Past Scripture thoughts for Tuesday, June 26, Lectionary #372
372 (Tue of 12th week of Year):
Recently I was in several airports and naturally took interest in those
passing by. I sensed that most people were looking forward to getting home
or to a place they had to be or wanted to be. On the faces of some
arriving from other cities, you could see they were heading home and were
happy to be in an airport near their home. Our reading from Genesis show
Abram and Lot heading for their chosen homeland. Abram, as usual, has to
take the lead and offer a choice to Lot who could chose to the West then
Abram would go East, or to the South then Abram would go North, etc. You
get the picture and the wisdom of Abram while Lot just seems to need others
to take the initiative in all of the scenes he will appear. There should
not be a conflict over the land that the brother-in-law chooses; Abram will
be content with the other choice. Abram then builds an altar to God in
thanksgiving for the abundance he has and the land that is now his. Then
in the Gospel reading we hear Jesus speaking of entering through the narrow
gate and taking the straight and narrow road that leads to the desired
kingdom of life but few will find it. This contrasts with the expansive
land and ways open to Lot and Abram. We, as followers or disciples of
Jesus, listen carefully to the Lord and try our best to keep on the hard
and narrow road leading to eternal life in the kingdom of God. We know
that in the spiritual realm what is promised to us is similar to the
earthly territory given to Lot and Abram. In the spiritual area the area
is productive and wide not narrow. These contrasts in the Scripture
readings help us to reflect and discern which paths of life we are to
choose. The Psalm and its responsorial verse unravels the differences as
we sing and pray, "The just will live in the presence of the Lord." We are
led to thank God through the Psalm today which helps us to integrate the
two readings. Amen.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007. Lectionary # 373:
Scripture: Genesis 15:1-12,17-18. Psalm 105. Matthew 7:15-20:
God speaks to Abram not only about the land but also the promise of
offspring to him and Sarah even though she is considered to be barren and
aging and Abram is even older! Miracles do happen especially when God
promises them. God's words will come true for we hear that "Abram believed
the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness." The just and
righteous person lives by faith. Abram because of his trust and his
obedient listening to the commands of God offers sacrifice at the end of
the day and falls into a contemplative trance. God has made a covenant
with his friend not only about the land but also about a son who will
multiply God's people. Once this happens we discover that Abram is named
Abraham (the Father of a great People or Nation) and Sarai become Sarah
(Princess). Their call and commitment to the Lord is indicative by the
changing of their names by God. This helps us to think of our own naming
at Baptism. In the reading from the Gospel, Jesus tells us that true
prophets speaks the word of God which is seen in productive gifts or
fruits. "By their fruits you shall know them." Using such strong imagery
Jesus is showing us how to discern true prophets from false ones. Jesus
himself is the perfectly true prophet who has shown us his creative
producing of good fruits in healings, exorcisms, and miracles of nature.
His word is absolute truth: "For the word of the Lord is living and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the
division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12. Amen.
Thursday of the 12th week in ordinary time, June 28, 2007:
Scripture: Genesis 16:1-12,15-16. Psalm 106. Matthew 7:21-29. Lectionary #
374: (Feast of St. Irenaeus)
Jealousy and contempt are not pleasant for the one who has them or who
inflicts them on others. Today we have two women, Sarai and Hagar who
display these bad behaviors towards one another. Sarai begins to persecute
her slave girl Hagar because of the contempt seen in her taking pride at
the birth of her son at the expense of Sarai being childless. Sarai had
started the problem by giving Hagar to her husband Abram to have offspring
for them rather than to be totally without issue. Now it is a burning
problem for Sarai and a humiliation for Abram. The story has many
interpreters and Paul gets into unravelling it by allegorizing the account.
Perhaps, for the reader that is the best way to go rather than seeing it as
a "text of terror." By reading Galatian 4:21-5:1 we not only have a first
century inspired text from the first writer in the New Testament but also
see the theological interpretation of the natural experience of two women
having a child that speaks of the future for the people of God. Paul is
paralleling the thoughts of another first century Jew named Philo who
touches upon the passage as well. Philo was from Alexandria where the
allegorical and philosophical understanding of texts were developed. Philo
lived from 25 B.C.-40 A.D.; Paul lived between 5-10 A.D. to 64-68 A.D. At
the time both of these great men wrote the allegorical method was used to
give a spiritual interpretation to biblical texts. Both writers were also
influenced by Hellenistic philosophy in their interpretations. A good
principle that Paul uses is to interpret Scripture by Scripture plus many
other rabbinic ways of interpreting the texts. In returning to the person
of Hagar in our narrative, we see that God is concerned about her welfare
and sends an angel to deliver her from the desert from thirst and hunger.
A promise is given that her son will live and be the ancestor of a great
multitude of peoples. In salvation history we see the crooked lines of
human behavior being written into straight lines by the divine hand of God.
Jesus too helps us to understand Scripture as a listening process and how
we are to not only hear but do the words of God in our actions and behavior
patterns. Yes, the word of the Lord endures forever! Amen.
posted by Fr. Bert SM at 11:27 AM
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