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Advent Day 24: The Davidic Covenant

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TODAY’S FIRST READING (2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16)

FROM 2 Samuel 11b-12, 14a, 16:

“‘The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his Kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your Kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.'”

From Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, page 474

The Davidic Covenant

The Davidic covenant is the latest and greatest of the Old Testament covenants. Following the steady buildup of covenants between God and his people over the centuries, beginning with Adam and continuing with Noah, Abraham, and Moses, the divine covenant with David brings the biblical story to a theological highpoint. Each of these ancient covenants helps to prepare the way for messianic times, but Jewish and ­Christian traditions agree that hopes for a coming Messiah are anchored most explicitly in the Lord’s covenant with David.

Nathan’s Oracle

The foundation of the Davidic covenant is Nathan’s oracle in 2 Sam 7.8-16, which responds to David intention to build a sanctuary for Yahweh. Nathan reveals that the king’s desire, although noble, is not part of God’s plan for his life. Instead, something more wonderful is envisioned. What David wants to do for the Lord hardly compares to what the Lord wants to do for David. This divine plan can be summarized under four headings.

1. Dynasty. Yahweh first pledges to build David a “house” (2 Sam 7:11). By this he means a dynasty, a hereditary line of royal successors, so that his kingdom and his throne will be “established for ever” (2 Sam 7:16). The house of David may have to be disciplined as times and circumstances demand, but the house of David will never be fully disowned like the house of Saul was when the Lord abandoned it on account of Saul’s failings (2 Sam 7:14-15). David’s dynasty will exercise an everlasting rule that is guaranteed by God.

2. Temple. Yahweh’s second pledge responds directly to David’s desire to build a Temple (2 Sam 7:2). The king wishes to begin construction on a worthy sanctuary, but, according to Nathan, the privilege a building a “house” for the Lord will fall to David’s royal “offspring” (2 Sam 7:12-13). This is an allusion to David’s son and successor, King Solomon, who pulls together a massive workforce to construct the Jerusalem Temple after his father’s death (1 Kings 6-8). The Temple thus serves as an architectural sign of the Davidic covenant.

3. Adoption. Yahweh’s third pledge is to create a father-son relationship between himself and David’s royal offspring (2 Sam 7:14). It is a promise that the kings of David’s line will be made sons of God by divine adoption. In this way, the covenant of kingship creates an especially close relationship between Yahweh and the anointed successors of David. It is implied in Ps 2:7 that the royal adoption of each king take place on the day of his coronation.

4. Law for Mankind. In response to the oracle, David senses that God, in pledging himself to these grandiose commitments, is initializing a plan to extend his blessings to the human race beyond Israel. What the Lord has revealed to him is nothing less than torat ha-adam, “the law of mankind” (see note on 2 Sam 7:19). The Law of Moses was a gift for Israel alone; but the covenant arrangement promised to David is a gift for Israel and other nations alike. This becomes visible in the days of Solomon, who recruits Gentiles from Phoenicia to assist with building the Temple (1 Kings 5:6, 18), who implores Yahweh to answer the prayers of the Gentiles who direct their pleas toward his Temple (1 Kings 8:41-43), and who instructs inquiring Gentiles from many nations in the fundamentals of godly “wisdom” (1 Kings 4:3- 10:1-10, 24).

Nathan’s oracle is worded as a divine promise, but its terms are guaranteed by divine oath. Whether a formal pledge is made on this occasion or afterward makes little difference. It is clear from other texts that Yahweh makes his commitments to David into a covenant (2 Sam 23:5; Sir 45:25; 47:11) by swearing an oath to David (Ps 89:3-4, 35-37; 132:11-12). And since God alone swears the oath, he alone assumes responsibility for its fulfillment. The Davidic covenant of kingship is an unconditional “grant”, meaning that Yahweh takes upon himself the unilateral obligation to make good on his pledges, regardless of whether or not David’s future line of successors proves worthy of this honor.

