1962 Missal - Commentary on the Mass Readings: Thu, Mar 12

0:0013. Thursday, March 12. The lesson from Jeremiah chapter 7 verses 1 through 7. In those days, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, stand in the gate of the house of the Lord and proclaim their this word and say, hear ye the word of the Lord, all ye men of Judah that enter in at these gates to adore the Lord. Thus save the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Make your ways and your doings good, and I will dwell with you in this place. Trust not in lying words, saying, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, it is the temple of the Lord. For if you will order well your ways and your doings, if you will execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, if you oppress not the stranger, the fatherless and the widow, then shed not innocent blood in this place, and walk not after strange gods to your own

1:00hurt. I will dwell with you in this place, in the land which I gave to your fathers from the beginning and forevermore. Sayeth the Lord, Almighty. 8. The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, it is the temple of the Lord. This triple repetition shows the vain confidence of the people who blindly imagine that the temple would screen them and that external sacrifices would suffice, but they were rejected with the temple. The Gospel from Luke chapter 4 verses 38 through 44. At that time Jesus, rising up out of the synagogue, went into Simon's house, and Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever, and they besought him for her, and standing over her, he commanded the fever, and it left her. Immediately rising, she ministered to them. And when the sun was down, all day that had any sick with diverse diseases brought them to him, but he laying his hands on every one of them, healed them.

2:05And devils went out from many crying out and saying, thou art the son of God, and rebuking them, he suffered them not to speak, for they knew that he was Christ. And when it was day, going out, he went into a desert place, and the multitude sought him, and came unto him, and they stayed him that he should not depart from them. To whom he said, to whether cities also I must preach the kingdom of God, for therefore am I sent? And he was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. Haydach commentary. It is evident that St. Peter was married, but after his call to the Apostleship, he left his wife, as St. Jerome relates. And when the sun was down, all day that had any sick brought them to him. The evangelist mentions that it was dark because these distressed people did not dare to bring their sick before that time, either through fear of the Pharisees or of violating the Sabbath. So says origin.

3:05Devils went out for many crying out, thou art the son of God. It appears that when the devils expressed themselves thus, it is less through conviction than artifice. He suspected that he was the Christ, and to certify the same, he says to him in the desert, if you be the son of God, change these stones into bread. In the same manner by saying here, you are the son of God, he wished to give him an occasion of explaining himself on the subject. But Jesus Christ would not accept the testimony of evil spirits, lest he might be suspected of some intelligence with them to cause himself to be acknowledged the son of God. From the apparent good dispositions of these people, we might be induced to think that if Christ had yielded to their solicitations and remained with them, he could have drawn all to himself. Yet he did not choose to do this, but has left us an example worthy of our imitation in seeking out the perishing and strait sheep. For by the salvation of one soul, our many sins will be remitted. So says Saint John Chrysostom. Our divine redeemer frequented the Jewish synagogue to show he was no seducer.

4:08If he had inhabited wilds and deserts, it might have been objected to him that he concealed himself like an imposter from the side of men.