·
2 Mary Magdalene
·
23 Bridget of Sweden, Abbess of Vadstena,
1373 born as Birgitta Birgersdotter, also Birgitta of Vadstena, or Saint Birgitta (Swedish: heliga Birgitta), was a mystic and saint, and founder of
the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the
death of her husband of twenty years. Outside of Sweden, she was also known as
the Princess of Nericia[1] and was the
mother of Catherine of Vadstena.
·
25 James the Apostle
·
27 Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham, Teacher of the Faith, 1901
OLD TESTAMENT: 2 Samuel 7: 1 - 14a (RCL)
2Sam 7:1 (NRSV)
Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest
from all his enemies around him, 2 the king said to the prophet Nathan,
"See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a
tent." 3 Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind;
for the LORD is with you."
4 But that same
night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: 5 Go and tell my servant David: Thus
says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 6 I have not
lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to
this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I
have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with
any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people
Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" 8 Now
therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts:
I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my
people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off
all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like
the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my
people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place,
and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as
formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I
will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you
that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you
lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who
shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall
build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom
forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
Jeremiah 23: 1 - 6
(Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)
Jere 23:1 (NRSV)
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the
LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the
shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and
have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to
you for your evil doings, says the LORD. 3 Then I myself will gather the
remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will
bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will
raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear
any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.
5 The days are
surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous
Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice
and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel
will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The
LORD is our righteousness."
PSALM 89: 20 - 37 (RCL)
Psal 89:20 (NRSV)
I have found my servant David;
with my holy oil I
have anointed him;
21 my hand shall
always remain with him;
my arm also shall
strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall
not outwit him,
the wicked shall
not humble him.
23 I will crush
his foes before him
and strike down
those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness
and steadfast love shall be with him;
and in my name his
horn shall be exalted.
25 I will set his
hand on the sea
and his right hand
on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to
me, "You are my Father,
my God, and the
Rock of my salvation!'
27 I will make him
the firstborn,
the highest of the
kings of the earth.
28 Forever I will
keep my steadfast love for him,
and my covenant
with him will stand firm.
29 I will
establish his line forever,
and his throne as
long as the heavens endure.
30 If his children
forsake my law
and do not walk
according to my ordinances,
31 if they violate
my statutes
and do not keep my
commandments,
32 then I will
punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity
with scourges;
33 but I will not
remove from him my steadfast love,
or be false to my
faithfulness.
34 I will not
violate my covenant,
or alter the word
that went forth from my lips.
35 Once and for all
I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to
David.
36 His line shall
continue forever,
and his throne
endure before me like the sun.
37 It shall be
established forever like the moon,
an enduring
witness in the skies." [Se'lah]
Psalm 89: Part II Tunc locutus es
(ECUSA BCP)
20 I
have found David my servant; *
with
my holy oil have I anointed him.
21 My
hand will hold him fast *
and
my arm will make him strong.
22 No
enemy shall deceive him, *
nor
any wicked man bring him down.
23 I
will crush his foes before him *
and
strike down those who hate him.
24 My
faithfulness and love shall be with him, *
and
he shall be victorious through my Name.
25 I
shall make his dominion extend *
from
the Great Sea to the River.
26 He
will say to me, “You are my Father, *
my
God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 I
will make him my firstborn *
and
higher than the kings of the earth.
28 I
will keep my love for him for ever, *
and
my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 I
will establish his line for ever *
and
his throne as the days of heaven.”
30 “If
his children forsake my law *
and
do not walk according to my judgments;
31 If
they break my statutes *
and
do not keep my commandments;
32 I
will punish their transgressions with a rod *
and
their iniquities with the lash;
33 But
I will not take my love from him, *
nor
let my faithfulness prove false.
34 I
will not break my covenant, *
nor
change what has gone out of my lips.
35 Once
for all I have sworn by my holiness: *
‘I
will not lie to David.
36 His
line shall endure for ever *
and
his throne as the sun before me;
37 It
shall stand fast for evermore like the moon, *
the
abiding witness in the sky.’”
Psalm 23 (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)
Psal 23:1 (NRSV)
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie
down in green pastures;
he leads me beside
still waters;
3 he restores my
soul.
He leads me in
right paths
for his name's
sake.
4 Even though I
walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with
me;
your rod and your
staff--
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a
table before me
in the presence of
my enemies;
you anoint my head
with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my
life,
and I shall dwell
in the house of the LORD
my whole life
long.
23 Dominus regit me (ECUSA
BCP)
1 The
Lord is my shepherd; *
I
shall not be in want.
2 He
makes me lie down in green pastures *
and
leads me beside still waters.
3 He
revives my soul *
and
guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.
