Wednesday

33rd Week of Ordinary Time
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(I) 1st Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31

Martyrdom of the Seven Brothers and Their Mother
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[1] It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were
being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and cords, to partake of
unlawful swine's flesh.

[20] The mother was especially admirable and worthy of honorable memory.
Though she saw her seven sons perish within a single day, she bore it with good
courage because of her hope in the Lord. [21] She encouraged each of them in
the language of their fathers. Filled with a noble spirit, she fired her woman's rea-
soning with a man's courage, and said to them, [22] "I do not know how you came
into being in my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath, nor I who set in
order the elements within each of you. [23] Therefore the Creator of the world, who
shaped the beginning man and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy
give Iife and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the
sake of his laws."

[24] Antiochus felt that he was being treated with contempt, and he was suspi-
cious of her reproachful tone. The youngest brother being still alive, Antiochus
not only appealed to him in words, but promised with oaths that he would make
him rich and enviable if he would turn from the ways of his fathers, and that he
would take him for his friend and entrust him with public affairs.

[25] Since the young man would not listen to him at all, the king called the mo-
ther to him and urged her to advise the youth to save himself. [26] After much
urging on his part, she undertook to persuade her son. [27] But, leaning close
to him, she spoke in their native tongue as follows, deriding the cruel tyrant:
"My son, have pity on me. I carried you nine months in my womb, and nursed
you for three years, and have reared you and brought you up to this point in
your life, and have taken care of you.' [28] I beseech you, my child, to look at
the heaven and the earth and see everything that is in them, and recognize that
God did not make them out of things that existed. Thus also mankind comes
into being. [29] Do not fear this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers. Ac-
cept death, so that in God's mercy I may get you back again with your
brothers."

[30] While she was still speaking, the young man said, 'What are you waiting
for? I will not obey the king's command, but I obey the command of the law that
was given to our fathers through Moses. [31] But you, who have contrived all 
souls ol evil against the Hebrews, will certainly not escape the hands of God."

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Commentary:

7:1-42. This is one of the most famous and popular passages in the history of
the Maccabees -- so much so that traditionally (but improperly) these brothers
are usually referred to as "the Maccabees". The sacred writer does not tell us
the boys' names, or where it all happened; and he brings in the presence of the
king to heighten the dramatic effect. The bravery of these young men, it would
seem, was inspired by the good example given by Eleazar (cf. 6:28). The mo-
ther's intervention divides the scene into two parts--first the martyrdom of the
six older brothers (vv. 2-19), and then that of the youngest and the mother her-
self (vv. 20-41).

In the first part the conviction that the just will rise and evildoers will be punished
builds up as the story goes on. Each of the replies given by the six brothers con-
tains some aspect of that truth. The first says that just men prefer to die rather
than sin (v. 2) because God will reward them (v. 6); the second, that God will
raise them to a new life (v. 9); the third, that they will rise with their bodies re-
made (v. 11); the fourth, that for evildoers there will be no "resurrection to life"
(v. 14); the fifth, that there will be punishment for evildoers (v. 17); and the sixth,
that when just people suffer it is because they are being punished for their own
sins (v. 18).

In the second part, both the mother and the youngest brother affirm what the
others have said: but the boy adds something new when he says that death
accepted by the righteous works as atonement for the whole people (vv. 37-38).

The resurrection of the dead, which "God revealed to his people progressively"
("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 992), is a teaching that is grounded first
on Moses' words about God having compassion on his servants (v. 6; cf. Deut
32:36), and the idea that if they die prematurely they will receive consolation in
the next life. This is the point being made by the first brother, and it implies that
God "faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity" (ibid.).
As the mother sees it (vv. 27-28), belief in the resurrection comes from "faith in
God as creator of the whole man, body and soul" (ibid., 992). Our Lord Jesus
Christ ratifies this teaching and links it to faith in himself (cf. in 5:24-25; 11:25);
and he also purifies the Pharisees' notion of the resurrection, which was an
interpretation based only on material terms (cf. Mk12:18-27;1 Cor 15:35-53).

