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Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A, January 30, 2011
Lectionary index # 70

Twenty-second digests for the congregation: Arrange with your liturgy committee to have these brief historical introductions read to the assembly before you do each reading.

Who should announce these before the first and second readings, and before the gospel acclamation? They're not Scripture, nor homiletic, so they shouldn't be delivered from the ambo. They're a modest teaching. So let the presider say them from the chair. Let the lector turn toward the presider and listen.
Print this page, cut it at the blue lines, and give the introduction paragraphs to the person who will speak them.

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A, January 30, 2011
Before the first reading:

At a time when Jerusalem was led by insolent and unholy princes, prophets and priests, Zephaniah (pronounced: zef uh NI uh) says they'll be destroyed in a dramatic "Day of the Lord's Vengeance," but a remnant of humble people will be spared.
After the psalm, before the second reading:

Ancient Corinth was a sophisticated Greek seaport, with competition among many religions and philosophies. There was competition within the Christian community, too. One of many ways Paul corrects that is to remind the Christians of their humble roots.
Before the gospel acclamation:

Matthew's gospel portrays Jesus as a new Moses. Today he ascends a mountain to deliver his new law. We'll hear parts of the Sermon on the Mount for five Sundays.
To pay for use of the words above, please subtract an equal number of optional words from other places in the liturgy (click here for some suggestions).

On a new website, read a new essay about these readings for a community responding to the Word as a community.

First reading, Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13 [Jerusalem Bible translation]

The Liturgical Setting: As usual, the first reading prepares the assembly to hear the day's gospel, Matthew 5:1-12a, which you should read now. Now read the Zephaniah (pronounced: zef uh NI uh) passage and notice the "slant" that it puts on the gospel. There's a remnant, a "moral minority" whom both Jesus and Zephaniah address. They speak as if they know their message will be lost on the powerful, the self-important people intent on dominating others. They want their listeners not to choose the path of arrogance, not even to pine for power, but "seek justice ... seek humility, ... do no wrong, ... speak no lies" (Zephaniah), and to "thirst for righteousness, ... [be] merciful [and be] peacemakers" (Jesus).

The Historical Background: The lector should know about the others, to whom the prophet contrasts his humble audience. Zephaniah prophesied in Jerusalem during a time when many in that city were faithless and corrupt. Note how he rails against them in the first verses of Chapter 3:

On such as these, Zephaniah insists there will come The Day of the Lord, a time of terrible vengeance. This is the "day of the Lord's anger" against which the modest remnant may be sheltered.

Proclaiming It: The first sentence (2:3) of today's passage is rather disjointed from the remaining verses (3:12-13). Indeed, in the first verse the speaker is the prophet, and in the rest the speaker is the Lord. If your congregation doesn't use the twenty-second introductions above, you might help your listeners cope with this by making this preliminary statement about the reading's context:

Most of the book of the prophet Zephaniah is about a terrible day of vengeance which the Lord will wreak upon idolaters and the unfaithful. But this passage describes a "remnant," a humble and just minority who will receive not vengeance but security.

As lector, feel free to assume the persona of Zephaniah, or even of the Lord whose mouthpiece Zephaniah was, as you choose your tone of voice and method of delivery. From what you read above, you know that the Lord and the prophet were outraged at the behavior of the corrupt. So they were all the more grateful for the goodness of the remnant. (Indeed, the otherwise foreboding book ends on a note of confidence.) That gratitude (tinged with hope because no human's goodness comes with a lifetime warranty), should infuse your proclamation.

Second Reading, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 [Jerusalem Bible translation]

The Historical Background: Two things about the situation in Corinth made it necessary for Paul to remind the Christians there of their humble station (this week's passage) and of his own humble, though apostolic and authoritative, status (next Sunday's passage): Proclaiming It: Print a copy of this reading from your computer, or take the missallette you've cribbed from church, or use your bible if you're willing to mark it up. What you should mark, as you prepare to proclaim this aloud, are the many contrasts that Paul makes: Paul's point is that his audience is always in the former, humbler group, yet they enjoy the spiritual gifts, and the knowledge of God's plan revealed in Christ. These benefits are not due to their own merit, but to God's gracious, undeserved favor. That's what the lector should try to communicate. Sum it up by pausing between the clauses of

"Whoever boasts, [.... pause ....] should boast in the Lord."

Several other commentaries on these passages. All are thoughtful, all quite readable, from the scholarly to the popular.
Links may be incomplete more than a few weeks before the "due date."
Lutheran pastor and college teacher Dan Nelson's notes for a study group
The first reading in Dan's church is Micha 6:1-8. (Heading might say February 3, 2002, but the page is about our readings today.)

Archived weekly column of Father Francis X. Cleary, S.J. (Log in using 0026437 and 63137.) 		Father Roger Karban of Belleville, Illinois, USA, writes a newspaper column about every Sunday's readings. Here are his essays for today's passages, from: courtesy of The Evangelist, official publication of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York, or of The Belleville Messenger, of the Diocese of Belleville.

Read all of Father Karban's recent columns here, at the site of FOSIL, the Faithful of Southern Illinois.

The Text This Week; links to homilies, art works, movies and other resources on the week's scripture themes Saint Louis University's excellent Sunday liturgy-preparation site

Reflexiones En Español

The Lectionary selections in the frame at the left, if any, are there for your convenience. The publishers of the page in that frame have no connection, except for membership in the one Body of Christ, with the publisher of this page. Likewise the publishers of the pages on the links above.

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Last modified: January 19, 2011