January 29, 2013

USCCB »  Bible »  Daily Readings

« January 28  |  January 30 »

Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 318

Reading 1 from St. Paul's epistle to the Hebrews
Heb 10:1-10

Brothers and sisters:
Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come,
and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect
those who come to worship by the same sacrifices
that they offer continually each year.

He is speaking of the Law of Moses.  Not the Ten Commandments.  I like to call the Law of Moses, the ordinances to distinguish them from the Ten Commandments.  But sometimes, they are called commandments as well.

Anyway, these ordinances, with the accompanying requirement to sacrifice certain animals at certain times of the year, were based upon the shadow of the New Covenant in the Blood of Christ.  They were not accompanied by Sanctifying grace.

Here's the difference.  In our ordinances, which we call the Seven Sacraments, we are cleansed of our sins by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.  At that time, we begin to walk upon Mt. Sion with the Saints of God.

In the Jewish ordinances, the Law of Moses, the sacrifices of animals did not bring about any true cleansing of the soul.  That is why the Patriarchs, (with the exceptions of  Enoch, Elijah and Moses) had to await the Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord before they could enter the Heavenly Gates.

Do you want proof?  Skip over to the next Chapter:
Heb 11:

39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.


In Heb 11, St. Paul speaks of the Patriarchs and all their good works of faith.  And yet, he reveals that they were not saved thereby.  But had to await the Crucifixion and our coming, the revelation of the children of God, before they were saved.

Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered,
since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer
have had any consciousness of sins?

This is a bit complicated to understand because we speak as though we still offer sacrifice for sins.  We actually don't.

1.  Jesus offered the ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice for sin.
2.  We enter into and participate in that ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice.
3.  Jesus, because He is God, did not need to offer any more sacrifices for sins, nor to offer Himself again.
4.  But we must enter into and participate in that ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice, through the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist,  all believers in Christ need to apply the Sanctifying grace of God to their souls and because most of us continue to commit sins even after we first apply that Sanctifying grace to our souls in Baptism.

But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins,
for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats
take away sins. 

For this reason, when he came into the world, he said:
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,but a body you prepared for me;in burnt offerings and sin offerings you took no delight.Then I said, As is written of me in the scroll,Behold, I come to do your will, O God. 

First he says, Sacrifices and offerings,
burnt offerings and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor delighted in.burnt offerings and sin offerings,you neither desired nor delighted in.These are offered according to the law.
Then he says, Behold, I come to do your will.He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this “will,” we have been consecrated
through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.

I left that last long segment without interjection because St. Paul explained it himself.  I trust that my explanation is  consistent with his.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 40:2 and 4ab, 7-8a, 10, 11

R. (8a and 9a) Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.

R. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”

R. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

R. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth
in the vast assembly.

R. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.

God's Holy One will not see corruption.  It is amazing how almost every single verse which applies to the Messiah, also applies to us.  That Psalm is about the Messiah.  But in a veiled manner it is about all of us.  We are supposed to do what Jesus does.  We are supposed to pick up our Cross and follow Him.  He came and died for our sins, leaving us an example to follow in His steps.  Those of us who keep the Commandments and the Gospel of our Lord, are sons of God and sons of Mary.  

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark
Mk 3:31-35

The mother of Jesus

A reference to Mary.

and his brothers

A reference to the Apostles.  Why do I say that?  Protestants frequently try to go through Scripture pointing out that many people are called "brothers" of Christ.  This, they claim, proves that Mary had more children.  Never mind that these purported "brothers" of Christ can be traced to another mothers and father.

Let me show you:
Matthew 13:55-56
King James Version (KJV)
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

James, Joses, Simon and Judas, they claim, are the other children of the Virgin Mary and therefore brothers of Christ.  

They neglect the following verses:

Matthew 27:56

Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, ....

We know this is not the Virgin Mary because there is another Mary who is kin to the Virgin Mary AND is frequently in the company of Mary Magdalene:

John 19:25
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

So, who are James and Joses and Simon and Judas?

Joses is the only one whose identity is not known other than that he is the son of the other Mary.  The other three, James, Simon and Judas are Apostles of Christ.

Here are the lists, I'll skip over the other Apostles and focus on these three:
Matthew 10:1-4
King James Version (KJV)
1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, ... The first, Simon, who is called Peter,...James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Mark 3:
16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;...and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

Luke 6:13-16
King James Version (KJV)
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; 14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) ... James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

What about Joses?  It is possible that Matthew is Joses.  Most Bible Scholars agree that the Apostle sometimes referred to as Levi, is Matthew.  Note that Levi is also a son of Alphaeus:


Matthew 9:9
And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.



Mark 2:14
And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

One thing this tells us is that Jesus' family was complicated.  Jesus is a son of David.  Yet, one of His cousins is St. John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah, a Levite.  Whether St. Elizabeth is of the line of Levi is not mentioned.  But it is doubtful since she is Mary's cousin.  It is possible that Levi/Matthew somehow is related to Jesus through this connection.

The other thing this tells us is that the foundation of the Catholic Church was very much a family affair.  More about that in a minute.

arrived at the house.

Anyway, these are the brethren of Jesus who arrived at the house.  It is natural that they would frequently keep company with the Virgin Mary, their aunt.

Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.

It was too crowded for them to come in so they called to the Lord from outside.

A crowd seated around him told him,
“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you.”

This point is frequently missed by those who claim that Jesus had brothers.  The verse mentions "sisters".  There are two women who are "kin" to Jesus and Mary.  They are the other Mary, who is called His mother's "sister" in Scripture.  And her daughter.

The other Mary is the mother of James, Joses, Simon, Judas and Salome.  Therefore, Salome is also Jesus' cousin several times removed.


Mark 15:40
There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

So far, we've identified the Apostles James the son of Alphaeus, Judas his brother, and Simon also James' brother as kin to Jesus.  And possibly, Levi the son of Alphaeus also known as Matthew.  That makes four Apostles kin to Jesus.

Salome, we identify as the sister of James, Judas, Simon and possibly Levi because they have the same mother and the same father.  But Salome is also the mother of Zebedee's children.  James and John.


Matthew 27:56
Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.


Mark 15:40
There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene,

and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses,

 and Salome;

These are the same three women looking upon Jesus from afar during the Crucifixion.  Salome then is the mother of Zebedee's children which just happen to be the Boarnges, the Sons of Thunder, Sts. James the greater and John the beloved of Jesus.  All of which are related to Jesus by virtue of being kin to His mother.




Anyway....

But he said to them in reply,
“Who are my mother and my brothers?”
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.”

Now, many people claim that in so saying, Jesus denied that Mary was His mother.  Or that He somehow rejected her.  But in this verse, He actually affirms her fidelity and love.  Scripture does not contradict itself folks.  In Luke 1:28, God calls Mary the kecharitomene, she who is always full of grace.

Why?  Because she always does His will.  And here, Jesus says that those who are related to Him are they who do the will of His Father.  Therefore, Jesus here affirms the motherhood of Mary.  Because she is the most faithful woman that ever lived.