2017/01/15 — 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year A

With this Sunday, we have plunged back into Ordinary Time. Actually, the plunge took place last Tuesday, since the liturgical celebration of Christmastide ends with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This year, that feast was celebrated on Monday, January 9, and the remainder of the week constituted the First week in Ordinary Time. Nevertheless, there are resonances with the Christmas season, just as Ordinary Time merged into Advent, as we focused at first on the return of Jesus in glory at the end of time. Now, as we begin to look at the ministry of Jesus, we start with the testimony of John the Baptist to Jesus, which was also part of what we heard in Advent and on the Feast of the Baptism. In addition, we hear again from Isaiah prophecies about the calling of the Messiah.


The first reading — Isaiah 49: 3: 5-6 — is one of the four passages which are called the Servant Songs. They are read during Holy Week. Although the passage seemingly begins as an address to Israel as the Lord's servant, in the preceding and following verses, it refers to an individual. The servant's mission is one which God intended for him from before his birth. He is to bring the nation of Israel back to the Lord. Beyond that, he is to be a light to the nations, to bring salvation to all the world.


The responsorial psalm — verses of Psalm 40, with a refrain based on verses 8 and 9 — we make our own the Messiah's response the the Father's call. He, and we, will do God's will.


The second reading — 1 Corinthians: 1:1-3 — is in the customary form of of the beginning of letters at the time of Paul. The writer identifies himself: Paul. He adds identifying information and associates Sosthenes with himself. Next the addressee is named: the church in Corinth. Again, Paul expands the format by referring to their salvation in Christ, and noting that their call is one which goes to believers everywhere — just as the servant in the first reading is to bring salvation to the whole world. Finally there is a greeting: he wishes them grace and peace from God. Over the next six weeks, until Lent begins, we will hear further passages from the first four chapters of this letter.


The gospel — John 1:29-34 — is remarkable in the first place because Year A is the year in which Matthew's gospel is read on most Sundays. John the Baptist uses the phrase "Lamb of God" to identify Jesus. This reminds his hearers of the events of Passover, when the Israelites sacrificed a lamb, whose blood protected them from the tenth plague of Egypt, the killing of every firstborn. Jesus, Mary's firstborn and the Father's only-begotten Son, will save us from destruction through his Passover sacrifice of himself. We don't use the phrase often, but in Mass we address Jesus as Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world in the Gloria on festive occasions and before Communion at every Mass. Then, holding up the host, the priest says, "Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb." This recalls the Israelites' eating of the paschal lamb, whose blood protected them. The image of the Lamb is also frequently used in the Book of Revelation to refer to Jesus as the redeemer, slain on earth and triumphant in heaven.

Next, John refers to his earlier promise of one greater than himself who was to follow him. Jesus is the one he expected, and he knows this through revelation: at Jesus' baptism, the sign God had promised happened. It is a sign which means that Jesus has been empowered by the Holy Spirit and will in turn confer that Spirit on others. making them sharers in his mission to bring salvation to the world — a call to which we responded in the responsorial psalm.

Good Friday — 2016/03/25

Good Friday is the only day when we don't have a Mass. There is a liturgical service, but we do not consecrate bread and wine to become the Body and Blood of Christ. At the service, we do, however, receive Communion using hosts (altar breads) which were consecrated at the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Thursday. In a way, this underlines our belief that Jesus' sacrificial death on Calvary was made present in sacrament in the offering of his Body and Blood to the disciples at the Last Supper and is made present to us sacramentally at every Mass. The consumption of the consecrated elements from yesterday's Mass signifies the identity of both events. Today we are commemorating the same event we commemorate at every Mass.

The service begins simply, in silence. The clergy and ministers enter the sanctuary in silence, and after a few moments of silence, the priest begins with the opening prayer. There is no greeting or penitential rite, as at Mass. After the liturgy of the Word (the scripture readings and homily) instead of the preparation of gifts and Eucharistic Prayer, containing the consecration, there is a rite of veneration of the cross. Then comes Communion, using the hosts reserved from Thursday, folllowed by two concluding prayers and a silent departure.



