Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Masses for the Dead #1011-1016

Masses for the Dead

1011 Reading I From the Old Testament

1.

Judas, the ruler of Israel,
took up a collection among all his soldiers,
amounting to two thousand silver drachmas,
which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice.
In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way,
inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view;
for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again,
it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death.
But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward
that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness,
it was a holy and pious thought.
Thus he made atonement for the dead
that they might be freed from this sin.
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Commentary on 2 Mc 12:43-46

In this passage we hear how Judas took up a collection as a sacrifice for those who had fallen in battle with un-atoned sin. It makes clear that there was a mature belief in the resurrection of the dead at this time and that sacrifice by the living for the sins of those who had died would please God and impact their ultimate return to as state of grace.

“As the sacred writer sees it, the offering of that sacrifice and the prayer for those who died, mean not only hope in the resurrection, but a conviction that it is possible for a person to be cleansed of sin after death, and that prayers and offerings for the dead can help bring purification about. That is what the Church believes when it says that there is a Purgatory and that suffrages for the dead have an expiatory value. ‘From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in the suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that those purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1032).” [1]

CCC: 2 Mc 12:45 958; 2 Mc 12:46 1032
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2.

Job answered Bildad the Shuhite and said:
Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another's, shall behold him;
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing.
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Commentary on Jb 19:1, 23-27a

In this, Job’s fifth response, we see his hope in seeing God face to face. “At this climax, Job is utterly alone, abandoned by family, friends, men, and apparently God. Yet from this depth (as in 16:18) he achieves a ‘leap of faith.’ If God will not speak now, then he must in the future. It is to the future that Job appeals. Because he will soon die, he wants his testimony recorded, against the day when his case will come to judgment. That record must be an inscription, as permanent and indestructible as possible.” [2] “…with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever!”

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3.

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
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Commentary on Wis 3:1-9

This passage, while frequently used on the feasts of martyrs, can be understood as an early description of the process of achieving a place in the heavenly kingdom by all those who went before us in faith. The flow of this description provides a good picture of the purification of all the faithful that takes place in the transition from life, through purification in Purgatory (“…chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed”), to new life with the Father.

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OR Short Form


The souls of the just are in the hand of God
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if in the eyes of men, indeed they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them,
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
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Commentary on Wis 3:1-6, 9

In this shorter version the establishment of those whom God finds worthy as judges in his heavenly kingdom is omitted. The focus is clearly left that those who pass from this life to the next reside in God’s heavenly kingdom.

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4.

Note: The citation for this entry is incorrect in both the index and the Lectionary entry. The selection concludes at v. 14

The just man, though he die early,
shall be at rest.
For the age that is honorable comes not
with the passing of time,
nor can it be measured in terms of years.
Rather, understanding is the hoary crown for men,
and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age.
He who pleased God was loved;
he who lived among sinners was transported -
snatched away, lest wickedness pervert his mind
or deceit beguile his soul;
for the witchery of paltry things obscures what is right
and the whirl of desire transforms the innocent mind.
Having become perfect in a short while,
he reached the fullness of a long career;
for his soul was pleasing to the LORD,
therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness.
But the people saw and did not understand,
nor did they take this into account.
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Commentary on Wis 4:7-14

“The traditional view of retribution was that the wicked de young and the just are blessed with an honorable old age. The author, for the first time in the Old Testament, throws a clearer light on the problem of the early death of the just and observes that an early death is no evil for the just because the true ‘old age’ that is honorable is really virtue and as in the case of Enoch [in v. 10 there are allusions to Enoch – Genesis 5:21-24], God may snatch the just man from the world before his time to preserve him from contamination. But the old age and death of the wicked will not be honorable.” [3]

CCC: Wis 4:8 1308
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5.

On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples.
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!"
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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.

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6.

My soul is deprived of peace,
  I have forgotten what happiness is;
I tell myself my future is lost,
  all that I hoped for from the LORD.
The thought of my homeless poverty
  is wormwood and gall;
Remembering it over and over
  leaves my soul downcast within me.
But I will call this to mind,
  as my reason to have hope:

The favors of the LORD are not exhausted,
  his mercies are not spent;
They are renewed each morning,
  so great is his faithfulness.
My portion is the LORD, says my soul;
  therefore will I hope in him.

Good is the LORD to one who waits for him,
  to the soul that seeks him;
It is good to hope in silence
  for the saving help of the LORD.
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Commentary on Lam 3:17-26

In the third poem by the author of Lamentations, the author begins by expressing his bitterness at the desolation of Jerusalem and the trials of those deported and enslaved.  But this great depression and lament are overcome by hope.  The passage continues with a litany of faith in God's mercy.  In the end, God will not forsake his faithful ones; his salvation is an outstretched hand always there in time of need.

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7.

In those days, I Daniel,
heard this word of the Lord:
"At that time there shall arise
Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people;
it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
since nations began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
everyone who is found written in the book.

“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;
some shall live forever,
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.

“But the wise shall shine brightly
like the splendor of the firmament,
and those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever."
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Commentary on Dn 12:1-3

This poetry from Daniel concludes his revelation specifically regarding the devastating Hellenistic War. He begins with an apocalyptic vision of the end times. A leader named Michael will arise and great distress will come upon the earth. Daniel describes the separation of those to be saved and those who will not find eternal life. He does not give any attributes to them; he merely indicates that that those who are found “written in the book [of life]” will escape (see Exodus 32:32-33 and Psalm 69:29). This imagery was later used extensively by St. Paul and St. John (see Philippians 4:3 and Revelation 20:12).

He goes on to say that those “who sleep in the dust of the earth” will awake and live forever. This is a clear reference to the afterlife and the fact that there are those who will “be an everlasting horror and disgrace.” It provides the ancient understanding of heaven and hell. It is also the first reference in sacred scripture to the resurrection of the dead. The concluding paragraph can be seen as a reference to those who, guided by the Holy Spirit (the wise – those guided by Wisdom), bring others to faith (to justice – justification and forgiveness). They will be held in highest esteem.

CCC: Dn 12:1-13 992; Dn 12:2 998
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1012 Reading II From the New Testament 
During the Easter Season

1.

Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.”

We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”
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Commentary on Acts 10:34-43

In this selection from Acts, Peter is speaking in the house of Cornelius following the vision he was given showing him that nothing God created should be considered profane. This was pondered by Peter because it challenged the precepts of Jewish dietary laws and laws forbidding contact with Gentiles at certain times; saying that God is for every one not just the Israelites. He then launches into the Good News which he starts with a description of the Baptism of the Lord and how the Holy Spirit descended, following that with his mission to reveal God’s love in his healing ministry. Peter assumes the people know what has happened – namely that Jesus who was thought to be the Messiah, had proven that fact in the resurrection. Now he reminds them, before the creed was written, that Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead.

CCC: Acts 10:35 761; Acts 10:38 438, 453, 486, 1289; Acts 10:39 597; Acts 10:41 659, 995; Acts 10:42 679
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Or Shorter Form 

Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”
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Commentary on Acts 10:34-36, 42-43

In this shorter form from Acts, Peter is speaking in the house of Cornelius focuses on the universal nature of Christ's invitation to God's adoption. A persons actions, in keeping with Christ's command rather than Hebrew practice will identify them as belonging to the Lord.  He then launches into the Good News which he starts with a description of the Baptism of the Lord and how the Holy Spirit descended, following that with his mission to reveal God’s love in his healing ministry.Peter assumes the people know what has happened – namely that Jesus who was thought to be the Messiah, had proven that fact in the resurrection. Now he reminds them, before the creed was written, that Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead.

CCC: Acts 10:35 761; Acts 10:38 438, 453, 486, 1289; Acts 10:39 597; Acts 10:41 659, 995; Acts 10:42 679
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2.

I, John, heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this:
  Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on."
"Yes," said the Spirit,
  "let them find rest from their labors,
  for their works accompany them."
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Commentary on Rv 14:13

St. John hears the voice from heaven offering hope for those who have died.  Christ has conquered sin and death and has opened the gates of heaven once more. Those who die in Christ will find rest with them for their good works go with them (see also Romans 2:6-10)

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3.