4 Though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no
evil; *
for
you are with me;
your
rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You
spread a table before me in the presence of those
who trouble me; *
you
have anointed my head with oil,
and
my cup is running over.
6 Surely
your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life, *
and I
will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 2: 11 - 22 (RCL)
Ephesians
2: 13 - 18 (Roman Catholic)
Ephe 2:11 (NRSV)
So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the
uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision"--a
physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands-- 12 remember that you
were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in
the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been
brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he
has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is,
the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and
ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the
two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body
through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17 So he
came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were
near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the
saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21
In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in
the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling
place for God.
h/t Montreal
Anglican
The author has reminded his readers that
we have our saving faith through God’s gift – of our faith and of his love for
us. Through our faith, we realize that God’s gift exists. Being Christ’s, we
are to do good works. He now addresses himself to those who are “Gentiles by
birth” (v. 11). He reminds his
non-Jewish readers that they were, at one time, “without Christ” (v. 12), without hope of
union with God, not being parties to God’s pacts with Israel. They had no
“hope” of union with God, and were “without God”, with no true knowledge of
him. “But now” (v. 13) they, once “far
off”, distant from God’s ways, have been brought hope through the cross (“the
blood of Christ”). Christ is what unifies Gentiles and Jews; he has made us all one group; he has eliminated
the enmity between us. (Jews were not permitted to have contact with Gentiles,
for fear of being defiled ritually.) Cultural differences are no longer
relevant – what matters is that we are “one new humanity” (v. 15): the division is
gone. Christ has brought the two groups together “in one body” (v. 16, the Church). His
message was (and is) one of “peace” (v. 17) – to Gentiles
(“far off”) and to Jews (“near”). We both come into his presence (“access”, v. 18) through Christ,
participating in the action of the Holy Spirit, “to the Father”. So we are all
fellow members of God’s heavenly and earthly community (“saints”, v. 19). (A “household”
included all: parents, children and slaves.) Christ started this “household”;
he is the “cornerstone” (v. 20) of it. Those who
preceded us, “apostles and [Christian] prophets”, laid the foundation; it is a
sacred “structure” (v. 21), edifice,
“temple”, the Church, continually growing spiritually.
In Romans 5:10-11 and
2 Corinthians 5:18-20,
Paul tells us that reconciliation primarily brings union with God.
Verse 11: CAB notes
that, in that the terms “the uncircumcision” and “the circumcision” reflect a
Jewish categorization of world humanity, the author is Jewish and Gentile
readers are envisioned. These terms also appear in Colossians 3:11.
Verse 11: “‘the uncircumcision’”: This term carried a connotation of shame
for not being God’s people.
Verse 11: “‘the uncircumcision’ ... ‘the circumcision’”: Since the
distinction between Jew and Gentile is removed in Christ, these terms are
obsolete. [ NOAB]
Verse 12: “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel”: The author uses the
analogy of citizenship to describe the Gentiles’ estrangement from the people
of God. [ NJBC]
Verse 12: “covenants of promise”: In the sense that they are everlasting
(see Isaiah 55:3;
Ezekiel 37:26).
Verse 12: “without God”: See also Paul’s speech in front of the Areopagus in Athens
(Acts 17:22-31).
Verse 12: “hope”: messianic, and of resurrection.
Verse 13: For non-Jews having the same benefits as Jews through Christ,
see also Galatians 6:16.
For non-Jews having access to the covenants of promise, see also
Galatians 3:14.
[ CAB]
Verse 13: “far off ... near”: This is a sort of commentary on the Septuagint translation of
Isaiah 57:18-19:
“I have seen his ways and healed him; I have comforted him, giving him true
comfort; peace without measure to those who are far off and those who are near.
The Lord said, ‘I will heal them’”. (The NRSV translation is similar.) In the
original meaning, it was the Diaspora Jews
who were far off, but rabbinic commentary applied the verse to
Gentile converts: a proselyte was “brought near” to the covenant. [ JBC] The terms are also used in
v. 17.
Note also Zechariah 6:15:
“Those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord”. In letters which are generally
accepted as Pauline, the reconciliation accomplished through the death of
Christ brought peace and union with God: see Romans 5:10-11 and
2 Corinthians 5:18-20.
In Ephesians, this understanding of reconciliation is expanded to include peace
and unity between Gentiles and Jews. [ NJBC]
Verses 14-16: See also Colossians 1:15-20.
Some say that this is a Christological hymn
concerning the person and work of Christ. For other Christological hymns, see
Philippians 2:6-11;
1 Peter 3:18-19, 22;
John 1:1-18;
Hebrews 1:1-3;
1 Timothy 3:16.
[ CAB]
Verse 14: Paul makes the point that “there is no longer Jew or Greek ...”
in Galatians 3:28.
See also Romans 1:6.
