Word to the Wise
Friday, June 4, 2021 - Friday in the 9th Week in Ordinary Time
[Tob 11:5-17 and Mark 12:35-37]As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, "How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.' David himself calls him 'lord'; so how is he his son?" The crowd heard this with delight. [Mark]
JUNE 4 ST. PETER OF VERONA, O.P. [Dominican friar/priest and martyr]
The fourth and final question is asked by Jesus himself! It concerns his identity and his authority, which the questioners (Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees) had contested. It is also a classic example of rabbinic dispute, which could be a form of public entertainment in Jesus' day! The title, 'Son of David,' had messianic meaning and we can see this in action in the story of the Blind Man of Jericho just before Jesus entered Jerusalem [Mark 10:46-52]: "Son of David, have pity on me!" Jesus proposes a paradox in which he asks how David could call his own son, 'Lord!' The reverse would ordinarily be the case. Thus, the 'Son of David,' is actually superior to his 'father!' And this is precisely who Jesus is!
The question of Jesus' identity is clearly the big theological issue in this episode. But I want to call attention to something that is also important and is a part of the everyday life of every priest or member of a religious order that prays the Psalms together each day, as Dominicans and others do. In Jesus' day, King David was considered to have been the author of all the psalms. Jesus refers to him as being "inspired by the Holy Spirit." Since the Psalms were part of Jewish prayer, they were part of Jesus' prayer as well. The connection between Jesus and the psalms can help us to look with renewed devotion to this part of the inspired Word of God! We hear them in the "Response" to the first scripture at Eucharist but I suspect for most folks this is a kind of "interlude." I admit I do not feature them in this space, either! But they do feature in my everyday prayer. The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the church from dawn to dusk. It is a great way to become more familiar with the prayer of Jesus! AMEN