IV. FOR VARIOUS NEEDS
31. For the Grace of a Happy Death
963 Reading from the Old Testament
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.
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Commentary on Is 25:6-10a
Isaiah once more envisions the messianic kingdom where there is no enmity between peoples, there is not want, and the whole world rejoices in that great peace. This reading is favored at funeral liturgies because of its image of the heavenly kingdom. There is a clear sense of anticipation appropriate for the Advent season as the second coming is looked for as well as the Lord’s Nativity.
The Prophet Isaiah has, in the previous chapter, started a discourse about the apocalypse, predicting the destruction of Israel. In this hymn he now envisions the salvation God will provide for the faithful. The imagery used in this psalm, the Lord’s banquet, coupled with clear references to the messianic promises (“…he will destroy death forever.”) and the idea that God will come in the end with salvation will be remembered later at the Last Supper (see Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25, and Luke 22:18). The eternal nature of the invitation to participate in this banquet is clear as is the universal nature of the call (“…the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples.”).
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964 Reading from the New Testament
Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why then do you judge your brother?
Or you, why do you look down on your brother?
For we shall all stand before the Judgment seat of God;
for it is written:
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.
So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.
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Commentary on Rom 14:7-9, 10c-12
Two of St. Paul’s themes are tied together in this short passage from his letter to the Romans. By stating that those who profess faith in Jesus accept his adoption – life is no longer separate from God but one in the Lord through this adoption (see also Romans 6:3ff). The second theme is the salvation brought about by the resurrection. In the resurrection, Christ defeated death and all of the souls previously dead in sin because of Adam, were now freed through Jesus’ sacrifice. He became the Lord of the living and the dead.
He reminds the community, loosely quoting Isaiah 45:23 which was also foundational for the Kenotic Hymn (Philippians 2:10) and in turn shared the imagery from Psalm 95:6, that on the last day we will all stand before the same God to be judged.
CCC: Rom 12-15 1454, 1971; Rom 14 1971; Rom 14:7 953; Rom 14:9 668
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965 Responsorial Psalm
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me.
Into your hands, I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
When you have seen my affliction
and watched over me in my distress,
Not shutting me up in the grip of the enemy
but enabling me to move about at large.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
In your hands is my destiny;
rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your kindness.
Take courage and be stouthearted,
all you who hope in the LORD.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
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Commentary on Ps 31:2 and 6, 8bc-9, 15-16, 17 and 25
This is an individual lament. The section links nicely to the death of the faithful with “Into your hands I commend my spirit” and “You hide them in the shelter of your presence from the plottings of men.” The psalmist gives us a song of faith very appropriate for the one who is put to the test for their faith. It is a prayer for rescue and a submission of will to God's saving power.
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967 Gospel
First Option
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."
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Commentary on Mt 25:1-13
St. Matthew’s Gospel gives us the parable of the Ten Virgins, continuing the Gospel theme of preparedness and vigilance (although strictly speaking this parable is about foresight). In this story the idea of vigilance is expanded to include being prepared. The Jewish wedding customs of the time would have dictated a procession [at night] from the house of the bride to the house of the groom. The whole act is symbolic of the coming of the messianic era also portrayed as a wedding in Matthew 9:15, Matthew 22:1-14 and John 3:29. The wise virgins brought oil for their lamps while the foolish ones did not. The oil is interpreted by some scholars as referring to good works.
The overarching symbolism is the lamp of faith (light of the indwelling Holy Spirit) being kept burning with oil (good works). Hence, without good works (oil), the lamp will not continue to burn (James 2:17) and the virgins, so deprived of light, are excluded from the heavenly kingdom.
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Second Option
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his bouse be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”
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Commentary on Lk 12:35-40
The selection presented from St. Luke’s Gospel is one of a series that relates specifically to the Lord’s exhortation about the end times, the eschaton. Here he reminds his disciples that they must be constantly focused on God’s work (servants of the master – the one God). We see also in this brief reading an echo of the Last Supper as the master reclines at table. However, in the broader context, the lesson relates more to faithfulness.
CCC: Lk 12:35-40 2849
CCC: Lk 12:35-40 2849
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Third Option
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.”
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Commentary on Lk 21:34-36
This selection is the end of Jesus' final public exhortation before his passion and death. Some scholars have speculated that the Gospel author could be using a fragment of some forgotten scroll from St. Paul because the Hellenistic form is so similar (see 1 Thessalonians 5:4).
"It is clear from this short section that Luke (different from 1 Thessalonians) eliminated the idea of an immediate Parousia. Sudden trials will strike everyone, and so there is need of continual vigilance. Everyone, however, will eventually take part in the Parousia. How a person lives now, determines how he will 'stand before the Son of Man.'" [2] Jesus reminds his disciples not to become complacent in their practice of the faith. It is one of his sternest warnings that the end will come without notice and judgment will be immediate.
CCC: Lk 21:34-36 2612
"It is clear from this short section that Luke (different from 1 Thessalonians) eliminated the idea of an immediate Parousia. Sudden trials will strike everyone, and so there is need of continual vigilance. Everyone, however, will eventually take part in the Parousia. How a person lives now, determines how he will 'stand before the Son of Man.'" [2] Jesus reminds his disciples not to become complacent in their practice of the faith. It is one of his sternest warnings that the end will come without notice and judgment will be immediate.
CCC: Lk 21:34-36 2612
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Fourth Option
#967 Mass for Various Needs (IV. For Various Needs, 31. For the Grace of a Happy Death, Fourth Option)
One of the criminals hanging there
reviled Jesus, saying,
“Are you not the Christ?
Save yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
“Have you no fear of God,
for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly,
for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,
but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise.”
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon
because of an eclipse of the sun.
Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.
Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”;
and when he had said this he breathed his last.
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Commentary on Lk 23:39-46
In this part of the Passion we hear the jeering of those in leadership because of what they perceived to be the Christ’s ironic fate. Even one of the two criminals begins to take up the insult but is silenced by the other who seems to understand that the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world, but rather the Kingdom of God. Demonstrating the love only the Savior is capable of, the Lord forgives those who have tortured and crucified him even as his life’s blood flows down the wood of the cross. Even to the criminal who is repentant, he offers the reward of eternal life as he answers the plea "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
As the Savior cries out and breaths his last, several events occur that are significant to the life of the Church. The darkening of the sky occurs signifying that the light of Jesus which once walked the earth as a sign of God’s unimaginable love for his people has departed from this life. The curtain in the Temple be torn in the middle is significant as it depicts the destruction of the old covenant and the beginning of the New Covenant. “The curtain being referred to was the one hanging between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:31ff). In Hebrews 9:12 and 10:20 this event is interpreted as the suppression of the Mosaic cult and the admission of all me, Gentiles as well as Jews, into the heavenly sanctuary.”[1]
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* These selections are incorrect in the published index. They are attributed to Psalm 41 but the texts are as listed above.
[1] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 44:173, pp. 162
[2] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 44:149, pp. 155
[2] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 44:149, pp. 155
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