Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67

The span of Sarah's life was one hundred and twenty-seven years.
She died in Kiriatharba (that is, Hebron)
in the land of Canaan,
and Abraham performed the customary mourning rites for her.
Then he left the side of his dead one and addressed the Hittites:
"Although I am a resident alien among you,
sell me from your holdings a piece of property for a burial ground,
that I may bury my dead wife."

After the transaction, Abraham buried his wife Sarah
in the cave of the field of Machpelah,
facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

Abraham had now reached a ripe old age,
and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
Abraham said to the senior servant of his household,
who had charge of all his possessions:
"Put your hand under my thigh,
and I will make you swear by the LORD,
the God of heaven and the God of earth,
that you will not procure a wife for my son
from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live,
but that you will go to my own land and to my kindred
to get a wife for my son Isaac."
The servant asked him:
"What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land?
Should I then take your son back to the land from which you migrated?"
"Never take my son back there for any reason," Abraham told him.
"The LORD, the God of heaven,
who took me from my father's house and the land of my kin,
and who confirmed by oath the promise he then made to me,
'I will give this land to your descendants'–
he will send his messenger before you,
and you will obtain a wife for my son there.
If the woman is unwilling to follow you,
you will be released from this oath.
But never take my son back there!"

A long time later, Isaac went to live in the region of the Negeb.
One day toward evening he went out . . . in the field,
and as he looked around, he noticed that camels were approaching.
Rebekah, too, was looking about, and when she saw him,
she alighted from her camel and asked the servant,
"Who is the man out there, walking through the fields toward us?"
"That is my master," replied the servant.
Then she covered herself with her veil.

The servant recounted to Isaac all the things he had done.
Then Isaac took Rebekah into his tent;
he married her, and thus she became his wife.
In his love for her, Isaac found solace
after the death of his mother Sarah.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5

R. (1b) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Who can tell the mighty deeds of the LORD,
or proclaim all his praises?
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Visit me with your saving help,
That I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your people,
and glory with your inheritance.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

Alleluia Mt 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 9:9-13

As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Anthony Zaccaria, please go here.

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, please go here.

From: Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67

Abraham Buys the Cave of Mach-pelah

[1] Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life
of Sarah. [2] And Sarah died at Kiriatharba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan;
and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. [3] And Abraham
rose up from before his dead, and said to the Hittites, “I am a stranger and a so-
journer among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may
bury my dead out of my sight.”

[19] After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Mach-pe-
lah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

The Marriage of Isaac

[1] Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years; and the Lord had blessed
Abraham in all things. [2] And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his
house, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, [3]
and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and of the earth, that
you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among
whom I dwell, [4] but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for
my son Isaac.” [5] The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be wil-
ling to follow me to this land; must I then take your son back to the land from
which you came?” [6] Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my
son back there. [7] The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s
house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To
your descendants I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you
shall take a wife for my son from there. [8] But if the woman is not willing to fol-
low you, then you will be free form this oath of mine; only you must not take my
son back there.”

The Meeting between Rebekah and Isaac (Continuation)

[62] Now Isaac had come from Beer-Iahai-roi, and was dwelling in the Negeb.
[63] And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted up his
eyes and looked, and behold, there were camels coming. [64] And Rebekah lifted
up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel, [65] and said
to the servant, “Who is the man yonder, walking in the field to meet us?” The ser-
vant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. [66] And the
servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. [67] Then Isaac brought her into
the tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac
was comforted after his mother’s death.

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Commentary:

23:1-20. The story of Abraham ends, strictly speaking, with the episode, which
shows the initial fulfillment of God’s promise of the land to Abraham. By acquiring
a sepulchre and a small plot, he ceases to be a mere resident alien and acquires
rights over this country.

