CCC Cross Reference:
1 Cor 4:1 859, 1117; 1 Cor 4:5 678
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Reading 1
1 Cor 4:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now it is of course required of stewards
that they be found trustworthy.
It does not concern me in the least
that I be judged by you or any human tribunal;
I do not even pass judgment on myself;
I am not conscious of anything against me,
but I do not thereby stand acquitted;
the one who judges me is the Lord.
Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,
until the Lord comes,
for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness
and will manifest the motives of our hearts,
and then everyone will receive praise from God.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 37:3-4, 5-6, 27-28, 39-40
R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the Lord and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Commit to the Lord your way;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the Lord loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
Criminals are destroyed
and the posterity of the wicked is cut off.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Gospel
Lk 5:33-39
The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,
and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;
but yours eat and drink.”
Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
then they will fast in those days.”
And he also told them a parable.
“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.
Otherwise, he will tear the new
and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,
and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.
Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.
And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,
for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 1 Corinthians 4:1 – 5
People must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God. What is expected of stewards is that each one should be found worthy of his trust. Not that it makes the slightest difference to me whether you, or indeed any human tribunal, find me worthy or not. I will not even pass judgement on myself. True, my conscience does not reproach me at all, but that does not prove that I am acquitted: the Lord alone is my judge. There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 36(37):3-6,27-28,39-40
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
If you trust in the Lord and do good,
then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart’s desire.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Commit your life to the Lord,
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
your cause like the noon-day sun.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Then turn away from evil and do good
and you shall have a home for ever;
for the Lord loves justice
and will never forsake his friends.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord,
their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them: for their refuge is in him.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Gospel Luke 5:33 – 39
They then said to Jesus, ‘John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees too, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come, the time for the bridegroom to be taken away from them; that will be the time when they will fast.’
He also told them this parable, ‘No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak; if he does, not only will he have torn the new one, but the piece taken from the new will not match the old.
‘And nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost. No; new wine must be put into fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good” he says.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Friday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Servant of Christ
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[1] This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. [2] Moreover it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. [3] But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. [4] I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. [5] Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God.
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Commentary:
1-2. The features of every apostle, as outlined here by St Paul -- "servants of Christ", "stewards of God's mysteries"--put this ministry beyond the reach of grudges and petty squabbles. "Servants of Christ", that is, ministers of Christ, are people to whom he has entrusted his property--his teaching and his sacraments--for them to protect it faithfully and, acting as his agents, to manage it, pass it on and "disperse" it to others (cf. "Commentary on 1 Cor, ad loc."). As Paul stresses, a basic qualification for being a servant or steward is trustworthiness: "Those are untrustworthy stewards who when it comes to dispensing the divine mysteries do not seek the welfare of the people, the honor of Christ or the advantage of his members [...]. Trustworthy stewards are those who always seek the honor of God and the welfare of his members" ("ibid., ad loc.").
The Magisterium of the Church has often applied these words to the Christian priesthood: "The Apostle of the Gentiles thus perfectly sums up what may be said of the greatness, the dignity and the duty of the Christian priesthood: 'This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God' (1 Cor 4:1). The priest is the minister of Christ, an instrument, that is to say, in the hands of the divine Redeemer. He continues the work of the redemption in all its universality and divine efficacy, that work that wrought so marvelous a transformation in the world. Thus the priest, as is said with good reason, is indeed 'another Christ', for, in some way, he is himself a continuation of Christ: 'As the Father has sent me, even so I send you' (Jn 20:21), is spoken to the priest, and hence the priest, like Christ, continues to give 'glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased' (Lk 2:14). A priest is appointed 'steward of the mysteries of God' (cf. 1 Cor 4:1 ) for the benefit of the members of the mystical body of Christ, since he is the ordinary minister of nearly all the sacraments--those channels through which the grace of the Savior flows for the good of humanity. The Christian, at almost every important stage of his mortal career, finds at his side the priest with power received from God, for the purpose of communicating or increasing that grace which is the supernatural life of his soul" (Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii").
3-5. A servant, an employee, is obviously answerable for his actions -- but he is answerable only to his master; only his master can judge him. Therefore, referring to the minister of Christ, St Paul declares that only our Lord can be his judge, because it is to him his service is owed. This teaching applies in the first place to Church ministers; but it also applies to all the faithful, for all should serve God by putting their talents to good use. Therefore, it is not for us to judge others, unless we have some special position which obliges us to do so. And certainly any judgment we do make is valid only if it accords with the will of God; any type of rash judgment would lead to very unfortunate results. Even that judgment we make about ourselves--examination of conscience, which St Paul seems to be hinting at when he says that he is not aware of anything against himself – should be made with the help of grace. It is not a matter of subjective introspection, but rather a sincere review made in the presence of God. It is not meant to be a reply to the question, What do I think of my behavior?; but rather to a different question, What does God think of it? Thus, a Christian should not be trying to meticulously measure his conduct, but to have recourse to God, who is rich in mercy. If so, the end-product of his examination will never be like that of the Pharisee, "God, I thank thee that I am not like other men", but instead, like the publican's "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Lk 18:11, 13).
The Apostle, as we can see, is speaking of his own experience, and speaking from a heart full of pastoral solicitude: he is not merely giving advice or taking people to task.
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From: Luke 5:33-39
A Discussion on Fasting
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[33] And they (the scribes and the Pharisees) said to Him (Jesus), "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink." [34] And Jesus said to them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? [35] The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." [36] He told them a parable also: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. [37] And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. [38] But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. [39] And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is good.'"
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Commentary:
33-35. In the Old Testament God established certain days as days of fasting --the main one being the "day of atonement" (Numbers 29:7; Acts 27:9). Fasting implied total or partial abstinence from food or drink. Moses and Elijah fasted (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8) and our Lord Himself fasted in the desert for forty days before beginning His public ministry. In the present passage Jesus gives a deeper meaning to the word "fasting"--the deprivation of His physical presence which His Apostles would experience after His death. All through His public life Jesus is trying to prepare His disciples for the final parting. At first the Apostles were not very robust and Christ's physical presence did them more good than the practice of fasting.
Christians should sometimes abstain from food. "Fast and abstain from flesh meat when Holy Mother Church so ordains" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 495). That is the purpose of the fourth commandment of the Church, but it has a deeper meaning, as St. Leo the Great tells us: "The merit of our fasts does not consist only in abstinence from food; there is no use depriving the body of nourishment if the soul does not cut itself off from iniquity and if the tongue does not cease to speak evil" ("Sermo IV in Quadragesima").
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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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