I, John, saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it.
The earth and the sky fled from his presence
  and there was no place for them.
I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne,
  and scrolls were opened.
Then another scroll was opened, the book of life.
The dead were judged according to their deeds,
  by what was written in the scrolls.
The sea gave up its dead;
  then Death and Hades gave up their dead.
All the dead were judged according to their deeds.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire.
(This pool of fire is the second death.)
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life
  was thrown into the pool of fire.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
  and the sea was no more.
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Commentary on Rv 20:11; 21:1

Following the intermediate reign of Christ, all of the dead are brought before the "large white throne".  We note that the one who sits on the throne is not identified.  In other parts of the book it is God who sits on the throne (Revelation 4:2-9; 5:1,7,3; 6:16; 19:5; 21:5) and in other parts of the New Testament it is the judgement seat of Christ (Matthew 18:35; Romans 14:10).  In still other places it is Christ passing judgement in God's name (Matthew 16:27; John 5:22; Acts 10:42).  The imagery recalls the ivory throne of Solomon in 1 Kings 10:18.  Next the dead who did not participate in the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5) are assembled.

"The author then turns his attention to the resurrection, when all men will be judged according to heir works.  He describes this by using the metaphor of two books.  One of these records the actions of men (as in Daniel 7:10 and other passages of the Old Testament, cf., e.g., Isaiah 65:6; Jeremiah 22:30).  The second book contains the names of those predestined to eternal life (an idea inspired by Daniel 12:1; cf. also, e.g., Exodus 32:32).  This is a way of showing that man cannot attain salvation by his own efforts alone: it is God who saves him: however, he needs to act in such a way that he responds to the destiny God has marked out for him."[4]

The passage concludes offering life to those whose names are written in the book of life; those whose actions show them to follow God, and eternal death of the spirit, "the second death" from which there is no possibility for resurrection.  It is those who must abandon all hope because following this judgement all things pass away and a new era dawns where all is made anew.

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4.

I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
  and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
  coming down out of heaven from God,
  prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
  "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people
  and God himself will always be with them as their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
  and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,
  for the old order has passed away."

The One who sat on the throne said,
  "Behold, I make all things new.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
  the beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give a gift
  from the spring of life-giving water.
The victor will inherit these gifts,
  and I shall be his God,
  and he will be my son."
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Commentary on Rv 21:1-5a,6b-7

In this selection from St. John’s Revelation, John has a vision of the “New Heaven” and the New Earth”, after Christ begins his reign at God’s right hand. The New Jerusalem, the image of God’s Church viewed as the bride with Christ the bridegroom. In this New Jerusalem, the Church, God dwells and there he will show his tender mercy (“He will wipe every tear from their eyes”). The old order is washed away; “Behold, I make all things new.” (see also Isaiah 43:18ff, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and Galatians 6:15)

In v.6 we see vision of St. John of the return of Jesus as King is very straight forward. One of the more significant verses is; "I am the Alpha and the Omega, “says the Lord God, " the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty." The Alpha and Omega are first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, these words are first used used  in Revelation 1:8 and were predicted by Isaiah (Isaiah 41:4), a clear reference to Christ’s Kingship. In his divine mercy confirms his eternal adoption of those he loves, born to him in Baptism, from the "life-giving water."


CCC: Rv 21:1-22:5 117; Rv 21:1-2 756; Rv 21:1 1043; Rv 21:2-4 677; Rv 21:2 757, 1045, 2016; Rv 21:3 756, 2676; Rv 21:4 1044, 1186; Rv 21:5 1044; Rv 21:6 694, 1137; Rv 21:7 2788

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1013 Responsorial Psalm

l.

Note: The biblical citation of these verses in the lectionary varies though the text is identical.

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
  or: 
R. (4ab) Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
  or: 
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
  or: 
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
  or: 
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
  or: 
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
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Commentary on Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar songs in the entire psalter. “God's loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Psalm 23:1-4) and a host's generosity toward a guest (Psalm 23:5-6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Isaiah 40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah 31:10).” [5] While the theme of shepherd is mentioned in the first strophe, the psalm really speaks to the peace given to those who follow the Lord and place their trust in Him, even into the “dark valley.”

 

The reference in the third strophe above: “'You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes' occurs in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies watch: my enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke 7:37, 46; John 12:2).” [5]

CCC: Ps 23:5 1293
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2.

R. (1) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
or:
R. (3a) No one who waits for you, O Lord, will ever be put to shame.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In yonr kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
or:
R. No one who waits for you, O Lord, will ever be put to shame.

Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring me out of my distress.
Put an end to my affliction and my suffering;
and take away all my sins.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
or:
R. No one who waits for you, O Lord, will ever be put to shame.

Preserve my life, and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
because I wait for you, O LORD.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
or:
R. No one who waits for you, O Lord, will ever be put to shame.
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Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The singer pleads for God’s mercy, faithful that it will be granted because of the Lord’s kindness and love for his people. The plea is for God’s peace to be given in the heart. There is no justification for this request – no way to earn God’s favor. It is only through faith in God’s love the reward is received.

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3.

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
  or:
R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of
the living.

The LORD is my light and ray salvation;
  whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
   of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
   or:
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the
living.

One thing I ask of the LORD;
   this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
   all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
   and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
   or:
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the
living.

Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
   have pity on me, and answer me.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
   Hide not your face from me.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
   or:
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the
living.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
  in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
  be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
   or:
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the
living.
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Psalm 27 is an individual lament with two distinct parts. This passage focuses on the singers hope in the mercy of God and his salvation. Pleading for God’s salvation the psalmist seeks his saving hand.

“Commenting on this psalm, St. Augustine writes; ‘In the most hidden place, where only you may hear it, my heart says to you: Lord, I seek your face: and I will continue in this search, without ever taking rest, so that I may love you freely, for I will never find anything more precious than [your face]’ (Enarrationes in Psalmos, 26.8). [6]

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4.

R. (42:3) My soul is thirsting for the living God: when shall I see him face
to face?

As the hind longs for the running waters,
  so my soul longs for you, O God.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God: when shall I see him face to face?

Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
  When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God: when shall I see him face to face?

I went with the throng
  and led them in procession to the house of God,
Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,
  with the multitude keeping festival.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God: when shall I see him face to face?

Send forth your light and your fidelity;
  they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
  to your dwelling-place.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God: when shall I see him face to face?

Then will I go in to the altar of God,
   the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
   O God, my God!
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God: when shall I see him face to face?

Why are you so downcast, O my soul?
   Why do you sigh within me?
Hope on God! For I shall again be thanking him,
   in the presence of my savior and my God.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God: when shall I see him face to face?
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The water theme in this song of thanksgiving reminds us of the life-giving bath that is Baptism. Those who have received the sacrament have been moved by the obvious invitation to join with God fully in this holy place. He will be with them always; even in the day of their distress. The psalmist introspectively and rhetorically asks why he fears what is to come.  God's salvation is assured and death holds no sway.

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5.

R. (2) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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Commentary on Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Psalm 63 is an individual lament. In this selection we see the emotion of one who longs to be reunited with God, separation from whom is like being cast into a desert without water. The singer professes faith in God’s salvation, and expresses faith that the prayers offered will be answered.

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6.

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
  or:
R. (37:39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
  slow to anger, and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
  nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
  or:
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

As a father has compassion on his children,
  so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
For he knows how we are formed,
  he remembers that we are dust.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
  or:
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Man's days are like those of grass;
  like a flower of the field he blooms;
The wind sweeps over him and he is gone,
  and his place knows him no more.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
  or:
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity,
   to eternity toward those who fear him,
And his justice toward children's children
   among those who keep his covenant
   and remember to fulfill his precepts.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
  or:
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
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Psalm 103 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. Remembering God’s promise of mercy for the innocent, the psalmist praises God for his compassion and gives thanks for his salvation. It is not by human merit that God judges, but out of compassion and mercy.

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7.

R. (9) I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
  or:
R. Alleluia.

Gracious is the LORD and just;
  yes, our God is merciful.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
  or:
R. Alleluia.

The LORD keeps the little ones;
   I was brought low, and he saved me.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
  or:
R. Alleluia.