The style of the account and the courtesy conventions used, as well as the con-
tract of sale, indicate, by their similarity to Hittite customs, the antiquity of this
event. The Hittites, or sons of Heth, carved out a huge empire in Asia Minor in the
second millennium BC. It is not easy to explain their presence in Canaan in Abra-
ham’s time, unless it was that small isolated groups of Hittites lived there. Or it
could be that all non-Semites living in the country were loosely referred to as “Hit-
tites”. In any event, what the passage does show is that even during Abraham’s
lifetime the promise begins to be fulfilled, though by purchase and scarcely more
than in a symbolic way. This is very much in contrast with God’s later outright gift
of the entire land to Abraham’s descendants.

23:19. In this same spot were buried Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah and Jacob,
so it became as it were a symbol to the Israelites of the fact that this was their
land, even during their time in Egypt. A mosque today stands on the spot which
tradition assigns to the tomb of the patriarchs, venerated by Jews, Christians and
Moslems.

24:1-67. Isaac’s marriage is narrated before Abraham’s death to underline the con-
tinuity between the story of Abraham and that of Isaac. The next stage of the his-
tory of the patriarchs will focus on the sons of Rebekah—Esau and Jacob (cf. 25:
19ff). Apparently Isaac and Abraham are no longer based at Mamre (cf. 23:19),
but more to the south, in the Negeb desert (cf. 24:62).

This account is very much in line with the context and customs of the patriarchal
period, but its style is more artistic and it has a particularly discreet way of descri-
bing God’s intervention. The story is told in five scenes and five dialogues, inter-
leaved with short narrative notes. In the first scene Abraham and his servant ap-
pear (vv. 1-9); in the second, the servant and Rebekah (vv. 10-28); in the third, in
Rebekah’s house, the servant and Laban (vv. 29-53); in the fourth, at the moment
of parting, Rebekah and her family (54-61); and in the fifth, Rebekah, the servant
and Isaac (vv. 62-67). The narrator seems to savor these vignettes and dialogues.
As regards God’s intervention, it should be noted that, although it is never obvi-
ous, he is still really the protagonist, because he is providentially steering the
course of events.

24:1-9. The tone of this passage suggests that Abraham feels he is nearing his
end and he can see that God’s promise with regard to his descendants and the
land is being kept. Therefore the patriarch is concerned to find a wife for his son
from among his own family, in line with the customs of semi-nomadic peoples of
that time. However, Abraham is clearly adamant that Isaac shall not give up li-
ving where he is. The form of oath, with the hand under the thigh (cf. 47:29),
which Abraham makes his servant take, an exceptionally strong one: it obliges
the servant, whose faithfulness is evident, to do exactly what he swears to do.
Here, once again, Abraham’s faith copes with all the difficulties his servant fore-
sees. He is fully confident that God in his providence will sweep away all these
obstacles, which is what happens, as one can gather from the end of the ac-
count.

Abraham’s decision about the wife Isaac should take points to the importance a
wife has in sustaining her husband’s faith and that of her family. St Ambrose com-
ments that “often a woman’s seduction deceives even the strongest of husbands
and causes them to give up religion. [...] For the first thing that should be sought
in conjugal life is religion. [...] Learn, therefore, what to seek in a woman: Abra-
ham sought not gold or silver or property, but the gift of a good heart” (”De Abra-
ham”, 1, 9, 84-85).

24:66-67. In the beautiful conclusion to the story (”He loved her and so was com-
forted after his mother’s death”) we see borne out the words of Genesis 2:24 a-
bout the creation of Eve: “A man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to
his wife, and they become one flesh.” Jewish and Christian tradition see the mar-
riage of Isaac and Rebekah as a model of conjugal love.

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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.

From: Matthew 9:9-13

The Call of Matthew

[9] As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the
tax office; and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he rose and followed Him.

[10] And as He sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sin-
ners came and sat down with Jesus and His disciples. [11] And when the Phari-
sees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax
collectors and sinners?” [12] But when He heard it, He said, “Those who are well
have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [13] Go and learn what this
means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners.”

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Commentary:

9. “Tax office”: a public place for the payment of taxes. On “following Jesus”,
see the note on Matthew 8:18-22.