[ CAB]
Verse 14: “dividing wall”: In the Temple, there was a physical barrier (a
low wall) between the Court of Israel and that of the Gentiles. Gentiles
crossed this line on pain of death. [ NOAB]
For Peter’s speech at Cornelius’ house about Jewish relations with Gentiles,
see Acts 10:28ff.
Verse 15: Paul wrote that the old humanity has been alienated from God
ever since Adam sinned, and that the new humanity is reconciled to Christ
through the cross (Romans 5:12-17).
But this seems not to be what the author of Ephesians is emphasizing.
Verse 18: “access”: The word prosagoge denoted in Oriental
courts the introduction of a person into the kings’ presence. [JBC]
Verse 19: Christ unites separated children, Jews and Gentiles, and brings
them into the intimacy of God’s family, his “household”. [ JBC] Note the Trinitarian formula.
The Qumran community
referred to itself as the “household of God”.
Verse 19: “citizens”: The imagery of v. 12 reappears.
Verse 19: “members of the household of God”: In 5:1,
Christians are called “beloved children”. They are entitled to “the riches of
his glorious inheritance” ( 1:18)
that their father “lavished on us” ( 1:7-8).
[ NJBC]
Verse 20: “apostles and prophets”: See also 3:5; 4:11;
Acts 13:1 (the
apostles and prophets in the church at Antioch). [NOAB] Apostles and prophets receive
special gifts. [ JBC]
Verse 20: “cornerstone”: This is a messianic term. See
Isaiah 28:16 and
Matthew 21:42.
[ NOAB] 1 Corinthians 3:11 says
that the “foundation is Jesus Christ”. [ NJBC]
Verses 21,22: “holy temple ... dwelling place”: See also 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and
1 Peter 2:4-5.
[ NOAB]
Verse 21: CAB notes a
shift in imagery for the Church: from “body” (v. 16)
to “household” (v. 19)
to a structure like a growing temple. I note a similar development in David’s
lineage in 2 Samuel 7.
Verse 21: The church as building metaphor merges with
the body image to create the picture of a building constructed
of living stones that grow and develop into God’s dwelling place, the Temple.
The body image is also found in 4:15-16.
2 Peter 2:4-5 says:
“Come to him, a living stone,... and like living stones, let yourselves be
built into a spiritual house”. The Qumran community
also understood itself as the temple of God. [ NJBC]
One scholar suggests that this passage is told in story form in
the parable of the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-32).
GOSPEL: Mark 6: 30 - 34, 53 - 56 (RCL)
Mark 6: 30 - 34 (Roman Catholic)
Mark 6:30 (NRSV)
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and
taught. 31 He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by
yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had
no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place
by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried
there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went
ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were
like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
53 When they had
crossed over, they came to land at Gennes'aret and moored the boat. 54 When they
got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55 and rushed about that
whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick
in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of
his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
Jesus debriefs the disciples (v. 30).
In 3:20,
Jesus has no time to eat; here (v. 32)
neither do the disciples: such is Jesus’ popularity as healer and
wonder-worker. Note Mark’s emphasis on the crowd: many recognize them
(vv. 33, 55),
hurry to meet them as they disembark, are “like sheep without a shepherd”
(v. 34,
aimless, leaderless); they rush here and there bringing the sick; they beg
Jesus (v. 56).
He has compassion on them, begins to teach them, and heals the sick.
The parallels are Matthew 14:13-15, 34-36 and Luke 9:10-11. (There is no parallel to vv. 53-56 in Luke.)
I suggest that the creators of the Revised Common Lectionary have
made an unfortunate choice in skipping v. 35-44 (the
Feeding of the Five Thousand). Reading these verses helps to understand today’s
reading. I note that the Feeding of the Five Thousand (from John) is the gospel
next week. Mark’s version is the most complete.
The miracle of manna is described in Exodus 16:12-35.
“Deserted place” occurs in vv. 31, 32, 35;
“bread” (or an equivalent word) occurs in vv. 37, 38, 41 and 44;
eating is mentioned in vv. 31, 36, 37,
and 42-44.
Eating and bread also occur in 6:52; 7:3, 27 and 8:14-21.
Verse 30: “apostles”: NJBC suggests
that Mark may use “apostles” here because he has just used “disciples” to refer
to the followers of John the Baptist in the previous verse. However, I note
that apostoloi, literally those sent out , is
particularly appropriate: they are those who have “done and taught”. Apostoloi may
be used here in its non-technical sense, so emissaries is a
good translation. [ BlkMk] See
also just before the story of the death of John the Baptist, i.e. 6:6b-13,
Jesus’ instructions to his followers for spreading the good news.
