December 21, 2009
Advent Weekday
Reading 1 Song of Songs 2:5-14
Hark! My lover–here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Here he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me,
“Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come!
“For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!
“O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see you,let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,and you are beautiful!”
Responsorial Psalm 33
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Gospel Luke 1:39-45
Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
+++ +++ +++ +++
Today, we have a choice of two First Readings. The second, from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah, is for those who might find the passionate love implied in the passage from the Song of Songs a bit too earthy for a liturgical celebration. The Song of Songs, (also known as The Song of Solomon) is a collection of a score of poets about human love and courtship, often sung at weddings, even today. “The poetry is graceful, sensuous and replete with erotic imagery and allusions to the ancient myth of the love of a god and a goddess on which the fertility of nature was thought to depend (The New Oxford Annotated Bible). The pronouns (He, She…) imply that the speakers are a bridegroom, the Lover, a bride, the Beloved, and the chorus. Although it is called ‘The Song of Solomon’ the actual author is unknown. And, although dating from about the 3rd century BC, the symbols and motifs date from early mythology and have become the language of human love and courtship.Oddly enough, the book has no clearly religious content, compared to other books of the Old Testament.
Such an interpretation can be found only by discovering a deeper symbolism in its highly picturesque language. Its inclusion in the Hebrew Scripture can be explained by passages such as Hosea 2:16-19, in which the LORD is described as the “spouse” of his people. In the Christian tradition, it is understood as an allegory of the love of Christ for his bride, the Church (Revelation 21:2, 9), or as symbolizing the intimate experience of divine love in the individual soul. The relationship between mystical experience and sensual ecstasy is well attested.The choice of the reading for today’s liturgy is clearly linked with the Gospel account of the Visitation of Mary and Jesus to Elizabeth and John (yesterday’s gospel as well as today’s). The love expressed in the First Reading clearly points to a close, warm relationship between Jesus and John, where John represents each one of us. Even though most of us do not use this type of passionate language in speaking with Jesus, there have been mystics who did not hesitate to do so. One thinks of the founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius Loyola, or the reformers of the Carmelite Orders of men and women, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila.
As the passage begins, we first hear the voice of the Beloved. She is living in the city with her parents. Not unlike the lover in one of Shakespeare’s best known tragedy, the Lover appears below the Beloved’s window. The door is shut, and the wall is forbiddingly high. “He gazes through the windows, peering through the lattices.” He urges her to elope with him to the countryside: “Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!” The winter, a cold and rainy season in the eastern Mediterranean, is over. “The rains are over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time for pruning the vines has come, and the cooing of the turtledove is heard in our land.” And, of course, as Tennyson reminds us, “In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love” -- a sentiment that relates more to attitude than to age. The Beloved is hiding in the clefts of the rock, a poetic euphemism for her home, a place inaccessible to the Lover. “Let me see you, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and you are beautiful.” In today’s gospel, as we have seen only yesterday, Jesus, the Beloved, is hidden within the womb of his mother. Her voice is sufficient to create joyful responses from both mother and son – Elizabeth’s words “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” are outdone by her unborn son’s leap for joy! He knows already that where the blessed Mother is, our beloved Savior must be near. It is important for us to understand that that the Christian faith not just a catalogue of intellectual precepts and doctrine that touch only our minds and wills. It involves the whole person, body and blood, thoughts and feelings: it is live founded in true love: affection for and spiritual intimacy with our sisters and brothers, the first and foremost being the Son of God and Son of Mary.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Behold, I Come To Do Your Will.
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Reading 1 Micah 5:1-4a
Thus says the LORD: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to the children of Israel. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be peace.
+++
Responsorial Psalm 80
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power,
And come to save us.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
Look down from heaven and see;
Take care of this vine,
And protect what your right hand has planted
The son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
With the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
Give us new life and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Reading 2 Hebrews 10:5-10
Brothers and sisters: When Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said: “As it is written about me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.”
First, he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”, although these are offered according to the law. Then he says, “Here I am, I come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. By this will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once and for all.
Gospel Luke 1:39-45
Mary set out and traveled to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice, she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who have believed that what was spoken to you by the LORD would be fulfilled!”
+++ +++ +++ +++
THE BIRTH OF JESUS is now imminent. In a few days, we will be celebrating the memory of that great event. Today’s Mass prepares us for the Christmas celebration. Each of the three readings takes up a different aspect of this great mystery to help us in our understanding and in our personal preparation.
Promise of things to come
The First Reading, from the prophet Micah, sets out the promise of great things to come. The starting point will be the unexpectedly obscure town of Bethlehem, and not some greater center of Israel. Yet the one who will come from there will be “the one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” The one who is to come “will stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord”, and his people “will live securely, for then his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth.” And, most significantly, “He will be peace.” Shalom Israel!
A remote corner of Israel
This promise is magnificent. But how is it to come into fulfillment? In today’s Gospel, we land with a bump in the real world. We leave the grand prophetic language of Micah, and are brought to a village in a remote corner of Israel. Two ordinary women take center stage: Mary and Elizabeth. No mention is made of Zachary, the husband of Elizabeth, although he must have been around. But, he had doubted the word of the angel and had been struck dumb, so he will not speak until after his son is born.
And yet, the principal characters in this drama have yet to take the stage: John, son of Elizabeth, and Jesus, son of Mary. It is through – and within -- their mothers that they are first brought to the scene. Though both women are with child, it is Mary who takes the initiative to visit Elizabeth. On one hand, that is right and proper, since Mary is the younger of the two. On the other, it is Mary who has the higher status, since she bears within her womb the Son of God.
When Mary arrives, the child in Elizabeth’s womb responds immediately. Even before his birth, John is touched with the Spirit. This, we might say with hindsight, is the Baptist’s baptism. Although he will not appear on the public stage until years later, he is already fulfilling his vocation as the Precursor, the one sent to prepare the world for the coming of the Savior: “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy!”
Elisabeth is herself affected by the presence of Jesus, and she bursts into praise for the child and his mother, saying prophetically, “Why am I so highly favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” And, of course, it is not only Mary who has visited her kinswoman, since at this time the Son of God goes wherever his mother brings Him.
Spirit of service
We can already see a major theme of Luke’s gospel being unfolded in this first appearance of Jesus, even before his birth in Bethlehem; for we are presented with the humility of both mother and Son. They are not the ones who are visited, but they who go visiting. Even before he is born, Jesus comes to serve, not to be served. It is through service that we will recognize him as Lord. Later, near the end of the story, he will tell his disciples, "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you (John 13:13-15).
This is the beginning of God’s great plan to bring salvation and wholeness to the world. God’s own son is about to come and live among us as a human being. He will be like us in everything, but his freedom from sinfulness and its sources, fear and anxiety. As we party our way through the season, let us not forget what it is really all about: not the transition from one calendar year to the next, but the coming of God among us to show us the greatest love that can be given – “Greater love than this no one has, but to lay down one’s life for a friend.”
Total submission
Everything that happened from the moment Jesus appeared among us in human form can be understood fully only in the light of the passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews which is the Second Reading for today.
It is by the total submission of God the Son to the will of the Father that the fulfillment of the promise becomes possible. According to the epistle, the Father is not interested in the sacrifice and offering of lambs and sparrows, and takes no pleasure in holocausts or sin offerings. Instead, the Father has “prepared a body” for his Son. United with that body as a true human being, God the Son offers himself unconditionally to the Father.
“Behold, I come to do your will”, he says, and his obedience is made effective by the total offering of his human self, which far transcends any other offering that could be made. No one can offer more than one’s entire self.
An invitation to follow
Jesus does not just offer himself totally for us while we sit back and wait to be “saved”; he invites us to join him in saying to our Father: “Here I am! I come to do your will.”
Mary has already followed her Son, even though he has not yet been born. As a young woman, she had offered her virginity to God; asked by the angel if she is willing to become the mother of Jesus, and assured that “with God all things are possible”, she has already answered, “Let it be done to me as you have said.” At this point, she has no notion what is in store for her, but she has said her Yes, and she will be faithful to her commitment.
Soon, we are going to celebrate Christmas. Either your preparations have already been made, or we are up to your earlobes in finishing them. But, have you made the most important preparation of all? Yes, to the Father. Yes, to Jesus. Yes, to all that you will experience in the coming year. Yes, to every call that God makes to you during the next twelve months.
A significant part of the meaning of Christmas is that by contemplating the experiences of Jesus and Mary, we learn from their example how to make an unqualified and unconditional Yes to God’s will. This is where the real joy of Christmas lies. All the rest is nothing but tinsel.