New Testament Fulfillment

The pledges made to David are provisionally realized in Solomon during the golden age of the united monarchy and, to a lesser extent, in the centuries that the Davidic dynasty ruled in Jerusalem. But definitive fulfillment awaits the coming of Jesus Christ. He is the Messiah grafted into David’s dynastic line (Mt 1:1-16) and the one chosen by God to sit on David’s throne “for ever” (Lk 1:32-33). Like David, Jesus is anointed by the Spirit (1 Sam 16:13; Acts 10:38), and, like Solomon, he offers the wisdom of God to the world (1 Kings 10:1-10; Mt 12:42). The Temple he builds is not a stone-and-cedar sanctuary in Jerusalem but his body, the Church of living believers indwelt by the Spirit (Mt 16:18; Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:4-5). In the Resurrection, Jesus’ humanity attains the royal adoption promised to David’s offspring (Acts 13:33-3 Rom 1:3-4), and, at his Ascension, he commences his everlasting reign (Lk 1 :33) as David’s messianic Lord (Mk 12:35-37). Even now, he holds the key to the kingdom of David (Rev 3:7) and bears the distinction of being “King of Israel” (Jn 1 :49) as well as “he who rises to rule the Gentiles” (Rom 15:12). According to the very first Christian sermon, all of this is the fulfillment of Yahweh’s oath to David (Acts 2:29-35).

My take

There is a lot wrapped up in the Davidic covenant, as explicated in the excerpt above from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, is there not? It took about one thousand years for this solemn agreement to find its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. This is why we should pay particular attention to those incidents in the Gospels when Jesus is called Son of David. The persons saying this are not simply calling the Lord by any title — there is a whole depth of meaning behind it. Another word study, this time of “Son of David”:

The term is used eight times in the Old Testament, seven times referring to David’s biological son, Solomon, the other time to David’s son Jerimoth. For Solomon’s story (consider how he is a type [check out here and here] of Jesus — and how he’s not) see 1 Kgs 1-11 and 2 Chr 1-9.

The term is used sixteen times in the New Testament in eight different episodes or contexts, one of those being genealogies, one time referring to Joseph, Jesus’ foster father, one time used by Jesus in referring to David, and the other five times being addressed to Jesus. Note carefully (and use a good commentary), those contexts, especially the last five.

A last note, this on the Gospel reading (Lk 1:67-79). It seems to me that one major takeaway from Zechariah’s exuberant prayer is the value of silence. Zechariah had a lot of time to think, not knowing when — or if — he would ever get his voice back. Silent contemplation, without distraction, can yield great results. Let us take a lesson from this episode by spending much more time listening to the Lord and his mother (I imagine Zechariah heard Mary’s Magnificat and sat by while his wife Elizabeth and Mary were chatting in those three months leading up to the birth of his son) and much less time in idle conversation (yikes!). The results just might be amazing.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David. (Lk 1:68-69)

AI generated — I could not find an image with all three figures that wasn’t licensable.

God bless!

Advent Day 22: Eternity starts small

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TODAY’S READINGS

FROM Micah 5:1 (the full passage is Mi 5:1-4a):

You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.

From The Word of the Lord (Year C), page 30

“The language of a ‘ruler’ who ‘comes forth’ from ‘Behlehem-Ephrathah’ is a poetic way of describing an heir to the throne of David, a new king who has the Davidic bloodline. This rules is described in provocative ways that suggest divinity. His origin is miqqedem in Hebrew, which can mean both ‘from the east’ and ‘from antiquity.’ Both are suggestive because the east was associated with the abode of the arrival of God — the temple, for example faced east. Likewise, an ancient origin was a divine attribute — that, God the Father, is called ‘the Ancient of Days’ (Dan 7:22 RSV2CE). This concept of ancient origin is reinforced in the next verse of our Micah passage, translated ‘whose origin is from of old,’ but which literally reads ‘his origin is from days of eternity.’ This language of a Davidic ruler who has ‘eternal’ origins could be just poetic hyperbole, but let us note that, much like Isaiah 9:6. the literal sens of this text of Micah describes a king who is both human and divine.”

FROM Psalms 80:2 (the full passage is Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19):

O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power,
and come to save us.

From The Navarre Bible: The Psalms and the Song of Solomon, page 278

“God, as Shepherd of his people, has his dwelling-place in the temple, above the ark, ‘enthroned upon the cherubim’ (cf. Ex 25:18-22).”

