LOWEST PLACE - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Homily for the 22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Based on Lk 14:1,7-14 (Gospel), Sir 3:17-18,20,28-29 (First Reading) and Heb 12:18-19,22-24a (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

LOWEST PLACE

“Make your way to the lowest place” (Lk 14:10)

The Gospel narrative for this 22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C) is from Lk 14:1,7-14.

Verses 1, 7, 8, 9 and 10 say:  On a Sabbath day he had gone for a meal dine to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honor. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honor. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, And the person who invited you both may come and say, ‘Give up your place to this man”. And then to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say to you, “My friend, move up higher”. In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honored.

Parallel text for verse 1 is Jn 9:14 that says: It had been a Sabbath day when Jesus  made the paste^f and opened the man’s eyes. Footnote ^f says  “Such work was forbidden on the Sabbath”.

Verse 11 says: For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 18:14 - This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.

2.       Mt 23:12 - Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.

3.       Lk 9:48 …and said to them, “Anyone  who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least one among you all is the one who is great.”

Verse 12 says:  The he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbors, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. Footnote  ^b says “Or ‘for fear they invite you in return and that be your repayment’”.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 6:32-35 - If you love those who love you, what  thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them (v.32). And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much(v. 33). And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount (v. 34). Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return.^e You will have great reward, and you will be sons  of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked (v. 35). Footnote ^e says “The text is difficult and the translation conj. Var. ‘driving no one to despair’ or ‘despairing no one’ or ‘not at all despairing.’”

2.       Si 12:1-5 - If you do a good turn, know for whom you are doing it, and your good deeds will not go to waste (v. 1). Do good to a devout^a man and you will receive a reward, if not from him, then certainly from the Most High (v. 2). No good will come to a man who persists in evil, or who refuses to give alms.^b (v.3). Give to a devout man, do not go to the help of a  sinner (v. 4) Do good to a humble man, give nothing to a godless one. Refuse him bread, do not give him any, It will make them stronger than you are; then you will be repaid twice evil over for allthe good deed you had  done him.^d Footnote ^a says  “‘devout’ Greek; ‘virtuous’ Hebr. ; Footnote ^b says “Hebr. ‘It is no use a man’s doing good to the wicked; he does not even perform a good work’”; Footnote ^c says “Contrast the words of Jesus, Mt 5:43-47; and Footnote ^d says  “The Hebr. Of vv. 4-5 differs considerably.”

3.       Lk 12:33+ - On almsgiving^d  Sell you possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. Footnote ^d  says “That riches are a danger and should be given away in alms is characteristic teaching of Lk: cf. 3:11; 6:30; 7:5; 11:41; 12:33-34; 14:14; 16:9; 18:22; 19:8; Ac 9:36; Ac 10:2,4,31.”

Verse 13 says:  No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;

Parallel text is Pr 22:9 that says: A blessing awaits the man who is kindly, since he shares his bread with the poor.

Verse 14 says:  That they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’

Parallel text is Lk 6:35 that says: Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return.^e  You will have great reward, and you will be sons  of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Footnote ^e says “The text is difficult and the translation conj. Var. ‘driving no one to despair’ or ‘despairing no one’ or ‘not at all despairing.’”

The First Reading is from Sir 3:17-18,20,28-29. Verses 17 and 18 say:  My son, be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be better loved than a lavish giver.^f The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly, and then you will find favor with the Lord; ^g Footnote ^f says “‘lavish’ Hebr.; ‘beloved’ Greek”; and Footnote ^g says “Add v. 19 ‘Many are the arrogant and renowned, but the humble are those to whom he reveals his secrets’.”