Living Space
A part of Sacred Space
The prayer site of the Irish Jesuits
Reading 1 Micah 5:1-4a
Thus says the LORD: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to the children of Israel. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be peace.
+++
Responsorial Psalm 80
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power,
And come to save us.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
Look down from heaven and see;
Take care of this vine,
And protect what your right hand has planted
The son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
With the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
Give us new life and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Reading 2 Hebrews 10:5-10
Brothers and sisters: When Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said: “As it is written about me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.”
First, he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”, although these are offered according to the law. Then he says, “Here I am, I come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. By this will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once and for all.
Gospel Luke 1:39-45
Mary set out and traveled to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice, she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who have believed that what was spoken to you by the LORD would be fulfilled!”
+++ +++ +++ +++
THE BIRTH OF JESUS is now imminent. In a few days, we will be celebrating the memory of that great event. Today’s Mass prepares us for the Christmas celebration. Each of the three readings takes up a different aspect of this great mystery to help us in our understanding and in our personal preparation.
Promise of things to come
The First Reading, from the prophet Micah, sets out the promise of great things to come. The starting point will be the unexpectedly obscure town of Bethlehem, and not some greater center of Israel. Yet the one who will come from there will be “the one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” The one who is to come “will stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord”, and his people “will live securely, for then his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth.” And, most significantly, “He will be peace.” Shalom Israel!
A remote corner of Israel
This promise is magnificent. But how is it to come into fulfillment? In today’s Gospel, we land with a bump in the real world. We leave the grand prophetic language of Micah, and are brought to a village in a remote corner of Israel. Two ordinary women take center stage: Mary and Elizabeth. No mention is made of Zachary, the husband of Elizabeth, although he must have been around. But, he had doubted the word of the angel and had been struck dumb, so he will not speak until after his son is born.
And yet, the principal characters in this drama have yet to take the stage: John, son of Elizabeth, and Jesus, son of Mary. It is through – and within -- their mothers that they are first brought to the scene. Though both women are with child, it is Mary who takes the initiative to visit Elizabeth. On one hand, that is right and proper, since Mary is the younger of the two. On the other, it is Mary who has the higher status, since she bears within her womb the Son of God.
When Mary arrives, the child in Elizabeth’s womb responds immediately. Even before his birth, John is touched with the Spirit. This, we might say with hindsight, is the Baptist’s baptism. Although he will not appear on the public stage until years later, he is already fulfilling his vocation as the Precursor, the one sent to prepare the world for the coming of the Savior: “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy!”
Elisabeth is herself affected by the presence of Jesus, and she bursts into praise for the child and his mother, saying prophetically, “Why am I so highly favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” And, of course, it is not only Mary who has visited her kinswoman, since at this time the Son of God goes wherever his mother brings Him.
Spirit of service
We can already see a major theme of Luke’s gospel being unfolded in this first appearance of Jesus, even before his birth in Bethlehem; for we are presented with the humility of both mother and Son. They are not the ones who are visited, but they who go visiting. Even before he is born, Jesus comes to serve, not to be served. It is through service that we will recognize him as Lord. Later, near the end of the story, he will tell his disciples, "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you (John 13:13-15).
This is the beginning of God’s great plan to bring salvation and wholeness to the world. God’s own son is about to come and live among us as a human being. He will be like us in everything, but his freedom from sinfulness and its sources, fear and anxiety. As we party our way through the season, let us not forget what it is really all about: not the transition from one calendar year to the next, but the coming of God among us to show us the greatest love that can be given – “Greater love than this no one has, but to lay down one’s life for a friend.”
Total submission
Everything that happened from the moment Jesus appeared among us in human form can be understood fully only in the light of the passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews which is the Second Reading for today.
It is by the total submission of God the Son to the will of the Father that the fulfillment of the promise becomes possible. According to the epistle, the Father is not interested in the sacrifice and offering of lambs and sparrows, and takes no pleasure in holocausts or sin offerings. Instead, the Father has “prepared a body” for his Son. United with that body as a true human being, God the Son offers himself unconditionally to the Father.
“Behold, I come to do your will”, he says, and his obedience is made effective by the total offering of his human self, which far transcends any other offering that could be made. No one can offer more than one’s entire self.
An invitation to follow
Jesus does not just offer himself totally for us while we sit back and wait to be “saved”; he invites us to join him in saying to our Father: “Here I am! I come to do your will.”
Mary has already followed her Son, even though he has not yet been born. As a young woman, she had offered her virginity to God; asked by the angel if she is willing to become the mother of Jesus, and assured that “with God all things are possible”, she has already answered, “Let it be done to me as you have said.” At this point, she has no notion what is in store for her, but she has said her Yes, and she will be faithful to her commitment.
Soon, we are going to celebrate Christmas. Either your preparations have already been made, or we are up to your earlobes in finishing them. But, have you made the most important preparation of all? Yes, to the Father. Yes, to Jesus. Yes, to all that you will experience in the coming year. Yes, to every call that God makes to you during the next twelve months.
A significant part of the meaning of Christmas is that by contemplating the experiences of Jesus and Mary, we learn from their example how to make an unqualified and unconditional Yes to God’s will. This is where the real joy of Christmas lies. All the rest is nothing but tinsel.
Living Space
A part of Sacred Space
The prayer site of the Irish Jesuits
Saturday, December 19, 2009
In The Spirit Of Elijah He Will Prepare A People Fit For The Lord.
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
Reading 1 Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a
There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah.
His wife was barren and had borne no children.
An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,
“Though you are barren and have had no children,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink
and to eat nothing unclean.
As for the son you will conceive and bear,
no razor shall touch his head,
for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.
It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel
from the power of the Philistines.”
The woman went and told her husband,
“A man of God came to me;
he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.
I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.
But he said to me,
‘You will be with child and will bear a son.
So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.
For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb,
until the day of his death.’”
The woman bore a son and named him Samson.
The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him;
the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.
+++
There are in the Bible a number of incidences where elderly women who had never borne a child are, through the intervention of God, blessed with a child, usually a son.
Today’s First Reading recounts one of these - the birth of Samson. What is special to all these stories is that the child to be born has a very special role given to it by God. It is as if to say that God had played a role with the mother in the birth of this child. He was, in a way, God’s child. And that is what we also see in today’s Gospel which speaks about the circumstances in which the elderly Elizabeth is blessed with a son, who will be John the Baptist
The reading is from the book of Judges. These ‘judges’ were really heroic figures from various Israelite tribes who were engaged in the struggle of the Israelites to establish their dominion over the land which they believed had been allotted to them by God. Not surprisingly, the present occupants of the territories were not too pleased and resisted strongly, with varying degrees of success and failure on both sides.
Our reading is concerned with one of these ‘judges’ - Samson. Overall, he is presented as being physically very strong but in other respects very weak, particularly where women were concerned. And it was a woman, the notorious Delilah, who would bring about his downfall. Nor, in spite of some successes, did he ever manage to free his country from the Philistine enemy. His exploits were more concerned with himself than his people.
The Philistines, who will appear later in the story of David (Goliath was a Philistine), were a non-Semitic people, possibly from Crete, who settled on the coastal plain of Palestine about the same time as the Hebrews were entering the land from the east. Conflict between them was inevitable.
Samson can be seen in a way as a symbol of his people. The misdeeds of the Israelites are often pictured by the prophets in the light of the foolish pursuit of foreign women, some of them of ill-repute, and falling victim to them. During the Judges’ period, the people constantly prostituted themselves in worshipping Canaanite gods.
Samson was from the tribe of Dan. His story is told from birth to death. We are only concerned today with his birth. His father’s name was Manoah and came from Zorah, in the territory of Dan. (Dan was one of the twelve sons of Jacob.) The wife, whose name is not given, is sterile - the greatest curse a married woman could suffer in her society.
She shares this fate with some other prominent women in the Old Testament - Sara, the mother of Isaac; Rebecca, the mother of Jacob; Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel; and, of course, in today’s Gospel, Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist.
But it is then that an ‘angel of the Lord’ appears to her. She hears the wonderful words: “You will conceive and bear a son.” Words which are repeated in Gospel and will be heard again during the Annunciation to Mary.
Samson’s mother is to prepare for his birth by not taking wine or any food regarded as unclean. As a future liberator of his people, this son will be especially dedicated to the Lord. From his very conception he is to be regarded as a Nazirite. The word nazir in Hebrew means ‘consecrated’. A Nazirite was obliged to abstain from drinking wine or having his hair cut. In early times, the nazirite vow was for life but in later times it could be temporary and termination would be signified by the cutting of one’s hair. It is implied that Samson’s uncut hair is the source of his great strength, which is lost when it is cut by the treacherous Delilah.
