Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.”” (Mark 1:41)

Origen of Alexandria (part 2 of Pope Benedict’s reflections on Origen) comments on this verse from the Gospel proclaimed at Mass today:

“And why did he touch him, since the law forbade the touching of a leper? He touched him to show that “all things are clean to the clean.” Because the filth that is in one person does not adhere to others, nor does external uncleanness defile the clean of heart. So he touches him in his untouchability, that he might instruct us in humility; that he might teach us that we should despise no one, or abhor them, or regard them as pitiable, because of some wound of their body or some blemish for which they might be called to render an account. So, stretching forth his hand to touch, the leprosy immediately departs. The hand of the Lord is found to have touched not a leper, but a body made clean! Let us consider here, beloved, if there be anyone here that has the taint of leprosy in his soul, or the contamination of guilt in his heart? If he has, instantly adoring God, let him say: “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”” (Fragments on Matthew, 2)


Reflection on Jesus’ expression of pity from this Sunday’s Gospel.

Collect

O God,
Who teach us that you abide
in hearts that are just and true,
grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace
as to become a dwelling pleasing to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

“... and said to Jeroboam: “Take ten pieces for yourself. Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I am about to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and will give you ten of the tribes.” (1 Kings 11:31.)

Saint Cyprian of Carthage comments on this verse from the Gospel proclaimed at Mass today:

“In the Gospel there is a proof of this mystery of unity, this inseparable bond of harmony, when the coat of the Lord Jesus Christ is not cut or rent at all. The garment is received whole and the coat taken into possession unspoiled and undivided by those who cast lots for Christ’s garment, asking who should put on Christ. Holy Scripture says of this, “But for the coat, because it was not sewn but woven from the top throughout, they said to each other: Let us not rend it but casts lots for it, whose it shall be.” He showed a unity that came from the top, that is, from heaven and the Father, a unity that could by no means be rent by one who received and possessed it. Its wholeness and unity remained solid and unbreakable forever. He who rends and divides the church cannot possess the garment of Christ. In contrast, when at Solomon’s death his kingdom and people were being rent, the prophet Ahijah, meeting King Jeroboam in the field, rent his garment into twelve pieces, saying, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord: Behold, I rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten scepters to you; but he shall have two scepters for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city that I have chosen, to put my name there.” When the twelve tribes of Israel were being rent, the prophet Ahijah rent his garment. But since Christ’s people cannot be rent, his coat, woven throughout as a single whole, was not rent by its owners. Undivided, conjoined, coherent, it proves the unbroken harmony of our people who have put on Christ. By the type and symbol of his garment he has manifested the unity of the church.” (The Unity of the Church, 7.)

Collect

Keep Your family safe, O Lord,
with unfailing care,
that, relying solely on the hope
of heavenly grace,
they may be defended always
by Your protection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

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Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

“Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the princes in the ancestral houses of the Israelites. They came to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD’S covenant from the city of David (which is Zion).” (1 Kings 8:1.)

Saint Ephrem the Syrian offers the following insight on these verses from today’s First Reading:

“The two weeks [of festivity] and the two solemn celebrations were accomplished by the people of the Lord with the greatest joy. The former prefigured the festivals of our church, which Christ began with the mystical dedication of his temple and the transferring of the flesh which he had assumed, to heaven; the latter foreshadowed the last day, the greatest of all solemn days, that will dawn for all saints after the resurrection of the flesh. And the distribution of the ministries and offices in the heavenly and everlasting temple will follow that day.” (On the First Book of Kings, 8.)

Collect

May the Virgin Martyr Saint Agatha
implore your compassion for us, O Lord, we pray,
for she found favor with you
by the courage of her martyrdom
and the merit of her chastity.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

Eagles, Patriots and proclaiming — yes, there is a connection!

εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”

“He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach (κηρύξω, keruxo) there also.
For this purpose have I come.”

(Mark 1:38.)

