BIBLE STUDY #57
TWENTY SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
August 28, 2011
Reading 1
Jer 20:7-9
You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the LORD has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.
I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.
The Word of the Lord
Reading 2
Rom 12:1-2
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.
The Word of the Lord
Gospel
Mt 16:21-27
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."
He turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life"
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct."
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
Last week we heard Peter exclaim that Jesus is the ‘Messiah, the son of the living God.’ This week we learn what type of Messiah Jesus is: not just one of glory, but of suffering; not just one with a crown of gold, but a crown of thorns. This is the first of three passion predictions.
When Jesus references ‘the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes’, he is referring to the Jewish leadership called the Sanhedrin, which is composed of 71 members from all three of these groups.
All of these future events happening in Jerusalem are significant because this is where other prophets were killed. So it is appropriate that Jesus, the greatest prophet, meets his fate in Jerusalem. He is to be killed, that is, martyred like the other prophets. Notice it doesn’t say crucified, because he’ll be facing the Sanhedrin who martyred, but did not crucify the prophets. It’s only when he faces the Romans that he gets sentenced to crucifixion.
Jesus also says that he ‘must’ go to Jerusalem. He is deliberately going there knowing what will happen. He is the obedient Son, perfectly carrying out his Father’s will.
It seems to me that Peter was shocked, if not outright scandalized, by this passion prediction. This is not surprising, though. How was Peter to understand? The Messiah was supposed to be a conqueror, not a victim of death. And how was he supposed to understand about resurrection since it had never happened before? He rebukes Jesus because he thinks that the Father would never permit that to happen.
Jesus rebukes Peter by saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Satan, in chapter 4, tempts Jesus 3 times, trying to deflect Jesus from his mission. In 4:10, Jesus says, "Get behind me, Satan!” He sees Peter’s attempt to divert him from his mission in the same light as Satan’s attempt to do the same. He calls Peter an obstacle for the same reason: he is trying to prevent Jesus from his God appointed mission, just as Satan tried.
Peter seems to have his heart set on a worldly mission for Jesus. He does not understand that glory comes from the cross, that to be a messiah Jesus must die. His messiahship is not worldly, but dying for our sins. Peter must ‘get behind’ Jesus, that is, to believe in Jesus and what he says ad does, and follow him to his cross, and eventually his own.
Since we now know that Jesus is the Christ from Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi, he corrects and complements that truth whenever possible. Jesus tells Peter, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Which is not unexpected. Jesus is the one who teaches us what God wants. That’s why we must ‘get behind’ him so we know what God wants for us in our lives.
Jesus tells his disciples that there are three things they must do if they are to be his disciples: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. Denying ourselves is more than giving something up, like we do for Lent. It’s not seeking self fulfillment in this world but seeking it through new life in Jesus who knows what’s best for us. If we do this, then there will be consequences, called taking up our own cross. In some areas of the world it could entail martyrdom, but for us it’s mostly being rejected and ridiculed by others for our beliefs. But remember Jesus said that his yoke is easy and his burden light. To follow him means that we follow him no matter where he leads and regardless of the cost. God’s plan unfolds for us over time and the Lord will give us the courage, grace, and strength to follow him where ever he leads us.
If we try to save our lives, that is, find our own worldly way without Jesus, we lose our lives because we won’t be heading in the right direction. We will make mistakes, make bad judgments, and lose our way. Following Jesus is the way to happiness and fulfillment in this life because who knows better than Jesus what’s good for us?
Why do rich people work? The more you have, the more you want. Worldly things are fleeting in pleasure. Gaining the whole world won’t buy salvation, or even lasting happiness in this world.
Eventually, we will be judged on our actions, how we followed Christ. What do you think will be important to Jesus?
In the first reading, Jeremiah found out how difficult it can be to follow God’s path. Even though he suffered ridicule and violence, Jeremiah stayed the course. God’s grace was enough not only to sustain him, but to motivate him to keep on going. Jeremiah’s experience tells us that there will be times when following the Lord will seem like too much, but God’s grace will be enough to sustain us and keep us going.
In the second reading, St. Paul tells us to offer ourselves to God, everything we have and everything we are. By doing this, we are saying that we belong to God. When we do this, we will be transformed by God’s grace to do what is right and pleasing to God.
Fr. Phil
Friday, August 26, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
BIBLE STUDY #56
TWENTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
August 21, 2011
Reading 1
Is 22:19-23
Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace:
"I will thrust you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
and gird him with your sash,
and give over to him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."
The Word of the Lord
Reading 2
Rom 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given the Lord anything
that he may be repaid?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.
The Word of the Lord
Gospel
Mt 16:13-20
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
Caesarea Philippi is located about 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee in the territory (northern Transjordan, up in the very northern area) ruled by Philip, a son of Herod the Great. Philip rebuilt the town of Paneas and renamed it Caesarea in honor of the Emperor and Philippi (of Philip) to distinguish it from a city on the coast with the same name. Jesus is now at the northern most part of ancient Israel. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus ministry encompasses the whole of Israel, but he never leaves it.
