Reading 1 1 Tm 3:1-13

Beloved, this saying is trustworthy:
whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.
Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable,
married only once, temperate, self-controlled,
decent, hospitable, able to teach,
not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle,
not contentious, not a lover of money.
He must manage his own household well,
keeping his children under control with perfect dignity;
for if a man does not know how to manage his own household,
how can he take care of the Church of God?
He should not be a recent convert,
so that he may not become conceited
and thus incur the Devil’s punishment.
He must also have a good reputation among outsiders,
so that he may not fall into disgrace, the Devil’s trap.

Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful,
not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain,
holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Moreover, they should be tested first;
then, if there is nothing against them,
let them serve as deacons.
Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers,
but temperate and faithful in everything.
Deacons may be married only once
and must manage their children and their households well.
Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing
and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm PS 101:1b-2ab, 2cd-3ab, 5, 6

R. (2) I will walk with blameless heart.
Of mercy and judgment I will sing;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will persevere in the way of integrity;
when will you come to me?
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
I will walk with blameless heart,
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
any base thing.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
him will I destroy.
The man of haughty eyes and puffed up heart
I will not endure.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
My eyes are upon the faithful of the land,
that they may dwell with me.
He who walks in the way of integrity
shall be in my service.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.

Sequence (Optional) - Stabat Mater

At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.

Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,
‘Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that mother’s pain untold?

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.

For the sins of his own nation
Saw him hang in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent.

O sweet Mother! font of love,
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.

Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

Let me share with you his pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with you,
Mourning him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.

By the cross with you to stay,
There with you to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of you to give.

Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.

Let me to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of yours.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary;
without dying you won the martyr's crown
beneath the Cross of the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 19:25-27

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.

Or Lk 2:33-35

Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

From: Hebrews 5:7-9

Christ Has Been Made High Priest by God the Father

[7] In the days of the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplica-
tions, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and
he was heard for his godly fear. [8] Although he was a Son, he learned obedience
through what he suffered; [9] and being made perfect he became the source of
eternal salvation to all who obey him.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

7-9. This brief summary of Christ’s life stresses his perfect obedience to the
Father’s will, his intense prayer and his sufferings and redemptive death. As in
the hymn to Christ in Philippians 2:6-11, the point is made that Christ set his po-
wer aside and, despite his being the only-begotten Son of God, out of obedience
chose to die on the cross. His death was a true self-offering expressed in that
“loud voice” when he cried out to the Father just before he died, “into thy hands
I commit my spirit” (Lk 23:46). But although Jesus’ obedience was most obvious
on Calvary, it was a constant feature of “the days of his flesh”: he obeyed Mary
and Joseph, seeing in them the authority of the heavenly Father; he was obedient
to political and religious authorities; and he always obeyed the Father, identifying
himself with him to such a degree that he could say, “I have glorified thee on
earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do [...]. All mine
are thine and thine are mine” (Jn 17:4, 10).

The passage also points to Jesus prayer, the high point of which occurred in
Gethsemane on the eve of his passion. The reference to “loud cries and suppli-
cations” recalls the Gospel account of his suffering: “And being in an agony he
prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling
down upon the ground” (Lk 22:44).

Hebrews 5:7-9 is probably referring not so much to his prayer in the Garden, still
less to any prayer of Christ asking to be delivered from death, but to our Lord’s
constant prayer for the salvation of mankind. “When the Apostle speaks of these
supplications and cries of Jesus,” St John Chrysostom comments, “he does not
mean prayers which he made on his own behalf but prayers for those who would
later believe in him. And, due to the fact that the Jews did not yet have the eleva-
ted concept of Christ that they ought to have had, St Paul says that ‘he was heard’,
just as the Lord himself told his disciples, to console them, ‘If you loved me, you
would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I’
[...]. Such was the respect and reverence shown by the Son, that God the Father
could not but take note and heed his Son and his prayers” (”Hom. on Heb”, 11).