I believed, even when I said,
   "I am greatly afflicted";
I said in my alarm,
   "No man is dependable."
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
  or:
R. Alleluia.

Precious in the eyes of the LORD
   is the death of his faithful ones.
O LORD, I am your servant,
   you have loosed my bonds.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
  or:
R. Alleluia.
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Psalm 116 is a song sung as the psalmist offers a sacrifice in thanksgiving for God’s help. The singer thanks God and acknowledges that the Lord has heard the plea of his faithful. He holds up God's great mercy, confident that the Lord cares for all of those who are his adopted children.  The passage concludes with faith that Christ has destroyed the bonds of death and has opened the gates of heaven; “I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.”

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8.

R. (1) I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord.
  or:
R. (see 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
  "We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
  within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord.
  or:
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

To it the tribes go up,
  the tribes of the LORD,
According to the decree for Israel,
  to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
  seats for the house of David.
R. I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord.
  or:
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
  May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
  prosperity in your buildings."
R. I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord.
  or:
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Because of my relatives and friends
  I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
  I will pray for your good.
R. I rejoiced when I heard them say: let us go to the house of the Lord.
  or:
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 122:1-2,4-5,6-7,8-9

Psalm 122 is a song of thanksgiving centered upon returning to the Temple in Jerusalem (Mosaic Law required such a trip three times). The song rejoices in the visit to the holy place, the seat of King David. The original singers would have been rejoicing at returning to the one temple. For Christians, the new Jerusalem is the one and only house of God in his heavenly kingdom, there the Lord sits in judgment.

The final wishes (v. 5-9) are actually a play on words. The peace being wished is peace to the holy city and because the temple is located within her walls the singer will pray for good things to happen for the city.

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9.

R. (1) Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord.
 or:
R. (see 50) I hope in the Lord, I trust in his word.

Out of the depths 1 cry to you, O LORD;
  LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
  to my voice in supplication.
R. Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord.
 or:
R. I hope in the Lord, I trust in his word.

If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
  LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
  that you may be revered.
R. Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord.
 or:
R. I hope in the Lord, I trust in his word.

I trust in the LORD;
  my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
  more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
R. Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord.
 or:
R. I hope in the Lord, I trust in his word.

More than sentinels for the dawn,
  let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness,
  and with him is plenteous redemption.
R. Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord.
 or:
R. I hope in the Lord, I trust in his word.

And he will redeem Israel
  from all their iniquities.
R. Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord.
 or:
R. I hope in the Lord, I trust in his word.
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Psalm 130 is a song of lament. The psalmist cries out to God to hear the voice of the one who calls and to forgive the sins they have committed. The singer recognizes that grace from God comes without merit because of the sins committed.  It is only through God's mercy that sins are forgiven and grace is restored.  The author continues to express his great desire that the Word of God might come, look at this passage from the perspective of those redeemed in Christ, it is clear the victory over sin and death has been one by our risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

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10.

R. (1a) O Lord, hear my prayer.

O LORD, hear my prayer;
  hearken to my pleading in your faithfulness;
  in your justice answer me.
And enter not into judgment with your servant,
  for before you no living man is just.
R. O Lord, hear my prayer.

I remember the days of old;
  I meditate on all your doings;
  the works of your hands I ponder.
I stretch out my hands to you;
  my soul thirsts for you like parched land.
R. O Lord, hear my prayer.

Hasten to answer me, O LORD;
  for my spirit fails me.
At dawn let me hear of your mercy,
  for in you I trust.
R. O Lord, hear my prayer.

Teach me to do your will,
  for you are my God.
May your good spirit guide me
  on level ground.
R. O Lord, hear my prayer.
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Commentary on Ps 143:1bcd-2, 5-6, 10

Psalm 143 is an individual lament attributed to King David. It is a plea for mercy to God at the end of the psalmist's strength.  He makes this plea because he is being hounded by his enemies and calls upon the Lord for salvation.  Seeing the end of his struggle before him, David once more expresses his trust in God who has always before come to him in his time of need. After the initial plea, the faith of the singer is is recalled as he reaches out to the Lord; remembering once more that the spirit of holiness guides him.

CCC: Ps 143:10 1831
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1014 Reading II from the New Testament

1.

Brothers and sisters:
Hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his Blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.
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Commentary on Rom 5:5-11

St. Paul speaks of the hope of Christians who have been made holy, sanctified, “justified” by their faith in Christ Jesus. This faith was “poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” [in Baptism]. (This linkage between Christ and the Holy Spirit begins the apostle’s Trinitarian theology)

Justification was not through some merit of theirs (ours) but through God’s infinite mercy. The demonstration of this mercy was Christ’s sacrifice for those who called him “enemy”. While still burdened by sin (the Law of Moses defined sin and all were sinners because of this), Jesus became the sacrifice of atonement. His blood reconciled us to the Father by removing the sin that kept us apart.

CCC: Rom 5:3-5 2734, 2847; Rom 5:5 368, 733, 1820, 1964, 2658; Rom 5:8 604; Rom 5:10 603, 1825
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2.

Brothers and sisters:
If, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and of the gift of Justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act,
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man
the many were made sinners,
so through the obedience of one
the many will be made righteous.
The law entered in so that transgression might increase
but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that,
as sin reigned in death,
grace also might reign through justification for eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Commentary on Rom 5:17-21

St. Paul, in speaking of the “…transgression of the one” is speaking of original sin – the “one” who opened the gates of sin and death being Adam. Those gates were closed and life was restored in Christ Jesus, “the one”, who through his death and resurrection removed the stain of sin from all mankind. The gift of Justification, as the author calls it, recreates God’s favorite creation, making all as if they had never sinned. The Apostle reiterates this logic saying that just as through one sin all were made sinners; through Christ’s act of atonement, all were recreated, washed clean from sin in his baptism.

In v.20, St. Paul once more uses existential logic, saying that “The law entered in so that transgression might increase”; essentially saying that by defining sins (transgressions) the actions so defined in the law brought to light the transgressions committed. Through the grace of Christ and through the mercy of God these transgressions were forgiven.

CCC: Rom 5:18-19 605; Rom 5:18 402; Rom 5:19-21 1009; Rom 5:19-20 411; Rom 5:19 397, 402, 532, 615, 623; Rom 5:20-21 1848; Rom 5:20 312, 385, 412, 420
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3.

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him,
so that our sinful body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
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Commentary on Rom 6:3-9

St. Paul expresses both the hope and the theology behind our belief in the resurrection of the faithful with Christ. In Baptism we are receive the adoption of God. As His children we join His Only Son and pass, as he did through death to new life.

“This passage of the epistle, which reveals the key truths concerning Baptism, also reminds us of the profound meaning of this rite which Christ established, its spiritual effects in Christians and its far-reaching effects with respect to the Christian life. Thus, we can apply to Baptism what St. Thomas Aquinas says about all the sacraments: "Three aspects of sanctification may be considered -- its very cause, which is Christ's Passion; its form, which is grace and the virtues; and its ultimate end, which is eternal life. And all these are signified by the sacraments. Consequently, a sacrament is a sign which is both a reminder of the past, that is, of the Passion of Christ, and an indication of what is effected in us by Christ's Passion, and a foretelling and pledge of future glory" ("Summa Theologiae", III, q. 60, a. 3).” [10]

CCC: Rom 6:3-9 1006; Rom 6:3-4 1214, 1227, 1987; Rom 6:4-5 790; Rom 6:4 537, 628, 648, 654, 658, 730, 977, 1697; Rom 6:8-11 1987
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Or
Shorter Form  

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.

If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
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Commentary on Rom 6:3-4, 8-9

St. Paul expresses both the hope and the theology behind our belief in the resurrection of the faithful with Christ. In Baptism we are receive the adoption of God. As His children we join His Only Son and pass, as he did through death to new life.

CCC: Rom 6:3-9 1006; Rom 6:3-4 1214, 1227, 1987; Rom 6:4-5 790; Rom 6:4 537, 628, 648, 654, 658, 730, 977, 1697
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4.

Brothers and sisters:
Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"
The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
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Commentary on Rom 8:14-23

St. Paul continues his discourse about the importance of making life in the spirit a priority as opposed to the life of the “unspiritual”. He reminds his Christian audience that when they became Christians they were not made slaves but adopted as children of God. Able, he tells them, to call God the Heavenly Father “Abba” the familial term used by Jesus, emphasizing that they are co-heirs with Christ whose sufferings and glory they share.