When the child is born, his mother names him Samson, a word which means ‘sun’ or ‘brightness’. This could be an expression of joy over the birth of an unexpected child or refer to a nearby town, Beth Shemesh, ‘house of the sun’.
The passage ends with the words: “The child grew and the Lord blessed him: and the Spirit of the Lord began to move him.” This final remark refers to his future feats of strength. Compare this with the words about Jesus after he had returned to Nazareth following his presentation in the Temple by Mary and Joseph: “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him” (Luke 2:52).
Today, let us reflect on our own calling by God. Perhaps there was nothing very special about it. Yet, like John the Baptist, each of us has been called to be a forerunner of Jesus, to prepare the way for Jesus to come into other people’s lives, especially those who have not yet had the experience of knowing him.
+++ +++ +++
Responsorial Psalm 71
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
I will treat of the mighty works of the LORD;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
+++ +++ +++
Gospel Luke 1:5-25
In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years.
Once when he was serving as priest
in his division’s turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”
Then Zechariah said to the angel,
“How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
And the angel said to him in reply,
I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary.
He was gesturing to them but remained mute.
Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.
After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others.”
+++ +++ +++
There are close parallels in Luke’s Infancy Narrative between the birth of John the Baptist and that of Jesus. There are also significant differences. The First Reading, too, provides a prototype for today’s Gospel story as it describes the birth of Samson.
Today we read about the annunciation to Zechariah, about the birth of a son to his elderly wife, already past child-bearing age. Clearly it was a birth which, in normal circumstances, should not have happened. In a society where having children, and especially boys, was a wife’s primary duty, to be unable to produce children was a terrible shame. It was the ultimate failure. One had been chosen as wife for this purpose and this purpose alone. Love and affection had very little to do with it. And it was, of course, presumed that it was the wife and not the husband who had failed.
That is why widows in the Scripture are listed as among the most pitiable of people. Such women might still be quite young when they lost their husbands to war, an accident or disease but, as “second-hand material”, they were not eligible for re-marriage (whatever about extramarital unions) and so could not be mothers. Being the mother of a son is what women were meant to be. A woman who could not be a mother was less than a person.
Right through the Scriptures - in both the Old and New Testaments the births of significant people happen in circumstance which point strongly to some divine intervention. So there are in the Bible a number of incidences where elderly women who had never borne a child are, through the intervention of God, blessed with a child, usually a son. So here, too, Elizabeth’s barrenness is seen less as a curse than as a preparation for something special.
As we see, today’s first reading recounts one of these - the birth of Samson. What is peculiar to all these stories is that the child to be born has a very special role given to it by God. So in today’s reading, too, there is a sign of God’s intervention in the birth of John the Baptist. He is no ordinary child. He has been chosen out for a very special purpose, to be the forerunner of Jesus, the last of the great prophets of the Hebrew Covenant.
The opening of Luke’s gospel is a kind of diptych with parallel stories announcing the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus. We are not dealing here with literal history, although Luke posits the story in a genuinely historical context, “in the days of Herod, King of Judaea”. Luke writes in imitation of Old Testament birth accounts (like the one in the First Reading), mixing historical facts and legends. So we do not ask: Did all this happen exactly as described? Rather, we ask what does it mean? And primarily it is part of the answer to another question: Who is Jesus Christ?
In today’s story we have the classical situation of the elderly wife who is childless. Then one day, the husband, Zechariah, a member of the priestly caste is spoken to by an angel while serving in the Temple. The birth of a son is announced and his destiny. He will not touch strong drink (like Samson before him) and be filled with the Spirit of God even before his birth. He will be the source for many to find their way back to God. Zechariah responds with some scepticism and is punished with dumbness for his unbelief. But, following this experience, Elizabeth conceives a child.
The stage is set for the next, and more important, Annunciation.
Today, let us reflect seriously on our own calling by God. Like John, each of us has been called to be a forerunner of Jesus, to prepare the way for Jesus to come into other people’s lives, especially those who have not yet had the experience of knowing him.
Reading 1 Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a
There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah.
His wife was barren and had borne no children.
An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,
“Though you are barren and have had no children,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink
and to eat nothing unclean.
As for the son you will conceive and bear,
no razor shall touch his head,
for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.
It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel
from the power of the Philistines.”
The woman went and told her husband,
“A man of God came to me;
he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.
I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.
But he said to me,
‘You will be with child and will bear a son.
So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.
For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb,
until the day of his death.’”
The woman bore a son and named him Samson.
The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him;
the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.
+++
There are in the Bible a number of incidences where elderly women who had never borne a child are, through the intervention of God, blessed with a child, usually a son.
Today’s First Reading recounts one of these - the birth of Samson. What is special to all these stories is that the child to be born has a very special role given to it by God. It is as if to say that God had played a role with the mother in the birth of this child. He was, in a way, God’s child. And that is what we also see in today’s Gospel which speaks about the circumstances in which the elderly Elizabeth is blessed with a son, who will be John the Baptist
The reading is from the book of Judges. These ‘judges’ were really heroic figures from various Israelite tribes who were engaged in the struggle of the Israelites to establish their dominion over the land which they believed had been allotted to them by God. Not surprisingly, the present occupants of the territories were not too pleased and resisted strongly, with varying degrees of success and failure on both sides.
Our reading is concerned with one of these ‘judges’ - Samson. Overall, he is presented as being physically very strong but in other respects very weak, particularly where women were concerned. And it was a woman, the notorious Delilah, who would bring about his downfall. Nor, in spite of some successes, did he ever manage to free his country from the Philistine enemy. His exploits were more concerned with himself than his people.
The Philistines, who will appear later in the story of David (Goliath was a Philistine), were a non-Semitic people, possibly from Crete, who settled on the coastal plain of Palestine about the same time as the Hebrews were entering the land from the east. Conflict between them was inevitable.
Samson can be seen in a way as a symbol of his people. The misdeeds of the Israelites are often pictured by the prophets in the light of the foolish pursuit of foreign women, some of them of ill-repute, and falling victim to them. During the Judges’ period, the people constantly prostituted themselves in worshipping Canaanite gods.
Samson was from the tribe of Dan. His story is told from birth to death. We are only concerned today with his birth. His father’s name was Manoah and came from Zorah, in the territory of Dan. (Dan was one of the twelve sons of Jacob.) The wife, whose name is not given, is sterile - the greatest curse a married woman could suffer in her society.
She shares this fate with some other prominent women in the Old Testament - Sara, the mother of Isaac; Rebecca, the mother of Jacob; Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel; and, of course, in today’s Gospel, Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist.
But it is then that an ‘angel of the Lord’ appears to her. She hears the wonderful words: “You will conceive and bear a son.” Words which are repeated in Gospel and will be heard again during the Annunciation to Mary.
Samson’s mother is to prepare for his birth by not taking wine or any food regarded as unclean. As a future liberator of his people, this son will be especially dedicated to the Lord. From his very conception he is to be regarded as a Nazirite. The word nazir in Hebrew means ‘consecrated’. A Nazirite was obliged to abstain from drinking wine or having his hair cut. In early times, the nazirite vow was for life but in later times it could be temporary and termination would be signified by the cutting of one’s hair. It is implied that Samson’s uncut hair is the source of his great strength, which is lost when it is cut by the treacherous Delilah.
When the child is born, his mother names him Samson, a word which means ‘sun’ or ‘brightness’. This could be an expression of joy over the birth of an unexpected child or refer to a nearby town, Beth Shemesh, ‘house of the sun’.
The passage ends with the words: “The child grew and the Lord blessed him: and the Spirit of the Lord began to move him.” This final remark refers to his future feats of strength. Compare this with the words about Jesus after he had returned to Nazareth following his presentation in the Temple by Mary and Joseph: “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him” (Luke 2:52).
Today, let us reflect on our own calling by God. Perhaps there was nothing very special about it. Yet, like John the Baptist, each of us has been called to be a forerunner of Jesus, to prepare the way for Jesus to come into other people’s lives, especially those who have not yet had the experience of knowing him.
+++ +++ +++
Responsorial Psalm 71
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
I will treat of the mighty works of the LORD;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
+++ +++ +++
Gospel Luke 1:5-25
In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years.
Once when he was serving as priest
in his division’s turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”
Then Zechariah said to the angel,
“How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
And the angel said to him in reply,
I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary.
He was gesturing to them but remained mute.
Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.
After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
“So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others.”
