Deuteronomy 1:9-14
#775 Ritual Mass Context (III. For the Admission to Candidacy for the Diaconate and the Priesthood, First Option)
Moses summoned all of Israel and said to them:
"Alone, 1 am unable to carry you.
The LORD, your God, has so multiplied you
that you are now as numerous as the stars in the sky.
May the LORD, the God of your fathers,
increase you a thousand times over,
and bless you as he promised!
But how can I alone bear the crushing burden that you are,
along with your bickering?
Choose wise, intelligent, and experienced men from each of your tribes,
that I may appoint them as your leaders."
They answered, "We agree to do as you have proposed."
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Commentary on Dt 1:9-14
This passage records the institution of the judges, which Moses establishes to help him with the task of governing the people. We note this was also recounted in Exodus 18:13-27 (but the idea there was attributed to Jethro, Moses' father in-law). The attributes of those chosen ("intelligent and experienced") is refined and expanded in the new testament to include moral character (see 1 Timothy 3:1ff). The overarching intent, true throughout sacred history is those chosen are to be fair and impartial, accepting God's call to service for the good of the people, not personal stature.
CCC: Dt 1-11 708
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Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
#125B Solemnities B Context (22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
Moses said to the people:
“Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin upon you,
you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?”
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Commentary on Dt 4:1-2, 6-8
This passage from Deuteronomy marks the end of the historical part of the book and the beginning of Moses’ presentation of the law and statutes. He addresses the whole people telling them that unless they follow the statutes which he is about to present, they will not receive what God promises the faithful, in this case the land of milk and honey. While the promise of Moses was the inheritance of the physical land, God’s later promise was of a kingdom not of this earth.
#775 Ritual Mass Context (III. For the Admission to Candidacy for the Diaconate and the Priesthood, First Option)
Moses summoned all of Israel and said to them:
"Alone, 1 am unable to carry you.
The LORD, your God, has so multiplied you
that you are now as numerous as the stars in the sky.
May the LORD, the God of your fathers,
increase you a thousand times over,
and bless you as he promised!
But how can I alone bear the crushing burden that you are,
along with your bickering?
Choose wise, intelligent, and experienced men from each of your tribes,
that I may appoint them as your leaders."
They answered, "We agree to do as you have proposed."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 1:9-14
This passage records the institution of the judges, which Moses establishes to help him with the task of governing the people. We note this was also recounted in Exodus 18:13-27 (but the idea there was attributed to Jethro, Moses' father in-law). The attributes of those chosen ("intelligent and experienced") is refined and expanded in the new testament to include moral character (see 1 Timothy 3:1ff). The overarching intent, true throughout sacred history is those chosen are to be fair and impartial, accepting God's call to service for the good of the people, not personal stature.
CCC: Dt 1-11 708
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Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
#125B Solemnities B Context (22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
Moses said to the people:
“Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin upon you,
you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?”
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Commentary on Dt 4:1-2, 6-8
This passage from Deuteronomy marks the end of the historical part of the book and the beginning of Moses’ presentation of the law and statutes. He addresses the whole people telling them that unless they follow the statutes which he is about to present, they will not receive what God promises the faithful, in this case the land of milk and honey. While the promise of Moses was the inheritance of the physical land, God’s later promise was of a kingdom not of this earth.
"The presentation of law was a matter of public education in ancient Israel. The motivation for obedience to the law was based on cultic remembering, in which the past was made present. Within that context real limits were placed on matters of interpretation. The people were not free to 'add to the word' or to 'detract from it' in any way. They were to know the commandments and to keep them faithfully." [8]
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Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9
#239 Weekday Years I & II Context (Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent)
Moses spoke to the people and said:
“Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees
as the LORD, my God, has commanded me,
that you may observe them in the land
you are entering to occupy.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?
“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard
not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen,
nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live,
but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”
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Commentary on Dt 4:1, 5-9
This passage from Deuteronomy marks the end of the historical part of the book and the beginning of Moses’ presentation of the law and statutes. He addresses the whole people, telling them that unless they follow the statutes which he is about to present, they will not receive what God promises the faithful, in this case the land of milk and honey. There is a strong emphasis placed on passing the law on faithfully to the generations that follow, without forgetting any statute God enjoins upon them. While the promise of Moses was the inheritance of the land in a physical or literal sense, God’s later promise was a kingdom not of this earth.
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Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9
#239 Weekday Years I & II Context (Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent)
Moses spoke to the people and said:
“Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees
as the LORD, my God, has commanded me,
that you may observe them in the land
you are entering to occupy.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?
“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard
not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen,
nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live,
but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”
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Commentary on Dt 4:1, 5-9
This passage from Deuteronomy marks the end of the historical part of the book and the beginning of Moses’ presentation of the law and statutes. He addresses the whole people, telling them that unless they follow the statutes which he is about to present, they will not receive what God promises the faithful, in this case the land of milk and honey. There is a strong emphasis placed on passing the law on faithfully to the generations that follow, without forgetting any statute God enjoins upon them. While the promise of Moses was the inheritance of the land in a physical or literal sense, God’s later promise was a kingdom not of this earth.
“The presentation of law was a matter of public education in ancient
Israel. The motivation for obedience to the law was based on cultic
remembering, in which the past was made present. Within that context real
limits were placed on matters of interpretation. The people were not free to ‘add
to the word’ or to 'detract from it' in any way. They were to know the
commandments and to keep them faithfully.” [11]
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Deuteronomy 4:32-40
#411 Weekday Year I Context (Friday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time)
Moses said to the people:
“Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
All this you were allowed to see
that you might know the LORD is God and there is no other.
Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you;
on earth he let you see his great fire,
and you heard him speaking out of the fire.
For love of your fathers he chose their descendants
and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power,
driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you,
so as to bring you in
and to make their land your heritage, as it is today.
This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever.”
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Commentary on Dt 4:32-40
In this selection from Deuteronomy, Moses begins to describe the unique participation of the Hebrew people, the Chosen People, in God’s covenant. Moses actually presents a homily on the election of Israel, how God has shown his omnipotence through the salvific acts and signs (e.g. plagues in Egypt, saving miracles that facilitated the exodus).
These proofs, Moses explains, are the reason they must be faithful to God, and instruct their children to do the same. In doing so they receive the reward for their fidelity: “that you and your children after you may prosper." This section acts as a prologue to the introduction to the Law.
CCC: Dt 4:37 218
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Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
#165B Solemnities B Context (Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity B)
Moses said to the people:
"Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
This is why you must now know,
and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God
in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."
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Commentary on Dt 4:32-34, 39-40
In this selection, his first discourse, Moses begins to describe the unique participation of the Hebrew people in God’s salvific plan. Moses actually presents a homily on the election of Israel. He explains how God has shown his omnipotence through the salvific acts and signs the people have seen (e.g. plagues in Egypt, saving miracles that facilitated the exodus). This section acts as a prologue to the introduction to the Law.
“The end of this first discourse carries an important theological message: the profound notion of one God (monotheism); the election of Israel as God's specific people; his special and kindly providence towards this people; the might of God, as manifested in the prodigious works he does in favor of the chosen people; and the consequence of all this--Israel's duty to be faithful to the one and only God, keeping his commandments and offering due cult only to him; by so doing, Israel will continue to enjoy his protection.
“Reading this and other passages in the sacred books shows the efforts the inspired writers made to update the teaching of religious traditions and apply it to the situation and needs of Israelites in later periods; this is perhaps the reason for the frequent calls to fidelity to the Covenant. 'In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among alt peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love (cf. Deuteronomy 4:37; 7:8; 10:15). And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them (cf. Isaiah 43:1-7) and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins (cf. Hosea 2)' ('Catechism of the Catholic Church.' 218).”[5]
CCC: Dt 4:37 218
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Deuteronomy 5:12-15
#86B Solemnities B Context (9th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
Thus says the LORD:
"Take care to keep holy the sabbath day
as the LORD, your God, commanded you.
Six days you may labor and do all your work;
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then, whether by you, or your son or
daughter,
or your male or female slave,
or your ox or ass or any of your beasts,
or the alien who lives with you.
Your male and female slave should rest as you do.
For remember that you too were once a slave in Egypt,
and the LORD, your God, brought you from there
with his strong hand and outstretched arm.
That is why the LORD, your God, has commanded you
to observe the sabbath day."