FROM Hebrews 10:10 (the full passage is Heb 10:5-10

[W]e have been consecrated 
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

From Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: Hebrews, page 199

“The Greek word for ‘consecrated’ (hagiazō) would be better translated as ‘sanctified’ or ‘made holy,’ since here it connotes not only being ‘set apart’ for God but coming to share in god’s own holiness. The reason Jesus’ sacrifice has power to sanctify is that he offered no mere substitute but himself, his own human life wholly given over in love. His sacrifice therefore transforms human nature from within; it heals the self-will, pride, rebellion, and unbelief that have deeply wounded human nature ever since the fall. Hebrews emphatically declares that this sanctification is already an accomplished fact, ‘once for all.’ Christ’s passion is the fulcrum of human history, the act that has definitively reconciled humanity to God and given access to God’s own holiness, Yet paradoxically, Hebrews will say in verse 14 that we who believe in Christ ‘are being sanctified’; the accomplished fact must be personally appropriated and lived by every believer (see also 12:10, 14).”

FROM Luke 1:42-43 (the full passage is Lk 1:39-45)

“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?”

From Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke, page 20

“Blessed are you: Elizabeth blesses Mary with words once spoken to Jael and Judith in the OT (Judg 5:24–27; Jud 13:18). ● These women were blessed for their heroic faith and courage in warding off enemy armies hostile to Israel. Victory was assured when both Jael and Judith assassinated the opposing military commanders with a mortal blow to the head. Mary will follow in their footsteps, yet in her case both the enemy destroyed and the victory won will be greater, for she will bear the Savior who crushes the head of sin, death, and the devil underfoot (Gen 3:15; 1 Jn 3:8) (CCC 64, 489).
mother of my Lord: This title reveals the twin mysteries of Jesus’ divinity and Mary’s divine maternity (CCC 449, 495). Note that every occurrence of the word Lord in the immediate (1:45) and surrounding context refers to God (1:28, 32, 38, 46, 58, 68). ● Mary’s divine motherhood was the first Marian dogma expounded by the Church. The Ecumenical Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431) defined her unique relationship to Christ and honored her with the title ‘Mother of God’ (Gk. Theotokos). This was reaffirmed in 1964 at Vatican II (Lumen Gentium, 53).”

From Opening the Scriptures: Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, page 29

“In the culture in which Mary lived, a woman’s greatness came from the children she bore (see 11:27). Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, perceives the greatness of the child whom Mary is carrying and Mary’s resulting greatness.”

From The Word of the Lord (Year C), page 35

“Elizabeth is a wise woman, learned in history and culture of Israel and Judah. Through the Holy Spirit, she recognizes our Mother Mary as the Queen Mother, as the ‘First Lady’ of the kingdom of Israel, and she treats her as such, showing her all deference and veneration. So if we are ever challenged by non-Catholics concerning the biblical nature of the honor we show Mary within the Church, we should point to this passage of Luke as indication that the custom of venerating the Blessed Mother began in her lifetime, in the very pages of Scripture.”

MY TAKE

The same Gospel two days in a row! Boring? No way! We should be glad this is proclaimed to us again and we could stand to hear it every day. The acknowledgement by Elizabeth of the zygote inside Mary as the Lord of the universe, the one God, is a cause for celebration — the Redeemer promised in Gen 3:15 has finally come. And what a powerful pro-life message, to boot. The developing child is now, a few days after conception, the Messiah. Elizabeth knows that what Micah prophesied, that a ruler whose “origin is from days of eternity,” is finally Emmanuel, that is, God with us (see Is 8:8-10). Her son, John, is to be the precursor to the one who has “come to save us” as the Psalmist tells us today. Just imagine the conversations Mary and Elizabeth had the next three months regarding their two special children. Finally, per Hebrews, Jesus came to consecrate us with that same developing body in the Paschal Mystery and continues to consecrate us until today and on till the end of time in the most Blessed Sacrament.

Is there any question why we call this Good News?

BP BARRON SERMON

FR MIKE SCHMITZ HOMILY

God bless!

Advent Day 17: Generations

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TODAY’S GOSPEL (Mt 1:1-17)

From Matthew 1:17:

[T]he 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.

From Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, pages 1725-26

“fourteen generations: Matthew divides the genealogy into three units of 14. It is not exhaustive, since several OT names are omitted and the divisions cover unequal periods of time. Matthew stresses the number 14 to show Jesus as the new Davidic king: (1) David and Jesus are the only names listed with their respective titles (king, 1:6; Christ, 1:16); (2) David is the 14th name in the list; (3) the numerical value of David’s name (three consonants) in Hebrew equals 14 (D = 4 + V = 6 + D = 4). ● The 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus correspond to the 42 encampments of Israel during its wilderness journey to the Promised Land (cf. Num 33:1–49). These generations bring us to the Messiah, through whom we arrive at the land of promise in heaven (St. Jerome, Letters 78). deportation to Babylon: The Exile of the Jews starting in 586 B.C. under the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. After that time, Israel’s Davidic kingdom collapsed, and no legitimate heir assumed David’s throne. Jesus comes as the awaited Messiah-king (21:4–5; Jn 1:49) to fulfill God’s covenant oath to perfect and establish the Davidic dynasty for all time (cf. Ps 132:11–12; Lk 1:32–33).”

From Opening The Scriptures: Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life, page 19

“Matthew sees a pattern in the genealogy, with turning points coming every fourteen generations. God began something new with Abraham, calling him to be the father of a people. The kingship of David was a turning point: descendants of David were to rule over God’s people forever. Yet this seemed to end with the catastrophe of the Babylonian exile, another major turning point. Now, fourteen generations after the last major turning point, God sends the Messiah to his people. Jesus is a new turning point in God’s unfolding plan.
“If a person’s genealogy tells us who a person is, then Jesus is a Jew descended from Abraham and David. Jesus’ past is Israel’s past; Jesus marks the next stage in God’s plan for his people.”

From Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word (Volume I), page 60

“[I]f the Word of God waited for forty-two generations in order to come ‘when time had taken a downward plunge’ (cursu declivi temporis), as the Advent hymn has it, it is because God, like a good physician, comes when he is most needed: somehow, to be fully rejuvenated, the world first had to grow old utterly and come to the limit of its own foolish hopes. Christ is sent by the Father into the world ‘to liberate the human race from its state of decrepitude’ (Collect, first Saturday of Advent).”

My take

The world waited in breathless anticipation for the promised Messiah. Generation after generation after generation came and went, with some good, but by no means perfect, men, but with more questionable characters (not only the gents, but get a load of the women mentioned in this line). What good can come from these ancestors? A greater Good than could be imagined!

This “anointed one,” explodes all categories. We can certainly call Him a New Abraham: finally the blessing to all nations has arrived (cf. Gen 12:2). We can also call Him the New David, the ultimate Son of David and the real King of Kings. But Christ is so much more. Who knew that God Himself would have to come down to clean up the mess begun with Adam and Eve and exacerbated by their descendants (i.e., all of us)? The experts in the Law, for the most part, didn’t see it (although they should have — the entire Hebrew Scriptures ultimately points toward Christ). But those with open hearts embraced the Lord when He became incarnate. We are invited to open our hearts ever wider to the miracle of the conception of the Son of God in the womb of a humble Jewish girl and its culmination nine months later at Christmas. The First Coming should make us long for the Second Coming (“thy Kingdom come”!) and for His coming into our souls at each Mass.

Maranatha! Come, O Lord!

God bless!

Advent Day 16: Wise and gentle

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TODAY’S GOSPEL (Mt 21:23-27)

From Matthew 21:24-25a:

Jesus said to them in reply,
“I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,
then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
Where was John’s baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?”

From The Navarre Bible: St Matthew, page 183

“Jesus knows that [the chief priests and the elders] are not well-intentioned and he declines to give them a direct answer; he prefers to put a question to them that forces them to make their own attitude clear. He seeks to provoke them into examining their consciences and changing their whole approach.”

From Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: The Gospel of Matthew, page 274-5:

“This counterquestion is not a change of topic. In this question Jesus implies continuity between John’s ministry and his own: just as John’s authority came from God, so does his. At the same time, Jesus’ counterquestion puts the temple authorities in an awkward position. They can either (a) say what they think — that John’s baptism was not from God — and face the anger of the crowds that ‘regard John as a prophet.’ or (b) admit that John’s baptism was from heaven, in which case they would be put to shame for not believing him. To try to save face, they answer, ‘We do not know.'”

