Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Sorting the Catch”
by Bernardus Johannes Blommers, c. 1900

Readings for Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 18:1-6
 
This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
Rise up, be off to the potter’s house;
there I will give you my message.
I went down to the potter’s house and there he was,
working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand,
he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.
Then the word of the Lord came to me:
Can I not do to you, house of Israel,
as this potter has done? says the Lord.
Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,
so are you in my hand, house of Israel.
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Commentary on Jer 18:1-6
 
The author of the book of Jeremiah has been dwelling on the source of life in God, and the importance of repentance. In the story of the visit to the potter, God symbolically demonstrates his absolute power to reshape civilization (to destroy and remake). This image recalls the creation of mankind from the clay of the ground in Genesis 2:7, and is used in other prophetic works of the Old Testament (Isaiah 45:9) and New Testament (Romans 9:20-23), in which it appears St. Paul may be reflecting on this very passage.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
 
R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Praise the Lord, O my soul;
I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Put not your trust in princes,
in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.
When his spirit departs he returns to his earth;
on that day his plans perish.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord, his God.
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
 
Psalm 146 is from the wisdom tradition. Here we are given a vision of God’s salvation. His saving power (envisioned in the oracle of Isaiah and fulfilled in Jesus the Christ) lifts up the poor and downtrodden and heals those afflicted with every sort of malady.
 
CCC: Ps 146:3-4 150
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Gospel: Matthew 13:47-53
 
Jesus said to the disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
 
"Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old."
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
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Commentary on Mt 13:47-53
 
Jesus concludes his discourse about the Kingdom of Heaven with a final parable about the fisherman’s net. The parable borrows imagery from "The dragnet cast over the waters represents the moment of judgment at the end of time when all shall be summoned before God. The parable insists by this image on the universality of the call to salvation; but "salvation" is here conceived as the infallible recognition of what each "fish" has become within the total context of its particular nature and the environment in which it has  been  placed. Time and  again, the images of salvation in these parables are fundamentally images of growth (seed, dough, pearl, fish)." [4]
 
He next makes reference to the disciples’ (and their successors') role as “Christian scribes” or teachers of the Kingdom of God. In his description, he refers to the “new and the old” being brought out. This reference is to the new teaching from Jesus and the old from the Law of Moses and the prophets.
 
 
CCC: Mt 13:50 1034; Mt 13:52 1117
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Reflection:
 
We are given a perfect example to examine the deeper meaning of the parable of the fisherman's net today. In the reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, we see in the analogy of the potter, God’s ability to reshape mankind (he speaks specifically of Israel, but the important idea to understand is he is talking about destroying and remaking a society, not destroying mankind at an individual biological level). If we read the next six verses (Jeremiah 18:7-12), we see that God does not take this step on a whim, but rather considers the reflection, repentance, and conversion of the people. The message is clear: God has the power to tear down and build up until, like the potter, he reaches a form pleasing to himself.
 
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the Kingdom of God. In this passage he refers to their role as scribes or teachers. Indeed, this is what they became, spreading the Lord’s words of salvation and his promise of the Kingdom throughout the world. These words reshaped the world’s understanding of God. They tore down the old perceptions of God. They changed the perception of God into the idea of a loving Father, rather than a God of justice and vengeance and, through the story of Christ, God’s Son, showed the face of our Father’s inestimable love. He continues even now to use his word to reshape the world.
 
The most ancient and authentic words those Christian scribes left us are contained in Holy Scripture, which we study fervently. The precepts contained in those pages are most authentically captured by the teaching magisterium of the Church. It is the legacy of Christ himself, who appointed Peter, the first pontiff, as keeper of the keys to the Kingdom. It has been faithfully passed down to us, like a tool in the potter’s hand; a tool that has been molding clay, reshaping the world for two thousand years.
 
The shaping tool changes over time. Like those who have gone before us, we are given the guidance of the scribes, teaching us from the books of the Law of Moses and prophets in the Old Testament (the old we bring out), and those who chronicled the story of Christ in the New Testament (the new vision of God’s Kingdom). We thank God today for His guidance and pray for the strength to be his tool working to bring the world to a shape pleasing to him.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Sorting the Catch” by Bernardus Johannes Blommers, c. 1900.
[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] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003 p. 305.