Parallel texts for verse 18 are:

1.       Pr 3:34 - He mocks those who mocks, but accords his favor to the humble.

2.       Mt 20:26-28 - This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant (v. 26); and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave(v. 27), just as the Son of Man come not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom^g for many.’^h (v. 28). Footnote  ^g says “By sin man incurs, as a debt to the divine justice, the punishment of death demanded by the Law, cf. 1 Co. 15:56; 2 Co. 3:7,9; Ga. 3:13; Rm. 8:3-4, with notes. To ransom them from this slavery of sin and death, Rm. 3:24+. Christ is to pay the ransom and discharge the debt with the price of his blood, 1 Co. 6:20; 7:23; Ga. 3:13; 4:5, with notes, By thus dying in place of the guilty, he fulfills the prophesied function of the ‘servant of Yahweh’ (Is. 53). The Hebr. word translated ‘many’, Is. 53:11f, contrast the enormous crowd of the redeemed with the one Redeemer: it does not imply that the number of redeemed is limited, Rm. 5:6-21. Cf. Mt. 26:28+.; Footnote ^h says “At this point some authorities insert the following passage, derived probably from some apocryphal gospel ‘But as for you, from littleness you seek to grow great and from greatness you make yourselves small. When you are invited to a banquet do not take one of the places of honor, because someone more important than you may arrive and then the steward will have to say, “Move down lower”, and you would be covered with confusion. Take the lowest place, and then if someone less important than you comes in, the steward will say to you, “Move up higher”, and that will be to your advantage.’ Cf. Lk. 14:8-10”.

3.       Ph 2:5-8 - In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus:^d (v. 5) His state was divine, ^e  yet he did not cling to his equality with God^f (v. 6), but emptied himself^g to assume the condition of a slave,^h and became as men areⁱ; and being as all men are,^j (v. 7), he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross (v. 8).  Footnote ^d says “Vv 6-11 are a hymn, though whether composed or only quoted by Paul is uncertain. Each stanza deals with one stage of the mystery of Christ: divine pre-existence, kenosis in the Incarnation, his further kenosis in death, his glorification, adoration by the cosmos, new title of Lord. This hymn is concerned solely with the historical Christ in whose personality godhead and manhood are not divided; Paul nowhere divorces the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ, though he does distinguish his various stages of existence, cf. Col 1:13f”; Footnote ^e  says “Lit. ‘Who subsisting in the form of God’: here ‘form’ means all the attributes that express and reveal the essential ‘nature’ of God; Christ, being God, had all the divine prerogatives by right.” Footnote ^f says “Lit. ‘did not deem being on an equality with God as something to grasp’ or ‘hold on to’. This refers not to his equality by nature ‘subsisting in the form of God’, and which Christ could not have surrendered, but to his being publicly treated and honored as equal to God which was a thing that Jesus (unlike Adam, Gn 3:5,22, who wanted to be seen to be like God) could and did give up in his human life”; Footnote ^g  says “‘He emptied himself’; this is not so much a reference to the fact of the incarnation, as to the way it took place. What Jesus freely gave up was not his divine nature, but the glory to which his divine nature entitled him, and which had been his before the incarnation, Jn 17:5, and, which ‘normally’ speaking would have been observable in his human body (cf. the transfiguration, Mt 17:1-8). He voluntarily deprived himself of this so that it could be returned to him by the Father, cf. Jn 8:50,54, after his sacrifice, vv.9-11”; Footnote ^h  says “‘slave’ as opposed to ‘Kyrios’ v. 11, cf. Ga 4:1; Col 3:22f. Christ as man led a life of submission and humble obedience, v. 8. This is probably a reference to the ‘servant’ of Is 52:13-53:12, cf. Is 42:1”; Footnote ⁱ says “Not just ‘a human being’ but a human being ‘like others’; sharing all the weaknesses of the human condition apart from sin; and Footnote ^j   says “Lit. ‘And in fashion found as man’.

Verse 20 says: For though the power of the Lord is, he accepts the homage of the humble.^h   Footnote ^h says “The verse calls attention to God’s condescension in welcoming the homage of the lowly. Hebr. ‘for great is the mercy of God; he makes his secrets known to the humble’, cf Pr. 3:32; Ps 25:14”.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Pr 3:34 - He mocks those who mocks, but accords his favor to the humble.