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Commentary on Dt 5:12-15
This passage establishes the sabbath day as a day dedicated to God and to rest. It differs from Exodus 31:16-17 which focuses on God’s completion of creation. In this case it is clear that while the day is to be set aside for God, it is to be reserved as a day of rest, a commemoration of the bondage and slavery experienced in Egypt.
CCC: Dt 5:12-15 2167; Dt 5:12 2189; Dt 5:15 2057, 2170
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Deuteronomy 6:1-7
#748 Ritual Mass Context (I. For the Conferral of Christian Initiation, 1. Catechumenate and Christian Initiation of Adults, Presentation of the Creed)
Moses said to the people:
"These then are the commandments, the statutes, and decrees
which the LORD, your God, has ordered
that you be taught to observe in the land
into which you are crossing for conquest,
so that you and your son and your grandson
may fear the LORD, your God,
and keep, throughout the days of your lives,
all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,
and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
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Commentary on Dt 6:1-7
This passage is taken from Moses’ second address, introducing the “Law” to the people of God. Here the prophet speaks of the covenantal responsibility the faithful have to keep the Law of God. The people are entering the land of Canaan, a fertile area (“…a land flowing with milk and honey”) much different from the desert they have wandered. Moses points to this gift as God’s offering in return for their faithful adherence to the Law.
The selection continues with an iteration of the “Shema” (Hear). A prayer offered each day by religious Jews. It is basically an expansion of the First Commandment, exhorting the people to reject all other gods (in the historical context of the reading, this would apply especially to the Baal of Canaan). The clear intent is to place the love of God first in all things, making the need to offer all things to God foremost in all circumstances and endeavors. The selection concludes with an exhortation to teach these commandments to all the generations that are to come and to recite them daily.
CCC: Dt 6:4-5 201, 459, 2093; Dt 6:4 228, 2083; Dt 6:5 368, 2055, 2133
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Deuteronomy 6:2-6
#152B Solemnities B Context (31st Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
"Fear the LORD, your God,
and keep, throughout the days of your lives,
all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,
and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."
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Commentary on Dt 6:2-6
This passage is taken from Moses’ second address, introducing the “Law” to the people of God. Here he speaks of the covenantal responsibility the faithful have to keep the Law of God. The people are entering the land of Canaan, a fertile area (“a land flowing with milk and honey”), much different from the desert they have wandered. Moses points to this gift as God’s offering in return for their faithful adherence to the Law.
The selection continues with an iteration of the “Shema” (hear). It is prayer offered each day by religious Jews. It is basically an expansion of the First Commandment, exhorting the people to reject all other gods (in the historical context of the reading, this would apply especially to the Baal of Canaan). The clear intent is to place the love of God first in all things, making the need to offer all things to God foremost in all circumstances and endeavors.
"When someone asks him, 'Which commandment in the Law is the greatest?' (Matthew 22:36) Jesus replies: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets.' (Matthew 22:37-40; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18) The Decalogue must be interpreted in light of this twofold yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the Law." (CCC 2055)
CCC: Dt 6:4-5 201, 459, 2093; Dt 6:4 228, 2083; Dt 6:5 368, 2055, 2133
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Deuteronomy 6:3-9
#623 Proper of Saints Context (St. Stephen of Hungary, Aug 16)
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women)
#780 Ritual Mass Context (IV. For the Conferral of Ministries, 1. Institution of Readers, First Option)
Moses said to the people:
"Hear, Israel, and be careful to observe these commandments,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign
and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates."
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Commentary on Dt 6:3-9
The tale of Moses leading the children of Israel (Jacob) presents an important event. Moses begins in this passage giving the tribes the Shema Yisrael, arguably the most important of all Jewish prayers. It embodies the whole of Mosaic Law and is quoted by Christ as “the greatest and the first commandment,” summarizing the whole law of God.
His injunction to “Take to heart these words” gives rise to a number of Hebrew traditions including the use of phylacteries (“…as a pendant on your forehead”).
CCC: Dt 6:4-5 201, 459, 2093; Dt 6:4 228, 2083; Dt 6:5 368, 2055, 2133
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Deuteronomy 6:4-13
#412 Weekday Year I Context (Saturday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time)
Moses said to the people:
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign
and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.
“When the LORD, your God, brings you into the land which he swore
to your fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
that he would give you,
a land with fine, large cities that you did not build,
with houses full of goods of all sorts that you did not garner,
with cisterns that you did not dig,
with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant;
and when, therefore, you eat your fill,
take care not to forget the LORD,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
The LORD, your God, shall you fear;
him shall you serve, and by his name shall you swear.”
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Commentary on Dt 6:4-13
The tale of Moses leading the children of Israel (Jacob) presents an important event. In this passage, Moses begins giving the tribes the Shema Yisrael, arguably the most important of all Jewish prayers. It embodies the whole of Mosaic Law and is quoted by Christ as “the greatest and the first commandment,” summarizing the whole law of God.
He reminds the people that the land they will inherit is already prepared for habitation and that God expects to be remembered for the salvation he has brought them.
CCC: Dt 6:4-5 201, 459, 2093; Dt 6:4 228, 2083; Dt 6:5 368, 2055, 2133; Dt 6:13-14 2084; Dt 6:13 2096, 2150
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Deuteronomy 7:6-11
#170A Solemnities A Context (Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus A)
#995 Votive Mass Context (The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 2.)
Moses said to the people:
"You are a people sacred to the Lord, your God;
he has chosen you from all the nations on the face of the earth
to be a people peculiarly his own.
It was not because you are the largest of all nations
that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you,
for you are really the smallest of all nations.
It was because the Lord loved you
and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn your fathers,
that he brought you out with his strong hand
from the place of slavery,
and ransomed you from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Understand, then, that the Lord, your God, is God indeed,
the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant
down to the thousandth generation
toward those who love him and keep his commandments,
but who repays with destruction a person who hates him;
he does not dally with such a one,
but makes them personally pay for it.
You shall therefore carefully observe the commandments,
the statutes and the decrees that I enjoin on you today."
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Commentary on Dt 7:6-11
This passage is taken from Moses second address to the people of Israel. He has just explained that the people of the lands which they occupy (Canaan in this case) must be held at arm's length, and they must not intermingle their cultures or relationships. The selection presented is the rationale for that injunction. The members of God’s covenant are sacred to the Lord and the precepts of that covenant are not to be threatened by people not bound by it.
The intense love of God for his people is made clear in this reading with specific mention made to the Heart of God: “the Lord set his heart on you and chose you.” This directly supports devotion to the Sacred Heart of God's Only Begotten Son especially: “It was because the Lord loved you.”
CCC: Dt 7:6 762; Dt 7:8 218; Dt 7:9 215
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Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
#167A Solemnities A Context (Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ A)
#785 Ritual Mass Context (IV. For the Conferral of Ministries, 2. Institution of Acolytes, 4.)
#976 Votive Mass Context (The Most Holy Eucharist, 5.)
Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the Lord, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord.
"Do not forget the Lord, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers."
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Commentary on Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a
This reading is taken from the second address of Moses to the Hebrews. This section of the address can be called “an appeal to remembrance” since Moses is recounting all that God had done for them since they were led out of Egypt. The focus of these verses is on the feeding of the people with manna (see Exodus 16; 4-16). Jesus also quoted this passage “not by bread alone does one live” (see Matthew 4:4). Beyond manna, Moses also recalls the saraph staff (see Numbers 21; 5-9), and water drawn from the rock at Horeb (see Exodus 17; 2-6).
CCC: Dt 8:3 1334, 2835
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Deuteronomy 8:7-18
#917 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 20. After the Harvest, First Option)
Moses spoke to the people, and said:
"The LORD, your God, is bringing you into a good country,
a land with streams of water,
with springs and fountains welling up in the hills and valleys,
a land of wheat and barley,
of vines and fig trees and pomegranates,
of olive trees and of honey,
a land where you can eat bread without stint
and where you will lack nothing,
a land whose stones contain iron
and in whose hills you can mine copper.
But when you have eaten your fill, you must bless the LORD, your God,
for the good country he has given you.
Be careful not to forget the LORD, your God,
by neglecting his commandments and decrees and statutes
which I enjoin on you today:
lest, when you have eaten your fill,
and have built fine houses and lived in them,
and have increased your herds and flocks,
your silver and gold, and all your property,
you then become haughty of heart and unmindful of the LORD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers,
that he might afflict you and test you,
but also make you prosperous in the end.
