DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Monday, August 11, 2014 19th Week in Ordinary Time - Psalter 3 (White) Feast of St. Clare, Virgin Readings: Ezk 1:2-28; Ps 148:1-14; Mt 17:22-27 Response: Heaven and earth are filled with your glory. Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Key Verse: Take the first fish that rises, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel. SAINT OF THE DAY: Saint Clare, Virgin Patron of Sore Eyes Clare was a beautiful Italian noblewoman who became the Foundress of an order of nuns now called Poor Clares. When she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach, her heart burned with a great desire to imitate Francis and to live a poor humble life for Jesus. So one evening, she ran away from home, and in a little chapel outside Assisi, gave herself to God. St. Francis cut off her hair and gave her a rough brown habit to wear, tied with a plain cord around her waist. Her parents tried in every way to make her return home, but Clare would not. Soon her sister, St. Agnes joined her, as well as other young women who wanted to be brides of Jesus, and live without any money. St. Clare and her sisters wore no shoes, ate no meat, lived in a poor house, and kept silent most of the time. Yet they were very happy, because Our Lord was close to them all the time. Once, He saved them from a great danger in answer to St. Clares prayer. An army of rough soldiers came to attack Assisi and they planned to raid the convent first. Although very sick, St. Clare had herself carried to the wall and right there, where the enemies could see it, she had the Blessed Sacrament placed. Then on her knees, she begged God to save the Sisters. O Lord, protect these Sisters whom I cannot protect now, she prayed. A voice seemed to answer: I will keep them always in My care. At the same time a sudden fright struck the attackers and they fled as fast as they could. St. Clare was sick and suffered great pains for many years, but she said that no pain could trouble her. So great was her joy in serving the Lord that she once exclaimed: They say that we are too poor, but can a heart which possesses the infinite God be truly called poor? We should remember this miracle of the Blessed Sacrament when in Church. Then we will pray with great Faith to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist: Save me, O Lord, from every evil - of soul and body. Her feast day is August 11. READINGS FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28 2 On the fifth of the month -- it was the fifth year of exile for King Jehoiachin- 3 the word of Yahweh was addressed to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in Chaldaea by the River Chebar. There the hand of Yahweh came on him. 4 I looked; a stormy wind blew from the north, a great cloud with flashing fire and brilliant light round it, and in the middle, in the heart of the fire, a brilliance like that of amber, 5 and in the middle what seemed to be four living creatures. They looked like this: They were of human form. 24 I also heard the noise of their wings; when they moved, it was like the noise of flood-waters, like the voice of Shaddai, like the noise of a ×storm, like the noise of an armed camp; and when they halted, they lowered their wings; 25 there was a noise too. 26 Beyond the solid surface above their heads, there was what seemed like a sapphire, in the form of a throne. High above on the form of a throne was a form with the appearance of a human being. 27 I saw a brilliance like amber, like fire, radiating from what appeared to be the waist upwards; and from what appeared to be the waist downwards, I saw what looked like fire, giving a brilliant light all round. 28 The radiance of the encircling light was like the radiance of the bow in the clouds on rainy days. The sight was like the glory of Yahweh. I looked and fell to the ground, and I heard the voice of someone speaking to me. RESPONSORIAL PSALM, Psalms 148:1-2, 11-12, 12-14, 14 1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh from the heavens, praise him in the heights. 2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host! 11 kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all judges on earth, 12 young men and girls, old people and children together. 13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh, for his name alone is sublime, his splendour transcends earth and heaven. 14 For he heightens the strength of his people, to the praise of all his faithful, the children of Israel, the people close to him. GOSPEL, Matthew 17:22-27 22 When they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, The Son of man is going to be delivered into the power of men; 23 they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised up again. And a great sadness came over them. 24 When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, Does your master not pay the half-shekel? 25 Yes, he replied, and went into the house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do earthly kings take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners? 26 And when he replied, From foreigners, Jesus said, Well then, the sons are exempt. 