1962 Missal - Commentary on the Mass Readings: Tue, Mar 31 (Holy Week)

2. Tuesday, March 31st, Tuesday of Holy Week

The lesson from Jeremiah, Chapter 11, verses 18-20.

But thou, O Lord, have shown me, and I have known, then thou showed me their doings, and

I was as a meek lamb that is carried to be a victim, and I knew not that they had devised

councils against me, saying, let us put wood on his bread, and cut him off from the

land of the living, and that his name be remembered no more.

But thou, O Lord, of Sabbath, who judges justly, and tries the reins and hearts, let me see

thy revenge on them, for to thee I have revealed my cause, O Lord, my God.

8. Commentary

All Christians explain these words of Jesus Christ, whom Jeremiah prefigured in his suffering,

let us follow the rule which shows that all prophets did most things for a type of our Lord

and Savior, and what was now done by Jeremiah foreshowed what would happen to our Lord,

Sossai St. Jerome

Let us put wood on his bread. Christ, the bread of life, was nailed to the disgraceful wood of the

cross, Sossai St. Jerome and Gregory, or they threatened to beat him or to mix a poisonous wood

with his food. Let me see thy revenge on them. This was rather a prediction of what was

to happen with an approbation of the divine justice than an imprecation. He speaks of the impenetent

and wishes they may be converted. 8. Commentary

on the Passion of Saint Mark chapter 14 verses 32 through 72 and chapter 15 verses 1 through 46.

You who are ready to die for me cannot watch with me. We are here taught a great duty

of a Christian life, and that is to beg of God that he would give us strength to observe and

follow the motions and inspirations of his Holy Spirit and never to resist the calls of heaven.

Our Lord received the kiss of the Trader that he might not appear to avoid being delivered up,

and at the same time he fulfilled that of the psalmist with those who hated peace I was peaceful.

Psalm 119 verse 7

Here is Joseph betrayed and sold by his brethren and pierced in his soul with a sword.

So says Saint Jerome. Peter was actuated with his usual ardent zeal,

calling to mind the example of Phineas, who by executing justice on the wicked,

merited the reward of justice and a continual priesthood. So says venerable bead.

Saint Mark conceals Peter's name, lest he should seem to be publishing the order of his zeal for

Christ. So says the Affilictus. Though the law prescribed there should be only one high priest,

yet at this time there were many being appointed yearly by the Roman governor,

and those are here called chief priests, who had been once invested with the dignity of high priest,

but were at the time out of office.

The evidence of the witnesses did not agree. The high priest vexed it,

stood up and asked him questions, hoping to make him appear guilty by his own confession.

Thus has an equity lied to itself, as formerly in the case of the wife of Potiphar against Joseph,

and the elders against Susanna. Our Redeemer was silent because he knew they would

not attend to his words. Therefore, does he say in St. Luke, if I shall tell you, you will not believe

me. Caiaphas, in order to excite their hatred against what was said, rent his garments,

and thus deprived himself of the priestly dignity by transgressing the precept,

which, speaking of the high priest, says, he shall not uncover his head, and his garments he shall not

render. Leviticus 2110. So says Saint Leo the Great. By the high priest lending his garments,

he shows that the Jewish priesthood on account of their crimes was now dissolved,

whereas the tunic of Christ by which the one true Catholic Church is prefigured was seamless

and not to be divided. So says venerable bead.

In this one apostle Peter, the first and chief in the order of the apostles, in whom the church

was figured, both sorts were to be signified, namely the strong and the weak, because the Church

is not without both. Our Savior would show by the example of Peter that no man ought to presume

of himself when even Saint Peter was not secure and immovable. So says Saint Augustine and Leo.

Our Lord was not unwilling to answer the questions put to him by Pontius Pilate,

who condemned him contrary to his own inclination, though he would not condescend to return an answer

to the question of the high priest, as they were not worthy of the favor. So says the aflactus.

The practice of releasing to the people any prisoner they might think proper was instituted in

order to captivate the will of the people, which was most commonly done on the festival day,

when the Jews were assembled from the different provinces to Jerusalem. But that the blindness

and malice of this people might be more apparent, the evangelist here described the atrocious

wickedness of the man they preferred to the Son of God. Since envy put to death the author of life,

Jesus Christ, how watchful should all Christians be against every degree of that sin?