From Opening The Scriptures: Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life, page 451

“Responding to a question with a counter question was a common debating tactic of the time. If Jesus is to tell the chief priests and elders by what authority he does these things, he will first ask a question to lay the groundwork for his response.”

From Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word (Volume III), page 448

“[Jesus] responds to [the chief priests and the elders] two questions with one loaded question of his own, a question that induces a crisis in those interrogated by exposing their ‘faith’ as nothing but sly political pragmatism. Jesus’ tactic challenges them to demonstrate by what authority they dare to question his authority in the first place. He has already shown in word and action that his mere presence transforms the world around him into a better place. What has been the fruit of their alleged religious zeal, he wonders? What exactly are their own deepest motivations in relentlessly persecuting him at every turn?
…
“This move is brilliant because, by his reference to the Baptist, Jesus is suggesting that he himself is not an isolated figure calling for radical reform in contemporary Palestine. He hints that there exists a vibrant , effervescent spirit at present among the Jews in general that is operating outside the establishment and bearing a truly prophetic witness to God’s urgent activity in human hearts.”

My take

This is another case where I’m looking for answers to what, on the face of it, may seem like a diversionary tactic on Jesus’ part. But, it should go without saying that Jesus has no need for such stunts. His words always have purpose. He may be shrewd as a serpent and gentle as a dove, as He urges His apostles to be (cf. Mt 10:16), but He always makes His point, always to the dismay of those who oppose Him.

As always when it comes to Jesus, we should take a lesson from Jesus’ approach. This debate tactic is just as valid today as it was two thousand years ago. Responding to a question with a question can help clarify in your mind, and in your interlocutor’s mind, what he is driving at. We want to make sure we are on the same page — not talking past each other, arguing points our discussion partner is not making. This approach can also help to defuse someone coming in “hot.” When this happens, we must resist the urge to respond in kind, but rather look to dig deeper to (hopefully) discover the root issue.

Christ and the Pharisees (ca. 1880) by Lawrence W. Ladd

God bless!

Advent Day 14: Elijah the Prophet

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TODAY’S GOSPEL (Mt 17:9a, 10-13)

As they were coming down from the mountain,
the disciples asked Jesus,
“Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.
So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood
that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

My take

For today, I will simply invite you to get to know Elijah’s story and, while doing so, encourage you to be mindful of John the Baptist as you read through it: 1 Kings 17-19, 21; 2 Kings 1-2. Afterward, use this to examine all New Testament passages referring to the prophet and then dive into the context.

Elijah in the Desert (1543-1547) by Daniele da Volterra

God bless!

Advent Day 12: Spoken to and spoken for

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TODAY’S GOSPEL (Lk 1:39-47)

From Luke 1:45:

“Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

From The Navarre Bible: St Luke, page 43

“Joining the chorus of all future generations, Elizabeth, moved by the Holy Spirit, declares the Lord’s Mother to be blessed and praised her faith. No one has ever had faith to compare with Mary’s; she is the model of the attitude a creature should have towards its Creator — complete submission, total attachment. Through her faith, Mary is the instrument chosen by God to bring about the redemptive work of her Son.”

From Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: The Gospel of Luke, page 50:

“Elizabeth concludes her Spirit-filled words by pronouncing the first beatitude in the Gospel: ‘Blessed are you who believed’…Mary ‘believed’ that God’s word ‘spoken’ to her ‘would be fulfilled.’ In this way, she received the privilege of being the mother of the Son of God. She also became a model for all those who ‘hear’ God’s word and accept it (8:21; 11:28). Throughout the Gospel, not only God’s words spoken through an angel but also those written in Scripture will be fulfilled (4:21; 18:31; 22:37; 24:44).”

From Opening The Scriptures: Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, page 30

“She is blessed because of her faith that what God said ‘would be fulfilled’ — that she would conceive through the Holy Spirit and bear a son who would be called Son of God and rule over God’s people forever (1:31-33). That is a lot for a young woman to believe!…Mary is a model for hearing the word of God and acting on it (see 8:21; 11:28).”

