III. IN VARIOUS PUBLIC CIRCUMSTANCES
21. In Time of Famine or for Those Who Suffer from Famine
922 Reading from the Old Testament
First Option
Moses Spoke to the people, and said:
"You shall not violate teh rights of the alien or of the orphan,
nor take the clothing of a widow as pledge.
For, remember, you were once slaves in Egypt,
and the LORD, your God ransomed you from there;
that is why I command you to observe this rule.
"When you reap the harvest in your filed and overlook a sheaf there,
you shall not go back to get it;
let it be for the alien, the orphan, or the widow,
that the LORD, your God may bless you in all your undertakings.
When you knock down the fruit of your olive trees,
you shall not go over the branches a second time;
let what remains be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
When you pick your grapes,
you shall not go over the vineyard a second time;
let what remains be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
For remember that you were once slaves in Egypt;
that is why I command you to observe this rule."
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Commentary on Dt 24:17-22
This part of the Deuteronimic Law provides consolation for the depressed classes (aliens, orphans, and widows). These classes would have been at a disadvantage and therefore vulnerable to hardship. Here, the law requires that "gleaning rights" be given to these people so they might find sustenance through the remainder of the harvest. The Lord commands that this benefit be offered that his mercy might be shown to all. This formulation is based upon the "Book of the Covenant" (Exodus 23:6)and is repeated in the concluding curses (Deuteronomy 27:19).[1]
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Second Option
If I have denied anything to the poor,
or allowed the eyes of the widow to languish
While I ate my portion alone,
with no share in it for the fatherless,
Though like a father God has reared me from my youth,
guiding me even from my mother's womb-
If I have seen a wanderer without clothing,
or a poor man without covering,
Whose limbs have not blessed me
when warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
Had I put my trust in gold
or called fine gold my security;
Or had I rejoiced that my wealth was great,
or that my hand had acquired abundance-
Had not the men of my tent exclaimed,
"Who has not been fed with this meat!"
Because no stranger lodged in the street,
but I opened my door to wayfarers.
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Commentary on Jb 31:16-20, 24-25, 31-32
In Job’s final soliloquy, he makes a formal statement of his innocence from sins against God’s Law. In this selection he offers himself up to God’s verdict if he has neglected his duty as a faithful follower of the Lord. He has not shirked his duty to share with the poor – charity. He has clothed the naked, he has avoided avarice and has shared with those less fortunate. All these proofs he offers up as signs of his righteousness.
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Third Option
Thus says the LORD:
This is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always
and give you plenty even on the parched land.
He will renew your strength,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
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Commentary on Is 58:6-11
This passage is from what is known as Deutero-Isaiah. It was written in the latter part of the Babylonian exile (700 BC). Isaiah laments and chastises the people for missing the point of their fasts of atonement. They perform the rituals and follow the law but then violate the spirit of God’s Law by being uncaring and cruel to each other.
The prophet explains what that spirit is and how it is to impact their actions and closes with the reward for following the spirit of God’s Law – “Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you. Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here’.”[2] He goes on to describe the salvific effect of these actions of charity and compassion as being as a light in darkness, as rain in parched land. He concludes with what can be seen as a baptismal reference (well-spring of holiness) that brings eternal life.
CCC: Is 58:6-7 2447
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923 Reading from the New Testament
First Option
Some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch,
and one of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit
that there would be a severe famine all over the world,
and it happened under Claudius.
So the disciples determined that, according to ability,
each should send relief to the brothers
who lived in Judea.
This they did, sending it to the presbyters in care of Barnabas and Saul.
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Commentary on Acts 11:27-30
We are introduced to Agabus, a Palestinian prophet who also predicted St. Paul's arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-11). The famine he predicts is documented in other non-biblical sources and likely affected the Eastern Mediterranean Region. We see by this selection that Christian communities were already forming a broader sense of unity, especially in time of distress. This passage tells us of the first of two episodes in which St. Paul sends aid to the Christian community in Jerusalem (The second was a collection taken up among Gentile Churches that he delivered to the poor of the city after his third missionary journey (Acts 24:17; Romans 15:25-28).[3]
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Second Option
We want you to know, brothers and sisters,
of the grace of God that has been given to the churches of Macedonia,
for in a severe test of affliction,
the abundance of their joy and their profound poverty
overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
For according to their means, I can testify,
and beyond their means, spontaneously, they begged us insistently
for the favor of taking part in the service to the holy ones,
and this, not as we expected,
but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us
through the will of God.
