Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

96C Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links
CCC 599-605: Christ’s redemptive death in the plan of salvation
CCC 1435: take up the cross daily and follow Christ
CCC 787-791: Church is communion with Christ
CCC 1425, 1227, 1243, 2348: “putting on” Christ; baptism and chastity

CCC Cross Reference:
Zec 12:10 1432, 2561; Zec 13:1 2561
Gal 3:27-28 791; Gal 3:27 1227, 1243, 1425, 2348
Lk 9:18-20 2600; Lk 9:23 1435

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Reading 1: Zec 12:10-11; 13:1

Thus says the LORD:
I will pour out on the house of David
and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem
a spirit of grace and petition;
and they shall look on him whom they have pierced,
and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son,
and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a firstborn.

On that day the mourning in Jerusalem shall be as great
as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

On that day there shall be open to the house of David
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.


Reading 2: Gal 3:26-29

Brothers and sisters:
Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ,
then you are Abraham’s descendant,
heirs according to the promise.

Gospel: Lk 9:18-24

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist;
others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them
and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

First reading Zechariah 12:10-11,13:1

It is the Lord who speaks: ‘Over the House of David and the citizens of Jerusalem I will pour out a spirit of kindness and prayer. They will look on the one whom they have pierced; they will mourn for him as for an only son, and weep for him as people weep for a first-born child. When that day comes, there will be great mourning in Judah, like the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. When that day comes, a fountain will be opened for the House of David and the citizens of Jerusalem, for sin and impurity.’

Psalm: Psalm 62:2-6,8-9

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
  for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
  like a dry, weary land without water.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
  to see your strength and your glory.
For your love is better than life,
  my lips will speak your praise.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

So I will bless you all my life,
  in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
  my mouth shall praise you with joy.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

For you have been my help;
  in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
  your right hand holds me fast.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

Second reading Galatians 3:26-29

You are, all of you, sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. All baptised in Christ, you have all clothed yourselves in Christ, and there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Merely by belonging to Christ you are the posterity of Abraham, the heirs he was promised.

Gospel Luke 9:18-24

One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ It was Peter who spoke up. ‘The Christ of God’ he said. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this.

‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’

Then to all he said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it.’

Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Deuteronomy 30:10-14

Restoration After Repentance (Continuation)
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(Moses said to the people, ) [10] "[If] you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

The Law of God is Accessible to All
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[11] "For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. [12] It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' [13] Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' [14] But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it."
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Commentary:

30:11-14. What this passage directly refers to is how privileged Israel was to have the Law. The sacred writer puts it very beautifully, by using two nice metaphors in a passage that has a certain poetic rhythm to it. St. Paul, in his Letter to the Romans (10:6-8), uses this passage, applying it not to knowledge of the Law but to "the word of faith" that is preached by the apostles: it is now that word (as previously it was the Law) that makes manifest the precepts and commandments of God and (like the Law in its time, too) it should be constantly on our lips and in our heart. Theodoret of Cyprus (commenting on the Greek Septuagint version, which adds in v. 14 "and in your hands") says: The mouth stands for meditation on the divine words; the heart, readiness of spirit; the hands for doing what is commanded" ("Quaestiones in Octateuchum", 38).

The Christian people, who possess the New Law and the New Covenant, are in an even better position than the people of old, for they have been given the grace of Christ. And so the Council of Trent teaches that "God does not command impossible things; when he makes a commandment he is telling you to do what you can and ask (his help) as regards what is beyond you, and he helps you to fulfill it" (De Iustificatione", 11). In the Old Law, even though the Israelites did not have available to them the grace won by Christ, divine Providence helped them to do what was required of them in anticipation of that grace.
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From: Zechariah 12:10-11; 13:1

Prophecies concerning Jerusalem, Judah and Israel
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[10] "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a first-born. [11] On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

Cleaning of the land
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[1] "On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness."

