Solemnity: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cycle B
1st Reading: Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8abe-9
When Israel was a child
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[1] When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
[3] Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them up in my arms;
but they did not know that I healed them.
[4] I led them with cords of compassion,
with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one
who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.
[8ab] How can I give you up, O Ephraim!
How can I hand you over, O Israel!
[8e] My heart recoils within me,
my compassion grows warm and tender.
[9] I will not execute my fierce anger,
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come to destroy.
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Commentary:
11:1-11. The second part of the hook of Hosea ends with this very touching pas-
sage summing up, once again, the relationship between God and his people: the
Lord is faithful, whereas Israel is not; but the Lord, true to his nature (v. 9), pro-
claims that he will bless Israel once more. The Christian reader will immediately
notice in v. 1 a line that is applied to Jesus in the New Testament (Mt 2: 15).
What is new about this poem is the fact that whereas previously God’s faithful-
ness was described as being like that of a husband, here God is depicted as a
father: "God’s love for Israel is compared to a father’s love for his son (Hos 11:11).
His love for his people is stronger than a mother’s for her children. God loves his
people more than a bridegroom his beloved (Is 62:4-5); his love will he victorious
over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift: 'God so
loved the world that he gave his only Son’ (Jn 3:16)" (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 219).
With the exception of v. 10, the oracle is placed on the lips of the Lord, to under-
score God’s relationship with his people. From the very first (v. 1), the Lord loved
Israel as his own son, and from the first Israel rebelled (v. 2); the Lord reared him
(v. 3), showing every sign of attention (v. 4: literally "cords of man" as distinct from
the reins used for animals), but Israel is bent on forsaking his Lord (v. 7). Then,
in a burst of anger, the Lord decides to chastise his people; they shall become
slaves once more (vv. 5-6). But this anger does not last long, because, "even
when the Lord is exasperated by the infidelity of his people and thinks of fini-
shing with it, it is still his tenderness and generous love for those who are his
own which overcomes his anger" (John Paul II, Dives in misericordia, 4).
This oracle shows the full extent of God’s paternal affection. In the opening chap-
ters God’s love for Israel was compared with the distraught, impassioned love of
a husband for his unfaithful wife; here it is depicted as a father’s love for his son:
he cannot not love him, even if the son proves ungrateful. The very thought of
abandoning Israel breaks God’s heart (cf. v. 8). What the prophet is doing here
is telling us something about God’s "psychology": God’s love for his people, and
ultimately for every human being, exceeds human loves -- parental and spousal
(these, in fact, are only partial reflections of divine love): "God is pure spirit in
which there is no place for the difference between the sexes. But the respective
'perfections’ of a man and woman reflect something of the infinite perfection of
God: those of a mother and those of a father and husband" (Catechism of the
Catholic Church, 370).
This oracle of salvation is rounded off by the final verses. God forgives Israel;
it is only right that he should: he is God (v. 9). The wonderful thing about this
passage is that God’s forgiveness comes before Israel’s conversion: his initial
love, and the later reconciliation, are initiatives of God. Conversion (vv. 11-12)
stems from God’s prior love.
St Matthew’s Gospel (2:15) sees the prophecy in Hosea 11:1 being fulfilled in
the flight into Egypt and subsequent return: according to the evangelist, Jesus,
in his life, embodies the history of his people, and in him God fulfils his ancient
promises to renew the people of Israel.
2nd Reading: Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19
St Paul's Mission
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[8] To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to
preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, [9] and to make all men
see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;
that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known
to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. [11] This was according
to the eternal purpose which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, [12] in
whom we have boldness and confidence of access through our faith in him.
The Apostle's Prayer
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[14] For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, [15] from whom every
family in heaven and on earth is named, [16] what according to the riches of his
glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the
inner man, [17] and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you,
being rooted and grounded in love, [18] may have power to comprehend with all
the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, [19] and to
know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you maybe filled with
all the fullness of God.
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Commentary:
1-21. Christ's saving work on behalf of the Gentiles, calling them to be with the
Jews, living stones in the edifice of the Church, leads the Apostle once again to
overflow in prayer (vv. 14-21). But first he considers his own position and what
Christ has done in him by making him a minister or servant of the Mystery of
Christ (vv. 2-13). He witnesses to the revelation he himself has received, which
made this Mystery known to him (vv. 2-5); and he goes on to give a summary
of the Mystery, emphasizing the call of the Gentiles to the Church through the
preaching of the Gospel (v. 6); he then explains that his mission is precisely to
preach the Mystery of Christ to the Gentiles (vv. 7-13).