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that for your sake he became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
And I am giving counsel in this matter,
for it is appropriate for you who began not only to act
but to act willingly last year:
complete it now, so that your eager willingness may be matched
by your completion of it out of what you have.
For if the eagerness is there,
it is acceptable according to what one has,
not according to what one does not have;
not that others should have relief while you are burdened,
but that as a matter of equality your surplus at the present time
should supply their needs,
so that their surplus may also supply your needs,
that there may be equality.
As it is written:
Whoever had much did not have more,
and whoever had little did not have less.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 8:1-5, 9-15
St. Paul writes to the Corinthians about the generosity of the churches of Macedonia. He has started a collection to relieve the mother church in Jerusalem that was in the middle of a famine (Acts 11:27-30). He clearly felt this act of charity strengthened the unity of the whole Church and was encouraging the community in Corinth to follow that example. He sends Titus to them with two companions to begin the charitable act there.
In the second section of the appeal he uses the gracious act of Jesus who gave up his wealth (his pre-existence with the Heavenly Father) for poverty (his earthly life). He then proceeds to introduce the discussion of equality between the various parts of the Body of Christ (the Church). The Apostle encourages this fiscal equality to the extent possible but not to the extent were the donor becomes poorer than the recipient of the donation. He concludes with a quote from Exodus 16: 18 using the example of the rules imposed about manna gathered in the desert.
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Third Option
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:
He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
You are being enriched in every way for all generosity,
which through us produces thanksgiving to God,
for the administration of this public service
is not only supplying the needs of the holy ones
but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.
Through the evidence of this service, you are glorifying God
for your obedient confession of the Gospel of Christ
and the generosity of your contribution to them and to all others,
while in prayer on your behalf they long for you,
because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
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Commentary on 2 Cor 9:6-15
This is possibly part of a second letter, written after Titus was sent from the churches of Macedonia to initiate a collection for the Church in Jerusalem. Here St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they should be generous as the Heavenly Father is generous and have faith that he will supply their needs as a consequence of their own generosity. He paraphrases Psalm 112:9, reminding his audience that what the give to those in need will be returned to them bountifully in grace from God.
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924 Responsorial Psalm
1.
R. (27a) The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
"You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
revere him all you descendants of Israel!"
R. The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
By your gift will 1 utter praise in the vast assembly;
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts be ever merry!"
R. The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
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Commentary on Ps 22:23-24, 26-27, 28 and 31-32
Psalm 22 is an individual lament. The psalmist, in unusually passionate terms describes the devotion of the faithful and the trust that God’s rule over all will be just. The song reminds the faithful to take heart, that even in times of distress God will see to the needs of his people. The final strophe is a pledge of faithfulness for all generations to come.
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2.
R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say,
those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the foe
And gathered from the lands,
from the east and the west, from the north and the south.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They went astray in the desert wilderness;
the way to an inhabited city they did not find.
Hungry and thirsty,
their life was wasting away within them.
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.
And he led them by a direct way
to reach an inhabited city.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy
and his wondrous deeds to the children of men,
Because he satisfied the longing soul
and filled the hungry soul with good things.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 107:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 107 is song of praise, “inviting those who have been rescued by God to give praise. Four archetypal divine rescues are described, each ending in thanksgiving: from the sterile desert“.[4] Those who have found themselves in peril have been rescued by the Lord's bounty. All of their needs are provided for, both spiritual and natural.
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3.
R. (see la and 9a) Blessed the one who gives to the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the one who gives to the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
R. Blessed the one who gives to the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the one who gives to the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear
till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the one who gives to the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
His justice shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the one who gives to the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9
In this section of Psalm 112 the virtues of faithfully following God’s commandments are extolled. The one who follows the Lord will be upheld by God “in everlasting remembrance.” This hymn of praise and thanksgiving commends the people faithful to the Law of Moses. The one who is blameless in the eyes of God does not fear from his community or others since the Lord is his protector. Special emphasis is placed upon charity to the poor as a virtue, commanded by the law. Those who give "lavishly" to the poor shall be especially blessed.
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926 Gospel
First Option
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."