The Matthew whom Jesus calls here is the Apostle of the same name and the
human author of the first Gospel. In Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27 he is called Levi
the son of Alphaeus or simply Levi.

In addition to Baptism, through which God calls all Christians (cf. note on Mat-
thew 8:18-22), the Lord can also extend, to whomever He chooses, a further
calling to engage in some specific mission in the Church. This second calling
is a special grace (cf. Matthew 4:19-21; Mark 1:17-20; John 1:30; etc.) additio-
nal to the earlier calling through Baptism. In other words, it is not man who
takes the initiative; it is Jesus who calls, and man who responds to this call by
his free personal decision: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you” (John 15:
16).

Matthew’s promptitude in “following” Jesus’ call is to be noted. When God
speaks, soul may be tempted to reply, “Tomorrow; I’m not ready yet.” In the
last analysis this excuse, and other excuses, are nothing but a sign of selfish-
ness and fear (different from that fear which can be an additional symptom of
vocation: cf. John 1). “Tomorrow” runs the risk of being too late.

As in the case of the other Apostles, St. Matthew is called in the midst of the
ordinary circumstances of his life: “What amazes you seems natural to me:
that God has sought you out in the practice of your profession! That is how He
sought the first, Peter and Andrew, James and John, beside their nets, and Mat-
thew, sitting in the custom-house. And—wonder of wonders!—Paul, in his eager-
ness to destroy the seed of the Christians” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 799).

10-11. The attitude of these Pharisees, who are so prone to judge others and
classify them as just men or sinners, is at odds with the attitude and teaching
of Jesus. Earlier on, He said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1),
and elsewhere He added, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to
throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).

The fact is that all of us are sinners; and our Lord has come to redeem all of
us. There is no basis, therefore, for Christians to be scandalized by the sins of
others, since any one of us is capable of committing the vilest of sins unless
God’s grace comes to our aid.

12. There is no reason why anyone should be depressed when he realizes he
is full of failings: recognition that we are sinners is the only correct attitude for
us to have in the presence of God. He has come to seek all men, but if a person
considers himself to be righteous, by doing so he is closing the door to God; all
of us in fact are sinners.

13. Here Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, keeping the hyperbole of the Semitic style.
A more faithful translation would be: “I desire mercy MORE THAN sacrifice”. It
is not that our Lord does not want the sacrifices we offer Him: He is stressing
that every sacrifice should come from the heart, for charity should imbue every-
thing a Christian does—especially his worship of God (see 1 Corinthians 13:1-13;
Matthew 5:23-24).

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

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
Genesis 23:1-4,19,24:1-8,62-67 ©

'Choose a wife for my son Isaac'

The length of Sarah’s life was a hundred and twenty-seven years. She died at Kiriath-arba, or Hebron, in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn and grieve for her.

Then leaving his dead, Abraham spoke to the sons of Heth: ‘I am a stranger and a settler among you,’ he said. ‘Let me own a burial-plot among you, so that I may take my dead wife and bury her.’

After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah opposite Mamre, in the country of Canaan.

By now Abraham was an old man well on in years, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. Abraham said to the eldest servant of his household, the steward of all his property, ‘Place your hand under my thigh, I would have you swear by the Lord, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live. Instead, go to my own land and my own kinsfolk to choose a wife for my son Isaac.’ The servant asked him, ‘What if the woman does not want to come with me to this country? Must I take your son back to the country from which you came?’ Abraham answered, ‘On no account take my son back there. The Lord, God of heaven and God of earth, took me from my father’s home, and from the land of my kinsfolk, and he swore to me that he would give this country to my descendants. He will now send his angel ahead of you, so that you may choose a wife for my son there. And if the woman does not want to come with you, you will be free from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.’

