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Reading 1
Ez 1:1-6
In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,
in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah,
the Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia
to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,
both by word of mouth and in writing:
“Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:
‘All the kingdoms of the earth
the Lord, the God of heaven, has given to me,
and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem,
which is in Judah.
Therefore, whoever among you belongs to any part of his people,
let him go up, and may his God be with him!
Let everyone who has survived, in whatever place he may have dwelt,
be assisted by the people of that place
with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
together with free-will offerings
for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”
Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin
and the priests and Levites–
everyone, that is, whom God had inspired to do so–
prepared to go up to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.
All their neighbors gave them help in every way,
with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
and with many precious gifts
besides all their free-will offerings.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6
R. (3) The Lord has done marvels for us.
When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Gospel
Lk 8:16-18
Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Ezra 1:1 – 6
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord that was spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord roused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to issue a proclamation and to have it publicly displayed throughout his kingdom: ‘Thus speaks Cyrus king of Persia, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; he has ordered me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah to build the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel–he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, wherever he lives, be helped by the people of that place with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, as well as voluntary offerings for the Temple of God which is in Jerusalem.”’
Then the heads of families of Judah and of Benjamin, the priests and the Levites, in fact all whose spirit had been roused by God, prepared to go and rebuild the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem; and all their neighbors gave them every assistance with silver, gold, goods, cattle, quantities of costly gifts and with voluntary offerings of every kind.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 125(126):1-6
What marvels the Lord worked for us.
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.
What marvels the Lord worked for us.
The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels
the Lord worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.
What marvels the Lord worked for us.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.
What marvels the Lord worked for us.
They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves.
What marvels the Lord worked for us.
Gospel Luke 8:16 – 18
Jesus said:
‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light. So take care how you hear; for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
25th Week in Ordinary Time
Optional Memorial: St Januarius, Bishop and Martyr
From: Ezra 1:1-6
The exiles return from Babylon
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[1] In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:
[2] Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of Heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. [3] Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel -- he is the God who is in Jerusalem; [4] and let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem."
[5] Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, every one whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem; [6] and all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered.
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Commentary:
1:1-6:22. The second book of Chronicles closed with an account of the fall of the fall of Jerusalem as a consequence of the city's repeated unfaithfulness to God (cf. 2 Chron 36:17-21), and with the news of Cyrus' calling, in God's name, for the rebuilding of the temple and the return of the exiles (cf. 2 Chron 36:22-23). The book of Ezra starts by covering the same ground (1:1-4) and then goes on to describe how Cyrus' decree was implemented. It deals with the preparation for the return to Jerusalem (1:5-11), and who these repatriates were (2:1-70); how the first thing they did at Jerusalem was to build an altar and start offering sacrifices
9 (3:1-6), and about how, when they began to rebuild the temple, they met with opposition from the people in the land (4:1-5), who petitioned the Persian king, with the result that the rebuilding had to cease (4:6-24). But, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, those who had returned set about their task again (5:1-2) and kept at it, in the hope that the ban on building would be lifted (5:3-5). The authorities then sent a new letter to King Darius (5:6-17), who decreed that the Jews be allowed to build the temple in peace, as Cyrus had already instructed (6:1-12). This meant that they were able to finish the building and dedicate it to the Lord (6:13-18), and then celebrate joyfully their first Passover in their homeland (6:19-22).
The first part of the book shows how devout and tenacious these repatriates were -- fully committed to the worship of the Lord and the reconstruction of his temple. But it also reveals the animosity shown towards them by those living in the country. Only God's will, expressed in decrees of the Persian kings, made it possible for this enterprise to succeed. The chosen people were springing up again in the promised land.
In Christian tradition, in the light of Jesus Christ's message, these pages are read as having a spiritual meaning to do with the advancement of the Church: just as the people of God in the Old Testament, was able to reconstitute itself after the bitter experience of the exile, and survived despite difficulties of all sorts, so too the new people of God manages to survive over the course of the centuries even though it encounters all kinds of obstacles. "If you do not trust words, believe in deeds. How many tyrants have tried to oppress the Church? How much boiling oil! How many pyres and sharp teeth and raised swords . . . ! And they have not triumphed! Where are they now, those who waged ware against her? And where is the Church? She shines brighter than the sun. The power of her enemies is spent, but the strength of the Church is endless. Even when there were very few Christians, the Church was not overcome; now that her faith and piety have spread throughout the world, do you think you can defeat her? 'Heaven will pass away but my words shall never fail'; it is clear: God loves the Church more than heaven itself. He did not take for himself a heavenly body but an ecclesial one. Heaven exists for the Church, not the Church for the sake of heaven" (St John Chrysostom, "Sermo antequam iret in exilium", 2).
