The Word today, W19B

August 12 - August 17, 2024

Monday 12 August

St Jane Frances de Chantal, religious; St Muredach, bishop; St Attracta, virgin; St Lelia, virgin.

Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28 For the next two weeks, we hear from the extraordinary book of the prophet Ezekiel. Some of the most beguiling and upsetting passages in the Old Testament come from his pen. Our reading of Ezekiel begins today with the story of his calling as a prophet.

Matthew 17:22-27 Jesus’ own real freedom in relation to civil authorities is wittily reflected in this rather legendary story.

Tuesday 13 August

Sts Pontian, bishop of Rome, and Hippolytus, Priest, martyrs; St Fachtna, bishop

Ezekiel 2:8-3:4 In a very graphic way, the function or role of a prophet is illustrated. The prophet must ingest and digest the message and only then may he or she speak.

Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 Familiarity can blunt our appreciation of biblical imagery. In this case, a child is as symbol of powerlessness rather than innocence. In the case of the shepherd, it against common sense to abandon ninety-nine is search of just one.

Wednesday 14 August

St Maximilian Kolbe, religious, priest, martyr.

Ezekiel 9:1-7, 10:18-22 Ezekiel lived at a time of tremendous unfaithfulness. The story we read today is not meant as a description of something which actually happened but rather a warning, even a threat that people should reform their lives. Ezekiel is always aware of God as mystery, greater than our words, our minds and our heart.

Matthew 18:15-20 In this Gospel we are overhearing practices developed in the community of Matthew, most likely centred in Antioch. What to do with people who “stray”? The procedure is in several stages, following common sensitivity and biblical precedent.

Thursday 15 August

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Apocalypse 11:19, 12:1-6, 10 This unusual reading is really about the motherhood of the church and the martyrdom of early Christians. By an accommodated interpretation, it is read for the feast.

1 Corinthians 15:20-26 Our text is really a good example of Christian apocalyptic. One of the concerns of apocalyptic writings was the sequence of the end or when we will see the total victory over death. Paul believed in this, but knew it was not yet.

Luke 1:39-56 The prayer of Mary can still cause surprise because it is not about having a baby but about social reversal or revolution. We overhear in these words the prayer of the Christian anawim YHWH or the poor of the Lord.

Friday 16 August

St Stephen of Hungary

Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63 In the Old Testament, marriage symbolism is used frequently for God’s relationship with his people. Partly, this is because the word covenant and (marriage) bond are identical in Hebrew. In today’s reading, Ezekiel—never short of a word —exploits the metaphor to reawaken the people’s original love for God.

Matthew 19:3-12 This important passage goes back to Jesus himself. He upholds the ideal of life-long marriage.

Saturday 17 August

Our Lady of Knock.

Ezekiel 18:1-10,13, 30-32 If we listened carefully to this reading it is extraordinary. It move from the traditional collective and generational guilt to individual responsibility. It thus fits in with the Axial Age, observed by Karl Jaspers, when humanity underwent a change of consciousness.

Matthew 19:13-15 It might be reassuring that the disciples got in the way so early!! Jesus corrected them and received the little children. Perhaps today we still stand in need such re-orientation…

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024bj, August 11). Nineteenth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081124.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/

The Word today, W18B

August 05 - August 10, 2024

Monday 05 August

Dedication of St Mary Major, Rome

Jeremiah 28:1-17 In critical times, there can be prophets who tell us what we want to hear. This was true in the past, as we hear in this gripping story of contrasting “words of the Lord.” Jeremiah is steadfast as usual.

Matthew 14:13-21 The multiplications in the desert has direct echoes of Moses and the manna. Our question might be “what happened?” “Matthew wants us to go a bit deeper: who is Jesus, our new Moses, who guides and nourishes us today?”

Tuesday 06 August

The Transfiguration of the Lord

Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 Our reading takes us to the heavenly court. It uses a key phrase: one like a son of man, used by J e s u s a b o u t himself. The ending of the reading is very like the ending of Matthew’s Gospel: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18)

2 Peter 1:16-19 Is the Christian proclamation just stories or “clever myths”? Emphatically not, according to this reading. Jesus was a real historical person about whom believers hold well-grounded beliefs. The last sentence in the reading is very uplifting: take [prophecy] as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.

Mark 9:2-10 What kind of experience was the Transfiguration for Jesus and for those present? It Mark’s version it was a spiritual experience in which the true identity of Jesus was disclosed and the right responses to him indicated: Listen, to him. This echoes again our human condition: we are hearers of the Word, as Rahner put it.