Isaac, who lived in the Negeb, had meanwhile come into the wilderness of the well of Lahai Roi. Now Isaac went walking in the fields as evening fell, and looking up saw camels approaching. And Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She jumped down from her camel, and asked the servant, ‘Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?’ The servant replied, ‘That is my master’; then she took her veil and hid her face. The servant told Isaac the whole story, and Isaac led Rebekah into his tent and made her his wife; and he loved her. And so Isaac was consoled for the loss of his mother.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 105(106):1-5 ©

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

Alleluia!

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;

for his love endures for ever.

Who can tell the Lord’s mighty deeds?

Who can recount all his praise?

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

Alleluia!

They are happy who do what is right,

who at all times do what is just.

O Lord, remember me

out of the love you have for your people.

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

Alleluia!

Come to me, Lord, with your help

that I may see the joy of your chosen ones

and may rejoice in the gladness of your nation

and share the glory of your people.

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation	Ps24:4,5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Teach me your paths, my God,

make me walk in your truth.

Alleluia!

Or:	Mt11:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,

and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Matthew 9:9-13 ©

It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick

As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.

While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 9
9.	And when Jesus passed on from hence, he saw a man sitting in the custom house, named Matthew; and he saith to him: Follow me. And he rose up and followed him.	Et, cum transiret inde Jesus, vidit hominem sedentem in telonio, Matthæum nomine. Et ait illi : Sequere me. Et surgens, secutus est eum.	και παραγων ο ιησους εκειθεν ειδεν ανθρωπον καθημενον επι το τελωνιον ματθαιον λεγομενον και λεγει αυτω ακολουθει μοι και αναστας ηκολουθησεν αυτω
10.	And it came to pass as he was sitting at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.	Et factum est, discumbente eo in domo, ecce multi publicani et peccatores venientes, discumbebant cum Jesu, et discipulis ejus.	και εγενετο αυτου ανακειμενου εν τη οικια και ιδου πολλοι τελωναι και αμαρτωλοι ελθοντες συνανεκειντο τω ιησου και τοις μαθηταις αυτου
11.	And the Pharisees seeing it, said to his disciples: Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners?	Et videntes pharisæi, dicebant discipulis ejus : Quare cum publicanis et peccatoribus manducat magister vester ?	και ιδοντες οι φαρισαιοι ειπον τοις μαθηταις αυτου δια τι μετα των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων εσθιει ο διδασκαλος υμων
12.	But Jesus hearing it, said: They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill.	At Jesus audiens, ait : Non est opus valentibus medicus, sed male habentibus.	ο δε ιησους ακουσας ειπεν αυτοις ου χρειαν εχουσιν οι ισχυοντες ιατρου αλλ οι κακως εχοντες
13.	Go then and learn what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.	Euntes autem discite quid est : Misericordiam volo, et non sacrificium. Non enim veni vocare justos, sed peccatores.	πορευθεντες δε μαθετε τι εστιν ελεον θελω και ου θυσιαν ου γαρ ηλθον καλεσαι δικαιους αλλα αμαρτωλους εις μετανοιαν

9. And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said to him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
10. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many Publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
11. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why does your Master eat with Publicans and sinners?
12. But when Jesus heard that, he said to them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13. But go and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

CHRYS; Having wrought this miracle, Christ would not abide in the same place, lest He should rouse the envy of the Jews. Let us also do thus, not obstinately opposing those who lay in wait for us. And as Jesus departed thence, (namely from the place in which He had done this miracle,) he saw a man sitting at the receipt of custom, Matthew by name.

JEROME; The other Evangelists from respect to Matthew have not called him by his common name, but say here, Levi, for he had both names. Matthew himself, according to that Solomon says, The righteous man accuses himself, calls himself both Matthew and Publican, to show the readers that none need despair of salvation who turn to better things, seeing He from a Publican became an Apostle.

GLOSS; He says, sitting at the receipt of custom, that is, in the place where the tolls were collected. He was named Telonarius, from a Greek word signifying taxes.

