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As we come to the Eucharist this week, let us fall at the feet of Jesus, reach out with expectant faith, praying for the Lord to restore us to the\u00a0fullness\u00a0of life.<\/p>\n
In times of spiritual cooling and laziness<\/span>, imagine in your heart those past times when you were full of \u00a0zeal<\/span>…remember your past efforts and the energy with which you opposed those who wished to obstruct your progress. These recollections will reawaken your soul from its deep sleep<\/span>, will invest it anew with the fire of zeal, will raise it, as it were, from the dead<\/span> and will make it engage in an ardent struggle against the devil and sin, thus returning to its former rank.<\/em> -St. Isaak of Syria<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Book of Wisdom was composed a century or two prior to the coming of Christ. It was most likely written in Alexandria, Egypt. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered at Qumran the Book of Wisdom was found there, written in the Hebrew language. This was a surprise since hitherto we only had manuscripts in Greek.\u00a0This book is part of the Deuterocanon<\/a> and is therefore not found in Protestant Bibles.<\/p>\n The book itself is divided into three parts:<\/p>\n 1. Wisdom 1:1 – Wisdom 6:21<\/strong> 2. Wisdom 6:22 – Wisdom 11:1<\/strong> 3.Wisdom 11:2 – Wisdom 19:22<\/strong> Our passage today comes from the first part of the book:<\/p>\n God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n God did not make death,\u00a0<\/em>nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n It is stated very clearly that God is not the author of death and He takes no pleasure in it.<\/p>\n The “death”<\/span><\/em> referred to here is both physical death, but more importantly, spiritual death i.e. separation from God.<\/p>\n For he fashioned all things that they might have being;\u00a0<\/em>and the creatures of the world are wholesome,\u00a0and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, …<\/em><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n God is the author of life and the creator of a world of life.<\/p>\n The phrase “any domain of the netherworld on earth”<\/span><\/em> refers to Sheol\/Hades.<\/p>\n …for justice is undying…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Here the author hints at the “immortality”<\/em> of justice.<\/p>\n For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n We were made for eternity, made in God’s likeness:<\/p>\n Then God said, \u201cLet us\u00a0make mankind\u00a0in our image,\u00a0in our likeness<\/span>,\u00a0so that they may rule\u00a0over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky,\u00a0over the livestock and all the wild animals,\u00a0<\/span>and over all the creatures that move along the ground.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0– Genesis 1:26<\/span><\/p>\n But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The Book of Wisdom points to Satan as being the cause of death.\u00a0It is interesting to note that Wisdom is the first Biblical text to explicitly identify the serpent of Genesis with the Devil:<\/p>\n …but God did say, \u2018You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou will not certainly die,\u201d the serpent said to the woman.<\/em>\u00a0– Genesis 3:3-4<\/span><\/p>\n The Book of Wisdom is also one of the few Biblical texts which refers to The Fall (The Deuterocanonical Book of Sirach also does in Sirach 25:23).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This week’s psalm is a thanksgiving psalm of the saving work of God.<\/p>\n R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear\u00a0and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.\u00a0O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;\u00a0you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,\u00a0and give thanks to his holy name.\u00a0For his anger lasts but a moment;\u00a0a lifetime, his good will.\u00a0At nightfall, weeping enters in,\u00a0but with the dawn, rejoicing.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;\u00a0O LORD, be my helper.\u00a0You changed my mourning into dancing;\u00a0O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The Lord has saved the psalmist. His response is to praise the Lord.<\/p>\n I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear\u00a0and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.\u00a0O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;\u00a0you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The Lord rescued the psalmist from his enemies.<\/p>\n The Lord saved him from death (“brought me up from the netherworld; …preserved…from…the pit”<\/span><\/em>). This points towards the Resurrection of the Dead.<\/p>\n Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,\u00a0and give thanks to his holy name.\u00a0For his anger lasts but a moment;\u00a0a lifetime, his good will.\u00a0At nightfall, weeping enters in,\u00a0but with the dawn, rejoicing.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The psalmist calls the people to also praise the Lord and give thanks. The psalmist then makes two comparisons:<\/p>\n 1. Between the Lord’s “anger”<\/span><\/em> and “good will”<\/span><\/em>. \u00a0The former is brief, the other long-lasting.<\/p>\n 2. Between tears at night and joy with day. Times of sorrow will come, but joy will come with the light.<\/p>\n Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;\u00a0O LORD, be my helper.\u00a0You changed my mourning into dancing;\u00a0O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Finally the psalmist prayers for God’s mercy, reminding God of his past salvation and the psalmist’s response of thanksgiving.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some important context is necessary to understand our Second Reading this week. Paul is collecting money from the different congregations (Romans 15:25-27<\/a>) for the Church in Jerusalem. The Christians in Jerusalem had undergone much suffering, including both persecution and famine (Acts 11:28<\/a>).<\/p>\n In his first letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul had given them instructions to begin collecting money:<\/p>\n Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the\u00a0Galatian\u00a0churches to do. On the first day of every week [Sunday]<\/span>, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income<\/span>, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made<\/em> – 1 Corinthians 16:1-2<\/span><\/p>\n Paul is now following up on this request and sending his disciple Titus to collect their donation. In the verses prior to our Second Reading, St. Paul has been telling the Corinthians about the\u00a0Church of Macedonia (Greece) and praising that Church for their generous donation<\/a> to the Jerusalem:<\/p>\n And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches<\/span>. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy<\/span> and their extreme poverty<\/span> welled up in rich generosity<\/span>. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own<\/span>, they urgently pleaded with us<\/span> for the privilege<\/span> of sharing in this service to the saints<\/em> – 1 Corinthians 8:1-4<\/span><\/p>\n Hoping to inspire a little bit of competition, after praising the Macedonians, Paul then exhorts the Corinthians to a similar generosity:<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:\u00a0As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse,\u00a0knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you,\u00a0may you excel in this gracious act also.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,\u00a0that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor,\u00a0so that by his poverty you might become rich.