Otherwise, you might say to yourselves,
'It is my own power and the strength of my own hand
that has obtained for me this wealth.'
Remember then, it is the LORD, your God,
who gives you the power to acquire wealth,
by fulfilling, as he has now done,
the covenant that he swore to your fathers."
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Commentary on Dt 8:7-18
This reading is taken from the second address of Moses to the Hebrews. The prophet describes the land promised to the Hebrews by God in some detail. He tells them that the will want for nothing; not water, fertile land for crops, or minerals for fabrication. He exhorts them not to forget who provided this bounty for them and to give thanks to God, blessing him for all he has provided. He also reminds them to keep all of God's commandments; recounting God's mercy in bringing them out of slavery in Egypt and saving them from the trials in the desert as they sojourned (Numbers 21:4ff) and feeding them with Manna in that desolate land (Exodus 16:3-22; Numbers 11:6-9). The passage concludes with a warning, that to for get God is responsible for their bounty and to think that it was through their own efforts all these good things came about is the height of arrogance and a violation of God's covenant with them.
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Deuteronomy 10:8-9
#719 Commons Context (Common of Pastors, 2.)
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women, 4.)
Moses summoned all of Israel and said to them:
"At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi
to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD,
to be in attendance before the LORD and minister to him,
and to give blessings in his name,
as they have done to this day.
For this reason,
Levi has no share in the heritage with his brothers;
the LORD himself is his heritage,
as the LORD, your God, has told him."
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Commentary on Dt 10:8-9
This passage is a part of Moses’ discourse to the tribes, a renewal of the articles of the Covenant under which they are bound; to love and serve the Lord because he is above all that is. In this selection he singles out the tribe of Levi – from which the priests of Israel are derived. They are told that the Levites are set apart because they were not in existence at the time of the Aaronic Apostasy (Exodus 32-34) and need not atone for that sin. It became their role to bear the Arc of the Covenant, the Holy of Holies before the Hebrew people as they sojourned, and later became the priestly cast, serving the temple.
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Deuteronomy 10:12-22
#413 Weekday Year I Context (Monday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time)
#995 Votive Mass Context (The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 3.)
Moses said to the people:
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord, your God, ask of you
but to fear the Lord, your God, and follow his ways exactly,
to love and serve the Lord, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul,
to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord
which I enjoin on you today for your own good?
Think! The heavens, even the highest heavens,
belong to the Lord, your God,
as well as the earth and everything on it.
Yet in his love for your fathers the Lord was so attached to them
as to choose you, their descendants,
in preference to all other peoples, as indeed he has now done.
Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and be no longer stiff-necked.
For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods,
the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome,
who has no favorites, accepts no bribes;
who executes justice for the orphan and the widow,
and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.
So you too must befriend the alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
The Lord, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve;
hold fast to him and swear by his name.
He is your glory, he, your God,
who has done for you those great and terrible things
which your own eyes have seen.
Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy strong,
and now the Lord, your God,
has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.”
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Commentary on Dt 10:12-22
Moses reminds the tribes about the articles of the covenant under which they are bound to love and serve the Lord. He does so because the Lord God has authority over all that exists. He goes on to tell them that God created the universe and selected the children of Israel as his special people. The Lord watches over them and has allowed them to thrive and become numerous.
Key to this passage is the statement “Circumcise your hearts.” We note that during this period, circumcision was not practiced by the Hebrews as they were nomadic. But once installed in the Promised Land the tradition was reestablished and has inclusive significance into the faith community. The term applied here enjoins the tribes to mark themselves visibly as attached to God.
CCC: Dt 10:15 218
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Deuteronomy 10:17-19
#927 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 22 For Refugees and Exiles, First Option)
Moses told the people:
"The Lord, your God, is the God of gods,
the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome,
who has no favorites, accepts no bribes;
who executes justice for the orphan and the widow,
and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.
So you too must befriend the alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt."
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Commentary on Dt 10:17-19
Moses reminds the Tribes of the articles of the Covenant under which they are bound; to love and serve the Lord. He does so because the Lord God is above all that is. The people are reminded to show hospitality to the needy. Specifically mentioned are orphans, widows, and resident aliens. These three classes were considered the most needy and therefore most deserving of compassion (see also Deuteronomy 16:11, 14 and Deuteronomy 24:17, 19).
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Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32
#85A Sundays A Context (9th Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
Moses told the people,
“Take these words of mine into your heart and soul.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign,
and let them be a pendant on your forehead.
“I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse:
a blessing for obeying the commandments of the Lord, your God,
which I enjoin on you today;
a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord, your God,
but turn aside from the way I ordain for you today,
to follow other gods, whom you have not known.”
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Commentary on Dt 11:18, 26-28, 32
Moses’ second address to the people of Israel concludes in this passage with the traditional covenant offer of “blessings and curses”. Blessings are afforded to those who keep the covenant, the heart of which is contained in the precepts of the Law. The curses are laid upon those who violate the terns of the covenant and “…follow other gods, whom you have not known.” Following these verses the book of Deuteronomy continues with the promulgation of the Law they are to follow.
It is note worthy that in the first verse of this passage (v. 18) the reference “…let them be a pendant on your forehead” coupled with Deuteronomy 6:8ff was the source of the Hebrew tradition prominent especially among the Pharisees of wearing Phylacteries.
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Deuteronomy 18:15-20
#71B Solemnities B Context (4th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)-
"A prophet like me (Moses) will the LORD, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kinsmen;
to him you shall listen.
This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb
on the day of the assembly, when you said,
'Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,
nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.'
And the LORD said to me, 'This was well said.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen,
and will put my words into his mouth;
he shall tell them all that I command him.
If any man will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,
I myself will make him answer for it.
But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name
an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,
or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.'"
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Commentary on Dt 18:15-20
In this passage from Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the people presenting an oracle that predicts the coming of another prophet (“A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen.”). Moses' own prophetic place was unique, having been established at Mount Horeb. It first launched him on his mission to save Israel from bondage (Exodus 3:1ff), then save them from dying of thirst (Exodus 17), and finally to give them the Law of Moses (Exodus 19).
The oracle promises that others will follow Moses. They will authentically guide the people as God intends. The end of the passage contains a warning to any who claim to speak for the Lord falsely. Those who make such false statements will die.
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Deuteronomy 24:17-22
#922 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 21. In time of Famine or For Those Who Suffer From Famine, First Option)
#927 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 22 For Refugees and Exiles, Second Option)
Moses Spoke to the people, and said:
"You shall not violate teh rights of the alien or of the orphan,
nor take the clothing of a widow as pledge.
For, remember, you were once slaves in Egypt,
and the LORD, your God ransomed you from there;
that is why I command you to observe this rule.
"When you reap the harvest in your filed and overlook a sheaf there,
you shall not go back to get it;
let it be for the alien, the orphan, or the widow,
that the LORD, your God may bless you in all your undertakings.
When you knock down the fruit of your olive trees,
you shall not go over the branches a second time;
let what remains be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
When you pick your grapes,
you shall not go over the vineyard a second time;
let what remains be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
For remember that you were once slaves in Egypt;
that is why I command you to observe this rule."
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Commentary on Dt 24:17-22
This part of the Deuteronimic Law provides consolation for the depressed classes (aliens, orphans, and widows). These classes would have been at a disadvantage and therefore vulnerable to hardship. Here, the law requires that "gleaning rights" be given to these people so they might find sustenance through the remainder of the harvest. The Lord commands that this benefit be offered that his mercy might be shown to all. This formulation is based upon the "Book of the Covenant" (Exodus 23:6)and is repeated in the concluding curses (Deuteronomy 27:19).[1]
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Deuteronomy 26:4-10
#24C Solemnities C Context (1st Sunday of Lent C)
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“The priest shall receive the basket from you
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,
‘My father was a wandering Aramean
who went down to Egypt with a small household
and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation
great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,
imposing hard labor upon us,
we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,
and he heard our cry
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;
and bringing us into this country,
he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.’
And having set them before the Lord, your God,
you shall bow down in his presence.”
