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From: Ezra 9:5-9

Ezra is pained to find the law ignored

[5] And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garments and my
mantle rent, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my
God, [6] saying:

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to thee, my God, for our iniqui-
ties have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the
heavens. [7] From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great
guilt; and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the
hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to
utter shame, as at this day. [8] But now for a brief moment favour has been
shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant, and to give us a secure hold
within this holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little
reviving in our bondage. [9] For we are bondmen; yet our God has not forsaken
us in our bondage, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of
Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its
ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.

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Commentary:

9:1-15. Ezra is deeply distressed to find that the people of God have intermarried
with the local inhabitants, who do not belong to the people of God (the Law for-
bade such marriages: cf. Deut 7:3-4); Ezra acknowledges this sin and does
penance for it.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Luke 9:1-6

The Mission of the Apostles

[1] And He (Jesus) called the Twelve together and gave them power
and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, [2] and He sent
them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal. [3] And He said
to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread,
nor money; and do not have two tunics. [4] And whatever house you
enter, stay there, and from there depart. [5] And wherever they do
not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from
your feet as a testimony against them.” [6] And they departed and
went through the villages, preaching the Gospel and healing every-
where.

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Commentary:

1-4. This is the first mission the Apostles were sent on. Jesus wants
them to gain experience which will stand to them in the mission they
will have after He ascends into Heaven. He charges them to do what
He Himself did—preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick. This
scene is commented on at greater length in notes on Matthew 10:7-8;
10:9-10; and Mark 6:8-9.

[Notes on Matthew 10:7-8 states:

7-8. Previously, the prophets, when speaking of the messianic times,
had used imagery suited to the people’s spiritual immaturity. Now,
Jesus, in sending His Apostles to proclaim that the promised Kingdom
of God is imminent, lays stress on its spiritual dimension. The power
mentioned in verse 8 are the very sign of the Kingdom of God or the
reign of the Messiah proclaimed by the prophets. At first (chapters 8
and 9) it is Jesus who exercises these messianic powers; now He gives
them to His disciples as proof that His mission is divine (Isaiah 35:5-6;
40:9; 52:7; 61:1).]

[Notes on Matthew 10:9-10 states:

9-10. Jesus urges His disciples to set out on their mission without
delay. They should not be worried about material or human equip-
ment: God will make up any shortfall. This holy audacity in setting
about God’s work is to be found throughout the history of the Church:
if Christians had bided their time, waiting until they had the necessary
material resources, many, many souls would never have received the
light of Christ. Once a Christian is clear in his mind about what God
wants him to do, he should not stay at home checking to see if he
has the wherewithal to do it. “In your apostolic undertakings you are
right—it’s your duty—to consider what means the world can offer you
(2 + 2 = 4), but don’t forget—ever!—that, fortunately, your calculations
must include another term: God + 2 + 2...” ([St] J. Escriva, “The
Way”, 471).

However, that being said, we should not try to force God’s hand, to
have Him do something exceptional, when in fact we can meet needs
by our own efforts and work. This means that Christians should gene-
rously support those who, because they are totally dedicated to the
spiritual welfare of their brethren, have no time left over to provide for
themselves: in this connection see Jesus’ promise in Matthew
10:40-42.]

[Notes on Mark 6:8-9 states:

8-9. Jesus requires them to be free of any form of attachment if they
are to preach the Gospel. A disciple, who has the mission of bringing
the Kingdom of God to souls through preaching, should not rely on
human resources but on God’s Providence. Whatever he does need
in order to live with dignity as a herald of the Gospel, he must obtain
from those who benefit from his preaching, for the laborer deserves
his maintenance (cf. Matthew 10:10).

“The preacher should so trust in God that he is convinced that he will
have everything he needs to support life, even if he cannot himself ob-
tain it; for he should not neglect eternal things through worrying about
temporal things” (St. Bede, “In Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc.”).
“By these instructions the Lord did not mean that the evangelists
should not seek to live in any other way than by depending on what
was offered them by those to whom they preached the Gospel; other-
wise this very Apostle [St. Paul] would have acted contrary to this
precept when he earned his living by the labor of his own hands” (St.
Augustine, “De Consensu Evangelistarum”, II, 30).]

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

Ezra 9:5-9 ©

At the evening sacrifice I, Ezra, came out of my stupor and falling on my knees, with my garment and cloak torn, I stretched out my hands to the Lord my God, and said:

‘My God, I am ashamed, I blush to lift my face to you, my God. For our crimes have increased, until they are higher than our heads, and our sin has piled up to heaven. From the days of our ancestors until now our guilt has been great; on account of our crimes we, our kings and our priests, were given into the power of the kings of other countries, given to the sword, to captivity, to pillage and to shame, as is the case today. But now, suddenly, the Lord our God by his favour has left us a remnant and granted us a refuge in his holy place; this is how our God has cheered our eyes and given us a little respite in our slavery. For we are slaves; but God has not forgotten us in our slavery; he has shown us kindness in the eyes of the kings of Persia, obtaining permission for us to rebuild the Temple of our God and restore its ruins, and he has found us safety and shelter in Judah and in Jerusalem.’

Canticle

Tobit 13:2,4,6-8 ©