Wednesday 07 August

Sts Sixtus II, bishop of Rome and his companions, martyrs

Jeremiah 30:1-2,12-15,18-22 A double message marks this passage from Jeremiah, weal and woe or rather the other way around, woe and weal! Yes, the disaster of the Exile brought about tremendous destruction. No, God’s love has never been taken away.

Matthew 14:22-36 The Gospels as a whole were written in the light of Easter and to proclaim the resurrection. This is true of the walking on the water. In this case, we are to understand that the risen, living Lord is with his church always, no matter what storms and tempests we face.

Thursday 08 August

St Dominic, priest and religious

Jeremiah 31:1-7 The second part of Jeremiah is full of surprising and abundant consolation. Nowhere is this more evident is these lines today, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, so I am constant in my affection for you.” It was good news for the exiles; it is good new for us today.

Matthew 15:21-28 The story of the Canaanite woman is remarkable on several counts. First of all, a woman teaches Jesus. Secondly, Matthew underlines that Jesus came “only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This exception anticipates the Gentile mission, found at the close of this Gospel.

Friday 09 August

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, (Edith Stein) virgin and martyr

Hosea 2:16, 17, 21-22 The lectionary offers a powerful reading for the feast of Edith Stein, underlining the loving intimacy of God’s call.

Matthew 25:1-13 Our reading—quite traditional for the feast of virgins—reminds us that there are some things others cannot do for us: making journey inward to the heart of God.

Saturday 10 August

St Laurence, deacon and martyr

2 Corinthians 9:6-10 Originally, this reading was about the collection for the Judean Christians, who were poor and under pressure. Paul’s reflection on generosity in giving in general, however, is always up to date.

John 12:24-26 This short reading, also special for the feast, takes up an image from the parables of Jesus and applies it directly to the cost of discipleship then and now.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024bh, August 4). Eighteenth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080424.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/

The Word today, W17B

July 29 - August 03, 2024

Monday 29 July

Sts Martha, Mary and Lazarus

Jeremiah 13:1-11 From time to time the prophets use an illustration—a prophetic gesture—to get their message across. Today’s is quite dramatic!!

John 11:19-27 John’s symbolic narratives offer real human emotions, easy to connect to. The context here is loss and bereavement, known to us all. At the heart of the story is one of the seven great I AM sentences in John’s Gospel: challenging faith and offering consolation.

Tuesday 30 July

St Peter Chrysologus, bishop and doctor

Jeremiah 14:17-22 In the face of tragedy, today we hear a heart felt prayer, true at almost any time in human history. The person praying shows tremendous faith in God: O our God, you are our hope, since it is you who do all this.

Matthew 13:36-43 The parable of the darnel teaches patience and a certain non-interfering tolerance. In case this might lead to complacency (not much of risk these days!), the community developed this rather threatening interpretation.

Wednesday 31 July

St Ignatius Loyola, religious and priest

Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21 Jeremiah really did suffer for his calling as prophet. Not only had he difficult things to proclaim but he was personally treated very badly. In this passage, he brings his pain before the Lord.

Matthew 13:44-46 These two simply and direct parabolic sayings teach something we all know but lose sight of from time to time: discipleship “costs not less than everything.”

Thursday 01 August

St Alphonsus Mary de' Liguori, bishop, doctor

Jeremiah 18:1-6 Again, we have a prophetic gesture with a very clear message: Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.

Matthew 13:47-53 The gospel of Matthew can be uncomfortable and today he does teach that there will be a judgment and a sorting at the end. It is, of course, not a literal description but an invitation not to lose the potential of the present moment.

Friday 02 August

St Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop

Jeremiah 26:1-9 The Lord entrusts a message to the people, to be proclaimed in the holiest place the Temple. Will people pay attention? The reaction is forthright.

Matthew 13:54-58 As we say, familiarity breeds contempt. Because they think they are utterly familiar with this neighbour of theirs, their minds are blinded. This can happen to us too in our piety—we may think we know this Jesus, but do we really?

Saturday 03 August

Jeremiah 26:11-16, 24 Continuing from yesterday, we hear the divided reaction to Jeremiah’s proclamation. Fortunately for him, he has a supporter and a protector.

Matthew 14:1-12 The death of John the Baptist is a sad, even absurd ending to a fiery career. It is reported Mark and Matthew, both of whom use it a warning about the cost of discipleship. It is omitted in Luke and John, probably to avoid any comparisons with the unique death of Jesus. We know a little more about it from Josephus, who writes: “Accordingly John was sent as a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Machaerus, the castle I already mentioned, and was put to death. Now the Jews thought that the destruction of his army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God’s displeasure with him.” (Jewish Antiquities 18).

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024bf, July 28). Seventeenth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072824.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/