Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1 Ex 20:1-17

In those days:
God delivered all these commandments:

"I, the LORD, am your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves
in the shape of anything in the sky above
or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;
you shall not bow down before them or worship them.
For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God,
inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness
on the children of those who hate me,
down to the third and fourth generation;
but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation
on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

"You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
For the LORD will not leave unpunished
him who takes his name in vain.

"Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Six days you may labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter,
or your male or female slave, or your beast,
or by the alien who lives with you.
In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
but on the seventh day he rested.
That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

"Honor your father and your mother,
that you may have a long life in the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you.

"You shall not kill.

"You shall not commit adultery.

"You shall not steal.

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,
nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,
nor anything else that belongs to him."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11

R.(John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

Alleluia See Lk 8:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 13:18-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

For the readings of the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, please go here.

[Note: the USCCB website lists the readings for July 26 2019 as Exodus
20:1-17 and Matthew 13:18-23. However, readings proper to this memo-
rial and feast are posted — Sirach 44:1, 8, 10-15 and Matthew 13:16-17.]

From: Sirach 44:1, 8, 10-15

Prologue

[1] Let us now praise famous men,
and our fathers in their generations.
[8] There are some of them who have left a name,
so that men declare their praise.
[10] But these were men of mercy,
whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;
[11] their prosperity will remain with their descendants,
and their inheritance to their children’s children.
[12] Their descendants stand by the covenants;
their children also, for their sake.
[13] Their posterity will continue for ever,
and their glory will not be blotted out.
[14] Their bodies were buried in peace,
and their name lives to all generations.
[15] Peoples will declare their wisdom,
and the congregation proclaims their praise.

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Commentary:

44:1-50:29. This eulogy of ancestors begins with a short prologue (44:1-15),
which summarizes Ben Sirach’s teachings. What it says about them is what we
have read elsewhere in the book about wise people, people who were loyal to the
Law: they “have left a name” (44:8; cf. 41:12-13), whereas the ungodly “have no
memorial” (44:9; cf. 41:11); “their righteous deeds have not been forgotten” and
they have left an “inheritance” to their descendants (44:10-11; cf. 23:25-26); their
name “lives to all generations”, in all peoples and in the praise of the “congrega-
tion” (44:14-15; cf. 39:10-11). But these admirable lives are, in the last analysis,
further evidence of the greatness of God (44:2). In the Church this same teaching
applies in the case of saints. In their memory we remind God that “You are glori-
fied in your saints, for their glory is the crowning of your gifts. In their lives on
earth you gave us an example. In our communion with them, you give us their
friendship. In their prayer for the Church you give us strength and protection. This
great company of witnesses spurs us on to victory, to share their prize of lasting
glory” (”Roman Missal”, Preface of the holy men and women).

The author goes on to survey sacred history from Enoch (44:16) to the priest Si-
mon (50:1-21). In fact he goes right back to Adam, because Adam stands at the
very origin of man (cf. 49:16). In this survey one can see the author’s teaching is
close to the Deuteronomic Tradition — fidelity to the Covenant with God, adhe-
rence to the Law, the temple as the sole place of divine worship. The only three
kings given praise in Deuteronomic history (David, Hezekiah and Josiah) are lau-
ded here too (cf. 49:4). Even Solomon, despite all his wisdom, despite the fact
that he built the temple, put a stain on the honor of God (47:20) and as a conse-
quence (in line with Ben Sirach’s persistent message) his son Rehoboam was
ample in folly” (47:23).

The list of people praised also includes the main judges and prophets. However,
one cannot help noticing the somewhat over-generous amount of space given to
Aaron (45:6-22). In fact what Sirach praises is not just Aaron himself; he revels
in the magnificence of Aaron’s sacred vestments, thereby emphasizing the reve-
rence that is due to priests and to things to do with the liturgy. The last person
to be eulogized, the high priest Simon: 50:1-21 really marks the climax of all this
praise: Simon in some way embodies all the very best to be learned from these
great ancestors.

*********************************************************************************************
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 13:16-17

Speaking in Parables (Continuation)

[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. [17]
Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you
see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

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Commentary:

16-17. In contrast with the closed attitude of many Jews who witnessed Jesus’
life but did not believe in Him, the disciples are praised by our Lord for their do-
cility to grace, their openness to recognizing Him as the Messiah and to accep-
ting His teaching.

He calls His disciples blessed, happy. As He says, the prophets and just men
and women of the Old Testament had for centuries lived in hope of enjoying one
day the peace the future Messiah would bring, but they had died without experien-
cing this good fortune. Simeon, towards the end of his long life, was filled with joy
on seeing the infant Jesus when He was presented in the temple: “He took Him
up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant
depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation’”
(Luke 2:28-30). During our Lord’s public life, His disciples were fortunate enough
to see and be on close terms with Him; later they would recall that incomparable
gift, and one of them would begin his first letter in these words: “That which was
from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes,
which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of
life; [...] that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you
may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with His
Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our [or: your] joy may be complete
1 John 1:1-4).

This exceptional good fortune was, obviously, not theirs but of special merit: God
planned it; it was He who decided that the time had come for the Old Testament
prophecies to be fulfilled. In any event, God gives every soul opportunities to meet
Him: each of us has to be sensitive enough to grasp them and not let them pass.
There were many men and women in Palestine who saw and heard the incarnate
Son of God but did not have the spiritual sensitivity to see in Him what the Apos-
tles and disciples saw.

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: White.

These are the readings for the feria

First reading	Exodus 20:1-17 ©

The Law given at Sinai

God spoke all these words. He said, ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

‘You shall have no gods except me.

‘You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God and I punish the father’s fault in the sons, the grandsons, and the great-grandsons of those who hate me; but I show kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

‘You shall not utter the name of the Lord your God to misuse it, for the Lord will not leave unpunished the man who utters his name to misuse it.

‘Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath for the Lord your God. You shall do no work that day, neither you nor your son nor your daughter nor your servants, men or women, nor your animals nor the stranger who lives with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that these hold, but on the seventh day he rested; that is why the Lord has blessed the sabbath day and made it sacred.

‘Honour your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God has given to you.

‘You shall not kill.

‘You shall not commit adultery.

‘You shall not steal.

‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

‘You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his servant, man or woman, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is his.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 18(19):8-11 ©