·
17 Patrick,
Bishop, Missionary, Patron
of Ireland, c.460 "the
Day of the Festival of Patrick"), is a cultural and religious celebration
held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
·
18 Cyril, Bishop of
Jerusalem, Teacher of the Faith, 386 was a distinguished theologian of the early
Church (c. 313[1] – 386 AD). He
is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion.
·
19 Joseph of
Nazareth
·
20 Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne,
Missionary, 687 is a saint of the early Northumbrian
church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with
the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in what might
loosely be termed the Kingdom of Northumbria in the North East of England[5] and the South
East of Scotland.
·
21 Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of
Canterbury, Reformation Martyr,
1556
·
24 Walter Hilton of Thurgarton, Augustinian Canon, Mystic, 1396
·
24 Paul Couturier, Priest, Ecumenist, 1953
OLD TESTAMENT: Jeremiah 31: 31 - 34 (all)
Jere 31:31 (NRSV)
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant
that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out
of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband,
says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I
will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other,
"Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them
to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember
their sin no more.
PSALM 51: 1 - 13 (RCL)
51: 1 - 2, 10 - 13 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 51:1 (NRSV)
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your
steadfast love;
according to your
abundant mercy
blot out my
transgressions.
2 Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me
from my sin.
3 For I know my
transgressions,
and my sin is ever
before me.
4 Against you, you
alone, have I sinned,
and done what is
evil in your sight,
so that you are
justified in your sentence
and blameless when
you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was
born guilty,
a sinner when my
mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth
in the inward being;
therefore teach me
wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with
hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy
and gladness;
let the bones that
you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face
from my sins,
and blot out all
my iniquities.
10 Create in me a
clean heart, O God,
and put a new and
right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me
away from your presence,
and do not take
your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me
the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me
a willing spirit.
13 Then I will
teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will
return to you.
14 Deliver me from
bloodshed, O God,
O God of my
salvation,
and my tongue will
sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my
lips,
and my mouth will
declare your praise.
16 For you have no
delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give
a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice
acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and
contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Note: Verse numbering
in your psalter may differ from the above
51 Miserere mei, Deus (ECUSA BCP)
1 Have
mercy on me, O God, according to your
loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2 Wash me
through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I
know my transgressions, *
and my sin is ever before me.
.
4 Against
you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.
5 And so
you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgment.
6 Indeed,
I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother's womb.
7 For
behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
8 Purge
me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
9 Make me
hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10 Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities.
11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
12 Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13 Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
and sinners shall return to you.
Psalm 119: 9 - 16 (alt. for RCL)
Psal 119:9 (NRSV)
How can young people keep their way pure?
By guarding it
according to your word.
10 With my whole
heart I seek you;
do not let me
stray from your commandments.
11 I treasure your
word in my heart,
so that I may not
sin against you.
12 Blessed are
you, O LORD;
teach me your
statutes.
13 With my lips I
declare
all the ordinances
of your mouth.
14 I delight in
the way of your decrees
as much as in all
riches.
15 I will meditate
on your precepts,
and fix my eyes on
your ways.
16 I will delight
in your statutes;
I will not forget
your word.
119 Beth In quo corrigit? (ECUSA BCP)
9 How
shall a young man cleanse his way? *
By
keeping to your words.
10 With
my whole heart I seek you; *
let
me not stray from your commandments.
11 I
treasure your promise in my heart, *
that
I may not sin against you.
12 Blessed
are you, O Lord; *
instruct
me in your statutes.
13 With
my lips will I recite *
all
the judgments of your mouth.
14 I
have taken greater delight in the way of your decrees *
than
in all manner of riches.
15 I
will meditate on your commandments *
and
give attention to your ways.
16 My
delight is in your statutes; *
I
will not forget your word.
NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 5: 5 - 10 (RCL)
5: 7 - 9 (Roman Catholic)
Hebr 5:5 (NRSV) So
also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was
appointed by the one who said to him,
"You are my
Son,
today I have
begotten you";
6 as he says also
in another place,
"You are a
priest forever,
according to the
order of Melchiz'edek."
7 In the days of
his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and
tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because
of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience
through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source
of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a
high priest according to the order of Melchiz'edek.
h/t Montreal Anglican
Now the author tells us how Jesus, whom he sees as a high priest,
is like (and unlike) a Judaic high priest. Jesus too was called by God
(v. 5):
some manuscripts of Luke 3:22 record
that, at his baptism, the “voice” speaks the words quoted here. But Jesus, per
Psalm 110:4,
is different: he is a priest “forever” (v. 6).