2.       Zp 2:3 - Seek Yahweh, all you, the humble of the earth,^e who obey his commands. Seek integrity, seek humility; you may perhaps find shelter on the day of the anger of Yahweh. Footnote ^e  says “The ‘humble’ or ‘poor’, anawim in Hebr. These play a large part in the Bible. Though wisdom literature looks on poverty, resh, as the result of idleness, Pr 10:4, the prophets are aware that the poor usually the oppressed, aniyyim;  they demand justice for the weak and lowly, dallim, and for those in need, ebionim, Am 2:6f; Is 10:2; cf. Jb 34:28f; Si 4:1f; Jm 2:2f. The humane legislation of Dt. Shows the same attitude of mind, Dt 24:10f. With Zephaniah’s poverty assumes a moral and eschatological significance, 3:11f, cf Is 49:13; 66:5; Ps 22:26; 34:2f; 37:11f; 69:33; 74:19; 149:4; and see Mt 5:3+; Lk 1:52; 6:20; 7:22. In short, the anawim are those Israelites who submit to the will of God. In LXX period , the word anaw (or ani) has the added meaning of thoughtfulness for others, Zc 9:9, cf.  Si 1:27. It is  to the ‘poor’ that the Messiah will be sent, Is 61:1, cfLk 4:18. He himself will be humble and gentle, Zc 9:9, cf Mt 21:5, and the victim of oppression, Is 53:4; Ps 22:24.”

Verses 28 and 29 say: There is no cure for the proud man’s malady, since an evil growth has taken root in him. The heart of a sensible man will reflect on parables, an attentive ear is the sage’s dream.

The Second Reading is from Heb 12:18-19,22-24a.  Verse 18 says: What you have come to is nothing known to the senses:^d not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm… Footnote d says “Lit. ‘You have not approached something that can be touched’, var. ‘a mountain that can be touched’, cf. v. 22.”

Parallel text is Ex 19:16,18 that says: Now as daybreak on the third day there were peals of thunder on the mountain and lightning flashes, a dense cloud, and a loud trumpet blast, and inside the camp all the people trembled (v. 16). The mountain of Sinai was entirely wrapped in smoke, because Yahweh had descended on it in the form of fire. Like smoke from a furnace the smoke went up, and the whole mountain shook^k violently (v. 18). Footnote ^k says  “‘The mountain shook’ Hebr.;  ‘the people trembled’ Hebr. and Greek MSS.”

Verse 19 says: Or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them.^e Footnote ^e  says “As at the theophany on Sinai, when the old covenant was made. The new covenant replaces fear with peace.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Dt 4:11 - So you came and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain flamed to the very sky, a sky darkened by cloud, murky and thunderous.^b. Footnote ^b  says “‘thunderous’ Greek.”

2.       Ex 20:19  - “Speak to us yourself’ they said to Moses ‘and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we shall die.”

3.       Dt 9:19 - For I was afraid of this anger, of the fury which so roused  Yahweh against you that he was ready to destroy you. And once more Yahweh  heard my prayer.

Verse 22 But what you come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival,

Parallel texts are:

1.       Rv 14:1 - Next in my vision I saw Mount Zion and standing on it a Lamb^b who he had with him a hundred and forty-four thousand people, all with his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.  Footnote ^b  says “Var ‘the Lamb’.

2.       In the spirit he took me to the top of  an  enormous mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven.^j Footnote ^j  says “This is Jerusalem on earth during the last or messianic days since the pagan nations have not yet been destroyed, 21:24, and have a chance of conversion, 22:2; but it foreshadows the heavenly the heavenly Jerusalem that develops from it. The details of the description are most from Ezk 40-47”.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Rm 2:6 - He will repay each one as his works deserves^b :

Footnote

2.       Heb 11:40…since God had made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to reach perfection except with us.ⁱ Footnote ⁱ  says “The eschatological epoch of ‘perfection’ was inaugurated by Christ, 2:10; 5:9; 7:28; 10:14;  and access to the divine life has been made available only by him, 9:11f; 10:19f;. The OT saints, who could not be ‘perfected’ by the Law, 7:19; 9:9; 10:1; had thus to wait till the resurrection of Christ before they could enter the perfect life of heaven, 12:23, cf. Mt 27:52f; 1 P 3:19+.

