CCC Cross Reference:
Mt 18:16 2472; Mt 18:18 553, 1444; Mt 18:20 1088, 1373
Back to Deacon’s Bench ‘09
Back to SOW II '13
Back to SOW II '15
Back to SOW II '17
Back to SOW II '19
Back to SOW II '21
Reading 1
Dt 34:1-12
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17
R. (see 20a and 10b) Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Gospel
Mt 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Leaving the plains of Moab, Moses went up Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land; Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the stretch of the Valley of Jericho, city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross into it.’ There in the land of Moab, Moses the servant of the Lord died as the Lord decreed; he buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but to this day no one has ever found his grave. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye undimmed, his vigor unimpaired. The sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. The days of weeping for the mourning rites of Moses came to an end. Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. It was he that the sons of Israel obeyed, carrying out the order that the Lord had given to Moses.
Since then, never has there been such a prophet in Israel as Moses, the man the Lord knew face to face. What signs and wonders the Lord caused him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and his whole land! How mighty the hand and great the fear that Moses wielded in the sight of all Israel!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 65(66):1-3,5,16-17
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!’
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.
Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul:
to him I cried aloud,
with high praise ready on my tongue.
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Gospel Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said, ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, is between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.
‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.
‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Wednesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
The Death of Moses
------------------------------
[1] And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, [2] all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, [3] the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. [4] And the LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 'I will give it to your descendants. 'I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there." [5] So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, [6] and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows the place of his burial to this day. [7] Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. [8] And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
[9] And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the people of Israel obeyed him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
A Eulogy of Moses
----------------------------
[10] And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, [11] none like him for all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, [12] and for all the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
34:1-12. Before he dies, Moses looks down on the promised land, and its main regions (Transjordan), Galilee (Naphtali), Samaria (Ephraim and Manasseh) and Judea. However, if one looks out from Mount Nebo it is not possible to see all this panorama: only God could make Moses see all these territories. Zoar may have been to the south-east of the Dead Sea.
"He buried him" (v. 6): the Hebrew construction does not allow us to say who the subject of the verb is, but from the context it must be God.
The book of Sirach provides a short summary of the life of this man of God (cf. Sir 45:1-5).
The Jewish scholar Philo of Alexandria (15 BC-AD 45) also praises his virtues, and at length: he was the friend and disciple of God, who taught him "face to face"; he was "a man of God", able to work wonders and signs; he was greater than the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph in his intimacy with God and his grasp of the divine Word, which inspired him and guided him as a leader, lawgiver, prophet, wonder-worker, ascetic and thinker (cf. "De Vita Mosis", 1, 80, 154, 158; 2, 187-292; 3, 1-186).
St Gregory of Nyssa, one of the greatest Greek Fathers, praised Moses in the following terms: "Our brief discourse has offered you, man of God, these things concerning the perfection of the virtuous life, by describing to you the life of the great Moses as a visible model of goodness, so that each of us, by imitating his actions, may himself acquire the features of the beauty we have described. And to know that Moses attained all possible perfection, what more worthy testimony can we find than the divine word, when it says, "I know you by name" (Ex 33:12, 17)? Also (there is) the fact that he was called the friend of God by God himself (cf. Ex 33:11), and the fact that, having chosen to perish with the others unless God in his kindness overlooked the offense they had done him, he checked God's wrath against the Israelites, getting him to change his mind so as not to grieve his friend (cf. Ex 32:7-14). All these testimonies are a clear proof that in his life Moses attained the height of perfection" ("De Vita Mosis", 2, 319).
34:10. "Face to face" conversation with God means a very intimate relationship, but it does not have to be taken literally. The visions that the patriarchs--Abraham, Moses himself, Elijah. Isaiah etc.--had of God in this world were indirect ones; what they saw were various manifestations of the divine glory, the splendor of his greatness. These Old Testament theophanies were surpassed by the epiphany of Jesus Christ; God could reveal himself to man in no more perfect way than in the Incarnation of his eternal Word: "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known" (Jn 1:18).
Comparing the mission of Moses with that of Jesus, St Cyril of Alexandria taught: "Our Lord Jesus Christ set the world free from its ancient offences; for He is the truth and is holy by his very nature; he sanctifies those who have believed through his blood, and he sets them above death, and he will, bring them into his own kingdom of heaven, into the land that is truly holy and desirable--to the loftier mansions, to the heavenly city, to the Church of the firstborn, whose maker and creator is God" ("Glaphyra In Deuteronomium", 34:10).
*********************************************************************************************
From: Matthew 18:15-20
Fraternal Correction. The Apostles' Authority
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples), [15] "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. [16] But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. [17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the Church; and if he refuses to listen even to the Church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. [18] Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. [19] Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in Heaven. [20] For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
15-17. Here our Lord calls on us to work with Him for the sanctification of others by means of fraternal correction, which is one of the ways we can do so. He speaks as sternly about the sin of omission as He did about that of scandal (cf. Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. Matthew", 61).
There is an obligation on us to correct others. Our Lord identifies three stages in correction: 1) alone; 2) in the presence of one or two witnesses; and 3) before the Church. The first stage refers to giving scandal and to secret or private sins; here correction should be given privately, just to the person himself, to avoid unnecessarily publicizing a private matter and also to avoid hurting the person and to make it easier for him to mend his ways. If this correction does not have the desired effect, and the matter is a serious one, resort should be had to the second stage--looking for one or two friends, in case they have more influence on him. The last stage is formal judicial correction by reference to the Church authorities. If a sinner does not accept this correction, he should be excommunicated; that is, separated from communion with the Church and Sacraments.
18. This verse needs to be understood in connection with the authority previously promised to Peter (cf. Matthew 16:13-19): it is the hierarchy of the Church that exercises this power given by Christ to Peter, to the Apostles and their lawful successors -- the Pope and the Bishops.
19-20. "Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est: where charity and love resides, there God is", the Holy Thursday liturgy intones, drawing its inspiration from the sacred text of 1 John 4:12. For it is true that love is inconceivable if there is only one person: it implies the presence of two or more (cf. Aquinas, "Commentary on St. Matthew", 18:19-20). And so it is that when Christians meet together in the name of Christ for the purpose of prayer, our Lord is present among them, pleased to listen to the unanimous prayer of His disciples: "All those with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus" (Acts 1:14). This is why the Church from the very beginning has practiced communal prayer (cf. Acts 12:5). There are religious practices-- few, short, daily "that have always been lived in Christian families and which I think are marvelous--grace at meals, morning and night prayers, the family rosary (even though nowadays this devotion to our Lady has been criticized by some people). Customs vary from place to place, but I think one should always encourage some acts of piety which the family can do together in a simple and natural fashion" (St. J. Escriva, "Conversations", 103).
*********************************************************************************************
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment