From: Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19
Second lament: Zion’s misfortunes and their causes
[10] The elders of the daughter of Zion
sit on the ground in silence;
they have cast dust on their heads
and put on sackcloth;
the maidens of Jerusalem
have bowed their heads to the ground.
[11] My eyes are spent with weeping;
my soul is in tumult:
my heart is poured out in grief
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
because infants and babes faint
in the streets of the city.
[12] They cry to their mothers.
“Where is bread and wine?”
as they faint like wounded men
in the streets of the city.
as their life is poured out
on their mothers’ bosom.
[13] What can I say for you, to what compare you,
O daughter of Jerusalem?
What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you,
O virgin daughter of Zion?
For vast as the sea is your ruin;
Who can restore you?
[14] Your prophets have seen for you
false and deceptive visions;
they have not exposed your iniquity
to restore your fortunes,
but have seen for you oracles
false and misleading.
[18] Cry aloud to the Lord!
O daughter of Zion!
Let tears stream down like a torrent
day and night!
Give yourself no rest,
your eyes no respite!
[19] Arise, cry out in the night,
at the beginning of the watches!
Pour out your heart like water
before the presence of the Lord!
Lift your hands to him
for the lives of your children,
who faint for hunger
at the head of every street.
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Commentary:
2:1-22. The second lamentation begins and ends with explicit references to the
main reason for all Zion’s misfortunes — the anger of God (vv. 1 and 22), that is,
his just indignation at the sins of the people. However, the main body of the po-
em is a meditation containing reflections on the prospects of conversion. St
Thomas points out that there are two parts to the poem: “In the first part of the
poem, the disgrace of the destruction is lamented (vv. 1-7); in the second part,
the grace of God’s mercy is implored” (”Postilla super Threnos”, 2).
The poem begins by describing the fall of Jerusalem (vv. 1-9). Using bold image-
ry, the author describes the defeat of the Jews and the destruction of the temple
as something done not so much by the Chaldeans as by the Lord himself, who
became “like an enemy” to Israel (v. 5), rejected the temple and its rites (vv. 6-7),
and deprived the city of its defences (vv. 8-9). It then goes on to show the reader
just how things were in the city at the time — no law, no princes, no prophets (v.
9), no food (vv. 11-12), nothing but silence and weeping (vv. 10-11). Such being
the scene, the inspired writer reproaches Jerusalem on a number of counts (vv.
13-19) — the apathy of its prophets (v. 14), the city’s failure to turn back to God;
it has become the object of jeers and mockery. But it must not stay like that; it
must be converted to the Lord, by making anguished prayer (vv. 18-19) — prayer
like that of the sacred writer (vv. 20-22) which stresses that Israel is still the
Lord’s chosen people.
Jerusalem’s plight, then, is a punishment from God. Still, the severest reproach
of all is that addressed to the prophets. The false prophets lulled the people into
a false sense of security instead of calling them to conversion (v. 14); as Olym-
piodorus glosses the text, “they do not tell you the truth by which you would re-
cognize your sins and repent [...]. On the contrary, they read you false prophe-
cies and use vain arguments to drive you further from God” (”Fragmenta in La-
mentationes”, 2, 14). On the other hand, the true word of God has been borne
out: it is not surprising that v. 17 should be quoted when reminding Church pas-
tors of their responsibilities: “The good pastor should know when to keep silent
through discretion and when it is important to speak, so that he will never speak
of what should not be said nor fail to speak when it must be said. As indiscreet
speech can lead to sin; imprudent silence can leave those who were in need of
teaching to wallow in their sin. It often happens that imprudent pastors are afraid
to tell the truth openly because they fear that they will lose the respect of their
people. The pastor who is afraid to tell his people the truth turns his back on
them by his silence. He builds a wall for the house of Israel, to keep out those
who would destroy the flock; but when the people have sinned, as is said else-
where in Scripture: ‘Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions;
they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes (Lam 2:14)’” (St.
Gregory the Great, “Regula pastoralis”, 2, 4).
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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: Luke 2:41-51
The Finding in the Temple
The Hidden Life of Jesus at Nazareth
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Commentary:
41. Only St Luke (2:41-50) reports the event of the Child Jesus being lost and
then found in the temple, which we contemplate in the “Fifth Joyful Mystery” of
the Rosary.
Only males aged twelve and upwards were required to make this journey. Naza-
reth is about 100 km (60 miles) from Jerusalem as the crow flies, but the hilly
nature of the country would have made it a trip of 140 km.
43-44. On pilgrimages to Jerusalem, the Jews used to go in two groups—one of
men, the other of women. Children could go with either group. This explains how
they could go a day’s journey before they discovered the Child was missing when
the families regrouped to camp.
