Faith saves

November 16, 2015

Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Saint of the Day: Saint Margarte of Scotland

Reading 1

1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63

¹⁰There sprang from these a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus, once a hostage at Rome. He became king in the year one hundred and thirty-seven of the kingdom of the Greeks.¹

¹¹In those days there appeared in Israel men who were breakers of the law, and they seduced many people, saying: "Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us; since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us."

¹²The proposal was agreeable; ¹³some from among the people promptly went to the king, and he authorized them to introduce the way of living of the Gentiles. 

¹⁴Thereupon they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem according to the Gentile custom.²

¹⁵They covered over the mark of their circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant; they allied themselves with the Gentiles and sold themselves to wrongdoing.

⁴¹Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, ⁴²each abandoning his particular customs. All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king, ⁴³and many Israelites were in favor of his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.

⁵⁴On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five, the king erected the horrible abomination upon the altar of holocausts, and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars.^3 55They also burnt incense at the doors of houses and in the streets. ⁵⁶Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt.^4 57Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant, and whoever observed the law, was condemned to death by royal decree. ⁶²But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; ⁶³they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Terrible affliction was upon Israel.

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalms 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158

R. In your mercy give me life, to observe the testimonies of your mouth.

⁵³Rage seizes me because of the wicked; they forsake your law. 

⁶¹Though the snares of the wicked surround me, your law I do not forget.

¹³⁴Free me from human oppression, that I may observe your precepts.

¹⁵⁰Malicious persecutors draw near me; they are far from your law.

¹⁵⁵Salvation is far from sinners because they do not cherish your statutes.

¹⁵⁸View the faithless with loathingw because they do not heed your promise.

Alleluia John 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Gospel 

Luke 18:35-43

³⁵Now as He approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, ³⁶and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. ³⁷They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." ³⁸He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"⁵

³⁹The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!"

⁴⁰Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹"What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see."

⁴²Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." ⁴³He immediately received his sight and followed Him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

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Notes on Readings:

1) 1 Maccabees 1:10 - The year one hundred and thirty-seven: Antiochus IV seized the throne in September, 175 B.C. Dates are given in this book according to the Seleucid era, which however was reckoned in two different ways. Antiochians considered this date to be October, 312 B.C. (Syrian calendar), while Babylonians and Jewish priests accepted April, 311 B.C. as the commencement of the era (temple calendar). The author of 1 Macc dates political events by the Syrian calendar but religious events by the temple calendar. Accordingly, the civil New Year occurred variously in September or October, the religious New Year in March or April.

2) 1 Maccabees 1:14 - Gymnasium: symbol and center of athletic and intellectual life, it was the chief instrument of Hellenistic propaganda. Jewish youth were attracted by sports and encouraged to join youth clubs. They received training in military skills and in the duties of citizens. Through participation in the intellectual life, many were gradually won over to paganism.

3) 1 Maccabees 1:54 - Fifteenth day of the month Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five: December 6, 167 B.C. Horrible abomination: in the original Hebrew, a contemptuous pun on the title "Lord of heaven" given to the god Zeus Olympios, to whom an image or perhaps an altar was erected upon the altar of holocausts in the temple of Jerusalem; compare with Daniel 9:27;11:31.

4) 1 Maccabees 1:56-57 - Scrolls of the law: one or more of the first five books of the Old Testament.

5) Luke 18:38 - Son of David: the blind beggar identifies Jesus with a title that is related to Jesus' role as Messiah (see the footnote on Luke 2;11). Through this Son of David, salvation comes to the blind man. Note the connection between salvation and house of David mentioned earlier in Zechariah's canticle (Luke 1:69). See also the footnote on Matthew 9:27.