“Paul contends, on the basis of cost-benefit analysis, that even our heaviest burdens of suffering are fare outweighed by the glory that awaits us (2 Corinthians 4:17). Though the afflictions of our time on earth are inescapable, the Spirit helps to make them bearable (Romans 8:26). Suffering is all part of God’s plan to mold us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).” [7]

“The glory that believers are destined to share with Christ far exceeds the sufferings of the present life. Paul considers the destiny of the created world to be linked with the future that belongs to the believers. As it shares in the penalty of corruption brought about by sin, so also will it share in the benefits of redemption and future glory that comprise the ultimate liberation of God's people.” [8]

CCC: Rom 8:14-17 1996; Rom 8:14 259, 693, 1831, 2543; Rom 8:15 257, 693, 1303, 1972, 2777; Rom 8:16 2639; Rom 8:17 1265, 1460, 1831; Rom 8:18-23 280; Rom 8:18 1721; Rom 8:19-23 1046; Rom 8:20 400; Rom 8:21 1741; Rom 8:22 2630; Rom 8:23-24 2630; Rom 8:23 735
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5.

Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us.
Who will condemn?

It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?

No, in all these things, we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Commentary on Rom 8:31 b-35, 37-39

St. Paul bursts into a hymn proclaiming the victory over death and suffering experienced by the faithful, lifted up by God in Christ. The premise that the love of God assures salvation to the faithful is strengthened as the evangelist asks the rhetorical question “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” All obstacles will be overcome were the love of God, expressed in Christ, is the unshakable foundation Christian life and hope. No earthly or spiritual force can stand against such love as that shown in Christ Jesus.

CCC: Rom 8:31 2852; Rom 8:32 603, 706, 2572; Rom 8:34 1373, 2634
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6.

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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7.

Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
  the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through a man,
  the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
  so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
  but each one in proper order:
  Christ the firstfruits;
  then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
  then comes the end,
  wlien he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father.
For he must reign until lie has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
  for "he subjected everything under his feet."
But when it says that everything has been subjected,
  it is clear that it excludes the one who subjected everything to him.
When everything is subjected to him,
  then the Son himself will also be subjected
  to the one who subjected everything to him,
  so that God may be all in all.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 15:20-28

St. Paul continues his apologetic discourse indicating that Christ has been raised from the dead, it is imperative that this truth be at the heart of all Christian belief, for if he did not – the Christian faith is fruitless. Death through sin came to human kind through the sin of Adam; life comes through the defeat of death in Christ’s resurrection – he must first rise, defeating death, so that all who sleep in death may come to the Heavenly Father who first sent him.

“In the liturgy of ancient Israel the first portion of a crop was offered to God in the Temple as a means of consecrating the whole of the expected harvest (Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:10-14). So too, Christ is not only the first to be raised in glory, but his resurrected humanity is an offering that insures the entire harvest of believers will be raised as he was (Acts 26:23; Romans 11:15-16).”[13]

The evangelist says “’ he subjected everything under his feet’" quoting Psalm 8:7. It is placed in parenthesis because St. Paul notes God is excluded from the Son’s subjugation. The Son once victorious returns all things to the Father. Just as Christ dies and rises, completing the circle of re-creation; so in returning the fruits of his victory to the Father, he completes the creative will of the Father who made man in his own image free from sin.

St. Paul also reminds us that Christ is the King, in heaven and on earth, and that all things are subject to him. An important theological element contained in v. 28 is the unity between God and Christ implicit in St. Paul’s argument about Christ as King of Heaven (“…so that God may be all in all.”).

CCC: 1 Cor 15:20-22 655; 1 Cor 15:20 632, 991; 1 Cor 15:21-22 411; 1 Cor 15:24-28 2855; 1 Cor 15:24 668; 1 Cor 15:26 1008; 1 Cor 15:27-28 668; 1 Cor 15:28 130, 294, 671, 674, 1050, 343, 1130, 1326, 2550, 2804
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  OR Short Form

Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
  the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through a man,
  the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
  so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
  but each one in proper order:
  Christ the firstfruits;
  then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 15:20-23

In this shorter form, St. Paul focuses completely on the consecration of all those who follow him in death through Jesus' own death.  The Lord is the sacrifice that consecrates the whole harvest that follows.  He, himself, is the first fruits of God's faithful on earth.

CCC: 1 Cor 15:20-22 655; 1 Cor 15:20 632, 991; 1 Cor 15:21-22 411
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8.

Brothers and sisters:
Behold, I tell you a mystery.
We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed,
  in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound,
  the dead will be raised incorruptible,
  and we shall be changed.
For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility,
  and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality.
And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility
  and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality,
  then the word that is written shall come about:

    Death is swallowed up in victory.
    Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?

The sting of death is sin,
  and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory
  through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 15:51-57

This passage is St. Paul’s hymn of victory over death. It concludes his discourse on the resurrection. It is a great mystery; the mercy of God which gives so great a gift to his faithful ones.  When the bodies of the elect, by resurrection or change become incorrupt, death is defeated, prophecy is fulfilled (Isaiah 25:8), and the final victory is won. He loosely quotes Hosea 13:14 in which the “sting” of death is vanquished; a reference to the venomous sting of a serpent’s bit, the allegory to sin. The serpent without its sting can no longer harm those clothed in Christ.

CCC: 1 Cor 15:56 602
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9.

Brothers and sisters:
Knowing that the One who raised the Lord Jesus
  will raise us also with Jesus
  and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
  so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
  may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

Therefore, we are not discouraged;
  rather, although our outer self is wasting away,
  our inner self is being renewed day by day.
For this momentary light affliction
  is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
  as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen;
  for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent,
  should be destroyed,
  we have a building from God,
  a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.
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Commentary on 2 Corinthians 4:14-5:1

Paul and the other disciples share the faith that God will deliver them from mortal dangers-even death itself-and expect to thank him in return. In either Greek or Hebrew, faith is the cause of belief. “…knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence.” The Apostle encourages the faith community to disregard the trials to which the body is subjected, keeping always before them the certain knowledge of the resurrection. Taking this understanding to its logical next level, in 5:1, the Apostle reflects upon the body, the human form we wear on earth. He differentiates it from the glorified body to be received in the resurrection “…a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.”

CCC: 2 Cor 4:14 989; 2 Cor 5:1 1420
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10.

Brothers and Sisters;
We know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent,
should be destroyed,
we have a building from God,
a dwelling not made with hands,
eternal in heaven.

We are always courageous,
although we know that while we are at home in the body
we are away from the Lord,
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Yet we are courageous,
and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.
Therefore, we aspire to please him,
whether we are at home or away.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each may receive recompense,
according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 5:1, 6-10

In the first verse of this selection the Apostle reflects upon the body, the human form we wear on earth. He differentiates it from the glorified body to be received in the resurrection “…a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.”

He next reflects upon the courage needed to live the Christian faith in the face of persecution and secular resistance. With the certain knowledge of the resurrection with Christ, the Apostle wistfully reflects on the bliss awaiting the faithful with the resurrected Lord. In doing so he also refutes prominent Greek Philosophers of the day who proposed the body was a prison for the soul; a premises that could lead to unhealthy attitudes about life in general. He sees the temptation of desiring heavenly bliss while suffering the ills imposed upon the temporal body, the flesh worn in our life on earth, enjoining the faithful to be courageous in the face of such suffering.

With these verses Paul provides an recapitulation of Romans 6:8: “If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” He concludes with the reminder that there will be a final judgment at which time Christ will assign a place for all depending upon their earthly conduct.

CCC: 2 Cor 5:1 1420; 2 Cor 5:6 769; 2 Cor 5:7 164; 2 Cor 5:8 1005, 1021, 1681
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11.

#1014 Mass for the Dead (11.)

Brothers and sisters:
Our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
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Commentary on Phil 3:20-21

As part of his assurance of salvation, St. Paul makes this promise to the faithful members of the community. The promise is that, in the end, they will be conformed to Christ in spirit and body. He professes the resurrection of the body which will be transformed into a body like his; glorified, freed from the ravages of pain and disease.

CCC: Phil 3:18-21 2204; Phil 3:20 2217; Phil 3:21 2286
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12.

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command,
with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God,
will come down from heaven,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one another with these words.
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Commentary on 1 Thes 4:13-18

This passage from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians reassures the church at Thessalonica that those who have already passed from this life to the next will not be forgotten in the resurrection that will take place at the second coming of Christ. Rather they will be raised with him – first. Then those faithful followers still alive will be taken up to heaven. (see also Wisdom 3:1-9)

It is important to understand when reading this passage, that St. Paul clearly expected the Parousia – the second coming, to occur during his own lifetime. This passage would emphasize the need for preparedness and vigilance, a common theme in the gospels published later.

CCC: 1 Thes 4:13-14 1012; 1 Thes 4:14 649, 989; 1 Thes 4:16 1001; 1 Thes 4:17 1025; 1 Thes 4:18 1687
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13.

Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
  such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering,
  even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
  so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
  together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
  If we have died with him
    we shall also live with him;
  if we persevere
     we shall also reign with him.
  But if we deny him
     he will deny us.
  If we are unfaithful
     he remains faithful,
     for he cannot deny himself.
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Commentary on 2 Tm 2:8-13

In the first line of this passage, St. Paul reminds St. Timothy that Christ came fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would come from the line of King David.  The rhythmic language used would seem to indicate this section is part of an early Christian hymn.   As Paul states, this is not an easy path, and Christians must endure trials. “'If we have died with him we shall also live with him;' is not only mystical death in baptism (see Romans 6:3-11) but also refers to physical persecution (see 1 Corinthians 15:31; 2 Corinthians 4:8-11) also  '…martyrdom makes the disciple like his master, who willingly accepted death for the salvation of the world, and through it he is conformed to him by the shedding of blood' ('Lumen Gentium', 42)."[9]  He concludes with the promise that those who remain faithful will receive the reward, but those who fall away will not be recognized by the Lord on the last day.

CCC: 2 Tm 2:8 437; 2 Tm 2:11-13 2641
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14.

Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
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Commentary on 1 Jn 3:1-2

In this selection from St. John’s first epistle, we are reminded that we are all adopted children of God through our Baptism. Because of this, we are part of his family, the family of the faithful. St. John goes on to remind us of the obligations of Jesus' adoption. First, we must believe in him, the Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God. Second, following the formula of the Great Commandment, we must love one another as we are loved by the Father, through the Son.
 
CCC: 1 Jn 3 2822; 1 Jn 3:1 1692; 1 Jn 3:2 163, 1023, 1161, 1720, 2519, 2772
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 15.

Beloved:
We know that we have passed from death to life
because we love our brothers.
Whoever does not love remains in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that anyone who is a murderer
does not have eternal life remaining in him.
The way we came to know love
was that he laid down his life for us;
so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

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Commentary on 1 Jn 3:14-16

St. John continues his narrative on righteousness and love in this passage. Note he has not really focused on what he considers to be the central teaching of Christ – love one another. In this particular section he begins with the comparison from scripture of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-16). The author concludes with the profound statement that, because Christ laid down his life for us, we are obligated to do the same for those we love.

CCC: 1 Jn 3:15 1033
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1016 Gospel

1.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”
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Commentary on Mt 5:1-12a

This section of the Sermon on the Mount begins the first of five great discourses in St. Matthew’s Gospel. He begins using a formula common in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”(Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:13; Sirach 25:8-9) This designation identifies those without material resources, completely dependent upon God. (This distinction is for the devout poor.) The discourse continues blessing those who mourn, who are meek, who “hunger” for righteousness (to adopt the Lord’s law of love in their hearts), the merciful, the clean of heart (those who are reconciled to God), the peacemakers, the persecuted, and finally those who will be reviled because they profess faith in Christ.

The litany of praises for those to be blessed by the Lord has an overarching theme. It holds up the spiritual strength of complete dependence on God for life, health, and prosperity. St. Matthew captures the strength in that dependence and God’s promise of salvation through the words of the Savior.

It is noteworthy that the word “Blessed” [μακάριοι (makάrios) in Greek and Beati in Latin] is translated “Happy” in many Old Testament texts.  The idea of happiness or peace as a blessing from God is an important understanding about the intent of this discourse.
 
CCC: Mt 5:1 581; Mt 5:3-12 1716; Mt 5:3 544, 2546; Mt 5-7 2763; Mt 5-6 764; Mt 5:8 1720, 2518; Mt 5:9 2305, 2330; Mt 5:11-12 520
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2.

At that time Jesus responded:
"I give praise to you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
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Commentary on Mt 11:25-30

Jesus has just completed a fairly scathing criticism of the people in the places he has been and performed miracles, yet many have not accepted him as the Messiah. He now concludes this section on a more joyous note as he reflects that, while the scribes and Pharisees (“the wise and learned”) have not understood who he is, those with simple faith have accepted him freely. He then issues an invitation to all who “labor and are burdened” quoting an invitation similar to one in Ben Sirach to learn wisdom and submit to her yoke (Sirach 51:23, 26).

“This Q saying, identical with Luke 10:21-22 except for minor variations, introduces a joyous note into this section, so dominated by the theme of unbelief. While the wise and the learned, the scribes and Pharisees, have rejected Jesus' preaching and the significance of his mighty deeds, the childlike have accepted them. Acceptance depends upon the Father's revelation, but this is granted to those who are open to receive it and refused to the arrogant. Jesus can speak of all mysteries because he is the Son and there is perfect reciprocity of knowledge between him and the Father; what has been handed over to him is revealed only to those whom he wishes.” [10]

The final verses of this section are found only in St. Matthew’s Gospel and promise salvation to those who are downtrodden or in pain. “In extending his extraordinary invitation Jesus is speaking as one possessing the full authority and compassion of God. ‘Come to me, you all you grown weary with labor and heavily burdened!’ The proclamation has all the universality and power that only a divine call to mankind can have, the sort of blessed clamor of God’s compassion within human history that we hear in the prophets.” [20]

CCC: Mt 11:25-27 2603, 2779; Mt 11:25-26 2701; Mt 11:25 153, 544, 2785; Mt 11:27 151, 240, 443, 473; Mt 11:28 1658; Mt 11:29-30 1615; Mt 11:29 459
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3.

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 to refer 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.

Mt 25:1-13 672, 796,; Mt 25:1 672; Mt 25:6 1618; Mt 25:13 672
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4.

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." [22]

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. [21]

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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5.

At noon darkness came over the whole land
  until three in the afternoon.
And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
   "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"
  which is translated,
  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
   "Look, he is calling Elijah."
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed,
  and gave it to him to drink, saying,
   "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
   saw how he breathed his last he said,
   "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

When the sabbath was over,
   Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome
   bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
Very early when the sun had risen,
   on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
 They were saying to one another,
   "Who will roll back the stone for us
   from the entrance to the tomb?"
 When they looked up,
   they saw that the stone had been rolled back;
   it was very large.
 On entering the tomb they saw a young man
   sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,
   and they were utterly amazed.
 He said to them, "Do not be amazed!
 You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.
Behold the place where they laid him."
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Commentary on Mk 15:33-39; 16:1-6

In this passage we are given St. Mark's narrative about the final moments of Jesus' earthly life as he hung upon the cross and the interment of Lord in the tomb.  St. Mark's narrative begins with darkness blanketing the whole land, probably a reference specifically to Judea as the Messiah is sacrificed.  This could also be a veiled recollection of the darkness called down by Moses (see Exodus 10:22).

Jesus cries out  "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated by Mark immediately.  It is also found in Psalm 22:2.  There the phrase is spoken as the suffering of the upright individual who turns to God at a time of extreme need.  Here, in the voice of Christ, we hear the despair not of failing in his mission but rather more a plea for God not to abandon those he loves.  The fact that a bystander misunderstands the cry as one invoking Elijah is likely representative of a confusion of language between the Greek and Hebrew.  Elijah was of course expected by the Hebrews to return at the time the Messiah was to appear (see Malachi 3:1ff). Hearing him cry out one of the bystanders wet a sponge with wine to see if the mistaken request would be answered.  Christians see this as a fulfillment of Psalm 69:22b "... and for my thirst they gave me vinegar."