As on Holy Thursday, our first reading is from the Hebrew Scriptures. This time it's from Isaiah (Isaiah 52:13 — 53:12). This is the fourth and longest of the Servant Songs: a passage about a servant of the Lord who is led like a lamb to the slaughter — bearing our guilt as he is tortured and killed — but who ultimately has life and takes away the sins of many. Many of the phrases are familiar to those who know Handel's "Messiah" since the libretto uses many of the traditional texts used in the Church. Of course, we see this passage as fulfilled in Jesus. It is his sufferings and death which take away our sins.


The responsorial Psalm — verses from Psalm 31 with a refrain from verse 6: "[Father,] into your hands I commend my spirit" — is a meditation on the mind of Jesus as he undergoes his passion and death. It is a prayer for deliverance as well as one of confidence in God.



Next, the Epistle to the Hebrews (4:14-16; 5:7-9) speaks of Jesus' obedience the the Father as the thing that makes him the source of salvation for all who obey him as well as our eternal high priest.



The gospel reading is the Passion according to St. John — John 18:1—19:42 — which shows Jesus who willingly going to his death on the cross to accomplish the purpose for which he came into the world. (The synoptic Gospel accounts of the passion are read on Palm Sunday year by year.) Pilate clearly believes that Jesus is undeserving of death, but ultimately can't withstand the pressure of the priests and the crowd. I'll just point out the passages which are directly referred to in this gospel.

• 18:14 — Caiaphas' prophecy that Jesus would die for the people is at 11:49-50.
• 18:32 — Jesus' indication of how he would die is found in 3:14, 8:28, and 12:32, all of which speak of his being "lifted up" — like the bronze serpent Moses lifted up in the desert (Numbers 21:49) — and drawing all men to himself.
• 19:24 — the dividing of garments and casting lots is a quote from Psalm 22:19 — the Psalm whose opening words are quoted by Jesus in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 (implying he prayed the whole psalm).
• 19:36 — not breaking a bone is a commandment given the Israelites concerning the passover lamb — Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12 — which indicates the identification of the paschal lamb as a type (prefigurement) of Jesus by the first Christians.
• 19:37 — looking on the one they have pierced refers to Zechariah 12:10, which tells of grief over the death of the one they have thrust through.

Jesus' sufferings and death, willingly accepted, bring the human race redemption from sin.

2016/03/20 — Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) — Year C

This Sunday's liturgy opens with a rite commemorating Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The remainder of the Mass focuses on his passion and death. Jesus, by rights a king, accepts humiliation and death to bring us mercy and forgiveness.


In the opening rite, the priest blesses palms, reminding us of the palm branches which some gospel accounts tell us the people strewed on the road ahead of Jesus (Matthew 21:8, Mark 11:8). After the blessing of palms. the gospel of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is read. This year's  gospel is Luke — Lk 19:28-40. Jesus rides on a colt, not a magnificent stallion, as might be expected of a king. This indicates his humility: he is not an earthly king, although the people, paraphrasing Psalm 118:26, acclaim him as a king and repeat the words of the angels at his birth proclaiming peace and glory. Some of the pharisees tell Jesus to quiet the crowd lest this seem to be a revolt against Rome, but Jesus insists that the acclamations are necessary, even though he has and seeks no political power.


The first reading of the Mass — Isaiah 50:4-7 — is the third of four "Servant Songs" in Isaiah. (We'll hear the fourth on Good Friday.) It describes the servant's sufferings in terms similar to what we read of Jesus in the gospels. But the servant does what the Lord calls him to do, and he has confidence in God's help, so that his suffering will not be the final word.


The responsorial psalm — verses of Psalm 22 — has for its response the words of verse 2 which Jesus quoted on the cross (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34). The selected verses tell of mockery and dividing of garments which, which we will also hear of in the gospel. Then we have a prayer for God's help such as the suffering Servant of Isaiah counted on. The servant will proclaim God's name.


The second reading — Phillipians 2:6-11 —takes us from Jesus's inherent equality with God, through his laying aside of that equality in order to undergo suffering and the death on the cross, and culminating with his resurrection and glorification — an very compact account of the work of the Messiah.


