29 August 2021: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary time B

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Dt 4:1-2, 6-8	Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5	Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27	Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
RCL: Dt 4:1-2, 6-9		RCL: Jas 1:17-27

Discipleship: constant attention to religious practices

During Ordinary time the Lectionary presents stories and teachings from Jesus’ everyday ministry. This week’s readings focus on what personal discipleship requires of us.

First reading (Dt 4:1-2, 6-8)

The first reading is from the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy, a Greek word meaning “second law,” is Moses’ final address to the Israelites before he dies and the Israelites enter the promised land. In today’s pericope, Moses exhorts the Israelites to follow Torah “that you may live” and take possession of the land God has promised. Moses warns against “adding to or subtracting from” what God has revealed; the Law is complete and unchanging. Torah is a sign that Israel is unique among the nations (“what other nation has gods so close as the Lord is to us?”), and observing Torah shows Israel’s “wisdom and intelligence” before other nations. Israel is great not because of its military power, but because of its wisdom in following God’s Law. The Lectionary editors chose this reading to contrast the God’s unchanging law with Jesus’ teaching about human traditions in today’s gospel.

Second reading (Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27)

The second reading begins this year’s semi-continuous reading from the letter of James. James is “the brother of the Lord” mentioned in Paul’s letters and Acts, and led the Jerusalem ekklesia. The historical James was executed in 62 AD; an unknown author wrote this letter in the late first century to encourage Jewish Christian communities to moral action. In today’s pericope, the author teaches that God (“the Father of lights”) and God’s actions are moral (“good giving”) and changeless (“no alteration or shadow caused by change”). Through Jesus (“the word of truth”), God chose (“willed”) to “give birth” to the believing community (“firstfruits”). A disciple who receives the “implanted word” humbly and imitates Jesus’ words and actions will be saved. Salvation is God’s gift, to which a disciple responds by acting in a moral way. The author challenges his hearers “be doers:” to act on the word they have received. Those who “delude” themselves “hear” the word proclaimed but do nothing. “Religion” includes both worship and social action. He urges disciples to care for “widows and orphans,” who represent the poor who have no one to help them. He also urges disciples to stand apart morally (“keep oneself unstained”) from the world. The Lectionary editors chose this reading as part of Ordinary time’s semi-continuous reading from James.

Gospel (Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23)

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ opponents engage him in a controversy over purity. Jesus turns his opponents’ question back on them, teaching the crowd and the disciples about the true source of defilement.

• The controversy. The “traditions of the elders” refers to a body of detailed, unwritten, laws which were part of the oral Torah. For the scribes and Pharisees, the oral Torah had having the same binding force as the written Torah (Mosaic law). The scribes and Pharisees criticize Jesus because his disciples don’t follow the oral tradition’s purity rules.
• Jesus’ answer. Jesus responds by quoting the written Torah and interprets the quote as contrasting “God’s commandment” with “human traditions” (see today’s first reading). Jesus insults the Pharisees and scribes as ὑποκριτής/hypokritḗs, which means “an actor” or “pretender” or “hypocrite.” Today we would call them “poseurs:” wannabes who give lip service to God, while their “hearts are far away.”
• A parable about purity and defilement. Jesus teaches the crowd with a parable: outside things don’t defile a person; things that begin inside and come out as evil words or actions defile a person. Purity comes from a clean heart, not from clean hands. Jesus warns that strong religious commitment and devotion to tradition sometimes results in moral rigidity. Disciples must continually reassess human laws and customs in light of scripture and revelation, just as Jesus invokes Torah against human tradition.

Summary and reflection

This week’s readings ask us to think about what we, as disciples, do. Moses warns the Israelites to observe God’s commands and not to add or take away from them. The James author teaches that disciples must do God’s works, not just listen passively. Jesus tells the crowd and his disciples that a pious show doesn’t excuse actions and words that hurt others. Are we doers or just hearers? Do we think that simply sitting in church for an hour every week proves us wise? Do we believe that just hearing someone talk about God’s word guarantees our salvation? Do we assume that “following other people’s rules” means we know what God is asking of us?

—Terence Sherlock

22 August 2021: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary time B

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b	Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21	Eph 5:21-32 or Eph 5:2a, 25-32	Jn 6:60-69
RCL: Jos 24:1-2a, 14-18		RCL: Eph 6:10-20

Bread of life: the choice to stay with Jesus

During Ordinary time the Lectionary presents stories and teachings from Jesus’ everyday ministry. This week’s readings focus on discipleship’s stark choice.

