Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Pavement
Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr
http://www.usccb.org/nab/022306.shtml
When ever I hear this particular section from St James I am reminded of the story of the very wealthy man who died and, because he had lead an exemplarily life, went to heaven. St. Peter saw the man when he got there and was concerned because he looked so depressed. He went over to him and asked; "Mr. Smith, why are you not shouting for joy? On earth you were very successful financially and now, because of your excellent character, you have been accepted into heaven. You should be jumping for joy."
The man answered; "I know I should, St. Peter, and I know I can't take it with me, but I wish I had just a small reminder of my earthly success."
St. Peter glanced into his book and looked back up at the man and said; "I think that would be OK. I can send you down for an instant and you can bring a souvenir of your success, nothing big though, no yachts or anything like that."
The man smiled a zap he was gone and zap he was back. He carried with him a shoe box that was clearly very heavy. St. Peter went over to the man and asked; "What did you decide to bring?"
Smiling sheepishly, the man opened the shoe box and inside there were four bars of gold bullion. St. Peter looked surprised and said; "You brought pavement?"
(Ironically, when I have told this story to some folks they don't understand the humor because they have never heard that the streets of heaven are paved in gold. Perhaps I'm getting old.)
I think this humorous tail reflects a deeper truth that St. James hammers home today. What we find to be important in our secular lives is not important at all in the larger scheme of things. Our faith, our families, and indeed our example in the world, as Jesus reminds us in the Gospel, are more important than earthly success.
And to that end as St. James reminds us, what is most important to us is where our heart is and that always shows in our actions. Let us hope to put God first and that will show. Pax
Scripture from Jas 5:1-6
Jerome Biblical Commentary
1
1 Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.
1 [1-6] Continuing with the theme of the transitory character of life on earth, the author points out the impending ruin of the godless. He denounces the unjust rich, whose victims cry to heaven for judgment on their exploiters (James 5:4-6). The decay and corrosion of the costly garments and metals, which symbolize wealth, prove them worthless and portend the destruction of their possessors (James 5:2-3).
30 (X) Woe to the Rich (5:1-6). This severe denunciation of the unjust rich is reminiscent of OT prophets (e.g., Am 8 :4-8). It is not intended to influence the rich to whom it is rhetorically addressed, but is rather a salutary warning to the faithful of the terrible fate of those who abuse riches and perhaps also a consolation to those now oppressed by the rich (2:5-7). 1. come, now, you rich: The identical mode of introduction in 5 :1-6 and 4:13-17 and the use of direct address throughout indicate the parallelism of the sections. However, the present passage is harsher in tone and does not seem to envisage the possibility of repentance. miseries that are coming: The loss of wealth (vv. 2-3) and the dread judgment that will avenge their heartless injustices (vv. 3-6).
2
Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,
2. have rotted: The perfect tense of this and the two following verbs probably indicates the present worthlessness of wealth. Some regard it as the "prophetic perfect," referring to a future situation as already in existence. garments: These were a principal form of wealth in antiquity (cf. Horace, Ep. 1.6, 40-44; Mt 6:19; Acts 20:33).
3
your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days.
3. have rusted: Although silver and gold do not actually rust, this expression indicates their basic worthlessness. evidence against you: Their miserable disintegration is a telling accusation against those who have made them their supreme goal in life. eat your flesh like fire: The very objects of accumulated wealth are, by metonymy, represented as instruments of vindictive punishment-no doubt, with allusion to "the gehenna of fire" (Mt 5 :22). the last days: In view of the allusion to the coming of the Lord in vv. 7 and 9, James probably points out the absurdity of excessive concern for this age, since the last days are at hand (cf. Acts 2 :16-17). Others understand it to refer to the future judgment of wrath that the rich man has "stored up" for himself. Some (BJ, Ropes) take "fire" as the object of "stored up," instead of construing it with the preceding phrase.
4
Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
4. wages of the laborers: On the withholding of the pay of laborers, cf. Dt 24:14-15. the Lord of armies: Cf. Is 5:9 (LXX), a context similar to this one. The OT expression (yhwh sh'wt) first meant "Lord of the armies of Israel"; later, "of the heavenly armies," i.e., the stars, or even the angels. In the LXX this usually becomes pantokratõr, but sometimes the transliteration is used, as is done here (kyrios sabaõth-cf. Rom 9 :29).