θεωρέω (theoreo)
(“to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning”)

Jesus is ‘with the word’ in the Synagogue. He heals Simon’s mother-in-law in her home. Jesus communes with His Father in the desert. Each of these actions, occurring in a definitive place at a particular time, give insight to Jesus’ mission and ministry in the created order and will unfold in intensity as His Public Ministry moves from the region of Galilee to Jerusalem where this King will be crucified. Yet, from His own lips, Jesus frames the purpose of His work: “to preach” (kerysso, ‘to cry aloud,’ ‘to announce’).

The Greek verb κηρύσσω (kerysso, ‘to cry aloud,’ ‘to announce’) has roots in the world of public games of ancient Greece, their version of tonight’s spectacle pitting the Eagles and Patriots in Football's supreme game. In either of these settings, think what it would take to be heard? Minimally, the act of announcing (κηρύσσω) required a powerful voice capable of being heard above the din of the ancient crowd and certainly over exceptionally excited Eagles fans. But volume was not the only requirement. The proclaimer had to be intelligent, wise and clever because the work of announcing was not solely to be heard. The announcer's work was ordered to convoke a community based on the content (imagine trying to convince Eagles fans to cheer on the Patriots - and - vice versa. A daunting task few would undertake but it captures a sense of the work of Greco-Roman proclaimers). Often times, this work of announcing came after victory in a battle as the emperor sent proclaimers to announce to the defeated villages, towns and cities the message of a newly formed community and the importance of willingly embracing this new community and new ruler. For this reason, proclaimers - particularly in Greek culture - were well regarded in all levels of society and were often afforded safe passage in hostile lands.

There was another aspect of the proclaimer's character: humility. The one charged with delivering the emperor's message knew to the core of his being that the message was the emperor's, not his. Yet he had to be firmly convinced of the message's content as if it were his own so that the proclamation would be the spark that led to a newly formed community and, by extension, a new way of living in the empire. So while the proclaimer had to be heard, there was also burden to do all in his power to present the message in a way that was convincing because this type of proclamation demanded a response - especially in the time immediately following victory. Theoretically, listeners had to respond one way or another to the proclamation. True, listeners did not have much of choice: choose to live the new way or be slaughtered on the spot. But still, there was an expectation on the part of the proclaimer that the proclamation called listeners to a decision. There was no 'fence-sitting,' no lukewarm, apathetic attitudes. A clear decision for or against had to be made and lived, period.

κηρύσσω (kerysso, “to preach”) is Jesus’ Self-stated purpose. He is the One sent by God our Father to proclaim the reality of the Kingdom of God. He does all that is possible by virtue of His Incarnation to sound His Father's message in a convincing and understanding way. Jesus challenges us, His listeners, to respond by a way of living marked by the humility of daily conversion. He draws us to Himself, graces us with the power and presence of Holy Spirit, to lead us to eternal communion with His and our Father.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her.” (Mark 1:30)

Saint Jerome offers the following insight on this verse from today’s Gospel:

“Can you imagine Jesus standing before your bed and you continue sleeping? It is absurd that you would remain in bed in his presence. Where is Jesus? He is already here offering himself to us. “In the middle,” he says, “among you he stands, whom you do not recognize.” “The kingdom of God is in your midst.” Faith beholds Jesus among us. If we are unable to seize his hand, let us prostrate ourselves at his feet. If we are unable to reach his head, let us wash his feet with our tears. Our repentance is the perfume of the Savior. See how costly is the compassion of the Savior. Our sins give off a terrible odor; they are rottenness. Nevertheless, if we repent of our sins, they will be transformed into perfume by the Lord. Therefore, let us ask the Lord to grasp our hand. “And at once,” he says, “the fever left her.” Immediately as her hand is grasped, the fever flees.” (Tractate on Mark‘s Gospel, 2)

Reflection on “to preach” from today’s Gospel.

Collect

Keep your family safe, O Lord,
with unfailing care,
that, relying solely
on the hope of heavenly grace,
they may be defended always
by your protection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

 

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Let us understand the workings of God’s grace

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Bishop and Great Western Father of the Church

An excerpt from his Explanation of Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Paul writes to the Galatians to make them understand that by God’s grace they are no longer under the law. When the Gospel was preached to them, there were some among them of Jewish origin known as circumcisers—though they called themselves Christians—who did not grasp the gift they had received. They still wanted to be under the burden of the law. Now God had imposed that burden on those who were slaves to sin and not on servants of justice. That is to say, God had given a just law to unjust men in order to show them their sin, not to take it away. For sin is taken away only by the gift of faith that works through love. The Galatians had already received this gift, but the circumcisers claimed that the Gospel would not save them unless they underwent circumcision and were willing to observe also the other traditional Jewish rites.