In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), we learn about Jesus’ identity in the first half of the gospel through stories, miracles, healings, sayings and the like, building up to today’s gospel passage (also, see Mark 8:27-30, and Luke 9:18-20).
Jesus asks the disciples about his identity: "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" “Son of Man” is a title referring to: 1) the earthly Jesus, 2) the suffering servant, or 3) the glorious judge. In today’s passage, it refers to the earthly Jesus.
One of the disciples replied “John the Baptist”. Herod, after learning about Jesus, speculated that John had come back to life in the person of Jesus (see Matthew 14:2). It is unknown how widespread this belief was.
Another replied “Elijah”. In 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah was taken up into heaven, and in Malachi 3:1 and 3:23, Elijah is supposed to precede the Messiah in returning to earth.
Another responds “Jeremiah”, who, for Matthew, is considered a Jesus figure. Jeremiah is named in three passages (Matthew 2:17, 16:14, and 27:9) there are some allusions to the book of Jeremiah (Matthew 7:15-23, 11:28-30, and23:37-39). Matthew also uses some motifs in common with Jeremiah: the sending of prophets, the murder of the prophets, and a judgment against the Temple.
Jesus then asks them, "But who do you say that I am?" He is asking them to take a stand, to express what they really feel about him: not what someone else says, but what do you say? He is asking them to make a commitment.
Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
What’s interesting to note is the progression of Peter’s name, which reflects the progression of his faith. At first, he is called just Simon (no faith). After a little while, he becomes Simon Peter (some faith). In today’s passage, he becomes Peter, the Rock (a believer). His name has changed because he has changed. He has been changed from a fisherman to a fisher of men. When someone is given a great task in the bible, it is common to change names (i.e. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, and Saul to Paul).
The term “Christ” means anointed in Greek, and “Messiah” in Hebrew. Jesus is the one who was sent by the Father to be the final and definitive revelation of God’s will for us. He is to be the Messiah, the suffering servant, who will pay the price for our sins. In fact, the first prediction oh Jesus’ passion comes immediately after today’s passage.
So now we see why it was necessary for Peter to be inspired. How could anyone know of this beforehand? "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” The term flesh and blood refers to a limited human being, as opposed to the heavenly Father.
The apostles never seem to understand Jesus during his earthly ministry; and in fact, don’t really ‘get it’ until Pentecost with the gift of the Holy Spirit. There’s a passage in John’s Gospel after the resurrection, where some of the apostles are fishing, signifying going back to their old life. The gospel seems to indicate how sheepish and embarrassed they were when they saw Jesus on the shore. Even after the resurrection, they didn’t understand and needed the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. No wonder Peter needed to be inspired by the Father to say what he did.
Peter is blessed by Jesus, which confirms his statement about Jesus. This is the only time Jesus blesses someone in Matthew’s gospel. This blessing is similar to the beatitudes. People are blessed when they live the beatitudes in their lives. Like Peter, we are blessed when we confess Jesus to be the Messiah and Son of God.
Here is where Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter. This is not a real name, but means ‘rock’. Peter is to be the leader, the bedrock, if you will, for all of us to stand on in faith. He is the first leader of the church and a great example for all who follow.
Here in this passage and in Matt 18:17 are the only two places where the word ‘church’ (ecclesia) is used. It’s assumed that this is an intent to separate the fledging church from the synagogue, and the Essenes at Qumran.
Jesus is founding his church on Peter, and nothing and no one will ever destroy the Church. The Church is safe from all outside threats, whether from other people or from Satan and evil, and is also protected from any inside threats. This is quite comforting considering our past history.
Peter is then given the keys to the kingdom and is told that whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven. This can refer to forgiveness, excommunications, laying down rules, making exceptions, and all those things it takes to ‘teach, govern, and sanctify’, as is the role of the institutional church as we say today. God will ratify and stand behind all the decisions of Peter (and his successors).
In the first reading from Isaiah, we see the same idea of keys to a kingdom. Shebna was master of the palace and his key (actually a large key he wore on his shoulder) signified his authority: he had the ear of the king. Shebna made the mistake of having a tomb carved for himself on a height. This would have been an ostentatious display, against the usual practice of a simple underground burial as was the custom for the Jews. Shebna was denounced by Isaiah, and was eventually replaced by Eliakim, who now controlled access to the king. We can see the parallel with Peter, who, as keeper of the keys to the kingdom, controls access to the kingdom and the king.
The final sentence of today’s gospel is a command from Jesus. “Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.”
Why would he do this? Wouldn’t he want everyone to know who he is? This idea is prominent in Mark’s Gospel and is called the “Messianic Secret.” We need to look at Jesus whole life in light of his death and resurrection to understand his identity. Otherwise, it’s too easy to misinterpret him.
