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“Christ Blessing the Children”
by Nicolaes Maes, 1652-53 |
Readings for Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Sirach 17:1-15 [5]
God from the earth created man,
and in his own image he made him.
He makes man return to earth again,
and endows him with a strength of his own.
Limited days of life he gives him,
with power over all things else on earth.
He puts the fear of him in all flesh,
and gives him rule over beasts and birds.
He created for them counsel, and a tongue and eyes and ears,
and an inventive heart,
and filled them with the discipline of understanding.
He created in them knowledge of the spirit;
With wisdom he fills their heart;
good and evil he shows them.
He put the fear of himself upon their hearts,
and showed them his mighty works,
That they might glory in the wonder of his deeds
and praise his holy name.
He has set before them knowledge,
a law of life as their inheritance;
An everlasting covenant he has made with them,
his justice and his judgments he has revealed to them.
His majestic glory their eyes beheld,
his glorious voice their ears heard.
He says to them, “Avoid all evil”;
each of them he gives precepts about his fellow men.
Their ways are ever known to him,
they cannot be hidden from his eyes.
Over every nation he places a ruler,
but God’s own portion is Israel.
All their actions are clear as the sun to him,
his eyes are ever upon their ways.
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Commentary on Sir 17:1-15
This selection is part of Sirach’s treatise linking God’s wisdom to creation. We note here that Sirach does not consider mankind before and after the fall but rather accepts the faithful in the cultural situation of his day. Creation is a part of God’s salvific work. Mankind (especially Israel) is given a privileged position in having dominion over what God has provided but is still a debtor to God. Man's wisdom is but a shadow of the wisdom of God. The Father gave a part of his wisdom as the law imparted at the covenant at Sinai and sees how it is kept.
"The sacred writer does not have access to God's last revelation in the form of Jesus Christ; but by contemplating God's favors to Israel, he is able to get more insights into man and the nature of man. John Paul II points out that: 'These are questions in every human heart, as the poetic genius of every time and every people has shown, posing again and again -- almost as the prophetic voice of humanity -- the 'serious question' which makes human beings truly what they are.'" [6]
CCC: Sir 15:14 1730, 1743
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18
R. (see 17) The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him,
For he knows how we are formed;
he remembers that we are dust.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
Man’s days are like those of grass;
like a flower of the field he blooms;
The wind sweeps over him and he is gone,
and his place knows him no more.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity
to eternity toward those who fear him,
And his justice toward children’s children
among those who keep his covenant.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
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Commentary on Ps 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18
Psalm 103 is a hymn of praise (and thanksgiving). It is a simple and beautiful reaction to God’s goodness. Reflecting upon human mortality, the psalmist sings of the brevity of life, and the mercy God bestows upon us in his eternal blessing of those who follow him and keep his covenant.
CCC: Ps 103 304
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Gospel: Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
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Commentary on Mk 10:13-16
The image of Jesus portrayed by this passage demonstrates that those who had seen his works and heard his words saw greatness in him. They brought their children to him instinctively, that these little ones might receive the grace bestowed by his touch. This activity made his disciples indignant. They felt that their master should not be pestered by the children. The Lord, however, used this situation as a teaching moment. Jesus told the crowd that only complete dependence upon God’s support would allow them salvation (“for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these”).
CCC: Mk 10:11 2380; Mk 10:14 343, 1261; Mk 10:16 699
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Reflection:
We must, given the direction offered by Sacred Scripture, contemplate the need for prayer and its power in our lives. If we think about the relationship we hope to establish with God our Father, and his Son, Jesus, we can use the relationships we build on earth as a worldly model.
When we wish to get to know someone well, we speak with them. We ask them questions. We hope that by speaking with them we can uncover who they are, where they were from, how and where they grew up, and what do they like or dislike. The more intensely we want this relationship, the deeper and more intensely we talk to them, spending hours conversing about all manner of things.
With members of our own families, much of this discussion is not necessary since we share a common history and life. Much of what we need to know we have learned through long association. The love we have for these family members is stimulated by our common desires, our common experiences, and the deep understanding we build with them over time.
For a child who knows the mind of their loving parent, the worst thing they could imagine is disappointing that parent through actions they know would be against their wishes. Likewise, the child knows, without question, that if they are in trouble, that parent will do everything in their power to rescue them from that situation. And if that child falls ill, the loving parent does whatever they can to see that the child of their love returns to health.
The analogy comes so easily. If we wish to know God, to build that relationship with him, prayer is our best approach. Much of who God is and what he likes or does not like, we discover in the sacred texts of the Bible. The deeper we delve into that treasure chest of our predecessors’ past experiences of God, the better we understand how to know him in our lives.
But God was not a “historical figure,” he is a living God who loves and cares for us. It is this present and living Trinity that we want to know. So we talk to him. We tell him we love him, we honor him because he deserves honor, and when we are in need, we ask for his help. We ask, confident as the child with a loving parent, that he will do all he can to save us from our difficulty. He may show us the way, he may open a door, and if all that is not enough and he wishes to demonstrate his love more visibly, he may offer up a miracle. They are more common than we know.
Today we pray to know our Loving Father better. We thank him for all he has done for us, and in a special way we pray for all those who are sick that through the sacrament of anointing, they might be restored to health and oneness with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Pax
[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5: “Outside Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, and Easter Time, on Saturdays which have no commemoration having the rank of Obligatory Memorial or higher, a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated. This is indicated in the calendar by ‘BVM.’ The readings and prayers may be selected from the
Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
[2] The picture is “Christ Blessing the Children” by Nicolaes Maes, 1652-53.
[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] Note: The citation for this reading is incorrect in the published index from the Lectionary for Mass
[6] The Navarre Bible: “Wisdom Books,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 440-41.
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