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

“The Hidden Treasure”
By James Tissot, 1886-94

 
Readings for Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21
 
Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!
a man of strife and contention to all the land!
I neither borrow nor lend,
yet all curse me.
When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
I did not sit celebrating
in the circle of merrymakers;
Under the weight of your hand I sat alone
because you filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain continuous,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook,
whose waters do not abide!
Thus the Lord answered me:
If you repent, so that I restore you,
in my presence you shall stand;
If you bring forth the precious without the vile,
you shall be my mouthpiece.
Then it shall be they who turn to you,
and you shall not turn to them;
And I will make you toward this people
a solid wall of brass.
Though they fight against you,
they shall not prevail,
For I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the Lord.
I will free you from the hand of the wicked,
and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.
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Commentary on Jer 15:10, 16-21
 
This selection continues the prophet Jeremiah’s lament (his “Second Confession"). In these verses the prophet is having a crisis of faith about his own mission. He cries out that he wishes he had never been born (since he was called from the womb to his mission, Jeremiah 1:4-5). Because he constantly challenges the social traditions that are evolving, because he calls for the people to reform themselves and predicts God’s punishment if they do not, he is outcast (“I did not sit celebrating in the circle of merrymakers; Under the weight of your hand I sat alone because you filled me with indignation”).
 
In response to his lament, the Lord calls Jeremiah to continue his prophetic work. First, Jeremiah himself must repent from his own rebellious way, and return to ritual purity (“If you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece”). The Lord pledges unfailing support for the prophet’s mission, and ultimate victory over God’s foes (“For I am with you, to deliver and rescue you, says the Lord.”).
 
CCC: Jer 15:15-18 2584
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18
 
R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O Lord.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
 
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
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Commentary on Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18
 
Psalm 59 is a lament which alternates prayers for salvation with petitions to punish the enemies of the faithful. The plea for salvation in the psalm strikes a counterpoint to the lament of Jeremiah, who is isolated because of his actions in response to his call to serve the Lord.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
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Commentary on Mt 13:44-46
 
The parable of the buried treasure and the parable of the pearl have the same point. One who understands the Kingdom of Heaven and sees its worth joyfully places obtaining that promise before all else. It is the primacy of Christ’s teaching that guides the disciple in all things. While these two parables have generally the same meaning, it is interesting to note they have some subtle differences. The parable of the hidden treasure which is found by accident refers to an abundance of gifts.  The parable of the pearl sought out through diligence refers to the beauty of the Kingdom of God.
 
“Anyone who understands the Kingdom which Christ proposes realizes that it is worth staking everything to obtain it […]. The Kingdom of heaven is difficult to win.  No one can be sure of achieving it, but the humble cry of the repentant man can open wide its doors” (St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 180). [4]
 
CCC: Mt 13:44-45 546
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Reflection:
 
The two parables of the Gospel seem, on the surface, to be saying the same thing.  Indeed, they both speak of the inestimable value of finding the Kingdom of God (in this life and the next).  They both speak of the great joy of the person who is able to acquire it.  But there is a difference in the means by which this occurs.
 
In the analogy to the buried treasure, the seeker is said to have found the treasure.  It is as if they are simply walking in a field and stumble upon it.  In this instance, it would be like the casual Christian, the person who is a member of the faith community by accident of birth and upbringing who has followed the teaching of the Lord more out of habit than real desire to understand the Lord.  One day this person has a revelation, and suddenly sees the value of the peace of Christ which is what the Kingdom of God provides in this life.  With that revelation, and without much fanfare, that person’s life is transformed, and they are filled with joy at their discovery.
 
There are many such individuals, and they give hope to families who struggle to bring their children to faith in a world that devalues its teaching.  As parents, we must never give up on encouraging (and praying for) our children.  Our hope is they discover the treasure we cherish.
 
The other parable, the parable of the pearl, speaks of the merchant searching for pearls.  That person’s encounter is not an accident, but rather the result of long effort.  In this instance, it would be like the diligent seeker of truth who explores all manner of faith traditions, finally finding Christ and his wisdom.  Like the accidental discovery of the buried treasure, this person sees the priceless nature of God’s love and salvation and dedicates themselves completely to the goal of attaining that end.
 
Regardless of our template, whether we stumble across buried treasure, or if we find the pearl of great price after long effort, we are told that finding that treasure requires single-minded dedication to the attainment of that which is freely offered.  It is the lesson Christ offers, and one we rededicate ourselves to living.
 
