OCTOBER
21
663A MEMORIAL
OF SAINT JOHN PAUL II, POPE
 |
| “St. John Paul II” artist and date are unknown |
Readings
for the Memorial may also be taken from the Common of Pastors: For a Pope(#719-724).
Readings
and Commentary: [2]
Reading
1:
Isaiah 52:7-10
How
beautiful upon the mountains
are
the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
Announcing
peace, bearing good news,
announcing
salvation, and saying to Zion,
"Your
God is King!"
Hark!
Your sentinels raise a cry,
together
they shout for joy,
For
they see directly, before their eyes,
the
LORD restoring Zion.
Break
out together in song,
O
ruins of Jerusalem!
For
the LORD comforts his people,
he
redeems Jerusalem.
The
LORD has bared his holy arm
in the
sight of all the nations;
All
the ends of the earth will behold
the
salvation of our God.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 52:7-10
At
the time of its writing, the prophet’s intent was to proclaim the joy of the
return of the Jews from the Babylonian exile to Judah. He sees the event as
salvation for the Hebrew people. God leads them back to the land he gave their
fathers.
“These
verses form the famous poem of the ‘messenger of peace’ who ‘brings good
tidings.’ The ideas of the first oracle of this second part of the book (Isaiah 40:1-11) are repeated here very
beautifully. The messenger's feet are praised - a symbol of his speed and
surefootedness when crossing the mountains, which is where important news comes
from (cf. Isaiah 40:9). His message (v. 7) is
described very significantly as involving ‘peace,’ which in Isaiah means safety
in Israel after the hardships of exile; ‘good tidings’ or, more literally,
‘news of goodness and well-being,’ that is, genuine material and spiritual
prosperity; and 'salvation,' which is permanent renewal on all levels. The
three words read together mean the highest degree of happiness imaginable. The
core of this message is the enthronement of God: ‘Your God reigns,’ similar to Isaiah 40:9: ‘Behold your God.’” [3]
From
a greater distance and depth of understanding, we see him announcing the coming
of the Messiah and the salvation that comes to the new Jerusalem through Jesus
Christ.
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial
Psalm: Psalm
96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10
R. (3) Proclaim
God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing
to the LORD a new song;
sing
to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing
to the LORD; bless his name.
R.
Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce
his salvation, day after day.
Tell
his glory among the nations;
among
all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R.
Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Give
to the LORD, you families of nations,
give
to the LORD glory and praise;
give
to the LORD the glory due his name!
R.
Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Say
among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has
made the world firm, not to be moved;
he
governs the peoples with equity.
R.
Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10
“Announce
his salvation, day after day.” This song of praise to the Lord invites all
humanity to participate in God’s salvation. “This psalm has numerous verbal and
thematic contacts with Isaiah Chapters 40-55,
as does Psalm 98. Another
version of the psalm is 1 Chronicles 16:23-33.”[4]
CCC:
Ps 96:2 2143
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: John
21:15-17
After
Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and
eaten
breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter,
"Simon,
son of John, do you love me more than these?"
Simon
Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus
said to him, "Feed my lambs."
He
then said to Simon Peter a second time,
"Simon,
son of John, do you love me?"
Simon
Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
He
said to him, "Tend my sheep."
He
said to him the third time,
"Simon,
son of John, do you love me?"
Peter
was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
"Do
you love me?" and he said to him,
"Lord,
you know everything; you know that I love you."
Jesus
said to him, "Feed my sheep."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 21:15-17
Following
the third revelation to the disciples, as they were fishing at the Sea of
Tiberias, Jesus now focuses on Peter, making sure he understands his role in
the foundation of the Church. The triple confession of Peter reverses his
earlier denial of the Lord the night of the Passion (Matthew 26:69ff; Mark 14:29-31, 66-72; John 13:36-38, 18:15-18, 18:25-27).
This is also a key passage, identified by the Church as Christ’s
post-resurrection assignment of Peter to be the shepherd of the Church,
essentially establishing the beginning of apostolic succession.
CCC:
Jn 21:13-15 645; Jn 21:15-17 553, 881, 1429, 1551
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
There
have been several saints named during the past fifty years who stand out as modern
icons of holiness. St. Teresa of
Calcutta, St. Padre Pio, and St. John Paul II (“the Great”). St. John Paul II ushered in a new image for the
Church. His twenty-five year reign as
pontiff gave him the opportunity to shape the church, using the Vatican II
reforms as a roadmap, into a younger and more modern version of itself. There have been countless witnesses to his
impactful grace and piety. His fast-tracked
passage through the various steps to sainthood reflect the popular acclamation
of his universal popularity. He truly transformed
the world through his remarkable vision and singular grace.
As a
true pastor, St. John Paul II was able to make the Church relevant to the modern
world while, at the same time, being faithful to her dogmatic traditions and
morality. He answered the Lord’s call to
“feed my sheep” in a loving but firm way and was able to rebuke world
leaders when they forgot the call to respect the dignity of each person. He further exhorted all the people to do have
that same respect through his Theology of the Body.
We
celebrate his feast day and recall his noble and holy service to the Church and
to the world. We also ask for his
intercession this day. He showed us his
strength, even when the terrible effects of the disease that would take his
life weakened him and stole his vigor.
He showed us forgiveness when he went to the would-be assassin in prison
to assure him of his forgiveness. We ask
for his prayers this day. May we too be
strong in faith, even when we are weak in body, and may we to forgive as our
Lord commanded, when we are grievously wronged. St. John Paul II, pray for us.
Pax
[1]
The Picture is “St. John Paul II” artist and date are unknown.
[2] The readings are taken from the New
American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were
developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[3] The Navarre
Bible: “Major Prophets”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 231
[4] NAB footnote on Psalm 96