The Lord gives a loud cry in St. Mark's Gospel differs from the later accounts of Luke 23:46 ("Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit'”) and the more theological account from John 19:30 (“It is finished.").  "Patristic writers often regard the cry as a manifestation of the freedom with which Jesus handed over his life to the Father."[11]

With the death of the Lord, the symbol is provided for the reality of his triumph.  "The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom." The curtain being referenced stood between the faithful and the Holy of Holies.  It is torn essentially in half, opening the passage between the two spaces.  It can also be interpreted as the very temple of God in Jerusalem mourning the passing of the Savior (as one rending their garments in grief). The conclusion of this event provides the long awaited climax of St. Mark's Gospel as a Centurion, a gentile identifies Jesus as the Son of God.

In Mark 16:1-6 the author speaks of the empty tomb.  It is noteworthy to point out that none of the Gospel authors describe the resurrection event itself, that would be impossible, but rather the mystery of the empty tomb and the apparitions therein (see also Matthew 28:1-6; Luke 24:1-8; and John 20:1-8).  The revelation by the angel that Jesus was no longer in the tomb but had been raised is the final proof that God's promise to all the faithful is a reality.  The Lord has defeated death.  He was the holocaust, the sin offering from God himself; offered so that the whole human race might have their sins forgiven.

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OR Short Form

At noon darkness came over the whole land
  until three in the afternoon.
And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
   "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"
  which is translated,
  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
  "Look, he is calling Elijah."
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed,
  and gave it to him to drink, saying,
  "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
  saw how he breathed his last he said,
  "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
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Commentary on Mk 15:33-39

This shorter from of St. Mark's narrative about the final moments of Jesus' earthly life focus on the Lord's final moments on the cross.  St. Mark's narrative begins with darkness blanketing the whole land, probably a reference specifically to Judea as the Messiah is sacrificed.  The passion displays clearly Christ's absolute humanity as he suffers. In this passage too, he quotes Psalm 22:2 lamenting not his own situation which he has totally accepted but the fact that a light has been taken from the world by those he came to save.

It is the great irony of St. Mark's account that a gentile is the one who utters the words that finally declare that the promise of God, to send his people salvation in the form of the Messiah, has been kept.  He speaks the climactic truth "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

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6.

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
"Do not weep."
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!"
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
"A great prophet has arisen in our midst,"
and "God has visited his people."
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region.
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Commentary on Lk 7:11-17

St. Luke’s Gospel continues the description of Jesus' ministry. Just prior to this event, Jesus healed the centurion’s servant. He now demonstrates his power over sin and death as he raises the widow’s son from the dead. “Jesus' power over death prepares for his reply to John's disciples in Luke 7:22: "the dead are raised." This resuscitation, in alluding to the Prophet Elijah's resurrection of the only son of a widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-24), leads to the reaction of the crowd: 'A great prophet has arisen in our midst' (Luke 7:16).”[12]

CCC: Lk 7:11-17 994; Lk 7:16 1503
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7.

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.

The idea of placing constant faithfulness first (most importantly present) is given as the moral of the Lord’s parable.  Peter questions whether the parable is meant for everyone or just for the disciples he is addressing.  The Lord then clarifies that any who would inherit the Kingdom of God must be constantly faithful to the Lord’s precepts.  He goes on to conclude that no one may know the day or the hour that they will be called to account.  Finally he tells the disciples, who have been given much in their association with the Christ, that to those which much is given, even more is expected, essentially telling them that they must be examples to everyone, even each other.

CCC: Lk 12:35-40 2849
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8.

When they came to the place called the Skull,
  they crucified him and the criminals there,
  one on his right, the other on his left.

Now one of the criminals hanging there
  reviled Jesus, saying,
  "Are you not the Christ?
  Save yourself and us."
The other man, 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."
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Commentary on Lk 23:33-34, 39-46

At Golgotha (The Place of the Skull) (Note: Luke does not use this name. The later term Calvary comes from the Latin word for skull – calvaria.) Jesus is crucified with two criminals to further fulfill the prophecy from Isaiah 53:8ff wherein the Messiah is assigned a place among evildoers thought he has done no wrong. 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."

CCC: Lk 23:46 730, 1011, 2045; Lk 23:47 441; Lk 24:1 641, 2174; Lk 24:3 640; Lk 24:5-6 626, 640; Lk 24:6-7 652
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9.

It was 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.
Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who,
  though he was a member of the council,
  went to Pilate and asked for the Body of Jesus.
After he had taken the Body down,
  he wrapped it in a linen cloth
  and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb
  in which no one had yet been buried.

At daybreak on the first day of the week
  the women took the spices they had prepared
  and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
  but when they entered,
  they did not find the Body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were puzzling over this, behold,
  two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to them,
  "Why do you seek the living one among the dead?
He is not here, but he has been raised."
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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.”[13]

Luke next relates how Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin petitions Pilate for the body of Jesus and is granted permission to remove it. This would have been important as it was Friday, the day before the Sabbath and preparations needed to be made quickly. The burial must have taken place immediately as no work could be done on the Sabbath and touching a corpse would have made them ritually unclean. This is why later “on the first day of the week, the Mary’s would have been going to complete the entombment preparations.

Next comes the first of five parts of the resurrection story taking place nearly simultaneously in St. Luke’s Gospel.  Joanna, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James arrive at the tomb to find it empty and encounter two angels. The announcement of the resurrection comes in the form of a question; “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised.” The great promise has been fulfilled.  Luke relates that, when these holy women relate the events, there was disbelief.  Only Peter believed them and ran to the tomb.  We are not told that he understood (as John's Gospel relates about the Evangelist, himself cf John 20:1-8); rather that Peter was amazed at what had happened.

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OR Short Form

It was 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 1 commend my spirit";
  and when he had said this he breathed his last.

Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who,
  though he was a member of the council,
  went to Pilate and asked for the Body of Jesus.
After he had taken the Body down,
  he wrapped it in a linen cloth
  and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb
  in which no one had yet been buried.

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Commentary on Lk 23:44-46, 50, 52-53

This shorter form focuses on the death of Jesus on the cross and his removal from the cross and burial.  There is not reference to the resurrection narrative so the focus moves from an explicit statement of Christ's resurrection to the implicit aftermath.  Jesus very human death is followed by a very human act of burial.

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10.

#42A Solemnities A Context (The Mass of Easter Day at an afternoon or evening Mass A)

#46A Solemnities A Context (3rd Sunday E A)

#42B Solemnities B Context (The Mass of Easter Day at an afternoon or evening Mass B)

#42C Solemnities C Context (The Mass of Easter Day at an afternoon or evening Mass C)

#263 Weekday Years I & II Context (Wednesday in the Octave of Easter)

#789 Ritual Mass (IV. For the Conferral of Ministries, 2.Institution of Acolytes, 3.)

#981 Votive Mass (Most Holy Eucharist, 5. [shorter form offered])

#1016 Mass for the Dead (10. [shorter form offered])

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
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Commentary on Lk 24:13-35

This story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus is found only in Luke’s Gospel. It is the first appearance of the Lord following his resurrection in Luke.  There is a mention in Mark (Mark 16;12) that is vague but probably refers to this event. The actual location of Emmaus is not known, but it is estimated that it was between seven and eighteen miles from Jerusalem. The focus of the story is the unrecognized Jesus (similar: in John 20:11-18, Mary Magdalene thought he was a gardener).
It appears these disciples thought the unknown stranger joining them was "ignorant of events." They begin to explain their understanding of events.  Here one of the travelers is named "Clopas." This is likely to be Luke's source for the event and it was probably his wife who stood by the cross in St. John's Gospel. (John 19:25) [19] It is clear from the disciples' dialogue that they do not understand the true mission of the Lord, nor that he was the long-awaited Messiah whose mission is the redemption of mankind.