+++ +++ +++
There are close parallels in Luke’s Infancy Narrative between the birth of John the Baptist and that of Jesus. There are also significant differences. The First Reading, too, provides a prototype for today’s Gospel story as it describes the birth of Samson.
Today we read about the annunciation to Zechariah, about the birth of a son to his elderly wife, already past child-bearing age. Clearly it was a birth which, in normal circumstances, should not have happened. In a society where having children, and especially boys, was a wife’s primary duty, to be unable to produce children was a terrible shame. It was the ultimate failure. One had been chosen as wife for this purpose and this purpose alone. Love and affection had very little to do with it. And it was, of course, presumed that it was the wife and not the husband who had failed.
That is why widows in the Scripture are listed as among the most pitiable of people. Such women might still be quite young when they lost their husbands to war, an accident or disease but, as “second-hand material”, they were not eligible for re-marriage (whatever about extramarital unions) and so could not be mothers. Being the mother of a son is what women were meant to be. A woman who could not be a mother was less than a person.
Right through the Scriptures - in both the Old and New Testaments the births of significant people happen in circumstance which point strongly to some divine intervention. So there are in the Bible a number of incidences where elderly women who had never borne a child are, through the intervention of God, blessed with a child, usually a son. So here, too, Elizabeth’s barrenness is seen less as a curse than as a preparation for something special.
As we see, today’s first reading recounts one of these - the birth of Samson. What is peculiar to all these stories is that the child to be born has a very special role given to it by God. So in today’s reading, too, there is a sign of God’s intervention in the birth of John the Baptist. He is no ordinary child. He has been chosen out for a very special purpose, to be the forerunner of Jesus, the last of the great prophets of the Hebrew Covenant.
The opening of Luke’s gospel is a kind of diptych with parallel stories announcing the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus. We are not dealing here with literal history, although Luke posits the story in a genuinely historical context, “in the days of Herod, King of Judaea”. Luke writes in imitation of Old Testament birth accounts (like the one in the First Reading), mixing historical facts and legends. So we do not ask: Did all this happen exactly as described? Rather, we ask what does it mean? And primarily it is part of the answer to another question: Who is Jesus Christ?
In today’s story we have the classical situation of the elderly wife who is childless. Then one day, the husband, Zechariah, a member of the priestly caste is spoken to by an angel while serving in the Temple. The birth of a son is announced and his destiny. He will not touch strong drink (like Samson before him) and be filled with the Spirit of God even before his birth. He will be the source for many to find their way back to God. Zechariah responds with some scepticism and is punished with dumbness for his unbelief. But, following this experience, Elizabeth conceives a child.
The stage is set for the next, and more important, Annunciation.
Today, let us reflect seriously on our own calling by God. Like John, each of us has been called to be a forerunner of Jesus, to prepare the way for Jesus to come into other people’s lives, especially those who have not yet had the experience of knowing him.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Behold, The Days Are Coming When I Will Raise Up To David A Righteous Branch
FRIDAY of the THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT -- December 18, 2009
Reading 1 Jeremiah 23:5-8
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up to David a righteous branch; a King who will reign wisely, and do what is just and right in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD our Righteousness.
So then, the days will come, says the LORD, when people will no longer say, “As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt”; but rather, “As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up from the land of the north, and from all the lands to which I banished them; once again they will live in their own land.”
+++ +++ +++ +++
Today’s First Reading is a portion of one of three prose poems that originate either from the time of the exile in Babylon, or soon after the return to Jerusalem. In earlier prophecies, the rulers of Judah had been scolded for scattering God’s people; here, the LORD promises to establish “a righteous branch” of David’s line over a restored Israel. “Branch” is used elsewhere as a messianic title. Zerubbabel, whose name means “branch of Babylon”, one of the leaders of the return of the Jews from exile, was a descendant of David.
The Messiah, unlike any previous descendant of David, will be the ideal King. He will sum up in himself all of the finest qualities of the best rulers, and infinitely more. He will rule as a real king before the Lord, not as a puppet like Zedekiah. He will be a good shepherd for his people, free from the corruption of so many of the rulers of Judah. He will be “wise, and do what is just and right in the land.”
This ruler will be called “Yahweh is our justice” in contrast with the current ruler, Zedekiah, whose name meant “Yahweh is my justice”. It was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who gave this name to Mattaniah when he was appointed king. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah before the exile (597-587 BC). A tragic figure, he tried to form alliances with the surrounding peoples, including Egypt, to rebel against Babylon, but he suffered defeat and was led off to Babylon as a captive. There, his two sons were executed before his eyes, and then his eyes were gouged out.
Even though Zedekiah did not in any wise live up to his name “the Lord is my Justice” the new Lord of Justice will bring many blessings to his people, and give them all that they will need to truly be God’s people.
A new age is coming, when people will no longer think of God as the one who brought his people out of Egypt. Rather, they will think of him as the one who brought his people from their place of exile to live once again in the Land of Promise. This will be the “New Exodus”, one of even greater significance than the first. And it will not be fulfilled until the Messiah comes to establish the Kingdom of God not only in Israel, but throughout the world. He will bring justice and peace to all peoples.
+++ +++ +++
Responsorial Psalm 72
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds.
And blessed forever be his glorious name;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
+++ +++ +++
Gospel Matthew 1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: When his mother Mary was betrothed, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man, and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. This was his intention when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home as your wife, since it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin will be with child, and will give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel – which means, ‘God is with us’.
When Joseph awoke, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and to Mary into his home as is wife. But he had no relations with her until she born a son, whom he named Jesus.
+++ +++ +++ +++
Today’s Gospel reading follows immediately upon yesterday’s account of Jesus’ genealogy.
In Jesus’ time, there were three stages for Jews getting married: first, the engagement, then the betrothal, and finally, the wedding. The betrothal was a serious commitment, a legally binding relationship. Conjugal relations were not licit until some months later, when the husband took his betrothed into his home as his wife. Violating the betrothal by having sexual relations with someone else was equivalent to adultery.
Imagine, then, the horrific dilemma of Joseph, who has discovered that the woman to whom he is betrothed, but with whom he has not consummated the conjugal relationship is already with child. There is only one obvious explanation: she has been unfaithful, and was bearing another man’s child. This was a gravely serious matter, and if brought into the open, would have made Mary liable to death by stoning.
As a devout follower of the Mosaic Law, Joseph would want to end his commitment to a woman who had so seriously broken the Law. And yet, because he was “a righteous man”, he was unwilling to expose her to such a shameful punishment. In this, for his time and for our own, he shows unusual forbearance. Not many men would accept this situation with such calmness and self-restraint. Most would find it an unforgivable insult to their own manhood.
Joseph’s ultimate decision was “to divorce her quietly”. This was his intention when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, assuring him that no other man is involved, and that “it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived.” Joseph is further instructed to give the child to be born the name Jesus. Jesus, in Hebrew Joshua, means “Yahweh saves”; Jesus is so called “because he will save his people from their sins.”
As Matthew often does, he shows that “all this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us”. This prophecy will be re-echoed at the very end of Matthew’s gospel, when, just before he ascends to the Father, Jesus says to his disciples. “I will be with you all days, until the end of the age.” Jesus remains with us forever.
His peace of mind restored, Joseph “took his wife into his home, and had no relations with her before she bore a son, whom he named Jesus.” Thus, there can be no mistaking the origins of Jesus, son of Mary. He has a human mother, but a divine Father. He is the perfect Savior of his people, capable of offering his own life as ransom for his sinful brothers and sisters, because he shares their human nature; worth to offer atonement to God, because he is the eternally begotten Son of the Father.
Jesus is, yesterday, today and forever, our Emmanuel: God still lives with his people. He does so through the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church and its communities throughout the world. Each of us is called to be Emmanuel. Through us others can meet God, and hear the good news of salvation and love, of forgiveness and reconciliation. Let us each renew our personal commitment to be Emmanuel for all those whose lives we touch, today and every day.
Reading 1 Jeremiah 23:5-8
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up to David a righteous branch; a King who will reign wisely, and do what is just and right in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD our Righteousness.
So then, the days will come, says the LORD, when people will no longer say, “As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt”; but rather, “As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up from the land of the north, and from all the lands to which I banished them; once again they will live in their own land.”
+++ +++ +++ +++
Today’s First Reading is a portion of one of three prose poems that originate either from the time of the exile in Babylon, or soon after the return to Jerusalem. In earlier prophecies, the rulers of Judah had been scolded for scattering God’s people; here, the LORD promises to establish “a righteous branch” of David’s line over a restored Israel. “Branch” is used elsewhere as a messianic title. Zerubbabel, whose name means “branch of Babylon”, one of the leaders of the return of the Jews from exile, was a descendant of David.