In what the mother says (v. 28) we can also see belief in the creation of the
world out of nothing "as a truth full of promise and hope" ("Catechism of the
Catholic Church", 297). On the basis of this passage and some New Testament
passages, such as John 1:3 and Hebrews 11:3, the Church has formulated its
doctrine of creation: "We believe that God needs no pre-existent thing or any
help in order to create (cf. Vatican I: DS 3022), nor is creation any sort of ne-
cessary emanation from the divine substance (cf. Vatican I: DS 3023-3024).God
creates freely 'out of nothing' (DS 800; 3025). If God had drawn the world from
pre-existent matter, what would be so extraordinary in that? A human artisan
makes from a given material whatever he wants, while God shows his power by
starting from nothing to make all he wants" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church",
296).

The assertion that the death of martyrs has expiatory value (vv. 37-38) prepares
us to grasp the redemptive meaning of Christ's death; but we should remember
that Christ, by his death, not only deflected the punishment that all men deserve
on account of sin, but also, through his grace, makes sinful men righteous in
God's sight (cf. Rom 3:21-26).

Many Fathers of the Church, notably St Gregory Nazianzen ("Orationes", 15, 22),
St Ambrose ("De Jacob Et Vitae Beata", 2, 10, 44-57), St Augustine ("In Episto-
la loannis", 8, 7), and St Cyprian ("Ad Fortunatus", 11) heaped praise on these
seven brothers and their mother. St John Chrysostom invites us to imitate them
whenever temptation strikes: "All the moderation that they show in the midst of
dangers we, too, should imitate by the patience and temperance with which we
deal with irrational concupiscence, anger, greed for possessions, bodily pas-
sions, vainglory and suchlike. For if we manage to control their flame, as (the
Maccabees) did the flame of the fire, we will be able to be near them and have
a share in their confidence and freedom of spirit" ("Homiliae in Maccabaeos",
1,3).


(II) 1st Reading: Revelation 4:1-11

God in Majesty
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[1] After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice,
which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and
I will show you what must take place after this." [2] At once I was in the Spirit,
and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! [3] And he
who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was
a rainbow that looked like an emerald. [4] Round the throne were twenty-four
thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white gar-
ments, with golden crowns upon their heads. [5] From the throne issue flashes
of lighting, and voices and peals of thunders and before the throne burn seven
torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; [6] and before the throne
there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of
eyes in front and behind: [7] the first living creature like a lion, the second living
creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth
living creature like a flying eagle. [8] And the four living creatures, each of them
with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never
cease to sing, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and
is to come!"

[9] And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who
is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, [10] the twenty-four elders fall
down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever
and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, [11] "Worthy art thou,
our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all
things, and by thy will they existed and were created."

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Commentary:

1. The second part of the Apocalypse begins at this point and extends to the
start of the Epilogue. The author describes visions concerning the future of man-
kind, particularly the ultimate outcome of history when our Lord Jesus Christ will
obtain the final victory, at his second coming. It begins with a formal introduction
(chaps. 4-5); this is followed by a first section as it were (6:11-11:14) covering the
visions of the seven seals and the first six trumpets, which describes the event
prior to the final battle. The war begins with the sound of the seventh trumpet
and it goes on (this is the second section 11:15-22:5) until the beast is com-
pletely routed and the Kingdom of God is definitively established in the heavenly
Jerusalem.

This introductory vision (chaps 4-5) begins with God in heaven in all his glory
being worshipped and celebrated by all creation (chap. 4). He alone controls the
destiny of the world and the Church.

Only Jesus knows God's salvific plans, and he, through his death and resurrec-
tion, reveals them to us. All this is expressed in chapter 4 by the image of the
Lamb who is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.

1-3. The risen and glorified Christ, who spoke to St John previously (cf. 1:10-13),
now invites him, in a new vision, to go up into heaven to be told God's plan for
the world. "I looked," "I was in the Spirit," "I went up to heaven" all describe the
same phenomenon--God revealing something to the writer. Because the things
he is being told are things man could not possibly discover for himself, the writer
speaks about going up to heaven: this enables him to contemplate heavenly
things, that is, God. Going up to heaven is the same as being in ecstacy,
"being in the Spirit", being taken over by the Holy Spirit so as to be able to un-
derstand what God wants to reveal to him (cf. note on 1:10).

He is going to be shown "what must take place after this"; it is something which
has already begun to happen in the writer's own time but it will not reach its cli-
max until the end of the world. The revelation he is given shows him the ultimate
meaning of contemporary events, the outcome of which is guaranteed by the
authority of the revealer, Jesus Christ.