"In the course of their conversation with Jesus, the disciples' mood changes from sadness to joy; they begin to hope again, and feel the need to share their joy with others, thus becoming heralds and witnesses of the risen Christ."[18]
Jesus interprets scripture and then he is recognized in the breaking of the bread (the Eucharistic reference). Luke uses the exact phrase used at the feeding of the five thousand (Luke 9:12): "he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them." Their reaction in recognizing him mirrors St. Peter's reaction immediately following as he confesses the Lord to be "The Messiah of God." (Luke 9:20)

CCC: Lk 24:13-49 1094; Lk 24:13-35 1329, 1347; Lk 24:15 645, 659; Lk 24:17 643; Lk 24:21 439; Lk 24:22-23 640; Lk 24:25-27 112, 601; Lk 24:26-27 572, 652; Lk 24:26 555, 710; Lk 24:27 555, 2625; Lk 24:30 645, 1166; Lk 24:31 659; Lk 24:34 552, 641
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OR Short Form

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
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Commentary on Lk 24:13-16, 28-35

This story of the disciples of the road to Emmaus is only found in Luke’s Gospel. This shorter for omits the exchange between Jesus and the disciples on the road. This omission focuses the passage more keenly on the recognition of the Lord in the breaking of the bread (Eucharist).

CCC: Lk 24:13-49 1094; Lk 24:13-35 1329, 1347; Lk 24:15 645, 659; Lk 24:30 645, 1166; Lk 24:31 659; Lk 24:34 552, 641
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11.

Jesus answered the Jews and said to them:
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.
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Commentary on Jn 5:24-29

Jesus is refuting the Jews who are challenging his interpretation of the Law.  In this passage he first establishes his authority regarding God's Judgement, establishing that he and the Father are one and belief in the Father requires belief in Jesus, the Son. The future event of his defeat of sin and death has in effect already occurred and those who believe in Jesus, have already received God's salvation - eternal life (see also 1 Corinthians 15:24ff). Failure to hear and believe will likewise result in resurrection, but to condemnation.

CCC: Jn 5:24-25 994; Jn 5:24 1470; Jn 5:25 635; Jn 5:26 612, 679; Jn 5:27 679; Jn 5:28-29 1038; Jn 5:29 998
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12.

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”
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Commentary on Jn 6:37-40

This Gospel passage is part of the “Bread of Life” section from St. John’s Gospel. Jesus first clearly identifies himself as having come from God, his Father and heir to the kingdom of Heaven with “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,” The Lord tells those gathered that no one will be rejected who asks to follow the Son of God. He goes further telling the crowds, that anyone who believes in him “may have eternal life.” For the faithful, this is an invitation to participate in eternal life.

We note the humility with which the Lord makes this offer (I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me) “St. Augustine, commenting on vv. 37 and 38, praises the humility of Jesus, the perfect model for the humility of the Christian: Jesus chose not to do His own will but that of the Father who sent Him: "Humbly am I come, to teach humility am I come, as the master of humility am I come; he who comes to Me is incorporated in Me; he who comes to Me,becomes humble; he who cleaves to Me will be humble, for he does not his will but God's" ("In Ioann. Evang.", 25, 15 and 16)”. [14]

CCC: Jn 6:38 606, 2824; Jn 6:39-40 989, 1001; Jn 6:40 161, 994
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13.

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
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Commentary on Jn 6:51-58

The “Bread of Life” discourse continues and the Lord escalates his language. The people who had come to him because they had been fed with the five barley loaves just cannot make the leap from bread made from wheat or barley to the Bread of Life offered as true food and drink for the spirit. Even when he uses manna as an example of real food they still do not see that the Son of God offers them his resurrected body as their meal and they are repulsed – especially because of the language he uses (Jesus uses the word gnaw, not just eat, in the original texts.).

CCC: Jn 6 1338; Jn 6:51 728, 1355, 1406, 2837; Jn 6:53-56 2837; Jn 6:53 1384; Jn 6:54 994, 1001, 1406, 1509, 1524; Jn 6:56 787, 1391, 1406; Jn 6:57 1391; Jn 6:58 1509
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14.

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
"Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you."
Jesus said to her,
"Your brother will rise."
Martha said to him,
"I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day."
Jesus told her,
"I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?"
She said to him, "Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world."
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Commentary on Jn 11:17-27

Within the story or the death and resurrection of Lazarus we see the very human emotions of Jesus they range from confidence in his relationship with the Father at the end of the story to the all too human grief and fear as he expresses his concern at what this revelatory event has cost his close friends, Martha and Mary, as they see their brother die. The encounter describes how Martha’s fear and remorse change to faith as she makes her profession of faith (“I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”) This exchange of fear for faith seen in the witnesses is the same conversion the Gospel attempts to initiate in the Christian faithful in response to these events.
 
CCC: Jn 11 994; Jn 11:24 993, 1001; Jn 11:25 994; Jn 11:27 439
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OR
Shorter Form: John 11:21-27

Martha said to Jesus,
"Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you."
Jesus said to her,
"Your brother will rise."
Martha said to him,
"1 know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day."
Jesus told her,
"I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?"
She said to him, "Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world."
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Commentary on Jn 11:21-27

This shorter form within the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead begins with Martha's profession of faith in Jesus and in the resurrection. In stating the "I am the resurrection and the life;" Jesus identifies himself as having power over life and death, something only the Son of God may poses.

The final exchange, as Jesus asks Martha if she believes Jesus is that power, the Messiah, is the basis for the hope of all Christians. Those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life in heaven.

CCC: Jn 11 994; Jn 11:24 993, 1001; Jn 11:25 994; Jn 11:27 439
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15.

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
"Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died."
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her
weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
"Where have you laid him?"
They said to him, "Sir, come and see."
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, "See how he loved him."
But some of them said,
"Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?"

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, "Take away the stone."
Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him,
"Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days."
Jesus said to her,
"Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?"
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
"Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me."
And when he had said this,
he cried out in a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come out!"
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to the crowd,
"Untie him and let him go."

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
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Commentary on Jn 11:32-45

Within the story or the death and resurrection of Lazarus we see the very human emotions of Jesus they range from confidence in his relationship with the Father at the end of the story to the all too human grief and fear as he expresses his concern at what this revelatory event has cost his close friends, Martha and Mary, as they see their brother die.

Here, as he meets Martha's sister Mary (the one who sat at his feet as he spoke in Luke 10:39). Mary show the depth of her faith immediately as she makes the profession "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." The members of the Jewish community see the Lord's reaction to the pain Mary, here sister Martha, and their friends. As he weeps, they believe it is because of his love of Lazarus, not understanding that in the Jesus' eyes, Lazarus was not going to die, but provide yet another proof of the power Jesus has over sin and death.

The Lord proceeds to call Lazarus out of his tomb, still wrapped in the traditional burial wrappings. With Jesus command "Untie him and let him go" the Jesus effectively proclaims his mastery of death and sin. All of this is done to the greater glory of the Father as was stated in Jesus prayer.

CCC: Jn 11 994; Jn 11:34 472; Jn 11:39 627; Jn 11:41-42 2604; Jn 11:44 640
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16.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
  unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
  it remains just a grain of wheat;
  but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life will lose it,
  and whoever hates his life in this world
  will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
  and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.

"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
'Father, save me from this hour'?
But it was for this purpose that 1 came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name."
Then a voice came from heaven,
  "I have glorified it and will glorify it again."
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Commentary on Jn 12:23-28

Jesus response to some Greeks who wished to seem him reflects his earlier statement that his mission on earth is to his own people, the Hebrews (Matthew 10:5ff) “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” implies that only after his crucifixion could the Gospel encompass everyone. He then goes on to educate his disciples about the mystery of his atoning death. He uses the metaphor of the grain of wheat found in the other Gospel traditions (see Mark 8:35; Matthew 16:25; Luke 9:24; Matthew 10:39; Luke 17:33). When the Evangelist follows this with the statement that “Who ever loves his life loses it…” it is understood that the reference is to body and spirit since the Hebrews at this point did not recognize the separation of the two. The statement leads into and exhortation that those who follow Jesus (“Whoever serves me”) must accept the same defamatory treatment.

The Lord’s lament (“I am troubled…”) seems to interrupt this discourse; however, the narrative comes closest to the agony in the garden found in the other Gospels. Jesus, faced with a cruel and imminent death feels the anguish of his human fear. His petition (“Yet what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'?”), followed by acceptance (in this instance “But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour”) echoes the sentiment of complete acceptance of the Father’s will and justifies the Lord’s request that he be glorified by Him.

