CCC Cross Reference:
Lk 10:17-20 787; Lk 10:21-23 2603; Lk 10:21 1083
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Reading 1
Bar 4:5-12, 27-29
Fear not, my people!
Remember, Israel,
You were sold to the nations
not for your destruction;
It was because you angered God
that you were handed over to your foes.
For you provoked your Maker
with sacrifices to demons, to no-gods;
You forsook the Eternal God who nourished you,
and you grieved Jerusalem who fostered you.
She indeed saw coming upon you
the anger of God; and she said:
“Hear, you neighbors of Zion!
God has brought great mourning upon me,
For I have seen the captivity
that the Eternal God has brought
upon my sons and daughters.
With joy I fostered them;
but with mourning and lament I let them go.
Let no one gloat over me, a widow,
bereft of many:
For the sins of my children I am left desolate,
because they turned from the law of God.
Fear not, my children; call out to God!
He who brought this upon you will remember you.
As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God,
turn now ten times the more to seek him;
For he who has brought disaster upon you
will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.”
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 69:33-35, 36-37
R. (34) The Lord listens to the poor.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the Lord hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!”
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
Gospel
Lk 10:17-24
The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Baruch 4:5 – 29
Take courage, my people,
constant reminder of Israel.
You were sold to the nations,
but not for extermination.
You provoked God;
and so were delivered to your enemies,
since you had angered your creator
by offering sacrifices to demons, not to God.
You had forgotten the eternal God who reared you.
You had also grieved Jerusalem who nursed you,
for when she saw the anger fall on you
from God, she said:
Listen, you neighbors of Zion:
God has sent me great sorrow.
I have seen my sons and daughters taken into captivity,
to which they have been sentenced by the Eternal.
I had reared them joyfully;
in tears, in sorrow, I watched them go away.
Do not, any of you, exult over me,
a widow, deserted by so many;
I suffer loneliness because of the sins of my own children,
who turned away from the Law of God.
Take courage, my children, call on God:
he who brought disaster on you will remember you.
As by your will you first strayed away from God,
so now turn back and search for him ten times as hard;
for as he brought down those disasters on you,
so will he rescue you and give you eternal joy.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 68(69):33-37
The Lord listens to the needy.
The poor when they see it will be glad
and God-seeking hearts will revive;
for the Lord listens to the needy
and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
Let the heavens and the earth give him praise,
the sea and all its living creatures.
The Lord listens to the needy.
For God will bring help to Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah
and men shall dwell there in possession.
The sons of his servants shall inherit it;
those who love his name shall dwell there.
The Lord listens to the needy.
Gospel Luke 10:17 – 24
The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.’
It was then that, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it’.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Saturday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29
Song of exhortation and consolation for the exiles
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[5] Take courage, my people,
O memorial of Israel!
[6] It was not for destruction
that you were sold to the nations,
but you were handed over to your enemies
because you angered God.
[7] For you provoked him who made you,
by sacrificing to demons and not to God.
[8] You forgot the everlasting God, who brought you up,
and you grieved Jerusalem, who reared you.
Jerusalem makes lamentation to the cities round about
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[9] For she saw the wrath that came upon you from God,
and she said:
"Hearken, you neighbours of Zion,
God has brought great sorrow upon me;
[10]for I have seen the captivity of my sons and daughters,
which the Everlasting brought upon them.
[11]With joy I nurtured them,
but I sent them away with weeping and sorrow.
[12]Let no one rejoice over me, a widow
and bereaved of many;
I was left desolate because of the sins of my children,
because they turned away from the law of God.
Jerusalem calls on her children to be converted and to have hope
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[27]"Take courage, my children, and cry to God,
for you will be remembered by him who brought this upon you.
[28]For just as you purposed to go astray from God,
return with tenfold zeal to seek him.
[29]For he who brought these calamities upon you
will bring you everlasting joy with your salvation."
