Readings
for
24 August 2003
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Today's First Reading is from The Book of Joshua, beginning at the 24th
Chapter and the 1st Verse (Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b)
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for
the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and
for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. And
Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith Yaweh, the God of Israel:
And if it seem evil unto you to serve The Lord, choose you this day
whom
ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were
beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that
we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; for the Lord our God,
he it is that brought us and our
fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and
that did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the
way wherein we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of
whom we passed; therefore we also will serve the Lord; for he is our
God.
La Primera Lectura es del Libro de Josué, empezando en el
24mo Capitulo, y el Primero Verso
(Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b)
Y JUNTANDO Josué todas las tribus de Israel en Sichêm,
llamó á los
ancianos de Israel, y á sus príncipes, á sus
jueces, y á sus oficiales;
y presentáronse delante de Dios. Y dijo Josué á
todo el pueblo: Así dice el Señor, Dios de Israel:
Y si mal os parece servir á el Señor, escogeos hoy
á quién sirváis; si á
los dioses á quienes siervieron vuestros padres, cuando
estuvieron de
esotra parte del río, ó á los dioses de los
Amorrheos en cuya tierra
habitáis: que yo y mi casa serviremos á el
Señor. Entonces el pueblo repondió, y dijo: Nunca
tal acontezca, que dejemos á por servir á otros
dioses:
Porque el Señor nuestro Dios es el que nos
sacó á
nosotros y á nuestros padres de la tierra de Egipto, de la casa
de
sevidumbre; el cual delante de nuestros ojos ha hecho estas grandes
señales, y nos ha guardado por todo el camino por donde hemos
andado, y
en todos los pueblos por entre los cuales pasamos. También
serviremos á el Señor, porque él es nuestro Dios.
Today's Song of Praise is taken from Psalm 34: (Ps 34:2-3,
16-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23):
R Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The Lord has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The Lord confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
R Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Many are the troubles of the just one,
but out of them all the Lord delivers him;
he watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
R Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
El
Salmo Responsorial se toma del Salmo 34: (Ps 34:2-3, 16-17,
18-19, 20-21, 22-23):
La respuesta es: Prueben y vean que el Señor es bueno;
Prueben y vean que el
Señor es bueno
BENDECIRÉ á Jehová en todo tiempo;
Su alabanza será siempre en mi boca.
En el Señor se gloriará mi alma:
Oiránlo los mansos, y se alegrarán.
Prueben y vean que el Señor es
bueno
La ira de el Señor contra los que mal hacen,
Para cortar de la tierra la memoria de ellos.
Clamaron los justos, y el Señor á
oyó,
Y librólos de todas sus angustias.
Prueben y vean que el Señor es
bueno
Cercano está el Señor á los quebrantados de
corazón;
Y salvará á los contritos de espíritu.
Muchos son los males del justo;
Mas de todos ellos lo librará el Señor .
Prueben y vean que el Señor es
bueno
El guarda todos sus huesos;
Ni uno de ellos será quebrantado.
Matará al malo la maldad;
Y los que aborrecen al justo serán asolados.
Prueben y vean que el Señor es
bueno
El Señor redime el alma de sus siervos;
Y no serán asolados cuantos en él confían.
Prueben y vean que el Señor es
bueno
Today's Epistle is from the Letter of Paul to the
Ephesians, beginning at the 5th Chapter, and the 121st Verse (Eph
5:21-32)
Subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of
Christ. Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the
head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body. But as the
church is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their husbands
in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having
cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might
present the church to himself a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it
should be holy and without blemish. Even so ought husbands also to love
their own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his own wife loveth
himself: for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and
cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church; because we are members
of his body. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother,
and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. This
mystery is great: but I speak in regard of Christ and of the church.
Epistolo del libro de San Pablo a los
Efesianos, empezando en el Capitulo 5mo, y el Verso 21mo (Efes
5:21-32)
Sujetados los unos á los otros en el temor de Dios. Las casadas
estén sujetas á sus propios maridos, como al
Señor. Porque el marido es cabeza de la mujer, así como
Cristo es cabeza de la iglesia; y él es el que da la salud al
cuerpo. Así que, como la iglesia está sujeta á
Cristo, así también las casadas lo estén á
sus maridos en todo. Maridos, amad á vuestras mujeres,
así como Cristo amó á la iglesia, y se
entregó á sí mismo por ella, Para santificarla
limpiándola en el lavacro del agua por la palabra, Para
presentársela gloriosa para sí, una iglesia que
no tuviese mancha ni arruga, ni cosa semejante; sino que fuese santa y
sin mancha. Así también los maridos deben amar á
sus mujeres como á sus mismos cuerpos. El que ama á su
mujer, á sí mismo se ama. Porque ninguno aborreció
jamás á su propia carne, antes la sustenta y regala, como
también Cristo á la iglesia; Porque somos miembros de su
cuerpo, de su carne y de sus huesos. Por esto dejará el hombre
á su padre y á su madre, y se allegará á su
mujer, y serán dos en una carne. Este misterio grande es: mas yo
digo esto con respecto á Cristo y á la iglesia.