8. Humble abandonment to the action of God in his soul leads St Paul to regard
himself as the very lowest of Christians (cf. 1 Cor 15:9); his only credit is the
grace God has given him. This grace includes the revelation of "the Mystery" and
also the mission to proclaim it (cf. note on Phil 1:7).
He sees the gifts which Christ extends to all, the Gentiles included, as an inex-
haustible source of riches (cf. 1:18; 2:7; 3:16). In this present life no one can fully
grasp the marvels God has done (cf. Job 5:9) or plumb the depths of God's mercy
as manifested in Jesus Christ (cf. note on Col 2:2-3).
Every generation can and should discover in the mystery of Christ "full awareness
of (man's) dignity, of the heights to which he is raised, of the surpassing worth of
his own humanity, and of the meaning of his existence" (John Paul II, "Redemptor
Hominis", 11). The Church's mission is precisely this: "the revealing of Christ to
the world, helping each person to find himself in Christ, and helping the contem-
porary generations of our brothers and sisters the peoples, nations, states, man-
kind, developing countries and countries of opulence--in short, helping everyone
to get to know 'the unsearchable riches of Christ', since these riches are for every
individual and are everybody's property" ("ibid.").
9. The Apostle establishes a close parallel between God's plan of Redemption
and the very act of creation (cf. 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 1:4). This saving design, hidden
until now, is what has been revealed by Christ; it enables us to grasp God's infi-
nite love for men, for it shows that creation itself is part of God's plan of salvation.
For if "all things were created" (Col 1:16) in and for and with Christ, the "Mystery"
of which he is speaking was already latent in the very creation of the world.
Hence God's eternal plan, which envisages man's salvation, affects the very act
of creation and includes the incarnation of the Son of God.
Pope John Paul II says this in "Redemptor Hominis", 8: "The Redeemer of the
world! In him has been revealed in a new and more wonderful way the fundamen-
tal truth concerning creation to which the Book of Genesis gives witness when it
repeats several times, 'God saw that it was good' (cf. Gen 1 "passim"). The good
has its source in Wisdom and Love. In Jesus Christ the visible world which God
created for man (cf. Gen 1:26-30)--the world which, when sin entered, 'was sub-
jected to futility' (Rom 8:19-22)--recovers again its original link with the divine
source of Wisdom and Love."
10-12. This text shows that the apostolic ministry of preaching has a universal,
cosmic, impact. Thanks to the Church's preaching of "the mystery", it is made
known not only to mankind but also to the principalities and powers of the heav-
ens. This preaching reveals the hidden, eternal plans of salvation whereby Jews
and Gentiles, by being converted to Christ, come to have an equal place in the
Church, and this fact in turn reveals the "mystery" of salvation even to the angels
(cf. 1 Pet 1 :12), who come to realize the harmony that lies in God's various inter-
ventions in the course of history, from the Creation to the Redemption, including
the history of the people of Israel.
The "principalities" and "powers" refer to the angelic powers which, according to
Jewish belief, were the promulgators and guardians of the Law and whose mis-
sion included the government of men. But these "powers" did not know what God's
plans were until they were carried out by Christ and his Church. In this passage St
Paul does not say anything about whether these powers are good or evil (cf. note
on 1:21). What he does re-assert, very clearly, is Christ's supremacy over all these
powers, and the Church's role in bringing all creation to recognize that Christ is
Lord of all. Therefore, the powers in the heavenly places no longer have any mas-
tery over the Christian: through faith in Christ he acquires the freedom of a son of
God and is able to address God confidently.
St Jerome, St Thomas and others interpret "the principalities and powers" as
being good angels, like the "thrones" and "dominions" (cf. Col 1:16) and "virtutes"
("powers": cf. Eph 1:21). If we add to these titles appearing in St Paul's letters
those to be found in other books of Sacred Scripture--cherubim, seraphim, arch-
angels and angels--we get the nine angelic hierarchies known to tradition. The
names simply reflect the qualities with which angels are endowed: they are spiri-
tual beings, personal and free; they are incorporeal and because they are pure
spirits, they have intellect, will and power far in excess of man's.
14. St Paul now continues the prayer which he interrupted in v. 1, to entreat the
Father to let Christians understand as deeply as possible the divine plan for sal-
vation implemented in Christ (vv. 16-l9).