(“Melchizedek” is mentioned in Genesis 14:17-20; there he brings bread and
wine, and blesses Abram. In Hebrews, he resembles the Son of God and lives for
ever: he is a supernatural figure foreshadowing the eternity of the Son of God
– see 7:2-3.) During Jesus’ earthly life (“the days of his flesh”, v. 7),
he prayed to God, to the one who could deliver him from death. But, although he
was already God’s “Son” (v. 8),
he “learned obedience”, he obeyed the will of the Father, he submitted reverently (v. 7):
this involved suffering and death. But the Father did hear his plea: he rose
again from death. He was then “made perfect” (v. 9):
his priesthood was completed in his sacrifice for the sins of us all, and he
was raised to be with the Father. In this way, he brings salvation to all who
follow him. This salvation is forever (unlike the limited duration of that brought
by Judaic high priests). He is high priest for ever.
4:14-5:14: The author resumes the theme of Jesus our high
priest. In 2:17-18,
he speaks of Jesus as “a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of
God”. Jesus has two qualifications of a priest: divine appointment (see 5:4)
and the ability to “sympathize with our weaknesses” (see 4:15).
[ NOAB]
4:14: “great high priest”: Philo uses this designation for
the Logos (the “word” of John 1:1-14)
in his writings. Elsewhere in Hebrews, Christ is simply the “high priest”. He
may include “great” here because he is making a comparison. [ NJBC]
4:14: “who has passed through the heavens”: That
Christ was pre-existent is meant. 1:1-2 say:
“God ... has spoken to us by a Son, ... through whom he also created the
worlds”. Note the plurals. The Greek word translated as “worlds”, aion,
can also mean ages. There appears to be the concept of a number of
worlds, the visible and the invisible, the latter being several heavens. 2 Enoch 3-20 also speak
of multiple heavens. [ NJBC]
4:15-16: Because Christ experienced real, human
testing, he is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses”. [ NOAB]
4:15: “tested as we are, yet without sin”: The
author says that the only difference between Jesus’ temptations and ours is
that he did not succumb to them. [ NJBC]
4:16: At God’s “throne of grace” (see also 8:1 and 12:2)
humans “receive mercy” for past sins and “find grace” for present and future
“need”. [ NOAB] Here the author
thinks of the confident access to God that has been assured by the redemptive
work of Jesus. [ NJBC]
5:1: “gifts and sacrifices”: To NOAB, grain and animal sacrifices;
however NJBC thinks that
no such distinction is intended. As Chapter 9 shows,
the author is principally concerned with the Day of Atonement rite as the Old
Testament type. [ NJBC]
5:2: The Old Testament provides no atoning
sacrifice for deliberate and defiant sins (see Numbers 15:30 and
Deuteronomy 17:12),
only for sins committed unwittingly – by the “ignorant and wayward”: see
Leviticus 4.
Numbers 15:30 says
“But whoever acts high-handedly ... affronts the LORD, and shall be cut off
from among the people.” “Cut off” means shall receive the death penalty.
[ NOAB]
5:2: “deal gently”: The Greek word corresponds to a
term of Stoic philosophy signifying the right mean between passion and
lack of feeling . [ NJBC]
5:5: “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’”:
This is also found in Psalm 2:7,
so the author may be reinterpreting this psalm in Christian terms, as was often
done with Psalm 110:4.
[ CAB]
5:6: Psalm 110 begins:
“The Lord [ Yahweh] says to my lord ...”. In
Judaism, “my lord” is David, but early Christians reinterpreted it as Christ;
thus God the Father says to God the Son, the Lord. So “you” here is
Christ. In Hebrews 7:1-10,
the author deduces from Genesis 14:17-20 (where
King Melchizedek of Salem, a “priest of God Most High”, brings out “bread and
wine” and blesses Abram, and in return receives a tithe from him) that this
mysterious priest-king was greater than either Abraham or his descendant Levi.
[ NOAB]
5:6: “the order of Melchizedek”: i.e. According to
the rank which Melchizedek held. [ NOAB]
5:7-8: Note that one trait Jesus does not share with
the Judaic high priest is “weakness” (v. 2).