7. “In the days of his flesh”, a reference to the Incarnation. “Flesh” is synony-
mous with mortal life; this is a reference to Christ’s human nature—as in the pro-
logue to St John’s Gospel (cf. Jn 1:14) and many other places (Heb 2:14; Gal
2:20; Phil 1:22-24; 1 Pet 4:1-2) including where mention is made of Jesus being
a servant and capable of suffering (cf. Phil 2:8; Mt 20:27-28). Jesus’ human nature
“in the days of his flesh” is quite different from his divine nature and also from his
human nature after its glorification (cf. 1 Cor 15:50). “It must be said that the word
‘flesh’ is occasionally used to refer to the weakness of the flesh, as it says in 1
Cor 15:50: ‘flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God’. Christ had a weak
and mortal flesh. Therefore it says in the text, ‘In the days of his flesh’, referring
to when he was living in a flesh which seemed to be like sinful flesh, but which
was sinless” (St Thomas Aquinas, “Commentary on Heb”, 5, 1). So, this text
underlines our Lord’s being both Victim and Priest.

“Prayers and supplications”: very fitting in a priest. The two words mean much
the same; together they are a form of words which used to be employed in peti-
tions to the king or some important official. The plural tells us that there were lots
of these petitions. The writer seems to have in mind the picture of the Redeemer
who “going a little farther fell on his face and prayed, ‘My Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Mt 26:39).
St Thomas comments on this description of Christ’s prayer as follows: “His ac-
tion was indeed one of offering prayers and supplications, that is, a spiritual sacri-
fice: that was what Christ offered. It speaks of prayers in the sense of petitions
because ‘The prayer of a righteous man has great power’ (Jas 5:16); and it speaks
of supplications to emphasize the humility of the one who is praying, who falls on
his knees, as we see happening in the case of him who ‘fell on his face and
prayed’ (Mt 26:39)” (”Commentary on Heb”, 5, 1).

To emphasize the force of Christ’s prayer, the writer adds, “with loud cries and
tears”. According to rabbinical teaching, there were three degrees of prayer,
each stronger than the last—supplications, cries and tears. Christian tradition has
always been touched by the humanity of the Redeemer as revealed in the way
he prays. “Everything that is being said here may be summed up in one word—
humility: that stops the mouths of those who blaspheme against Christ’s divinity
saying that it is completely inappropriate for a God to act like this. For, on the
contrary, the Godhead laid it down that [Christ’s] human nature should suffer all
this, in order to show us the extreme to which he truly became incarnate and as-
sumed a human nature, and to show us that the mystery of salvation was accom-
plished in a real and not an apparent or fictitious manner” (Theodoret of Cyrus,
“lnterpretatio Ep. ad Haebreos, ad loc.”). Christ’s prayer, moreover, teaches us
that prayer must 1) be fervent and 2) involve interior pain. “Christ had both [fervor
and pain], for the Apostle by mentioning ‘tears’ intends to show the interior groa-
ning of him who weeps in this way [...]. But he did not weep on his own account:
he wept for us, who receive the fruit of his passion” (St Thomas, “Commentary
on Heb., ad loc.”).

“He was heard for his godly fear.” St John Chrysostom’s commentary is very ap-
posite: “’He gave himself up for our sins’, he says in Gal 1:4; and elsewhere (cf.
1 Tim 2:6) he adds, ‘He gave himself as a ransom for all’. What does he mean
by this? Do you not see that he is speaking with humility of himself, because of
his mortal flesh? And, nevertheless, because he is the Son, it says that he was
heard for his godly fear” (”Hom. on Heb.”, 8). It is like a loving contention between
Father and Son. The Son wins the Father’s admiration, so generous is his self-
surrender.

And yet Christ’s prayer did not seem to be heeded, for his Father God did not
save him from ignominious death—the cup he had to drink—nor were all the Jews,
for whom he prayed, converted. But it was only apparently so: in fact Christ’s pra-
yer was heard. It is true that, like every one, the idea of dying was repugnant to
him, because he had a natural instinct to live; but, on the other hand, he wished
to die through a deliberate and rational act of his will, hence in the course of the
prayer, he said, “not my will, but thine, be done” (Lk 22:42). Similarly Christ wan-
ted to save all mankind—but he wanted them to accept salvation freely (cf. “Com-
mentary on Heb., ad loc.”).

