1962 Missal - Commentary on the Mass Readings: Sat, Mar 28

23.

In those days, the wicked Jews said to one another,

Come and let us invent devices against the just.

For the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from

the prophet.

Come, let us strike him with a tongue, and let us give no heed to all his words.

Give heed to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries.

Shall evil be rendered for good, because they have dug a pit for my soul.

Remember that I have stood in thy sight to speak good for them, and to turn away thy

indignation from them.

Therefore deliver up their children to famine, and bring them into the hands of the sword,

let their wives be bereaved of children and widows, and let their husbands be slain by death,

let their young be stabbed with the sword and battle.

Let a cry be heard out of their houses, for thou shalt bring the robber upon them suddenly,

because they have dug a pit to take me, and have hid snares for my feet.

But thou, O Lord, knowest all their counsel against me unto death.

Forgiv not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from thy sight.

Let them be overthrown before thine eyes.

In the time of thy wrath, do thou destroy them, O Lord our God.

Haydah Commentary

They say, Jeremiah will not cease to upgrade us with our transgressions.

We have guides as good as him, and we shall not be left destitute.

They want to make him suffer for what he says.

In all the transactions of this prophet, Christ was foreshown, and here particularly the

Jews demand the crucifixion.

Joseph St. Jerome

Remember that I have stood in thy sight to speak good for them.

This is spoken in the person of Christ, persecuted by the Jews, and prophetically denouncing

the evils that should fall upon them in punishment of their crimes.

Jeremiah had prayed earnestly for the people.

He foretells of the event and approves of the chastisement of the impenetent, whose impurity

might be a bad precedent for others.

Joseph St. Jerome

The Gospel from John chapter 12 verses 10 through 36

At that time, the chief priest planned to put Lazarus to death also.

For on his account many of the Jews began to leave them and to believe in Jesus.

Now the next day, the great crowd which had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus

was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of palms and went forth to meet him.

When they cried out, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the king

of Israel.

And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it, as it is written, fear not daughter of Zion,

behold your king comes, sitting upon the cold of an ass.

These things his disciples did not at first understand.

But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him,

and that they had done these things to him.

The crowd therefore which was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised

him from the dead, bore witness to him.

And the reason why the crowd also went to meet him was that they heard that he had worked

this sign.

The Pharisees therefore set among themselves, do you see that we avail nothing?

Behold the entire world has gone after him.

Now there were certain Gentiles among those who had gone up to worship on the feast.

These therefore approached Philip who was from Bethesda of Galilee and asked him, saying,

Sir, we wish to see Jesus.

What came and told Andrew, again Andrew and Philip spoke to Jesus.

But Jesus answered them, the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it

remains alone.

But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.

He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world keeps it until

life everlasting.

If anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am, there also shall my servant be.

If anyone serves me, my father will honor him.

Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say, Father, save me from this hour?

No, this is why I came to this hour.

Father glorify your name.

There came therefore a voice from heaven, I have both glorified it, and I will glorify

it again.

Then the crowd which was standing round and had heard, said that it had thundered.

Others said, an angel has spoken to him.

Jesus answered and said, not for me did this voice come, but for you.

Now is the judgment of the world, now will the prince of the world be cast out?

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.

Now he said this signifying by what death he was to die.

The crowd answered him, we have heard from the law that the Christ abides forever, and

how can you say the son of man must be lifted up, who is this son of man?

Jesus therefore said to them, yet a little while the light is among you, walk while you

have the light that darkness may not overtake you.

He who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes, while you have the light believe

in the light that you may become sons of light.

These things Jesus spoke, and he went away and hid himself from them.

Hayda Commentary

They sought to kill Lazarus.

A foolish thought, says St. Augustine, as if Christ who had raised him to life from a

natural death could not also restore him to life when murdered by them.

A foolish thought and blinded rage, as if you could by putting Lazarus to death, take

away power from the Lord.

As if Christ who had already raised one that had died, could not as easily have raised

one that was slain, but low he has done both.

Lazarus dead, he hath restored to life, and himself slain, he hath raised to life.

The Pharisees were vexed that so many followed Christ, even after they had ordered that

whosoever owned him should be turned out of their synagogue, and after they had employed

men to apprehend him but to no purpose.

The Gentiles that came to Jerusalem to adore, by there were proselytes who had been Gentiles

and now had embraced the Jewish law, or they were such among the Gentiles who owned and

served the one true God as Cornelius did, see Acts chapter 10, but did not cement themselves

to circumcision and all the other Jewish rights and ceremonies.

These could only enter into that part of the temple called the Court of the Gentiles.

Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies.

The comparison is this, that as the seed must be changed and corrupted in the ground before

it fructify, so the world would not be converted but by Christ's death.

By this grain of wheat our Savior means Himself, who was to die by the infidelity of the Jews

and be multiplied by the faith of the Gentiles.

So say St. Augustine.

We must minister to Jesus by seeking not our own things but the things of Christ.

We must follow Him, we must walk in His footsteps, we must perform the corporal works of mercy

and every other good work for His sake, till we come to put in practice the most perfect

act of charity, the laying down of our lives for our brethren.

And will He crown us with the greatest of rewards, the happiness of reigning with Him.

So say St. Augustine.

Now is my soul troubled.

Christ permitted this fear and horror to come upon His human nature as He did afterwards

in the Garden of Gethsemane.

He says, I came into this world for this end that I might die on a cross for all mankind.

In like manner when He had said in the garden, let this cup pass for me.

He presently joined the words, but not my will, but thine be done.

Less the disciples upon hearing our Savior exhorting them willingly and courageously to

suffer death should think within themselves that He could well exhort them to these things,

being Himself beyond the reach of human misery.

He assures them in this place that He Himself is an agony and yet does not refuse to die

for them.

So say St. John Chrysostom.

Father glorify thy name by my sufferings and death, as well as by many miracles that

shall follow.

A voice came from heaven and so loud that some there present compared it to thunder,

and at the same time these words were heard, I have glorified it, that is thy name, and

I will glorify it again by a number of ensuing miracles at Christ's death, at His resurrection

and ascension, as well as by all those miracles which the apostles and disciples brought afterwards.

As the soul of Christ was troubled not on His own account, but for the sake of the people,

so this voice came from heaven not for His sake but for that of the people.

What it announced was already known to Him.

The advantage and instruction of the Jews was its end, object, and motive.

So say St. Augustine.

Now is the judgment of the world, their condemnation says St. John Chrysostom for not believing.

The prince of this world, that is the devil, shall be cast out from that great tyranny which

he had over mankind before Christ's incarnation.

By these words, Christ informs the Gentiles that wish to see Him, that soon He would punish

the incredulous Jews and cast off their synagogue for their malice and insatiable hatred against

Him, and at the prince of this world, that is the worship of idols, should be destroyed,

and all called to the true faith.

Yet a little while, that is for a very few days, I who am the light of the world and

with you.

How much do the Jews now do, and yet they know not what they do?

But like men that are walking in the dark, they think they are in the right way, when

alas, they are quite the contrary, so say St. John Chrysostom.