The Messiah, unlike any previous descendant of David, will be the ideal King. He will sum up in himself all of the finest qualities of the best rulers, and infinitely more. He will rule as a real king before the Lord, not as a puppet like Zedekiah. He will be a good shepherd for his people, free from the corruption of so many of the rulers of Judah. He will be “wise, and do what is just and right in the land.”
This ruler will be called “Yahweh is our justice” in contrast with the current ruler, Zedekiah, whose name meant “Yahweh is my justice”. It was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who gave this name to Mattaniah when he was appointed king. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah before the exile (597-587 BC). A tragic figure, he tried to form alliances with the surrounding peoples, including Egypt, to rebel against Babylon, but he suffered defeat and was led off to Babylon as a captive. There, his two sons were executed before his eyes, and then his eyes were gouged out.
Even though Zedekiah did not in any wise live up to his name “the Lord is my Justice” the new Lord of Justice will bring many blessings to his people, and give them all that they will need to truly be God’s people.
A new age is coming, when people will no longer think of God as the one who brought his people out of Egypt. Rather, they will think of him as the one who brought his people from their place of exile to live once again in the Land of Promise. This will be the “New Exodus”, one of even greater significance than the first. And it will not be fulfilled until the Messiah comes to establish the Kingdom of God not only in Israel, but throughout the world. He will bring justice and peace to all peoples.
+++ +++ +++
Responsorial Psalm 72
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds.
And blessed forever be his glorious name;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
+++ +++ +++
Gospel Matthew 1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: When his mother Mary was betrothed, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man, and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. This was his intention when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home as your wife, since it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin will be with child, and will give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel – which means, ‘God is with us’.
When Joseph awoke, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and to Mary into his home as is wife. But he had no relations with her until she born a son, whom he named Jesus.
+++ +++ +++ +++
Today’s Gospel reading follows immediately upon yesterday’s account of Jesus’ genealogy.
In Jesus’ time, there were three stages for Jews getting married: first, the engagement, then the betrothal, and finally, the wedding. The betrothal was a serious commitment, a legally binding relationship. Conjugal relations were not licit until some months later, when the husband took his betrothed into his home as his wife. Violating the betrothal by having sexual relations with someone else was equivalent to adultery.
Imagine, then, the horrific dilemma of Joseph, who has discovered that the woman to whom he is betrothed, but with whom he has not consummated the conjugal relationship is already with child. There is only one obvious explanation: she has been unfaithful, and was bearing another man’s child. This was a gravely serious matter, and if brought into the open, would have made Mary liable to death by stoning.
As a devout follower of the Mosaic Law, Joseph would want to end his commitment to a woman who had so seriously broken the Law. And yet, because he was “a righteous man”, he was unwilling to expose her to such a shameful punishment. In this, for his time and for our own, he shows unusual forbearance. Not many men would accept this situation with such calmness and self-restraint. Most would find it an unforgivable insult to their own manhood.
Joseph’s ultimate decision was “to divorce her quietly”. This was his intention when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, assuring him that no other man is involved, and that “it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived.” Joseph is further instructed to give the child to be born the name Jesus. Jesus, in Hebrew Joshua, means “Yahweh saves”; Jesus is so called “because he will save his people from their sins.”
As Matthew often does, he shows that “all this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us”. This prophecy will be re-echoed at the very end of Matthew’s gospel, when, just before he ascends to the Father, Jesus says to his disciples. “I will be with you all days, until the end of the age.” Jesus remains with us forever.
His peace of mind restored, Joseph “took his wife into his home, and had no relations with her before she bore a son, whom he named Jesus.” Thus, there can be no mistaking the origins of Jesus, son of Mary. He has a human mother, but a divine Father. He is the perfect Savior of his people, capable of offering his own life as ransom for his sinful brothers and sisters, because he shares their human nature; worth to offer atonement to God, because he is the eternally begotten Son of the Father.
Jesus is, yesterday, today and forever, our Emmanuel: God still lives with his people. He does so through the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church and its communities throughout the world. Each of us is called to be Emmanuel. Through us others can meet God, and hear the good news of salvation and love, of forgiveness and reconciliation. Let us each renew our personal commitment to be Emmanuel for all those whose lives we touch, today and every day.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Scepter Shall Not Depart From Judah.
Reading 1 Genesis 49:2, 8-10
Jacob called his sons and said to them:
“Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob,
listen to Israel, your father.
“You, Judah, shall your brothers praise
–your hand on the neck of your enemies;
the sons of your father shall bow down to you.
Judah, like a lion’s whelp,
you have grown up on prey, my son.
He crouches like a lion recumbent,
the king of beasts–who would dare rouse him?
The scepter shall never depart from Judah,
or the mace from between his legs,
While tribute is brought to him,
and he receives the people’s homage.”
+++
Jacob is on his death bed and he is making his last statement to his family. It is the longest poem in Genesis. Today’s reading is part of what is known as the ‘Blessings of Jacob’, although they are more like prophecies than blessings. This is especially true of the section in today’s reading. And it is directed not so much to the sons of Jacob but more to the tribes who bore their name.
Although it ostensibly refers to Jacob’s immediate descendants, in fact, the final writing dates from the time of David much later, with possibly some earlier elements contained in it. Its contents really concern the time of the Judges and the Kings. It was at this later time that it would have been inserted into the Genesis narrative. Put together from pre-existing songs and sayings, it looks at the tribes of Israel in their early days in Canaan. It is put here to signify the closing of a historical period, that covered by the Book of Genesis.
Two of the tribes stand out - Judah and Joseph. Judah is seen as coming to dominate all the others until the coming of “the one who will be in charge”, a reference to the Messiah. Judah will be the one through whom the promises made to Abraham and Jacob will be fulfilled. He was the fourth born to Jacob’s wife Leah and also the fourth son born to Jacob, but his three older brothers, for various reasons, lost their right to family leadership.
He is shown as pre-eminent over his brothers. “Your brothers shall praise you… your father’s sons [his brothers, in other words] will do you homage.” From the time of the second journey of Jacob’s sons to Joseph in Egypt, Judah acted as their spokesman. Judah, under the name of Ephraim, did in fact become the most influential of the northern tribes and would form the nucleus of the future kingdom of Israel. And, through his descendant David, he would be an ancestor of Jesus. And hence the purpose of today’s reading.
He is called a “lion’s cub” as a symbol of power, strength and courage. In later times he is often pictured as a lion and, in Revelation (5:5), Jesus himself is called the “Lion of Judah”.
The meaning of the closing prophecy is obscure but it is often read in a Messianic sense, fulfilled first of all in David and ultimately in Christ, the Messiah. It is to Jesus Christ that the ‘scepter’, the ruling power ultimately belongs.
Both the First Reading and the Gospel, which contains Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, emphasize Jesus’ roots going back to the very beginnings of Israel. Jesus was a Jew through and through and linked with many of the most significant characters in Israel’s turbulent history.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Child Jesus in Bethlehem, we need to remember that the content of today’s readings is an important aspect of the Incarnation. Jesus did not just appear as an isolated human being. He came from God but he is also is intimately and crucially linked with the history of his own people. And, because of that, so are we.
+++ +++ +++ +++
Gospel Matthew 1:1-17
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
The son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abaham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.
David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.
After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eliazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.
+++
Perhaps this is regarded as one of the dullest Gospel readings of the year! It consists of a long list of names, many of which mean very little to most Christians. But it has one resounding message: Jesus fully entered our human condition, with all its virtues and vices.
One of the main purposes of Matthew’s Gospel, which was written for Jewish Christians by Jewish Christians, is to show the continuity of Jesus in the history and tradition of Israel. Jesus was no upstart. Still less was he a rebel or a traitor. On the contrary, he was the natural development of the long process of God’s relationship with his people. Not only was he the natural development, he was the long-awaited climax. He was no less than the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed King of Israel.
Today’s passage from Matthew is the opening of his Gospel. It is introduced with the words: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” These two names are the most significant in the family line. Jesus as the Christ will be a King in the line of David. And he is descended from Abraham to whom God had said: “…in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing” (Genesis 22:18).
The genealogy is divided into three significant parts, each with fourteen generations. This is probably because the numerical value of the Hebrew letters in David’s name amounts to 14. The third and last list actually only contains 13 names. Perhaps Matthew meant Jesus’ name to be part of the list. After all, the genealogy of Jesus continues beyond him to his followers. Or perhaps a scribe somewhere along the line got his numbers mixed up.
The first part is from Abraham down to David, the second from David to the deportation to Babylon, and the third from the deportation to Joseph and Mary.