Verses 23 and 24 say: With the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with the spirits of the saints who have been made perfect;  and to Jesus…

LITTLE FLOCK - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Homily for the 19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Based on Lk 12:32-48  (Gospel),  Ws 18:6-9 (First Reading) and  Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

LITTLE FLOCK

“There is no need to be afraid, little flock” (Lk. 12:32)

The Gospel for this Sunday is from Lk 12:32-48. Verse 32 says:  There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom. 

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 10 that says: The Good Shepherd. I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand (v. 1). The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock (v.2); The gatekeeper  lets him in,  the sheep hear his voice, one by one^a he calls his own sheep and leads them out (v. 3). When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice (v. 4).  They never follow a stranger  but run away from him:  they do not recognize the voice of strangers (v.5). Jesus told them^b this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them (v. 6). So Jesus spoke to them again:  I tell you solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold^c (v. 7) All others who had come^d are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them (v. 8). I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture (v. 9). A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came so that they may have life^e and have it to the full (v. 10)I am the good shepherd:^f  the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep (v. 11).  The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep (v. 12); this is because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep (v.13). I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,^g(v. 14) just as the Father know me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep (v. 15). And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and these I have to lead as well.^h They too will listen to my voice, and there will only be one flock,ⁱ and one shepherd (v.16)The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again (v. 17). No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own free will,^j and as it is in my power to lay it down, so it is in my power to take it up again; and this is the command I have been given by my Father (v. 18). These words caused disagreement^k among the Jews (v. 19).Many said, ‘He is possessed, he is raving; why bother to listen to him? (v. 20)”Others said, “These are not the words of a man possessed by a devil; could a devil open the eyes of the blind? (v. 21)” Feast of the Dedication. It was the time when the feast of the Dedication was being celebrated in Jerusalem. It was winter (v. 22), and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon (v. 23).The Jews gathered round him and said, “How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly”^l (v. 24). Jesus replied, “I have told you,^m but you do not believe me. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; (v.25).But you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.ⁿ (v. 26). The sheep that belongs to me listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me (v. 27). I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever  steal them from me (v. 28) The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone,^o and no one can steal^p them from the Father (v. 29) The Father and I are one^q (v. 30).The Jews again pitched stones to stone him (v. 31),so Jesus said to them, “I have done many good works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me? (v. 32)”The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy; you are a man and you claim to be God (v. 33).Jesus answered: “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’?