The description given here of heaven stresses the majesty and power of God.
Heaven is depicted with a throne at its center, an image taken from Isaiah (cf. Is
6:1) and Ezekiel (cf. Ezek 1:26-28; 10:1). God's appearance is described in
terms of the vivid coloring of precious stones; this avoids the danger of defining
God in human terms (an inversion of values). The rainbow round the throne fur-
ther emphasizes the sublimity of God and is also a reminder (cf. Gen 9:12-17)
of God's merciful promise never to destroy mankind.

4. God's sovereignty over the world--as symbolized by the throne--is shared in
by others whom the vision also portrays as seated on thrones. They are symbo-
lically described as twenty-four elders who act as a kind of heavenly council or
senate. These elders appear frequently in the course of the book, always posi-
tioned beside God, rendering him tribute of glory and worship (cf. 4:10; 5:9;
19:4), offering him the prayers of the faithful (cf. 5:8) or explaining events to the
seer (cf. 5:5; 7:13). It is not clear whether they stand for angels or saints; the
Fathers and recent commentators offer both interpretations.

The symbolic number (twenty-four) and the way they are described suggest that
they stand for saints in the glory of heaven. They are twenty-four --twelve plus
twelve, that is, the number of the tribes of Israel plus that of the Apostles. Our
Lord in fact promised the latter that they would sit on thrones (cf. Mt 19:28). The
twenty-four elders, then, would represent the heavenly Church, which includes
the old and the new Israel and which, in heaven, renders God the tribute of per-
fect praise and intercedes for the Church on earth. The number twenty-four has
also been seen as reflecting the twenty-four priestly classes of Judaism, there-
by emphasizing the liturgical dimension of heaven (cf. 1 Chron 24: 7-18; 25:1,
9-13). Whichever is the case, the white garments indicate that they have
achieved everlasting salvation (cf. 3:5); and the golden crowns stand for the
reward they have earned (cf. 2:10), or the prominence among Christians, who
have been promised that, if they come out victorious, they will sit on Christ's
throne (cf. 3:21).

Through these visions laden with symbolism the Apocalypse shows the solida-
rity that exists between the Church triumphant and the Church militant--specifi-
cally, the connection between the praise that is rendered God in heaven and that
which we offer him on earth, in the liturgy. The Second Vatican Council refers to
this: "In the earthly liturgy we take part in the foretaste of that heavenly liturgy
which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as
pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God [...]. With all the war-
riors of the heavenly army we sing a hymn of glory to the Lord; venerating the
memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we ea-
gerly await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, until he our life shall appear and
we too will appear with him in glory" ("Sancrosanctum Concilium", 8).

5. This vision is similar to the Old Testament theophanies, especially that of
Sinai.There too the Lord's presence was revealed with thunder and lightning (cf.
Ex 19:16). Storms are frequently used to symbolize the salvific power and ma-
jesty of God at the moment of revelation (cf. Ps 18:14; 50:3; etc.). Further on,
the author will again describe, in more detail, the signs accompanying God's
self-revealing; this gives the book a sense of on-going revelation with an increa-
sing tempo (cf. Rev 8:5; 11:19; 16:18; etc.). It is generally accepted Church
tradition to interpret fire as a manifestation of the Spirit of God. On the seven
spirits, see the note on 1:4.

6-7. To describe the majesty of God, St John uses symbols which are some-
times quite difficult to interpret. This is the case with the sea as transparent as
glass, and the four living creatures round the throne and on each side of it. The
scene may be a kind of heavenly replica of the arrangements in Solomon's tem-
ple where there stood in front of the Holy of Holies a huge water container called
the "molten sea" supported by figures of oxen, twelve in number (cf. 1 Kings
7:23-26; 2 Chron 4:2-5). This similarity between heaven and the temple would be
a way of expressing the connection between liturgy on earth and worship of God
in heaven.

The crystal sea may also be an allusion to God's absolute dominion over all forms
of authority on earth. In biblical tradition the sea is often used as a symbol for the
powers of darkness (cf. Rev 13:1; 21:1). To God, however, the sea is crystal-clear,
that is, he is its master; cf. the way the spirit of God moved over the surface of
the waters in Genesis 1:2.