Of course, it is not a complete genealogy. The names mentioned all appear one way or another in the Hebrew Testament. There are four women mentioned - Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Mary. Each one of them interesting characters in their own right. There are also a number of scoundrels in the list. Even David, one of the most outstanding servants of God, was an adulterer and a murderer (apart from those he killed in war).
When the Son of God became a human being, he really did become one of us. The Gospel makes no effort to “sanitize” his origins, or the members of his immediate family. There is no shortage of skeletons in Jesus’ cupboard. When John says, “The Word became a human being and lived among us”, he said no less than the truth.
And, if Jesus was totally incarnated in the world so that he could communicate the message of God’s love to the world and for the world, then we, too, must be totally incarnated. We are not true to our calling if we think that, in order to be true to Jesus, we have to separate ourselves from a material and sinful world. We cannot be the “salt” of the earth, unless we are fully inserted into it. But only when we also fully identify with the values and concerns of the Kingdom. Otherwise we are salt without savor.
Jacob called his sons and said to them:
“Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob,
listen to Israel, your father.
“You, Judah, shall your brothers praise
–your hand on the neck of your enemies;
the sons of your father shall bow down to you.
Judah, like a lion’s whelp,
you have grown up on prey, my son.
He crouches like a lion recumbent,
the king of beasts–who would dare rouse him?
The scepter shall never depart from Judah,
or the mace from between his legs,
While tribute is brought to him,
and he receives the people’s homage.”
+++
Jacob is on his death bed and he is making his last statement to his family. It is the longest poem in Genesis. Today’s reading is part of what is known as the ‘Blessings of Jacob’, although they are more like prophecies than blessings. This is especially true of the section in today’s reading. And it is directed not so much to the sons of Jacob but more to the tribes who bore their name.
Although it ostensibly refers to Jacob’s immediate descendants, in fact, the final writing dates from the time of David much later, with possibly some earlier elements contained in it. Its contents really concern the time of the Judges and the Kings. It was at this later time that it would have been inserted into the Genesis narrative. Put together from pre-existing songs and sayings, it looks at the tribes of Israel in their early days in Canaan. It is put here to signify the closing of a historical period, that covered by the Book of Genesis.
Two of the tribes stand out - Judah and Joseph. Judah is seen as coming to dominate all the others until the coming of “the one who will be in charge”, a reference to the Messiah. Judah will be the one through whom the promises made to Abraham and Jacob will be fulfilled. He was the fourth born to Jacob’s wife Leah and also the fourth son born to Jacob, but his three older brothers, for various reasons, lost their right to family leadership.
He is shown as pre-eminent over his brothers. “Your brothers shall praise you… your father’s sons [his brothers, in other words] will do you homage.” From the time of the second journey of Jacob’s sons to Joseph in Egypt, Judah acted as their spokesman. Judah, under the name of Ephraim, did in fact become the most influential of the northern tribes and would form the nucleus of the future kingdom of Israel. And, through his descendant David, he would be an ancestor of Jesus. And hence the purpose of today’s reading.
He is called a “lion’s cub” as a symbol of power, strength and courage. In later times he is often pictured as a lion and, in Revelation (5:5), Jesus himself is called the “Lion of Judah”.
The meaning of the closing prophecy is obscure but it is often read in a Messianic sense, fulfilled first of all in David and ultimately in Christ, the Messiah. It is to Jesus Christ that the ‘scepter’, the ruling power ultimately belongs.
Both the First Reading and the Gospel, which contains Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, emphasize Jesus’ roots going back to the very beginnings of Israel. Jesus was a Jew through and through and linked with many of the most significant characters in Israel’s turbulent history.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Child Jesus in Bethlehem, we need to remember that the content of today’s readings is an important aspect of the Incarnation. Jesus did not just appear as an isolated human being. He came from God but he is also is intimately and crucially linked with the history of his own people. And, because of that, so are we.
+++ +++ +++ +++
Gospel Matthew 1:1-17
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
The son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abaham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.
David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.
After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eliazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.
+++
Perhaps this is regarded as one of the dullest Gospel readings of the year! It consists of a long list of names, many of which mean very little to most Christians. But it has one resounding message: Jesus fully entered our human condition, with all its virtues and vices.
One of the main purposes of Matthew’s Gospel, which was written for Jewish Christians by Jewish Christians, is to show the continuity of Jesus in the history and tradition of Israel. Jesus was no upstart. Still less was he a rebel or a traitor. On the contrary, he was the natural development of the long process of God’s relationship with his people. Not only was he the natural development, he was the long-awaited climax. He was no less than the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed King of Israel.
Today’s passage from Matthew is the opening of his Gospel. It is introduced with the words: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” These two names are the most significant in the family line. Jesus as the Christ will be a King in the line of David. And he is descended from Abraham to whom God had said: “…in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing” (Genesis 22:18).
The genealogy is divided into three significant parts, each with fourteen generations. This is probably because the numerical value of the Hebrew letters in David’s name amounts to 14. The third and last list actually only contains 13 names. Perhaps Matthew meant Jesus’ name to be part of the list. After all, the genealogy of Jesus continues beyond him to his followers. Or perhaps a scribe somewhere along the line got his numbers mixed up.
The first part is from Abraham down to David, the second from David to the deportation to Babylon, and the third from the deportation to Joseph and Mary.
Of course, it is not a complete genealogy. The names mentioned all appear one way or another in the Hebrew Testament. There are four women mentioned - Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Mary. Each one of them interesting characters in their own right. There are also a number of scoundrels in the list. Even David, one of the most outstanding servants of God, was an adulterer and a murderer (apart from those he killed in war).
When the Son of God became a human being, he really did become one of us. The Gospel makes no effort to “sanitize” his origins, or the members of his immediate family. There is no shortage of skeletons in Jesus’ cupboard. When John says, “The Word became a human being and lived among us”, he said no less than the truth.
And, if Jesus was totally incarnated in the world so that he could communicate the message of God’s love to the world and for the world, then we, too, must be totally incarnated. We are not true to our calling if we think that, in order to be true to Jesus, we have to separate ourselves from a material and sinful world. We cannot be the “salt” of the earth, unless we are fully inserted into it. But only when we also fully identify with the values and concerns of the Kingdom. Otherwise we are salt without savor.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Let The Clouds Rain Down The Just One, And The Earth Bring Forth A Savior.
Reading 1 Isaiah 45:6b-8, 18, 21b-25
I am the LORD, there is no other;
I form the light, and create the darkness,
I make well-being and create woe;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,
like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.
Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;
let justice also spring up!
I, the LORD, have created this.
For thus says the LORD,
The creator of the heavens,
who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth
who established it,
Not creating it to be a waste,
but designing it be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Who announced this from the beginning
and foretold it from of old?
Was it not I, the LORD,
besides whom there is no other God?
There is no just and saving God but me.
Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I swear,
uttering my just decree
and my unalterable word:
To me every knee shall bend;
by me every tongue shall swear,
Saying, “Only in the LORD
are just deeds and power.
Before him in shame shall come
all who vent their anger against him.
In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory
of all the descendants of Israel.”
+++
Responsorial Psalm 85
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
+++
Gospel Luke 7:18b-23
At that time,
John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask,
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
When the men came to the Lord, they said,
“John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”
At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits;
he also granted sight to many who were blind.
And Jesus said to them in reply,
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
+++ +++ +++ +++
Today we return once again to the Book of Consolation of Second Isaiah (40-45). This reading is part of a message of the LORD to King Cyrus of Persia. Cyrus, who defeated the kingdom while the Israelites were exiled in Babylon, is considered an agent of God, sent to liberate his people. In fact, he is the only person called “anointed one of God”, who is not a descendant of Abraham. Historically, the title is reserved for the Kings of Israel, such as David and Solomon. It is also the title given to Jesus (Messiah = Christos = Anointed). This is, at the historical level, an indication of the fact that the exiles saw Cyrus as their savior. History tells us that Cyrus was seen as a “father” to his people; the Scriptures remind us that the first orders he gave after the conquest of Babylon was to restore freedom to all who were living there in exile, and beyond that, that he provided funds for the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the reconstruction and refurbishing of the Temple of Solomon.
“I am the LORD, there is no other.” The people of Israel, and the King of Persia, are being reminded that the ultimate power does reside in a conquering king, even one considered divine, but from the One True God. This power extends from the rising of the sun in the east to its setting in the west; in other words, it embraces the whole world. “I form the light and create the darkness.” The same astronomical system that seems to move the sun from east to west (but in fact moves the earth from west to east) brings the earth from dawn to dusk, and from nightfall to morning light, every day and everywhere, but according to different schedules depending on the time of the year and the situation of the observer between the North Pole and the Equator.