Pax
 

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[1] S.S. Commemoratio
[2] The picture used is “The Hidden Treasure” By James Tissot, 1886-94.
[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] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 136.

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Proper readings for the Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne 
 
Biographical information about Sts. Joachim and Anne

“The Annunciation to Joachim”
by Bartolo DiFredi, 1383

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 14:17-22
 
Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
look! those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not.
 
Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name's sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain?
Or can the mere heavens send showers?
Is it not you alone, O LORD,
our God, to whom we look?
You alone have done all these things.
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Commentary Jer 14:17-22
 
This reading is part of the prophet Jeremiah’s great lament for the destruction and death that has come to Judah. He uses the metaphor of a young woman, mortally wounded, to describe the damage to the land and people. The concluding verses constitute a plea for mercy, and a confession of past sins (“We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers”). The implication is that the destruction visited upon them was a consequence of their sin. The prophet’s final plea recognizes the one true God who is all powerful.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
 
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
 
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
 
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
 
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
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Commentary Ps 79:8, 9, 11 and 13
 
Psalm 79 is a lament over the destruction of the temple. In this part of the hymn the psalmist asks God for forgiveness of past offenses and compassion in their need. This sin has resulted in their imprisonment and separated them from God. This hymn was offered after the destruction of the temple and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant. It is a plea for compassion and help while repenting from sins (“Deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake”).
 
CCC: Ps 79:9  431
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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.”
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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
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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 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 what form he might take should the fallen one present himself to us. How are we to know that it is not one of God’s messengers who is persuading us to take a course of action?
 
Recall that in the desert, when Christ was tempted by the same Evil One, the devil 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 on Calvary’s hill.
 
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, a spirit 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
 

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[1] The picture is “The Annunciation to Joachim” by Bartolo DiFredi, 1383.
[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.

Feast of Saint James, Apostle

 
Biographical Information about St. James

“St. James the Elder”
by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1861

Readings for the Feast of Saint James, Apostle [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15
 
Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
 
So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 4:7-15
 
St. Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about suffering and death in the human existence of this life, in spite of living in the faith. The image he uses, fragile earthen pots, speaks of God’s instruments being easily broken but nonetheless effective. The image of small terracotta lamps in which light is carried is mentioned elsewhere. The point the evangelist makes contrasts our mortality with God’s omnipotence and power, our death in the flesh with life in the spirit of Christ. With such a spirit at work within us, we must, like St. Paul, spread that news to others (“we too believe and therefore speak”).
 
CCC: 2 Cor 4:7 1420; 2 Cor 4:14 989
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
 
R. (5) Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
 
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
 
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
 
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
 
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
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Commentary on Ps 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
 
Psalm 126 is a lament. In this short psalm, the singer rejoices at the return of Israel following the Diaspora, the conquering of Israel and its enslavement. In this hymn, the people remember the greatness of God as he restores their nation and brings them back to their own land ("Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves"). The sense is one of being overflowing with thanksgiving.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28
 
The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her,
"What do you wish?"
She answered him,
"Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom."
Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"
They said to him, "We can."
He replied,
"My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
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Commentary on Mt 20:20-28
 
This exchange takes place immediately following the Lord's description of his coming passion in Jerusalem. The sons of Zebedee, James and John, are pushed forward by their mother who (naturally) wishes them to achieve places of honor in the Kingdom of God. Jesus uses this event to speak first of his own passion and then about Christian leadership. The servant leader, as Jesus describes, leads through example.
 
CCC: Mt 20:26 2235
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Reflection:
 
On this feast day, as we recall the inspired life of St. James, we reflect upon two aspects of the faith that motivated and supported him.  We think of them as the outward face of the evangelist, and the inward face of spirituality.  They are of course interrelated, but one, the outward face, is giving; the other, the inward face, is seeking and receiving.  It is, to use the Lord’s metaphor, like the vine.  The outward face is the leaves and branches, reaching out into the world, producing great fruit to nourish others.  The inward face is like the roots that support it, drinking in the earth’s nourishment sustaining the life in leaves and branches.
 
Using this metaphor, St. James was rooted in Christ.  The Lord established him and nurtured him.  Along with his brother, St. John, another of the sons of Zebedee, he was called into a special relationship with Jesus.  As one of the Twelve, we know he took a leadership position in the Christian community that grew up in Jerusalem.  It was this role and his outspoken love of Jesus that earned for him the title of First Martyred of the Apostles, fulfilling the prophetic words recorded in the Gospel from St. Matthew: “My chalice you will indeed drink.”
 