----------------------------Dt 26:4-10--------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 26:4-10
Moses gives the people a ritual formula to pronounce when making their offering to the temple (previously required in Exodus 22:28ff.; Exodus 23:19). While the date is not stated explicitly, it is probably to occur at the spring festival of Azymes. The rite recalls the nomadic nature of the people. (Aramean: either in reference to the origin of the patriarchs from Aram Naharaim (cf. Genesis 24:10; 25:20; 28:5; 31:20, 24), or merely in the sense of "nomad," in the same way as "Arab" was later used; cf. Jeremiah 3:2.[2]) The rite then follows the Hebrew enslavement in Egypt and the release from bondage to be brought into the land of Israel, essentially recalling the Lord’s mercy and salvation. The offering referenced is from the first fruits of their harvest.
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Deuteronomy 26:16-19
#229 Weekday Years I & II Context (Saturday of the First Week of Lent)
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“This day the LORD, your God,
commands you to observe these statutes and decrees.
Be careful, then,
to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Today you are making this agreement with the LORD:
he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways
and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees,
and to hearken to his voice.
And today the LORD is making this agreement with you:
you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you;
and provided you keep all his commandments,
he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory
above all other nations he has made,
and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God,
as he promised.”
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Commentary on Dt 26:16-19
This reading from Deuteronomy is the final agreement in Moses’ Covenant. In it Moses tells the Israelites that for their part they must always follow God’s commandments and statutes. The recitation of the laws that God revealed to Moses is now complete and attention now shifts to the covenant relationship between God and his chosen people. [7] For his part, the Lord has made them his special possession, favored above the other nations he has made.
"By treating man in this way, God shows himself to be both near to man and far above him. The mutual commitment of God and men in the Covenant is not a simple business-like transaction; it is something enduring, something which is being renewed all the time: for man, and particularly for the Christian, every day is a renewal of the Covenant, a new beginning (cf. Isaiah 43:19)."[4]
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Deuteronomy 30:1-4
#867 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church 10. For the Unity of Christians, First Option)
Moses told the people:
"When all these things which I have set before you,
the blessings and the curses, are fulfilled in you,
and from among whatever nations
the LORD, your God, may have dispersed you,
you ponder them in your heart:
then, provided that you and your children return to the LORD, your God,
and heed his voice with all your heart and all your soul,
just as I now command you,
the LORD, your God, will change your lot;
and taking pity on you,
he will again gather you from all the nations
wherein he has scattered you.
Though you may have been driven to the farthest corner of the world,
even from there will the LORD, your God, gather you;
even from there will he bring you back."
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Commentary on Dt 30:1-4
Moses has predicted, as part of his last discourse, that the people will not fulfill their part of the covenant made with God which will result in their exile from the land they have been given as God's chosen people. In this selection he reminds them of God's abiding love for them; his faithfulness. He tells the people that if they return to God with all their heart, the Lord will gather them in to himself. No matter how far they have strayed or been exiled, he will bring them back as his own.
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Deuteronomy 30:10-14
#105C Solemnities C Context (15th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
#780 Ritual Mass Context (IV. For the Conferral of Ministries 1. Institution of Readers, Second Option)
#838 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church 4. For a Council or Synod or For a Spiritual or Pastoral Meeting)
Moses said to the people:
“If only you would heed the voice of the Lord, your God,
and keep his commandments and statutes
that are written in this book of the law,
when you return to the Lord, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul.
“For this command that I enjoin on you today
is not too mysterious and remote for you.
It is not up in the sky, that you should say,
‘Who will go up in the sky to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’
Nor is it across the sea, that you should say,
‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’
No, it is something very near to you,
already in your mouths and in your hearts;
you have only to carry it out.”
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Commentary on Dt 30:10-14
This section of the book of Deuteronomy is part of Moses’ last discourse. In this passage the great prophet is referring to Mosaic Law which has been chronicled earlier in the book. The gist of his challenge to the people is that the Law, which in turn is an integral part of fulfilling the covenant with God, also established earlier in the book, is not difficult to keep. It is, in most cases, something they are already doing (“already in your mouths and in your hearts”).
"St. Paul, in his Letter to the Romans (Romans 10:6-8), uses this passage, applying it not to knowledge of the Law but to 'the word of faith' that is preached by the apostles: it is now that word (as previously it was the Law) that makes manifest the precepts and commandments of God and (like the Law in its time, too) it should be constantly on our lips and in our heart. Theodoret of Cyprus (commenting on the Greek Septuagint version, which adds in v. 14 'and in your hands') says: The mouth stands for meditation on the divine words; the heart, readiness of spirit; the hands for doing what is commanded' ('Quaestiones in Octateuchum', 38)."[6]
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Deuteronomy 30:15-20
#220 Weekday Years I & II Context (Thursday after Ash Wednesday)
#751 Ritual Mass Context (I. For the Conferral of Christian Initiation, 1. Catechumenate and Christian Initiation of Adults, Christian Initiation Apart from the Easter Vigil, 4.)
Moses said to the people:
“Today I have set before you
life and prosperity, death and doom.
If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today,
loving him, and walking in his ways,
and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees,
you will live and grow numerous,
and the LORD, your God,
will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen,
but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,
I tell you now that you will certainly perish;
you will not have a long life
on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.
I call heaven and earth today to witness against you:
I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse.
Choose life, then,
that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God,
heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.
For that will mean life for you,
a long life for you to live on the land that the LORD swore
he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
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Commentary on Dt 30:15-20
Moses is presenting the Law of the Lord to the Hebrew people whom he has led out of bondage in Egypt. He makes it clear that by following the Law, the body of which has been laid out in previous chapters of the book and detailed in Numbers and Leviticus, they will find favor in God’s eyes and they will prosper. If they disregard the Law, they will find disfavor with God and will die out. He completes the ritualistic covenant phrasing by inviting them to choose life by following God’s Law and statutes.
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Deuteronomy 4:32-40
#411 Weekday Year I Context (Friday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time)
Moses said to the people:
“Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
All this you were allowed to see
that you might know the LORD is God and there is no other.
Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you;
on earth he let you see his great fire,
and you heard him speaking out of the fire.
For love of your fathers he chose their descendants
and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power,
driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you,
so as to bring you in
and to make their land your heritage, as it is today.
This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever.”
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Commentary on Dt 4:32-40
In this selection from Deuteronomy, Moses begins to describe the unique participation of the Hebrew people, the Chosen People, in God’s covenant. Moses actually presents a homily on the election of Israel, how God has shown his omnipotence through the salvific acts and signs (e.g. plagues in Egypt, saving miracles that facilitated the exodus).
These proofs, Moses explains, are the reason they must be faithful to God, and instruct their children to do the same. In doing so they receive the reward for their fidelity: “that you and your children after you may prosper." This section acts as a prologue to the introduction to the Law.
CCC: Dt 4:37 218
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Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
#165B Solemnities B Context (Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity B)
Moses said to the people:
"Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
This is why you must now know,
and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God
in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."
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Commentary on Dt 4:32-34, 39-40
In this selection, his first discourse, Moses begins to describe the unique participation of the Hebrew people in God’s salvific plan. Moses actually presents a homily on the election of Israel. He explains how God has shown his omnipotence through the salvific acts and signs the people have seen (e.g. plagues in Egypt, saving miracles that facilitated the exodus). This section acts as a prologue to the introduction to the Law.
“The end of this first discourse carries an important theological message: the profound notion of one God (monotheism); the election of Israel as God's specific people; his special and kindly providence towards this people; the might of God, as manifested in the prodigious works he does in favor of the chosen people; and the consequence of all this--Israel's duty to be faithful to the one and only God, keeping his commandments and offering due cult only to him; by so doing, Israel will continue to enjoy his protection.
“Reading this and other passages in the sacred books shows the efforts the inspired writers made to update the teaching of religious traditions and apply it to the situation and needs of Israelites in later periods; this is perhaps the reason for the frequent calls to fidelity to the Covenant. 'In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among alt peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love (cf. Deuteronomy 4:37; 7:8; 10:15). And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them (cf. Isaiah 43:1-7) and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins (cf. Hosea 2)' ('Catechism of the Catholic Church.' 218).”[5]
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Deuteronomy 5:12-15
#86B Solemnities B Context (9th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
Thus says the LORD:
"Take care to keep holy the sabbath day
as the LORD, your God, commanded you.