So says Saint John Chrysostom.

Saint Jerome thinks that Alexander and Rufus named here were disciples of Christ,

and on this account the name of their father Simon is here expressed.

In St. Matthew's Gospel it is said that wine was mixed with gall. For gall is here used for

bitterness, and wine that has murmur in it is a very strong bitter, though perhaps both gall and

murmur might have been ingredients to increase the bitterness. So says Saint Augustine.

Or in the confusion that was occasioned some might have offered him one thing, some another,

one person giving vinegar and gall, another wine mixed with merr. So says the Affalactus.

This was given to criminals to lessen their torments. Our Lord was pleased to taste the bitterness,

but He would not permit the relief which the admittance of the same into Islamic might have

afforded. Thus also where the Scriptures fulfilled, they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst

they gave me vinegar to drink. Psalm 118. So says venerable bead.

St. Mark is the only evangelist who said it was the third hour. St. John says it was the sixth,

but these may easily be reconciled by supposing that he was crucified towards the end of the

third hour, that is about 11 o'clock or half past 11, which being near the sixth hour or 12,

the evangelist might say it was the sixth hour. Our Lord was crucified a little before

noon before the third hour had quite expired, but when the sixth hour was near at hand.

Pilate himself was fully persuaded that he was the Messiah promised to the Jews,

and though he knew him to be innocent, he can eye the more at his death through fear,

unless he might attempt something against the Roman Empire if he were permitted to continue.

At the same time by putting up the title on the cross, he wished to revenge himself of the Jews

for their opportunity and obstinacy in compelling him partly against his will to condemn him to death.

For what could be more ignominious to the Jews than to see their king crucified at their own

request, and for no other reason than because he was their king, and they did not wish him to

reign over them. Thus did they receive the king for whose coming they had so long side,

and from whom they had expected delivery from the Roman Yoke, and the subjugation of the whole

world to their own power. And the scripture was fulfilled with Seyath, and with the wicked he

was reputed. This text of Isaiah regards the Messiah according to the very letter.

Afterwards, they saw him arising out of the Sepulchre, whom they thought unable to descend from the

cross. Where O Jew is thy infidelity, I ask you yourselves, you shall be your own judges.

How much more astonishing is it to be able when dead to rise again than when living to descend

from the cross? You desired a small exertion of power, and a much greater is here performed,

but still your infidelity would not be cured. All have turned out of the way, all have become

useless. So say Saint Jerome. If the scribes and Pharisees did not believe in Christ when he rose

from the dead, neither would they have believed in him had he left the cross. Though the scripture

had foretold in many places that he was to suffer, yet where can the Jew point out that it was foretold

that he should descend from the cross? The Centurion considered the crying out of our Savior as an

effect not of human but divine power, since it generally happens that people at the moment the

soul quits the body are reduced to so debilitated estate that they are scarce able to utter the least

word. Although Jesus was truly the natural, not the adoptive Son of God, it is nevertheless

probable that the Centurion being a Gentile did not speak in this manner as if he knew Jesus to

be the natural Son of God. He did not know that the Son of God was really true God equal to the

Father, but called him Son of God as if adopted on account of his extraordinary sanctity.

Or perhaps he might have called him the Son of God in order to oppose the Jews who called our

Savior a blasphemer because he made himself the Son of God. According to the description of Christ's

tomb from those who have seen it, it is a kind of small chamber, the height of which from top to

bottom is 8 feet and an inch, its length 6 feet and 1 inch, and its breath 15 feet 10 inches.

Its entrance or vestibule which looks towards the east is but 4 feet high and 2 feet 4 inches wide.

The place within where our Lord's body was laid takes up the whole side of the cave.

The stone which was laid to secure the door of the Sepulchre is still remaining,

and according to some is two yards and a quarter long, one broad and one thick.

But the particular parts of it are not visible, being all encrusted over with the white marble,

except in five or six little places, where it is left bare to receive the kisses and other

devotions of pilgrims.