In this final session of our series on the Maccabees, we discuss the feast of the seven martyred brothers of the Maccabees and also the use of the books of Maccabees in the readings of Mass and the Divine Office (TLM and Novus Ordo).
Listen online [here]!
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The Books of Maccabees
Session 7: The Books of Maccabees and the Liturgy
Course Outline
October 14th, Session 1 - Introduction and Outline, History of the Maccabees
October 21st, Session 2 - The First Book of Maccabees
October 28th, Session 3 - The Second Book of Maccabees
November 4th, Session 4 - The Prophecy of Daniel, Maccabees and the Messiah
November 11th, Session 5 - The Third and Fourth Books of Maccabees, and others
November 18th, Session 6 - How We Got the Old Testament
November 25th, Session 7 - Saints and Theology in the Books of Maccabees
** Note the change of name to Session 7 - The Books of Maccabees and the Liturgy
I. Review of how we got the Canon of Scripture
A. Not determined solely by whether the book is in the Septuagint (3 Maccabees)
B. Not determined solely by whether the NT quotes the book as part of OT (Enoch and Assumption of Moses, etc; and several OT are not quoted at all)
C. Not determined by whether the OT books quote it (so many examples of references)
D. A surer test is whether the book was read in the Sacred Liturgy in the Apostolic Churches. This testifies that the book was received as Scripture by those communities.
E. We needed the Church to define the Canon - and the Church and the Scriptures were formed together.
II. Saints of the Books of Maccabees
August 1st - Traditional Feast of St Peter in Chains, is also the feast of the Seven Brother Martyrs of the Maccabees. Their martyrdom is related in the whole of 2 Maccabees 7, after the death of Eleazar (chapter 6) and before the revolt led by Judas Maccabeus (chapter 8).
This feast stands out as being the only feast of an Old Testament “saint” honored in the universal calendar of the Church. Although certain local places and particular religious orders had feasts of various Old Testament “saints” (for example, the Carmelites celebrate the feast of St Elijah, which is most interesting since he isn’t exactly dead), the feast of the Maccabee brothers is the only on the universal calendar - and it is an ancient feast, celebrated by both the Roman Church and many of the Eastern Churches (and is even kept on the same day in the various liturgical traditions)!
We may also note the comparison to St Felicity of Rome (the widow martyr who had seven sons also martyrs) who shares a feast day with Pope St Clement, Bl Miguel Pro, and others on November 23rd. St Felicity’s seven sons are honored on July 10th. The tradition tells us that the mother of these seven Maccabee brothers was named Solomone.
It is incredibly sad (and disturbing) that this unique and ancient feast was removed after Vatican II. These brothers are honored because of their testimony to the resurrection, which is expressed almost with a New Testament faith.
III. Maccabees in the Traditional Mass
Keep in mind that the readings were dramatically and drastically changed after Vatican II - but many of the pre-Vatican II readings go back 1,000 years or more.
The most famous use of the books of Maccabees in the TLM is for the Requiem Mass; specifically the Mass for the Anniversary of Death and the second Mass of All Souls day, which uses 2 Maccabees 12:43-46 (the story of Judas sending funds for a sacrifice to be offered for the dead).
Because the TLM only had one reading before the Gospel (for nearly all the weekdays and Sundays and feast); therefore, there are significantly less readings from the Old Testament, as the Epistles of the New Testament are frequently chosen.
*Note that, among the Deuterocanonical books, the Book of Wisdom seems to be the most often used - as it is read for most of the Masses for feasts of martyrs.
*Another notable use of a deuterocanonical book in the TLM is the story of Susanna (Daniel 13) on Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent. And there are certainly other examples - Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) is used in some of the Masses for saints who were a bishop not a martyr, and therefore comes up fairly often.
*We should also not forget that many of the deuterocanonical books will show up in antiphons for various Masses in the TLM and also in the Novus Ordo.
IV. Maccabees in the Novus Ordo Mass after Vatican II
Since Vatican II (that is, since the reformed lectionary of 1970), the books of Maccabees are used in both Sunday Mass and daily Masses.
Note that this lectionary is so recent and was thrown together in a manner so far removed from the Catholic tradition that we do not base a strong argument on Maccabees in the life of the Church from this.
2 Maccabees 7 (portions of the story of the seven brothers) is read on the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C.
1 and 2 Maccabees are also read on weekdays of the 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Year 1; beginning with the general history of the Maccabees from 1 Maccabees on Monday, then turning to 2 Maccabees for the stories of Eleazar and also the seven brothers on Tuesday and Wednesday, then 1 Maccabees for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
1 and 2 Maccabees is also read in the Liturgy of the Hours for the Office of Readings in the 31st Week of Ordinary Time - interestingly, it is followed by readings from the Book of Daniel in the 32nd Week, perhaps indicating that Daniel is indeed prophesying about the time of the Maccabees.
Finally, though there are many options for readings for the Masses of the Dead in the Novus Ordo, 2 Maccabees 12 is one of those options.
In the Novus Ordo, Maccabees is placed at the end of the liturgical year and is therefore presented as part of an apocalyptic meditation on the end of time.
See the attached handout (or link) which shows the placement of the deuterocanonical books in the Novus Ordo Mass of Vatican II - again, this means little for the use of these books in the life of the Church (since the current lectionary is a banal fabrication invented out of the blue in the 1960s); but may be helpful for those who regularly attend the Novus Ordo Mass on Sundays or weekdays.