Six days you may labor and do all your work;
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then, whether by you, or your son or
daughter,
or your male or female slave,
or your ox or ass or any of your beasts,
or the alien who lives with you.
Your male and female slave should rest as you do.
For remember that you too were once a slave in Egypt,
and the LORD, your God, brought you from there
with his strong hand and outstretched arm.
That is why the LORD, your God, has commanded you
to observe the sabbath day."
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Commentary on Dt 5:12-15
This passage establishes the sabbath day as a day dedicated to God and to rest. It differs from Exodus 31:16-17 which focuses on God’s completion of creation. In this case it is clear that while the day is to be set aside for God, it is to be reserved as a day of rest, a commemoration of the bondage and slavery experienced in Egypt.
CCC: Dt 5:12-15 2167; Dt 5:12 2189; Dt 5:15 2057, 2170
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Deuteronomy 6:1-7
#748 Ritual Mass Context (I. For the Conferral of Christian Initiation, 1. Catechumenate and Christian Initiation of Adults, Presentation of the Creed)
Moses said to the people:
"These then are the commandments, the statutes, and decrees
which the LORD, your God, has ordered
that you be taught to observe in the land
into which you are crossing for conquest,
so that you and your son and your grandson
may fear the LORD, your God,
and keep, throughout the days of your lives,
all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,
and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
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Commentary on Dt 6:1-7
This passage is taken from Moses’ second address, introducing the “Law” to the people of God. Here the prophet speaks of the covenantal responsibility the faithful have to keep the Law of God. The people are entering the land of Canaan, a fertile area (“…a land flowing with milk and honey”) much different from the desert they have wandered. Moses points to this gift as God’s offering in return for their faithful adherence to the Law.
The selection continues with an iteration of the “Shema” (Hear). A prayer offered each day by religious Jews. It is basically an expansion of the First Commandment, exhorting the people to reject all other gods (in the historical context of the reading, this would apply especially to the Baal of Canaan). The clear intent is to place the love of God first in all things, making the need to offer all things to God foremost in all circumstances and endeavors. The selection concludes with an exhortation to teach these commandments to all the generations that are to come and to recite them daily.
CCC: Dt 6:4-5 201, 459, 2093; Dt 6:4 228, 2083; Dt 6:5 368, 2055, 2133
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Deuteronomy 6:2-6
#152B Solemnities B Context (31st Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
"Fear the LORD, your God,
and keep, throughout the days of your lives,
all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,
and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."
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Commentary on Dt 6:2-6
This passage is taken from Moses’ second address, introducing the “Law” to the people of God. Here he speaks of the covenantal responsibility the faithful have to keep the Law of God. The people are entering the land of Canaan, a fertile area (“a land flowing with milk and honey”), much different from the desert they have wandered. Moses points to this gift as God’s offering in return for their faithful adherence to the Law.
The selection continues with an iteration of the “Shema” (hear). It is prayer offered each day by religious Jews. It is basically an expansion of the First Commandment, exhorting the people to reject all other gods (in the historical context of the reading, this would apply especially to the Baal of Canaan). The clear intent is to place the love of God first in all things, making the need to offer all things to God foremost in all circumstances and endeavors.
"When someone asks him, 'Which commandment in the Law is the greatest?' (Matthew 22:36) Jesus replies: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets.' (Matthew 22:37-40; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18) The Decalogue must be interpreted in light of this twofold yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the Law." (CCC 2055)
CCC: Dt 6:4-5 201, 459, 2093; Dt 6:4 228, 2083; Dt 6:5 368, 2055, 2133
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Deuteronomy 6:3-9
#623 Proper of Saints Context (St. Stephen of Hungary, Aug 16)
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women)
#780 Ritual Mass Context (IV. For the Conferral of Ministries, 1. Institution of Readers, First Option)
Moses said to the people:
"Hear, Israel, and be careful to observe these commandments,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign
and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates."
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Commentary on Dt 6:3-9
The tale of Moses leading the children of Israel (Jacob) presents an important event. Moses begins in this passage giving the tribes the Shema Yisrael, arguably the most important of all Jewish prayers. It embodies the whole of Mosaic Law and is quoted by Christ as “the greatest and the first commandment,” summarizing the whole law of God.
His injunction to “Take to heart these words” gives rise to a number of Hebrew traditions including the use of phylacteries (“…as a pendant on your forehead”).
CCC: Dt 6:4-5 201, 459, 2093; Dt 6:4 228, 2083; Dt 6:5 368, 2055, 2133
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Deuteronomy 6:4-13
#412 Weekday Year I Context (Saturday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time)
Moses said to the people:
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign
and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.
“When the LORD, your God, brings you into the land which he swore
to your fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
that he would give you,
a land with fine, large cities that you did not build,
with houses full of goods of all sorts that you did not garner,
with cisterns that you did not dig,
with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant;
and when, therefore, you eat your fill,
take care not to forget the LORD,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
The LORD, your God, shall you fear;
him shall you serve, and by his name shall you swear.”
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Commentary on Dt 6:4-13
The tale of Moses leading the children of Israel (Jacob) presents an important event. In this passage, Moses begins giving the tribes the Shema Yisrael, arguably the most important of all Jewish prayers. It embodies the whole of Mosaic Law and is quoted by Christ as “the greatest and the first commandment,” summarizing the whole law of God.
He reminds the people that the land they will inherit is already prepared for habitation and that God expects to be remembered for the salvation he has brought them.
CCC: Dt 6:4-5 201, 459, 2093; Dt 6:4 228, 2083; Dt 6:5 368, 2055, 2133; Dt 6:13-14 2084; Dt 6:13 2096, 2150
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Deuteronomy 7:6-11
#170A Solemnities A Context (Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus A)
#995 Votive Mass Context (The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 2.)
Moses said to the people:
"You are a people sacred to the Lord, your God;
he has chosen you from all the nations on the face of the earth
to be a people peculiarly his own.
It was not because you are the largest of all nations
that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you,
for you are really the smallest of all nations.
It was because the Lord loved you
and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn your fathers,
that he brought you out with his strong hand
from the place of slavery,
and ransomed you from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Understand, then, that the Lord, your God, is God indeed,
the faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant
down to the thousandth generation
toward those who love him and keep his commandments,
but who repays with destruction a person who hates him;
he does not dally with such a one,
but makes them personally pay for it.
You shall therefore carefully observe the commandments,
the statutes and the decrees that I enjoin on you today."
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Commentary on Dt 7:6-11
This passage is taken from Moses second address to the people of Israel. He has just explained that the people of the lands which they occupy (Canaan in this case) must be held at arm's length, and they must not intermingle their cultures or relationships. The selection presented is the rationale for that injunction. The members of God’s covenant are sacred to the Lord and the precepts of that covenant are not to be threatened by people not bound by it.
The intense love of God for his people is made clear in this reading with specific mention made to the Heart of God: “the Lord set his heart on you and chose you.” This directly supports devotion to the Sacred Heart of God's Only Begotten Son especially: “It was because the Lord loved you.”
CCC: Dt 7:6 762; Dt 7:8 218; Dt 7:9 215
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Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a
#167A Solemnities A Context (Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ A)
#785 Ritual Mass Context (IV. For the Conferral of Ministries, 2. Institution of Acolytes, 4.)
#976 Votive Mass Context (The Most Holy Eucharist, 5.)
Moses said to the people:
"Remember how for forty years now the Lord, your God,
has directed all your journeying in the desert,
so as to test you by affliction
and find out whether or not it was your intention
to keep his commandments.
He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,
and then fed you with manna,
a food unknown to you and your fathers,
in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord.
"Do not forget the Lord, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers."
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Commentary on Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a
This reading is taken from the second address of Moses to the Hebrews. This section of the address can be called “an appeal to remembrance” since Moses is recounting all that God had done for them since they were led out of Egypt. The focus of these verses is on the feeding of the people with manna (see Exodus 16; 4-16). Jesus also quoted this passage “not by bread alone does one live” (see Matthew 4:4). Beyond manna, Moses also recalls the saraph staff (see Numbers 21; 5-9), and water drawn from the rock at Horeb (see Exodus 17; 2-6).