“O heavens, drop down righteousness like dew from above; let it fall like gentle rain from the skies.” These words echo one of the most beautiful of the Advent hymns (Rorate, coeli desuper, et nubes pluant justum.) It is a poetic way to describe the liberation and “saving justice” that will be granted to the exiled Israelites through Cyrus, but it is ultimately a gift from Heaven – from God himself. Saint Jerome has these verse point directly to Christ – as we do during the Advent season. The Persian king, as an agent of the Lord, brings freedom for God’s people, and their liberation marks the beginning of an era in which justice and peace prevail. God’s work, and humankind’s cooperation join together in an endeavor to bring to fruition once again the peaceable kingdom that existed before the Fall.
Yet Cyrus is merely a forerunner of the true Savior, a Jew born of the house of David and the lineage of Levi – both priest and king. Still, just as Cyrus carried out God’s work before the coming of the Savior, we too are called to carry on the work that Jesus initiated. Justice and peace must yet be brought to great numbers of people in our world. The building of the Kingdom continues from age to age, and today, its chief architects, engineers and laborers are those who form the Mystical Body of Christ – that means you and me.
Taking this beautiful passage as a whole, we are asked to see in Cyrus the work of God being fulfilled in the world by people who do not even know God. This has always been the case; even today, Christ continues to act through people who do not believe in him, and some who many even reject him. The Church visible is not by any stretch of the imagination the whole of the Kingdom of God, but its sacramental and visible sign. For his grace lives within the hearts of all who, even implicitly, abide by the Great Commandment: Love God with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself: Do this, and you will live!
I am the LORD, there is no other;
I form the light, and create the darkness,
I make well-being and create woe;
I, the LORD, do all these things.
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,
like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.
Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;
let justice also spring up!
I, the LORD, have created this.
For thus says the LORD,
The creator of the heavens,
who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth
who established it,
Not creating it to be a waste,
but designing it be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Who announced this from the beginning
and foretold it from of old?
Was it not I, the LORD,
besides whom there is no other God?
There is no just and saving God but me.
Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I swear,
uttering my just decree
and my unalterable word:
To me every knee shall bend;
by me every tongue shall swear,
Saying, “Only in the LORD
are just deeds and power.
Before him in shame shall come
all who vent their anger against him.
In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory
of all the descendants of Israel.”
+++
Responsorial Psalm 85
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
+++
Gospel Luke 7:18b-23
At that time,
John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask,
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
When the men came to the Lord, they said,
“John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,
‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’”
At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits;
he also granted sight to many who were blind.
And Jesus said to them in reply,
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
+++ +++ +++ +++
Today we return once again to the Book of Consolation of Second Isaiah (40-45). This reading is part of a message of the LORD to King Cyrus of Persia. Cyrus, who defeated the kingdom while the Israelites were exiled in Babylon, is considered an agent of God, sent to liberate his people. In fact, he is the only person called “anointed one of God”, who is not a descendant of Abraham. Historically, the title is reserved for the Kings of Israel, such as David and Solomon. It is also the title given to Jesus (Messiah = Christos = Anointed). This is, at the historical level, an indication of the fact that the exiles saw Cyrus as their savior. History tells us that Cyrus was seen as a “father” to his people; the Scriptures remind us that the first orders he gave after the conquest of Babylon was to restore freedom to all who were living there in exile, and beyond that, that he provided funds for the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the reconstruction and refurbishing of the Temple of Solomon.
“I am the LORD, there is no other.” The people of Israel, and the King of Persia, are being reminded that the ultimate power does reside in a conquering king, even one considered divine, but from the One True God. This power extends from the rising of the sun in the east to its setting in the west; in other words, it embraces the whole world. “I form the light and create the darkness.” The same astronomical system that seems to move the sun from east to west (but in fact moves the earth from west to east) brings the earth from dawn to dusk, and from nightfall to morning light, every day and everywhere, but according to different schedules depending on the time of the year and the situation of the observer between the North Pole and the Equator.
“O heavens, drop down righteousness like dew from above; let it fall like gentle rain from the skies.” These words echo one of the most beautiful of the Advent hymns (Rorate, coeli desuper, et nubes pluant justum.) It is a poetic way to describe the liberation and “saving justice” that will be granted to the exiled Israelites through Cyrus, but it is ultimately a gift from Heaven – from God himself. Saint Jerome has these verse point directly to Christ – as we do during the Advent season. The Persian king, as an agent of the Lord, brings freedom for God’s people, and their liberation marks the beginning of an era in which justice and peace prevail. God’s work, and humankind’s cooperation join together in an endeavor to bring to fruition once again the peaceable kingdom that existed before the Fall.
Yet Cyrus is merely a forerunner of the true Savior, a Jew born of the house of David and the lineage of Levi – both priest and king. Still, just as Cyrus carried out God’s work before the coming of the Savior, we too are called to carry on the work that Jesus initiated. Justice and peace must yet be brought to great numbers of people in our world. The building of the Kingdom continues from age to age, and today, its chief architects, engineers and laborers are those who form the Mystical Body of Christ – that means you and me.
Taking this beautiful passage as a whole, we are asked to see in Cyrus the work of God being fulfilled in the world by people who do not even know God. This has always been the case; even today, Christ continues to act through people who do not believe in him, and some who many even reject him. The Church visible is not by any stretch of the imagination the whole of the Kingdom of God, but its sacramental and visible sign. For his grace lives within the hearts of all who, even implicitly, abide by the Great Commandment: Love God with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself: Do this, and you will live!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
It Is Not Those Who Just Say "Lord, Lord" Who Will Enter The Kingdom Of Heaven
Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
Reading 1 Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Thus says the LORD:
Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.
For then I will change and purify
the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,
to serve him with one accord;
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
and as far as the recesses of the North,
they shall bring me offerings.
On that day
You need not be ashamed
of all your deeds,
your rebellious actions against me;
For then will I remove from your midst
the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them.
+++
Responsorial Psalm 34
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
+++
Gospel Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
+++ +++ +++ +++
The prophecies of Zephaniah reflect a time early in the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC). Zephaniah is fully aware of the corruption and injustice that prevailed in the Kingdom of Judah in his day. He speaks a harsh message of judgment, but never without a promise of hope, as reflected in today’s reading. The reading begins with an ominous warning to an unnamed city, “rebellious and polluted … She hears no voice, and accepts no correction.” The prophet is speaking of Jerusalem, representing the whole people of Israel. Officials, judges, prophets and priests are described as corrupt leaders who persist in ignoring the warnings they have received from God.
But change is on the way, as we hear the promise: “I will change and purify the lips of the people, that all may call on the name of the Lord, and serve him with one accord.” The promise of “clean lips” is a symbol of forgiveness which at the same time points to a reversal of the curse of Babel, and which anticipates Pentecost, when all will speak with one voice and proclaim one message. (cf. Is 6:5-7; Gen 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-11). The gentile nations will be converted, and there will be a faithful remnant in the Land of Israel. Together, all will worship and obey the Lord, the Ruler of the universe, who is our God, and who is One.
On that day, there will be a simple and modest remnant of Israel. This image of a humble and lowly people, lacking arrogance and pride, has been described as one of the most perfect descriptions of the “spirit of poverty” in the Hebrew Scripture. Earlier (in Zeph. 2:3) the prophet has said: “Seek the Lord, you who live humbly on the earth and who obey his laws. Seek righteousness, and humility; then you may find shelter on the day of the Lord’s wrath.” The anawim, the humble and lowly of this world, play a significant role in the Scriptures, both Old and New (cf. Matt. 18:1-7). The prophets are well aware that it is the poor who are usually oppressed. They continually call for justice toward the weak, the lowly, and all those in need. In brief, the anawim are those children of Israel who submit not passively, but actively, to the will of God. Soon, we will see God himself doing this, in the person of the baby Jesus, born not in an inn, but in a manger. It is the ideal of religious communities through their “vow of poverty” (and we will leave any observation on how that ideal is lived out to the One who is capable of right judgment.
Poverty of spirit is not merely a question of being economically poor, since wherever poverty signifies deprival of what is necessary for life with dignity, such poverty needs to be removed. The spirit of poverty is rather the attitude of those who choose to live simply, and who are open to depend on God to supply them with the goods and blessings that they need. Once, the word “poverty” implied failure; now, it is a condition necessary to seek and find God, and the “poor of the Lord” means all those who hope to find God, and trust in him for sustenance.
