The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Sundays after Pentecost (Hebrew Lunar Calendar)

by Fr. Mark Wojdelski, FSSP

(This is part of a series of articles. The first and foundational article can be found here.)

Now that you have had a chance to let these ideas settle in your mind, let us revisit the “month” that we find ourselves in now, the fictitiously liturgical (or liturgically fictitious), and yet entirely real month of Tishri, which includes the sixteenth through twentieth Sundays after Pentecost. Remember, we are simply counting forwards from Easter, 17 Nisan; seven Sundays from Easter to Pentecost, and sixteen more take us to the month of Tishri, which in this arrangement providentially begins on Sunday, the first day of the week. If you read my first article, you are now able to figure these things out on your own with a pencil and paper or an old calendar. If you have not read the first article, it is available here.  So here we are at the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the beginning of the month of Tishri, from the point of view of our liturgical year.  

This is an interesting month for several reasons. The first day of this month is also the first day of the civil year, and so the normal Rosh Hodesh (new moon) is a special one.

“And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the sons of Israel, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work; and you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.” (Lev 23:23-25)

The collect for the Mass for the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost likewise seems to contain an allusion to a transition from one year to the next: “May Thy grace, we beseech Thee, O Lord, ever go before us and follow after us; and make us always intent upon good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, etc.”

This particular choice of words, and the notion of God’s grace “going before and following” (Tua nos quaesumus Domine gratia et praeveniat et sequatur) is interesting. The new year on the Roman solar calendar begins in January. It was not always so, but the shift of the new year from March to January was understandable, given that the month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god typically depicted with two faces facing in opposite directions, and to whom was attributed patronage of change and transition. One face looks forward to the future, while the other looks backward and contemplates what has already taken place. St. Augustine makes this observation in his discussion of the Roman gods Janus and Terminus (“End”): “Would it not be a far more elegant interpretation of his two faces to say that Janus and Terminus are actually the same, and to assign one face to beginnings and the other to endings?”¹

Every new year is both a beginning and an end. We put the old year behind us and the new year before us, and ask that the grace of God be behind us and in front of us. This also serves as a reminder to us that our prayer stretches behind us and ahead of us. Why would we pray that the grace of God go behind us?  Why do our funeral liturgies ask that the soul of the departed be spared the pains of hell?  If the person is already dead and judged, what difference would that make? We tend to imagine past events as unaffected by our prayers, but God is outside time. Who can say that our prayers now might not mitigate the effects of some terrible past event? We certainly know that what is past cannot be undone, but how can we perceive the intentions of Him who is the creator of time?

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Continuing along, we come to the next occurrence on the Hebrew calendar, 3 Tishri, known as “Tzom Gedaliah” or the Fast of Gedaliah. This commemorates the following event relating to the Babylonian captivity:

“And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor.  Now when all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite.  And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, ‘Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials; dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.’  But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men, and attacked and killed Gedaliah and the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.  Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose, and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.” (2 Kgs 25:22–26)

The fast on this day is certainly that one mentioned in Zechariah: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love truth and peace.” (Zec 8:19) The prophet had made a previous mention of the fast of the fifth and the seventh month, both relating to the Babylonian exile. (Zec 7:5) These four fasts do NOT include the Day of Atonement, as that is a very unique day. Rather, these “four fasts” all pertain to events surrounding the Babylonian captivity: the one we just mentioned, the commemoration of the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (10 Tevet, 2 Kgs 25:1 and Ezek 24:1-2) and the two days commemorating the ending of the daily sacrifice and the destruction of the temple (17 Tammuz, Jer 39:2, and 9 Av, 2 Kgs 25:8-9).

An important point that needs to be made at this time is that any Jewish observance from before the coming of Christ, even if it is not explicitly in the scriptures, but is only known from later pre-Christian tradition, ought to be considered authentic, and part of our shared common tradition, because until they inexplicably and mysteriously rejected their Messiah, the Jews had the faith, the exact same grace of faith that we have. Otherwise, those righteous Jews who died before the coming of Christ could not have been saved. “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Heb 11:5–6)  So, although the date of 3 Tishri for this observance is not explicitly found in the scriptures, it can be regarded with as much authority as the observed date of December 25 for the birthday of our Savior, as this date was observed long before the first Christmas.  However, none of these dates have any significance for the Christian without a connection to the celebration of Easter.

