Rosh Hashanah

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Scripture: Lectionary 458: Nehemiah 8:1-4.5-6.7-12. Psalm 19:8.9.1011. Luke 10:1-12:

Finally the walls of Jerusalem were built and both Nehemiah and Ezra play a key role in the foundations and celebrations of the event. Since this reading speaks of the New Year we are indeed joyous about the fact that it coincides today with the actual feast of Rosh Hashanah in the Jewish calendar. The feast celebrated in Nehemiah is that of Tabernacles as the text indicates. In our own liturgy of the Word of God (the Scriptural readings for the day) we are indebted to the book of Nehemiah for the earliest roots of our own first part of the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Word.

With Nehemiah the period of the Prophets comes to an end and we are now in the Great Assembly which will pave the way for the worship of the synagogue and the continuation of the Israelites after the next destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D.

The celebration in Nehemiah consists in the reading of the Teaching or Torah of Moses till noon and then again in the afternoon. A translation for those who did not know the sacred language is given by Ezra or one of the Levites for the benefit of the believers who now are so happy that they weep to hear the word of God again and actually celebrate it as was done on Mount Sinai when Moses received it from God. There is a similarity to our understanding of the sacrament of Eucharist. For the Jews the real Presence of God is in this reading of the Torah which was done after the walls of Jerusalem were built. Truly Judaism is being formed with Nehemiah and we are dependent upon her as our source for the revealed word of God. The next stage will be our own Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. The structure for the synagogue and for the church in how the worship of the word of the Lord takes place has its foundations here in the reading from Nehemiah. We are remembering the event that reenacts Sinai and its Oral Tradition and then continuing on through the worship service that Jesus himself partakes of in the Gospel of Luke. Scholars recognize that Luke gives us a synagogue service that is characteristic for the first century. ( Luke 5:16-30). With the authorization of the chief of the synagogue Jesus was able to read from the Prophet Isaiah in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Nehemiah gave someone the authorization to explain the Teaching of Moses by means of translating the Hebrew into Aramaic for those who no longer understood Hebrew. Probably both Hebrew and Aramaic were used on this momentous occasion of celebrating the foundations for the Temple within the walls of Jerusalem. We may wish to ponder over this text from Nehemiah and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel and its surrounding peoples. Peace can only be brought about by our belief in God and by our cooperation in educating peoples.

We can take time for thanking God for the coincidence of celebrating the renewing of God’s covenant on this festival of Rosh Hashanah and for what we have received from the Hebrew Scriptures. It is an occasion for our own renewal and interest in listening to the word of God. As we leave the books of Ezra and Nehemiah we may wish to read them as spiritual reading during a time of transition and change. In many respects we are going through the same types of change in our twenty-first century.

As a way of understanding the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hashanah these words of Yitchak Leib Peretz are motivating: Rosh Hashanah among our Chaisidic Jews is always a joyful festival. We are not frightened by the Day of Judgment. We know that we stand not in the presence of an alien overlord, but of our Father. Our Father in heaven judges us! So we take a drink! And we dance at our prayers. Amen.

Scripture: Lectionary 459: Baruch 1:15-22. Psalm 79:1-2.3-5.8.9. Luke 10:13-16:

In the passage from Baruch we have a perfect communal confession presented to the people of Israel. The wording and the inspiration can help us as we also think about communal penance services. Usually most parishes do provide one during the seasons of Advent and Lent. This is a good insight into the act of presenting our sins openly and honestly before God within the context of the community to which we belong as believers. All are involved in this confession of their sins—the sages, the priests, the people. God is always there to forgive us and we must trust in God’s merciful kindness and love.

We read in the Psalm for this day: “Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low.”(Psalm 79:8).

Jesus is railing against the behavior of the towns surrounding his own home town of Nazareth. These towns have not been open to the words he has spoken and to amending their ways. Jesus says to them it would go better at judgment time for Tyre and Sidon, dreaded enemies of the Israelites than for Chorazin and Bethsaida!

These readings help us to approach the sacrament of reconciliation with trust and heartfelt contrition as we confess our sins. The Scriptures remind us of this long tradition and invite us to do the same as many have done in the history of Israel and that of the Church. We are also reminded to break the terrible pattern of our sins by truly having a firm purpose of amendment of taking the necessary steps to avoid them in the future. Easier said than done! With God’s grace strengthening our wills and healing our hearts we are led to have the spirit of the scriptures for this day. Amen.