8. In Christ there are two perfect and complete natures and therefore two different
levels of knowledge—divine knowledge and human knowledge. Christ’s human
knowledge includes 1) the knowledge that the blessed in heaven have, that is,
the knowledge that comes from direct vision of the divine essence; 2) the know-
ledge with which God endowed man before original sin (infused knowledge); and
3) the knowledge which man acquires through experience. This last-mentioned
knowledge could and in fact did increase (cf. Lk 2:52) in Christ’s case. Christ’s
painful experience of the passion, for example, increased this last type of know-
ledge, which is why the verse says that Christ learned obedience through suffe-
ring. There was a Greek proverb which said, “Sufferings are lessons.” Christ’s
teaching and example raise this positive view of suffering onto the supernatural
level. “In ‘suffering there is concealed’ a particular ‘power that draws a person in-
teriorly close to Christ’, a special grace [...]. A result of such a conversion is not
only that the individual discovers the salvific meaning of suffering but above all
that he becomes a completely new person. He discovers a new dimension, as
it were, ‘of his entire life and vocation’” (Bl. John Paul II, “Salvifici Doloris”, 26).

In our Lord’s case, his experience of suffering was connected with his generosity
in obedience. He freely chose to obey even unto death (cf. Heb 10:5-9; Rom 5:19;
Phil 2:8), consciously atoning for the first sin, a sin of disobedience. “In his suffe-
ring, sins are canceled out precisely because he alone as the only-begotten Son
could take them upon himself, accept them ‘with that love for the Father which
overcomes’ the evil of every sin; in a certain sense he annihilates this evil in the
spiritual space of the relationship between God and humanity, and fills this space
with good” (”Salvifici Doloris”, 17). Christ “learned obedience” not in the sense
that this virtue developed in him, for his human nature was perfect in its holiness,
but in the sense that he put into operation the infused virtue his human soul al-
ready possessed. “Christ knew what obedience was from all eternity, but he
learned obedience in practice through the severities he underwent particularly in
his passion and death” (St Thomas Aquinas, “Commentary on Heb., ad loc.”).

Christ’s example of obedience is something we should copy. A Christian writer
of the fifth century, Diadochus of Photike, wrote: “The Lord loved (obedience) be-
cause it was the way to bring about man’s salvation and he obeyed his Father
unto the cross and unto death; however, his obedience did not in any sense di-
minish his majesty. And so, having—by his obedience—dissolved man’s disobe-
dience, he chose to lead to blessed and immortal life those who followed the
way of obedience” (”Chapters on Spiritual Perfection”, 41).

9. Obviously Christ as God could not increase in perfection. Nor could his sacred
humanity become any holier, for from the moment of his Incarnation he received
the fullness of grace, that is, he had the maximum degree of holiness a man
could have. In this connection Thomas Aquinas points out that Christ had union
(that is, the personal union to the Son of God gratuitously bestowed on human
nature): clearly this grace is infinite as the person of the Word is infinite. The
other grace is habitual grace which, although it is received in a limited human na-
ture, is yet infinite in its perfection because grace was conferred on Christ as the
universal source of the justification of human nature (cf. “Summa Theologiae”, III,
q. 7, a. 11). In what sense, then, could Christ be “made perfect”? St Thomas pro-
vides the answer: Christ, through his passion, achieved a special glory—the im-
passibility and glorification of his body. Moreover, he attained the same perfec-
tions as we shall participate in when we are raised from the dead in glory, those
of us who believe in him (cf. “Commentary on Heb., ad loc.”). For this reason our
Redeemer could exclaim before his death, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30)—referring not
only to his own sacrifice but also to the fact that he had completely accomplished
the redeeming atonement. Christ triumphed on the cross and attained perfection
for himself and for others. In Hebrews the same verb is used for what is translated
into English as “to be made perfect” and “to finish”. Christ, moreover, by obeying
and becoming a perfect victim, truly pleasing to the Father, is more perfectly posi-
tioned to perfect others. “Obedience” is essentially docility to what God asks of
us and readiness to listen to him (cf. Rom 1:5; 16:26; 2 Cor 10:5; Heb 4:3).
Christ’s obedience is a source of salvation for us; if we imitate him we will truly
form one body with him and he will be able to pass on to us the fullness of his
grace.

“Now, when you find it hard to obey, remember your Lord: ‘factus obediens usque
ad mortem, mortem autem crucis”: obedient even to accepting death, death on a
cross!’” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 628).

*********************************************************************************************
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.

From: 1 Timothy 3:1-13 (USA usage. The USCCB uses the Proper of
Seasons Reading for this Memorial; the Proper of Saints Reading is used
elsewhere. The Proper of Saints Gospel[s] is [are] used universally.)