5
You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.
5. day of slaughter: This phrase, taken from Jer 12:3, emphasizes the proximity of judgment; it is ironic that their excessive indulgence makes the rich more vulnerable to coming torments.
6
You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance. 2
2 [6] The author does not have in mind any specific crime in his readers' communities but rather echoes the Old Testament theme of the harsh oppression of the righteous poor (see Proverb 1:11; Wisdom 2:10, 12, 20).
6. killed the righteous man: James may allude to Sir 34:22, "To take away a neighbor's living is to murder him; to deprive an employee of his wages is to shed blood." This climactic charge may likewise allude to Wis 2 and 3, in which the godless plot the destruction of the righteous poor man (See esp. Wis .3 :3-1 :16).
Scripture from Mk 9:41-50
Jerome Biblical Commentary
41
Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
41. a cup of water: This saying has been freely appended here by the catchword en onomati; the context in Mt 10 :42 is more natural.
42
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe (in me) to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
(B) A Group of Sayings (9:42-50). This pre-Marcan catechetical group of disparate sayings is connected only by catchwords. In Aramaic, vv. 38-45 form
a poetic unit with strong assonances (see Black, AAGA 127-28). 42. whoever causes one of these little ones... to stumble: Whoever shakes their faith in Christ; see comment on 6:3.
43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, 10 into the unquenchable fire.
44
11
45
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
47
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
10 [43,45,47] Gehenna: see the note on Matthew 5:22.
11 [44,46] These verses, lacking in some important early manuscripts, are here omitted as scribal additions. They simply repeat Mark 9:48 itself a modified citation of Isaiah 66:24.
43. if your foot causes you to stumble: Verses 43, 45, and 47 contain three parallel warnings against self-ensnarement. The catechetical interest of these sayings must have been especially relevant to the Christians of Rome during Nero's persecution. Gehenna: A ravine south of Jerusalem called Gê-Hinnom (or gê'ben-Hinnom, "Valley of the Son of Hinnom" [Jos 15:8]), where human sacrifices were once offered to Molech and where in later times rubbish was burnt. Its continually burning fIres came to symbolize the place of torment for the wicked (2 Esdras 7:36; Enoch 27:2; 90:24-26).
48
where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'
48. where their worm does not die: Jesus' words are based on an OT description of Gehenna with its filth and smoldering fires (Is 66 :24).
49
12 "Everyone will be salted with fire
12 [49] Everyone will be salted with fire: so the better manuscripts. Some add "every sacrifice will be salted with salt." The purifying and preservative use of salt in food (Lev 2:13) and the refinement effected through fire refer here to comparable effects in the spiritual life of the disciples of Jesus.
49. salted with fire: Three forms of this saying are attested: (I) mss. S, B, L, W; "For everyone will be salted with fIre"; (2) mss. A, C, 6> add: "and every sacrifice will be salted with salt"; (3) ms. D: "For every sacrifice will be salted with salt." Form (2) appears to be a conflation of (I) and (3), and of these (I) is textually better attested, and' (3) reflects Lv 2:13. The saying is independent of the previous ones; "fIre" scarcely refers to that of Gehenna. Salt and fire suggest the purification the disciples will undergo through persecution and suffering. H. Zimmermann (TQ 139 [1959] 28-39) prefers reading (2) and sees this verse as a spiritualization of Lv 2: I 3: like the OT sacrifices, the self-sacrifices of Christians must be salted-by the fire of the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 18:3; Mk 8 :35; Jn 3 :5).
50
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another."
50. salt is good: Like Mt 5 :13 this saying is probably addressed to the disciples; they must- purify the world and not be contaminated by it or its spirit. be at peace with one another: Mark closes with an allusion to the dispute (9 :33-34) that occasioned this whole section.
Polycarp of Smyrna
Memorial
23 February
Profile
Associate of, converted by, and disciple of Saint John the Apostle. Friend of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. Fought Gnosticism. Bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey). Revered Christian leader during the first half of the second century. The Asia Minor churches recognized Polycarp's leadership and chose him representative to Pope Anicetus on the question the date of the Easter celebration. Only one of the many letters written by Polycarp has survived, the one he wrote to the Church of Philippi, Macedonia. At 86, Polycarp was to be burned alive in a stadium in Smyrna; the flames did not harm him and he was finally killed by a dagger, and his body burned. The "Acts" of Polycarp's martyrdom are the earliest preserved reliable account of a Christian martyr's death. Apostolic Father.
