Memorial of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr

August 9

The readings below are suggested by USCCB, others may be taken from the Common of Virgins or the Common of Martyrs

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross,
photographer unknown, c. 1938-1939

Readings for St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [1]

Biographical information about St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [2]

Reading 1: Hosea 2:16bc, 17cd, 21-22

Thus says the LORD:

I will lead her into the desert

and speak to her heart.

She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,

when she came up from the land of Egypt.

I will espouse you to me forever;

I will espouse you in right and in justice,

in love and in mercy;

I will espouse you in fidelity,

and you shall know the LORD

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Commentary on Hos 2:16bc, 17cd, 21-22

The Prophet Hosea, voicing God’s hope for the people of Israel, speaks as a husband might address a wife. (In later parts of the book Israel is like the wife who was unfaithful.) In this selection, speaking with the voice of God to the Hebrew people, he sounds as if he is wooing his future bride.  He tells them that if they will be faithful, God is always faithful, because God’s love and mercy are eternal. In Hebrew tradition this courtship would include the gifts for the bride (cf. Genesis 24:53).

CCC: Hos 2 218; Hos 2:21-22 2787

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17

Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,

forget your people and your father’s house.

So shall the king desire your beauty;

for he is your lord, and you must worship him.

R. (11) Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.

or: R. (Matthew 25:6) The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

All glorious is the king’s daughter as she enters;

her raiment is threaded with spun gold.

In embroidered apparel she is borne in to the king;

behind her the virgins of her train are brought to you.

R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.

or: R. The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

They are borne in with gladness and joy;

they enter the palace of the king.

The place of your fathers your sons shall have;

you shall make them princes through all the land.

R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.

or: R. The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

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Commentary on Ps 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17

Psalm 45 is a royal psalm originally sung in honor of the king’s marriage to a queen (of foreign extraction). It is likely that it influenced St. Paul’s instructions on virgins and marriage. It emphasizes the beauty of the sacramental relationship (see 1 Corinthians 7:25-35).

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Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins

who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,

brought no oil with them,

but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.

Since the bridegroom was long delayed,

they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight, there was a cry,

'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.

The foolish ones said to the wise,

'Give us some of your oil,

for our lamps are going out.'

But the wise ones replied,

'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.

Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'

While they went off to buy it,

the bridegroom came

and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.

Then the door was locked.

Afterwards the other virgins came and said,

'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'

But he said in reply,

'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'

Therefore, stay awake,

for you know neither the day nor the hour."

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Commentary on Mt 25:1-13

St. Matthew’s Gospel gives us the parable of the Ten Virgins, continuing the Gospel theme of preparedness and vigilance (although strictly speaking this parable is about foresight). In this story the idea of vigilance is expanded to include being prepared. The Jewish wedding customs of the time would have dictated a procession [at night] from the house of the bride to the house of the groom. The whole act is symbolic of the coming of the messianic era, also portrayed as a wedding in Matthew 9:15, Matthew 22:1-14 and John 3:29. The wise virgins brought oil for their lamps while the foolish ones did not. The oil is interpreted by some scholars as referring to good works.

The overarching symbolism is the lamp of faith (light of the indwelling Holy Spirit) being kept burning with oil (good works). Hence, without good works (oil), the lamp will not continue to burn (James 2:17) and the virgins, so deprived of light, are excluded from the heavenly kingdom.

CCC: Mt 25:1-13 672, 796; Mt 25:1 672; Mt 25:6 1618; Mt 25:13 672

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Reflection:

St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) is one of what we could call modern-day martyrs.  She was a victim of the Holocaust, killed by Nazis in 1942. She should stand as an example of what we are all called to be as lovers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Truly, Sacred Scripture is predictive – as these words from Hosea demonstrate:

I will espouse you to me forever;

I will espouse you in right and in justice,

in love and in mercy;

I will espouse you in fidelity,

and you shall know the LORD.

The Lord found her, wooed her, and through the auspices of the Carmelite Order, he took her as his bride.  Her devotion to him should stand as a beacon to all intellectuals who struggle with the faith.  Her brilliant mind and intense study brought her to the feet of our Lord.  Those who seek truth will always find him.  Indeed Jesus is the bridegroom for any who seek truth.

St. Teresa followed her betrothed and was true to him to the end; she was a light in the intense darkness of the Auschwitz horror during one of the most atrocious periods in human memory.  Her unwavering faith in the face of the evil that took so many lives was an inspiration to her fellow 987 prisoners who on August 7^th, 1942, were taken from Echt in the Netherlands where she and her sister were sent to avoid the Nazi threat and summarily killed, probably on her feast day, August 9. She was a light in the world of faith, extinguished for only a moment.  Faith such as hers remains the hope of many Christians who are persecuted for their faith.

Today we ask for St. Teresa’s intercession with her bridegroom, Our Lord, Jesus.  May he grant us strength and the bravery of St. Teresa when we face our own trials.

Pax

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[1] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

[2] The picture used is a passport photo: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, photographer unknown, c. 1938-1939.

Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Background on the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church [1]

Readings for the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church [2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary: [3]

First Reading

First Option

Genesis 3:9-15, 20

The LORD God then called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden;

but I was afraid, because I was naked,

so I hid myself.”

Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?

You have eaten, then,

from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”

The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me

she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”

The LORD God then asked the woman,

“Why did you do such a thing?”

The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”

Then the LORD God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this, you shall be banned

from all the animals

and from all the wild creatures;

on your belly shall you crawl,

and dirt shall you eat

all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will strike at your head,

while you strike at his heel.”

The man called his wife Eve,

because she became the mother of all the living.

