Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10
#151A Solemnities A Context (31st Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
A great King am I, says the LORD of hosts,
and my name will be feared among the nations.
And now, O priests, this commandment is for you:
If you do not listen,
if you do not lay it to heart,
to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts,
I will send a curse upon you
and of your blessing I will make a curse.
You have turned aside from the way,
and have caused many to falter by your instruction;
you have made void the covenant of Levi,
says the LORD of hosts.
I, therefore, have made you contemptible
and base before all the people,
since you do not keep my ways,
but show partiality in your decisions.
Have we not all the one father?
Has not the one God created us?
Why then do we break faith with one another,
violating the covenant of our fathers?
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Commentary on Mal 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10
This passage captures the heart of the second oracle of the Prophet Malachi. The primary focus of this oracle (or burden) is on the sins of the Hebrew Priests. The prophet, speaking with the authority of God, lays a curse on the priests who have failed to follow their calling and in so doing “…have made void the covenant of Levi” (see Deuteronomy 18:1-8; Deuteronomy 33:8-11). The covenant of Levi established the authority of the priesthood in return for faithful service to God in word and ritual. Not only does Malachi lay God’s curse upon them because they have failed to fulfill their service and fulfill their covenantal duties, he also causes their own representation of God in the priesthood to lose its efficacy.
CCC: Mal 2:7-9 1540; Mal 2:10 238
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Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
#199 Weekday I & II Context (December 23 of Advent)
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
Lo, I will send you
Elijah, the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day,
To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with doom.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 3:1-4, 23-24
“My messenger . . . before me”: in Malachi 3:23 this messenger is called Elijah. In Matthew 11:10 these words are quoted by Christ as referring to John the Baptizer, who prepared the way for the coming of the Savior.”[1] We believe this prediction from Malachi is fulfilled with the birth of St. John the Baptist. The prophecy of Malachi was widely known and understood by the Jews at the time of Christ. The prediction of the return of Elijah was seen as one of the major prophetic signs, and the Gospel description of St. John the Baptist closely paralleled the descriptions given in Scripture (see 2 Kings 1:8 and notes on Luke 3:15ff; Matthew 3:4; and John 1:6ff).
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Malachi 3:1-4
#524 Proper of Saints Context (Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Feb 2)
#7C BVM Context (The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of the Lord, Christmas 7)
Thus says the Lord God:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the Lord whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the Lord,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 3:1-4
In this passage, from the fourth oracle in the Book of the Prophet Malachi ("My Messenger"), the prophet has visions of three personages. The prophet sees God directly intervening in sacred history as he did with the great prophets. In the light of the revealed Messiah, the prophet’s visions are interpreted as representing, first, John the Baptist (“Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me”), and then the coming of the Messiah (“And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek”). When these two revelatory events have occurred, the whole Law and Prophets are fulfilled; God's promise of salvation is given.
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Malachi 3:13-20a
#464 Weekday Year I Context (Thursday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time)
You have defied me in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?”
You have said, “It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity.”
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 3:13-20b
Historically, the Book of Malachi is placed after the Jews return from the Babylonian exile (probably around 445 B.C), but before the appearance of Ezra and Nehemiah. Because of his severe criticism of the leadership, the author created a pen name, Malachi, which means in Hebrew “the messenger.”
In this passage, Malachi’s oracle envisions a time when God will make an accounting of those who had remained faithful and those who had ignored God’s law. He envisions the day when the punishment of God will be applied to those evil ones, and the faithful will bask in the healing rays of the “sun (son) of justice.”
CCC: Mal 3:19 678
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Malachi 3:19-20a
#159C Solemnities C Context (33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the Lord of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 3:19-20a
Malachi, who writes his prophecy in post-exile Israel before the reforms of Nehemiah and Ezra, is sending a warning to those who have returned from exile. This pair of verses is responding to a statement posed by the Hebrews in verses 14-15: "It is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command, and going about in penitential dress in awe of the LORD of hosts? Rather must we call the proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper, and even tempt God with impunity." The prophet begins by saying that the punishment of the proud is inevitable. He tells those who complain that (if they do not reform their lives) the day is coming when they will be held accountable. This short passage appears to point at the Messiah (the “sun of justice”) as the one who can forgive them.