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Commentary:
4:5-5:9. This brings us to the fourth section of the book. Themes of lamentation, hope, conversion and consolation alternate here. The narrative concerns Jerusalem, who shares her sorrow with her children scattered among the nations, acknowledges her inability to help them, and confesses that her only hope is the Lord God of Israel. It begins (4:5-8) with words of consolation and encouragement. Then Jerusalem makes a lamentation to the cities of Judah (4:9-16) and to her own children, exhorting them to conversion (4:17-29). This is followed by a song of rejoicing (4:30-37) and an optimistic summing up of the whole book (5:1-9).
4:5-8. The chosen people will be punished for their unfaithfulness, but still there are grounds for hope: a remnant, a "memorial" (v. 5), will remain loyal and will return from exile. This goes to show that the punishment meted out by God does not imply the destruction of the people; it is meant as a corrective, and marks the start of a new people. The theme of the "remnant of Israel" appears often in the prophets (cf. Amos 5:15; Mic 4:7; Is 4:2-6; 10:20-21; Jer 3:14; 5:18; Ezek 14:22; etc.) and is a reminder that everything that happens is guided by the hand of God.
4:9-16. Now it is Jerusalem who speaks. She is depicted as a widow and mother who sees that her children have been led off into captivity: "Jerusalem is called a widow because she has been deprived of the divine care that was once given to her" (Theodoret of Cyprus, Interpretation in Baruch, 4, 12). It is a lament for those who have gone, leaving her alone -- an echo of the poetry of the book of Lamentations.
4:17-29. But the punishment imposed by God will not last forever; there is good reason to hope, based on the compassion and goodness of the Everlasting One; he will deliver them (v. 22). The return of the exiles is announced, and the joy of the holy city -- in tones reminiscent of the last part of the book of Isaiah (cf. Is 60:1-4; 63:7-9; 66:10-11) and some of Jeremiah's oracles (cf. Jer 30:18-22). The passage is both a song of consolation and an exhortation to turn to the Lord.
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From: Luke 10:17-24
The Seventy Return From Their Mission
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[17] The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!" [18] And He (Jesus) said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven. [19] Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. [20] Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven."
Jesus Gives Thanks
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[21] In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank Thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was Thy gracious will. [22] All things have been delivered to Me by My Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him."
[23] Then turning to the disciples He said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! [24] For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."
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Commentary:
20. Our Lord corrects His disciples, making them see that the right reason for rejoicing lies in hope of reaching Heaven, not in the power to do miracles which He gave them for their mission. As He said on another occasion, "On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast our demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you evildoers'" (Matthew 7:22-23). In other words, in the eyes of God doing His holy will at all times is more important than working miracles.
21. This passage of the Gospel is usually called our Lord's "hymn of joy" and is also found in St. Matthew (11:25-27). It is one of those moments when Jesus rejoices to see humble people understanding and accepting the word of God.
Our Lord also reveals one of the effects of humility--spiritual childhood. For example, in another passage He says: "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3). But spiritual childhood does not involve weakness, softness or ignorance: "I have often meditated on this life of spiritual childhood, which is not incompatible with fortitude, because it demands a strong will, proven maturity, an open and firm character [...]. To become children we must renounce our pride and self-sufficiency, recognizing that we can do nothing by ourselves. We must realize that we need grace, and the help of God our Father to find our way and keep it. To be little, you have to abandon yourself as children do, believe as children, beg as children beg" [St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 10 and 143).
22. "This statement is a wonderful help to our faith," St. Ambrose comments, "because when you read 'all' you realize that Christ is all-powerful, that He is not inferior to the Father, or less perfect than He; when you read 'have been delivered to me', you confess that Christ is the Son, to whom everything belongs by right of being one in substance [with the Father] and not by grace of gift" ("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").
Here we see Christ as almighty Lord and God, consubstantial with the Father, and the only one capable of revealing who the Father is. At the same time, we can recognize the divine nature of Jesus only if the Father gives us the grace of faith--as He did to St. Peter (cf. Matthew 16:17).
23-24. Obviously, seeing Jesus with one's own eyes was a wonderful thing for people who believed in him. However, our Lord will say to Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29). St. Peter, for his part, tells us: "Without having seen Him you love Him; though you do not see Him you believe in Him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:8-9).
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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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