Proper readings for the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Additional information about the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“St. Mary Crowned” (detail) from The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck, 1432 |
that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite.
While his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press
to save it from the Midianites,
the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said,
“The LORD is with you, O champion!”
Gideon said to him, “My Lord, if the LORD is with us,
why has all this happened to us?
Where are his wondrous deeds of which our fathers
told us when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’
For now the LORD has abandoned us
and has delivered us into the power of Midian.”
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have
and save Israel from the power of Midian.
It is I who send you.”
But Gideon answered him, “Please, my lord, how can I save Israel?
My family is the lowliest in Manasseh,
and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.”
“I shall be with you,” the LORD said to him,
“and you will cut down Midian to the last man.”
Gideon answered him, “If I find favor with you,
give me a sign that you are speaking with me.
Do not depart from here, I pray you, until I come back to you
and bring out my offering and set it before you.”
He answered, “I will await your return.”
in the form of unleavened cakes.
Putting the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot,
he brought them out to him under the terebinth
and presented them.
The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and unleavened cakes
and lay them on this rock; then pour out the broth.”
When he had done so,
the angel of the LORD stretched out the tip of the staff he held,
and touched the meat and unleavened cakes.
Thereupon a fire came up from the rock
that consumed the meat and unleavened cakes,
and the angel of the LORD disappeared from sight.
Gideon, now aware that it had been the angel of the LORD,
said, “Alas, Lord GOD,
that I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”
The LORD answered him,
“Be calm, do not fear. You shall not die.”
So Gideon built there an altar to the LORD
and called it Yahweh-shalom.
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Commentary on Jgs 6:11-24a
This passage introduces Gideon, judge, and military leader from the tribe of Manasseh from Ephra. [4] This selection recounts the story of Gideon’s encounter with the angel of God. As in many of the stories from this period, the hero, Gideon, does not know that it is Yahweh who commands him and calls him to be a champion of his people. His disbelief stems in part from his humble station in life (“My family is the lowliest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house”). He needs proof.
Gideon sees the sign that is given. The sacrifice he offers is made into a holocaust, meaning it is consumed completely in the fire (by Yahweh). Gideon realizes it is God, and he accepts and believes. His immediate fear is that he will die, since seeing God face to face is considered to happen only in death. As with Moses, the Lord reassures Gideon and as is customary, he marks that place where he encountered God by building an altar of sacrifice.
CCC: Jgs 6:11-24 332
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85:9, 11-12, 13-14
the LORD–for he proclaims peace
To his people, and to his faithful ones,
and to those who put in him their hope.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
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Commentary on Ps 85:9, 11-12, 13-14
This selection is part of a hymn of thanksgiving. It relates nicely to the Judges reading as it refers to receiving what God has spoken. Also note the reference to “peace” relates to the name Gideon gave to the altar he built, Yahweh Shalom (“God’s Peace").
"'Will you not turn (and) give us life / that your people may rejoice in you?' Ps 85 is a prayer for renewal of 'life' among the people of Yahweh. The supplication in v 7 looks back to Yahweh’s life-giving actions in the past and it looks forward to the great message of the future shalom in vv 9–14." [5]
CCC: Ps 85:11 214; Ps 85:12 2795
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Gospel: Matthew 19:23-30
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
but for God all things are possible.”
Then Peter said to him in reply,
“We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
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Commentary on Mt 19:23-30
St. Matthew’s Gospel continues the focus on valuing the spiritual life above the material pursuits of earthly existence. The disciples were dismayed at the asceticism required for discipleship. They ask the Lord who could be saved, since all people have fallen prey to the desire for comfort for themselves and material wealth, and even the poorest of people desire material possessions.
The Lord then provides the answer that, for God, all things are possible, and that through their faith in him they will find their reward. Jesus continues his discourse with an eschatological description of who shall receive the gift of eternal life. All who come to the Lord, regardless of when they come to faith, may find the reward (“the last shall be first”).
CCC: Mt 19:23-29 2053; Mt 19:23-24 226; Mt 19:26 276, 308, 1058; Mt 19:28 765
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Reflection:
As we strive to hear the voice of God in Sacred Scripture, one of the principal difficulties we face is the fact that we cannot “earn” salvation. That gift is freely given to those who ask for God’s forgiveness and mercy. Yet, we feel in our souls the need to somehow atone for what we have done. There must be a component of effort on our part so God will accept our request.
[1] The picture is “St. Mary Crowned” (detail) from The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck, 1432.
[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] Catholic Bible Dictionary, © by Scott Hann, 2009, p.312.
[5] Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51–100, vol. 20, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 372–73.
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