Reading 1 Hg 2:1-9

In the second year of King Darius,
on the twenty-first day of the seventh month,
the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
Tell this to the governor of Judah,
Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak,
and to the remnant of the people:

Who is left among you
that saw this house in its former glory?
And how do you see it now?
Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?
But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD,
and take courage, Joshua, high priest, son of Jehozadak,
And take courage, all you people of the land,
says the LORD, and work!
For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts.
This is the pact that I made with you
when you came out of Egypt,
And my spirit continues in your midst;
do not fear!
For thus says the LORD of hosts:
One moment yet, a little while,
and I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all the nations,
and the treasures of all the nations will come in,
And I will fill this house with glory,
says the LORD of hosts.
Mine is the silver and mine the gold,
says the LORD of hosts.
Greater will be the future glory of this house
than the former, says the LORD of hosts;
And in this place I will give you peace,
says the LORD of hosts!

Responsorial Psalm PS 43:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (5) Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight
against a faithless people;
from the deceitful and impious man rescue me.
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
For you, O God, are my strength.
Why do you keep me so far away?
Why must I go about in mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me?
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.

Alleluia Mk 10:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 9:18-22

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

From: Luke 9:18-22

Peter’s Confession of Faith

[18] Now it happened that as He (Jesus) was praying alone the disciples were
with Him; and He asked them, “Who do the people say that I am?” [19] And
they answered, “John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one
of the old prophets has risen.” [20] And He said to them, “But who do you say
that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

First Prophecy of the Passion

[21] But He charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, [22] saying,
“The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

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Commentary:

20. “Christ” means “anointed” and is a name indicating honor and office. In the
Old Law “priests” were anointed (Exodus 29:7 and 40:13), as were “kings” (1
Samuel 9:16), because God laid down that they should receiving anointing in
view of their position; there was also a custom to anoint “prophets” (1 Samuel
16:13) because they were interpreters and intermediaries of God. “When Jesus
Christ our Savior came into the world, He assumed the position and obligations
of the three offices of priest, king and prophet and was therefore called Christ”
(”St. Pius V Catechism”, I, 3, 7).

22. Jesus prophesied His passion and death in order to help His disciples believe
in him. It also showed that He was freely accepting these sufferings He would un-
dergo. “Christ did not seek to be glorified: He chose to come without glory in or-
der to undergo suffering; and you, who have been born without glory, do you wish
to be glorified? The route you must take is the one Christ took. This means re-
cognizing Him and it means imitating Him both in His ignominy and in His good
repute; thus you will glory in the Cross, which was His path to glory. That was
what Paul did, and therefore he glorified in saying, ‘Far be it from me to glory ex-
cept in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Galatians 6:14)” (St. Ambrose, “Ex-
positio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.”).

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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.

Readings at Mass

First reading	Haggai 1:15-2:9 ©

In the second year of King Darius, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord was addressed through the prophet Haggai, as follows, ‘You are to speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the high commissioner of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people. Say this, “Who is there left among you that saw this Temple in its former glory? And how does it look to you now? Does it seem nothing to you? But take courage now, Zerubbabel – it is the Lord who speaks. Courage, High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak! Courage, all you people of the country! – it is the Lord who speaks. To work! I am with you – it is the Lord of Hosts who speaks– and my spirit remains among you. Do not be afraid! For the Lord of Hosts says this: A little while now, and I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations and the treasures of all the nations shall flow in, and I will fill this Temple with glory, says the Lord of Hosts. Mine is the silver, mine the gold! – it is the Lord of Hosts who speaks. The new glory of this Temple is going to surpass the old, says the Lord of Hosts, and in this place I will give peace – it is the Lord of Hosts who speaks.”’

Psalm	Psalm 42:1-4 ©