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Commentary on Mt 25:31-46
"This passage has a unique position within the eschatological discourse because, in addition to being a prophetic narrative like the rest of the discourse, its style suddenly becomes that of a full-fledged apocalyptic poem." [7]
In this reading, Jesus is telling his disciples and us what will be judged at the end times, the Eschaton. The Lord’s vision echo’s Daniel’s “night visions” (Daniel 7:13-14 “One like a son of man…He received dominion, splendor, and kingship.”) but the tone is more immediate. The reading gives us a vision of what will be asked and how judgment will be passed. This image is used as a teaching tool, to focus those who wish to follow Jesus on loving those who are in need of help: the hungry, the stranger, the naked, the ill, the imprisoned. Unlike Daniel’s vision, Jesus speaks with an immediacy that makes his coming kingship a historical reality, set in the future. There is no ambiguity. Not “One like a son of man,” but “When the Son of Man comes in his glory.” In this intimate setting, speaking quietly with his friends, Jesus tells them what will come, a path already set out, inevitable. [6]
This reading provides yet one more example of how Christ intends the Great Commandment to be lived. Loving God and loving neighbor would be judged by; “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” We note that while the general theme is broadly applied to all people, there is special emphasis placed upon the poor and marginalized. The concluding answer expands upon the Hebrew definition in Leviticus (Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18) as St. Matthew defines "neighbor" in a more inclusive sense.
CCC: Mt 25:31-46 544, 1033, 1373, 2447, 2831; Mt 25:31-36 2443; Mt 25:31 331, 671, 679, 1038; Mt 25:32 1038; Mt 25:36 1503; Mt 25:40 678, 1397, 1825, 1932, 2449; Mt 25:41 1034; Mt 25:45 598, 1825, 2463; Mt 25:46 1038
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Second Option
When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go
to the surrounding farms and villages
and buy themselves something to eat.”
He said to them in reply,
“Give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food
and give it to them to eat?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
And when they had found out they said,
“Five loaves and two fish.”
So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties.
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples
to set before the people;
he also divided the two fish among them all.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments
and what was left of the fish.
Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.
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Commentary on Mk 6:34-44
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle of Jesus that is presented in all four gospels. The reason for that may be that it was seen as anticipating the Eucharist and the final banquet in the kingdom (Matthew 8:11; 26:29). However, it looks not only forward but backward in history. It is also an image of the feeding of Israel with manna in the desert at the time of the Exodus (Exodus 16), a miracle that in some Jewish expectation would be repeated in the messianic age. It may also be meant to recall Elisha's feeding a hundred men with small provisions (2 Kings 4:42-44).
We note the numeric symbolism used in St. Mark’s account, the five loaves and two fish combined to give seven, the most complete number. The fragments collected at the conclusion of the meal fill twelve baskets, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Gospel author’s audience, which was predominately Jewish, would have seen the story as a fulfillment of the historical tradition from which they came.
CCC: Mk 6:38 472
Third Option
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
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Commentary on Lk 14:12-14
Following on the teaching about humility (those seeking places of honor at the banquet) Jesus now goes on to speak of service to the poor and to those who are not expected to repay. The purpose of this discourse reflects Jesus’ concern that his disciples should minister to the poor not just to those who could repay them for their efforts.
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Fourth Option
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.’
Abraham replied, ‘My child,
remember that you received what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said,
‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.’“
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Commentary on Lk 16:19-31
The story of Lazarus and the Rich Man (some ancient texts name him "Nineveh") is found only in the Gospel of Luke (The name "Dives," applied to the rich man, derives from the Latin word "rich" originating in the Vulgate from "Homo quidam erat dives, qui induebatur purpura et bysso, et epulabatur quotidie splendide," some ancient texts name him "Nineveh"[5]). Jesus addresses this story to the Pharisees who were known to be fond of money. In this context we need to understand that all Jewish landowners were considered to be tenants of Yahweh, the true landowner, and they all owed a tax to God’s representatives, the poor.
The rich man’s great sin was ignoring the suffering of Lazarus, and when they both had passed from this life to the next, the rich man, suffering torment, begged Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers. The “punchline” that follows must have been especially harsh for the Pharisaic audience. "If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead." This last statement, of course, is also alluding to his own rejection by the scribes and Pharisees even after his own resurrection.
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[1] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 6:58, pp.116
[2] Translation from the Jerusalem Bible
[3] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 226
[4] See NAB note on Psalm 107
[5] "Lazarus and the Rich Man" Notes © 1996, 1999, 2002 by T.L. Hubeart
[5] "Lazarus and the Rich Man" Notes © 1996, 1999, 2002 by T.L. Hubeart
[6] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume III, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2012 p. 826
[7] Fire of Mercy Heart of
the Word Volume III, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA,
© 2012 p. 711.
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