OCTOBER
11, SAINT JOHN XXIII, POPE
Below
are the readings suggested for this Memorial. However, readings for the
Memorial may also be taken from the Common of Pastors: For a Pope (#719-724).
 |
| “Saint John XXIII, Pope” photographer and date are unknown. |
Readings
and Commentary [2]
Reading
1:
Ezekiel 34:11-16
Thus
says the Lord GOD:
I
myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a
shepherd tends his flock
when
he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so
will I tend my sheep.
I will
rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when
it was cloudy and dark.
I will
lead them out from among the peoples
and
gather them from the foreign lands;
I will
bring them back to their own country
and
pasture them upon the mountains of Israel
in the
land's ravines and all its inhabited places.
In
good pastures will I pasture them,
and on
the mountain heights of Israel
shall
be their grazing ground.
There
they shall lie down on good grazing ground,
and in
rich pastures shall they be pastured
on the
mountains of Israel.
I
myself will pasture my sheep;
I
myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The
lost I will seek out,
the
strayed I will bring back,
the
injured I will bind up,
the
sick I will heal,
but
the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding
them rightly.
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Commentary on Ez 34:11-16
The
prophet presents the allegory of God, the shepherd. In this oracle, the vision
is God the Father, like a shepherd, will gather the people of Israel from the
foreign lands to which they have been driven, and bring them back to “the
mountains of Israel.”
"This
beautiful oracle resounds in our Lord's parable of the Good Shepherd who takes
care of his sheep (cf. John 10:1-21), in what he says about
the Father's joy on finding the lost sheep (cf. Matthew 18: 12-14; Luke
15:4-7), and in things he has to say about the Last Judgment as reported by
St Matthew (Matthew 25:31-46)." [3]
CCC: Ez
34:11-31 754
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Responsorial
Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6
R. (1) The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The
LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In
verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside
restful waters he leads me;
he
refreshes my soul.
R. The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Even
though I walk in the dark valley
I fear
no evil; for you are at my side
With
your rod and your staff
that
give me courage.
R. The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You
spread the table before me
in the
sight of my foes;
You
anoint my head with oil;
my cup
overflows.
R. The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only
goodness and kindness follow me
all
the days of my life;
And I
shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for
years to come.
R. The
Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
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Commentary on Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Psalm
23 is one of the most familiar songs in the entire psalter. “God's loving care
for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Psalm 23:1-4) and a host's generosity
toward a guest (Psalm 23:5-6). The imagery of both
sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Isaiah 40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah 31:10).” [4] While the theme of
shepherd is mentioned in the first strophe, the psalm really speaks to the
peace given to those who follow the Lord and place their trust in him, even
into the “dark valley.”
The
reference in the third strophe above: “'You spread the table before me in
the sight of my foes' occurs in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies watch: my
enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made
from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke
7:37, 46; John
12:2).” [5]
CCC:
Ps 23:5 1293
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Gospel: Jn 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."
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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
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Reflection:
On
many occasions our Lord, Jesus Christ, has made reference to shepherds and
their importance. In St. John XXIII we
see a true shepherd of our modern Church.
In another age, were he canonized with a descriptive suffix, he would
have been called St. John “the Reformer” based upon what he did for the Church
he loved. He is known first and foremost
for convening the Second Vatican Council with its mandate to reform the Church. However, even before he did that, he was changing
the role of the Church in world affairs.
It was St. John XXIII who first told the bishops of Italy to stop
interfering in local elections. He
understood that the Church must rule the spirit of the people, but the people
must decide how their civic leaders will lead them.
"The
Church is, accordingly, a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway to which is
Christ. It is also the flock of which God himself foretold that he would be the
shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human shepherds, are
unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince
of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep.” (CCC 754)
As
members of the flock formed by such shepherds we are bound to follow in the
footsteps of those who have gone before us.
We have as our first model the holiest of shepherds, Jesus Christ. His example and commandments guide all we
do. If that were our only model of
holiness, we would certainly be discouraged since no one can hope to come close
to the image of perfect love and obedience to the Father shown to us by our
Savior. So we are given other saints to
provide us with examples. St. John the Twenty-third
is one of these. We see in him the
discipline of holiness. His constant
love and concern for those who walk that same pilgrim way. And his success in achieving a place among
the heavenly hosts gives us hope. Today,
on his feast day, we ask for his intercession.
May we too always seek to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Pax
[1] The photograph is “Saint John XXIII,
Pope” photographer 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.733.
[4] NAB footnote on Psalm 23
[5] Ibid.
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