The Galatians, therefore, began to question Paul’s preaching of the Gospel because he did not require Gentiles to follow Jewish observances as other apostles had done. Even Peter had yielded to the scandalized protests of the circumcisers. He pretended to believe that the Gospel would not save the Gentiles unless they fulfilled the burden of the law. But Paul recalled him from such dissimulation, as is shown in this very same letter. A similar issue arises in Paul’s letter to the Romans, but with an evident difference. Through his letter to them Paul was able to resolve the strife and controversy that had developed between the Jewish and Gentile converts.

In the present letter Paul is writing to persons who were profoundly influenced and disturbed by the circumcisers. The Galatians had begun to believe them and to think that Paul had not preached rightly, since he had not ordered them to be circumcised. And so the Apostle begins by saying: I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting him who called you to the glory of Christ, and turning to another gospel.

After this there comes a brief introduction to the point at issue. But remember in the very opening of the letter Paul had said that he was an apostle not from men nor by any man, a statement that does not appear in any other letter of his. He is making it quite clear that the circumcisers, for their part, are not from God but from men, and that his authority in preaching the Gospel must be considered equal to that of the other apostles. For he was called to be an apostle not from men nor by any man, but through God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.


A reflection on to preach from Sunday’s Gospel.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

 

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Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

“David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.” (1 Kings 2:10.)

Saint Jerome offers the following insight on this verses from today’s First Reading:

“By Abel we understand the Christian who cleaves to God, as David says: “It is good for me to adhere to my God,” that is, to attach oneself to heavenly things and to shun the earthly. Elsewhere he says, “My soul has fainted in your word,” thus indicating his rule of life was directed toward reflections on the Word and not on the pleasures of this world. Wherefore we realize that what we read concerning David in the book of Kings is not an idle statement but is said with due weight and reflection: “And he was laid with his fathers.” We are given to understand that his faith was like that of his father’s. It is clear, then, that there is reference here to participation in life and not to the burial of a body.” (Cain and Abel, 1.)

Collect

Grant us, Lord our God,
that we may honor you with all our mind,
and love everyone in truth of heart.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

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Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

“Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people. David said to the LORD: “I have sinned grievously in what I have done. Take away, LORD, your servant’s guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.” (2 Samuel 24:10.)

Saint Gregory the Great comments on this verse from the First Reading proclaimed at Mass today:

“The characters, then, of rulers are so assigned according to the merits of their subjects, that frequently they who seem to be good are soon changed by the acceptance of power. As holy Scripture observed of the same Saul that he changed his heart with his dignity. Whence it is written, “When you were little in your own eyes, I made you the head of the tribes of Israel.” The conduct of rulers is so ordered with reference to the characters of their subjects that frequently the conduct of even a truly good shepherd becomes sinful as a result of the wickedness of his flock. For that prophet David, who had been praised by the witness of God himself, who had been made acquainted with heavenly mysteries, being puffed up by the swelling of sudden pride, sinned in numbering the people. And yet, though David sinned, the people endured the punishment. Why was this? Because in truth the hearts of rulers are disposed according to the merits of their people. But the righteous judge reproved the fault of the sinner by the punishment of those very persons on whose account he sinned. But because he was not exempt from guilt, as displaying pride of his own free will, he himself endured also the punishment of his sin. For that furious wrath which struck the people in their bodies prostrated the ruler of the people by the pain of his inmost heart. But it is certain that the merits of rulers and people are so mutually connected that frequently the conduct of the people is made worse from the fault of their pastors and the conduct of pastors is changed according to the merits of their people.” (Morals on the Book of Job, 25.)

Collect

O God,
Who raised up the Priest Saint John Bosco
as a father and teacher of the young,
grant, we pray,
that, aflame with the same fire of love,
we may seek out souls and serve You alone.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

 

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Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

“Then David came dancing before the LORD with abandon, girt with a linen ephod.” (2 Samuel 6:14.)

