Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 06-21-15, Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said: Who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling bands? When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stilled!

R. (1b) Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. They who sailed the sea in ships, trading on the deep waters, These saw the works of the LORD and his wonders in the abyss. R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. His command raised up a storm wind which tossed its waves on high. They mounted up to heaven; they sank to the depths; their hearts melted away in their plight. R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. They cried to the LORD in their distress; from their straits he rescued them, He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze, and the billows of the sea were stilled. R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia. They rejoiced that they were calmed, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his kindness and his wondrous deeds to the children of men. R. Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting. or: R. Alleluia.

Brothers and sisters: The love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.

Alleluia Lk 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia. A great prophet has risen in our midst, God has visited his people. R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 4:35-41 On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

From: Job 38:1, 8-11

The Lord Speaks to Job

[1] Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

[8] “Or who shut in the sea with doors,
when it burst forth from the womb;
[9] when I made clouds its garment,
and thick darkness its swaddling
band,
[10] and prescribed bounds for it,
and set bars and doors,
[11] and said, ‘Thus far shall you come,
and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves
be stayed?”

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Commentary:

38:1-42:6. The theophany and the Lord’s discourse that follow it form the climax
of the book: after each of the friends and the impertinent Elihu have opined on
Job’s attitude and on the meaning of suffering, and after Job himself has repeat-
edly called on God to pronounce judgment, God’s intervention gives a perfect
finish to the whole debate. The Lord upbraids the friends for rejecting the very
idea that he would appear in person to reply to Job, and he commends Job for
his desire to meet with Him.

The content of the Lord’s speeches are along the lines of the previous Ones as
regards created beings reflecting the power and wisdom of their Maker; but the
tone is very different. The Lord does not take issue with Job’s views or lament
his misfortune, or even respond directly to Job’s demand that his innocence be
recognized; what he wants him to do is to watch a fiIm documentary, as it were,
recording the wonders of creation; to discover the beauty and endowments of
created beings; and to acknowledge, in all simplicity, the sovereignty and wis-
dom of the Creator.

>From a literary point of view, the Lord’s discourses contain typical descriptions
of all kinds of creatures, such as the ostrich (39:13-18), the warhorse (39:19-25),
and Behemoth and Leviathan (40:15-41:26). These animals are depicted so ex-
pertly, with a mixture of realism and fantasy, that we don’t know whether they
belong to the world of reality or that of mythology. But they are all creatures of
the Lord.

The theophany consists of two lengthy speeches by God (38:4-39:30; 40:15-41:
26), each preceded by an appeal to Job (38:1-3; 40:6-14) and each followed by
a grateful and humble response from Job (40:3-5; 42:1-6).

38:1-39:30. The Lord’s first speech is very rich in language and very skillfully
constructed, but the message is quite simple: God is present in places where
Job or no one else has ever been; he has acted and does act where no human
being ever could or can: he arranges things most wisely and takes the greatest
care of created beings (stars, birds, animals) far beyond man’s reach. In other
words, God is infinitely more powerful than Job; yet here he is, inviting him to en-
gage in conversation and join him in contemplating the wonders of the cosmos
and of the animal world.

This speech cannot be described as a class in Creation Theology; and in fact
in few places does it overlap with creation accounts in Genesis or in the book of
Wisdom; it is rather, a sapiential description of the entire universe and of the way
created beings operate; no account is taken of secondary causes or of the use-
fulness these beings may have for man.

The speech consists of an introduction (38:1-3) and two lengthy sections. The
first of these focuses on the inanimate world (38:4-38), and the second on the
animal world (38:39-39:30). The first has a certain logical order to it, ranging out
from the better known to the more remote phenomena — earth, sea, light, the
ends of the earth, and the abyss, the elements, stars … But the animal section
seems to have no particular order to it; instead, the writer uses devices found in
wisdom literature: his list of animals runs to ten (ten being a number symbolizing
completeness) – lion, raven, goat, deer, wild ass, wild ox, ostrich, horse, lark,
eagle; by choosing undomesticated animals, he accentuates the power of God.

38:1-3. The introduction to these speeches provides keys to their meaning. It
uses the proper name of the God of Israel, the Lord (Yhwh), as does the pro-
logue (2:1-7) and epilogue (42:7-17) of the book itself, whereas in the preceding
debate, as we have seen, the generic Greek name appears (’El, Eloah, Elohim,
Shaddai). This serves to underline that genuine wisdom belongs to the God of
Israel, and he communicates it to his people. The text keeps repeating that it
is God who is speaking: “And the Lord said …”, “the Lord answered.” The theo-
phany “out of the whirlwind” would alone have made this plain; it was a whirlwind
that took Elijah up to heaven (2 Kings 2:1,11) and it figures in the eschatological
appearances of the Lord (cf. Ezek 1:1-3; 15; Zech 9:14); even if God had made
himself silently present, Job would have had his desire fulfilled: he would have
met the Lord. But by responding to Job with words, God is bestowing on him
the same sign of favour as he gave to the patriarchs and to Moses, with whom
he spoke face to face. In this way the sacred writer shows how very worthy a
person Job is.