27 However, so that we shall not be the downfall of others, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that rises, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for yourself. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: Almighty and ever-living God, your Spirit made us your children, confident to call you Father. Increase your Spirit within us and bring us to our promised inheritance. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ON READING 1: Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28c (Introduction, Ezekiels vision of the glory of the Lord) As is usual in the prophetical books, the heading identifies the author and indicates when and where he exercised his ministry. Ezekiel was a priest, and there is evidence of this throughout the book -- for example, in the stress he puts on precepts to do with divine worship and in his frequent use of the teaching techniques used by people who held temple positions. The thirtieth year: this seems to provide the key to dating Ezekiels ministry, but it is not easy to decide how this should be interpreted. It could be a reference to the prophets age at the start of his mission, as if he were to say, when I was thirty years old, or it could be a reference to when the theophany that he is about to describe (vv. 2-3) occurred. Since that in fact happened in 593 BC (see below), the thirty years would refer to the period of time that had elapsed since that event. He could mean that he had the visions thirty years after the finding of the book of Deuteronomy in 622 BC, in the time of King Josiah (cf. 2 Kings 22:1-23:30), or that he was thirty. From Origen onwards (Homilae in Ezechielem, 1, 4), most scholars take it that the reference is to the age of Ezekiel at the time. Thirty was an important age for a priest, because that was when he began to exercise a priests duties in the temple (cf. Num 4:23, 30), and it is probable that that was the point when Ezekiel received the word of the Lord and began his prophetical ministry. Jesus, too, was about thirty years of age (Lk 3:23) when he began his public ministry; and the Fathers point out the parallel: When he was thirty years old, the heavens were opened and Ezekiel the prophet saw visions of God on the banks of the river Chebar. When he was thirty years old, our Lord travelled to the Jordan; the heavens were opened and the Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and a voice cried out from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (St Gregory the Great, Homiliae in Ezechielem prophetam, 1,2, 5). Verses 2-3 are in the third person, unlike the rest of the passage, which is in the first person singular. They specify the date of the start of Ezekiels ministry, the first year of the exile of King Jehoiachin, that is, 593 BC, for that first deportation took place in 597 (cf. 2 Kings 24:10-17). These two verses giving the prophets name and the year when his ministry began were probably added by a later author. The Chebar is a tributary of the Euphrates; archaeological remains have been discovered on its banks which show that there was a Jewish settlement there from the sixth century BC on. By mentioning the location twice, the text wants to make it clear that the theophany or vision took place outside the land of Israel, in Babylon, and that, therefore, the Lord had remained with his followers even when they were living among the Gentiles, in a pagan and unclean land. The fact that Ezekiel has a prophets role is conveyed by the use of two wordings. The first, the word of the Lord came to (him), occurs in many other prophetical books (Hos 1:1; Joel 1:1; etc.); the second, the hand of the Lord was upon him (cf. 3:22; 8 : 1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1) is used more in connexion with the early non-writer prophets, specifically those in the time of Elijah (1 Kings 18 : 46). Thus, Ezekiel is being depicted as a person of great importance, a priest by descent, a true defender of the faith like Elijah, and a prophet like his immediate predecessors. This fairly homogenous section introduces the two protagonists of the book -- God and the prophet. God reveals himself in all his majesty in a remarkable theophany: Ezekiel is able to see the splendour of his glory ( 1:4-28 ). The prophet is depicted as the person entrusted with the Lords words and charged with passing them on to the people (2:1-3:15). Ezekiel is made a watchman; he must warn the people and look out for them at all times, no matter what it takes: What did Ezekiel do to prompt my admiration? Having been ordered to accuse Jerusalem of her sins, he set his heart wholly on obedience to the Lords command and paid no heed to the persecution he might encounter because of his preaching (Origen, Homiliae in Ezechielem, 6, 1). This is an awesome vision. The prophet watches in amazement as he sees the throne arrive (v. 26), on which is seated a likeness as it were of a human form, which becomes the likeness of the glory of the Lord ( v. 28 ). The glory of the Lord is something that cannot be described. What can one say? It is like gleaming bronze (v. 4), like burning coals of fire, like torches (v. 13), like