CCC: Dt 8:3 1334, 2835
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Deuteronomy 8:7-18
#917 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 20. After the Harvest, First Option)
Moses spoke to the people, and said:
"The LORD, your God, is bringing you into a good country,
a land with streams of water,
with springs and fountains welling up in the hills and valleys,
a land of wheat and barley,
of vines and fig trees and pomegranates,
of olive trees and of honey,
a land where you can eat bread without stint
and where you will lack nothing,
a land whose stones contain iron
and in whose hills you can mine copper.
But when you have eaten your fill, you must bless the LORD, your God,
for the good country he has given you.
Be careful not to forget the LORD, your God,
by neglecting his commandments and decrees and statutes
which I enjoin on you today:
lest, when you have eaten your fill,
and have built fine houses and lived in them,
and have increased your herds and flocks,
your silver and gold, and all your property,
you then become haughty of heart and unmindful of the LORD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that place of slavery;
who guided you through the vast and terrible desert
with its saraph serpents and scorpions,
its parched and waterless ground;
who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock
and fed you in the desert with manna,
a food unknown to your fathers,
that he might afflict you and test you,
but also make you prosperous in the end.
Otherwise, you might say to yourselves,
'It is my own power and the strength of my own hand
that has obtained for me this wealth.'
Remember then, it is the LORD, your God,
who gives you the power to acquire wealth,
by fulfilling, as he has now done,
the covenant that he swore to your fathers."
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Commentary on Dt 8:7-18
This reading is taken from the second address of Moses to the Hebrews. The prophet describes the land promised to the Hebrews by God in some detail. He tells them that the will want for nothing; not water, fertile land for crops, or minerals for fabrication. He exhorts them not to forget who provided this bounty for them and to give thanks to God, blessing him for all he has provided. He also reminds them to keep all of God's commandments; recounting God's mercy in bringing them out of slavery in Egypt and saving them from the trials in the desert as they sojourned (Numbers 21:4ff) and feeding them with Manna in that desolate land (Exodus 16:3-22; Numbers 11:6-9). The passage concludes with a warning, that to for get God is responsible for their bounty and to think that it was through their own efforts all these good things came about is the height of arrogance and a violation of God's covenant with them.
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Deuteronomy 10:8-9
#719 Commons Context (Common of Pastors, 2.)
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women, 4.)
Moses summoned all of Israel and said to them:
"At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi
to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD,
to be in attendance before the LORD and minister to him,
and to give blessings in his name,
as they have done to this day.
For this reason,
Levi has no share in the heritage with his brothers;
the LORD himself is his heritage,
as the LORD, your God, has told him."
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Commentary on Dt 10:8-9
This passage is a part of Moses’ discourse to the tribes, a renewal of the articles of the Covenant under which they are bound; to love and serve the Lord because he is above all that is. In this selection he singles out the tribe of Levi – from which the priests of Israel are derived. They are told that the Levites are set apart because they were not in existence at the time of the Aaronic Apostasy (Exodus 32-34) and need not atone for that sin. It became their role to bear the Arc of the Covenant, the Holy of Holies before the Hebrew people as they sojourned, and later became the priestly cast, serving the temple.
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Deuteronomy 10:12-22
#413 Weekday Year I Context (Monday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time)
#995 Votive Mass Context (The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 3.)
Moses said to the people:
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord, your God, ask of you
but to fear the Lord, your God, and follow his ways exactly,
to love and serve the Lord, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul,
to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord
which I enjoin on you today for your own good?
Think! The heavens, even the highest heavens,
belong to the Lord, your God,
as well as the earth and everything on it.
Yet in his love for your fathers the Lord was so attached to them
as to choose you, their descendants,
in preference to all other peoples, as indeed he has now done.
Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and be no longer stiff-necked.
For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods,
the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome,
who has no favorites, accepts no bribes;
who executes justice for the orphan and the widow,
and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.
So you too must befriend the alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
The Lord, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve;
hold fast to him and swear by his name.
He is your glory, he, your God,
who has done for you those great and terrible things
which your own eyes have seen.
Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy strong,
and now the Lord, your God,
has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.”
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Commentary on Dt 10:12-22
Moses reminds the tribes about the articles of the covenant under which they are bound to love and serve the Lord. He does so because the Lord God has authority over all that exists. He goes on to tell them that God created the universe and selected the children of Israel as his special people. The Lord watches over them and has allowed them to thrive and become numerous.
Key to this passage is the statement “Circumcise your hearts.” We note that during this period, circumcision was not practiced by the Hebrews as they were nomadic. But once installed in the Promised Land the tradition was reestablished and has inclusive significance into the faith community. The term applied here enjoins the tribes to mark themselves visibly as attached to God.
CCC: Dt 10:15 218
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Deuteronomy 10:17-19
#927 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 22 For Refugees and Exiles, First Option)
Moses told the people:
"The Lord, your God, is the God of gods,
the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome,
who has no favorites, accepts no bribes;
who executes justice for the orphan and the widow,
and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.
So you too must befriend the alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt."
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Commentary on Dt 10:17-19
Moses reminds the Tribes of the articles of the Covenant under which they are bound; to love and serve the Lord. He does so because the Lord God is above all that is. The people are reminded to show hospitality to the needy. Specifically mentioned are orphans, widows, and resident aliens. These three classes were considered the most needy and therefore most deserving of compassion (see also Deuteronomy 16:11, 14 and Deuteronomy 24:17, 19).
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Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32
#85A Sundays A Context (9th Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
Moses told the people,
“Take these words of mine into your heart and soul.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign,
and let them be a pendant on your forehead.
“I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse:
a blessing for obeying the commandments of the Lord, your God,
which I enjoin on you today;
a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord, your God,
but turn aside from the way I ordain for you today,
to follow other gods, whom you have not known.”
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Commentary on Dt 11:18, 26-28, 32
Moses’ second address to the people of Israel concludes in this passage with the traditional covenant offer of “blessings and curses”. Blessings are afforded to those who keep the covenant, the heart of which is contained in the precepts of the Law. The curses are laid upon those who violate the terns of the covenant and “…follow other gods, whom you have not known.” Following these verses the book of Deuteronomy continues with the promulgation of the Law they are to follow.
It is note worthy that in the first verse of this passage (v. 18) the reference “…let them be a pendant on your forehead” coupled with Deuteronomy 6:8ff was the source of the Hebrew tradition prominent especially among the Pharisees of wearing Phylacteries.
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Deuteronomy 18:15-20
#71B Solemnities B Context (4th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)-
"A prophet like me (Moses) will the LORD, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kinsmen;
to him you shall listen.
This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb
on the day of the assembly, when you said,
'Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,
nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.'
And the LORD said to me, 'This was well said.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen,
and will put my words into his mouth;
he shall tell them all that I command him.
If any man will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,
I myself will make him answer for it.
But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name
an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,
or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.'"
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Commentary on Dt 18:15-20
In this passage from Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the people presenting an oracle that predicts the coming of another prophet (“A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen.”). Moses' own prophetic place was unique, having been established at Mount Horeb. It first launched him on his mission to save Israel from bondage (Exodus 3:1ff), then save them from dying of thirst (Exodus 17), and finally to give them the Law of Moses (Exodus 19).
The oracle promises that others will follow Moses. They will authentically guide the people as God intends. The end of the passage contains a warning to any who claim to speak for the Lord falsely. Those who make such false statements will die.
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Deuteronomy 24:17-22
#922 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 21. In time of Famine or For Those Who Suffer From Famine, First Option)
#927 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 22 For Refugees and Exiles, Second Option)
Moses Spoke to the people, and said:
"You shall not violate teh rights of the alien or of the orphan,
nor take the clothing of a widow as pledge.
For, remember, you were once slaves in Egypt,
and the LORD, your God ransomed you from there;
that is why I command you to observe this rule.
"When you reap the harvest in your filed and overlook a sheaf there,
you shall not go back to get it;
let it be for the alien, the orphan, or the widow,
that the LORD, your God may bless you in all your undertakings.
When you knock down the fruit of your olive trees,
you shall not go over the branches a second time;
let what remains be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
When you pick your grapes,
you shall not go over the vineyard a second time;
let what remains be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
For remember that you were once slaves in Egypt;
that is why I command you to observe this rule."
