This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations of today’s readings. The other, italicized, hyperlinks will take you to explanations of the original Greek words. Text highlighted in yellow tells us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. Text in green tells us about something God wants us to do. Text in red tells us something God wants us to avoid. Commentary is in blue.
See, upon the mountains there advances the bearer of good news,
announcing peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah, fulfill your vows! For nevermore shall you be invaded by the scoundrel; he is completely destroyed.
announcing peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah, fulfill your vows! For nevermore shall you be invaded by the scoundrel; he is completely destroyed.
The LORD will restore the vine of Jacob, the pride of Israel, though ravagers have ravaged them and ruined the tendrils.
Woe to the bloody city, all lies, full of plunder, whose looting never stops! The crack of the whip, the rumbling sounds of wheels; horses a-gallop, chariots bounding, cavalry charging, the flame of the sword, the flash of the spear, the many slain, the heaping corpses, the endless bodies to stumble upon!
I will cast filth upon you, disgrace you and put you to shame; till everyone who sees you runs from you, saying, “Nineveh is destroyed; who can pity her? Where can one find any to console her?”
R. (39c) It is I who deal death and give life.
Close at hand is the day of their disaster, and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people; on his servants he shall have pity.
Close at hand is the day of their disaster, and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people; on his servants he shall have pity.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“Learn then that I, I alone, am God, and there is no god besides me.
It is I who bring both death and life, I who inflict wounds and heal them.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
I will sharpen my flashing sword, and my hand shall lay hold of my quiver,
“With vengeance I will repay my foes and requite those who hate me.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
to deny utterly, to abjure, to affirm that one has no connection with a person; to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone; to forget one's self, lose sight of one's self and one's own interests; disown, abstain.
to be a follower, or companion, one going in the same way, to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him; to join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple; to cleave steadfastly to one, conform wholly to his example, in living and if need be in dying also.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
To heal, make whole; to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue; preserve
to destroy, destroy utterly, kill; to lose utterly; to perish; the completion of the process of destruction; to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to; render useless; to be blotted out, to vanish away
to find, either with previous search or without; to find out by enquiry, or to learn, discover; to find for oneself, to procure, get, obtain, with the suggestion of accomplishing the end which had been in view; to come upon, hit upon, to meet with; get, obtain, perceive, see
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
The idea seems to be to surrender ourselves to Christ, to allow him (rather than our own will/inclinations) to drive our thoughts and actions.
Further, that surrender must be complete. It is not enough to simply try to live a better version of ourselves (with or without Christ’s input); we must let Christ rebuild us.
- This sounds like what I understand military boot camp to be about—tearing down the recruit’s old self and remaking him into what the military wants him to be.
The absolute need for absolute surrender to Christ is underscored by today’s first reading and psalm. They underscore that nothing that stands against God will survive, but that God blesses those who cleave to Him
The LORD will restore
It is I who deal death and give life.
the LORD shall do justice for his people
on his servants he shall have pity.
It is I who deal death and give life.
I alone, am God
I alone, am God
there is no god besides me.
It is I who bring both death and life
It is I who bring both death and life
I who inflict wounds and heal them.
It is I who deal death and give life.
I will repay my foes
I will repay my foes
requite those who hate me.”
It is I who deal death and give life.
It is I who deal death and give life.
my foes
hate me
wishes to save his life
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