CHRYS; Herein he shows the excellent power of Him that called him; while engaged in this dangerous office He rescued him from the midst of evil, as also Paul while he was yet mad against the Church. He said to him, Follow me. As you have seen the power of Him that calls, so learn the obedience of him that is called; He neither refuses, nor requests to go home and inform his friends.

REMIG; He esteems lightly human dangers which might accrue to him from his masters for leaving his accounts in disorder, but, he arose, and followed him. And because he relinquished earthly gain, therefore of right was he made the dispenser of the Lord's talents.

JEROME; Porphyry and the Emperor Julian insist from this account, that either the historian is to be charged with falsehood, or those who so readily followed the Savior with haste and temerity, as if He called any without reason. They forget also the signs and wonders which had preceded, and which no doubt the Apostles had seen before they believed. Yea the brightness of effulgence or the hidden Godhead which beamed from His human countenance might attract them at first view. For if the loadstone can, as it is said, attract iron, how much more can the Lord of all creation draw to Himself whom He will!

CHRYS; But why did He not call him at the same time with Peter and John and the others? Because he was then still in a hardened state, but after many miracles, and great fame of Christ, when He who knows the inmost secrets of the heart, perceived him more disposed to obedience, then He called him.

AUG; Or, perhaps it is more probable that Matthew here turns back to relate something that he had omitted; and we may suppose Matthew to have been called before the sermon on the mount; for on the mount, as Luke relates, the twelve, whom He also named Apostles, were chosen.

GLOSS; Matthew places his calling among the miracles; for a great miracle it was, a Publican becoming an Apostle.

CHRYS; Why is it then that nothing is said of the rest of the Apostles how or when they were called, but only of Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew? Because these were in the most alien and lowly stations, for nothing can he more disreputable than the office of Publican, nothing more abject than that of fisherman.

GLOSS; As a meet return for the heavenly mercy, Matthew prepared a great feast for Christ in His house, bestowing his temporal goods on Him of whom he looked to receive everlasting goods. It follows, And it came to pass as he sat at meat in the house.

AUG; Matthew has not said in whose house Jesus sat at meat (on this occasion), from which we might suppose, that this was not told in its proper order, but that what took place at some other time is inserted here as it happened to come into His mind; did not Mark and Luke who relate the same show that it was in Levi's that is, in Matthew's house.

CHRYS; Matthew being honored by the entrance of Jesus into his house, called together all that followed the same calling with himself; Behold many Publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus, and with his disciples.

GLOSS; The Publicans were they who were engaged in public business, which seldom or never can be carried on without sin. And a beautiful omen of the future, that he that was to be an Apostle and doctor of the Gentiles, at his first conversion draws after him a great multitude of sinners to salvation, already performing by his example what He was shortly to perform by word.

GLOSS; Tertullian says that these must have been Gentiles, because Scripture says, There shall be no payer of tribute in Israel, as if Matthew were not a Jew. But the Lord did not sit down to meat with Gentiles, being more especially careful not to break the Law, as also He gave commandment to His disciples below, Go not into the way of the Gentiles.

JEROME; But they had seen the Publican turning from sins to better things, and finding place of repentance, and on this account they do not despair of salvation.

CHRYS. This they came near to our Redeemer, and that not only to converse with Him, but to sit at meat with Him; for so not only by disputing, or healing, or convincing His enemies, but by eating with them, He often times healed such as were ill-disposed, by this teaching us, that all times, and all actions, may be made means to our advantage. When the Pharisees saw this they were indignant; And the Pharisees beholding said to his disciples, Why does your Master eat with Publicans and sinners? It should be observed, that when the disciples seemed to be doing what was sinful, these same addressed Christ, Behold your disciples are doing what it is not allowed to do on the Sabbath. Here they speak against Christ to His disciples, both being the part of malicious persons, seeking to detach the hearts of the disciple from the Master.

RABAN; They are in a twofold error; first, they esteemed themselves righteous, though in their pride they had departed far from righteousness; secondly, they charged with unrighteousness those who by recovering themselves from sin were drawing near to righteousness.

