpenter’s son and carry his cross.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “Christ Carrying His Cross” by El Greco, 1580’s.
[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.
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Joshua-Kings,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 529.
In contemplating the Sacred Scripture you have heard today, I would like to surprise you by saying, thank you for coming here to this house of God and gate of heaven. Thank you for your faith in Jesus Christ that brought you here to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Today you are with Simon of Cyrene. It was Simon who carried the Cross of Christ. It is in Simon’s place we who are his emissaries in today’s word are asked to stand, carrying the Cross of Jesus.
In doing so we are saying to society that we reject the hedonism, and narcissism at the heart of secular values. We are saying, by our presence here that we choose to follow behind Jesus and to accept his mission as a major part of our lives.
We say thank you because it is difficult, this faith we share. Some of us may have been taken by surprise to hear the St. Paul ask his Roman audience: “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Yet, we all know that we will not live forever. St. Paul reminds us that in baptism we were adopted by God. We became members of his household and share in the inheritance of God’s household, which is resurrection following our physical death. We are given grace, grace to carry the cross which sometimes seems limited to our own lives but in carrying that burden without complaint and in good spirits we show others the power of our faith, the power of our savior who took all of our burdens of sin upon himself.
The Gospel message from St. Matthew is a challenging one. But it does help to put it into context. The passage proclaimed today was part of a longer dialogue with his disciples. It began with his commissioning them, explaining where they were to go and what they were to take with them. He then warned them about coming persecutions. He warned them that the message they were bringing would not be popular and would cause division. And with that dire warning, he told them what strength of character they would need to follow behind him, taking the mission he gave them forward.
It becomes clear that he is establishing a needed priority. He is not telling them that they (and we) should not love our parents, our families, our friends. No, he is saying that their priority must be to love God. The decision was theirs and is now ours.
My favorite author, Fr. Simeon wrote the following about this passage:
“We read that Elijah, during his struggle with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, “stepped forward and said to the people, ‘How long will you go in both directions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him’” (1 Kings 18:21). This is the fundamental purpose of the sword of division brought by Christ to compel each of us to decide whether to adhere to him or to any one of a multitude of false gods. In the present passage, Jesus proclaims one of the indispensable conditions for following him, and his tone is just as solemn and full of prophetic authority as the utterance of Elijah.” [6]
Thank you. By being present today, you have made this choice. You have chosen to follow behind Jesus and to carry his cross as Simon did, proclaiming to all who see you that you follow Christ. You have made this choice knowing that it is not easy, it is not popular, and it can even cause divisions with those you love.
This decision we have made must be a public witness. That does not mean we need to stand on street corners proclaiming the Lord. It means we are called to do what Jesus asked of his disciples, to be in the world and demonstrate the love of God to those we meet. That was Jesus great message, that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
Thank God we have the help of the Holy Spirit (also given in baptism). All we need to do is walk behind the carpenter’s son and carry his cross.
Pax
[2] The picture is “Christ Carrying His Cross” by El Greco, 1580’s.
[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.
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Joshua-Kings,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 529.
[6] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 608.
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