Sunday, June 06, 2021

Readings for June 6, 2021 annotated, lectionary 168, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks willtake you to additional translations. The entire chapter is included to provide context. 

Information about the meaning the original Hebrew or Greek of what seem to be key words is provided in blue. That information is provided beneath the specific reading the words are contained in. 

Excerpts collected in yellow  at the end of this post tell us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. 

Excerpts collected in green  at the end of this post tell us about something God wants us to do. 

 

Reading I

Exodus 24:3-8

When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, "We will do everything that the LORD has told us." 

Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and, rising early the next day, he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD, Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. 

Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do." Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his."

do= עָשָׂה=ʿāśâ

Blue Letter Bible

to do, fashion, accomplish, make; to work; to act, act with effect, effect; to make, produce, to make (an offering); to attend to, put in order; to observe, celebrate; (put in) execute(-ion); follow, fulfill; be industrious, labor

heed = שָׁמַע= šāmaʿ

Blue Letter Bible

to hear, listen to, obey;to hear with attention or interest, listen to;to consent, agree; yield to;to obey, be obedient;to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.)

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

R. (13)    I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.


R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds.


R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

 

take =נָשָׂא= nāśā'

Blue Letter Bible

to lift, bear up, carry, take;to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure;accept;to take, take away, carry off;to be lifted up, be exalted;to be taken away, be carried off, be swept away; to carry, bear continuously

call= קָרָא= qārā'

Blue Letter Bible

Call out, cry out;to summon, invite, call for; to call anyone to himself


Reading II

Hebrews 9:11-15

Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes
can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

blood = αμα=haima

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

Blood, streams of blood;of anything like blood;spirit, courage 

sanctifyγιζω = hagiazō

Blue Letter Bible

signifies to set apart for God; to make a person or thing the opposite of koinos, "common;" it is translated "Hallowed," with reference to the name of God the Father in the Lord's Prayer; to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow;to separate from things profane and dedicate to God, to consecrate and so render inviolable; to purify by expiation

cleansed =καθαρτης =katharotēs

Blue Letter Bible

Purification, Purify, Purifying

cleanse= καθαρζω = katharizō

Blue Letter Bible

to make clean; purging; make free from admixture; to free from defilement of sin and from faults; to consecrate, dedicate; purify

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

Cleanse, sift; prune away, clear, purify

 

Alleluia

John 6:51

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Came down = καταβανω = katabainō

Blue Letter Bible

descend; step down;metaph. to (go i.e.) be cast down to the lowest state of wretchedness and shame

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

conform to; condescend, fall in value

eats = φάγω = phágō

Blue Letter Bible

to eat, devour, consume 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

Eat, consume, devours, ration-strength; take in one's mouth 

 

Gospel

Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"

He sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"' Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there."

The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

***

While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." 

Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

go = πγω = hypagō

Blue Letter Bible  

"going," without noise or notice, or by stealth; "to go away or to go slowly away, to depart, withdraw oneself," often with the idea of going without noise or notice; to lead under, bring under; to withdraw one's self, to go away, depart;retire (as if sinking out of sight);sending one somewhere to do something

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

lead or bring under;brought them under the yoke, yoked them;bring under one's power;take away from beneath, withdraw; go away, withdraw, retire

preparations, prepared = τοιμζω = hetoimazō

Blue Letter Bible

to make the necessary preparations, get everything ready; prepare, provide, make ready; drawn from the oriental custom of sending on before kings on their journeys persons to level the roads and make them passable

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

Get ready; make oneself ready; to be prepared with . . . 

 

take = λαμβνω = lambanō

Blue Letter Bible

to take with the hand, lay hold of, any person or thing in order to use it;to take up a thing to be carried; to take upon one's self;to take to one's self, lay hold upon, take possession of, i.e. to appropriate to one's self; catch at, reach after, strive to obtain; to receive a person, give him access to one's self; have, hold, obtain, receive; to take with one for future use

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

Take hold of, grasp, seize; take by violence, carry off as prize or booty; possess;catch, find out, detect; apprehend by the senses; apprehend with the mind, understand; determine, estimate; take in hand, undertake; have given one, get, receive;receive hospitably; receive as produce, profit; take hold of, lay hold on;seize and keep hold of, obtain possession of

 

What these readings tell us about God/His ways:

the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his

all the good he has done for me
salvation

Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
you have loosed my bonds.

Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be

he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

offered himself unblemished to God

cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God

he is mediator of a new covenant

since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance

I am the living bread that came down from heaven

whoever eats this bread will live forever
The Teacher

found it just as he had told them

he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body”

This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many

 

What these readings tell us to do:

do everything that the LORD has told us

All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do 

take the cup of salvation

call on the name of the Lord.
make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done 

The cup of salvation I will take up

call upon the name of the LORD

take the cup of salvation

call on the name of the Lord

take the cup of salvation

call on the name of the Lord
offer sacrifice of thanksgiving

call upon the name of the LORD
My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people
take the cup of salvation

call on the name of the Lord.

Eat[] this bread 

Go

Make the preparations

they prepared 

Take it; this is my body 

No comments: