Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr

Proper readngs for the Memorial of St. Irenaeus

 
Biographical information about St. Irenaeus

“St. Irenaeus"
iconifer and date are unknown

Readings for Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Reading from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
 
The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
 
“Fear not, Abram!
I am your shield;
I will make your reward very great.”
 
But Abram said,
“O Lord God, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”
Abram continued,
“See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the word of the Lord came to him:
“No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir.”
He took him outside and said:
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the Lord,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
 
He then said to him,
“I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord God,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
 
When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the Lord made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 15:1-12, 17-18
 
Abram, as we have heard earlier, was promised the land he occupied at this point as a possession. In this reading Abram is complaining that he has no heir, and therefore all he has will pass to his servant. In response God tells him that he will be given offspring, and then has Abram offer a sacrifice using the covenant formula. The promise made by God is sealed by fire passed between the halves of the sacrifice.
 
CCC: Gn 15:2-3 2570; Gn 15:2 2374; Gn 15:5-6 762; Gn 15:5 146, 288; Gn 15:6 146, 2571
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
 
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord!
Look to the Lord in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the Lord, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations--
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
 
The song of praise exhorts us to praise the Lord constantly and to remember his covenant with Abraham and Isaac. We praise him also for the new covenant in Jesus, for which the Son of God became the sealing sacrifice. It emphasizes the saving power of the name of the Lord.  In using the name of God, the speaker implicitly gives glory to God for the blessings that follow.
 
CCC: Ps 105:3 30
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Gospel : Matthew 7:15-20
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 7:15-20
 
In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against people claiming to be God’s messengers, but whose message goes against God’s commands. Jesus uses an analogy of the fruit produced by various plants as a way to test the authenticity of those who claim to come in God’s name. He tells them that the product, or result, of the words offered by a self-proclaimed messenger will identify them. In his time, this was probably another warning about the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, who placed self-serving demands upon the people.
 
CCC: Mt 7:15 2285; Mt 7:20 2005
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
In 1993, a great tragedy occurred in Waco Texas at the compound of a religious group called the Branch Davidians.  A charismatic leader named David Koresh was able to convince a large group of people that he was from God and was leading them to God.  The fruits of his teaching tell us what he truly was.  On November 18, 1978, in a place commonly known as Jonestown in Guyana, a charismatic religious leader named Jimmy Jones lead 913 men women and children to mass suicide claiming that he was leading them to God.  The fruits of his teaching identified him clearly.
 
If we believe the warning from the Lord can be lightly taken because we have two thousand years of history and understanding to fortify us against teachers who might lead us down the wrong path, all we need to do is look at recent history.  If we believe that, because we have saints like St. Irenaeus who fought the battles against Gnosticism, we are free from those who would twist the word of God to their own purposes, then look at the present day.  Look at the recent saga of Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda.  He is building a financial empire based in Miami predicated upon the idea that he himself is the incarnation of God, and people believe him!
 
The words of Jesus come rushing upon us today.  We are reminded that we base our hope and trust on those whose fruits are clearly seen.  The Church, for all her faults, is an ongoing force for good in the world.  Her message of the Risen Lord, justice for the poor and love for all mankind, is what we look at and see the fingerprints of God.  Let us take the time to inform ourselves and inform those we love about the truth so they too may avoid the many false prophets who come seeming good but whose fruits proclaim them as messengers of darkness.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “St. Irenaeus" iconifer 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.

Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

(Optional Memorial for Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria
Biographical information about St. Cyril of Alexandria

“The Narrow Gate” 
by Dcn. Robert Lackney

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 13:2, 5-18
 
Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.
Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,
so that the land could not support them if they stayed together;
their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
There were quarrels between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock
and those of Lot's.
(At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites
were occupying the land.)
 
So Abram said to Lot:
"Let there be no strife between you and me,
or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are kinsmen.
Is not the whole land at your disposal?
Please separate from me.
If you prefer the left, I will go to the right;
if you prefer the right, I will go to the left."
Lot looked about and saw how well watered
the whole Jordan Plain was as far as Zoar,
like the LORD's own garden, or like Egypt.
(This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Lot, therefore, chose for himself the whole Jordan Plain
and set out eastward.
Thus they separated from each other;
Abram stayed in the land of Canaan,
while Lot settled among the cities of the Plain,
pitching his tents near Sodom.
Now the inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked
in the sins they committed against the LORD.
 
After Lot had left, the LORD said to Abram:
"Look about you, and from where you are,
gaze to the north and south, east and west;
all the land that you see I will give to you
and your descendants forever.
I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth;
if anyone could count the dust of the earth,
your descendants too might be counted.
Set forth and walk about in the land, through its length and breadth,
for to you I will give it."
Abram moved his tents and went on to settle
near the terebinth of Mamre, which is at Hebron.
There he built an altar to the LORD.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 13:2, 5-18
 
The focus of this selection is the separation of Abram and Lot. The blessings of the Lord follow Abram and Lot as they return to the north from the Negeb.  With prosperity comes crowding of the herds, so they agree to move apart with Lot moving toward the east (near Sodom) and Abram staying in Canaan.  God again tells Abram that the land is for him and his descendants.
 
CCC: Gn 13:8 500
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
 
R. (1b) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
 
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
 
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
 
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
 
Psalm 15 is a didactic song instructing the faithful to follow God’s precepts and explaining that those who act in accord with the law will receive God’s support and grace.
 
This selection records the response of the temple representative when asked what virtues are appropriate in the eyes of God. The response lauds the person who follows the “law,” specifically the Hebrew laws that warn against slander or false accusations. In the second strophe it honors the person who does no violence against another. And finally, in the last strophe, we are told that the person who does not charge interest on a loan (usury) is also uplifted.
 
CCC: Ps 15:3-7 579
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Gospel: Matthew 7:6, 12-14
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
 
"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.
 
"Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 7:6, 12-14
 
This selection contains three popular sayings of the Lord, contained within the body of the Sermon on the Mount. The “pearls before swine” saying has been somewhat problematic for scholars. It probably refers to proclaiming the Gospel to those who reject it most strenuously, the scribes and Pharisees. This is followed by a shortened passage expounding the “Golden Rule.” The passage concludes with the analogy of the “narrow gate.” The foundation for this saying is found in Deuteronomy 30:15-20. After the Jews' long sojourn in the desert and having the law imparted to them, Moses sums up the function of God’s law, saying, “See, I have today set before you life and good, death and evil.” Jesus draws a similar comparison. The narrow gate refers here to following the precepts of the Lord and keeping the discipline of the faith. These precepts form a boundary for actions: “How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.”
 
CCC: Mt 7:12-13 2821; Mt 7:12 1789, 1970; Mt 7:13-14 1036, 1970, 2609; Mt 7:13 1696
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Reflection:
 
“How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.”  Whenever this passage is proclaimed, we think of road construction at rush hour.  In most major cities, it seems that those in authority pick the most heavily traveled stretches of highway to repair just as traffic is at its heaviest.  This always causes huge backups and tempers flare.
 
When people rush to get to the same destination there are always those who think there might be an easier way, a quicker way, one not requiring the patience needed to follow the constricted way.  These individuals violate laws and place themselves (and others) in danger because of their failure to follow the laws.
 
The same thing is true of our journey toward the heavenly kingdom.  The path is constricted by the commandments set down for us to follow.  Those who find them too difficult, such as those confronted with a traffic backup, will try to find an easier way, a more comfortable route.  Those who choose this path are the ones Jesus laments in the passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel.
 
There was an article recently published by an apologist that addressed this very point.  When confronted by a young man who was a professed atheist he began to explore the reasons this once-Catholic individual had turned so adamantly away from the Church.  After hearing the young man go through all of the usual popular objections about the failings of the Church and the people of faith, the apologist asked just one question: “You’re sleeping with your girlfriend, aren’t you?”
 
So often those we meet who reject the narrow path do not do so because they do not believe it is the right path, but rather because it is either too difficult or not as much “fun” as the alternative.  The person who fails at some endeavor in life does not embrace that failure because it is the right thing to do, but rather because succeeding generally requires more work, discipline and effort. 
 
For those who struggle along the narrow way, we pray that they continue to have the strength to persevere, ignoring the short-term struggle and seeing the eternal benefit.  We pray also for those who have found the narrow way too difficult and have turned back.  We pray and encourage them that they might know that it is never too late to make the attempt once more.  For all of us we pray that, in spite of the times we fail, falling off that narrow way, that we have the strength of faith to dust ourselves off and climb back on.  Life is worth the effort.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used is “The Narrow Gate” by Dcn. Robert Lackney.
[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.

Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

”Christ the Judge”
by Laurent de La Hire, c. 1640.

 
Readings for Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 12:1-9
 
The LORD said to Abram:
"Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk
and from your father's house to a land that I will show you.
 
"I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you."
 
Abram went as the LORD directed him, and Lot went with him.
Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
Abram took his wife, Sarai, his brother's son Lot,
all the possessions that they had accumulated,
and the persons they had acquired in Haran,
and they set out for the land of Canaan.
When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land
as far as the sacred place at Shechem,
by the terebinth of Moreh.
(The Canaanites were then in the land.)
 
The LORD appeared to Abram and said,
"To your descendants I will give this land."
So Abram built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.
From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel,
pitching his tent with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east.
He built an altar there to the LORD and invoked the LORD by name.
Then Abram journeyed on by stages to the Negeb.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 12:1-9
 
In this passage from Genesis, we find the beginnings for God’s interaction with Abram. In the previous chapter Abram’s father had come east out of modern-day Iraq (Ur of the Chaldeans). Here God calls Abram, and commands him, with his nomadic family unit, to go into Palestine and then to the desert-like region south, the Negeb. Along the way Abram sets up altars for sacrifice in thanksgiving and prays to God for direction.
 
God greatly blesses the one he has called, pledging his constant support.  In return, he asks him to leave behind all that he has known. “Jewish and Christian tradition sees the three things God requires Abram to give up as epitomizing the demands of faith: ‘Through these three departures—from country, kindred and father's house,’ according to Alcuin's interpretation, ‘is meant that we have to leave behind the earthly man, the ties of our vices, and the world under the devil's power’ (‘lnterrogationes in Genesim’, 154).” [4]
 
CCC: Gn 12:1-4 145; Gn 12:1 59; Gn 12:2 762, 1669; Gn 12:3 706, 2676; Gn 12:3 LXX 5959; Gn 12:4 2570
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22
 
R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
 
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
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Commentary on Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22
 
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise.  These strophes rejoice in the active help God gives to his chosen people. God is constantly watching over his faithful people.  His outstretched hand is visible most clearly in times of dire need.  The singer petitions the Lord to continue his kindness to those whose hope is in the Lord.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 7:1-5
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,'
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 7:1-5
 
The beginning of the seventh chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel finds Jesus teaching his disciples about being judgmental. They are told to first look at their own transgressions before judging others. “This is not a prohibition against recognizing the faults of others, which would be hardly compatible with Matthew 7:5 and 6, but against passing judgment in a spirit of arrogance, forgetful of one's own faults.” [5] “Jesus’ teaching on judgment is two-sided. He condemns judging others' faults (vs. 1-2; Luke 6:37). We are incapable of judging with fairness and accuracy since God alone knows the heart (Proverbs 21:2; Luke 16:15). However, Jesus commands us to exercise critical discernment (Matthew 7:6; 15-19; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). Examination is necessary to avoid profaning what is holy (7:6) and embracing what is false (7:15).” [6]
 
“A person whose sight is distorted sees things as deformed, even though in fact they are not deformed. St. Augustine gives this advice: 'Try to acquire those virtues which you think your brothers lack, and you will no longer see their defects, because you will not have them yourselves' ("Enarrationes In Psalmos", 30, 2, 7). In this connection, the saying, 'A thief thinks that everyone else is a thief" is in line with this teaching of Jesus.” [7]
 
“The greatest deed of Christian charity is forgiveness, and if I must live a life of forgiving others, as Christ teaches, this is not on account of my goodness of heart but out of my own humble consciousness of being continually forgiven by God.” [8]
 
CCC: Mt 7:1-5 678
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
We reflect today upon the relationship between Jesus’ teaching about being judgmental, provided in the Gospel passage, and his teaching about forgiveness, emphasized earlier in Matthew 6:14-15. The relationship between being judgmental and forgiveness is at the heart of the cliché “Love the sinner but hate the sin.”  Jesus reminds us in very clear terms that we do not have the authority (or the wisdom) to judge others.   We do not have God’s ability to see into the hearts of others to see their intent or the factors that have led them to act in ways we might consider sinful.
 