sapphire (v. 26) etc.; human language is at a complete loss to describe the grandeur of Gods glory. The account of the vision shows that God stands above everything; he is ineffable. St Cyril of Jerusalem puts it this way: Do you want to know why it is impossible to understand the nature of God? Tell me about the cherubim. In so far as it is possible, the prophet Ezekiel offered a description of them: each one had four faces: the faces of a man, of a lion, of an eagle, and of a bull. If we cannot form a clear idea of the cherubim, even with the help of this prophetic description; if we cannot make out the image of the throne as the prophet has described it, how can we expect to understand the one seated on the throne, the invisible and ineffable God? It is impossible for us to comprehend who God is; but by seeing all his works, it is possible for us to praise and worship him (Catecheses ad illuminandos, 9, 3). The various elements in the account leave us in no doubt as to the splendour of the vision, but the details given about each are difficult to understand. Many commentators think that the details were added much later, in an attempt to adapt the vision to the traditions of divine worship -- for example, to identify the throne of the glory of the Lord with the carriage that was used for bearing the ark of the Covenant solemn processions. Certainly, each piece of the vision must have a meaning, though it may sometimes escape us. Wind, cloud and fire (cf. v. 4) accompany great theophanies, such that of Sinai (Ex 19:16-20; Ps 18:9-15, 29:3-10); here they serve to emphasize the heavenly nature of the vision (the heavens were opened: v. 1). The likeness of four living creatures (v. 5): the Hebrew word hayot, used for these, indicates that they are not domestic animals or wild beasts, but mythological beings of the sort often represented in Assyrian art. In Ezekiel the number four means fullness (the idea must derive from the four cardinal points--north, south, east, west): the four creatures have four wings each, and four faces, and each of them has a wheel so that they can move in any four directions (vv. 15-17). The creatures are unlike any known creature, for sometimes they are treated masculine, and sometimes as feminine; sometimes the verb is in the singular, sometimes in the plural. In some way, they symbolize all living things, humans and beasts, created to show, in what they are and what they do, the glory of God in all its splendour. Almost from the beginning, Christian exegesis (cf. St. lrenaeus, Adversus haereses, 3, 11, 18 ) interpreted the four animals (cf. v. 10) as symbolizing the four evangelists: Because he begins his Gospel with an account of the human genealogy [of the Lord], Matthew is symbolized by the man; Mark is symbolized by the lion because he begins with a loud cry in the desert: Luke is symbolized by the bull because his book begins with a sacrifice; John is the eagle because his first focus is on the divinity of the Word: in trying to see into the heart of the divine he is like the eagle that stares into the sun (St. Gregory the Great, Homiliae in Ezechielem prophetam, 1, 4, 1). The wheels (vv. 15-21) suggest a war chariot, but they have extraordinary features and operate as if they were alive: they are full of eyes (v. 18) and the spirit of the living creatures was in (them) (v. 20). They symbolize all inanimate creation -- a dimension of creation which, like man, is designed to reveal the greatness of the glory of God. The firmament (v. 22), in Semitic cosmology, was a huge, solid plate separating the upper waters from those below; rain resulted when God opened trapdoors in this plate (cf. Gen 1:6-8). But the firmament also acted as a divide between heaven and earth; below it, creatures lived their lives; above it, God lived his. Therefore, the things depicted here as being above the firmament (vv. 24-28) have to do with God: the voice, the sapphire throne, the fire, etc. are all manifestations of divine majesty. The glory of God forms the centre of the vision: all the other details are meant to underscore the splendour of that glory. In Ezekiel, as in the Priestly tradition (cf. Ex 13:22; 24:16; 40:35; Lev 9:23-24), the glory of God means the presence of God, who rules over all that he has created and is active among them. When the glory of God is present, the people are safe, and things go well; when it is withdrawn, it is a sign that the very worst will happen. Ezekiel records that the vision comes to him as a likeness (demut in the Hebrew, as in Genesis 1:26) of the glory of God. So, St Cyril of Jerusalem makes the point that The prophet saw the likeness of the glory of God (Ezek 1:28); he did not see the Lord, but only the likeness of his glory; he did not even see the glory itself, as it really is, but only its likeness. And yet, though he saw only the likeness of the glory of the Lord, the prophet was so moved that he fell to the ground. If so great a man as the prophet falls to the ground and trembles in the presence of the likeness of the Lords glory, any man who tries to see God as he really is will surely die. And Scripture tells us so: No man shall see the face of God