Elsewhere in the Apocalypse (15:2) it speaks of the sea of glass supporting the
blessed while they praise God: just as the Israelites passed through the Red
Sea, so those who have conquered the beast will cross this solid sea to make
their way to God.

The author of the Book of Revelation avails of images used by the prophets to
describe the glory of Yahweh. The four living creatures are very like those in the
prophet Ezekiel's vision of the chariot of the Lord drawn by four angels represen-
ting intelligence, nobility, strength and agility (cf. Ezek 1:10; 10:12; Is 6:2).

Christian tradition going back as far as St Irenaeus has interpreted these four
creatures as standing for the four evangelists because they "carry" Jesus Christ
to men. The one with the face of a man is St Matthew, who starts his book with
the human genealogy of Christ; the lion stands for St Mark: his Gospel begins
with the voice crying in the wilderness (which is where the lion's roar can be
heard); the ox is a reference to the sacrifices in the temple of Jerusalem, which
is where St Luke begins his account of Christ's life, and the eagle represents St
John, who soars to the heights to contemplate the divinity of the Word.

8-11. The chant of the four living creatures is virtually the same as that which the
prophet Isaiah heard the six-winged seraphim sing in his vision of God in the tem-
ple of Jerusalem (cf. Is 6: 1-3). St John changes the ending by bringing in the new
name of God which is an elaboration of the name "Yahweh" (cf. note on Rev 1:4).
The four creatures (who, because there are four of them stand for government of
the entire universe) take the lead in worshipping and praising God; but they are
joined by all the people of God, as represented by the twenty-four elders, that is,
the Church victorious in heaven. They throw down their crowns to show that they
realize their victory is due to God, and that all power belongs to him. Essentially
what they are praising here is God as creator. By reporting this vision the author
of the Apocalypse is inviting the pilgrim Church on earth to associate with the
worship and praise offered God the creator in heaven.

The Church uses these words of praise in its eucharistic liturgy: at the end of
the Preface, it chants the angelic Sanctus in preparation for the Canon. This
angelic chant, performed as it is in heaven and on earth, reminds us of the sub-
limity of the Mass, where the worship of God crosses the frontiers of time and
space and has a positive influence on the entire world, for, "through the com-
munion of the saints, all Christians receive grace from every Mass that is cele-
brated, regardless of whether there is an attendance of thousands or whether it
is only a boy with his mind on other things who is there to serve. In either case,
heaven and earth join with the angels of the Lord to sing: "Sanctus, Sanctus,
Sanctus ..." (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 88). 

The saintly Cure of Ars refers to this intercommunion of praise and thanksgiving, 
of grace and forgiveness: "The Holy Mass is a source of joy to all the heavenly 
court; it alleviates the poor souls in purgatory; it draws down to earth all kinds of 
blessings; and it gives more glory to God than all the sufferings of all the martyrs 
taken together, than all the penances of all the hermits, than all the tears shed for
them [the holy souls] since time began and all that will be shed from now till the 
end of time" ("Selected Sermons", second Sunday after Pentecost).


Gospel Reading: Luke 19:11-28

Parable of the Pounds
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[11] As they heard these things, He (Jesus) proceeded to tell a parable, because
He was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the Kingdom of God
was to appear immediately. [12] He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far
country to receive kingly power and then return. [13] Calling ten of his servants,
he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, 'Trade with these till I come.' [14]
But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him saying, 'We do not
want this man to reign over us.' [15] When he returned, having received the king-
ly power, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to
be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. [16] The
first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.'
[17] And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faith-
ful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' [18] And the second
came, saying, 'Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' [19] And he said to him,
'And you are to be over five cities.'

[20] Then another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid
away in a napkin; [21] for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you
take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' [22] He said
to him, 'I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew
that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did
not sow? [23] Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my co-
ming I should have collected it with interest?' [24] And he said to those who stood
by, 'Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.' [25]
(And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten pounds!') [26] 'I tell you, that to every one
who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be
taken away. [27] But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign
over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"

The Messiah Enters the Holy City
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[28] And when He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

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Commentary:

11. The disciples had a wrong concept of the Kingdom of Heaven: they thought
it was about to happen and they saw it in earthly terms: they envisaged Jesus
conquering the Roman tyrant and immediately establishing the Kingdom in the
holy city of Jerusalem, and that when that happened they would hold privileged
positions in the Kingdom. There is always a danger of Christians failing to grasp
the transcendent, supernatural character of the Kingdom of God in this world,
that is, the Church, which "has but one sole purpose--that the Kingdom of God
may come and the salvation of the human race may be accomplished." (Vati-
can II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 45).