Our observations often cause us to identify or stereotype a person (or group) based upon actions we observe and judge to violate our norms of behavior.  For instance, in the opening scene of the 1964 epic film Zulu, a missionary and his daughter are in a Zulu village witnessing a mass marriage between around fifty warriors and their prospective brides.  From the perspective of the missionary’s daughter these people are barbarian – sinful because of several cultural factors.  Yet in the eyes of the people themselves they are being quite moral. 
 
This theatrical example is brought into sharper relief when applied to individuals or groups we might encounter.  In a more recent and nonfictional example, a man was reported to have attempted a robbery at a convenience store in suburban Detroit, Michigan.  The owner of the store (of Arabic descent – highlighting yet another stereotype) refused to give the man the money from his cash register, whereupon the would-be robber dropped to his knees sobbing saying he was sorry, but he had lost his job and had only resorted to stealing to feed his family.  The shop owner had pity on the man and gave him a loaf of bread, twenty dollars, and allowed him to leave.  We could judge the man who tried to rob the store as a thief who deserved to be incarcerated.  We could judge the shop owner as having done the “Christian” thing, and in both cases we may have been wrong.
 
In this example, we see clearly the link between the Lord’s prohibition against being judgmental and his exhortation about forgiveness.  While we do not have the authority or the wisdom to judge others, we do have the ability and the responsibility to forgive those who may have harmed us.  The logic of one supports the other.  Since we cannot know the heart of the person who causes us injury, we may only forgive them.
 
Today, Jesus tells us to avoid being judgmental of others.  We who have sinned do not have the right to judge the sins of others; that is for the one who is without sin.  May we take his words to heart and in place of our rush to judgment may we rush to forgive.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture is: ”Christ the Judge” by Laurent de La Hire, c. 1640.
[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] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 86.
[5] NAB footnote on Matthew 7:1-12.
[6] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p.18.
[7] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 95.
[8] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 292.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 852: The Spirit of Christ sustains the Christian mission
CCC 905: Evangelizing by the example of life
CCC 1808, 1816: Courageous witness of faith overcomes fear and death
CCC 2471-2474: Bear witness to the truth
CCC 359, 402-411, 615: Adam, Original Sin, Christ the New Adam

“Landscape with Christ and His Disciples”
by Francisque Millet, c. 1660

 
Readings for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 20:10-13
 
I hear the whisperings of many:
"Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!"
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
"Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him."
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!
-----------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 20:10-13
 
Jeremiah is near despair as the plots of his family and friends are fomented against him. We can clearly hear the fear in his voice (“All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine”). Yet, in spite of his dire situation, he trusts that God will support him. Indeed, he is hoping that God will not only save him but will punish those who plot against him.
 
This is a typical Old Testament understanding of the God of Justice, who visits his wrath on the enemies of the faithful. We see also an interesting observation about the path of the faithful: “O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart,” implying that the path of faithfulness is always difficult.
 
CCC: Jer 20:7-18 2584
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
 
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
 
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my children,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
 
I pray to you, O Lord,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O Lord, for bounteous is your kindness;
in your great mercy turn toward me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
 
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the Lord hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!"
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
 
Psalm 69 is an individual lament. The psalmist sings of great trials and perils, describing the singer’s dire situation. Faith and hope in the Lord, says the song, sustains those in need. It draws heavily on the image of the faithful servant who suffers but remains dedicated to God’s law and works. Even in the face of this intense social embarrassment, the psalmist must be faithful because “zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.” The imagery in this song forces us to look forward to the passion, as Christ’s punishment is prophetically envisioned.
 
CCC: Ps 69:10 584
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Reading 2: Romans 5:12-15
 
Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—
for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world,
though sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who did not sin
after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,
who is the type of the one who was to come.
 
But the gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression of the one the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
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Commentary on Rom 5:12-15
 
St. Paul has just concluded a description of the sin of Adam, the “original sin.” Though this action, says St. Paul, sin entered the world; although before the Law of Moses, sin was not defined and therefore “sin is not accounted when there is no law.” Nevertheless, even though sin was not defined before Moses, “death reigned from Adam to Moses” (sin is sin even when unnamed).
 
St. Paul continues describing how through one man, Adam, sin entered the world. But the mercy of God was even greater in providing Jesus, his Son, the “New Adam,” through whom all sins were forgiven in his one heroic sacrifice of atonement.
 
