Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
May 29, 2021
Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 352
Reading I
I thank the LORD and I praise him;
I bless the name of the LORD.
When I was young and innocent,
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer
I prayed for her before the temple,
and I will seek her until the end,
and she flourished as a grape soon ripe.
My heart delighted in her,
My feet kept to the level path
because from earliest youth I was familiar with her.
In the short time I paid heed,
I met with great instruction.
Since in this way I have profited,
I will give my teacher grateful praise.
I became resolutely devoted to her—
the good I persistently strove for.
My soul was tormented in seeking her,
My hand opened her gate
and I came to know her secrets.
I directed my soul to her,
and in cleanness I attained to her.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (9ab) The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Then Jesus said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Reflection: JESUS IS THE ANSWER FOR ALL THE QUESTIONS
The Temple in Jerusalem has presented itself to be one of the main platforms for Jesus to ascertain his identity as the Christ. Apart from being a hub for the learned community of those times, the Temple reiterated the very mission and purpose of Jesus' ministry. While the folks in the countryside of Galilee and Judea were eager to see Jesus and receive him as the Messiah, the Scribes and the Pharisees looked for an opportunity to initiate an argument with Jesus. To do so, they scripted their attacks on Jesus to happen around the Temple area in Jerusalem. This in turn has instigated the learned community to pose a serious question to Jesus: "By what authority are you doing these things?” A learned community of Scribes and Pharisees are to look beyond the damage, and give a serious thought on how to restore holiness? They certainly knew that the temple impurity has been a long-standing issue in the history of Israel. Instead of looking into their consciences and make reparations, they engage Jesus into an argument under the pretext of catching him. Apart from receiving no answer, Jesus ends the argument cleverly, first by asking them a question about the baptism of John. Having known that they have failed to answer, Jesus sternly remarks, "neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." As good as our intentions might be, sometimes we find ourselves navigating through similar waters. We need to truly recognize that Jesus certainly has answers for our questions, and our attempt to ask him such questions would leave us with more and more questions. On the other hand, we need to get the point of Jesus when he does some cleansing although it might upset us.