AUG; Luke seems to have related this a little differently; according to him the Pharisees say to the disciples, Why do you eat and drink with Publicans and sinners? not unwilling that their Master should be understood to be involved in the same charge; insinuating it at once against Himself and His disciples. Therefore Matthew and Mark have related it as said to the disciples, because go it was as much an objection against their Master whom they followed and imitated. The sense therefore is one in all, and so much the better conveyed, as the words are changed while the substance continues the same.

JEROME; For they do not come to Jesus while they remain in their original condition of sin, as the Pharisees and Scribes complain, but in penitence, as what follows proves; But Jesus hearing said, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

RABAN; He calls Himself a physician, because by a wonderful kind of medicine He was wounded for our iniquities that He might heal the wound of our sin. By the whole, He means those who seeking to establish their own righteousness have not submitted to the true righteousness of God. By the sick, He means those who, tied by the consciousness of their frailty, and seeing that they are not justified by the Law, submit themselves in penitence to the grace of God.

CHRYS; Having first spoken in accordance with common opinion, He now addresses them out of Scripture, saying, Go and learn what that means, I will have mercy and not sacrifice.

JEROME; This text from Osee is directed against the Scribes and Pharisees, who, deeming themselves righteous, refused to keep company with Publicans and Sinners.

CHRYS; As much as to say; How do you accuse me for reforming sinners? Therefore in this you accuse God the Father also. For as He wills the amendment of sinners, even so also do I. And He shows that this that they blamed was not only not forbidden, but was even by the Law set above sacrifice; for He said not, I will have mercy as well as sacrifice, but chooses the one and rejects the other.

GLOSS; Yet does not God condemn sacrifice, but sacrifice without mercy. But the Pharisees often offered Sacrifices in the temple that they might seem to men to be righteous, but did not practice the deeds of mercy by which true righteousness is proved.

RABAN; He therefore warns them, that by deeds of mercy they should seek for themselves the rewards of time mercy that is above, and, not overlooking the necessities of the poor, trust to please God by offering sacrifice. Wherefore, He says, Go; that is, from the rashness of foolish fault-finding to a more careful meditation of Holy Scripture, which highly commends mercy, and proposes to them as a guide His own example of mercy, saying, I came not to call the righteous but sinners.

AUG; Luke adds to repentance, which explains the sense; that none should suppose that sinners are loved by Christ because they are sinners; and this comparison of the sick shows what God means by calling sinners, as a physician does the sick to be saved from their iniquity as from a sickness: which is done by penitence.

HILARY; Christ came for all; how is it then that He says He came not for the righteous? Were there those for whom it needed not that He should come? But no man is righteous by the law. He shows how empty their boast of justification, sacrifices being inadequate to salvation, mercy was necessary for all who were set under the Law.

CHRYS; Whence we may suppose that He is speaking ironically, as when it is said, Behold now Adam is become as one of us. For that there is none righteous on earth Paul shows, All have sinned, and need glory of God. By this saying He also consoled those who were called; as though He had said, So far am I from abhorring sinners, that for their sakes only did I come.

GLOSS; Or; Those who were righteous, as Nathanael and John the Baptist, were not to be invited to repentance. Or, I came not to call the righteous, that is, the feignedly righteous, those who boasted of their righteousness as the Pharisees, but those that owned themselves sinners.

RABAN; In the call of Matthew and the Publicans is figured the faith of the Gentiles who first gaped after the gain of the world, and are now spiritually refreshed by the Lord; in the pride of the Pharisees, the jealousy of the Jews at the salvation of the Gentiles. Or, Matthew signifies the man intent on temporal gain; Jesus sees him, when He looks on him with the eyes of mercy. For Matthew is interpreted ' given,' Levi 'taken,' the penitent is taken out of the mass of the perishing, and by God's grace given to the Church. And Jesus said to him, Follow Me, either by preaching, or by the admonition of Scripture, or by internal illumination.