Verse 32: “they went away in the boat”: Mark seems to think of Jesus going
from the western or north-western shore of the lake to a place on the eastern
shore. [ BlkMk]
Verse 34: “like sheep without a shepherd”: In Numbers 27:16-17,
Moses asks Yahweh: “‘Let
the Lord , the God of
the spirits of all flesh, appoint someone over the congregation who shall go
out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them
in, so that the congregation of the Lord may
not be like sheep without a shepherd’”. Ezekiel 34:5 says:
“they [the people of Israel] were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and
scattered, they became food for all the wild animals”. See also 1 Kings 22:17 (Micaiah).
[ NOAB]
Verses 35-44: Jesus is Messiah, saviour of his people. [ NJBC] The miraculous feeding of
the people of Israel in the Sinai desert is described in Exodus 16 and
Numbers 11.
The procedure and language correspond with those of the Christian communal meal
of the New Covenant evident in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26;
Acts 2:46-47; 27:35-36.
[ CAB] This story also points
back to Elisha’s feeding of one hundred men in 2 Kings 4:38-44.
The parallels in the other gospels are Matthew 14:15-21;
Luke 9:12-17;
John 6:1-15.
The Feeding of the Four Thousand is found in Mark 8:1-10 and
Matthew 15:32-39.
[NJBC]
Verse 36: Where Jesus, the disciples, and the crowd are could hardly be
described as a “deserted place”, for there were several towns in the
neighbourhood, so it is likely that there is a link here to the story of the
gift of manna. [ NJBC]
Verse 37: “two hundred denarii”: i.e. What labourers earned in 200 days: a
lot of money. The disciples come close to being hostile. [ NJBC] They misunderstand Jesus.
Verse 38: “fish”: Why “fish”? NJBC says
that the most likely interpretation is they anticipate the sea creatures that,
according to 2 Esdras 6:52 and 2 Baruch 29:4, will be
part of the messianic
banquet. [ NJBC] BlkMk says that there was a
rabbinic belief that the sea-monster Leviathan would be given to the people as
food at the messianic banquet. Bread and fish are used in early Christian art
as symbols of the Eucharist.
Verses 39,40: “in groups”: The Greek literally means banquets or drinking
parties. [ BlkMk] The
point is that the crowd are orderly and act with decorum (hardly what one
expects for empty stomachs!), thus contributing to the idea of the messianic banquet. [ NJBC]
Verse 40: “of hundreds and of fifties”: Groupings by hundreds and fifties
is also found in Exodus 18:21 and
in the QumranWar Scroll. [ BlkMk]
Verse 41: “he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves”:
In 14:22,
we read that at the Last Supper: “he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing
it he broke it”. This meal in the wilderness points forward to the Last Supper,
which in turn points to the messianic banquet. [ NJBC] Jesus may well have used
the usual Jewish prayer at the beginning of a meal. The father in a Jewish
family “broke the loaves”. [ BlkMk]
Verse 43: “broken pieces”: The same Greek word appears in the context of
the Eucharist in Didache 9 and in 1 Clement34:7. [ HenMk] Perhaps “twelve” is
symbolically linked with Israel. [ NJBC]
It was considered good etiquette to collect the large pieces of left-over food
after a Jewish banquet. [ BlkMk]
Verse 44: “five thousand men”: This is far more than Elisha fed. [ NJBC]
Verses 45-52: Jesus is Son of God. [ NJBC]
Verses 53-56: For belief in Jesus’ power to heal, see also Matthew 4:24;
Mark 1:32-34; 3:10;
Luke 4:40-41; 6:18, 19.
[NOAB] The enthusiastic reception
given to him by the general populace contrasts with the carping attitude of the
opponents in the following controversy: 7:1-23.
[ NJBC]
Verse 53: In v. 45,
the disciples set out to go to Bethsaida, at the northern tip of the Sea of
Galilee; but somehow they disembark at Gennesaret, near the western tip of the
Sea and some 12 km from their intended destination. (The Sea is 13 km, 8 miles,
wide.) Mark appears to explain this by saying that the disciples strained at
the oars against an “adverse wind” (v. 48),
but it is likely that his sources differed as to where they landed. [ NJBC]
Verse 56: “begged”: Is Jesus still trying to avoid the crowds? [ JBC]
Verse 56: “fringe”: These are the four blue twisted threads (cords or
tassels) at the corners of his cloak. In Numbers 15:38-40 God
tells Moses to tell the Israelites: “to make fringes on the corners of their
garments ... and to put a blue cord on the fringe at each corner. ... when you
see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and not follow
the lust of your own heart and your own eyes”. See also Deuteronomy 22:12.
That Jesus wore this fringe indicates his observance of Mosaic law. [ NOAB]
Verse 56: “touched it”: The woman with haemorrhages was cured by touching
his cloak: see 5:24-30.
While those who touched him were healed, their touch made him ritually unclean.
[ CAB]
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