CCC Cross Reference:
Ps 34:3 716
Mt 21:28-32 546; Mt 21:32 535
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Reading 1
Zep 3:1-2, 9-13
Thus says the LORD:
Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.
For then I will change and purify
the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,
to serve him with one accord;
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
and as far as the recesses of the North,
they shall bring me offerings.
On that day
You need not be ashamed
of all your deeds,
your rebellious actions against me;
For then will I remove from your midst
the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Gospel
Mt 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13
Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled,
the tyrannical city!
She would never listen to the call,
would never learn the lesson;
she has never trusted in the Lord,
never drawn near to her God.
Yes, I will then give the peoples lips that are clean,
so that all may invoke the name of the Lord
and serve him under the same yoke.
From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants
will bring me offerings.
When that day comes
you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds
you have committed against me,
for I will remove your proud boasters
from your midst;
and you will cease to strut
on my holy mountain.
In your midst I will leave
a humble and lowly people,
and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong,
will tell no lies;
and the perjured tongue will no longer
be found in their mouths.
But they will be able to graze and rest
with no one to disturb them.
Psalm: Psalm 33:2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
They call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their distress.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.
Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him.
Gospel Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Advent
From: Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Salvation of the remnant of Israel
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Thus says the LORD:
[1] Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled,
the oppressing city!
[2] She listens to no voice,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the LORD,
she does not draw near to her God.
[9] "Yea, at that time I will change
the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech,
that all of them may call
on the name of the LORD
and serve him with one accord.
[10] From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
my suppliants, the daughter
of my dispersed ones,
shall bring my offering.
[11] "On that day you shall not be put to shame
because of the deeds
by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
[12] For I will leave in the midst of you
a people humble and lowly.
They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
[13] those who are left in Israel;
they shall do no wrong
and utter no lies,
nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
For they shall pasture and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid."
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Commentary:
3:1-5. The oracles against the nations are followed by this one against Jerusalem. It is similar to Amos 1-2, and Isaiah 1:21-26, in the sense that both diatribes are directed against community leaders – officials, judges, prophets and priests (vv. 3-4). Where once Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was called an "exultant city", a city full of pride, now Jerusalem is accused of being "rebellious", "oppressing", and of having rejected four graces – not listening to the voice of the Lord, not ac- cepting conversion, not trusting in the Lord, not drawing near to her God (v. 2). But unlike the Nineveh oracle, the one about Jerusalem ends on a note of hope, for in spite of everything, "the Lord within her is righteous" and he will put things right (v. 5).
3:9-20. The Lord is still speaking here, but there is a total change of focus–from destruction to salvation, which is the intention behind divine punishment. The opening verses proclaim the purification of the nations (vv. 9-10), in a reversal of what happened to Babel of old (Gen 11:1-9). Those scattered abroad after God confused the language of the sons of men (Gen 11:8-9) – they are called "the daughter of my dispersed ones" in v. 10 – will return, bringing offerings with them. Then the text speaks of the purification of Judah (vv. 11-13), of the survival of a "humble" remnant, who will hope in the Lord, will act rightly and will live in peace. As a consequence of the conversion of Judah and Israel, great will be the joy of Zion (vv. 14-18a). The faithful remnant is called "daughter of Zion" and "daughter of Jerusalem" (v. 14), somewhat paralleling the "daughter of my dispersed ones" (v. 10). In v. 14 there are four calls to rejoice – "sing aloud", "shout", "rejoice", "exult". The source of all this joy is the Lord's presence in their midst (v. 17), which brings with it all kinds of advantages (vv. 17-18). At the end of the passage (vv. 18-20), Zion's joy is made complete by the return of the exiles and Israel's prestige among the nations.
3:11-13 The oracle becomes very tender at this point. The prophet is able to see a "remnant" of Israel who will be saved and become the core of the great restoration. Through the prophet, God describes this remnant as "a people humble and lowly", but the catalogue of their qualities (vv. 12-13) shows that poverty and humility here to no refer to social status but to the people's inner attitude towards God. In fact, these terms ("humble and lowly"), through the Greek of the Septuagint, which translates them as praiis (meek) and tapeinos (humble), will become part of the vocabulary of Jesus preaching: "learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart" (Mt 11:29; cf. Mt 5:3, 5; 21:5).
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From: Matthew 21:28-32
The Parable of the Two Sons
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(Jesus told the chief priests and the elders,) [28] "What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' [29] And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterwards he repented and went. [30] And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go. [31] Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. [32] For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.
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Commentary:
32. St. John the Baptist had shown the way to sanctification by proclaiming the imminence of the Kingdom of God and by preaching conversion. The scribes and Pharisees would not believe him, yet they boasted of their faithfulness to God's teaching. They were like the son who says "I will go" and then does not go; the tax collectors and prostitutes who repented and corrected the course of their lives will enter the Kingdom before them: they are like the other son who says "I will not", but then does go. Our Lord stresses that penance and conversion can set people on the road to holiness even if they have been living apart from God for a long time.
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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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