“Mary is crying. In vain you and I have run from group to group, from caravan to
caravan. No one has seen him. Joseph, after fruitless attempts to keep from cry-
ing, cries too ... And you ... And I. ‘Being a common little fellow, I cry my eyes
out and wail to heaven and earth ..., to make up for the times when I lost him
through my own fault and did not cry” (St. J. Escriva, “Holy Rosary”, Fifth Joy-
ful Mystery).
45. The concern which Mary and Joseph show in looking for the Child should
encourage us always to seek Jesus out, particularly if we lose him through sin.
“Jesus, may I never lose you again.... Now you and I are united in misfortune
and grief, as were united in sin. And from the depths of our being comes sighs
of heartfelt sorrow and burning phrases which the pen cannot and should not
record” (”Holy Rosary”, Fifth Joyful Mystery).
46-47. The Child Jesus must have been in the courtyard of the temple, which was
where the teachers usually taught. Listeners used to sit at their feet, now and a-
gain asking questions and responding to them. This was what Jesus did, but his
questions and answers attracted the teachers’ attention, he was so wise and well-
informed.
48. Ever since the Annunciation our Lady had known that the Child Jesus was
God. This faith was the basis of her generous fidelity throughout her life—but there
was no reason why it should include detailed knowledge of all the sacrifices God
would ask of her, nor of how Christ would go about his mission of redemption:
that was something she would discover as time went by, contemplating her Son’s
life.
49. Christ’s reply is a form of explanation. His words—his first words to be recor-
ded in the Gospel—clearly show his divine Sonship; and they also show his deter-
mination to fulfill the will of his Eternal Father. “He does not upbraid them — Mary
and Joseph — for searching for their son, but he raises the eyes of their souls to
appreciate what he owes him whose Eternal Son he is” (St Bede, “In Lucae Evan-
gelium Expositio, in loc.”). Jesus teaches us that over and above any human au-
thority, even that of our parents, there is the primary duty to do the will of God.
“And once we are consoled by the joy of finding Jesus — three days he was gone!
— debating with the teachers of Israel (Lk 2:46), you and I shall be left deeply im-
pressed by the duty to leave our home and family to serve our heavenly Father”
(St. J. Escriva, “Holy Rosary”, Fifth Joyful Mystery”). See note on Mt 10:34-37.
50. We must remember that Jesus knew in detail the whole course his earthly
life would take from his conception onwards (cf. note on Lk 2:52). This is shown
by what he says in reply to his parents. Mary and Joseph realized that his reply
contained a deeper meaning which they did not grasp. They grew to understand
it as the life of their Child unfolded. Mary’s and Joseph’s faith and their reverence
towards the Child led them not to ask any further questions but to reflect on Je-
sus’ words and behavior in this instance, as they had done so on other occa-
sions.
51. The Gospel sums up Jesus’ life in Nazareth in just three words: “erat subdtus
illis”, he was obedient to them. “Jesus obeys, and he obeys Joseph and Mary.
God has come to the world to obey, and to obey creatures. Admittedly they were
very perfect creatures—Holy Mary, our mother, greater than whom God alone; and
that most chaste man Joseph. But they are only creatures, and yet Jesus, who
is God, obeyed them. We have to love God so as to love his will and desire to re-
spond to his calls. They come to us through the duties of our ordinary life — du-
ties of state, profession, work, family, social life, our own and other people’s diffi-
culties, friendship, eagerness to do what is right and just” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ
Is Passing By”, 17).
Jesus lived like any other inhabitant of Nazareth, working at the same trade as St
Joseph and earning his living by the sweat of his brow. “His hidden years are not
without significance, nor were they simply a preparation for the years which were
to come after—those of his public life. Since 1928 I have understood clearly that
God wants our Lord’s whole life to be an example for Christians. I saw this with
special reference to his hidden life, the years he spent working side by side with
ordinary men. Our Lord wants many people to ratify their vocation during years
of quiet, unspectacular living. Obeying God’s will always means leaving our sel-
fishness behind, but there is no reason why it should entail cutting ourselves off
from the normal life of ordinary people who share the same status, work and so-
cial position with us.
“I dream—and the dream has come true—of multitudes of God’s children, sanctify-
ing themselves as ordinary citizens, sharing the ambitions and endeavors of their
colleagues and friends. I want to shout to them about this divine truth: If you are
there in the middle of ordinary life, it doesn’t mean Christ has forgotten about you
or hasn’t called you. He has invited you to stay among the activities and concerns
of the world. He wants you to know that your human vocation, your profession,
your talents, are not omitted from his divine plans. He has sanctified them and
made them a most acceptable offering to his Father” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is
Passing By”, 20).
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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.