First reading (Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b)

The first reading is from the book of Joshua, which tells the story of Moses’ assistant and successor. Joshua leads the Israelites into the promised land. In today’s pericope, Joshua addresses the people before he dies. Joshua summarizes God’s mighty acts in bringing the people to the promised land, and God’s keeping the promise made to Abraham and his descendants about providing a homeland for them. The Israelites renew their covenant with God because God has fulfilled the promises made to them. The Lectionary editors chose this reading because Joshua’s question to the Israelites is the same as Jesus’ question to the disciples in the gospel: how do you respond to divine revelation?

Second reading (Eph 5:21-32)

The second reading concludes Ordinary time’s semi-continuous reading from the letter to the Ephesians. This letter’s major theme is the unity of all Christians in one ekklesia. In today’s pericope, the Ephesians’ author reworks both the ancient world’s “household codes” and Paul’s “ekklesia as the body of Christ” metaphor to encourage unity. In his reworked household codes, the author has Christians “submit to one another,” rather than to greater authority. The author frames mutual submission as an act of reverence for Christ. The author replaces household responsibilities with ethical duties to the body of Christ. The author asks wives to be subordinate to husbands in the same way that the ekklesia (“church”) is subordinate to Christ. The ekklesia, as the body of Christ, shares attributes with Christ himself: it is the manifestation of God’s wisdom; it is holy; it stands apart and is different from the world. The author’s major change in household codes is in the husband’s role, encouraging husbands to love (“love your wives”) and to self-sacrifice (“hand himself over”). The author is clear that Christ’s relationship with the believing community is the model for all human relationships. The Lectionary editors chose this reading to close Ordinary time’s semi-continuous reading from Ephesians.

Gospel (Jn 6:60-69)

John’s bread of life discourse concludes with two possible responses to Jesus’ revelation. The “hard saying” is Jesus’ claim that he makes God known in a way that transcends Torah revelation (Jn 6:49-51). Disciples now must choose:

• No longer go with Jesus. From his gospel’s start John describes those who believe in Jesus and those who are without belief. Here Jesus reveals that God’s invitation (“drawing” or “granted by”) plays a role in believing in Jesus. Facts or “signs” don’t create disciples; rather, discipleship grows from a Spirit-filled response to the Father revealed in Jesus’ word. The disciples who “stop waking with Jesus” want Jesus to match their expectations of who Jesus should be, rather than who Jesus reveals himself to be.
• Continue following Jesus. From the beginning, John describes disciples who encounter and believe in Jesus and, by “remaining” or “abiding” with him, grow into a true faith. These disciples see Jesus’ “signs,” but also “come to believe” in Jesus as the revealer of the Father. “The flesh,” that is, unenlightened human understanding, can’t see beyond its own biases. The disciples who “continue waking with Jesus” believe that Jesus is who he says he is, and change their own expectations to align with Jesus’ words and actions.

Summary and reflection

This week’s readings ask us to think about discipleship’s binary choice. Before the Israelites enter the promised land, Joshua tells them to choose between the God who saved them or the gods of their ancestors. The Ephesians author exhorts his hearers to choose the unity found through mutual submission in the ekklesia over the world’s discord and power-based relationships. Jesus’ revelation of the Father challenges disciples. What does our discipleship stand for? Do we remain disciples because it’s a family tradition, or because we have personally experienced God’s gifts? Do we stay with a church because it doesn’t make too many demands on us, or because it pushes us to serve one another? Is discipleship a comfortable accommodation with our own opinions, or can we uncomfortably admit that we don’t have all the answers?

—Terence Sherlock

15 August 2021: Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary A/B/C

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab	Ps 45:10, 11, 12, 16	1 Cor 15:20-27	Lk 1:39-56

Mary’s assumption: the first disciple taken up to God

On the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the readings ask us to think about Mary’s role in salvation and her discipleship.

