I hardly ever get to Mass on Friday–my day off, and usually a time for catching up around the house. Today’s list: balancing the checkbook, mowing the yard, folding my clean laundry.
I alert you to an interesting blend of readings for today’s feast. The second suffering servant song, usually applied to Jesus, is suggestive of the rough-and-ready Forerunner:
He made of me a sharp-edged sword …
The entire passage is also proclaimed during Holy Week, just a bit more than two months ago.
Psalm 139 is just lovely, even when truncated like it is today. As much as I love this, I wonder if a better psalm would be the 71st, which is used on the Tuesday before Easter. My suggestion would be verses 5-6, 7-8, 10+13, and 15-16. Another thought would be to use the Canticle of Zechariah, which has been excised from today’s Gospel passage.
We have a rarity in the Lectionary, a passage from Acts used as a second reading. Likely it’s because it’s one of the few non-Gospel passages that directly references John the Baptist.
So John has inspired a Holy Week first reading, an “Easter-ish” selection from Acts, and a familiar Advent scripture for the deacon or priest to proclaim. All at Midsummer.
I can imagine the Church’s homilies today are/were all over the place. Any reports from the liturgical front?