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Commentary on Dt 24:17-22
This part of the Deuteronimic Law provides consolation for the depressed classes (aliens, orphans, and widows). These classes would have been at a disadvantage and therefore vulnerable to hardship. Here, the law requires that "gleaning rights" be given to these people so they might find sustenance through the remainder of the harvest. The Lord commands that this benefit be offered that his mercy might be shown to all. This formulation is based upon the "Book of the Covenant" (Exodus 23:6)and is repeated in the concluding curses (Deuteronomy 27:19).[1]
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Deuteronomy 26:4-10
#24C Solemnities C Context (1st Sunday of Lent C)
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“The priest shall receive the basket from you
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,
‘My father was a wandering Aramean
who went down to Egypt with a small household
and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation
great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,
imposing hard labor upon us,
we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,
and he heard our cry
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;
and bringing us into this country,
he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.’
And having set them before the Lord, your God,
you shall bow down in his presence.”
----------------------------Dt 26:4-10--------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 26:4-10
Moses gives the people a ritual formula to pronounce when making their offering to the temple (previously required in Exodus 22:28ff.; Exodus 23:19). While the date is not stated explicitly, it is probably to occur at the spring festival of Azymes. The rite recalls the nomadic nature of the people. (Aramean: either in reference to the origin of the patriarchs from Aram Naharaim (cf. Genesis 24:10; 25:20; 28:5; 31:20, 24), or merely in the sense of "nomad," in the same way as "Arab" was later used; cf. Jeremiah 3:2.[2]) The rite then follows the Hebrew enslavement in Egypt and the release from bondage to be brought into the land of Israel, essentially recalling the Lord’s mercy and salvation. The offering referenced is from the first fruits of their harvest.
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Deuteronomy 26:16-19
#229 Weekday Years I & II Context (Saturday of the First Week of Lent)
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“This day the LORD, your God,
commands you to observe these statutes and decrees.
Be careful, then,
to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Today you are making this agreement with the LORD:
he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways
and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees,
and to hearken to his voice.
And today the LORD is making this agreement with you:
you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you;
and provided you keep all his commandments,
he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory
above all other nations he has made,
and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God,
as he promised.”
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Commentary on Dt 26:16-19
This reading from Deuteronomy is the final agreement in Moses’ Covenant. In it Moses tells the Israelites that for their part they must always follow God’s commandments and statutes. The recitation of the laws that God revealed to Moses is now complete and attention now shifts to the covenant relationship between God and his chosen people. [7] For his part, the Lord has made them his special possession, favored above the other nations he has made.
"By treating man in this way, God shows himself to be both near to man and far above him. The mutual commitment of God and men in the Covenant is not a simple business-like transaction; it is something enduring, something which is being renewed all the time: for man, and particularly for the Christian, every day is a renewal of the Covenant, a new beginning (cf. Isaiah 43:19)."[4]
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Deuteronomy 30:1-4
#867 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church 10. For the Unity of Christians, First Option)
Moses told the people:
"When all these things which I have set before you,
the blessings and the curses, are fulfilled in you,
and from among whatever nations
the LORD, your God, may have dispersed you,
you ponder them in your heart:
then, provided that you and your children return to the LORD, your God,
and heed his voice with all your heart and all your soul,
just as I now command you,
the LORD, your God, will change your lot;
and taking pity on you,
he will again gather you from all the nations
wherein he has scattered you.
Though you may have been driven to the farthest corner of the world,
even from there will the LORD, your God, gather you;
even from there will he bring you back."
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Commentary on Dt 30:1-4
Moses has predicted, as part of his last discourse, that the people will not fulfill their part of the covenant made with God which will result in their exile from the land they have been given as God's chosen people. In this selection he reminds them of God's abiding love for them; his faithfulness. He tells the people that if they return to God with all their heart, the Lord will gather them in to himself. No matter how far they have strayed or been exiled, he will bring them back as his own.
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Deuteronomy 30:10-14
#105C Solemnities C Context (15th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
#780 Ritual Mass Context (IV. For the Conferral of Ministries 1. Institution of Readers, Second Option)
#838 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church 4. For a Council or Synod or For a Spiritual or Pastoral Meeting)
Moses said to the people:
“If only you would heed the voice of the Lord, your God,
and keep his commandments and statutes
that are written in this book of the law,
when you return to the Lord, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul.
“For this command that I enjoin on you today
is not too mysterious and remote for you.
It is not up in the sky, that you should say,
‘Who will go up in the sky to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’
Nor is it across the sea, that you should say,
‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’
No, it is something very near to you,
already in your mouths and in your hearts;
you have only to carry it out.”
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Commentary on Dt 30:10-14
This section of the book of Deuteronomy is part of Moses’ last discourse. In this passage the great prophet is referring to Mosaic Law which has been chronicled earlier in the book. The gist of his challenge to the people is that the Law, which in turn is an integral part of fulfilling the covenant with God, also established earlier in the book, is not difficult to keep. It is, in most cases, something they are already doing (“already in your mouths and in your hearts”).
"St. Paul, in his Letter to the Romans (Romans 10:6-8), uses this passage, applying it not to knowledge of the Law but to 'the word of faith' that is preached by the apostles: it is now that word (as previously it was the Law) that makes manifest the precepts and commandments of God and (like the Law in its time, too) it should be constantly on our lips and in our heart. Theodoret of Cyprus (commenting on the Greek Septuagint version, which adds in v. 14 'and in your hands') says: The mouth stands for meditation on the divine words; the heart, readiness of spirit; the hands for doing what is commanded' ('Quaestiones in Octateuchum', 38)."[6]
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Deuteronomy 30:15-20
#220 Weekday Years I & II Context (Thursday after Ash Wednesday)
#751 Ritual Mass Context (I. For the Conferral of Christian Initiation, 1. Catechumenate and Christian Initiation of Adults, Christian Initiation Apart from the Easter Vigil, 4.)
Moses said to the people:
“Today I have set before you
life and prosperity, death and doom.
If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today,
loving him, and walking in his ways,
and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees,
you will live and grow numerous,
and the LORD, your God,
will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen,
but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,
I tell you now that you will certainly perish;
you will not have a long life
on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.
I call heaven and earth today to witness against you:
I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse.
Choose life, then,
that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God,
heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.
For that will mean life for you,
a long life for you to live on the land that the LORD swore
he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
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Commentary on Dt 30:15-20
Moses is presenting the Law of the Lord to the Hebrew people whom he has led out of bondage in Egypt. He makes it clear that by following the Law, the body of which has been laid out in previous chapters of the book and detailed in Numbers and Leviticus, they will find favor in God’s eyes and they will prosper. If they disregard the Law, they will find disfavor with God and will die out. He completes the ritualistic covenant phrasing by inviting them to choose life by following God’s Law and statutes.
"The concluding exhortation (vv. 19-20) is particularly moving: 'choose life', loving the Lord, for 'that means life'. In the New Testament we find passages which echo the same ideas: 'I am the life,' our Lord will say (John 14:6); and St Paul: 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me' (Galatians 2:20); 'for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain' (Philippians 1:21)."[3]
CCC: Dt 30:15-20 1696; Dt 30:16 2057
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Deuteronomy 31:1-8
#414 Weekday Year I Context (Tuesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time)
When Moses had finished speaking to all Israel, he said to them,
“I am now one hundred and twenty years old
and am no longer able to move about freely;
besides, the LORD has told me that I shall not cross this Jordan.
It is the LORD, your God, who will cross before you;
he will destroy these nations before you,
that you may supplant them.
It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the LORD promised.
The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og,
the kings of the Amorites whom he destroyed,
and with their country.
When, therefore, the LORD delivers them up to you,
you must deal with them exactly as I have ordered you.
Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them,
for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you;
he will never fail you or forsake you.”
Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel
said to him, “Be brave and steadfast,
for you must bring this people into the land
which the LORD swore to their fathers he would give them;
you must put them in possession of their heritage.
It is the LORD who marches before you;
he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you.
So do not fear or be dismayed.”
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Commentary on Dt 31:1-8
In this passage from Deuteronomy, Moses passes the leadership of the children of Israel to Joshua. Because of Moses’ long standing image as the one who could speak face to face with God, and because he was told that he would not lead them on this final part of the journey, he tells the Israelites that God himself will lead them into the land that was promised to them. In the final section Moses places the mantle of leadership on Joshua. He enjoins him to be “brave and steadfast,” since he must lead the people to the fulfillment of God’s promise.