This outward and zealous face was supported by an interior spirituality rooted in the love of Christ and constant communion with him in prayer.  We know that James was with Jesus at all of the important times: on the high place where the Lord was transfigured (Matthew 17: 1ff); with him praying in the Garden at Gethsemane (Matthew 26: 37).  Along with St. Peter and his brother St. John, St. James was clearly one of great prayer and spiritual strength.
 
It was from this deep-rooted faith that he was able to draw the fire with which he enlightened those he met.  It was through his inner peace that he was given the courage to face cruel martyrdom at the hands of Herod, the grandson of Herod the Great, four years after the Lord had charged him, with the others, to “go out and teach all the nations” (Matthew 28: 19).
 
One of the great lessons this Apostle teaches is that we too must constantly tend to the inward face of our spirituality if we are to be effective evangelists and disciples of the Lord.  Our care must be for that inward face, for without strength in the roots, the vine will wither and die.
 
Pax
 
In other years on this date: Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Year II)
 

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[1] The picture is “St. James the Elder” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1861.
[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.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]

CCC 2634-2636: Prayer of intercession
CCC 2566-2567: Universal call to prayer
CCC 2761-2772: The Lord’s Prayer as a synthesis of Gospel
CCC 2609-2610, 2613, 2777-2785: Turning to God with persistence and filial trust
CCC 2654: Lectio divina
CCC 537, 628, 1002, 1227: Buried and risen in baptism
 

“Sodom and Gomorrah”
by Benjamin West, c.1800

Readings for Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1 Genesis 18:20-32
 
In those days, the Lord said: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out.”
 
While Abraham’s visitors walked on farther toward Sodom,
the Lord remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer and said:
“Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?”
The Lord replied,
“If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Abraham spoke up again:
“See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.”
But Abraham persisted, saying “What if only forty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty.”
Then Abraham said, “Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there.”
Still Abraham went on,
“Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?”
The Lord answered, “I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty.”
But he still persisted:
“Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?”
He replied, “For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.”
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Commentary on Gn 18:20-32
 
This selection continues the story of Abraham’s encounter with the Lord at the terebinth of Mamre. The Lord and two messengers have already predicted the birth of a son to Abraham and Sarah. They now have departed for Sodom and Gomorrah joined by Abraham “to see them on their way.” The text envisions God coming down to see what punishment must come to the cities. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is not specifically known (the account from Genesis says homosexuality (Genesis 19:4-5), Isaiah indicates the lack of social justice (Isaiah 1:9-10; 3:9), Ezekiel says disregard for the poor (Ezekiel 16:46-51), and Jeremiah identifies general immorality (Jeremiah 23:14)).
 
“Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?” In early Israel it was common for the innocent to be punished along with the guilty (see Joshua 7:16-26). We find Moses challenging this idea, interceding for the innocent who reside in those cities. The Lord agrees to spare them if there are ten innocent people from those towns.
 
CCC: Gn 18:16-33 2571; Gn 18:20 1867
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Responsorial Psalm Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
 
R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
 
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
 
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
 
The Lord is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;
against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
 
Your right hand saves me.
The Lord will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O Lord, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
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Commentary on Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
 
Psalm 138 is a song of thanksgiving.  In this selection we find an individual hymn thanking God for salvation. We note the belief in angels, messengers of God, who join the song of praise in the holy temple.  The psalmist sees God’s protection and mercy as being eternal, “your kindness, O Lord, endures forever,” and expresses a profound faith that God, creator of mankind, should not forsake what he has created and adopted, "the work of your hands.”
 
CCC: Ps 138 304; Ps 138:2 214
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Reading II Colossians 2:12-14
 
Brothers and sisters:
You were buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
And even when you were dead
in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
he brought you to life along with him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,
which was opposed to us,
he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.
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Commentary on Col 2:12-14
 
St. Paul refers to the “death of baptism” (see also Romans 6:1-11).  He is referring to the process whereby the baptized die to their sins and rise as new creations.  He places this effect in the present, that is, the risen Christ has already transformed them through his adoption.  Paul also talks about “obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims.” We have been relieved of the yoke of Mosaic Law, with the prescribed punishments for its violations.
 