Through this parable our Lord teaches us that, although His reign has begun, it
will only be fully manifested later on. In the time left to us we should use all the
resources and graces God gives us, in order to merit the reward.

13. The "mina", here translated as "pound", was worth about 35 grams of gold.
This parable is very like the parable of the talents reported in St. Matthew (cf.
25:14-30).

14. The last part of this verse, although it has a very specific context, reflects
the attitude of many people who do not want to bear the sweet yoke of our Lord
and who reject Him as king. "There are millions of people in the world who reject
Jesus Christ in this way; or rather they reject His shadow, for they do not know
Christ. They have not seen the beauty of His face; they do not realize how won-
derful His teaching is. This sad state of affairs makes me want to atone to our
Lord. When I hear that endless clamor--expressed more in ignoble actions than
in words--I feel the need to cry out, 'He must reign!' (1 Corinthians 15:25)" (St. J.
Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 179).

17. God counts on our fidelity in little things, and the greater our effort in this re-
gard the greater the reward we will receive: "Because you have been 'in pauca
fidelis', faithful in small things, come and join in your Master's happiness. The
words are Christ's. 'In pauca fidelis!...Now will you neglect little things, if Heaven
itself is promised to those who mind them?" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 819).

24-26. God expects us to strive to put to good use the gifts we have received --
and He lavishly rewards those who respond to His grace. The king in the parable
is shown to be very generous towards his servants--and generous in rewarding
those who managed to increase the money they were given. But he is very se-
vere towards the lazy servant who was also the recipient of a gift from his Lord,
who did not let it erode but guarded it carefully--and for this his king criticizes
him: he failed to fulfill the just command the king gave him when he gave him the
money: "Trade till I come." If we appreciate the treasures the Lord has given us
-- life, the gift of faith, grace--we will make a special effort to make them bear fruit
-- by fulfilling our duties, working hard and doing apostolate. "Don't let your life be
barren. Be useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and
your love. With your apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the
corrupt sowers of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of
Christ that you bear in your heart" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 1).

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»çµµ´Ù¿î »î(apostolic life)°ú ÇÔ²², Ÿ¶ôÇÑ, Áõ¿ÀÀÇ ¾¾¸¦ »Ñ¸®´Â Àڵ鿡 ÀÇÇÏ¿© ³²°ÜÁø 
ºÒ°áÇÑ °Í°ú ²öÀû²öÀûÇÑ °ÍÀÇ ÈçÀûÀ» ´Û¾Æ ³»µµ·Ï ÇϽʽÿÀ. ±×¸®°í ±×´ë°¡ ÀÚ½ÅÀÇ 
½ÉÀå(heart)¿¡ Ç°°í ÀÖ´Â ±×¸®½ºµµ¶ó´Â ºÒ(fire)·Î½á ÀÌ ¶¥ÀÇ ¸ðµç ¹æ½Äµé¿¡ ÀÖ¾î 
¶ß°Å¿öÁöµµ·Ï ÇϽʽÿÀ" [¼º È£¼¼¸¶¸®¾Æ ¿¡½ºÅ©¸®¹ö(St. J. Escriva), "The Way", 1].


28. Normally in the Gospels when there is mention of going to the Holy City it
is in terms of "going up" to Jerusalem (cf. Matthew 20:18; John 7:8), probably
because geographically the city is located on Mount Zion. Besides, since the
temple was the religious and political center, going up to Jerusalem had also a
sacred meaning of ascending to the holy place, where sacrifices were offered to
God. Àß Çϵµ·Ï ÇϽʽÿÀ. 

Particularly in the Gospel of St. Luke, our Lord's whole life is seen in terms of a
continuous ascent towards Jerusalem, where His self-surrender reaches its high
point in the redemptive sacrifice of the Cross. Here Jesus is on the point of ente-
ring the city, conscious of the fact that His passion and death are imminent.
¡¡

*********************************************************************************************
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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