Qualifications for Bishops

[1] The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a
noble task. [2] Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,
temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, [3] no drunkard, not
violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. [4] He must manage
his own household well, keeping children submissive and respectful in every way;
[5] for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he
care for God’s church? [6] He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed
up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil; [7] moreover he must
be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the
devil.

Qualifications for Deacons

[8] Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much
wine, not greedy for gain; [9] they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear
conscience. [10] And let them also be tested first; then if they prove blameless
let them serve as deacons. [11] The women likewise must be serious, no slande-
rers, but temperate, faithful in all things. [12] Let deacons be the husband of one
wife, and let them manage their children and their households well; [13] for those
who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great
confidence in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1. “The office of bishop”: as explained in the “Introduction to the Pastoral Epis-
tles”, above, when these epistles were written the titles and responsibilities of
the various church offices had not yet become fixed. The “bishop” (in Greek “epis-
copos” (overseer) was a priest who was in charge of some particular community.
As a minister of the Church, his role was one of teaching (cf. v. 2) and governance
(cf. v.5); his task was a demanding one and called for self-sacrifice, because any
office in a Christian community is essentially a form of service: “The holders of of-
fice, who are invested with a sacred power, are, in fact, dedicated to promoting
the interests of their brethren, so that all who belong to the people of God, and
are consequently endowed with true Christian dignity, may, through their free and
well-ordered efforts towards a common goal, attain to salvation” (Vatican II, “Lu-
men Gentium”, 18).

In spite of the regard in which those “bishops” were held by the faithful, there
seems to have been a shortage of candidates for the office. Hence St Paul’s
stressing that it is a “noble task”—to encourage a generous response by those
who feel the Lord’s call. From the very beginning, both pastors of the Church and
many other members of the faithful have striven to nurture the germs of vocation
which God places in people’s souls. “Beyond question, the society founded by
Christ will never lack priests. But we must all be vigilant and do our part, remem-
bering the word: ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few’ (Lk 10:2). We
must do all that we can to secure as many holy ministers of God as possible”
(Pius XII, “Menti Nostrae”, 36).

2-7. The quality and virtues required for a “bishop” are similar to those for “elders”
given in Titus 1:5-9. In the Pastoral Epistles “bishop” and “elder” (or priest) mean
almost the same thing. In listing qualifications St Paul is not giving a complete list;
he is simply saying that candidates for Church office should have qualities which
make them suited to the work and should be morally irreproachable.

The Church, in its legislation, has always tried to see that suitable people are cho-
sen as ministers. The Second Vatican Council lays it down that before the priest-
hood is conferred on anyone careful inquiry should be made “concerning his right
intention and freedom of choice, his spiritual, moral and intellectual fitness etc.”
(”Optatam Totius”, 6). In other words, a person needs qualifications in the form of
human qualities and ability if he is to live up to the demands of Church office.

“This need for the secular priest to develop human virtues stems from the nature
of his apostolic ministry which must be carried out in the everyday world and in
direct contact with people who tend to be stern judges of a priest and who watch
particularly his behavior as a man. There is nothing new about all this—but it does
seem useful now to emphasize it again. From St Paul to the most recent doctors
of the Church (take the teaching of St Francis de Sales, for example) one finds
this question dealt with. It is none other than that of the contact between nature
and supernature to achieve both the death of that man which must die under the
sign of the Cross, and the perfect development of all the nobility and virtue which
exists in man, and its direction towards the service of God” (A. del Portillo, “On
Priesthood”, p. 12).

2. “The husband of one wife”: this is also a requirement of “elders” (cf. Tit 1:6)
and “deacons” (1 Tim 3:12); it does not mean that the person is under an obliga-
tion to marry, but he must not have married more than once. From the context it
clearly does not mean that candidates are forbidden to be polygamous (polyga-
my is forbidden to everyone); the condition that one be married only once ensures
that candidates will be very respectable, exemplary people; in the culture of the
time second marriages, except in special circumstances, were looked at as-
kance, among Gentiles as well as Jews.