First reading (Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab)

The first reading is from Revelation, a writing in an apocalyptic (Greek: “unveiling”) style. The purpose of apocalyptic writings is to give hope and comfort to a persecuted community. John the Seer (also called John of Patmos) wrote his vision between 92-97AD. Today’s pericope is the story of the woman and the dragon, and includes many symbols:

• The Ark. The Ark of the Covenant represents God’s presence among the people. In the Middle Ages, writers called Mary the “New Ark” because she carried Jesus, God-with-us.
• The woman. The woman represents both Israel (the community awaiting the messiah, and the community from which the messiah is born), and the Christian ekklesia (the believing community who emulate Jesus’ words and actions). The Seer uses images from Gn 3 (sun, moon, stars) to describe the woman. In the Middle Ages, writers associated these images with Mary.
• The dragon. Middle Eastern myths describe a dragon or sea-serpent as a symbol of chaos. The Seer associates the dragon with the serpent in Gn 3 (Wis 2:24 transformed the creation story’s “snake” into “the devil”).
• The child. The male child is the messiah; the quote from Ps 2:9 (“with an iron rod you will shepherd them”) identifies him explicitly. The child’s birth stands for Christ’s glorification on the cross, not his nativity.

The Lectionary editors chose this reading because the “woman clothed with the sun” is traditionally associated with Mary.

Second reading (1 Cor 15:20-27)

The second reading is from Paul’s first letter to the Corinth ekklesia, which he founded in the early 50s AD. In today’s pericope, Paul describes Christ’s ultimate victory over humans’ natural and supernatural enemies. The Catechism (CCC, §966) quotes today’s reading to explain the meaning of Mary’s Assumption. Paul tells the Corinthians how “all shall be brought to life” through Christ’s victory over death: first, Christ is raised (“Christ as firstfruits”); then, at Christ’s return, all believers (“all those who belong to Christ”). Because of Mary’s unique role as the Theotokos (“God-bearer” or Mother of God), and because Mary was born without original sin (the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception), ancient church tradition teaches that God granted her an extraordinary resurrection: Mary is the first resurrection among believers. Mary’s assumption (“taking up”) is a singular participation in Christ’s resurrection; her resurrection anticipates the end-time resurrection of all believers.

Gospel (Lk 1:39-56)

Luke’s gospel reports the encounter between Elizabeth and Mary, and Mary’s song, the Magnificat. Her canticle of praise has the following structure and themes:

• Movement. Mary’s praise moves from what God has done for her to what God has done for believers in all generations. In the same way, Mary’s praise moves from God’s works in the past (“our fathers”) to God’s help to “his children forever.” The titles that Mary assigns to God (“Lord,” “Savior,” “Holy”), others in Luke’s gospel will give to her son.
• God’s reversals. God transforms Mary from “lowly servant” to blessed by “all generations.” God shows mercy to all, but disperses the arrogant (“the proud in their conceit”). God raises up “the lowly,” but casts down rulers. God fills the hungry, but sends away the rich with nothing.
• God fulfills the promise of salvation. God shows mercy to Israel in fulfilling the promise to Abraham. Mary personifies Israel; the “mercy” God shows to her reflects the mercy God shows to all God’s people. As the mother of Jesus (Jesus’ name means “YHWH saves”), Mary’s “yes” is key to the completion of God’s saving plan.

Summary and reflection

The Assumption readings invite us to explore Mary’s symbols and their meanings. John the Seer’s woman stands for the ekklesia; Mary, “mother of the church,” takes on the woman’s symbols. Paul explains the resurrection of all believers; Mary, as the “first disciple” experiences personal resurrection first. God blesses Mary because of her faith; her “yes” leads to the Incarnation. Mary’s words and actions always point to Christ, not to herself. The new Eve, clothed with the sun and crowned with stars, points to her redeeming child. The first disciple embodies the resurrection promised to all believers. The Theotokos praises God, the source of all salvation. In what ways can our discipleship imitate Mary’s words and actions?

—Terence Sherlock

About the feast of the Assumption of Mary

The feast of the Assumption of Mary celebrates that Mary, at her death, was taken up body and soul into heaven. The English word “assumption” comes from the Latin verb assumere, which means “to take up” or “to receive.” The Eastern church celebrates this feast as the Dormition (“falling asleep”) of Mary. The Assumption is Mary’s singular participation in Christ’s resurrection, and, as such, anticipates the resurrection of all Christians. The Catholic church considers this dogma to present in Christian scripture and in Apostolic Tradition, at least implicitly. Local liturgies and prayers celebrating Mary’s assumption appear in liturgical books dating back to the fourth century. On 1 November 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary a dogma in his apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus.