In 7:28,
the author specifically contrasts Jesus with the Jewish high priest in this
respect. It is important, however, to note that the contrast applies to the
present exalted state of Christ. While on earth, Jesus experienced the weakness
of human nature, especially its fear of death. Exalted, he can sympathize with
those who are weak. Paul’s concept is similar: “he was crucified in weakness,
but lives by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4).
[ NJBC]
5:7: Jesus’ agonizing prayer in Gethsemane (see
Mark 14:32-42)
“was heard” in the sense that “he learned obedience” by submitting to the
divine will – which involved death. [ NOAB]
Some scholars see here a reference to more than just this one incident. [ NJBC]
5:8: “Although he was a Son”: The author considers
Jesus’ sonship in two different ways:
- He became Son when exalted, and
- He was always Son because he existed with the Father
even before he appeared on earth.
Later theology said that
the resurrection-exaltation gave Jesus’ human nature full participation in his
divine nature. The two concepts are entirely compatible. [ NJBC]
5:8: “he learned obedience”: Learning through
suffering is a common motif in Greek literature. In the New Testament it occurs
only here, in Romans 5:19 and
in Philippians 2:8.
[ NJBC]
5:9: “made perfect”: Jesus completed his divinely
appointed discipline for priesthood. This phrase is characteristic of this letter
(see also 2:10; 7:19, 28; 9:9; 10:1, 14; 11:40; 12:23)
and means made complete, brought to maturity. [ NOAB] The Greek word, teleosis,
is used in the Septuagint translation
of priestly consecration, translating a Hebrew phrase to fill [the
hands]: see Exodus 29:9, 29, 33, 35;
Leviticus 16:32; 21:10;
Numbers 3:3.
This cultic notion of perfection is certainly present in Hebrews. [ NJBC]
5:9: “eternal salvation”: The author uses the word
“eternal” here and in 9:12,
14,15; 13:20 (but
not in 6:2)
to speak of realities that endure because they belong to the heavenly sphere,
which is characterized by permanence, as opposed to the transitory realities of
earth. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: John 12: 20 - 33 (all)
John 12:20 (NRSV)
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21
They came to Philip, who was from Bethsa'ida in Galilee, and said to him,
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus." 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then
Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, "The hour
has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless
a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain;
but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and
those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26
Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be
also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
27 "Now my
soul is troubled. And what should I say--"Father, save me from this hour'?
No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify
your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and
I will glorify it again." 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said
that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." 30
Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now
is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to
myself." 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
He uses an example from nature to speak of the significance of his
death: the paradox that a “grain of wheat” (v. 24)
only bears fruit after it seems to have died and has been buried. Jesus’ death
makes possible salvation for others. That the meaning of life eludes those
who live it up is also a paradox; self-centeredness ends up
destroying a person. (“Hate”, v. 25,
is a Semitism for love less.) Serving Jesus involves following his
example; this will be honoured by the Father (v. 26).
In v. 27,
Jesus struggles with his impending death: should he ask the Father to free him
from the need to suffer and die? No, he says: such avoidance would negate his
mission; his death is God’s will (v. 28a).
The voice from heaven reassures: his lifework and teaching have been signs of
God’s glory, of his power and presence; God will act again in raising him. The
crowd miss the point of the message (v. 29),
so Jesus tells them that God has spoken so that they may believe that he comes
from God; he already knows this (“not for mine”, v. 30).
This is when (“now”, v. 31)
those who willfully turn away from him (“this world”) are condemned (it is they
who are judged, not him), and when the devil (“the ruler of this world”) ceases
to have power over people. When he is “lifted up from the earth” (v. 32),
i.e. crucified and exalted in glory, salvation of all will be possible. This is
the paradoxical “kind of death” (v. 33)
he will endure.
After two contrasting
scenes of the anointing of Jesus and his entry into Jerusalem, there follows an
episode which deals with the contrasting reactions of Gentiles (vv. 20-36)
and of Jews (vv. 44-50)
to the impact of Christ on Jerusalem. [ BlkJn]
This section is the conclusion of Jesus’ public ministry. [ NOAB]
Verse 20: “some Greeks”: Josephus, in Jewish Wars 6.9.3,
reports that God-fearing Gentiles came to Jerusalem to worship
at Passover. [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “Philip”: Meaning lover of horses.