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Commentary:

12:10-14. The End time will be marked by profound repentance and penance in Jerusalem induced by the spirit of God. The reason for this is the fact that a man, much loved by the people, has been put to death. The meaning of the passage is not very clear because it could be read in the sense that the one whom they pierced is God (v. 10); however, it goes on immediately to say that the person who has died is a man for whom the people will mourn. The mysterious death of this person has effects similar to the death of the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, given that an effect of that death will be to atone for Judah's and Jerusalem's sin, and to bring about their complete rejection of idolatry (cf. 13:1-2). It is possible that there is an allusion here to the death of Zerubbabel, the last descendant of David to be mentioned in the Old Testament -- a death that was to be followed by the coming of peace. Or perhaps the sacred writer is speaking about a king like Josiah who, though upright and devout, died violently at the hands of his enemies (cf. 2 Kings 23:29). In any event, that much lamented person prefigures Jesus Christ nailed on the cross on whom sinful man will look, as we read in John 19:37. "It is in discovering the greatness of God's love that our heart is shaken by the horror and weight of sin and begins to fear offending God by sin and being separated from him. The human heart is converted by looking upon him whom our sins have pierced (cf. Jn 19:37; Zech 12:10)" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 1432).

13:1-6. Other features of the End time will be the cleansing of the people by means of water from a special fountain set up by God, and the removal of everything to do with false gods. This cleansing from sin and uncleanness is purification of the heart; just as in Leviticus 14:8-9 leprosy was cured by means of water, now the image of the fountain is used for the cleansing that follows on from the New Covenant that God will make with his people (cf. Jer 31:34; Ezek 36: 25). Idols will not even be a memory, and the false prophets who ministered to idols ("the unclean spirit") will disappear from the land, for their own parents will kill them if they catch them prophesying (v. 3). And those who set themselves up as prophets will be ashamed of their visions; they will cease to dress as prophets (cf. 2 Kings 1:8, which describes how Elijah dressed), they will admit that they are not prophets, and they will disguise the scars they obtained in ritual trances. The idea that they should disappear suggests that, in the post-exilic times, there were still false prophets around (cf. Neh 6:12-14); they could have posed a danger to the people by falsely claiming that they spoke on God's account. That is why the prophet depicts the disappearance of the prophetical institution as a feature of the eschatological times.

In Christian tradition, the words of v. 6 have been applied in an allegorical sense to Christ, wounded by our sins. St Josemaria Escrivá, meditating on the passion of our Lord, quoted these words of the prophet and added: "Look at Jesus. Each laceration is a reproach; each lash of the whip, a reason for sorrow for your offences and mine" ("The Way of the Cross", 1, 5).

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From: Galatians 3:26-29

The Law and the Promise (Continuation)
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[26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
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Commentary:

27. St John of Avila, commenting on this passage, says, "The Holy Spirit was not content with saying that we are bathed and anointed: here he says that we are clothed, and the clothing we are given is not just something beautiful and costly: it is Jesus Christ himself, who is the sum total of all beauty, all value, all richness, etc. What he means is that the beauty of Jesus Christ, his justice, his grace, his riches, his splendor, shine out from us with the splendor of the sun and is reflected as in the purest of mirrors" ("Lecciones Sobre Gal, ad loc.").

St Paul uses this metaphor of our being decked out in Christ in many other passages (cf. Rom 13:14; 1 Cor 15:43; Eph 4:24; 6:11; Col 3:10; etc.) to describe the intimate union between the baptized person and Christ, a union so intense that the Christian can be said to be "another Christ".

28. In the order of nature, it may be said, all men are radically equal: as descendants of Adam, we are born in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:26-27). The different functions which people have in the life of society do not alter this basic, natural equality. From this point of view there is no real difference, nor should there be, between one person and another, no difference even between man and woman: both are made in the image and likeness of God.