CCC: Jn 12:24 2731; Jn 12:27 363, 607; Jn 12:28 434
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OR
Short Form John 12:23-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
  unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
  it remains just a grain of wheat;
  but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life will lose it,
  and whoever hates his life in this world
  will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
   and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me."
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Commentary on Jn 12:23-26

This shorter form focuses on Jesus education of his disciples about the mystery of his atoning death. He uses the metaphor of the grain of wheat found in the other Gospel traditions (see Mark 8:35; Matthew 16:25; Luke 9:24; Matthew 10:39; Luke 17:33). When the Evangelist follows this with the statement that “Who ever loves his life loses it…” it is understood that the reference is to body and spirit since the Hebrews at this point did not recognize the separation of the two. The statement leads into and exhortation that those who follow Jesus (“Whoever serves me”) must accept the same defamatory treatment.

CCC: Jn 12:24 2731
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17.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way."
Thomas said to him,
"Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me."
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Commentary on Jn 14:1-6

This dialogue with the disciples is taking place at the Last Supper. Jesus has already responded to Peter and now Thomas continues to question with: “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” To which Jesus responds with a phrase known to all Christians: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He ends with another phrase that has been used throughout the history of Christianity, from an evangelical perspective as an invitation, and negatively as a statement of exclusivity: “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

"Thomas, the loyal but undiscerning disciple (cf. 11:16), voices the incomprehension of the rest of the group. His question echoes that of Peter in 13:36, and reflects a complete failure to grasp the implications of vv 2–3. He seems to want to know precisely where the Father’s house is located and where Jesus is going to prepare a place for them (cf. Hort: 'In his eyes the journey must be like one from land to land, or, as we might say, from planet to planet'; The Way, the Truth and the Life, 15).

"The disciple’s lack of understanding, as so often, provides opportunity for Jesus to clarify the revelation. The saying is commonly recognized as ranking with 3:16 as an outstanding expression of the Gospel. 'It forms a classical summary of the Johannine doctrine of salvation that is based entirely on Jesus Christ' (Schnackenburg, 3:65)." [22]

CCC: Jn 14:1 151; Jn 14:2-3 2795; Jn 14:2 661; Jn 14:3 1025; Jn 14:6 74, 459, 1698, 2466, 2614
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18.

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
"Father, those whom you gave me are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them."
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Commentary on Jn 17:24-26

Here is the final part of the “High Priestly Prayer” from the Lord’s final discourse. The Lord, speaking to his Heavenly Father, asks for salvation for the people God has given the grace to have faith in him.  He asks that his friends might have a share in the eternal life God gives ("...before the foundation of the world.").  The selection concludes with the ultimate gift Christ bestows; the love of God and the love of Christ, joining those who believe to Father and Son through the bond of love.

CCC: Jn 17:23-26 2750
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19.

1016 Mass for the Dead (19.)

So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,
he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,
in Hebrew, Golgotha.
There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved,
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, "I thirst."
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
"It is finished."
And bowing his head, he handed over the Spirit.

Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled;
Not a bone of it will he broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathea,
secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate if he could remove the Body of Jesus.
And Pilate permitted it.
So he came and took his Body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,
also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes
weighing about one hundred pounds.
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Commentary on Jn 19:17-18, 25-39

This selection picks up the Passion Narrative from St. John's Gospel following the Lord's trial and conviction.  Details of his scourging and the events that took place along the Way of the Cross found in the synoptic Gospels are omitted (see Matthew 26:14—27:66; Mark 14:1—15:47; Luke 22:14—23:56). John does not feel it is necessary to tell his audience of the events that confirmed Jesus as the Messiah during the crucifixion (i.e. the guards casting lots for his garment, etc.)

He does, however record Jesus’ last address to his mother. Although the address sounds unnecessarily formal ("Woman, behold, your son.") this would have been considered a polite address in biblical times. The reference, “Woman”, is possibly to Genesis 3:15 which describes the mother of the Messiah as the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618)[15]. The Lord, nearing the end of his life commends the care of his mother to the disciple whom he loved. It is presumed this is done because Jesus has no biological brothers of sisters (Also inferred is that his mother's husband, Joseph, has already passed away). In this instance, while it can be assumed that this disciple is St. John, the author, this tender consignment of the care of the Lord’s mother is seen as iconic, that is she is given into the care of all of the disciples whom Jesus loves. Seeing her Son dying upon the cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.

The narrative continues describing the Lord's last moments of life on the cross.  The prophecy to which John refers when saying "...in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled" was Psalm 69:22.  While Matthew and Mark speak about this event, only John relates it specifically to the prophetic literature.  After this final act, the Lord "handed over his spirit."

What happens after Jesus' death demonstrates to the Jews the nature of his sacrifice. "Jesus dies on the Preparation day of the Passover - Parasceve- that is, the eve, when the paschal lambs were officially sacrificed in the temple.  By stressing this, the Evangelist implies that Christ's sacrifice took the place of the sacrifices of the Old Law and inaugurated the New Alliance in his blood (cf. Hebrews 9:12)."[16]  Typically, when the executioners wished to speed up the death of one crucified, the legs would be broken. This would force the victim to suffocate quickly.  In the case of Jesus, this was not done. (see Psalm 34:20-21)  Instead we are told the guards pierced his side with a lance and "immediately Blood and water flowed out."

While the outflow of water and blood have a natural explanation, there has been great theological importance placed upon it in numerous sources (St. Ambrose, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Augustine).  Water and blood have already been established as signs of salvation (John 3:5 and John 6:53ff).  "With Christ's death and the giving of the Spirit already signified in v. 30, the life giving work of the Church begins, and hence the Church can be said in a sense to have been born from the wounded side of Christ." [17]

St. John next adds a theological reflection of his own in the form of testamentary from and eye witness.  Using references to prophetic literature, the witness points out that Jesus' body ritually followed Jewish law governing the Passover sacrifice,  which designated that the bones of the sacrificial animal should not be broken (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12). Christ becomes the Christian's Passover Sacrifice and meal. And in the second proof "They will look upon him whom they have pierced" he makes reference to Zechariah 12:10.

The passage concludes with the release of the body of Jesus to Joseph of Aramathia.  Joseph is not identified as a member of the Sanhedrin (Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50) but he is identified as a disciple of Jesus which is not mentioned in the Synoptic accounts.  He is joined by Nicodemus (see John 7:50ff).  The body is buried close by which would be logical given the urgency regarding ritual purity.

CCC: Jn 19:25-27 726, 2618; Jn 19:25 495; Jn 19:26-27 501, 964, 2605; Jn 19:27 2677, 2679; Jn 19:28 544, 607, 2561, 2605; Jn 19:30 607, 624, 730, 2605; Jn 19:30b 2605; Jn 19:31 641; Jn 19:34 478, 694, 1225; Jn 19:36 608; Jn 19:37 1432; Jn 19:38-39 595; Jn 19:38 575
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^This citation was omitted from the published index.
*Shorter Form is Offered
** Citation in the published index is incorrect (reads 2 Timothy 3:2-8)

[1] The Navarre Bible: “Chronicles-Maccabees”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 595
[2] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 31:68, p.522
[3] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 34:17, p.560 
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 116
[5] See NAB footnote on Psalm 23
[6] The Navarre Bible: “Psalms”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p 109
[7] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p.268
[8] See NAB footnote on Romans 8:18ff
[9] The Navarre Bible: “Letters of St. Paul”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 595
[10] See NAB footnote on Matthew 11:25ff
[11] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 42:93, p.58
[12] See NAB footnote on Luke 7:11ff
[13] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 44:173, p. 162
[14] Catholic Bible Dictionary, © by Scott Hann, 2009, p. 839
[15] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 198
[16] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 695
[17] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 63:172, p. 462
[18] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 513
[19] The Gospel of Luke by Pablo T. Gadenz © 2018, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids MI, p.395.
[20] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 710
[21] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume III, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2012 p. 826
[22] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume III, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2012 p. 711.
[23] George R. Beasley-Murray, John, vol. 36, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1999), 252.
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