8 August 2021: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary time B

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
1 Kgs 19:4-8	Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9	Eph 4:30-5:2	Jn 6:41-51
		RCL: Eph 4:25-5:2	RCL: Jn 6:35, 41-51

Bread of life: Jesus as living bread and revealer of God

During Ordinary time the Lectionary presents stories and teachings from Jesus’ everyday ministry. This week’s readings focus on Jesus’ origin and the physical and spiritual food he gives believers.

First reading (1 Kgs 19:4-8 )

The first reading is from the First Book of Kings, which includes stories about the prophet Elijah. In this Elijah story, Elijah is on the run after defeating the god Ba’al and killing queen Jezebel’s priests. To avenge herself, Jezebel forces Elijah into exile. In today’s pericope, Elijah travels through the wilderness on his way to Mount Horeb (an alternate name for “Sinai”). Exhausted, Elijah lies down and prays for death: he has failed in his prophetic mission and believes there is no point going on (“I am no better than my fathers”). Elijah is startled awake by an angel or “messenger” who provides food. As in last week’s reading, God feeds Elijah miraculously with bread (“hearth cake”) in the wilderness. Regaining his physical and spiritual strength, Elijah is able to walk to Horeb. The Lectionary editors chose this reading because God’s feeding in the wilderness continues the gospel’s bread from heaven theme.

Second reading (Eph 4:30-5:2)

The second reading is from the semi-continuous reading from the letter to the Ephesus ekklesia. In today’s pericope, the author focuses on threats to the ekklesia‘s unity, specifically anger. He warns the Ephesians not to “grieve” the Spirit, suggesting that believers’ uncharitable words and actions offend the Spirit present within the community. The “seal” is God’s pledge to complete God’s bestowing of salvation’s gift; “sealing” is also a term for baptism. The author lists various manifestations of anger (“bitterness,” “fury,” “shouting,” “reviling”) and exhorts the community to “remove” all such vices. He then catalogues virtues of kindness (compassion, forgiveness) that can offset the vices of anger. “Love” is the characteristic that defines the believing community and sets it apart from non-believers. The Lectionary editors chose this reading as part of Ordinary time’s semi-continuous reading from Ephesians.

Gospel (Jn 6:41-51)

John’s gospel continues the story of Jesus feeding five thousand (Jn 6:1-71). Today’s pericope, from Jesus’ “bread of life” discourse, explains and interprets Jesus’ sign. Jesus uses his opponents’ misunderstanding to reveal his origin and identity.

• Jesus’ origin. His opponents dispute (“murmur about”) Jesus’ claim that he has “come down from heaven.” They “know” his parents and, therefore, know his origin. Like Moses correcting the murmuring Israelites in the wilderness (Ex 16:6-8), Jesus corrects his murmuring opponents: “the Father sent me.” Only the “one who is from God” has seen and knows the Father. As evidence, Jesus point to Hebrew scripture: “They shall all be taught by God.” Jesus fulfills this promise (Is 54:13) because Jesus is the divine teacher and revealer of God.
• Moses and manna/Jesus and bread. Jesus’ opponents have already asked Jesus for a sign to prove that he is greater than Moses, who gave them both physical food (manna) and spiritual food (Torah). Jesus answers that no one, including Moses, has seen and knows God. Only Jesus, “who is from God,” has the authority to make God known and to give “eternal life” to believers. Jesus reminds his opponents that their ancestors (including Moses) ate the manna but still died. Jesus, who is “the bread coming down from heaven,” gives spiritual food that allows believers “to live forever.” Jesus’ origin is from God, and his physical food (Eucharist) and spiritual food (revelation of God) is greater than Moses’ manna or Torah.

Summary and reflection

This week’s readings ask us to think about Jesus and the gifts he gives believers. God feeds Elijah miraculously with bread in the wilderness so Elijah can travel to Horeb and encounter God. The Ephesians author exhorts the community to practice love, which sets it apart from unbelievers. Jesus reveals that he is the bread of life; his bread is greater than manna, and his knowledge of God is greater than Torah. How do we encounter the living bread come down from heaven? Is it physical food to fuel our daily lives? Is it spiritual food that enables us to love one another? Is it the physical presence of Jesus who gives the unconditional gift of himself for the life of the world?

—Terence Sherlock