Jesus is more than a nice man, a good teacher, a holy person, a healer, a miracle worker: he is our Lord and Savior, the Messiah. To say that Jesus is just one of these things places little or no responsibility on us to change our lives. Believing that Jesus identity is limited to only being a holy man , or that he is a only a good teacher, for example, allows me to decide what I will or won’t accept about him. Perhaps that’s why people like to reduce Jesus to one or two of these categories: so there is no obligation on their part to do anything, to believe anything, or to change in any significant way.
It’s much different if I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I am making a commitment to live as Jesus taught as interpreted by the church (remember Peter and the keys to the kingdom?). I am not the master of my own life: I have given it over to Jesus. I let my life be directed by the Lord in all ways.
But in doing this I find my own life. I unlock the strength, power, and grace of Jesus for guidance, strength, and direction. Who else knows what’s best for me?
How do you answer Jesus question: "But who do you say that I am?"
Fr. Phil
TWENTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
August 21, 2011
Reading 1
Is 22:19-23
Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace:
"I will thrust you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
and gird him with your sash,
and give over to him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."
The Word of the Lord
Reading 2
Rom 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given the Lord anything
that he may be repaid?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.
The Word of the Lord
Gospel
Mt 16:13-20
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
Caesarea Philippi is located about 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee in the territory (northern Transjordan, up in the very northern area) ruled by Philip, a son of Herod the Great. Philip rebuilt the town of Paneas and renamed it Caesarea in honor of the Emperor and Philippi (of Philip) to distinguish it from a city on the coast with the same name. Jesus is now at the northern most part of ancient Israel. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus ministry encompasses the whole of Israel, but he never leaves it.
In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), we learn about Jesus’ identity in the first half of the gospel through stories, miracles, healings, sayings and the like, building up to today’s gospel passage (also, see Mark 8:27-30, and Luke 9:18-20).
Jesus asks the disciples about his identity: "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" “Son of Man” is a title referring to: 1) the earthly Jesus, 2) the suffering servant, or 3) the glorious judge. In today’s passage, it refers to the earthly Jesus.
One of the disciples replied “John the Baptist”. Herod, after learning about Jesus, speculated that John had come back to life in the person of Jesus (see Matthew 14:2). It is unknown how widespread this belief was.
Another replied “Elijah”. In 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah was taken up into heaven, and in Malachi 3:1 and 3:23, Elijah is supposed to precede the Messiah in returning to earth.
Another responds “Jeremiah”, who, for Matthew, is considered a Jesus figure. Jeremiah is named in three passages (Matthew 2:17, 16:14, and 27:9) there are some allusions to the book of Jeremiah (Matthew 7:15-23, 11:28-30, and23:37-39). Matthew also uses some motifs in common with Jeremiah: the sending of prophets, the murder of the prophets, and a judgment against the Temple.
Jesus then asks them, "But who do you say that I am?" He is asking them to take a stand, to express what they really feel about him: not what someone else says, but what do you say? He is asking them to make a commitment.
Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
What’s interesting to note is the progression of Peter’s name, which reflects the progression of his faith. At first, he is called just Simon (no faith). After a little while, he becomes Simon Peter (some faith). In today’s passage, he becomes Peter, the Rock (a believer). His name has changed because he has changed. He has been changed from a fisherman to a fisher of men. When someone is given a great task in the bible, it is common to change names (i.e. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, and Saul to Paul).
The term “Christ” means anointed in Greek, and “Messiah” in Hebrew. Jesus is the one who was sent by the Father to be the final and definitive revelation of God’s will for us. He is to be the Messiah, the suffering servant, who will pay the price for our sins. In fact, the first prediction oh Jesus’ passion comes immediately after today’s passage.
So now we see why it was necessary for Peter to be inspired. How could anyone know of this beforehand? "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” The term flesh and blood refers to a limited human being, as opposed to the heavenly Father.
The apostles never seem to understand Jesus during his earthly ministry; and in fact, don’t really ‘get it’ until Pentecost with the gift of the Holy Spirit. There’s a passage in John’s Gospel after the resurrection, where some of the apostles are fishing, signifying going back to their old life. The gospel seems to indicate how sheepish and embarrassed they were when they saw Jesus on the shore. Even after the resurrection, they didn’t understand and needed the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. No wonder Peter needed to be inspired by the Father to say what he did.
Peter is blessed by Jesus, which confirms his statement about Jesus. This is the only time Jesus blesses someone in Matthew’s gospel. This blessing is similar to the beatitudes. People are blessed when they live the beatitudes in their lives. Like Peter, we are blessed when we confess Jesus to be the Messiah and Son of God.
Here is where Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter. This is not a real name, but means ‘rock’. Peter is to be the leader, the bedrock, if you will, for all of us to stand on in faith. He is the first leader of the church and a great example for all who follow.
Here in this passage and in Matt 18:17 are the only two places where the word ‘church’ (ecclesia) is used. It’s assumed that this is an intent to separate the fledging church from the synagogue, and the Essenes at Qumran.
Jesus is founding his church on Peter, and nothing and no one will ever destroy the Church. The Church is safe from all outside threats, whether from other people or from Satan and evil, and is also protected from any inside threats. This is quite comforting considering our past history.