and live (Catechesis ad lluminandos, 9, 1). ON THE GOSPEL: Matthew 17:22-27 (Second Prophecy of the Passion; the Temple Tax) The five verses of today’s Gospel speak about two very different themes between them. (a) The second announcement of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus (Mt 17, 22-23); (b) they inform on the conversation of Jesus with Peter about paying the taxes and the dues to the temple (Mt 17, 24-27). • Matthew 17, 22-23: The announcement of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The first announcement (Mt 16, 21) had produced a strong reaction on Peter who did not want to know anything about suffering nor the cross. Jesus had answered just as strongly: “Get behind me, Satan!” (Mt 16, 23). Here, in the second announcement, the reaction of the disciples is less strong, less aggressive. The announcement produces sadness. It seems that now they begin to understand that the cross forms part of the journey. The proximity of the death and the suffering weigh heavily on them, giving rise to a great discouragement. Even if Jesus tries to help them, the resistance of centuries against the idea of a crucified Messiah, was much greater. Matthew 17 24-25a: The question which the tax collectors ask Peter concerning the taxes. When they reached Capernaum, the tax collector of the taxes of the Temple asks Peter: “Does your Master not pay the half-shekel for the Temple?” Peter answered: “Yes”. From the time of Nehemias (V Century BC), the Jews who had returned from the exile of Babylonia, committed themselves solemnly in the Assembly to pay the diverse taxes and dues in order to allow the Temple to continue to function and to take care of the maintenance both of the priestly service and of the building of the Temple. (Ne 10, 33-40). From what we can see from Peter’s response, Jesus paid the taxes like any other Jew. Half-shekel, or didrachma: a coin equal in value to the annual contribution every Jew had to make for the upkeep of the temple--a days wage of a laborer. The shekel or stater which our Lord refers to in verse 27 was a Greek coin worth two didrachmas. Jesus uses things great and small to get His teaching across to His disciples. Peter, who is to be the rock on which He will found His Church (Matthew 16:18-19), He prepares by letting him see His dramatic Transfiguration ( 17:1-8 ); now He gives Peter another inkling of His divinity through an apparently unimportant miracle. We should take note of Jesus teaching method: after His second announcement of His passion, His disciples are downhearted (Matthew 17:22-23); here He lifts Peters spirits with this friendly little miracle. Matthew 17, 25b-26: The question of Jesus to Peter concerning the taxes. The conversation between Jesus and Peter is very strange. When they reach home, Jesus asked: “ Simon, what is your opinion? From whom do earthly kings take toll or tribute? From their sons or from foreigners?” Peter responds: “From foreigners”. And Jesus says: “Therefore, the sons are exempt!” Probably, here we can see a discussion between the Christian Jews before the destruction of the Temple, in the year 70. They asked themselves if they had to continue or not to pay the taxes of the Temple, as they did before. By Jesus’ response they discover that they are not obliged to pay this tax: “The sons are exempt!” The sons are the Christians, but even if they are not obliged to pay, the recommendation of Jesus is to pay in order not to cause scandal. This shows how conscientiously our Lord fulfilled His civic duties. Although the half-shekel tax had to do with religion, given the theocratic structure of Israel at the time, payment of this tax also constituted a civic obligation. Matthew 17, 27: The conclusion of the conversation on the paying of the tax. The solution which Jesus gives to this situation is even stranger. He tells Peter: “However, so that we shall not be the downfall of others, go to the lake and cast a hook: take the first fish that rises, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for yourself.” This was a strange miracle, strange like that of the 2000 pigs which threw themselves into the sea (Mk 5, 13). Which ever is the interpretation of this miraculous fact, this way of resolving the problem suggests that it is a question that is not too important for Jesus. FINAL PRAYERS: Praise Yahweh from the heavens, praise him in the heights. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host! (Ps 148,1-2) When night comes, and retrospect shows that everything was patchwork and much that one had planned left undone, when so many things rouse shame and regret, then take all as is, lay it in God’s hands, and offer it up to Him. In this way we will be able to rest in Him, actually to rest and to begin the new day like a new life. Amen. -— Edith Stein Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. -- St. Jerome The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son, and He utters Him forever in everlasting silence; and in silence the soul has to hear it. -- St. John of the Cross
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 22:39:40 +0000
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