True “poverty of spirit” necessarily implies a high degree of moral integrity. “The remnant of Israel shall do no wrong, and speak no lies; nor shall be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue.” The message, then, is that is never too late to start listening to God, and following Jesus in his life of simplicity and dedication to the well being of our neighbor. And who is my neighbor -- everyone who is not myself.
+++
It might help to remind ourselves that today’s Gospel reading follows immediately upon yesterday’s, when the authority of Jesus was called into question. Today, Jesus offers his questioners—the religious leaders – a parable.
It is a tale about two sons, who are asked by their father to go and work in the vineyard. The first said, in reply, “I will not!” but later changed his mind and went. The other son replied, “Yes, sir!” but never went. The question is simple and straightforward: “Which of the two did his father’s will?”
Like most – if not all – parables, this one can be read on two levels. On the more general level, it is the common theme of the Gospel that deeds are more important that words. “It is not those who just say, ‘Lord, Lord’ who will enter the Kingdom . . .” What counts is to actually do what God calls us to do in our daily lives.
On a more particular level, the parable points to the situation that Jesus was facing. The religious leaders and many apparently religious people, who truly believe that they were following God’s ways, refused to heed the message of John the Baptist, and after him, that of Jesus himself. On the other hand, some who were looked upon as deeply sinful violators of the Law – tax collectors and prostitutes, responded to John’s call to repentance, changed their ways, and were baptized by him in the Jordan. Even then, the religious leaders made no move. When Jesus came, they refused to see the hand of God in what he did, while huge crowds of ordinary people gathered around him.
The religious leaders are like the son who said “Yes” to his father’s wishes. They heard the Lord’s word, but failed to follow it in their own lives. They were experts in the wording and interpretation of the Law, skillful at interpreting it in ways that placed heavy burdens on others, but that created enormous loopholes for themselves. The sinners, the tax collectors, the street walkers, who had constantly violated God’s Law, repented and changed their ways. There is no doubt as to which group was finding its way toward the Kingdom.
At this point, we must remind ourselves that our reflections on these readings is not to learn just how proud and arrogant the Chief Priests, the Elders, and the Teachers of the Law were, in Jesus’ day. Rather, they are intended to help us reflect on our own lives. Do we believe that because we are practicing Christians we are in a privileged and untouchable position? Do we spend much of our time praying in church, but after we get home, doing little in the way of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves? Do we find ourselves speaking in a critical or condescending way about people who are less devout that we are, or those who do not seem to meet our moral standards?
By our baptism and by our membership in the Church, we have said Yes to God. Yet, can we say that we always carry out what God is asking us to do? Perhaps, upon honest reflection, we might have to admit that we are not really in a position to sit in judgment on others. Given the gifts and graces we have received as Christians, we may not be doing very well compared with those who have never enjoyed the support of a Christian faith and a Christian environment. As Christmas approaches, let us be followers of the Lord in deeds as well as words.
Reading 1 Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Thus says the LORD:
Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,
to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice,
accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted,
to her God she has not drawn near.
For then I will change and purify
the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,
to serve him with one accord;
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
and as far as the recesses of the North,
they shall bring me offerings.
On that day
You need not be ashamed
of all your deeds,
your rebellious actions against me;
For then will I remove from your midst
the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them.
+++
Responsorial Psalm 34
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
+++
Gospel Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
+++ +++ +++ +++
The prophecies of Zephaniah reflect a time early in the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC). Zephaniah is fully aware of the corruption and injustice that prevailed in the Kingdom of Judah in his day. He speaks a harsh message of judgment, but never without a promise of hope, as reflected in today’s reading. The reading begins with an ominous warning to an unnamed city, “rebellious and polluted … She hears no voice, and accepts no correction.” The prophet is speaking of Jerusalem, representing the whole people of Israel. Officials, judges, prophets and priests are described as corrupt leaders who persist in ignoring the warnings they have received from God.
But change is on the way, as we hear the promise: “I will change and purify the lips of the people, that all may call on the name of the Lord, and serve him with one accord.” The promise of “clean lips” is a symbol of forgiveness which at the same time points to a reversal of the curse of Babel, and which anticipates Pentecost, when all will speak with one voice and proclaim one message. (cf. Is 6:5-7; Gen 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-11). The gentile nations will be converted, and there will be a faithful remnant in the Land of Israel. Together, all will worship and obey the Lord, the Ruler of the universe, who is our God, and who is One.
On that day, there will be a simple and modest remnant of Israel. This image of a humble and lowly people, lacking arrogance and pride, has been described as one of the most perfect descriptions of the “spirit of poverty” in the Hebrew Scripture. Earlier (in Zeph. 2:3) the prophet has said: “Seek the Lord, you who live humbly on the earth and who obey his laws. Seek righteousness, and humility; then you may find shelter on the day of the Lord’s wrath.” The anawim, the humble and lowly of this world, play a significant role in the Scriptures, both Old and New (cf. Matt. 18:1-7). The prophets are well aware that it is the poor who are usually oppressed. They continually call for justice toward the weak, the lowly, and all those in need. In brief, the anawim are those children of Israel who submit not passively, but actively, to the will of God. Soon, we will see God himself doing this, in the person of the baby Jesus, born not in an inn, but in a manger. It is the ideal of religious communities through their “vow of poverty” (and we will leave any observation on how that ideal is lived out to the One who is capable of right judgment.
Poverty of spirit is not merely a question of being economically poor, since wherever poverty signifies deprival of what is necessary for life with dignity, such poverty needs to be removed. The spirit of poverty is rather the attitude of those who choose to live simply, and who are open to depend on God to supply them with the goods and blessings that they need. Once, the word “poverty” implied failure; now, it is a condition necessary to seek and find God, and the “poor of the Lord” means all those who hope to find God, and trust in him for sustenance.
True “poverty of spirit” necessarily implies a high degree of moral integrity. “The remnant of Israel shall do no wrong, and speak no lies; nor shall be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue.” The message, then, is that is never too late to start listening to God, and following Jesus in his life of simplicity and dedication to the well being of our neighbor. And who is my neighbor -- everyone who is not myself.
+++
It might help to remind ourselves that today’s Gospel reading follows immediately upon yesterday’s, when the authority of Jesus was called into question. Today, Jesus offers his questioners—the religious leaders – a parable.
It is a tale about two sons, who are asked by their father to go and work in the vineyard. The first said, in reply, “I will not!” but later changed his mind and went. The other son replied, “Yes, sir!” but never went. The question is simple and straightforward: “Which of the two did his father’s will?”
Like most – if not all – parables, this one can be read on two levels. On the more general level, it is the common theme of the Gospel that deeds are more important that words. “It is not those who just say, ‘Lord, Lord’ who will enter the Kingdom . . .” What counts is to actually do what God calls us to do in our daily lives.
On a more particular level, the parable points to the situation that Jesus was facing. The religious leaders and many apparently religious people, who truly believe that they were following God’s ways, refused to heed the message of John the Baptist, and after him, that of Jesus himself. On the other hand, some who were looked upon as deeply sinful violators of the Law – tax collectors and prostitutes, responded to John’s call to repentance, changed their ways, and were baptized by him in the Jordan. Even then, the religious leaders made no move. When Jesus came, they refused to see the hand of God in what he did, while huge crowds of ordinary people gathered around him.
The religious leaders are like the son who said “Yes” to his father’s wishes. They heard the Lord’s word, but failed to follow it in their own lives. They were experts in the wording and interpretation of the Law, skillful at interpreting it in ways that placed heavy burdens on others, but that created enormous loopholes for themselves. The sinners, the tax collectors, the street walkers, who had constantly violated God’s Law, repented and changed their ways. There is no doubt as to which group was finding its way toward the Kingdom.
At this point, we must remind ourselves that our reflections on these readings is not to learn just how proud and arrogant the Chief Priests, the Elders, and the Teachers of the Law were, in Jesus’ day. Rather, they are intended to help us reflect on our own lives. Do we believe that because we are practicing Christians we are in a privileged and untouchable position? Do we spend much of our time praying in church, but after we get home, doing little in the way of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves? Do we find ourselves speaking in a critical or condescending way about people who are less devout that we are, or those who do not seem to meet our moral standards?
By our baptism and by our membership in the Church, we have said Yes to God. Yet, can we say that we always carry out what God is asking us to do? Perhaps, upon honest reflection, we might have to admit that we are not really in a position to sit in judgment on others. Given the gifts and graces we have received as Christians, we may not be doing very well compared with those who have never enjoyed the support of a Christian faith and a Christian environment. As Christmas approaches, let us be followers of the Lord in deeds as well as words.
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