A. The Spirit of the Lord sent me to comfort the brokenhearted.
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God,
to comfort all who mourn;
to place on those who mourn in Zion
a diadem instead of ashes,
to give them oil of gladness in place of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit.
They will be called oaks of justice,
planted by the LORD to show his glory.
I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation,
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.
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Commentary on Is 61:1-3,10-11
The prophetic vision from Isaiah begins with words used by Jesus himself in Luke 4: 18-19. In the day it was first used it was inspired by the return of faithful from the Babylonian exile. It envisions the coming of the messianic age, foreseeing the saving work of the Messiah (“…glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners”).
The realization of salvation brings such joy to the prophet that his very soul sings to God in the joy of the God’s mercy and justice. This same sentiment is expressed and echoed in the Canticle of Mary. A secondary image of the messianic age is also brought forward as the concept of bride of salvation is envisioned (the people vindicated or rescued by God now joined to the savior – wedded through His saving acts).
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B God comforts us that we might comfort other in their sorrows.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement,
who encourages us in our every affliction,
so that we may be able to encourage
those who are in any affliction
with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.
For as Christ's sufferings overflow to us,
so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow.
If we are afflicted,
it is for your encouragement and salvation;
if we are encouraged,
it is for your encouragement,
which enables you to endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
Our hope for you is firm,
for we know that as you share in the sufferings,
you also share in the encouragement.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 1:3-7
The point being made by St. Paul is that he shares the suffering of Christ and in doing so shares in his saving work. The Corinthians who are suffering persecution and hardships receive this same consolation with Christ and likewise share in the Saviors mission.
CCC: 2 Cor 1 2627; 2 Cor 1:3-7 2627
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
I give thanks, O LORD;
though you have been angry with me,
your anger has abated, and you have consoled me.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
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Commentary on Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6
This hymn of praise is a profession of faith: “My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior.” It also does something interesting in that it challenges those who profess their faith in the Lord to proclaim it in the world: “…among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name.”
This canticle emphasizes the peace and confidence found in his servant, enjoying the salvation of God. He sings his praise to God and exhorts all of Israel to praise him as they see his constant presence among them in the blessings they receive.
CCC: Is 12:3 2561
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GOSPEL
A Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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Commentary on Mt 5:1-12
This section of the Sermon on the Mount begins the first of five great discourses in St. Matthew’s Gospel. He begins using a formula common in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”(Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:13; Sirach 25:8-9) This designation identifies those without material resources, completely dependent upon God. (This distinction is for the devout poor.) The discourse continues blessing those who mourn, who are meek, who “hunger” for righteousness (to adopt the Lord’s law of love in their hearts), the merciful, the clean of heart (those who are reconciled to God), the peacemakers, the persecuted, and finally those who will be reviled because they profess faith in Christ.
The litany of praises for those to be blessed by the Lord has an overarching theme. It holds up the spiritual strength of complete dependence on God for life, health, and prosperity. St. Matthew captures the strength in that dependence and God’s promise of salvation through the words of the Savior.
The litany of blessings concludes with a reminder that those who are persecuted for the sake of the Lord are in the company of the great prophets who were also persecuted for proclaiming God's truth to those who refused to believe in ages past.
It is noteworthy that the word “Blessed” [μακάριοι (makάrios) in Greek and Beati in Latin] is translated “Happy” in many Old Testament texts. The idea of happiness or peace as a blessing from God is an important understanding about the intent of this discourse.
CCC: Mt 5:1 581; Mt 5:3-12 1716; Mt 5:3 544, 2546; Mt 5-7 2763; Mt 5-6 764; Mt 5:8 1720, 2518; Mt 5:9 2305, 2330; Mt 5:11-12 520
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B I shall ask the Father, and the Father will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever.
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows it.
But you know the Spirit, because it remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans;
I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Those who have my commandments and observe them
are the ones who love me.
And those who love me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love them and reveal myself to them.
"I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the holy Spirit-
whom the Father will send in my name-
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give peace to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid."
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Commentary on Jn 14:15-21, 25-27
The farewell speech of the Lord continues with the promise of the Holy Spirit – the Paraclete. We note he says “another advocate”; Jesus himself is the first advocate (in St. John’s Gospel the term used synonymously with spokesman, mediator, intercessor, comforter, and consoler). Jesus says this gift is “The Spirit of truth” (from the Quamram or Dead Sea Scrolls- a moral force put into a person by God.). This promise is made because the disciples are becoming worried and are afraid of being left without Jesus’ guidance. In addition to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he leaves his peace, not just the greeting “Shalom” but an inner peace that conquers fear.
After he has promised to send the Holy Spirit (the new advocate – the Paraclete). He reinforces that promise with a summation of his great commandment and then completes our understanding of the Holy Trinity with; “The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name--he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” The Father and the Son are one and in the Name of the Son the Holy Spirit now remains with us.
"The word translated here is 'bring to your remembrance' also includes the idea of 'suggesting':the Holy Spirit will recall to the apostles' memory what they have already heard Jesus say and he will give them light to enable them to discover the depth and richness of everything they have seen and heard. Thus, 'the Apostles handed on to their hearers what he had said and done, but with that fuller understanding which they instructed by the glorious events of Christ (cf. John 2:33) and enlightened by the Spirit of truth now enjoyed' (Vatican II, Dei Verbum, 19)."[1]
CCC: Jn 14:23-26 2615; Jn 14:26 243, 244, 263, 692, 729, 1099, 2466, 2623
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Reflection:
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| Madonna della Consolazione, Perugino c. 1497 |
Lord our God,
through the Virgin Mary
you graciously sent Jesus Christ
to be the consolation of your people;
grant that, through her intercession,
we may be filled with all consolation
and share it among our brothers and sisters.
We note that, as always Mother Mary points us to her son, Jesus Christ. He was to be the “consolation of your people.” To understand this great gift let us look at what our Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said about consolation in his encyclical on Christian hope, Spe Salve:
“Indeed, to accept the ‘other’ who suffers, means that I take up his suffering in such a way that it becomes mine also. Because it has now become a shared suffering, though, in which another person is present, this suffering is penetrated by the light of love. The Latin word con-solatio, ‘consolation’, expresses this beautifully. It suggests being with the other in his solitude, so that it ceases to be solitude.” [2]
We now see how the words of Scripture expose the love of God. In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we hear how God came into the world to be present with those in sorrow and hardship; the captives, the down-trodden and those who mourn. In St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus provides a litany of blessings for those who are persecuted and slandered. Those blessings provide the very presence of God, who is with us in times of sadness and trouble – we are never alone, he is with us, sharing our sorrow and pain – he is our con-solatio.
Let us look to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who not only brought us through her virginal womb the Lord Jesus, but also endured her own sorrows. She saw her son beaten and humiliated by those he loved, and that sword of sorrow pierced her heart as Simeon had predicted in the temple all those years before. When we lift up our prayers to her, we find a ready and willing advocate. Because of her own experiences, she also is with us in our sorrows and times of pain. She will fly to her son with our prayers and remind us that he is listening.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Pax
[1] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p.660
[2] Spe Salve, 38.
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