In the apostolic age celibacy was not a requirement for those who presided over
the early Christian communities. However, it very soon became customary to re-
quire celibacy. “In Christian antiquity the Fathers and ecclesiastical writers testify
to the spread through the East and the West of the voluntary practice of celibacy
by sacred ministers because of its profound suitability for their total dedication to
the service of Christ and his Church. The Church of the West, from the beginning
of the fourth century, strengthened, spread, and approved this practice by means
of various provincial councils and through the Supreme Pontiffs” (Paul VI, “Sacer-
dotalis Caelibatus”, 35-36).

From then on all priests of the Latin rite were required to be celibate. Celibacy
is appropriate to the priesthood for many reasons: “By preserving virginity or celi-
bacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven priests are consecrated in a new and
excellent way to Christ. They more readily cling to him with undivided heart and
dedicate themselves more freely in him and through him to the service of God
and of men. They are less encumbered in their service of his kingdom and of the
task of heavenly regeneration. In this way they become better fitted for a broader
acceptance of fatherhood in Christ” (Vatican II, “Presbyterorum Ordinis”, 16).

6. “He must not be a recent convert”: one of the functions of the “bishop” was to
preside over the community; therefore, it would be imprudent to expose the office-
holder to the danger of vanity and pride. As St Thomas says in his commentary,
it is not wise to appoint young people and recent converts to positions of honor
and responsibility, because they can easily begin to think that they are better
than the others and cannot be done without (cf. “Commentary on 1 Tim, ad loc.”).

“Fall into the condemnation of the devil” or “fall into the same condemnation as
the devil”: the original text is not very clear. It may mean that it is the devil who
is doing the condemning, in which case it would be the same as saying “fall into
the power of the devil” or “fall into enslavement by the devil”. At any rate it is fair-
ly clear that St Paul wants to warn about the danger of committing the same sin
as the fallen angel, that is, becoming proud and thereby earning damnation.

7. Another function of the “bishop” was to represent the Church to “outsiders”,
that is, non-Christians. All believers should give good example (cf. Mt 5:16; Col
4:5; 1 Pet 2:13; 3:1), but those who hold Church office have a special duty to
avoid giving scandal or providing grounds for gossip.

8-13. Deacons were ministers under bishops and priests. “The origin of the dia-
conate probably goes back to the “seven men of good repute” who were elected
to help the Apostles (cf. Acts 6:1-6 and note); we do know that those men had an
administrative role in aiding the poor and the sick (Acts 6:1); they also preached
(Acts 6:8-14; 8:6) and administered Baptism (Acts 8:26-40). Later on mention is
made of deacons alongside “bishops” in certain important communities (cf. Phil
1:1), which suggests that they were part of the Church hierarchy.

This letter shows them to be ministers subordinate to the “bishop”; in these
verses, which some commentators call “the deacons’ statute”, their specific fun-
ctions are not stated (they probably performed a wide range of tasks); however,
it does appear that, unlike the bishop, they did not represent the Church to out-
siders and they could be drawn from among recent converts

The requirements given here are very like those for the “bishop”: as ministers of
the Church they would naturally be required to live exemplary lives. The Second
Vatican Council is in line with this text when it says that deacons, “waiting upon
the mysteries of Christ and of the Church, should keep themselves free from
every vice, should please God and give a good example to all in everything” (”Lu-
men Gentium”, 41).

10. “Let them also be tested first”: it is up to bishops (then and now) to ensure
that holy orders are conferred on suitable candidates; probably even in St Paul’s
time candidates had to undergo a period of training, in the course of which their
suitability could be checked.

The Church always tries to see that only people who are really suitable are given
Church office, even if that means fewer people are ordained, for “God never so
abandons his Church that suitable ministers are not to be found sufficient for the
needs of the people; provided the worthy are promoted and the unworthy are set
aside” (”Summa Theologiae”, Supplement, q. 36, a. 4 ad 1).

11. The text says so little that it is difficult to work out who these women were.
Many authors, St Thomas among them, think that they were deacons’ wives be-
cause the reference to them interrupts the list of qualifications for deacons. Many
other commentators think that they were women who performed some function
or ministry in the early Church; this would explain why nothing is said about the
wife of the bishop (when the qualifications for bishops are given at the start of this
chapter) and it would also explain why the comportment of the deacons and of
these women is referred to using the same adverb—”likewise”, similarly — in v. 8
and v. 11. We do know (from a fourth-century document, “Apostolic Constitu-
tions”, 2, 26; 3, 15) that some women did help in the instruction of catechumens,
in their Baptism, in care of the sick, etc. In the Letter to the Romans, Phoebe is
described as a “deaconess” (cf. Rom 16:1) though she was not a sacred minis-
ter in the strict sense.

