Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

353 Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

CCC Cross Reference:
2 Pt 1:3-4 1996; 2 Pt 1:4 460, 1129, 1265, 1692, 1721, 1812

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Reading 1
2 Pt 1:2-7

Beloved:
May grace and peace be yours in abundance
through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

His divine power has bestowed on us
everything that makes for life and devotion,
through the knowledge of him
who called us by his own glory and power.
Through these, he has bestowed on us
the precious and very great promises,
so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature,
after escaping from the corruption that is in the world
because of evil desire. For this very reason,
make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control,
self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion,
devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love.

Responsorial Psalm
91:1-2, 14-15b, 15c-16

R. (see 2b) In you, my God, I place my trust.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
Say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
R. In you, my God, I place my trust.
Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he
acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress.
R. In you, my God, I place my trust.
I will deliver him and glorify him;
with length of days I will gratify him
and will show him my salvation.
R. In you, my God, I place my trust.

Gospel
Mk 12:1-12

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes,
and the elders in parables.
“A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.
At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants
to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard.
But they seized him, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant.
And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.
He sent yet another whom they killed.
So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.
He had one other to send, a beloved son.
He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
So they seized him and killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come, put the tenants to death,
and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this Scripture passage:

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?”

They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd,
for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them.
So they left him and went away.


Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

First reading 2 Peter 1:2 – 7

May you have more and more grace and peace as you come to know our Lord more and more.

By his divine power, he has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness. In making these gifts, he has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them you will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice. But to attain this, you will have to do your utmost yourselves, adding goodness to the faith that you have, understanding to your goodness, self-control to your understanding, patience to your self-control, true devotion to your patience, kindness towards your fellow men to your devotion, and, to this kindness, love.

Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 90(91):1-2,14-16

My God, in you I trust.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’

My God, in you I trust.

His love he set on me, so I will rescue him;
protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with you.’

My God, in you I trust.

I will save him in distress and give him glory.
With length of life I will content him;
I shall let him see my saving power.

My God, in you I trust.

Gospel Mark 12:1 – 12

Jesus went on to speak to them in parables, ‘A man planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug out a trough for the winepress and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce from the vineyard. But they seized the man, thrashed him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another servant to them; him they beat about the head and treated shamefully. And he sent another and him they killed; then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest. He had still someone left: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all. “They will respect my son” he said. But those tenants said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and make an end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this text of scripture:

It was the stone rejected by the builders
that became the keystone.
This was the Lord’s doing
and it is wonderful to see?

And they would have liked to arrest him, because they realized that the parable was aimed at them, but they were afraid of the crowds. So they left him alone and went away.

Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible

Monday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time

From: 2 Peter 1:2-7

Greeting
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[2] May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Divine Largesse
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[3] His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, [4] by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.

Christian Virtues
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[5] For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

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Commentary:

1-2. As in other New Testament writings and in ordinary letters of the time the opening greeting gives the name of the sender, that of the addressees and the greeting as such.

"Simon": the original Greek text says "Simeon", using the Hebrew form of the same name (cf. Acts 15:14). To this he adds that of "Peter", the name the Lord gave him when he promised to make him the head of the Apostles (cf. In 1:42).

The original addressees of the letter may have been the faithful of the communities of Greece or Asia Minor (cf. the Introduction).

The greeting contains two words frequently used in this setting "grace and peace" (cf. 1 Pet 1:2 and note)--which sum up the benefits the Christian has received. The true "knowledge of God and of Jesus" is a frequent point of reference in the letter (cf. 1:1, 8; 2:20; 3:18). It is not just intellectual knowledge, but rather the knowledge that comes from familiarity with the Lord and conduct consistent with the faith (cf. 1:5-7). The author emphasizes this point from the very start, because he wants to forestall the influence of false teachings which undermine the faith.

"The righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ": this may be a reference to God the Father AND Jesus; but, given that the Greek text uses only one definite article, it is probably a title of Jesus Christ, whom he calls "God and Savior", in the same way as elsewhere he describes him as "Lord and Savior" (1:11; 2:20; 3:2, 18). Thus, the divinity of Jesus Christ, which is often proclaimed in the New Testament, is openly acknowledged at the very start of the letter.

3-21. The first part of the letter is an appeal for steadfastness in the faith and for growth in Christian life. Firstly, he encourages his readers to pursue virtue; the reasoning he uses is both simple and profound (vv. 3-11): by his power, God has chosen the Apostles and conferred on them wonderful graces in which all the faithful share (vv. 3-4); they must respond to this divine initiative by practicing virtue so as to reach the goal and fullness to which the Christian is called (vv. 5-11).

e goes on (vv. 12-21) to remind them that hope in our Lord's second coming is something well founded, something that belongs to the deposit of faith: the transfiguration of our Lord was a foretaste of his final coming (vv. 16-18); it was something foretold in many prophecies and no one has the right to argue against it (vv. 19-21). Therefore, the final coming of the Lord is something quite certain and helps to keep our hope alive.