"When Moses
reached the end of his life journey on Mount Nebo, he was still strong and
able; for his eye was not dim and he was fully virile as a man (cf. 34:7). He died because
he reached the end of his allotted time. Though he had earlier begged God to
allow him to cross over into the promised land (3:23–25), he is now
resigned to his fate; for he knows that it is YHWH himself who is 'crossing
over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you; and you shall
dispossess them' (31:3)." []
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Deuteronomy 32:3-4ab, 7, 8, 9 and 12
#414 Weekday Year I Context (Tuesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time)
R. (9a) The portion of the Lord is his people.
For I will sing the LORD’s renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock–how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
ask your elders and they will tell you.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of the peoples
after the number of the sons of Israel.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
While the LORD’s own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.
The LORD alone was their leader,
no strange god was with him.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
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Commentary on Dt 32:3-4ab, 7, 8, 9 and 12
In this hymn of praise for God’s salvation, we hear the pledge of Moses again, that God himself would lead them into the land promised to the children of Israel (who was once named Jacob).
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Deuteronomy 32:3-4ab, 7, 8, 9 and 12
#414 Weekday Year I Context (Tuesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time)
R. (9a) The portion of the Lord is his people.
For I will sing the LORD’s renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock–how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
ask your elders and they will tell you.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of the peoples
after the number of the sons of Israel.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
While the LORD’s own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.
The LORD alone was their leader,
no strange god was with him.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
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Commentary on Dt 32:3-4ab, 7, 8, 9 and 12
In this hymn of praise for God’s salvation, we hear the pledge of Moses again, that God himself would lead them into the land promised to the children of Israel (who was once named Jacob).
The song begins with a summons to the whole of the created order (the heavens and the earth) to attend to the words Moses is about to speak, and to judge between YHWH and his people. The teaching that follows is likened to the rain, which softens the earth and produces a beautiful verdure of fertility; for that is Moses’ intention. His words are intended to bring the people to repentance. Implicit here is the conviction that no one can sink to where the word of God cannot reach them. []
CCC: Dt 32:8 57, 441
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Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21
#401 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time)
#419 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time)
R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you,
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the Lord saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
“I will hide my face from them,” he said,
“and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
“Since they have provoked me with their ‘no-god’
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a ‘no-people’;
with a foolish nation I will anger them.”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
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Commentary on Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21
This passage from Deuteronomy is taken from the last discourse of Moses, a section called the "Song of Moses." The great leader laments that the people have turned away from the God who saved them. In this selection the warning against forgetting God (the Rock on which they were founded) is issued. If they turn from God, God’s grace is no longer with them (“I will hide my face from them”) and they become “no-people” to him.
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Deuteronomy 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36ab
#420 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time)
R. (39c) It is I who deal death and give life.
“I would have said, ‘I will make an end of them
and blot out their name from men’s memories,’
Had I not feared the insolence of their enemies,
feared that these foes would mistakenly boast.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“‘Our own hand won the victory;
the Lord had nothing to do with it.’”
For they are a people devoid of reason,
having no understanding.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“How could one man rout a thousand,
or two men put ten thousand to flight,
Unless it was because their Rock sold them
and the Lord delivered them up?”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
Close at hand is the day of their disaster,
and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the Lord shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36ab
This passage from Deuteronomy is part of the "Song of Moses." In the strophes immediately preceding this section, it appeared as if Israel would be destroyed. Here we see that God relented in this action for fear that the utter defeat of Israel would be perceived as a victory for their enemies, rather than a punishment from God. The selection concludes in faith. Moses sings that God will surely show mercy to the people.
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Deuteronomy 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41
#411 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time)
R. (39c) It is I who deal death and give life.
Close at hand is the day of their disaster,
and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the Lord shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“Learn then that I, I alone, am God,
and there is no god besides me.
It is I who bring both death and life,
I who inflict wounds and heal them.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
I will sharpen my flashing sword,
and my hand shall lay hold of my quiver,
“With vengeance I will repay my foes
and requite those who hate me.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41
This passage is taken from the “Song of Moses,” which follows the proclamation of the Law. Moses foresees a setback for the people of Israel, but God is their salvation and will take their side against those who attack them. Placed with the reading from Nahum, it reaffirms that God will smite the enemies of God's chosen people.
CCC: Dt 32:39 304
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Deuteronomy 34:1-12
#415 Weekday Year I Context (Wednesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time)
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 34:1-12
This passage from Deuteronomy describes the death of Moses and the conclusion to the entire Pentateuch (Torah). All that the Lord had said to Moses had come to pass. Reference is made to God’s promise of the land. This statement supports other references about the land to be given (see Deuteronomy 1:37, 3:25-27, 4:21-22, 32:48-52).
After the set period of mourning, Joshua assumes leadership of the people for the completion of their journey from Egypt to the promised land. Joshua’s installation as Moses' successor was described earlier in Deuteronomy 31:1-8.
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[1]Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 6:58, p.116
[2]See NAB footnote on Deuteronomy 26:5
[3] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 781
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 763
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 682
[6] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 780-81
CCC: Dt 32:8 57, 441
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21
#401 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time)
#419 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time)
R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you,
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the Lord saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
“I will hide my face from them,” he said,
“and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
“Since they have provoked me with their ‘no-god’
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a ‘no-people’;
with a foolish nation I will anger them.”
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21
This passage from Deuteronomy is taken from the last discourse of Moses, a section called the "Song of Moses." The great leader laments that the people have turned away from the God who saved them. In this selection the warning against forgetting God (the Rock on which they were founded) is issued. If they turn from God, God’s grace is no longer with them (“I will hide my face from them”) and they become “no-people” to him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deuteronomy 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36ab
#420 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time)
R. (39c) It is I who deal death and give life.
“I would have said, ‘I will make an end of them
and blot out their name from men’s memories,’
Had I not feared the insolence of their enemies,
feared that these foes would mistakenly boast.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“‘Our own hand won the victory;
the Lord had nothing to do with it.’”
For they are a people devoid of reason,
having no understanding.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“How could one man rout a thousand,
or two men put ten thousand to flight,
Unless it was because their Rock sold them
and the Lord delivered them up?”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
Close at hand is the day of their disaster,
and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the Lord shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36ab
This passage from Deuteronomy is part of the "Song of Moses." In the strophes immediately preceding this section, it appeared as if Israel would be destroyed. Here we see that God relented in this action for fear that the utter defeat of Israel would be perceived as a victory for their enemies, rather than a punishment from God. The selection concludes in faith. Moses sings that God will surely show mercy to the people.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deuteronomy 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41
#411 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time)
R. (39c) It is I who deal death and give life.
Close at hand is the day of their disaster,
and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the Lord shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“Learn then that I, I alone, am God,
and there is no god besides me.
It is I who bring both death and life,
I who inflict wounds and heal them.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
I will sharpen my flashing sword,
and my hand shall lay hold of my quiver,
“With vengeance I will repay my foes
and requite those who hate me.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41
This passage is taken from the “Song of Moses,” which follows the proclamation of the Law. Moses foresees a setback for the people of Israel, but God is their salvation and will take their side against those who attack them. Placed with the reading from Nahum, it reaffirms that God will smite the enemies of God's chosen people.
CCC: Dt 32:39 304
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
#415 Weekday Year I Context (Wednesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time)
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Dt 34:1-12
This passage from Deuteronomy describes the death of Moses and the conclusion to the entire Pentateuch (Torah). All that the Lord had said to Moses had come to pass. Reference is made to God’s promise of the land. This statement supports other references about the land to be given (see Deuteronomy 1:37, 3:25-27, 4:21-22, 32:48-52).
After the set period of mourning, Joshua assumes leadership of the people for the completion of their journey from Egypt to the promised land. Joshua’s installation as Moses' successor was described earlier in Deuteronomy 31:1-8.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 6:58, p.116
[2]See NAB footnote on Deuteronomy 26:5
[3] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 781
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 763
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 682
[6] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 780-81
[7] The Word Biblical Commentary, Deuteronomy
21:10-34:12, Volume 6B, © 1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., p. 647.
[8] Duane L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1–21:9, Revised, vol. 6A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Thomas Nelson, 2001), 81.
[9] Duane L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 21:10–34:12, vol. 6B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), 761.
[10] Duane L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 21:10–34:12, vol. 6B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), 798.
[11] Duane L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1–21:9, Revised, vol. 6A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Thomas Nelson, 2001), 81.
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