13. “Gain a good standing for themselves”: this may mean that being a deacon
could be a step towards the higher office of “bishop”; or it could mean that the
diaconate itself is a noble position, just as the office of “bishop” is “a noble task”
(v. 1). Perhaps St Paul uses this vague expression because it covers both these
things: it is an honorable ministry and also it can be a step to a higher position
in the service of the community.

“Great confidence”: the original text uses a word which, in classical Greek refers
to the right of free citizens to speak at public assemblies — with full freedom, con-
fident, afraid of no one, with self-assurance, etc. A good deacon should expound
the doctrine of the faith in the same kind of way: he should be well versed in it, he
should stress those aspects which are most apposite at the time, and he should
not be affected by what others may think of him.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Luke 2:33-35

Simeon’s Prophecy

[33] And His father and His mother marvelled at what was said about Him; [34]
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother, “Behold this child is
set for the fall the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against
[35] (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of
many hearts may be revealed.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

33. The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph marvelled not because they did not know
who Christ was; they were in awe at the way God was revealing Him. Once again
they teach us to contemplate the mysteries involved in the birth of Christ.

34-35. After Simeon blesses them, the Holy Spirit moves him to further prophecy
about the Child’s future and His Mother’s. His words become clearer in the light
of our Lord’s life and death.

Jesus came to bring salvation to all men, yet He will be a sign of contradiction
because some people will obstinately reject Him—and for this reason He will be
their ruin. But for those who accept Him with faith Jesus will be their salvation,
freeing them from sin in this life and raising them up to eternal life.

The words Simeon addresses to Mary announce that she will be intimately
linked with her Son’s redemptive work. The sword indicates that Mary will have
a share in her Son’s sufferings; hers will be an unspeakable pain which pierces
her soul. Our Lord suffered on the cross for our sins, and it is those sins which
forge the sword of Mary’s pain. Therefore, we have a duty to atone not only to
God but also to His Mother, who is our Mother too.

The last words of the prophecy, “that out of many hearts thoughts may be re-
vealed”, link up with verse 34: uprightness or perversity will be demonstrated by
whether one accepts or rejects Christ.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: John 19:25-27

The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (Continuation)

[25] So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mo-
ther, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. [26]
When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing near, He
said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” [27] Then He said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

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Commentary:

25. Whereas the Apostles, with the exception of St. John, abandon Jesus in the
hour of His humiliation, these pious women, who had followed Him during His pu-
blic life (cf. Lk 8:2-3) now stay with their Master as He dies on the cross (cf. note
on Mt 27:55-56).

Bl. John Paul II explained that our Lady’s faithfulness was shown in four ways:
first, in her generous desire to do all that God wanted of her (cf. Lk 1:34); second,
in her total acceptance of God’s will (cf. Lk 1:38); third, in the consistency be-
tween her life and the commitment of faith which she made; and, finally, in her
withstanding this test. “And only a consistency that lasts throughout the whole of
life can be called faithfulness. Mary’s ‘fiat’ in the Annunciation finds its fullness in
the silent ‘fiat’ that she repeats at the foot of the Cross” (”Homily in Mexico Cathe-
dral”, 26 January 1979).

The Church has always recognized the dignity of women and their important role
in salvation history. It is enough to recall the veneration which from the earliest
times the Christian people have had for the Mother of Christ, the Woman “par ex-
cellence” and the most sublime and most privileged creature ever to come from
the hands of God. Addressing a special message to women, the Second Vatican
Council said, among other things: “Women in trial, who stand upright at the foot
of the cross like Mary, you who so often in history have given to men the strength
to battle unto the very end and to give witness to the point of martyrdom, aid
them now still once more to retain courage in their great undertakings, while at
the same time maintaining patience and an esteem for humble beginnings” (Va-
tican II, “Message To Women”, 8 December 1965).

26-27. “The spotless purity of John’s whole life makes him strong before the Cross.
The other apostles fly from Golgotha: he, with the Mother of Christ, remains. Don’t
forget that purity strengthens and invigorates the character” (St. J. Escriva, “The
Way”, 144).