3-4. In these verses the same pronoun is repeated three times: "granted to US", called US", "granted to US"; although he may mean all Christians, it is more likely that he is referring only to the Apostles.

The basis of Christian morality and of the practice of virtue (vv. 5-9) is God's initiative in calling the Apostles (v. 3) and endowing them with graces (promises) sufficient to make all Christians "partakers of the divine nature".

"His divine power": usually in the Bible calling is attributed to God the Father (cf., e.g., 1 Pet 1:15; 2:9; 5:10); by emphasizing here that it is Jesus Christ who calls "by his own glory and excellence", the author is clearly acknowledging Jesus as God.

"His precious and very great promises": the promises made in the Old Testament, especially those to do with the coming of the Messiah and Savior. Jesus Christ brought about the Redemption, whereby all men have access to the supernatural good things of which the prophets spoke.

"Partakers of the divine nature": this succinct phrase sums up the fruits that the good things (especially grace) produce in Christians. This sharing in God's own life is both the beginning and the final goal of Christian life. It is the beginning insofar as it is incorporation in Christ through Baptism, and brings with it (through grace and adoptive divine filiation) a sharing in God's own life. It is the final goal of the Christian life since this participation attains its fullness and enduring perfection in heaven with the contemplation of God "as he is" (1 In 3:2 and note on same).

Of course, already in this life the Blessed Trinity dwells in the soul in grace (cf., e.g., Jn 14:17-23; 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; and notes on same). "Our faith teaches us that man, in the state of grace, is divinized--filled with God" (J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 103).

Partaking of the divine nature is a basic feature of the Christian vocation. Pope Pius XII reminds us of this marvelous fact, which is closely linked to the mystery of the Incarnation: "If the Word 'emptied himself, taking the form of a servant' (Phil 2:7), he did so in order that his brethren according to the flesh might be made partakers of the divine nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4), both during this earthly exile by sanctifying grace and in the heavenly home by the possession of eternal beatitude. For this reason the Only-begotten of the Father chose to become a son of man, that we might be made conformable to the image of the Son of God (cf. Rom 8:29) and be renewed according to the likeness of him who created us (cf. Col 3:10)" ("Mystici Corporis", 20).

On this subject, see also the notes on Rom 8:14-15 and Gal 4:6.

5-9. Lists of Christian virtues are also to be found in other parts of the New Testament (cf., e.g., Gal 5:22-23; 1 Tim 6:11; Rev 2:19). This passage provides a list which is well conceived from a pedagogical point of view--simple to remember, because each virtue is linked with the one before it; and the emphasis is on faith and charity, which mark the beginning and end of the list. St Ignatius of Antioch commented on the value of these two theological virtues: "Given an unswerving faith and love for Jesus Christ, there is nothing in all this that will not be obvious to you; for life begins and ends with those two qualities. Faith is the beginning, and love is the end; and the two together lead to God. All that makes for a soul's perfection follows in their train, for nobody who professes faith will commit sin, and nobody who possesses love can feel hatred" ("Letter to the Ephesians", 14, 1-2).

For Christians, virtues are not an end in themselves but a means necessary for attaining knowledge of Christ (cf. note on 1:1); but union with the Lord calls for works, and if we failed to practice virtues we could not see Christ (v. 9). St Teresa of Avila constantly stresses the need to combine contemplation and action: "I repeat that if you have this in view you must not build upon foundations of prayer and contemplation alone, for, unless you strive after the virtues and practice them, you will never grow to be more than dwarfs. God grant that nothing worse than this may happen--for, as you know, anyone who fails to go forward begins to go back" ("Interior Castle", VII, 4, 9).

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From: Mark 12:1-12

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
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[1] And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. [2] When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. [3] And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. [4] Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. [5] And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed. [6] He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' [7] But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' [8] And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. [9] What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. [10] Have you not read the scripture: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; [11] this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" [12] And they tried to arrest him but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.

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Commentary:

1-12. This parable is a masterly summary of history of salvation. To explain the mystery of his redemptive death, Jesus makes use of one of the most beautiful allegories of the Old Testament the so-called "song of the vineyard," in which Isaiah (5:1-7) prophesied Israel's ingratitude for God's favors. On the basis of this Isaiah text, Jesus reveals the patience of God, who sends one messenger after another--the prophets of the Old Testament--until at last, as the text says, he sends "his beloved son", Jesus, whom the tenants will kill. This expression, as also that which God himself uses to describe Christ at Baptism (1:11) and the Transfiguration (9:7), points to the divinity of Jesus, who is the cornerstone of salvation, rejected by the builders in their selfishness and pride. To the Jews listening to Jesus telling this parable, his meaning must have been crystal clear. The rulers "perceived that he had told the parable against them" (v. 12) and that it was about the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy (cf. note on Mt 21:33-46).

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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.

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