The gospel — Luke 22:14 - 23:56 — takes us from the Last Supper to the burial of Jesus. At theLast Supper, Jesus emphasizes that they must serve one another, following his example. He gives Peter the role of confirming the faith of the others, and then predicts his threefold betrayal. After his agony in Gethsemani he is betrayed by Judas with a kiss. Peter fulfills the prediction of his denial. The Sanhedrin convicts him os blasphemy, but to Pilate they accuse him of opposing Roman power. While neither Pilate nor Herod find the charges valid, a crowd is incited to demand his crucifixion, and Pilate gives in. In his words to the women on the way to Calvary, there is perhaps a foreshadowing of the persecutions which his followers will have to undergo.

Twice on Calvary Jesus shows mercy: first praying for the forgiveness of his executioners, and later promising Paradise to the believing criminal crucified beside him.

Afte his death the centurion, a gentile, recognizes his innocence as do the Jewish crowd. The women followers know where he is buries, so they will know that the empty tomb of Easter is truly where he was buried.

2015/10/18 — 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Once more, the assigned scriptures show us Jesus as the Suffering Servant of the Lord. The first reading — Isaiah 53:10-11 — introduces the theme. This is an excerpt from near the end of the fourth (and last) of the Songs of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah. The complete song – Is 52:13-53:12 — tells of one who, although innocent, is tortured and killed but whose acceptance of these things takes away the sins of others and leads ultimately to glory. It is read in its entirety on Good Friday. Apparently there were different understandings among the Jews as to who this servant is: possibly the people of Israel suffering in their exile and dispersion, or the Messiah (with the actual sufferings falling on the pagans).

Regardless of how Isaiah and his hearers may have understood the passage, Christians from the beginning have understood it as being fulfilled in Jesus: he endured sufferings comparable to those described in the song and died, and this suffering and death brings salvation. (Accordingly, several verses of the song were included in the libretto of Handel's "Messiah" — 53:3, 5-6, 8.) Jesus' undeserved sufferings and death, willingly accepted, bring him glory and us undeserved forgiveness of our sins.

Verses from Psalm 33 — Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 — turn our hearts to reflect on our trust in the Lord, who is good to us.

The last line of the second reading — Hebrews 4:14-16 — brings back the thought of the responsorial psalm urging us to "confidently approach the throne of grace to find mercy and … timely help." This letter seems to have been written to a community of Jewish Christians in Rome who apparently had been considering giving up their faith in Jesus and returning to rabbinic Judaism. Christianlty brought the danger of persecution, while Judaism was accepted as legitimate by the Roman government. So the author urges his hearers to continue to put their faith in Jesus as their high priest. One point in this reading is that unlike earthly priests, Jesus has entered heaven where he is with God. In the context of today's readings, this is comparable to the Servant in Isaiah, who sees his descendants in a long life and sees the light in fullness of days. Then we are reminded that our high priest, Jesus has been tested. This corresponds to the "affliction" and "suffering" of the Servant in Isaiah. So, as in the psalm, we can "confidently approach the throne of grace."

In the gospel — Mark 10:35-45 — we see the themes of Jesus suffering and self-giving developed. In the verses immediately preceding today's reading, Jesus gives the third prediction of his passion, in terms consistent with what Isaiah says of the Suffering Servant of the Lord. Charitably, we might partially, excuse James and John for asking for the seats next to Jesus in his glory by saying that they are focusing on the predicted resurrection, not the passion and death. In his response Jesus begins by reminding them that to share his glory, they must share his suffering. But he goes beyond that to explain why they even misunderstand following Jesus is all about. It's not a matter of ruling others; it's a matter of serving them. Of course, Jesus' supreme service is that of "giv[ing] his life as a ransom for many," or, as Isaiah puts it, "through his suffering … justify[ing] many."