"We believe that in Adam all have sinned. From this it follows that, on account of the original offense committed by him, human nature, which is common to all men, is reduced to that condition in which it must suffer the consequences of that Fall [...]. Consequently, fallen human nature is deprived of the economy of grace which it formerly enjoyed. It is wounded in its natural powers and subjected to the dominion of death which is transmitted to all men. It is in this sense that every man is born in sin. We hold, therefore, in accordance with the Council of Trent, that Original Sin is transmitted along with human nature, ‘not by imitation but by propagation,’ and is, therefore, incurred by each person individually." [5]
 
CCC: Rom 5:12-21 388; Rom 5:12 400, 402, 602, 612, 1008
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Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33
 
Jesus said to the Twelve:
“Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
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Commentary on Mt 10:26-33
 
Jesus concludes his instructions to the apostles as he sends them out. Here he tells them that they go with his authority and his purpose which may be hidden from others but which they will proclaim from “the housetops.” He tells them not to fear the persecution he has told them they will face, because while the body may be killed, their souls are safe with him. He concludes this passage telling them that the Father is watching over them and they have nothing to fear.
 
“Jesus’ command to his disciples 'not to fear men' is not only a personal encouragement privately given by a teacher to his helping followers.  It is important to see this whole passage or election, instruction, and sending forth in the context of God’s choosing of prophets for himself, to do his work in the world. What might be called the 'subtext' of this passage is the divinity of Christ Jesus, the incarnate Word of the Father, active in history and performing sovereign actions that only God himself performed in the Old Testament.” [6]
 
CCC: Mt 10:28 363, 1034; Mt 10:29-31 305; Mt 10:32-33 1816; Mt 10:32 14, 2145
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
How many times in movies have we heard the phrase: “Don’t look down!”  We picture the scene: A person is on a rickety ladder or an unstable scaffold spanning a deadly drop.  The novice is petrified and cannot move, staring down to almost certain death.  And behind them, the calm hero or heroine says: “Don’t look down.”  “Look up,” or “look ahead.” The Lord is telling his disciples that they will face resistance and persecution when they go out on the mission to which they are being sent.
 
The Gospel tells of the Lord’s calm assurance as he sends his friends out upon the mission upon which he was also sent.  We suspect that, while his disciples were not fully trained rabbis, they had a good background in Mosaic Law and the prophets.  They would have been familiar with the stories of how the great prophetic figures (like Jeremiah in the first reading) had been attacked and persecuted.  They would have known that in many cases this persecution led even to death. 
 
In the Gospel the Lord tells them that they are correct.  The mission upon which he is sending them will be difficult.  There will be persecution and attacks, even from the people he is sending them to help. Then Jesus tells them: “Don’t look down.”  In a very real sense, he tells them to look up.  Look up in faith to God the Father.  Your spirit is safe in his loving hands.
 
Paul defines the difference between the soul before Christ’s sacrifice and after.  He reminds us that these disciples, who are being sent into harm’s way, may be in physical danger, but because Jesus opens the gates of heaven, slammed shut in Adam’s “Original Sin,” they are safe from death in the eternal life promised by God and guaranteed by the sacrifice of his Only Begotten Son.
 
Because the Lord has not yet fulfilled that part of his mission, the disciples must accept on faith that what the Lord is promising, he will fulfill.
 
The message for us in Scripture is very clear.  First, through our baptism in which we had the sin of the first Adam washed away, we received the blessing of the New Adam, Jesus, who provides us with what we could call “eternal life insurance.”  It is our safety net.  Like those first friends of his, we are sent into a world that does not want to hear the message of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Like those first disciples we will face persecution for our beliefs and likely even attacks as the secular world becomes ever more unaccepting of the truth Christianity offers.
 
If we hear this message to boldly go out and proclaim the Good News with our words and actions and become afraid, the Lord whispers in our ear: “Don’t be afraid.  Don’t look down.  Look up.”  That is how we are encouraged today.  We are sent, and we are given food for the journey that allows us to go out knowing the Lord is with us.
 
Pax
 

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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 used is “Landscape with Christ and His Disciples” by Francisque Millet, c. 1660.
[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] "Creed of the People of God", 16, St. Paul VI, Pope.
[6] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 577.