"I bow my knees": the Jews generally prayed standing up. Only at moments of
special solemnity did they kneel or prostrate themselves in adoration. The Apos-
tle, by introducing this almost liturgical reference, is expressing the intensity of
his prayer, and the humility which inspires it.
Bodily gestures--genuflections, bowing of the head, beating the breast, et cetera
--which accompany prayer should be sincere expressions of devotion. They allow
the entire person, body and soul, to express his love for God. "Those who love
acquire a refinement, a sensitivity of soul, that makes them notice details which
are sometimes very small but which are important because they express the love
of a passionate heart" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 92).
15. To "take a name" from something means to derive one's being or existence
from it, and the word translated here as "family" ("patria" in Greek) means a
grouping of individuals who are descended from a common father; it could be
translated as "paternity", as the New Vulgate does.
The Apostle is saying that every grouping which is regarded as a family, whether
it be on earth (like the Church or the family), or in heaven (like the Church trium-
phant and the choirs of angels), takes its name and origin from God, the only
Father in the full meaning of the word. Thus, the word "Father" can be correctly
used to designate not only physical but also spiritual fatherhood.
The parenthood of married people is an outstanding example of the love of God
the Creator. They are cooperators in that love, and, in a certain sense, its inter-
preters (cf. Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 50). Hence, "when they become
parents, spouses receive from God the gift of a new responsibility. Their parental
love is called to become for the children the visible sign of the very love of God,
'from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named"' (John Paul II, "Fami-
liaris Consortio", 14).
16-17. The strengthening of the inner man through the Spirit means growth in
faith, charity and hope, which is what the Apostle prays for here (cf. vv. 16-19).
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen"
(Heb 11:1); it is, then, a virtue whereby the Christian in this life anticipates, im-
perfectly, the object of his hope--that perfect union with God which will take place
in heaven.
Love follows from knowledge: one cannot love someone one does not know. And
so, when goodness is known, it comes to be loved. Thus, the knowledge of God,
which faith provides, is followed by the love of God, which stems from charity.
Charity, for its part, is the basis of the Christian's spiritual life. "The spiritual edi-
fice cannot stay standing--the same is true of a tree without roots, or a house
without a foundation, which can easily be toppled--unless it be rooted and groun-
ded in love" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Eph, ad loc.").
18. St Paul asks God to give Christians understanding of the "mystery of Christ",
which essentially is the outcome of his love. In referring to the vast dimensions
of this mystery he uses an enigmatic phrase -- "the breadth and length and height
and depth". These and similar terms were used by Stoic philosophy to designate
the cosmos as a whole. Here they express the immense scale of the "mystery"
which embraces the entire plan of salvation, the actions of Christ and the activity
of the Church. St Augustine interpreted these words as referring to the cross, the
instrument of salvation which Christ used to show the full extent of his love (cf.
"De Doctrina Christiana", 2, 41).
St Paul may indeed be trying to sum up all the richness of the "mystery" of Christ
in a graphic way--in terms of a cross whose extremities reach out in all four direc-
tions seeking to embrace the whole world. The blood which our Lord shed on the
cross brought about the Redemption, the forgiveness of sins (cf. Eph 1:7). It did
away with hostility, reconciling all men and assembling them into one body (cf.
Eph 2:15-16), the Church. Therefore the cross is an inexhaustible source of grace,
the mark of the true Christian, the instrument of salvation for all. When, through
the action of Christians, the cross of Christ is made present at all the crossroads
of the world, then is that "mystery" implemented whose purpose it is to "unite all
things in Christ" (cf. Eph 1:10).
19. Christ's love for us is infinite; it is beyond our grasp, because it is of divine
dimensions (cf. Jn 15:9 and note on Jn 15:9-11).
Knowledge of the history of salvation and of the "mystery" of Christ is ultimately
what gives us a notion of the scale of God's love. Therefore, it is the basis of the
Christian life: "We know and believe the love which God has for us. God is love,
and he who abides in love abides in God" (1 Jn 4:16). Eternal life will consist in
enjoying the love of God without any type of distraction. During his life on earth,
the believer receives a foretaste of this joy to the degree that he abides in the love
of Christ (cf. Jn 15:9), that is, is rooted and grounded in love (v. 17). However, this
knowledge of Christ is always very imperfect compared with that in heaven.
