CCC Cross Reference:
1 Thes 2:13 104, 1349
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Reading 1
1 Thes 2:9-13
You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,
we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and so is God,
how devoutly and justly and blamelessly
we behaved toward you believers.
As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,
exhorting and encouraging you and insisting
that you walk in a manner worthy of the God
who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.
And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab
R. (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light”–
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Gospel
Mt 23:27-32
Jesus said,
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!"
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 1 Thessalonians 2:9 – 13
Let me remind you, brothers, how hard we used to work, slaving night and day so as not to be a burden on any one of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, that our treatment of you, since you became believers, has been impeccably right and fair. You can remember how we treated every one of you as a father treats his children, teaching you what was right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom.
Another reason why we constantly thank God for you is that as soon as you heard the message that we brought you as God’s message, you accepted it for what it really is, God’s message and not some human thinking; and it is still a living power among you who believe it.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138(139):7-12
O Lord, you search me and you know me.
O where can I go from your spirit,
or where can I flee from your face?
If I climb the heavens, you are there.
If I lie in the grave, you are there.
O Lord, you search me and you know me.
If I take the wings of the dawn
and dwell at the sea’s furthest end,
even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
O Lord, you search me and you know me.
If I say: ‘Let the darkness hide me
and the light around me be night,’
even darkness is not dark for you
and the night is as clear as the day.
O Lord, you search me and you know me.
Gospel Matthew 23:27 – 32
Jesus said, ‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men, saying, “We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our fathers’ day”. So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets! Very well then, finish off the work that your fathers began.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Wednesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
First Gospel Preaching in Thessalonica (Continuation)
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[9] For you remember our labor and toil, brethren; we worked night and days that we might not burden any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of God. [10] You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our behavior to you believer; [11] for you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you [12] to lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Their Patience
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[13] And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
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Commentary:
7-9. St Paul could have "made demands" in a double sense--by using the full force of his apostolic authority, and by exercising his right to financial support from the community (cf. 1 Cor 9:14); but he did neither one thing (vv. 7-8) nor the other (v. 9).
On the contrary, he passed on the Gospel message and worked with the disinterested love and dedication of a nursing mother. St John Chrysostom, putting himself in St Paul's place, comments as follows: "It is true that I preached the Gospel to you in obedience to a commandment from God; but I love you with so great a love that I would have been ready to die for you. That is the perfect model of sincere, genuine love. A Christian who loves his neighbor should be inspired by these sentiments. He should not wait to be asked to give up his life for his brother; rather, he should offer it himself" ("Hom. on 1 Thess, ad loc.").
"The work of evangelization presupposes in the evangelizer an ever increasing love for those whom he is evangelizing [...]. What is this love? It is much more than that of a teacher; it is the love of a father; and again, it is the love of a mother. It is this love that the Lord expects from every preacher of the Gospel, from every builder of the Church. A sign of love will be the concern to give the truth and to bring people into unity [...]. Yet another sign of love will be the effort to transmit to Christians not doubts and uncertainties born of an erudition poorly assimilated but certainties that are solid because they are anchored in the Word of God. The faithful need these certainties for their Christian life; they have a right to them, as children of God" (Paul VI, "Evangelii Nuntiandi", 79).
The Apostle's hardworking life strengthened his moral authority when he had to warn people against the temptation of idleness (cf. 1 Thess 4: 11) ; it also was a very good example for the early generations of Christians.
10-12. "Each one of you": St Paul did not confine his preaching to the synagogue or other public places, or to liturgical assemblies of Christians. He took an interest in people as individuals, giving advice and consolation in a friendly, confidential way and telling them how they should conduct themselves in the presence of God. Christians should copy him in their own apostolate: "Those well-timed words, whispered in the ear of your wavering friend; the helpful conversation you managed to start at the right moment; the ready professional advice that improves his university work; the discreet indiscretion by which you open up unexpected horizons for his zeal. This all forms part of the 'apostolate of friendship'" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 973).
Those who have received the gift of faith naturally try to tell others about their discovery. "When you come across something useful, you try to bring other people," St Gregory comments. "So, you should want other people to join you on the way of the Lord. If you are going to the forum or the baths and you meet someone who has nothing to do, you invite him to go along with you. Apply this earthly custom to the spiritual sphere and as you make you way to God do not go alone" ("In Evangelia Homilae", 6, 6). As can be seen clearly from the lives of the first Christians, apostolate was not the preserve of pastors; all believers had an apostolic role. And so the Second Vatican Council pointed out that one kind of personal apostolate very suited to our times is "the witness of a whole lay life issuing from faith, hope and charity [...]. Then, by the apostolate of the word, which in certain circumstances is absolutely necessary, the laity proclaim Christ, explain and spread his teachings, each one according to his conditions and competence, and profess those teachings with fidelity" ("Apostolicam Actuositatem", 16).
"Into his own kingdom and glory": "glory" is a divine attribute which becomes manifest in the "Kingdom" of God; the Church is the as-yet-incomplete form on earth of that Kingdom, which will not become visible in its final form until the Parousia at the end of time. God calls everyone to join the Church so as to be able to enjoy the glory of the Kingdom of God in due course.
13. Initially divine Revelation was passed on to others orally. "It [Gospel preaching] was done by the Apostles, who handed on (by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established) what they themselves received--whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether as something learned from the Holy Spirit" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 7). Thus, "the apostles, in handing on what they themselves had received warn the faithful to maintain the traditions which they had learned either by word of mouth or by letter (cf. 2 Thess 2:15); and they warn them to fight hard for the faith that had been handed on to them once and for all (cf. Jude 3). What was handed on by the apostles comprises everything that serves to make the people of God live their lives in holiness and increase their faith. In this way the Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes" ("Dei Verbum", 8).
Preaching is truly the "word of God" not only because it faithfully passes Revelation on but also because God himself speaks through those who proclaim the Gospel (cf. 2 Cor 5:20). This explains why "the word of God is living and active" (Heb 4:12), and "such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life" ("Dei Verbum", 21).
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From: Matthew 23:27-32
Jesus Indicts the Scribes and Pharisees (Continuation)
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(Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees,) [27] "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like white-washed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. [28] So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypo- crisy and iniquity.
[29] "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, [30] saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' [31] Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. [32] Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers."
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Commentary:
27-28. The Jews used to whitewash tombs annually, shortly before the feast of the Passover. The whitewash made the tombs more visible and helped to avoid people brushing against them, which would have meant incurring legal uncleanness for seven days (Numbers 19:16; Luke 11:44).
In the sunlight, these tombs sparkled radiantly white, but inside they held corruption.
29-32. Our Lord shows them that they are cut off from the same cloth as their ancestors--not because they erect mausoleums in honor of prophets and just men but because they are guilty of the same sin as those who killed the prophets. Hence their hypocrisy, which makes them even worse than their fathers. With pained irony Jesus tells them that they are compounding the sins of their ancestors.
Clearly this is referring to His passion and death: if the ancients killed the prophets, by causing Him to suffer and die our Lord's contemporaries will still be more cruel.
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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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