Peter is then given the keys to the kingdom and is told that whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven. This can refer to forgiveness, excommunications, laying down rules, making exceptions, and all those things it takes to ‘teach, govern, and sanctify’, as is the role of the institutional church as we say today. God will ratify and stand behind all the decisions of Peter (and his successors).
In the first reading from Isaiah, we see the same idea of keys to a kingdom. Shebna was master of the palace and his key (actually a large key he wore on his shoulder) signified his authority: he had the ear of the king. Shebna made the mistake of having a tomb carved for himself on a height. This would have been an ostentatious display, against the usual practice of a simple underground burial as was the custom for the Jews. Shebna was denounced by Isaiah, and was eventually replaced by Eliakim, who now controlled access to the king. We can see the parallel with Peter, who, as keeper of the keys to the kingdom, controls access to the kingdom and the king.
The final sentence of today’s gospel is a command from Jesus. “Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.”
Why would he do this? Wouldn’t he want everyone to know who he is? This idea is prominent in Mark’s Gospel and is called the “Messianic Secret.” We need to look at Jesus whole life in light of his death and resurrection to understand his identity. Otherwise, it’s too easy to misinterpret him.
Jesus is more than a nice man, a good teacher, a holy person, a healer, a miracle worker: he is our Lord and Savior, the Messiah. To say that Jesus is just one of these things places little or no responsibility on us to change our lives. Believing that Jesus identity is limited to only being a holy man , or that he is a only a good teacher, for example, allows me to decide what I will or won’t accept about him. Perhaps that’s why people like to reduce Jesus to one or two of these categories: so there is no obligation on their part to do anything, to believe anything, or to change in any significant way.
It’s much different if I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I am making a commitment to live as Jesus taught as interpreted by the church (remember Peter and the keys to the kingdom?). I am not the master of my own life: I have given it over to Jesus. I let my life be directed by the Lord in all ways.
But in doing this I find my own life. I unlock the strength, power, and grace of Jesus for guidance, strength, and direction. Who else knows what’s best for me?
How do you answer Jesus question: "But who do you say that I am?"
Fr. Phil
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
BIBLE STUDY #55
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 14, 2011
Reading 1
Is 56:1, 6-7
Thus says the LORD:
Observe what is right, do what is just;
for my salvation is about to come,
my justice, about to be revealed.
The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
ministering to him,
loving the name of the LORD,
and becoming his servants-
all who keep the sabbath free from profanation
and hold to my covenant,
them I will bring to my holy mountain
and make joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,
for my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.
The Word of the Lord
Reading 2
Rom 11:13-15, 29-32
Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking to you Gentiles.
Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,
I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous
and thus save some of them.
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,
what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all.
The Word of the Lord
Gospel
Mt 15:21-28
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus' disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."
He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
Our gospel begins with Jesus withdrawing to the region of Tyre and Sidon, part of Phoenicia, and nowadays would be near the border of Israel and Lebanon. One can see this area from Israel by ascending Mt. Carmel in Haifa and looking north toward Lebanon.
Scholars will talk about Jesus leaving Israel and going to Tyre and Sidon, which seems to be clearly indicated in today’s passage, but other Matthean scholars say that Matthew never intended to have Jesus leave Israel, but that a “Canaanite woman of that district came and called out” should be translated as, “a Canaanite woman came out from that region. Therefore, the woman crosses over to Jesus who is still in Israel, not vice versa.
This unnamed Canaanite woman approaches Jesus and says, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." The meaning of the word pity as used here is compassion. She wants Jesus to look on her plight and move his heart to heal her daughter.
She also calls Jesus “Lord”, which is the name the Jews used for God, so she is affirming Jesus divinity. She also calls him “Son of David”, affirming Jesus as the Messiah.
Jesus’ response to her petition is to ignore her. The disciples want Jesus to send her away, but she is persistent in her petitioning, she just won’t give up. What parent would, given the opportunity to have her daughter healed?
Another reason I think this woman is so persistent is that she has so much going against her. First, she is a Gentile, specifically a Canaanite, referencing the pagan inhabitants of the area, and Jews weren’t supposed to have anything to do with foreigners. Secondly, Jewish men weren’t to have anything to do with women (other than their family members). Thirdly, her daughter suffered from an illness that the people thought was caused by sin.
Jesus says, in response to all this petitioning, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." While many have come to believe in Jesus, many have not. There is still much work to do among the Jews.
I think that this also reflects the fact that Matthew’s community is made up largely of Jewish converts and he may be addressing the issue of a lack of inclusiveness in his particular church. It wasn’t until the First Council of Jerusalem in the early 60’s that the issue of Gentiles in this new church was resolved – in favor of the Gentiles inclusion.
The woman did him homage, meaning that she worshipped him, again attesting to his divinity – who else do we worship but God?