The service to which we are called in humility includes things such as those mentioned in Matthew 25 — feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, and so forth — what are called the "corporal works of mercy," and generally being helpful to those in need. It also should be the attitude with which we approach our duties at work, in the family, and in the community. We are there to serve the needs of others, not to boss them around, even if we are the boss, even if we are in charge. But in a way our service also includes the service of giving our lives "as a ransom for many." How is this possible? Jesus is the one and only savior. But in our baptism we are incorporated into Christ's body, the Church. So whatever god we do is part of the work of Jesus. St. Paul says, in Colossians 1:24, "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church." If Paul can do this, so can we. Our sufferings, light or heavy, can have redemptive value, if we accept them as Jesus did.

In summary, Jesus saves us from our sins through his undeserved suffering and death for our sake. Therefore we have confidence in God's love for us. Redeemed by Jesus, we can approach God for mercy and for help. Beyond that, we, like Jesus, are to have an attitude of service, not domination. Since we are members of his body, our own sufferings can have redemptive value, not apart from his, but united with his.

2015/09/13 — 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time — Edited

Jesus is the Messiah, but, as such, he must suffer and die. As his disciples, as his followers, we must give up our lives too, if not in martyrdom then in active charity.


The first reading — Isaiah 50:5-9a — is the third of four Songs of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah. We might wonder exactly whom Isaiah had in mind. There doesn't seem to be any history that he personally had to endure the sufferings of which he speaks. At any rate Christians have always understood this prophecy as pointing to the sufferings and glorification of Jesus. Various elements of the servant's sufferings are found in the gospel accounts of Jesus' passion; and although Isaiah seems to speak of a defense that saves the life of the servant (in terms reminiscent of Paul's assertion that no power can condemn us when God acquits us — Romans 8:31-39), with Jesus, the vindication came with his resurrection.

Edited to add: This passage is also read on Palm Sunday, at the beginning of Holy Week.


Verses of Psalm 116 put expressions of confidence in God— even in the face of death — in the mouths, and hopefully the hearts, of the congregation, as they were for the servant. With the Psalm, we make his mindset our own.


In the gospel — Mark 8:27-35 — we first hear Jesus pose the question which is of such central importance: who is he? Peter answers that he is the Christ, the Messiah. But then we once more see the messianic secret. This time Jesus shows how different his Messiahship will be from people's expectations — even from the disciples. He will suffer, like the servant in Isaiah, and he will die. But then he will rise. This must have been very difficult to comprehend — not only will he suffer and die, contrary to their expectations and sense of what is right and God's will — but then he says he will rise from the dead — whereas they didn't expect any resurrection before the end of time.

The conclusion challenges us all. Somehow we have to follow Jesus to his crucifixion. We too must accept crucifixion and death, and in that way, our lives will be saved, as his was. Clearly, we cannot hold onto our lives so as to avoid death. Clearly, also, we don't all have to undergo a literal death on a cross. But we cannot consider our lives, our persons to be simply our own. We belong to God, our lives belong to God. That is the attitude we have to cultivate as we go through life with whatever we may have or not have. It is the attitude that will give reality to the love of God and neighbor which is the greatest commandment.


When we come to the second reading — James 2:14-18 — the point is reinforced. Our attachment to God isn't real unless it leads us to act lovingly.

St. Paul tells those who think that keeping the Law, like some kind of checklist, saves us, that Jesus is the savior, and we rely on him in faith, not on our works. (Romans 3:28, 5:1; Galatians 3:15-21) James says that if we have genuine faith we will live as Jesus taught us, performing good works. The apparent contradiction between Paul and James is because they mean different things by "works" as well as because they are talking about them in different ways. Paul is talking about "works of the law," that is the specific prescriptions of Judaism: most notably circumcision, but also keeping kosher, observing the Jewish feasts, etc. He makes it clear that he is not talking about avoiding sin and acting rightly when he talks about the works of the law that do not justify us by themselves. (Romans 6-8) The works James is talking about are the works of love, which Paul also calls us to as "fruits of the Spirit." James is not saying that the good works by themselves are sufficient to save us. He says they are an inevitable corollary of true faith.

While I'm at it, I'd add that James doesn't give us a quota of works to perform. There is no reason to think, as many seem to, that "If the good you do outweighs the bad," you go to heaven. After all, there are conversions late in life. More importantly, that idea in effect makes us earn our own salvation, rather than basing it on faith in Jesus, whose saving action outweighs all our sins.