“Saint Scholastica” artist and date are unknown |
“The kingdom will return to David’s house.
If now this people go up to offer sacrifices
in the temple of the LORD in
the hearts of this people will return to their master,
Rehoboam, king of
and they will kill me.”
After taking counsel, the king made two calves of gold
and said to the people:
“You have been going up to
Here is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the
And he put one in
This led to sin, because the people frequented those calves
in
He also built temples on the high places
and made priests from among the people who were not Levites.
Jeroboam established a feast in the eighth month
on the fifteenth day of the month
to duplicate in
with sacrifices to the calves he had made;
and he stationed in
but again made priests for the high places
from among the common people.
Whoever desired it was consecrated
and became a priest of the high places.
This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam
for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 12:26-32; 13:33-34
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:6-7ab, 19-20, 21-22
we have committed crimes; we have done wrong.
Our fathers in
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
and adored a molten image;
They exchanged their glory
for the image of a grass-eating bullock.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
who had done great deeds in
Wondrous deeds in the
terrible things at the
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
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Commentary on Ps 106:6-7ab, 19-20, 21-22
Gospel: Mark 8:1-10
Jesus summoned the disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
because they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
If I send them away hungry to their homes,
they will collapse on the way,
and some of them have come a great distance.”
His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread
to satisfy them here in this deserted place?”
Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
They replied, “Seven.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them,
and gave them to his disciples to distribute,
and they distributed them to the crowd.
They also had a few fish.
He said the blessing over them
and ordered them distributed also.
They ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets.
There were about four thousand people.
He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples
and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
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Commentary on Mk 8:1-10
This selection describes one of the major miracles, the multiplication of loaves and fishes. There are actually two accounts, (Mark 8:1-10 above and Mark 6:31-44). It is proposed by some scholars that this is actually the same event told from two different traditions, but regardless, the implication is Eucharistic.
Much can be speculated about this event. The number of the loaves being seven would seem to indicate, through Hebrew numerology, the fullness of loaves was present. The fact that they all ate until they were satisfied (spiritually?) would indicate that the meal was complete. The fragments left over filled seven baskets; again, that perfect number is used.
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Reflection
[1] The picture is “Saint Scholastica” 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.
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