Jesus seems to be rude and offensive to this woman, but he is testing her faith. The word ‘children’ refers to God’s chosen, the Jews. Calling Gentiles ‘dogs’ was common practice. There is no indication that she was offended, just persistent. Jesus feeds the children with the food of salvation (or the bread of salvation, as we see in the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000) but the Gentiles (dogs) are prohibited from eating this food of salvation.
The woman response is clever. She agrees that the Jews should be fed first and satisfied, but that these should be enough left over for others. It seems to reflect God’s bountiful love for all people. God has plenty of love for everybody. She doesn’t sway him by argument of claims or merit, but he is persuaded by her persistent prayer of faith.
Jesus tests this woman and she passes with flying colors. She believes he is Lord and Messiah, therefore he can do anything he wants, include feeding gentiles with the bread of salvation or healing her daughter.
Jesus calls this great faith. She believes in him under all circumstances, even when people want to send her away, or even when Jesus tests her. It may be that Matthew is trying to build bridges between those Christians who were born Jews and those Christians who were born gentile. By using a woman in this story, it also seems to me that Matthew is trying to be inclusive of women. Matthew is also saying that no one is excluded from God’s table of salvation. In any event, it is a great story of believing and persisting in prayer all of the time.
The first reading from Isaiah is from the third part of this book, dealing with the Israelites after they have come back from exile. In this section, Isaiah says that when the messiah comes, no one is excluded from the messianic banquet table because of origin, religion, or any other criteria.
Here at St. Joseph’s we try to be as inclusive as possible. Our doors are open to every one who wants to enter. We never judge anyone. When someone presents themselves for communion, we always assume that they should be receiving communion. How can we tell if someone is in a state of grace? You can’t, can you? Too bad that a person in the state of grace didn’t have a shiny little halo over their head. It would be easy, then, wouldn’t it? No halo, no communion. But, that’s not practical.
Or, what if we gave out confession cards to every one (we’re supposed to go to confession before communion if we commit a mortal sin, aren’t we?). It would be like those cards we kept by the door for the paper boy when he came to collect on Friday. We would pay him, and he would punch a hole in the appropriate spot. After confession, the priest could punch a hole in our confession card. We would bring that up to communion and show it in order to be eligible to receive communion. This isn’t fool proof, either.
When we try to be exclusive, I can guarantee that we will exclude people who should be included. If someone goes up to receive who shouldn’t, that’s their problem, not mine. They have to answer to God for that, not me. However, if I refuse someone who should receive, I have to answer to God for that. I say let everyone who presents themselves for communion receive, and let God sort it out (after all, God is more qualified than you or I for this job).
Sometimes we want to exclude other people based on our own set of criteria (we never exclude ourselves, regardless). But our faith calls us to do just the opposite. We need to be accepting of all people. I think we’d all be better off if we concentrated more on our holiness than others.
Fr. Phil
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 14, 2011
Reading 1
Is 56:1, 6-7
Thus says the LORD:
Observe what is right, do what is just;
for my salvation is about to come,
my justice, about to be revealed.
The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
ministering to him,
loving the name of the LORD,
and becoming his servants-
all who keep the sabbath free from profanation
and hold to my covenant,
them I will bring to my holy mountain
and make joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be acceptable on my altar,
for my house shall be called
a house of prayer for all peoples.
The Word of the Lord
Reading 2
Rom 11:13-15, 29-32
Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking to you Gentiles.
Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,
I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous
and thus save some of them.
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,
what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all.
The Word of the Lord
Gospel
Mt 15:21-28
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus' disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."
He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
Our gospel begins with Jesus withdrawing to the region of Tyre and Sidon, part of Phoenicia, and nowadays would be near the border of Israel and Lebanon. One can see this area from Israel by ascending Mt. Carmel in Haifa and looking north toward Lebanon.
Scholars will talk about Jesus leaving Israel and going to Tyre and Sidon, which seems to be clearly indicated in today’s passage, but other Matthean scholars say that Matthew never intended to have Jesus leave Israel, but that a “Canaanite woman of that district came and called out” should be translated as, “a Canaanite woman came out from that region. Therefore, the woman crosses over to Jesus who is still in Israel, not vice versa.
This unnamed Canaanite woman approaches Jesus and says, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." The meaning of the word pity as used here is compassion. She wants Jesus to look on her plight and move his heart to heal her daughter.
She also calls Jesus “Lord”, which is the name the Jews used for God, so she is affirming Jesus divinity. She also calls him “Son of David”, affirming Jesus as the Messiah.
Jesus’ response to her petition is to ignore her. The disciples want Jesus to send her away, but she is persistent in her petitioning, she just won’t give up. What parent would, given the opportunity to have her daughter healed?
Another reason I think this woman is so persistent is that she has so much going against her. First, she is a Gentile, specifically a Canaanite, referencing the pagan inhabitants of the area, and Jews weren’t supposed to have anything to do with foreigners. Secondly, Jewish men weren’t to have anything to do with women (other than their family members). Thirdly, her daughter suffered from an illness that the people thought was caused by sin.
