The hand of the Lord strengthened me.
The high priest Joakim and the elders of the Israelites,
who dwelt in Jerusalem,
came to see for themselves the good things that the LORD
had done for Israel,
and to meet and congratulate Judith.
When they had visited her, all with one accord blessed her, saying:
"You are the glory of Jerusalem,
the surpassing joy of Israel;
you are the splendid boast of our people.
With your own hand you have done all this;
you have done good to Israel,
and God is pleased with what you have wrought.
May you be blessed by the LORD Almighty forever and ever!"
And all the people answered, "Amen!"
Judith then said:
"A new hymn I will sing to my God.
O LORD, great are you and glorious,
wonderful in power and unsurpassable.
Let your every creature serve you;
for you spoke, and they were made,
you sent forth your spirit, and they were created;
no one can resist your word."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Judith 15:8-10; 16:13-14
Judith has triumphed over the arrogant King Nebuchadnezzar. In humility she has placed her trust in salvation from God. The mention of Joakim (see also Judith 4:6) likely represents all of the priesthood. All of the Hebrew peoples bless Judith for her virtue and strength. This victory proclamation serves as an introduction to the "new hymn" which concludes the book.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. The Lord had mercy on his people.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness;
R. The Lord had mercy on his people.
Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
R. The Lord had mercy on his people.
The Lord's mercy is from age to age
to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
R. The Lord had mercy on his people.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
R. The Lord had mercy on his people.
The Lord has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.
R. The Lord had mercy on his people.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55
The responsorial is the Magnificat, the beautiful Canticle of Mary. Her song of thanksgiving and humility captures the saintliness that has become synonymous with our image of Mary the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of the Church. In her dedication to service, she offers herself to God as vessel of the Messiah. She sets the stage for the humble birth of Jesus.
CCC: Lk 1:46-55 722, 2619, 2675; Lk 1:46-49 2097; Lk 1:48 148, 971, 2676, 2676; Lk 1:49 273, 2599, 2807, 2827; Lk 1:50 2465; Lk 1:54-55 706; Lk 1:55 422
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOSPEL
Woman, this is your son.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 19:25-27
Here is Jesus’ last address to his mother. Although the address sounds unnecessarily formal ("Woman, behold, your son.") this would have been considered a polite address in biblical times. The reference, “Woman,” is possibly to Genesis 3:15 which describes the mother of the Messiah as the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618)[1]. The Lord, nearing the end of his life, commends the care of his mother to the disciple whom he loved. It is presumed this is done because Jesus has no brothers or sisters, and his adoptive father, Joseph, has already died.
In this instance, while it can be assumed that the disciple referred to is St. John, the author of the Gospel, the tender consignment of the care of the Lord’s mother is seen as iconic. That is, she is given into the care of all of the disciples, whom Jesus loves. Seeing her son dying upon the cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.
CCC: Jn 19:25-27 726, 2618; Jn 19:25 495; Jn 19:26-27 501, 964, 2605; Jn 19:27 2677, 2679
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 198
No comments:
Post a Comment