Our Lord’s gesture in entrusting His Blessed Mother to the disciple’s care, has a
dual meaning (see p. 19 above and pp. 35ff). For one thing it expresses His filial
love for the Virgin Mary. St Augustine sees it as a lesson Jesus gives us on how
to keep the fourth commandment: “Here is a lesson in morals. He is doing what
He tells us to do and, like a good Teacher, He instructs His own by example,
that it is the duty of good children to take care of their parents; as though the
wood on which His dying members were fixed were also the chair of the teaching
Master” (St Augustine, “In Ioann. Evang.”, 119, 2).

Our Lord’s words also declare that Mary is our Mother: “The Blessed Virgin also
advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her
Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring
with her only begotten Son the intensity of His suffering, associating herself with
His sacrifice in her mother’s heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of
this victim who was born of her. Finally, she was given by the same Christ Jesus
dying on the cross as a mother to His disciple” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”,
58).

All Christians, who are represented in the person of John, are children of Mary.
By giving us His Mother to be our Mother, Christ demonstrates His love for His
own to the end (cf. Jn 13:1). Our Lady’s acceptance of John as her son show her
motherly care for us: “the Son of God, and your Son, from the Cross indicated a
man to you, Mary, and said: ‘Behold, your son’ (Jn 19:26). And in that man He
entrusted to you every person, He entrusted everyone to you. And you, who at
the moment of the Annunciation, concentrated the whole program of your life in
those simple words: ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me ac-
cording to your word’ (Lk 1:38): embrace everyone, draw close to everyone, seek
everyone out with motherly care. Thus is accomplished what the last Council
said about your presence in the mystery of Christ and the Church. In a wonderful
way you are always found in the mystery of Christ, your only Son, because you
are present wherever men and women, His brothers and sisters, are present,
wherever the Church is present” (Bl. John Paul II, “Homily in the Basilica of Gua-
dalupe”, 27 January 1979).

“John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, brought Mary into his home, into his life.
Spiritual writers have seen these words of the Gospel as an invitation to all Chris-
tians to bring Mary into their lives. Mary certainly wants us to invoke her, to ap-
proach her confidently, to appeal to her as our mother, asking her to ‘show that
you are our mother’” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 140).

Bl. John Paul II constantly treats our Lady as his Mother. In bidding farewell to
the Virgin of Czestochowa he prayed in this way: “Our Lady of the Bright Moun-
tain, Mother of the Church! Once more I consecrate myself to you ‘in your mater-
nal slavery of love’. ‘Totus tuus!’ I am yours! I consecrate to you the whole Church
— everyone to the ends of the earth! I consecrate to you humanity; I consecrate
to you all men and women, my brothers and sisters. All peoples and all nations.
I consecrate to you Europe and all the continents. I consecrate to you Rome and
Poland, united, through your servant, by a fresh bond of love. Mother, accept us!
Mother, do not abandon us! Mother, be our guide!” (”Farewell Address” at Jasna
Gora Shrine, 6 June 1979).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading
1 Timothy 3:1-13 ©

Here is a saying that you can rely on: To want to be a presiding elder is to want to do a noble work. That is why the president must have an impeccable character. He must not have been married more than once, and he must be temperate, discreet and courteous, hospitable and a good teacher; not a heavy drinker, nor hot-tempered, but kind and peaceable. He must not be a lover of money. He must be a man who manages his own family well and brings his children up to obey him and be well-behaved: how can any man who does not understand how to manage his own family have responsibility for the church of God? He should not be a new convert, in case pride might turn his head and then he might be condemned as the devil was condemned. It is also necessary that people outside the Church should speak well of him, so that he never gets a bad reputation and falls into the devil’s trap.

In the same way, deacons must be respectable men whose word can be trusted, moderate in the amount of wine they drink and with no squalid greed for money. They must be conscientious believers in the mystery of the faith. They are to be examined first, and only admitted to serve as deacons if there is nothing against them. In the same way, the women must be respectable, not gossips but sober and quite reliable. Deacons must not have been married more than once, and must be men who manage their children and families well. Those of them who carry out their duties well as deacons will earn a high standing for themselves and be rewarded with great assurance in their work for the faith in Christ Jesus.

Psalm
Psalm 100:1-3,5,6 ©