Saint Maximus of Turin offers the following insight on these verses from today’s First Reading proclamation:

“For our vows are celebrated when the church is united to Christ, as John says: “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.”1 Because of this marriage, therefore, it behooves us to dance, for David, at once king and prophet, is also said to have danced before the ark of the covenant with much singing. In high rejoicing he broke into dancing, for in the Spirit he foresaw Mary, born of his own line, brought into Christ’s chamber, and so he says, “And he, like a bridegroom, will come forth from his chamber.” Thus he sang more than the other prophetic authors because, gladder than the rest of them, by these joys he united those coming after him in marriage. And, by inviting us to his own vows in a more charming way than usual, having danced with such joy in front of the ark before his marriage, he taught us what we ought to do at those other vows. The prophet David danced, then. But what would we say that the ark was if not holy Mary, since the ark carried within it the tables of the covenant, while Mary bore the master of the same covenant? The one bore the law within itself and the other the gospel, but the ark gleamed within and without with the radiance of gold, while holy Mary shone within and without with the splendor of virginity; the one was adorned with earthly gold, the other with heavenly.” (Sermon 42)

Collect

Almighty ever-living God,
direct our actions
according to Your good pleasure,
that in the name of Your beloved Son
we may abound in good works.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen

The 'hammer' of astonishment

εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”

“And they were astonished (ἐξεπλήσσοντο, exeplessonto)
at his teaching,
for he taught them as one who had authority,
and not as the scribes.

All were amazed (ἐθαμβήθησαν, ethambhthesan)
and asked one another,
“What is this? A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” ”

(Mark 1:22 and 27)

θεωρέω (theoreo)
(“to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning”)

As reactions go, to be astonished and to be amazed are not common, every-moment-of-the-day responses. For the ‘Eagles of Philadelphia,’ to cite but one example, the astonishment and amazement of Philly! Philly! heading to Minneapolis has charged the air of the City of brotherly love and sisterly affection with energized excitement. Who would have thought September’s opening kick-off would boot us to February’s match up despite the season ending injury of the ‘governor’ of Wentzelvania. But such a reality expresses another dimension of astonishment and amazement – there are subjective and temporary dimensions to consider. Let’s face it, not everyone is astonished and amazed with the teams heading to Minnesota – and – no matter the outcome, the present excitement will no doubt fade, at least until the start of the next year’s season.

While the people of Capernaum were probably not heading to local retailers to get a ‘Jesus jersey,’ their lives were charged with an astonishment and amazement that deeply transformed their lives. The ‘wow moment’ of both the content and the manner of Jesus’ teaching ‘hammered’ their lives. While that might sound strange or even a bit overboard, in antiquity the Greek verb ἐκπλήσσω (ekplesso) described the work of the blacksmith pounding, hammering and working with hot metal to forge a new reality. In so doing, ἐκπλήσσω (ekplesso) expressed power and energy and quite a bit of both in order to shape something new from what seemed so ordinary and perhaps even dull. It is no wonder the ancient world eventually came to use this verb to describe events that ‘hammer’ or ‘pound’ on the heart to produce a change, a change that is often surprising and unexpected.

ἐκπλήσσω (ekplesso), however, is not necessarily automatic. Recall situations that may have astonished you but not the other person. Even in the case of being astonished, how long did the ‘wow moment’ last? What lasting affect and effect did the astonishing event have on life? Did that which surprised you cause you to change? The scripture scholar Georg Bertram comment that often in the Synoptics Gospels (Mark, Matthew and Luke), ἐκπλήσσω (ekplesso) is a precursor to faith – and I will add, a precursor to faith if one permits such to happen. Whatever astonished the qahal (Hebrew, assembly) in that small synagogue at Capernaum did not automatically, in-and-of-itself draw a person into communion with Jesus. ἐκπλήσσω (ekplesso) is a grace, a gift that if gratuitously accepted can draw one into communion with the Person, Jesus and not simply follow Him as a guru with a different, nice-sounding ideology. Often times, communion demands the ‘pounding’ or ‘hammering’ into shape, a work known as metanoia.