+A Reading from the Gospel of John, beginning at the 6th Chapter, and
the 60th Verse (Jn 6:60-69)
Many therefore of his disciples, when the heard this, said, This is a
hard saying; who can hear it? But Jesus knowing in himself that his
disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Does this cause you to
stumble? What then if you should behold the Son of man ascending where
he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits
nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, are life.
But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus
knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who it was
that should betray him. And he said, For this cause have I said unto
you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of the
Father. Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more
with him. Jesus said therefore unto the twelve, Would you also go away?
Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words
of eternal life. And we have believed and know that you are the
Holy One of God.
+Lectura d Santo Evangelio
según San Juan, empezando en el 6mo Capitulo, y el 60mo
Verso (Juan 6:60-69)
Y muchos de sus discípulos oyéndo lo, dijeron:
Dura es esta palabra: ¿quién la puede oir? Y sabiendo
Jesús en sí mismo que sus discípulos murmuraban de
esto, díjoles: ¿Esto os escandaliza? ¿Pues
qué, si viereis al Hijo del hombre que sube donde estaba primero?
El espíritu es el que da vida; la carne nada
aprovecha: las palabras que yo os he hablado, son espíritu y son
vida. Mas hay algunos de vosotros que no creen. Porque Jesús
desde el principio sabía quiénes eran los que no
creían, y quién le
había de entregar. Y dijo: Por eso os he dicho que ninguno puede
venir á mí, si no le fuere dado del Padre. Desde esto,
muchos de sus discípulos volvieron atrás, y ya no andaban
con él. Dijo entonces Jesús á los doce:
¿Queréis vosotros iros también? Y
respondióle Simón Pedro: Señor, ¿á
quién iremos? tú tienes palabras de vida eterna. Y
nosotros creemos y conocemos que tú eres el Cristo, el Hijo de
Dios viviente.
Sermon
for
24 August 2003
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Sometimes I wonder about the committee that chose
the readings for the Lectionary -- today's Old Testament Reading, Song
of Praise, and Gospel all follow one theme. The Epistle, however,
comes in out of left field -- it is the traditional reading at
marriages: "Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord."
I suppose one could twist the idea of "being
subject" to fit the theme of glad and voluntary loyalty that the other
readings present, but I don't really think I want to go there.
There is enough Jesuitry in the world, without me adding to it.
In today's First Reading, Israel has taken
possession of part of the Promised Land -- they are in the North, at
Shechem, preparing to push south toward Jerusalem and west, toward
Carmel. Joshua, who had taken over from Moses, calls a great
convention of all of the Tribes of Israel -- their leaders, their
judges, their men of influence.
He tells them that now is the time for them to
decide if they will be one people, under the rule of the One God, or if
they will relax now, and go back to the easy-going ways of their
ancestors in Egypt, or the laid-back paganism of the Amorites.
Will they go forward with what they have achieved, or go backwards?
Joshua, himself, is in no doubt which way he will
go: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." After
reflecting on what the Lord has done for them, Israel agrees: "We
also will serve the Lord; for he is our God."
In today's Gospel, Jesus has just finished telling
his disciples the He is the Bread of Life, and that they must heat His
Flesh and drink His Blood, to be saved. Many of the disciples,
being attached to Jewish law and custom, find this very hard to take --
like modern Protestants, all they can see is canniblaism, and they shy
away from it.
Jesus, like Joshua (their names are the same in
Hebrew: Yeshua -- "YHWH saves:) calls on them to make a
choice. They can either listen to the Word, and take it into
their hearts as the take Him in the Eucharist, or go back to the old,
comfortable ways of thier ancestors.
Many leave, but he turns to the faithful Twelve and
asks them: "Would you also go away?" And they, like the 12
Tribes of Israel, responding to Joshua's call declare: "Lord, to
whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have
believed and know that you are the Holy One of God."
Let us then dedicate ourselves today to being
faithful to the Lord, as the Twelve Tribes and Twelve Apostles were,
and praise Him in the words of the Psalmist:
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
In the Name of
the Father +
And of the Son
+
And of the
Holy Spirit +
Amen.
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