“Who is this that darkens counsel” (v. 2): the Hebrew word translated as ‘’coun-
sel”(’esah) means God’s plan, his purposes, which stay unchanged for all eter-
nity (cf. Is 25:1) and are irrevocable (Is 14:24, 26). What the word primarily
means here is governance of the universe, that is, divine providence: “Since hu-
man reason on its own cannot comprehend the truth of divine providence, the
argument between Job and his friends needed to he resolved by divine authority
[...]. So the Lord, as arbitrator of the dispute, criticizes the friends whose words
do not judge Job fairly, and Elihu for his mistaken assumptions” (St Thomas
Aquinas, Expositio super lob, 38, 2). But, given that in the Old Testament this
word is always connected with divine intervention in the lives of nations and indi-
viduals (Jer 32:19), here it also applies to God’s part in making Job’s life so
miserable. Job has raised objections to this. The Lord himself now invites him
to view this counsel, these “plans”, from the point of view of God, not man.
Man’s perspective is narrow and blurred.

“I will question you, and you shall declare to me” (v. 3). In keeping with the tone
of irony that surfaces elsewhere in the speech (38:4, 18, 21), the Lord grants Job
the status of interlocutor and implies that he is capable of answering all the great
questions and of supplying the sort of sapiential argument he will use in his
speech. At no point does God try to humiliate Job; he is simply encouraging him
to accept with a good grace the teaching he is going to offer him.

38:4-15. The description of the earth (vv. 4-7), the sea (vv. 8-11) and the sunlight
(vv. 12-15) contains a lot of symbolism. For example, the earth is depicted as an
impressive building which the stars find awesome. St Gregory the Great does
well to apply this description to the Church, God’s beloved, built on the foundation
of the apostles and with Christ as its cornerstone; earth and Church are a source
of amazement to the angels (cf. Moralia in lob, 6:28, 5-7, 14-35).

The ocean, which was full of bluster in the high seas, becomes all mild when it
reaches the shore, just as a restless baby becomes quiet when it is held and
clothed. “The gates of the Holy Church”, St Gregory explains, “may he battered
by the waves of persecution, but they cannot he destroyed; the wave of persecu-
tion may rock the gates from without, but it cannot break through to the heart of
the Church” (Moralia in lob, 6, 28, 18, 38).

The light of dawn dispels the darkness (vv. 12-13), which is an accomplice of evil-
doers, as Job previously acknowledged (cf. 24:13-17): “Evildoers love the dark
of night, and flee in despair at the dawning of the day. For this reason he adds:
“And you shook out the wicked”, that is, you forced them to flee into hiding when
the light of day stripped away their cover of darkness” (Fray Luis de Leon, Expo-
sitio lob, 38, 13).

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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: 2 Corinthians 5:14-17

The Ministry of Reconciliation (Continuation)

[14] For the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has
died for all; therefore all have died. [15] And he died for all, that those who live
might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was
raised.

[16] From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even
though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus
no longer. [17] Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old
has passed away, behold, the new has come.

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Commentary:

14-15. The Apostle briefly describes the effects of Christ’s death, a death he un-
derwent out of love for man; elsewhere at greater length (cf. Rom 6:1-11; 14:7-9;
Gal 2:19-20; 2 Tim 2:11) he goes into this doctrine which is so closely connec-
ted with the solidarity that exists between Jesus Christ and the members of his
mystical body. Christ, the head of that body, died for all his members: and they
have mystically died to sin with and in him. Christ’s death, is moreover, the price
paid for men—their ransom which sets them free from the slavery of sin, death
and the devil. As a result of it we belong no longer to ourselves but to Christ (cf.
1 Cor 6:19), and the new life—in grace and freedom—which he has won for us we
must live for his sake: “None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to him-
self. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord [...]. For to
this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and
of the living” (Rom 14:7-9).

“What follows from this?”, St Francis de Sales asks. “I seem to hear the voice
of the Apostle like a peal of thunder startling our heart: It is easy to see, Chris-
tians, what Christ desired by dying for us. What did he desire but that we should
become like him? ‘That those who live might live no longer for themselves but for
him who for their sake died and was raised.’ How powerful a consequence is this
in the matter of love! Jesus Christ died for us; by his death he has given us life;
we only live because he died; he died for us, by us, and in us; our life then is no
longer ours, but belongs to him who has purchased it for us by his death: we are
therefore no more to live to ourselves but to him; not in ourselves but in him; nor
for ourselves but for him” (”Treatise on the Love of God”, book 7, chap. 8).