[ NOAB] He responds to Jesus’
command “Follow me” in 1:43-48.
Jesus tests Philip in 6:5-7.
[ NJBC]
Verse 22: Philip’s hesitation is natural enough. He must
have known that Jesus had little to do with Gentiles, and no vocation to any
ministry towards them. In Matthew 15:24,
when a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus seeking a cure for her daughter, Jesus
responds “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. [ BlkJn]
Verse 23: “The hour has come”: So far we have been told
that Jesus’ time has not yet come. [ BlkJn]
His final manifestation was at the cross: see 7:30 (“no
one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come”); 8:20; 13:1; 17:1.
[ NOAB] Jesus speaks to the
disciples. [ NJBC]
Verse 24: By means of a parable, Jesus explains how his
death will enable the Gentiles to see him. In 1 Corinthians 15:36Paul
writes: “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies”. See also
Mark 4:8,
the parable of the sower. [ BlkJn]
This saying was probably a common proverb, which John has probably shaped to
the situation by emphasizing the fact that the seed remains alone above
ground. [ NJBC]
Verse 25: In Mark 8:35,
Jesus foretells that “‘those who want to save their life will lose it, and
those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will
save it’”. See also Matthew 10:39;
Luke 9:24; 14:26.
[ BlkJn]
Verse 25: “love their life ... hate their life”: The
Greek word translated “life”, psuche, means the essence of
being . BlkJnconsiders
that the plain contrast of “loves” and “hates” sounds more probably authentic
than Mark’s “want to save their life” and “lose”.
Verse 26a: Service to Christ means sharing his lot,
whatever that may entail. A similar thought is found in Mark 8:34:
“‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their
cross and follow me.’”. [ BlkJn]
The identity of Jesus and his followers will be emphasized in the farewell
discourse: see 13:13, 16; 15:20.
[ NJBC]
Verse 26b: The follower who shares Jesus’ suffering will
also share the honour that God gives him. In 17:24,
Jesus prays: “‘Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be
with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved
me before the foundation of the world’”. [ BlkJn] This idea reappears in
the love language of the farewell discourses: see 14:23 and 16:27.
[ NJBC]
Verses 27-30: These verses remind us of the Gethsemane story
in the Synoptic gospels:
see, for example, Mark 14:34-36.
[NJBC]
Verse 28: “Father, glorify your name”: Jesus prays that
he may completely accept his Father’s will. In the Old Testament, both the
glory of God and his “name” are means whereby God is made known to be what he
is. (See, for example, Exodus 33:18-22.)
God will thus make himself known through the death of Christ. [ BlkJn]
Verse 28: “a voice came from heaven”: As at Jesus’
baptism (see Mark 1:11;
Matthew 3:17;
Luke 3:22)
and at his transfiguration (see Mark 9:7;
Matthew 17:5;
Luke 9:35),
and at Paul’s conversion (see Acts 9:4).
[ BlkJn]
Verse 29: “thunder”: The Greek word is bronte,
a noun. In the Old Testament, thunder is recognized as the voice of God. [BlkJn] Psalm 29:3 says:
“The voice of the Lord is
over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters”. In the Septuagint translation of the
Hebrew, “thunders” is brontaw , a verb derived from the same
root. For bronte, see also the Septuagint translation of
Psalms 77:18; 104:7;
Job 26:14;
Isaiah 29:6.
For brontaw, see also 1 Samuel 2:10; 7:10;
2 Samuel 22:14;
Psalms 18:14; 29:3;
Job 37:4-5; 40:9.
[Lorinda Hoover] Gentiles would also recognize thunder as an omen. [ BlkJn]
Verse 31: “the ruler of this world”: He rules de
facto because people have delivered themselves into his power by
becoming slaves to sin. Elsewhere he is called “the evil one” (in 1 John 5:19),
“the devil” (in John 8:44),
and “Satan” (in John 13:27;
Revelation 12:9; 20:2).
In 1 Corinthians 2:6, 8,
Paul calls him “the rulers of this age”. [ BlkJn] Satan as ruler of the
world in its opposition to God is a frequent figure in the Qumran literature: see 1QM
(War Scroll) 1:1, 5, 13; 4:2; 11:8; 1QS (Rule of the Community) 1:18; 2:29;
3:20-21. [ NJBC]
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