Born
c.69
Died
stabbed to death c.155 at Smyrna body burned
Patronage
against earache; dysentery
Prayers
Prayer before Martyrdom
Additional Information
Vikipedio esperantoCatholic OnlineCatholic OnlineCatholic EncyclopediaVietnamese Eucharistic Youth SocietyMartyrdom of PolycarpEpistle of Polycarp
Hard Copy
printer friendly version
Translate
.. language=JavaScript> español français deutsch italiano português
Readings
Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord, 'firm and unchangeable in faith, lovers of the brotherhood, loving each other, united in truth,' helping each other with the mildness of the Lord, despising no man. - Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians
When the pyre was ready, Polycarp took off all his outer clothes and loosened his under-garments. There and then he was surrounded by the material for the pyre. Whey they tried to fasten him also with nails, he said, "Leave me as I am. The one who gives me the strength to endure the fire will also give me strength to stay quite still on the pyre, even without the precaution of your nails." So they did not fix him to the pyre with nails, but only fastened him instead. Looking up to heaven, he said, "Lord, almighty God, Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom have come to the knowledge of yourself, God of angels, of powers, of all creation, of all the race of saints who live in your sight, I bless you for judging me worthy of this day, this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ, your anointed one, and so rise again to eternal life in soul and body through the power of the Holy Spirit. "I praise you for all things, I bless you, I glorify you through the eternal priest of heaven, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. Through him by glory to you, together with him and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen." When he had said, "Amen" and finished the prayer, the officials at the pyre lit it. But, when a great flame burst out, those of us privileged to see it witnessed a strange and wonderful thing. Like a ship's sail swelling in the wind, the flame became as it were a dome encircling the martyr's body. Surrounded by the fire, his body was like bread that is baked, or gold and silver white-hot in a furnace, not like flesh that has been burnt. So sweet a fragrance came to us that it was like that of burning incense or some other costly and sweet-smelling gum. - from a letter by the Church of Smyrna on the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp
Pavement
Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr
http://www.usccb.org/nab/022306.shtml
When ever I hear this particular section from St James I am reminded of the story of the very wealthy man who died and, because he had lead an exemplarily life, went to heaven. St. Peter saw the man when he got there and was concerned because he looked so depressed. He went over to him and asked; "Mr. Smith, why are you not shouting for joy? On earth you were very successful financially and now, because of your excellent character, you have been accepted into heaven. You should be jumping for joy."
The man answered; "I know I should, St. Peter, and I know I can't take it with me, but I wish I had just a small reminder of my earthly success."
St. Peter glanced into his book and looked back up at the man and said; "I think that would be OK. I can send you down for an instant and you can bring a souvenir of your success, nothing big though, no yachts or anything like that."
The man smiled a zap he was gone and zap he was back. He carried with him a shoe box that was clearly very heavy. St. Peter went over to the man and asked; "What did you decide to bring?"
Smiling sheepishly, the man opened the shoe box and inside there were four bars of gold bullion. St. Peter looked surprised and said; "You brought pavement?"
(Ironically, when I have told this story to some folks they don't understand the humor because they have never heard that the streets of heaven are paved in gold. Perhaps I'm getting old.)
I think this humorous tail reflects a deeper truth that St. James hammers home today. What we find to be important in our secular lives is not important at all in the larger scheme of things. Our faith, our families, and indeed our example in the world, as Jesus reminds us in the Gospel, are more important than earthly success.
And to that end as St. James reminds us, what is most important to us is where our heart is and that always shows in our actions. Let us hope to put God first and that will show. Pax
Scripture from Jas 5:1-6
Jerome Biblical Commentary
1
1 Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.
1 [1-6] Continuing with the theme of the transitory character of life on earth, the author points out the impending ruin of the godless. He denounces the unjust rich, whose victims cry to heaven for judgment on their exploiters (James 5:4-6). The decay and corrosion of the costly garments and metals, which symbolize wealth, prove them worthless and portend the destruction of their possessors (James 5:2-3).