Jesus says, in response to all this petitioning, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." While many have come to believe in Jesus, many have not. There is still much work to do among the Jews.
I think that this also reflects the fact that Matthew’s community is made up largely of Jewish converts and he may be addressing the issue of a lack of inclusiveness in his particular church. It wasn’t until the First Council of Jerusalem in the early 60’s that the issue of Gentiles in this new church was resolved – in favor of the Gentiles inclusion.
The woman did him homage, meaning that she worshipped him, again attesting to his divinity – who else do we worship but God?
Jesus seems to be rude and offensive to this woman, but he is testing her faith. The word ‘children’ refers to God’s chosen, the Jews. Calling Gentiles ‘dogs’ was common practice. There is no indication that she was offended, just persistent. Jesus feeds the children with the food of salvation (or the bread of salvation, as we see in the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000) but the Gentiles (dogs) are prohibited from eating this food of salvation.
The woman response is clever. She agrees that the Jews should be fed first and satisfied, but that these should be enough left over for others. It seems to reflect God’s bountiful love for all people. God has plenty of love for everybody. She doesn’t sway him by argument of claims or merit, but he is persuaded by her persistent prayer of faith.
Jesus tests this woman and she passes with flying colors. She believes he is Lord and Messiah, therefore he can do anything he wants, include feeding gentiles with the bread of salvation or healing her daughter.
Jesus calls this great faith. She believes in him under all circumstances, even when people want to send her away, or even when Jesus tests her. It may be that Matthew is trying to build bridges between those Christians who were born Jews and those Christians who were born gentile. By using a woman in this story, it also seems to me that Matthew is trying to be inclusive of women. Matthew is also saying that no one is excluded from God’s table of salvation. In any event, it is a great story of believing and persisting in prayer all of the time.
The first reading from Isaiah is from the third part of this book, dealing with the Israelites after they have come back from exile. In this section, Isaiah says that when the messiah comes, no one is excluded from the messianic banquet table because of origin, religion, or any other criteria.
Here at St. Joseph’s we try to be as inclusive as possible. Our doors are open to every one who wants to enter. We never judge anyone. When someone presents themselves for communion, we always assume that they should be receiving communion. How can we tell if someone is in a state of grace? You can’t, can you? Too bad that a person in the state of grace didn’t have a shiny little halo over their head. It would be easy, then, wouldn’t it? No halo, no communion. But, that’s not practical.
Or, what if we gave out confession cards to every one (we’re supposed to go to confession before communion if we commit a mortal sin, aren’t we?). It would be like those cards we kept by the door for the paper boy when he came to collect on Friday. We would pay him, and he would punch a hole in the appropriate spot. After confession, the priest could punch a hole in our confession card. We would bring that up to communion and show it in order to be eligible to receive communion. This isn’t fool proof, either.
When we try to be exclusive, I can guarantee that we will exclude people who should be included. If someone goes up to receive who shouldn’t, that’s their problem, not mine. They have to answer to God for that, not me. However, if I refuse someone who should receive, I have to answer to God for that. I say let everyone who presents themselves for communion receive, and let God sort it out (after all, God is more qualified than you or I for this job).
Sometimes we want to exclude other people based on our own set of criteria (we never exclude ourselves, regardless). But our faith calls us to do just the opposite. We need to be accepting of all people. I think we’d all be better off if we concentrated more on our holiness than others.
Fr. Phil
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
BIBLE STUDY #54
NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
August 7, 2011
Reading 1
1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
The Word of the Lord
Reading II
Rom 9:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
The Word of the Lord
Gospel
Mt 14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
After feeding the 5,000 men (from last week’s gospel), Jesus sends the disciples away in a boat, and Jesus went up a mountain to pray. Why a mountain? In scripture, that is where God lives. Jesus is going to the top of a mountain to commune with his Father.
One thing to note is that before every important event in his life, Jesus prays. We should follow his example and do likewise.
We now switch to the disciples. This part of Matthew’s gospel is called Book Four, and is a book about the church (remember, the gospels were put in written form several decades after Jesus died and rose). We are getting a teaching on what it means to be church.
There is much symbolism here. A boat is an ancient symbol for the church. Water can be a symbol of life or a symbol of death. The church, as it goes through life, will have calm times and times of much storminess. And remember, we are the church.
They are also at the 4th watch, some time between 3 am and 6 am. The darkness represents evil and the storm represents the waters of death. The boat is being tossed by the sea. The impression I get from reading this passage is that Matthew is trying to depict a very rough storm.
Having been in the US Navy, I can relate to rough seas. I was on a supply ship that was 600 feet long and had millions of tons of supplies. Even then, it could get rough. The worst was when we sailing back to the States, and the ship was almost empty of supplies, so the ship was very light and it was very easy for a storm to rock the ship violently. It would lean to one side so far that we walked with one foot on the deck (floor) and one foot on the bulkhead (wall). The ship would pitch back and forth and your body would learn to automatically adjust to this kind of movement without having to think about it. The first time on land and our bodies would still be automatically trying to adjust to a moving ship. It looked like we were either spastic or drunk.