Catena Aurea Matthew 9

Saint Anthony Zaccaria’s Story

At the same time that Martin Luther was attacking abuses in the Church, a reformation within the Church was already being attempted. Among the early movers of the Counter-Reformation was Anthony Zaccaria. His mother became a widow at 18, and devoted herself to the spiritual education of her son. He received a medical doctorate at 22, and while working among the poor of his native Cremona in Italy, was attracted to the religious apostolate. He renounced his rights to any future inheritance, worked as a catechist, and was ordained a priest at the age of 26. Called to Milan in a few years, he laid the foundations of three religious congregations, one for men, one for women, and an association of married couples. Their aim was the reform of the decadent society of their day, beginning with the clergy, religious, and lay people.

Greatly inspired by Saint Paul—his congregation is named the Barnabites, after the companion of that saint—Anthony preached with great vigor in church and street, conducted popular missions, and was not ashamed of doing public penance.

He encouraged such innovations as the collaboration of the laity in the apostolate, frequent Communion, the Forty Hours devotion, and the ringing of church bells at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays. His holiness moved many to reform their lives, but as with all saints, it also moved many to oppose him. Twice his community had to undergo official religious investigation, and twice it was exonerated.

While on a mission of peace, he became seriously ill and was brought home for a visit to his mother. He died at Cremona at the age of 36.

Reflection

The austerity of Anthony’s spirituality and the Pauline ardor of his preaching would probably “turn off” many people today. When even some psychiatrists complain at the lack of a sense of sin, it may be time to tell ourselves that not all evil is explained by emotional disorder, subconscious and unconscious drives, parental influence, and so on. The old-time “hell and damnation” mission sermons have given way to positive, encouraging, biblical homilies. We do indeed need assurance of forgiveness, relief from existential anxiety, and future shock. But we still need prophets to stand up and tell us, “If we say ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

franciscanmedia.org

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal’s Story

Elizabeth is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father Pedro III, future king of Aragon, was reconciled with his father James, the reigning monarch. This proved to be a portent of things to come. Under the healthful influences surrounding her early years, she quickly learned self-discipline and acquired a taste for spirituality.

Thus fortunately prepared, Elizabeth was able to meet the challenge when at the age of 12, she was given in marriage to Denis, king of Portugal. She was able to establish for herself a pattern of life conducive to growth in God’s love, not merely through her exercises of piety, including daily Mass, but also through her exercise of charity, by which she was able to befriend and help pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor—in a word, all those whose need came to her notice. At the same time she remained devoted to her husband, whose infidelity to her was a scandal to the kingdom.

Denis, too, was the object of many of her peace endeavors. Elizabeth long sought peace for him with God, and was finally rewarded when he gave up his life of sin. She repeatedly sought and effected peace between the king and their rebellious son Alfonso, who thought that he was passed over to favor the king’s illegitimate children. She acted as peacemaker in the struggle between Ferdinand, king of Aragon, and his cousin James, who claimed the crown. And finally from Coimbra, where she had retired as a Franciscan tertiary to the monastery of the Poor Clares after the death of her husband, Elizabeth set out and was able to bring about a lasting peace between her son Alfonso, now king of Portugal, and his son-in-law, the king of Castile.

Reflection

The work of promoting peace is anything but a calm and quiet endeavor. It takes a clear mind, a steady spirit and a brave soul to intervene between people whose emotions are so aroused that they are ready to destroy one another. This is all the more true of a woman in the early 14th century. But Elizabeth had a deep and sincere love and sympathy for humankind, an almost total lack of concern for herself, and an abiding confidence in God. These were the tools of her success.

franciscanmedia.org

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July 5 2019

Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67

Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5

Alleluia Mt 11:28

Gospel Mt 9:9-13

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Anthony Zaccaria, please go here.

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, please go here.

Readings at Mass

Saint Anthony Zaccaria’s Story

Reflection

Saint Elizabeth of Portugal’s Story

Reflection