1:1-4 Cyrus was king of Persia from 559 to 529 BC. History portrays him as a ruler tolerant of the traditional customs of his subject peoples and respectful of their religious practices. When he entered Babylon in triumph in 539 BC, he established the cult of Marduk there, and when he heard about the position of the deportees from Jerusalem he facilitated their return to their country to rebuild the temple of their God.
But the sacred book, which looks beneath the surface of events, points out that Cyrus' decisions in favour of the Jews derived not just from the king's good disposition but from God himself. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus (v. 1) and the heads of the houses of Judah and Benjamin (1:5) so as to bring about in this new stage of salvation history the rebuilding of the temple and to re-establish the people in Jerusalem. God uses a pagan king to achieve his saving purpose for the chosen people. That is what Isaiah 45:1 means when it calls Cyrus "the Lord's anointed", even though the king does not realize he is forwarding the Lord's plans: "though you do not know me" (Is 45:4). Moreover, the "seventy years" of exile prophesied by Jeremiah (cf. 2 Chron 336:21) are shortened by Cyrus' decree which causes the return from exile to happen in 538 BC. It all goes to show that God is above kings and nations and that he is merciful to his people.
Unlike other passages which report Cyrus' decree (cf. 2 Chron 36:22-23; Ezra 6: 3-12), here we are told that the king acknowledges that "the Lord, the God of heaven" (v. 2) -- apparently the title given to the supreme Persian deity Ahura Mazda -- is one and the same as "Lord, the God of Israel who is in Jerusalem" (v. 3). This is a profession of faith in the one true God, the God who revealed himself to the Jewish people, but whose power extends over all the nations.
1:5-7. Although the decree of Cyrus was addressed to all those belonging to the people of God (1:3) living in the Persian empire, already seen as "the remnant", the "survivors" of what was ancient Israel (1:4), now only the "heads of the houses of Judah and Benjamin" are mentioned (v. 5) -- these being the two tribes that had made up the kingdom of the South, the kingdom of Judah. Those deported after the fall of the Northern kingdom (cf. 2 Kings 17:6) have disappeared from the writer's horizon in the same way as the author of 1 and 2 Chronicles put that kingdom out of his mind. The reconstruction of the people in this new stage of its existence that begins now is based solely on what had been the kingdom of Judah, including the priests and Levites who had been attached to the temple of Jerusalem: as this writer sees things, only the men of Judah were the true people of Israel and of these, in a special way, those Jews who gave up their position in Babylon and embarked on the adventure of returning to Jerusalem.
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From: Luke 8:16-18
Parable of the Sower. The Meaning of the Parables (Continuation)
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(Jesus told the crowd,) [16] "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. [17] For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. [18] Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."
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Commentary:
[There is no commentary available for Luke 8:16-18. The commentary for the same parable found in Mark 4:21-25 states:]
16-17. This parable contains a double teaching. Firstly, it says that Christ's doctrine should not be kept hidden; rather, it must be preached throughout the whole world. We find the same idea elsewhere in the Gospels: "What you hear whispered, proclaim it upon the housetops" (Mt 10:27); "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole of creation..." (Mk 16:15). The other teaching is that the Kingdom which Christ proclaims has such ability to penetrate all hearts that, at the end of time, when Jesus comes again, not a single human action, in favor or against Christ, will not become public or manifest.
24-25. Our Lord never gets tired of asking the Apostles, the seed which will produce the Church, to listen carefully to the teaching he is giving: they are receiving a treasure for which they will be held to account. "To him who has will more be given ...": he who responds to grace will be given more grace and will yield more and more fruit; but he who does not will become more and more impoverished (cf. Mt 25:14-30). Therefore, there is no limit to the development of the theological virtues: "If you say 'Enough,' you are already dead" (St. Augustine, "Sermon" 51). A soul who wants to make progress in the interior life will pray along these lines: "Lord, may I have due measure in everything, except in Love" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 427).
[The commentary for another similar parable found in Matthew 13:12 states:]
12. Jesus is addressing his disciples and explaining to them that, precisely because they have faith in him and want to have a good grasp of his teaching, they will be given a deeper understanding of divine truths. But those who do not "follow him" (cf. note on Mt 4:18-22) will later lose interest in the things of God and will grow even blinder: it is as if the little they have is being taken away from them.
This verse also helps us understand the meaning of the parable of the sower, a parable which gives us a wonderful explanation of the supernatural economy of divine grace: God gives grace, and man freely responds to that grace. The result is that those who respond to grace generously receive additional grace and so grow steadily in grace and holiness; whereas those who reject God's gifts become closed up within themselves; through their selfishness and attachment to sin they eventually lose God's grace entirely. In this verse, then, our Lord gives a clear warning: with the full weight of His divine authority He exhorts us -- without taking away our freedom -- to act responsibly: the gifts God keeps sending us should yield fruit; we should make good use of the opportunities for Christian sanctification which are offered us in the course of our lives.
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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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