CCC: Col 2:11-13 527; Col 2:12 628, 1002, 1214, 1227, 1694
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Gospel Luke 11:1-13
 
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”
 
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you,
if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
 
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
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Commentary on Lk 11:1-13
 
The focus of this passage from the Gospel of Luke is prayer.  First, we are given the Lord’s Prayer from Luke’s Gospel, which differs somewhat from the same prayer offered in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 6:9-15).  We are taken further, in this case, to be reminded that God answers prayers.  He does this as a parable, and then in a litany of assurances.
 
Notes on the meaning of the various parts of the prayer are numerous. The short message in the Gospel is: “This is an appropriate way to speak to God.” It begins with an acknowledgement of God’s existence and omnipotence, praising his holiness. It continues with our further desire that the “will of God,” which creates his Heavenly Kingdom, may also rule on earth.
 
Next follows three petitions. The first is a petition to the Father that we be given nourishment: food for the body and (Eucharistic) food for the spirit, "our daily bread.” This petition is followed by a plea for forgiveness, a tacit admission that we have all sinned and all need God’s salvation. The second part of this petition is a promise on the part of the petitioner to attempt to follow Christ’s example, forgiving others as they have been forgiven. The prayer concludes with a final petition not to be tested as our Lord was tested by the evil one, who encouraged Jesus to forego his own passion and thus condemn the world to sin and death.
 
Next, Jesus uses the story of one friend asking another for bread (a strong Eucharistic reference) in the middle of the night. The parable is used as an instrument to tell them that God will always answer prayers, but in his own time (“I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence”). He makes his message clear in the verses that follow, “ask and you will receive.”
 
CCC: Lk 11:1 520, 2601, 2759, 2773; Lk 11:2-4 2759; Lk 11:2 2632; Lk 11:4 1425, 2845; Lk 11:5-13 2613; Lk 11:9 2761; Lk 11:13 443, 728, 2623, 2671
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Reflection:
 
The readings today speak of the efficacy of prayer and our call to be a people of prayer.  This call starts, as we hear in St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, with our baptism in Christ and the resulting death to sin, rebirth to innocence in the Holy Spirit, and the grace provided in that resurrection.  As a new creation, Christ tells us in the Gospel of St. Luke, we are called to be people of prayer. 
 
Do we ask “Lord teach us to pray?”  No, because that question is already answered.  In Scripture today it is answered three times!  First, we hear Moses in what is perhaps one of the first intercessory prayers as he talks to God’s messengers who are sent to investigate the prayerful cries against Sodom and Gomorrah.  He pleads with God to spare the innocent, and his prayers are answered.  (Note, his prayer is not answered in the way he thought it would be. Moses thought that if there were innocent people in those cities the Lord would spare the city.  Instead, he told Lot and his family to leave and destroyed the cities nonetheless.)
 
The second prayer Scripture gives us today is in song.  Psalm 138 is a beautiful example of how we praise God in song.  For those in holy orders and in vowed religious life, the psalms are sung (said) at least twice a day in the prayer of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours.  This prayer form offers up, in a very real way, the words of our ancestors, echoed through all the ages of the Church, a song of praise and thanksgiving, constantly floating up to our Heavenly Father as each successive region takes up the chant.
 
Finally, in the Gospel, the Lord offers us the Lord’s Prayer.  We note it starts with a blessing of praise to the Father, Holy is his Name.  We pray that the Kingdom of God might come to us, here on earth, so we may live in the purity and joy of the Heavenly Kingdom.  We then ask God for our needs, both spiritual and physical as we reference bread for our bodies and bread for our souls in the Eucharist.  Finally, we ask for forgiveness, and the strength to forgive others as Christ has done. Finally, we pray most fervently that we are not required to face the same test as our savior.
 
This compact prayer that we utter most frequently (and in many cases without thinking) is the template upon which the Lord tells us to speak with God.  Most important in the Gospel passage is the assurance from God’s only Son that our prayers will be answered.  That promise is our great hope and the hope of all the faithful.  Today, may our prayers rise to God and his grace flow back to us.  As a people of prayer may we always have faith in the gentle Father who hears our call and answers.
 
Pax
 
In other years on this date: Optional Memorial for Saint Sharbel Makhluf, Priest

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[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 today is “Sodom and Gomorrah” by Benjamin West, c.1800.
[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.