A lesson to be learned from this fast for the assassination of Gedaliah is that the secular authority is also imposed upon us by almighty God as a chastisement or punishment, but that does not excuse us from our obligations to it.  Having to fill out your taxes every year is in itself a little chastisement from God for your own sanctification. What other reason could there be for having a special penitential fast because a politician was assassinated? After all, in the end, that is all that Gedaliah was. Yes, he was regarded as a righteous man by the Jews, and he was no doubt an admirable man on the carnal level, but he likely got his position through some connections he had made with the invading Babylonian officials, and was able to get himself installed as governor of the land of Judah. Most of the remaining Jews probably made the mistake we too make, which the Psalmist reminds us not to make: “It is good to confide in the Lord, rather than to have confidence in man.
It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in princes.” (Ps 117:8–9)

Have politics changed so much since biblical times? We were given this short summary of the historical events in the book of Kings, but perhaps that’s all we need. The inspired writer knew that people even thousands of years later would understand how politics work, and they would also understand how easily a bunch of rebels could band together and take out their enemy, whether perceived or real, but that is not, in fact, what God wants.

Life, death, and judgment belong to the Lord, and the final judgment of our leaders is also placed in His hands. It is not ours to dispense, as St. Peter said: “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.  Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God.  Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Pet 2:13–17)

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The next “official” occurrence on our calendar is the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, corresponding to 8 Tishri. The collect seems to point towards the coming Day of Atonement: “Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to Thy people, to avoid all contact with the devil: and with pure minds to follow Thee, the only God.”

The gospel reading also suggests coming humiliation and penance: “Because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Lk 14:11)

If we imagine that the week in which the Ember days fall is always after the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, as that is where the Ember Days fall in the missal (see previous article for this), we “should” be reading the book of Tobit this week at matins to correspond with the Ember Days in the third week of September, and in our idealized year, today we would read the introduction:

I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life, and I performed many acts of charity to my brethren and countrymen who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nineveh. Now when I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of Naphtali my forefather deserted the house of Jerusalem. This was the place which had been chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes should sacrifice and where the temple of the dwelling of the Most High was consecrated and established for all generations for ever.

All the tribes that joined in apostasy used to sacrifice to the calf Baal, and so did the house of Naphtali my forefather. But I alone went often to Jerusalem for the feasts, as it is ordained for all Israel by an everlasting decree. Taking the first fruits and the tithes of my produce and the first shearings, I would give these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar. Of all my produce I would give a tenth to the sons of Levi who ministered at Jerusalem; a second tenth I would sell, and I would go and spend the proceeds each year at Jerusalem; the third tenth I would give to those to whom it was my duty, as Deborah my father’s mother had commanded me, for I was left an orphan by my father. (Tob 1:3-8)

And, as Fr. Rock has already observed here, the homily for this day is one of St. Leo’s on “the fast of the seventh month.”

Typically, at this time of year, the matins readings do not have a tight correspondence to the sequence of Sundays, but this one time, due to it being the week containing the Ember Days, we can make an exception to this rule, and imagine that this is the proper “home” of this book of the bible in the cycle of readings because of its close connection to the Ember days.  You’ve had to use your imagination quite a bit leading up to this point already, so please continue to bear with me.

On this day, Solomon began the dedication of the first temple, 7 days and 7 more days, ending with 22 Tishri, the eighth day of the feast of Tabernacles, the day of “solemn assembly,” after which we are told that he sent the people home. (2 Chr 7)

Next we have the Day of Atonement. (10 Tishri)  This comes right before the Fall Ember days, which eventually took the place of all the fall penitential observances for the Roman Christians.

Recall what Moses told the people:

“On the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present an offering by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on this same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God.” (Lev 23:26-27) The term “afflict yourselves” refers to being humbled or bowed over, but it additionally includes the notion of fasting.² The Jewish calendar does not have many fast days prescribed, but this is an unusual fast, as work is also forbidden. Ordinarily days on which work was forbidden were joyful holidays, including the first and seventh day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the feast of Tabernacles on the first and eighth day. But on this day, men are not allowed to eat and may not even do anything to better their miserable condition through work. They must acknowledge their own helplessness in the sight of God. We Catholics have many opportunities to humble ourselves in our hearts, by the grace of God, and that more than once a year. The Israelites simply had to do it with their bodies, once a year.

The Ember Days and the rest of the month will be discussed in the next article.