\u00a0Not that others should have relief while you are burdened,\u00a0but that as a matter of equality\u00a0your abundance at the present time should supply their needs,\u00a0so that their abundance may also supply your needs,\u00a0that there may be equality.\u00a0As it is written:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n “Whoever had much did not have more,\u00a0and whoever had little did not have less”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:\u00a0As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse,\u00a0knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, …<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Whereas the Church in Macedonia was poor, the\u00a0Church at Corinth was richly blessed, both physically and spiritually:<\/p>\n I always thank God for you because of his grace given you<\/span> in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way<\/span> – in all your speaking<\/span> and in all your knowledge<\/span> – because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift<\/span> as you egerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed<\/em> – 1 Corinthians 1:4-7<\/span><\/p>\n …may you excel in this gracious act also.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Paul would like to see the Corinthians excel in the matter of charity, as well. He is giving them an opportunity to give thanks to God for His blessing and also to help their Christian brothers and sisters in Jerusalem by giving alms:<\/p>\n Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold:\u00a0For alms delivereth from death<\/span>, and the same is that which purgeth away sins<\/span>, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting<\/span>.<\/em> –\u00a0Tobit 12:8-9<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.\u00a0But when you give to the needy<\/span>, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,\u00a0so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you<\/span>.<\/em> – Matthew 6:2-4<\/span><\/p>\n This is, in fact, the fifth precept of the Church<\/a>:<\/p>\n The fifth precept (“You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church”) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability<\/em> – Catechism of the Catholic Church #2043<\/span><\/p>\n For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,\u00a0that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor,\u00a0so that by his poverty you might become rich.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n To inspire the Corinthians, he gives the the example of Jesus, the model for us all to follow. Paul does something very similar when writing to the Philippians<\/a> when He exhorts them to unity and humble service<\/a>:<\/p>\n In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Who, being in very nature\u00a0God<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/em> Therefore God exalted him\u00a0to the highest place<\/span><\/em> Christ was\u00a0infinitely\u00a0rich yet “took the form of servant”<\/span><\/em>. For love of humankind, Christ “made himself nothing”<\/span><\/em> and obediently wen to His “death on a cross”<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/sup>The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,\u00a0and have it to the full<\/span>.<\/span><\/em> – John 10:10<\/span><\/p>\n In comparison to this, all our acts of sacrifice are service pale in comparison, yet we are called to imitate Christ so that we might share in His glory.<\/p>\n Not that others should have relief while you are burdened,\u00a0but that as a matter of equality\u00a0your abundance at the present time should supply their needs,\u00a0so that their abundance may also supply your needs,\u00a0that there may be equality.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Paul doesn’t want them to overextend themselves, he just wants them to use their blessing to supply what is lacking in Jerusalem. \u00a0They are to give according to their means.<\/p>\n The Church in Corinth was predominantly Gentile. They had received a share in the spiritual blessings of Israel, so it’s only right that the Gentile churches share their material blessings with Israel:<\/p>\n They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews\u2019 spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.<\/em> – Romans 15:27<\/span><\/p>\n Generous sharing of possessions was a mark of the Apostolic Church:<\/p>\n All the believers were together and had everything in common.\u00a0<\/sup>They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.\u00a0They broke bread\u00a0in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.\u00a0And the Lord added to their number\u00a0daily those who were being saved.<\/em> – Acts 2:44-47<\/span><\/p>\n We still find this radical<\/em> sharing in monastic life. However, we are all called to share what we have.<\/p>\n As it is written:\u00a0<\/em>Whoever had much did not have more,\u00a0and whoever had little did not have less.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n This quotation comes from the book of Exodus, from when God fed the Children of Israel with manna in the desert:<\/p>\n That evening quail\u00a0came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew\u00a0around the camp.\u00a0<\/sup>When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost\u00a0on the ground appeared on the desert floor.\u00a0<\/sup>When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, \u201cWhat is it?\u201d For they did not know\u00a0what it was.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Moses said to them, \u201cIt is the bread\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0has given you to eat.\u00a0<\/sup>This is what the\u00a0Lord\u00a0has commanded: \u2018Reading I: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24<\/h3>\n
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\nThis part deals with the problem of good and evil. The reader is exhorted to seek wisdom and the immorality she offers.<\/p>\n
\nThis section describes wisdom, how she is at work in the world and where it is she can be found.<\/p>\n
\nThe book concludes with a practical historical illustration of the principles described earlier in the book.<\/p>\n\n
Responsorial Psalm:\u00a0Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13<\/h3>\n
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Reading II:\u00a02 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15<\/h3>\n
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0did not consider equality with God\u00a0something to be used to his own advantage;<\/span><\/em>
\nrather, he made himself nothing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0by taking the very nature\u00a0of a servant<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0being made in human likeness.\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd being found in appearance as a man,<\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0he humbled himself<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0by becoming obedient<\/span> to death\u00a0\u2014<\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0even death on a cross<\/span>!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and gave him the name that is above every name,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
\nthat at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0in heaven and on earth and under the earth,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
\nand every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0to the glory of God the Father<\/em> –\u00a0Philippians 2:5-11<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n