The first time out to sea is scary and intimidating. The first time in a storm is terrifying. Try to sleep in your bunk when the ship is being tossed about in a storm.
But we always made it through the storm. There was lots of training so we were well prepared for emergencies. We depended on each other to get home safely.
Going through the storms of life can be scary, especially when Jesus is not in the boat. Sometimes we think we can handle the storms without Him, but there are certain storms that will capsize our boat if not for Him.
The symbolism in our gospel passage is that as the church goes through life it will sink unless we depend on Jesus as our rock and our strength, our refuge in times of trouble. Placing our trust in the Lord will help us make it through the storms of our lives. It also tells us that we get in trouble when ministry becomes something other than spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. If we are spreading our own gospel (what we want the gospel to say instead of what it really says) or if we leave faith out of the context of helping people than we have lost our way and are sinking.
The lack of recognition of Jesus by the disciples (It is a ghost!) shows their lack of faith. Even when Peter recognizes Jesus, and steps out of the boat, he begins to sink. It shows that we struggle between faith and doubt. Sometimes we are faithful and sometimes we fail. Peter is a good example: the one given the keys to the kingdom denies Jesus the night before he died. This is a life long struggle for all of us.
When the boat seems ready to capsize, Jesus approaches them by walking on the water, and he calms the sea. When Peter is sinking, Jesus reaches out his hand to save him. Who is this man that he is able to do these things? After the disciples say, “It is a ghost,” Jesus says, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” The words translated as ‘it is I’ are the same words God uses in Genesis 3:14 when Moses asks God for his name: “This is what you should tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.
Matthew is telling us that Jesus is God, and therefore he is the one who saves, as evidenced by the last sentence of our gospel: “Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’”
In the context of a teaching on the Church, what is Matthew telling us? As we attempt to minister to people, it is Jesus and his saving actions that we profess. The disciples get in trouble when Jesus is not with them; they begin to sink when they are on their own. It is only when he joins them in the boat, it is only when Peter asks for help and Jesus reaches out to him, that they are on the right track.
Ministry is more than helping people, it is spreading the Good News. A good example is Straight and Narrow, the drug and alcohol rehab center in Paterson. They treat the spiritual as well as the physical needs of their clients. The clients were helpless in the face of their addictions, and one of the things the clients do is profess their helplessness and seek the help of a higher power, which in our case would be Jesus. It is the combination of the work of the staff and the grace of the Lord that helps them overcome their addictions.
Personally, I didn’t become a priest to be a social worker. I became a priest to spread the Gospel. In the context of the gospel and at the command of Jesus, we help other people, just as Jesus did, but it’s the gospel that comes first. We must have, so to speak, “Jesus in our boat” or we will also sink.
In the first reading, Elijah is on Mt Horeb (another name for Mt Sinai) and has an encounter with God. It was fitting for Elijah to be on Mt Sinai, since his mission was to reestablish the covenant and to and restore the faith of the people (remember, this is where Moses received the Ten Commandments).
He was told to go there by God and wait for him to pass by. Elijah had preached against King Ahab and his Queen Jezebel who had erected statues of Ba’al in the Temple, and when his preaching went unheeded, there was a drought. On top of that, Elijah defeated the pagan prophets in a contest, and King Ahab wanted him dead.
In the ancient world, wind, earthquake and fire were manifestations of the presence of pagan gods, such as Ba’al. The presence of these elements of nature showed that a divine being was near.
But God does something better; he appears in a tiny whispering sound, like in the quiet stillness of our hearts, and brings peace. He is with Elijah in his troubles, whose hope is in the Lord. What could be better than that?
In the second reading from Romans, we see a striking and bold example of what it means to be church. Paul, born a Jew but converted by Christ himself, is willing to do anything to bring the saving and gracious touch of Christ to his fellow Jews. He knows what Christ has done for him and he wishes to share that with other Jews. According to Paul, the Israelites have everything God can offer, except the best offering, that of Christ himself. In fact, he feels so bad for them, longs to convert them so much, that he is willing to be “accursed and cut off from Christ” for their sake. What a great example of self giving and love.
Fr. Phil
NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
August 7, 2011
Reading 1
1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
The Word of the Lord
Reading II
Rom 9:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
The Word of the Lord
Gospel
Mt 14:22-33
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
After feeding the 5,000 men (from last week’s gospel), Jesus sends the disciples away in a boat, and Jesus went up a mountain to pray. Why a mountain? In scripture, that is where God lives. Jesus is going to the top of a mountain to commune with his Father.
One thing to note is that before every important event in his life, Jesus prays. We should follow his example and do likewise.
We now switch to the disciples. This part of Matthew’s gospel is called Book Four, and is a book about the church (remember, the gospels were put in written form several decades after Jesus died and rose). We are getting a teaching on what it means to be church.
There is much symbolism here. A boat is an ancient symbol for the church. Water can be a symbol of life or a symbol of death. The church, as it goes through life, will have calm times and times of much storminess. And remember, we are the church.
They are also at the 4th watch, some time between 3 am and 6 am. The darkness represents evil and the storm represents the waters of death. The boat is being tossed by the sea. The impression I get from reading this passage is that Matthew is trying to depict a very rough storm.
Having been in the US Navy, I can relate to rough seas. I was on a supply ship that was 600 feet long and had millions of tons of supplies. Even then, it could get rough. The worst was when we sailing back to the States, and the ship was almost empty of supplies, so the ship was very light and it was very easy for a storm to rock the ship violently. It would lean to one side so far that we walked with one foot on the deck (floor) and one foot on the bulkhead (wall). The ship would pitch back and forth and your body would learn to automatically adjust to this kind of movement without having to think about it. The first time on land and our bodies would still be automatically trying to adjust to a moving ship. It looked like we were either spastic or drunk.
The first time out to sea is scary and intimidating. The first time in a storm is terrifying. Try to sleep in your bunk when the ship is being tossed about in a storm.
But we always made it through the storm. There was lots of training so we were well prepared for emergencies. We depended on each other to get home safely.
Going through the storms of life can be scary, especially when Jesus is not in the boat. Sometimes we think we can handle the storms without Him, but there are certain storms that will capsize our boat if not for Him.
The symbolism in our gospel passage is that as the church goes through life it will sink unless we depend on Jesus as our rock and our strength, our refuge in times of trouble. Placing our trust in the Lord will help us make it through the storms of our lives. It also tells us that we get in trouble when ministry becomes something other than spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. If we are spreading our own gospel (what we want the gospel to say instead of what it really says) or if we leave faith out of the context of helping people than we have lost our way and are sinking.
The lack of recognition of Jesus by the disciples (It is a ghost!) shows their lack of faith. Even when Peter recognizes Jesus, and steps out of the boat, he begins to sink. It shows that we struggle between faith and doubt. Sometimes we are faithful and sometimes we fail. Peter is a good example: the one given the keys to the kingdom denies Jesus the night before he died. This is a life long struggle for all of us.
When the boat seems ready to capsize, Jesus approaches them by walking on the water, and he calms the sea. When Peter is sinking, Jesus reaches out his hand to save him. Who is this man that he is able to do these things? After the disciples say, “It is a ghost,” Jesus says, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” The words translated as ‘it is I’ are the same words God uses in Genesis 3:14 when Moses asks God for his name: “This is what you should tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.
Matthew is telling us that Jesus is God, and therefore he is the one who saves, as evidenced by the last sentence of our gospel: “Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’”
In the context of a teaching on the Church, what is Matthew telling us? As we attempt to minister to people, it is Jesus and his saving actions that we profess. The disciples get in trouble when Jesus is not with them; they begin to sink when they are on their own. It is only when he joins them in the boat, it is only when Peter asks for help and Jesus reaches out to him, that they are on the right track.
Ministry is more than helping people, it is spreading the Good News. A good example is Straight and Narrow, the drug and alcohol rehab center in Paterson. They treat the spiritual as well as the physical needs of their clients. The clients were helpless in the face of their addictions, and one of the things the clients do is profess their helplessness and seek the help of a higher power, which in our case would be Jesus. It is the combination of the work of the staff and the grace of the Lord that helps them overcome their addictions.
Personally, I didn’t become a priest to be a social worker. I became a priest to spread the Gospel. In the context of the gospel and at the command of Jesus, we help other people, just as Jesus did, but it’s the gospel that comes first. We must have, so to speak, “Jesus in our boat” or we will also sink.
In the first reading, Elijah is on Mt Horeb (another name for Mt Sinai) and has an encounter with God. It was fitting for Elijah to be on Mt Sinai, since his mission was to reestablish the covenant and to and restore the faith of the people (remember, this is where Moses received the Ten Commandments).
He was told to go there by God and wait for him to pass by. Elijah had preached against King Ahab and his Queen Jezebel who had erected statues of Ba’al in the Temple, and when his preaching went unheeded, there was a drought. On top of that, Elijah defeated the pagan prophets in a contest, and King Ahab wanted him dead.
In the ancient world, wind, earthquake and fire were manifestations of the presence of pagan gods, such as Ba’al. The presence of these elements of nature showed that a divine being was near.
But God does something better; he appears in a tiny whispering sound, like in the quiet stillness of our hearts, and brings peace. He is with Elijah in his troubles, whose hope is in the Lord. What could be better than that?
In the second reading from Romans, we see a striking and bold example of what it means to be church. Paul, born a Jew but converted by Christ himself, is willing to do anything to bring the saving and gracious touch of Christ to his fellow Jews. He knows what Christ has done for him and he wishes to share that with other Jews. According to Paul, the Israelites have everything God can offer, except the best offering, that of Christ himself. In fact, he feels so bad for them, longs to convert them so much, that he is willing to be “accursed and cut off from Christ” for their sake. What a great example of self giving and love.
Fr. Phil
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