It is worth pointing out that the "knowledge" ("gnosis") which St Paul is speaking
about is not simply intellectual cognition but rather a kind of knowledge which
permeates one's whole life. It does not consist so much in knowing that God is
love as in realizing that we are personally the object, the focus, of God's love: he
loves us one by one, as good parents love their children.
Gospel Reading: John 19:31-37
Jesus' Side Is Pierced
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[31] Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from re-
maining on the cross of the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews
asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
[32] So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who
had been crucified with him; [33] but when they came to Jesus and saw that he
was already dead, they did not break his legs. [34] But one of the soldiers pierced
his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. [35] He who
saw it has borne witness--his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the
truth--that you also may believe. [36] For these things took place that the scrip-
ture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of him shall be broken." [37] And again another
scripture says, "They shall look on him whom they have pierced."
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Commentary:
31-33. Jesus dies on the Preparation day of the Passover--the Parasceve--that
is, the eve, when the paschal lambs were officially sacrificed in the Temple. By
stressing this, the evangelist implies that Christ's sacrifice took the place of the
sacrifices of the Old Law and inaugurated the New Alliance in his blood (cf. Heb
9:12).
The Law of Moses required that the bodies should be taken down before nightfall
(Deut 21:22-23); this is why Pilate is asked to have their legs broken, to bring on
death and allow them to be buried before it gets dark, particularly since the next
day is the feast of the Passover.
On the date of Jesus' death see "The Dates of the Life of our Lord Jesus Christ"
in the "The Navarre Bible: St. Mark", pp. 48ff.
34. The outflow of blood and water has a natural explanation. Probably the water
was an accumulation of liquid in the lungs due to Jesus' intense sufferings.
As on other occasions, the historical events narrated in the fourth Gospel are la-
den with meaning. St. Augustine and Christian tradition see the sacraments and
the Church itself flowing from Jesus' open side: "Here was opened wide the door
of life, from which the sacraments of the Church have flowed out, without which
there is no entering in unto life which is true life. [...] Here the second Adam with
bowed head slept upon the cross, that thence a wife might be formed of him,
flowing from his side while he slept. O death, by which the dead come back to
life! is there anything purer than this blood, any wound more healing!" (St. Augus-
tine, "In Ioann. Evang., 120, 2).
The Second Vatican Council, for its part, teaches: "The Church--that is, the king-
dom of Christ--already present in mystery, grows visibly through the power of God
in the world. The origin and growth of the Church are symbolized by the blood and
water which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus" (Vatican II, "Lumen
Gentium", 3).
"Jesus on the cross, with his heart overflowing with love for men, is such an elo-
quent commentary on the value of people and things that words only get in the
way. People, their happiness and their life, are so important that the very Son of
God gave himself to redeem and cleanse and raise them up" (St. J. Escrivá,
"Christ Is Passing By", 165).
35. St John's Gospel presents itself as a truthful witness of the events of our
Lord's life and of their spiritual and doctrinal significance. From the words of John
the Baptist at the outset of Jesus' public ministry (1:19) to the final paragraph of
the Gospel (21:24-25), everything forms part of a testimony to the sublime phe-
nomenon of the Word of Life made Man. Here the evangelist explicitly states that
he was an eyewitness (cf. also Jn 20:30-31; 1 Jn 1:1-3).
36. This question refers to the precept of the Law that no bone of the paschal
lamb should be broken (cf. Ex 12:46): again St John's Gospel is telling us that
Jesus is the true paschal Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (cf. Jn
1:29).
37. The account of the Passion concludes with quotation from Zechariah (12:10)
foretelling the salvation resulting from the mysterious suffering and death of a
redeemer. The evangelist thereby evokes the salvation wrought by Jesus Christ
who, nailed to the Cross, has fulfilled God's promise of redemption (cf. Jn 12:32).
Everyone who looks upon him with faith receives the effects of his Passion. Thus
the good thief, looking at Christ on the cross, recognized his kingship, placed
his truth in him and received the promise of heaven (cf. Lk 23:42-43).
In the liturgy of Good Friday the Church invites us to contemplate and adore the
cross: "Behold the wood of the Cross, on which was nailed the salvation of the
world", and from the earliest times of the Church the Crucifix has been the sign
reminding Christians of the supreme point of Christ's love, when he died on the
Cross and freed us from eternal death.
"Your Crucifix. -- As a Christian, you should always carry your Crucifix with you.
And place it on your desk. And kiss it before going to bed and when you wake
up: and when your poor body rebels against your soul, kiss it again" (St. J. Es-
crivá, "The Way", 302).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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