My take

Mary is very much a model for us. The reason I chose this quote from today’s readings is that the word “spoken” struck me. God speaks to us in myriad ways: in our heart, in our conscience, through others, through events, and, last but not least, through Scripture, which is the Word of God, who is Jesus (cf. John 1:1-18). The Bible is the inerrant revelation of God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (I highly recommend reading Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation [Dei Verbum] and CCC 101-141 to understand the proper approach to Scripture specifically and divine revelation in general).

St Jerome famously said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” So, regular, ideally daily, reading of the Bible, particularly the Gospels, is necessary. But then we encounter this problem:

Some people are troubled by the things in the Bible they can’t understand.
The things that trouble me are the things I can understand. (Attributed to Mark Twain)

Do we hear the Word and accept it? Do we hear the Word and act on it? Are we completely submissive and totally attached to the Word? With apologies to JFK, do we choose to follow the Lord’s commands, not because they are easy, but because they are hard?

The gift of faith is ours through Baptism. Do we exercise it by complete submission to the will of God? Can we truly say we know the will of God for our lives? Mary likely did not know how it was going to all turn out, but she submitted to the Lord. She “let go and let God.”

Are we ready to believe that what the Lord speaks to us will be fulfilled? And are we completely open to being God’s instrument, without counting the cost, in fulfilling our mission?

The Meeting of Mary and Elisabeth (1866) by Carl Heinrich Bloch

God bless!

Advent Day 11: Taking a load off

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TODAY’S GOSPEL (Mt 11:28-30)

From Matthew 11:28:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.

From Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word (Volume I), pages 712, 714:

“[W]e are surely not to limit the scope of Jesus’ magnificent Venite ad me! only to those under the yoke of Pharisaism. For the love of Christ has a much more universal scope and, in Jesus, God is the absolute liberator of man from a legalistic conception of Torah as well as from every burden that keeps him back from fully becoming a child of the infinitely free Father.
…
“Jesus is the one who, by a divine ‘instinct’, himself bends down to share the lot of all who are burdened beyond their ability to bear it….Rather than denounce the source of the oppression — whether within or outside the person — Jesus simple extends an invitation: ‘Come to me!’ It is crucial that these words be seen as an invitation, because a person must respond to it with perfect freedom. One must oneself in some sense leave behind the oppressive situations and go to Jesus. Although elsewhere Jesus is portrayed as himself searching out the lost sheep, here the appeal is made to the exhausted person’s desire to change his life. He must take the first step himself toward the source of regeneration.”

My take

If you love Scripture, particularly Matthew’s Gospel, I encourage you to invest in Father Simeon’s (formerly Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis) four-volume Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word series. Over 2,800 pages breaking down Matthew. What a treasure goring verse by verse, phrase by phrase, or word by word through the Gospel. Amazing spiritual insights from these “meditations” will be much food for thought, prayer, and contemplation. The excerpt above is only a tiny portion of the several pages devoted to just this one verse.

Don’t we all need rest from our many burdens? And Jesus offers to be that resting place. He already took the cross off our shoulders. Just as we must freely accept this gift of redemption, so must we freely come to Jesus in our difficulties and challenges. He is always waiting for us.

So, please join me as I endeavor to put my cares and troubles into Jesus’ hands so that I may finally true rest.

Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)

The Hard Job of Living… (1922) by Georges Rouault

God bless!

Advent Day 10: Lost and Found

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TODAY’S GOSPEL (Mt 18:12-14)

From Matthew 18:14:

“[I]t is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”

From Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word (Volume II), page 628:

“‘It is not the will in the sight of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish’: The ever-watchful eye of God’s love tirelessly scans the whole horizon of human existence with only one concern: Are all being saved? Are all being brought into life? Are any being lost, even one? For God’s joy is not complete until all are saved! The newness of life that comes about as a result of conversion to Christ — my turning and clinging ardently to Christ after having been sought and found by Christ — is an event that makes the Heart of God dance with joy. Can we not see the Face of the eternal Father glowing with exultation at the recovery of one of his dear children? And that tidal wave of divine joy then reverberates through his creation, since no act of God is without effect in the whole of the created order. Just as the angels of the little one, forever contemplating the face of the heavenly Father, build a bridge connecting childlike innocent and divine glory, so too the greatest exultation among the choirs of angels is reserved for the occasion of a single sinner’s conversion (Lk 15:7, 10).”