In the order of grace, which the Redemption inaugurates, this essential, original equality was restored by Christ, who became man and died on the Cross to save all. John Paul II points out that this true meaning of the dignity of man is enhanced by the Redemption: "In the mystery of the Redemption man becomes newly 'expressed' and, in a way, is newly created. He is newly created! 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus' (Gal 3:28). The man who wishes to understand himself thoroughly--and not just in accordance with immediate, partial, often superficial, and even illusory standards and measures of his being -- must with his unrest, uncertainty and even his weakness and sinfulness, with his life and death, draw near to Christ. He must, so to speak, enter into him with all his own self, he must 'appropriate' and assimilate the whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself" ("Redemptor Hominis", 10)

>From this radical equality of all men is derived that universal fraternity which should govern human relations: "Our Lord has come to bring peace, good news and life to all. Not only to the rich, nor only to the poor. Not only to the wise, nor only to the simple. To everyone. To the brethren, for brothers we are, children of the same Father, God. So there is only one race, the race of the children of God. There is only one color, the color of the children of God. And there is only one language, the language which speaks to the heart and to the mind, without the noise of words, making us know God and love one another" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 106).

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From: Luke 9:18-24

Peter's Confession of Faith
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[18] Now it happened that as [Jesus] was praying alone the disciples were with Him; and He asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?" [19] And they answered, "John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen." [20] And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

First Prophecy of the Passion
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[21] But He charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, [22] saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."

The Need for Self-Denial
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[23] And He said to all, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. [24] For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake, he will save it.

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Commentary:

20. "Christ" means "anointed" and is a name indicating honor and office. In the Old Law "priests" were anointed (Exodus 29:7 and 40:13), as were "kings" (1 Samuel 9:16), because God laid down that they should receiving anointing in view of their position; there was also a custom to anoint "prophets" (1 Samuel 16:13) because they were interpreters and intermediaries of God. "When Jesus Christ our Savior came into the world, He assumed the position and obligations of the three offices of priest, king and prophet and was therefore called Christ" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 3, 7).

22. Jesus prophesied His passion and death in order to help His disciples believe in Him. It also showed that He was freely accepting these sufferings He would undergo. "Christ did not seek to be glorified: He chose to come without glory in order to undergo suffering; and you, who have been born without glory, do you wish to be glorified? The route you must take is the one Christ took. This means recognizing Him and it means imitating Him both in His ignominy and in His good repute; thus you will glory in the Cross, which was His path to glory. That was what Paul did, and therefore he gloried in saying, 'Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Galatians 6:14)" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").

23. "Christ is saying this again, to us, whispering it in our ears: the cross each day. As St. Jerome puts it: 'Not only in time of persecution or when we have the chance of martyrdom, but in all circumstances, in everything we do and think, in everything we say, let us deny what we used to be and let us confess what we now are, reborn as we have been in Christ' ("Epistola" 121, 3) [...]. Do you see? The daily cross. No day without a cross; not a single day in which we are not to carry the cross of the Lord, in which we are not to accept His yoke" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 58 and 176). "There is no doubt about it: a person who loves pleasure, who seeks comfort, who flies from anything that might spell suffering, who is over-anxious, who complains, who blames and who becomes impatient at the least little thing which does not go his way--a person like that is a Christian only in name; he is only a dishonor to his religion for Jesus Christ has said so: Anyone who wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross every day of his life, and follow Me" (St. John Mary Vianney, "Selected Sermons", Ash Wednesday).

The Cross should be present not only in the life of every Christian but also at the crossroads of the world: "How beautiful are those crosses on the summits of high mountains, and crowning great monuments, and on the pinnacles of cathedrals...! But the Cross must also be inserted in the very heart of the world.

"Jesus wants to be raised on high, there in the noise of the factories and work- shops, in the silence of libraries, in the loud clamor of the streets, in the stillness of the fields, in the intimacy of the family, in crowded gatherings, in stadiums.... Wherever there is a Christian striving to lead an honorable life, he should, with his love, set up the Cross of Christ, who attracts all things to Himself" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way of the Cross", XI, 3).

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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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