St. Edward the Confessor

Saturday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard : “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

Reading

Joel 4,12-21.
Let the nations bestir themselves and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit in judgment upon all the neighboring nations. Apply the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; Come and tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for great is their malice. Crowd upon crowd in the valley of decision; For near is the day of the LORD in the valley of decision. Sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withhold their brightness. The LORD roars from Zion, and from Jerusalem raises his voice; The heavens and the earth quake, but the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the men of Israel. Then shall you know that I, the LORD, am your God, dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain; Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall pass through her no more. And then, on that day, the mountains shall drip new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk; And the channels of Judah shall flow with water: A fountain shall issue from the house of the LORD, to water the Valley of Shittim. Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom a desert waste, Because of violence done to the people of Judah, because they shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem for all generations. I will avenge their blood, and not leave it unpunished. The LORD dwells in Zion.

Ps 97(96),1-2.5-6.11-12.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad. Cloud and darkness surround the Lord; justice and right are the foundation of his throne. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim God's justice; all peoples see his glory. Light dawns for the just; gladness, for the honest of heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you just, and praise his holy name.

Lk 11,27-28.
While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." He replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB

Commentary of the day

Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and Doctor of the Church

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

Mary was very discreet; we have proof of this in the gospel. Where do you see her having been talkative or full of presumption? Once she stood at the door wishing to speak to her son, but she did not use her maternal authority either to interrupt his preaching or to enter the house where he preached (Mk 3,31). If I remember correctly, the evangelists only allow Mary’s words to be heard four times. First, when she addressed the angel – and this was only in answer to him. Secondly, during her visit to Elizabeth when, having been praised by her cousin, Mary wanted to praise the Lord even more. Third, when she complained to her son, then aged twelve, that his father and she herself had searched for him anxiously. Fourth, at the wedding of Cana when she intervened with her son and the servants. On all other occasions Mary showed herself slow to speak, quick to listen, for she “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart,” (Lk 2,19.51). No, nowhere will you find that she spoke out, not even about the mystery of the Incarnation. Woe to those of us who are full of air! Woe to those of us who pour out our souls like leaky containers! How many times Mary heard her son, not only speaking in parables to the crowd, but in private, revealing to the disciples the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. She saw him working miracles, then hanging on the cross, dying, risen and ascending to heaven. How many times could we say that on any of those occasions the Virgin’s voice was heard?… The greater Mary is, the more she humbles herself, not just in all things but more than all.