Lesson – Jeremias xvii. 13–18
In those days Jeremias said: “O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake you will be confounded: they that depart from you will be written in the earth (as on sand, from which their names will soon he effaced), because they have forsaken the Lord, the vein of living waters. Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed, save me and I will be saved: for you are my praise. Behold they say to me: where is the word of the Lord? Let it come. And I am not troubled, following you for my pastor, and I have not desired the day of man, you know it. That which went out of my lips has been right in your sight. Be not a terror to me: you are my hope in the day of affliction. Let them be confounded that persecute me, and let me not be confounded: let them be afraid, and let not me be afraid: bring upon them the day of affliction, and with a double destruction destroy them.”
Thanks be to God.
Gospel – John xi. 47–54
Gospel – John xi. 47–54
At that time the chief priests and Pharisees assembled in council against Jesus, and said: “What do we, for this man does many miracles? If we let him alone so, all men will believe in him, and the Romans will come, and take away our place and nation.” But one of them, named Caiphas, being the high priest that year, said to them: “You know nothing, neither do you consider that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.” And this he spoke not of himself, but being the high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but to gather in one the children of God, that were dispersed. From that day therefore they devised to put Him to death. Wherefore Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews, but he went into a country near the desert, to a city that is called Ephrem, and there he abode with His disciples.
Praise be to you, O Christ.
Dom Prosper Guéranger:
Dom Prosper Guéranger:
Jesus is more than ever in danger of losing His life. The Council of the nation assembles to devise a plan for His destruction. Listen to these men, slaves of that vilest of passions — jealousy. They do not deny the miracles of Jesus. Therefore they are in a condition to pass judgement on Him, and the judgement ought to be favourable. But they have not assembled to examine if He be or be not the Messiah. It is to discuss the best plan for putting Him to death. And what argument will they bring forward to palliate the evident murder they contemplate? Political interests, their country’s good. They argue thus: “If Jesus be longer allowed to appear in public and work miracles, Judea will rise up in rebellion against the Romans, who now govern us, and will proclaim Jesus to be their King. Rome will never allow us, the weakest of her tributaries, to insult her with impunity, and, in order to avenge the outrage offered to the Capitol, her armies will come and exterminate us.” Senseless Counsellors! If Jesus had come that He might be King after this world’s fashion, all the powers of the earth could not have prevented it. Again, how is it that these Chief Priests and Pharisees who know the Scriptures by heart never once think of that prophecy of Daniel which foretells that in seventy weeks of years, after the going forth of the decree for the rebuilding of the Temple, the Christ will be slain, and the people that will deny Him will cease to be His (Daniel ix. 25). Moreover, that after this crime a people led on by a commander will come and destroy Jerusalem. The abomination of desolation will enter the Holy Place, the temple will be destroyed, and the desolation will last even to the end (Daniel ix. 26‒27). How comes it that this prophecy is lost sight of? Surely if they thought of it they would not put Christ to death, for by putting Him to death they ruin their country! But to return to the Council. The High Priest who governed the Synagogue during the last days of the Mosaic Law is a worthless man, by name Caiphas. He presides over the Council. He puts on the sacred Ephod, and he prophesies. His prophecy is from God, and is true. Let us not be astonished: the veil of the temple is not yet rent asunder. The covenant between God and Juda is not yet broken. Caiphas is a bloodthirsty man, a coward, a sacrilegious wretch. Still, he is High Priest and God speaks by his mouth. Let us hearken to this Balaam: Jesus will die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but to gather in one the children of God that were dispersed. Thus, the Synagogue is near her end, and is compelled to prophesy the birth of the Church, and that this birth is to be by the shedding of Jesus’ Blood. Here and there, throughout the world, there are children of God who serve Him among the Gentiles, as did the centurion Cornelius, but there was no visible bond of union among them. The time is at hand when the great and only City of God is to appear on the mountain, and all nations will flow to it (Isaias i. 2). As soon as the Blood of the New Testament will have been shed and the Conqueror of death will have risen from the grave, the day of Pentecost will convoke, not the Jews to the Temple of Jerusalem, but all nations to the Church of Jesus Christ. By that time Caiphas will have forgotten the prophecy he uttered. He will have ordered his servants to piece together the veil of the Holy of Holies, which was torn in two at the moment of Jesus’ death. But this veil will serve no purpose, for the Holy of Holies will be no longer there. A clean oblation will be offered up in every place, the Sacrifice of the New Law (Malachi i. 11), and scarcely will the avengers of Jesus’ death have appeared on Mount Olivet, than a voice will be heard in the Sanctuary of the repudiated Temple, saying: “Let us go out from this place!”