“The love of Christ controls us”, urges us: with these words St Paul sums up what
motivates his tireless apostolic activity—the love of Jesus, so immense that it im-
pels him to spend every minute of his life bringing this same love to all mankind.
The love of Christ should also inspire all other Christians to commit themselves to
respond to Christ’s love, and it should fill them with a desire to bring to all souls
the salvation won by Christ. “We are urged on by the charity of Christ (cf. 2 Cor
5:14) to take upon our shoulders a part of this task of saving souls. Look: the re-
demption was consummated when Jesus died on the Cross, in shame and glory,
‘a stumbling block’ to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23). But the re-
demption will, by the will of God, be carried out continually until our Lord’s time
comes. It is impossible to live according to the heart of Jesus Christ and not to
know that we are sent, as he was, ‘to save sinners’ (1 Tim 1:15), with the clear
realization that we ourselves need to trust in the mercy of God more and more
every day. As a result, we will foster in ourselves a vehement desire to live as co-
redeemers with Christ, to save all souls with him” (”Christ Is Passing By”, 120f).

16-17. “Even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view”: Paul
seems to be referring to knowledge based only on external appearances and on
human criteria. Paul’s Judaizing opponents do look on things from a human point
of view, as Paul himself did before his conversion. Nothing he says here can be
taken as implying that St Paul knew Jesus personally during his life on earth (he
goes on to say that now he does not know him personally); what he is saying is
that previously he judged Christ on the basis of his own Pharisee prejudices;
now, on the other hand, he knows him as God and Savior of men.

In v. 17 he elaborates on this contrast between before and after his conversion,
as happens to Christians through Baptism. For through the grace of Baptism a
person becomes a member of Christ’s body, he lives by and is “in Christ” (cf.,
e.g., Gal 6:15; Eph 2:10, 15f; Cor 3:9f); the Redemption brings about a new crea-
tion. Commenting on this passage St Thomas Aquinas reminds us that creation
is the step from non-being to being, and that in the supernatural order, after origi-
nal sin, “a new creation was necessary, whereby (creatures) would be made with
the life of grace; this truly is a creation from nothing, because those without grace
are nothing (cf. 1 Cor 13:2) [...]. St Augustine says, ‘for sin is nothingness, and
men become nothingness when they sin’” (”Commentary on 2 Cor, ad loc.”).

“The new has come”: St John Chrysostom points out the radical change which
the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ has brought about, and the consequent
difference between Judaism and Christianity: “Instead of the earthly Jerusalem,
we have received that Jerusalem which is above; and instead of a material tem-
ple we have seen a spiritual temple; instead of tablets of stone, holding the di-
vine Law, our own bodies have become the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit; instead
of circumcision, Baptism; instead of manna, the Lord’s body; instead of water
from a rock, blood from his side; instead of Moses’ or Aaron’s rod, the cross of
the Savior; instead of the promised land, the kingdom of heaven” (”Hom on 2
Cor”, 11).

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

From: Mark 4:35-41

The Calming of the Storm

[35] On that day, when evening had come, He (Jesus) said to them, “Let us go a-
cross to the other side.” [36] And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them just
as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him. [37] And a great storm of
wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that the boat was already filling.
[38] But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said
to Him, “Teacher, do You not care if we perish?” [39] And He awoke and rebuked
the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there
was a great calm. [40] He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”
[41] And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, “Who then is this,
that even wind and sea obey Him?”

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Commentary:

35-41. The episode of the calming of the storm, the memory of which must have
often helped the Apostles regain their serenity in the midst of struggles and diffi-
culties, also helps us never lose the supernatural way of looking at things: a
Christian’s life is like a ship: “As a vessel on the sea is exposed to a thousand
dangers—pirates, quicksands, hidden rocks, tempests—so man in this life, is en-
compassed with perils, arising from the temptations of Hell, from the occasions
of sin, from the scandals or bad counsels of men, from human respect, and,
above all from the passions of corrupt nature [...]. This should not cause him to
lose confidence. Rather [...] when you find yourself assaulted by a violent pas-
sion [...] take whatever steps you can to avoid the occasions [of sin] and place
your reliance on God [...]: when the tempest is violent, the pilot never takes his
eyes from the light which guides him to port. In like manner, we should keep our
eyes always turned to God, who alone can deliver us from the many dangers to
which we are exposed” (St. Augustine, “Sermon 51; for the Fourth Sunday After
Epiphany”).

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

Readings at Mass

First reading

Job 38:1,8-11 ©

From the heart of the tempest the Lord gave Job his answer. He said:

Who pent up the sea behind closed doors

when it leapt tumultuous out of the womb,

when I wrapped it in a robe of mist

and made black clouds its swaddling bands;

when I marked the bounds it was not to cross

and made it fast with a bolted gate?

Come thus far, I said, and no farther:

here your proud waves shall break.

Psalm

Psalm 106:23-26,28-32 ©