30 (X) Woe to the Rich (5:1-6). This severe denunciation of the unjust rich is reminiscent of OT prophets (e.g., Am 8 :4-8). It is not intended to influence the rich to whom it is rhetorically addressed, but is rather a salutary warning to the faithful of the terrible fate of those who abuse riches and perhaps also a consolation to those now oppressed by the rich (2:5-7). 1. come, now, you rich: The identical mode of introduction in 5 :1-6 and 4:13-17 and the use of direct address throughout indicate the parallelism of the sections. However, the present passage is harsher in tone and does not seem to envisage the possibility of repentance. miseries that are coming: The loss of wealth (vv. 2-3) and the dread judgment that will avenge their heartless injustices (vv. 3-6).
2
Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,
2. have rotted: The perfect tense of this and the two following verbs probably indicates the present worthlessness of wealth. Some regard it as the "prophetic perfect," referring to a future situation as already in existence. garments: These were a principal form of wealth in antiquity (cf. Horace, Ep. 1.6, 40-44; Mt 6:19; Acts 20:33).
3
your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days.
3. have rusted: Although silver and gold do not actually rust, this expression indicates their basic worthlessness. evidence against you: Their miserable disintegration is a telling accusation against those who have made them their supreme goal in life. eat your flesh like fire: The very objects of accumulated wealth are, by metonymy, represented as instruments of vindictive punishment-no doubt, with allusion to "the gehenna of fire" (Mt 5 :22). the last days: In view of the allusion to the coming of the Lord in vv. 7 and 9, James probably points out the absurdity of excessive concern for this age, since the last days are at hand (cf. Acts 2 :16-17). Others understand it to refer to the future judgment of wrath that the rich man has "stored up" for himself. Some (BJ, Ropes) take "fire" as the object of "stored up," instead of construing it with the preceding phrase.
4
Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
4. wages of the laborers: On the withholding of the pay of laborers, cf. Dt 24:14-15. the Lord of armies: Cf. Is 5:9 (LXX), a context similar to this one. The OT expression (yhwh sh'wt) first meant "Lord of the armies of Israel"; later, "of the heavenly armies," i.e., the stars, or even the angels. In the LXX this usually becomes pantokratõr, but sometimes the transliteration is used, as is done here (kyrios sabaõth-cf. Rom 9 :29).
5
You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.
5. day of slaughter: This phrase, taken from Jer 12:3, emphasizes the proximity of judgment; it is ironic that their excessive indulgence makes the rich more vulnerable to coming torments.
6
You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance. 2
2 [6] The author does not have in mind any specific crime in his readers' communities but rather echoes the Old Testament theme of the harsh oppression of the righteous poor (see Proverb 1:11; Wisdom 2:10, 12, 20).
6. killed the righteous man: James may allude to Sir 34:22, "To take away a neighbor's living is to murder him; to deprive an employee of his wages is to shed blood." This climactic charge may likewise allude to Wis 2 and 3, in which the godless plot the destruction of the righteous poor man (See esp. Wis .3 :3-1 :16).
Scripture from Mk 9:41-50
Jerome Biblical Commentary
41
Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
41. a cup of water: This saying has been freely appended here by the catchword en onomati; the context in Mt 10 :42 is more natural.
42
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe (in me) to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
(B) A Group of Sayings (9:42-50). This pre-Marcan catechetical group of disparate sayings is connected only by catchwords. In Aramaic, vv. 38-45 form
a poetic unit with strong assonances (see Black, AAGA 127-28). 42. whoever causes one of these little ones... to stumble: Whoever shakes their faith in Christ; see comment on 6:3.
43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, 10 into the unquenchable fire.
44
11
45
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
47
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
10 [43,45,47] Gehenna: see the note on Matthew 5:22.
11 [44,46] These verses, lacking in some important early manuscripts, are here omitted as scribal additions. They simply repeat Mark 9:48 itself a modified citation of Isaiah 66:24.
43. if your foot causes you to stumble: Verses 43, 45, and 47 contain three parallel warnings against self-ensnarement. The catechetical interest of these sayings must have been especially relevant to the Christians of Rome during Nero's persecution. Gehenna: A ravine south of Jerusalem called Gê-Hinnom (or gê'ben-Hinnom, "Valley of the Son of Hinnom" [Jos 15:8]), where human sacrifices were once offered to Molech and where in later times rubbish was burnt. Its continually burning fIres came to symbolize the place of torment for the wicked (2 Esdras 7:36; Enoch 27:2; 90:24-26).