My take

Father Simeon’s exposition of the highlighted verse brought to mind immediately two other New Testament passages:

God our savior…wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3-4)

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Mt 18:6)

What a stark warning: If we oppose the will of God for all of mankind by leading others into sin directly or by bad example, we would be better off dead. We have an obligation, by virtue of our Baptism, to bring others to Christ, not lure them away or drive them away. If only we were constantly mindful of that. If only we saw the world through the eyes of God we too would desire salvation for all. We are God’s chosen instruments to effect God’s will — what an awesome gift and what an awesome responsibility! We must get close to the Lord and stay close to the Lord through prayer, penance, the Sacraments, and Scripture. Vigilance!

God bless!

Are you “incredulous for joy and…amazed” that “the author of life” is “expiation for our sins and..for those of the whole world”? “O Lord, you put gladness into my heart.”

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TODAY’S READINGS

It struck me in hearing the readings proclaimed at Mass that, while Sunday readings are always purposeful in connecting the first reading and the Gospel reading, all four Scriptures fit together in a profound way. Let’s take a closer look at each reading, in particular the phrases in question.

Today’s first reading (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19) has Peter remonstrating his Jewish hearers for what they did to Jesus.

“The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.” (v. 15)

We cooperate with this “author” to make new humans and He provides the soul. He gives the life of grace to that soul in Baptism, gives life back to that soul through Confessions, and strengthens the life of that soul through the Eucharist. This Author writes beautifully, don’t ever forget when you look around and when you look in the mirror.

The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9) is overwhelming in its delight of the Lord:

O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put gladness into my heart. (vv. 7b-8a)

Wow! When our heart is full in earthly matters, we never want to lose that feeling, but inevitably it fades or is jarred away. But the gladness God brings to the heart can never be taken away if we hold it close. Never let earthly distractions, no matter how severe, disturb your peace, knowing that God is with you when you stay in His good graces.

Then John (1 Jn 2:1-5a) tells us how we honor Jesus Christ for doing the following for us:

He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. (v. 2)

Thank God! This is truly Good News! This great benefit we have received in knowing Christ and having been initiated into the Catholic faith should be made known to “the whole world.” There is no human that is not a beneficiary of Christ’s sacrifice. We are under obligation to make it known to every soul. What could ever stop us from winning over brothers and sisters to Christ? We must follow the Lord’s commandments and share this requirement with others.

The Gospel has Jesus appearing to the apostles and His Road to Emmaus companions in the Upper Room:

[Jesus] showed them his hands and his feet…
[T]hey were…incredulous for joy and were amazed… (vv. 40-41a)

When was the last time you were “incredulous for joy and…amazed” at what Jesus has done for you and every person who ever has come into existence or who will be conceived? It is far too easy to become complacent in our faith. Let us renew ourselves in the Lord daily , finding joy and amazement in what He has done for us and for everyone. Let us exude the joy of knowing Jesus and share our amazement in how He saved wretches like us, so more wretches will come to the Faith..

BP BARRON SERMON

Christ Appearing to His Disciples After the Resurrection (c. 1795) by William Blake

God bless.

Lent Day 37: “I AM”

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading (Jn 8:51-59) continues Jesus dialogue with the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus makes a startling claim to the Jews inquiry:

“So the Jews said to him…
‘Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered,…“Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.” (v. 53b-54a, 58)

“Jesus takes for himself the divine name of Yahweh, ‘I AM’ (Ex 3:14). He thus claims to be one with God (10:30), whose life in eternity has neither beginning nor end. The Pharisees hear this claim loud and clear and, thinking it outrageous, stand ready to stone him for blasphemy (8:59; Lev 24:16) (CCC 590).” (The Gospel of John [Ignatius Catholic Study Bible], 36)

Jesus makes no bones about who He is. It eventually gets Him killed. But He backs up His claim by raising Himself from the dead proving that He is God, having the power over life and death.

Check out this article that does a fine job of running through the many times Jesus uses “I am” to refer to Himself. We hearken back to the burning bush episode (Ex 3) when Moses asks the name of the voice of his interlocutor emanating from this wondrous site.

Are you a believer? I am.

God bless.