CCC: Mal 3:19 678
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Fin2
[1] See NAB footnote on Mal:3:23
#151A Solemnities A Context (31st Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
A great King am I, says the LORD of hosts,
and my name will be feared among the nations.
And now, O priests, this commandment is for you:
If you do not listen,
if you do not lay it to heart,
to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts,
I will send a curse upon you
and of your blessing I will make a curse.
You have turned aside from the way,
and have caused many to falter by your instruction;
you have made void the covenant of Levi,
says the LORD of hosts.
I, therefore, have made you contemptible
and base before all the people,
since you do not keep my ways,
but show partiality in your decisions.
Have we not all the one father?
Has not the one God created us?
Why then do we break faith with one another,
violating the covenant of our fathers?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10
This passage captures the heart of the second oracle of the Prophet Malachi. The primary focus of this oracle (or burden) is on the sins of the Hebrew Priests. The prophet, speaking with the authority of God, lays a curse on the priests who have failed to follow their calling and in so doing “…have made void the covenant of Levi” (see Deuteronomy 18:1-8; Deuteronomy 33:8-11). The covenant of Levi established the authority of the priesthood in return for faithful service to God in word and ritual. Not only does Malachi lay God’s curse upon them because they have failed to fulfill their service and fulfill their covenantal duties, he also causes their own representation of God in the priesthood to lose its efficacy.
CCC: Mal 2:7-9 1540; Mal 2:10 238
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
#199 Weekday I & II Context (December 23 of Advent)
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
Lo, I will send you
Elijah, the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day,
To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with doom.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 3:1-4, 23-24
“My messenger . . . before me”: in Malachi 3:23 this messenger is called Elijah. In Matthew 11:10 these words are quoted by Christ as referring to John the Baptizer, who prepared the way for the coming of the Savior.”[1] We believe this prediction from Malachi is fulfilled with the birth of St. John the Baptist. The prophecy of Malachi was widely known and understood by the Jews at the time of Christ. The prediction of the return of Elijah was seen as one of the major prophetic signs, and the Gospel description of St. John the Baptist closely paralleled the descriptions given in Scripture (see 2 Kings 1:8 and notes on Luke 3:15ff; Matthew 3:4; and John 1:6ff).
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Malachi 3:1-4
#524 Proper of Saints Context (Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Feb 2)
#7C BVM Context (The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of the Lord, Christmas 7)
Thus says the Lord God:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the Lord whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the Lord,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 3:1-4
In this passage, from the fourth oracle in the Book of the Prophet Malachi ("My Messenger"), the prophet has visions of three personages. The prophet sees God directly intervening in sacred history as he did with the great prophets. In the light of the revealed Messiah, the prophet’s visions are interpreted as representing, first, John the Baptist (“Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me”), and then the coming of the Messiah (“And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek”). When these two revelatory events have occurred, the whole Law and Prophets are fulfilled; God's promise of salvation is given.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Malachi 3:13-20a
#464 Weekday Year I Context (Thursday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time)
You have defied me in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, “What have we spoken against you?”
You have said, “It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity.”
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 3:13-20b
Historically, the Book of Malachi is placed after the Jews return from the Babylonian exile (probably around 445 B.C), but before the appearance of Ezra and Nehemiah. Because of his severe criticism of the leadership, the author created a pen name, Malachi, which means in Hebrew “the messenger.”
In this passage, Malachi’s oracle envisions a time when God will make an accounting of those who had remained faithful and those who had ignored God’s law. He envisions the day when the punishment of God will be applied to those evil ones, and the faithful will bask in the healing rays of the “sun (son) of justice.”
CCC: Mal 3:19 678
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Malachi 3:19-20a
#159C Solemnities C Context (33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the Lord of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mal 3:19-20a
Malachi, who writes his prophecy in post-exile Israel before the reforms of Nehemiah and Ezra, is sending a warning to those who have returned from exile. This pair of verses is responding to a statement posed by the Hebrews in verses 14-15: "It is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command, and going about in penitential dress in awe of the LORD of hosts? Rather must we call the proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper, and even tempt God with impunity." The prophet begins by saying that the punishment of the proud is inevitable. He tells those who complain that (if they do not reform their lives) the day is coming when they will be held accountable. This short passage appears to point at the Messiah (the “sun of justice”) as the one who can forgive them.
CCC: Mal 3:19 678
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Fin2
[1] See NAB footnote on Mal:3:23
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