48
where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'
48. where their worm does not die: Jesus' words are based on an OT description of Gehenna with its filth and smoldering fires (Is 66 :24).
49
12 "Everyone will be salted with fire
12 [49] Everyone will be salted with fire: so the better manuscripts. Some add "every sacrifice will be salted with salt." The purifying and preservative use of salt in food (Lev 2:13) and the refinement effected through fire refer here to comparable effects in the spiritual life of the disciples of Jesus.
49. salted with fire: Three forms of this saying are attested: (I) mss. S, B, L, W; "For everyone will be salted with fIre"; (2) mss. A, C, 6> add: "and every sacrifice will be salted with salt"; (3) ms. D: "For every sacrifice will be salted with salt." Form (2) appears to be a conflation of (I) and (3), and of these (I) is textually better attested, and' (3) reflects Lv 2:13. The saying is independent of the previous ones; "fIre" scarcely refers to that of Gehenna. Salt and fire suggest the purification the disciples will undergo through persecution and suffering. H. Zimmermann (TQ 139 [1959] 28-39) prefers reading (2) and sees this verse as a spiritualization of Lv 2: I 3: like the OT sacrifices, the self-sacrifices of Christians must be salted-by the fire of the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 18:3; Mk 8 :35; Jn 3 :5).
50
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another."
50. salt is good: Like Mt 5 :13 this saying is probably addressed to the disciples; they must- purify the world and not be contaminated by it or its spirit. be at peace with one another: Mark closes with an allusion to the dispute (9 :33-34) that occasioned this whole section.
Polycarp of Smyrna
Memorial
23 February
Profile
Associate of, converted by, and disciple of Saint John the Apostle. Friend of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. Fought Gnosticism. Bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey). Revered Christian leader during the first half of the second century. The Asia Minor churches recognized Polycarp's leadership and chose him representative to Pope Anicetus on the question the date of the Easter celebration. Only one of the many letters written by Polycarp has survived, the one he wrote to the Church of Philippi, Macedonia. At 86, Polycarp was to be burned alive in a stadium in Smyrna; the flames did not harm him and he was finally killed by a dagger, and his body burned. The "Acts" of Polycarp's martyrdom are the earliest preserved reliable account of a Christian martyr's death. Apostolic Father.
Born
c.69
Died
stabbed to death c.155 at Smyrna body burned
Patronage
against earache; dysentery
Prayers
Prayer before Martyrdom
Additional Information
Vikipedio esperantoCatholic OnlineCatholic OnlineCatholic EncyclopediaVietnamese Eucharistic Youth SocietyMartyrdom of PolycarpEpistle of Polycarp
Hard Copy
printer friendly version
Translate
.. language=JavaScript> español français deutsch italiano português
Readings
Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord, 'firm and unchangeable in faith, lovers of the brotherhood, loving each other, united in truth,' helping each other with the mildness of the Lord, despising no man. - Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians
When the pyre was ready, Polycarp took off all his outer clothes and loosened his under-garments. There and then he was surrounded by the material for the pyre. Whey they tried to fasten him also with nails, he said, "Leave me as I am. The one who gives me the strength to endure the fire will also give me strength to stay quite still on the pyre, even without the precaution of your nails." So they did not fix him to the pyre with nails, but only fastened him instead. Looking up to heaven, he said, "Lord, almighty God, Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom have come to the knowledge of yourself, God of angels, of powers, of all creation, of all the race of saints who live in your sight, I bless you for judging me worthy of this day, this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ, your anointed one, and so rise again to eternal life in soul and body through the power of the Holy Spirit. "I praise you for all things, I bless you, I glorify you through the eternal priest of heaven, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. Through him by glory to you, together with him and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen." When he had said, "Amen" and finished the prayer, the officials at the pyre lit it. But, when a great flame burst out, those of us privileged to see it witnessed a strange and wonderful thing. Like a ship's sail swelling in the wind, the flame became as it were a dome encircling the martyr's body. Surrounded by the fire, his body was like bread that is baked, or gold and silver white-hot in a furnace, not like flesh that has been burnt. So sweet a fragrance came to us that it was like that of burning incense or some other costly and sweet-smelling gum. - from a letter by the Church of Smyrna on the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp
posted by Deacon Jim | 3:33 AM
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