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Commentary on Gn 3:9-15, 20

Adam and Eve are confronted by God after having eaten the fruit which was forbidden to them from the Tree of Wisdom. Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. Thus the identity of the serpent is now synonymous with the Devil. This passage, because of that linkage, can now be classified as the first prediction of the Messianic struggle with evil and ultimate victory.

Contained here is the scriptural evidence of Original Sin. The story is also called “The Fall,” as God’s human creation (personified in Adam and Eve) falls from grace and is condemned to suffer the struggle to regain the blessed state throughout history. Mankind has disobeyed God and defied his will. In doing so, sin and death enter the world.

CCC: Gn 3:9-10 399; Gn 3:9 410, 2568; Gn 3:11-13 400; Gn 3:11 2515; Gn 3:12 1607; Gn 3:13 1736, 2568; Gn 3:14-19 2427; Gn 3:15 70, 410, 489; Gn 3:20 489

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Second Option

Acts 1:12-14

After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles

returned to Jerusalem

from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,

a sabbath day’s journey away.

When they entered the city

they went to the upper room where they were staying,

Peter and John and James and Andrew,

Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,

James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,

and Judas son of James.

All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,

together with some women,

and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

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Commentary on Acts 1:12-14

This passage provides part of the introductory comments of St. Luke as he begins the Acts of the Apostles. Like any well written story, he connects the events that have just taken place in his first volume – The Gospel of Luke, with what will follow. In the first verses Jesus ascended and told them to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this selection the disciples with Mary the Mother of Jesus and his extended family return to Jerusalem and enter the locked room. Important to recognize is the presence not just of the apostles but of Mary, ever faithful to her son.

"Here we see Mary as the spiritual center round which Jesus' intimate friends gather: tradition has meditated on this 'tableau', and found it to depict our Lady's motherhood over the whole Church, both at its beginning and over the course of the centuries." [4]

CCC: Acts 1:14 726, 1310, 2617, 2623, 2673

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Responsorial Psalm

Judith 13:18bcde, 19

R. (15:9d) You are the highest honor of our race.

Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,

above all the women on earth;

and blessed be the LORD God,

the creator of heaven and earth.

R. You are the highest honor of our race.

Your deed of hope will never be forgotten

by those who tell of the might of God.

R. You are the highest honor of our race.

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Commentary on Judith 13:18bcde, 19

This short hymn of praise from Judith (who at the time of its writing represented the faithful people) is predictive of the blessed role Mary will play in human salvation. In the story immediately preceding these verses Judith offers to sacrifice herself for salvation of the people and is here found praiseworthy for her willingness to do so.

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Gospel

John 19:25-34

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother

and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary Magdalene.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved,

he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."

Then he said to the disciple,

"Behold, your mother."

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished,

in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,

Jesus said, "I thirst."

There was a vessel filled with common wine.

So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop

and put it up to his mouth.

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

"It is finished."

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Now since it was preparation day,

in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,

for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,

the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken

and they be taken down.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first

and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,

they did not break his legs,

but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,

and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

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Commentary on Jn 19:25-37

Here is Jesus’ last address to his mother. Although the address sounds unnecessarily formal ("Woman, behold, your son.") this would have been considered a polite address in biblical times. The reference, “Woman,” is possibly to Genesis 3:15 which describes the mother of the Messiah as the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618).[5] The Lord, nearing the end of his life, commends the care of his mother to the disciple whom he loved. It is presumed this is done because Jesus has no brothers or sisters, and his adoptive father, Joseph, has already died.

 In this instance, while it can be assumed that the disciple referred to is St. John, the author of the Gospel, the tender consignment of the care of the Lord’s mother is seen as iconic. That is, she is given into the care of all of the disciples, whom Jesus loves. Seeing her Son dying upon the cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.

The narrative continues describing the Lord's last moments of life on the cross.  The prophecy to which John refers when saying "...in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled" was Psalm 69:22.  While Matthew and Mark speak about this event, only John relates it specifically to the prophetic literature.  After this final act, the Lord "handed over his spirit."

What happens after Jesus' death demonstrates to the Jews the nature of his sacrifice. "Jesus dies on the Preparation day of the Passover - Parasceve- that is, the eve, when the paschal lambs were officially sacrificed in the temple.  By stressing this, the Evangelist implies that Christ's sacrifice took the place of the sacrifices of the Old Law and inaugurated the New Alliance in his blood (cf. Hebrews 9:12)."[6]  Typically, when the executioners wished to speed up the death of one crucified, the legs would be broken. This would force the victim to suffocate quickly.  In the case of Jesus, this was not done. (see Psalm 34:20-21)  Instead we are told the guards pierced his side with a lance and "immediately Blood and water flowed out."

While the outflow of water and blood have a natural explanation, there has been great theological importance placed upon it in numerous sources (St. Ambrose, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Augustine).  Water and blood have already been established as signs of salvation (John 3:5 and John 6:53ff).  "With Christ's death and the giving of the Spirit already signified in v. 30, the life-giving work of the Church begins, and hence the Church can be said in a sense to have been born from the wounded side of Christ."[7]

CCC: Jn 19:25-27 726, 2618; Jn 19:25 495; Jn 19:26-27 501, 964, 2605; Jn 19:27 2677, 2679; Jn 19:28 544, 607, 2561, 2605; Jn 19:30 607, 624, 730, 2605; Jn 19:30b 2605; Jn 19:31 641; Jn 19:34 478, 694, 1225

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Reflection:


[1] The picture used is "St Luke Painting the Virgin Mary" by Marten de Vos, 1602
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 722

[5] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 198

[6] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 695

[7] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 63:172, p. 462