^r (v. 34). So the Law uses the word gods to whom the word of God was addressed, and scripture cannot be rejected (v.  35).Yet you say to someone the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming”, because he says, “I am the son of God” (v. 36). If I am not doing my Father’s work, there is no need to believe me  (v. 37); but if I am doing it, then  even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do; then you will know for sure that the Father is in me and I am in the Father (v. 38). They wanted^s to arrest him then, but he eluded them (v. 39). He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to stay in the district where John had once been baptizing (v. 40) Many people who came to him there said, ‘John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true’ (v. 41); and many of them believed in him (v. 42). Footnote ^a says “Or possibly ‘each by its name’’; Footnote ^b says  “I.e. to the Pharisees, willfully blind, 9:40. They fail to realize that the parable refers to them’; Footnote ^c says  “The gate that gives access to the sheep. Only those who ‘go in’ by Jesus have authority to guide the flock, 21:15-17”; Footnote ^d  – says “Add, ‘before me’. The reference is probably to the Pharisees, cf. Mt 23:1-36; Lk 11:39-52 and Mt 9:36; Mk 6:34”; Footnote ^e says “Life eternal. Jesus gives it, 3:16,36; 5:40; 6:33,35,48,51; 14:6; 20:31, with abounding generosity. Cf. Rv 7:17; Mk 25:29; Lk 6:38’; Footnote  ^f says “God, himself the shepherd of his people, was to choose a shepherd for them in the messianic age, cf. Ezk 34:1+. Christ’s assertion that he is the good shepherd is a claim to messiaship”; Footnote ^g says  “In biblical language, cf. Ho. 2:22, ‘knowledge’ is not merely the conclusion of an intellectual process, but the fruit of an ‘experience’, a personal contact (cf. John 10:14-15 and 14:20; 17:21-22; cf. 14:17, 17:3; 2 Jn 1-2); when it matures, it is love, cf. Ho. 6:6 and 1 Jn 1:3+”; Footnote ^h  says “Not to take them into the Jewish fold but to gather them into the flock that Jesus ‘leads’ to eternal life”; Footnote ^I says  “Var. ‘one fold’”; Footnote ^j says “Jesus has life in himself, 3:35+, and no one can rob him of it, 7:30,44; 8:20; 10:39; he surrenders it of his own will, 10:18; 14:30; 19:11; hence his perfect control and majestic calm in the face of death, 12:27; 13:1-3; 17:19; 18:4-6; 19:28”; Footnote ^k says  “Add. ‘again’”; Footnote ^l says “Not, as hitherto, in the enigmatic language of parable, cf. v. 6; 16:25,29. More urgently than before, 2:18; 5:16; 6:30; 8:25, the Jews press Jesus to say if he is the Messiah. In the Synoptics, the question is put by the high priest before the Passion, Mt 26:63p; Footnote ^m says “Christ’s previous statements had made it sufficiently clear that he spoke as God’s envoy, cf. 2:19; 5:17f,39; 6:32f; 8:24,28f,56f; 9:37”; Footnote ^m  says “Christ’s previous statements had made it sufficiently clear that he spoke as God’s envoy, cf. 2:19; 5:17f,39; 6:32f; 8:24,28f,56f; 9:37;  Footnote ⁿ says “Faith in Jesus implies an inner sympathy  with him: man must be ‘from above’’ 8:23, ‘of God’, 8:47. ‘of the truth’, 18:37, of his flock, 10:14. Faith presupposes a mind open to truth, 3:17-21; Cf. Ac 13:48+; Rm 8:29f”; Footnote ^o  says “Var. ‘As for my Father, that which he has given me is greater than all.’”; Footnote ^p says “Var. ‘steal them.’; Footnote ^q says “The Son’s power is not other than the Father’s The context shows that this is the primary meaning, but the statement is deliberately undefined and hints at a more comprehensive and a profounder unity. The Jews do not miss the implication; they sense a claim to godhead, v. 33. Cf. 1;1; 8:24,29; 10:38; 14:9-10; 17:11,21 and 2:11+; Footnote ^r says  “The words were addressed to magistrates whose function made them, in a sense, ‘gods’ because ‘judgment is God’s, Dt 1:17; 19:17; Ex 21:6; Ps 58. Christ’s argument is a rabbinic a fortiori, the conclusion being that blasphemy is a surprising charge to bring when it is God’s consecrated envoy who calls himself Son of God. On this title, ‘Son of God’, v. 36, cf. 5:25; 11:4,27; 20:17,31. Christ’s fate is henceforth to turn, cf. 19:7. See Mt 4:3; and Footnote ^s  says “Add. ‘again’”

2.       Jn 21:15-17 - After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs (v.15).” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep (v.  16).’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said,  “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep (v.17)

Verse 33 and 34 has a title “On almsgiving^d”. Footnote ^d says “That riches are a danger and should be given away in alms is characteristic teaching of Lk: cf. 3:11; 6:30; 7:5; 11:41; 12:33-34; 14:14; 16:9; 18:22; 19:8; Ac 9:36; Ac 10:2,4,31”.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 3:11 - He answered, “If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same.”

2.       Lk 6:30 - Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat  others as you would like them to treat you.

3.       Lk 7:5…’because he is friendly  towards our people;^b in fact he is the one who built the synagogue.’  Footnote ^b says “Evidently a pagan in sympathy with Judaism, like Cornelius, Ac 10:1-2+”.

4.       Lk 11:41 - Instead, give alms from what you have^k,  and then indeed everything will be clean for you.  Footnote ^k says “Interpretation difficult. Others translate ‘what is within’.

Verses 33 and 34 say: Sell you possessions and give alms. Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Parallel texts for verse 33 are:

1.       Pr 13:7 - There are some who, on nothing, pretend to be rich; some, with great wealth, pretend to be poor.

2.       Ws 7:14 - For she is an inexhaustible treasure to men; and those who acquire it God’s friendship, commended as they are to him by the benefits of her teaching.

3.       Mt 6:20-21 - But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworms destroy them and thieves cannot break in and steal (v.20). For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (v. 21).

Verses 35 to 48 has a title “On being ready for the Master’s return”.  Verse 35 says: ‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Si 5:7 - Do not delay your return to the LORD, do not put it off day after day; for suddenly his wrath will blaze out, and at the time of vengeance, you will be utterly destroyed.

2.       1 P 1:13 - Free your minds, then, of encumbrances, control them, and put your trust in nothing but the grace that will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

3.       Mt 25:1-3 - Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom (v. 1).  Five of them were foolish and five were sensible (v.2): the foolish ones did take their lamps, but brought no oil… (v. 3)

Verse 36 and 37 says: Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 22:27 - For who is greater: the one at table or the one who serves? The one at table, surely? Yet here I am among you as the one who serves.

2.       Jn 13:4-5…and he got up from table, remove his outer garment and, and taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist (v.4); he then  poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet^f and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing (v. 5). Footnote  ^f says “The dress and duty are those of a slave, cf1 S 25:41.”

Verse 38 says: It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.

Parallel text is Mk 13:35 that says: So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn.

Verses 39, 40 and 41 says: You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break though the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’ Peter said, Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?

Parallel text is Mt 24:43-44 that says:  You may be quite sure of this that if the householder had known at what time of night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house (v.43). Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Verses 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, and 47 say: The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward,^e then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at his employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming”, and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, His master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful. ‘The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash.  Footnote ^e says  “A steward with authority over other servants; Jesus, therefore, is peaking of the apostles (the ‘us’ of Peter’s question).”

Parallel text of verse 42 are:

1.       Mt 24:45-51 - Parable of the conscientious steward^w What sort of  servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time?(v. 45) Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds at his employment (v.46). I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns (v.47). But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, ‘My master is taking his time’ (v. 48), and begins about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards (v. 49), his master will come on an day he does not expectand at an hour he does not know (v. 50). The master will cut him off^x and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Footnote ^w says  “After the discourse foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem and the visible coming of the messianic reign in the Church, Matthew adds three parables dealing with the ultimate fate of individuals. The first presents one of Christ’s servants who, like the apostles, is given a task to perform in the Church; he is judged on the way he performs it”; and  Footnote ^x says  “A word of uncertain meaning: probably to be taken metaphorically: ‘he will cut him off’, a sort of ‘excommunication’, cf. 18:17.”

2.       1 Co 4:1 - People must think of us as Christ‘s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God.

Verse 48 says: The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.

Parallel text is Mt 10:15 that says: I tell you solemnly,  on the day of Judgment it will be not go as hard with the land of Sodom and Gomorrah as with that town.

The First Reading is taken from Ws 18:6-9.  Verse 6, 7, 8 and 9 say: That night had been foretold to our ancestors,^e so that, once they saw what kind of oaths they had put their trust in, they would joyfully take courage. This was the expectation of your people, the saving of the virtuous  and the ruin of their enemies; For the same act with which you took vengeance on our foes you made us glorious by calling us to you.^f The devout children of worthy men offered sacrifice^g in secret and this divine^h pact they struck with one accord: that the saints would share the same blessings and dangers alike; and forthwith they had begun to chant the hymns of the fathers.ⁱ Footnote ^e – Either the Israelites at the time of the Exodus, Ex 11:4-7, or more probably the patriarchs to whom God had promised that he would free their descendants from slavery in Egypt, Gn 15:13-14; 46:3-4; Footnote ^f says “The destruction of the firstborn of Egypt, the celebration of the Passover, the Exodus itself, identified Israel once and for all as the people of God, cf. Dt 7:6+.; Footnote ^g says “The Passover is called a sacrifice; Ex 12:27; Nb 9:7; Dt 16:5. This sacrifice is called ‘secret’ since it is celebrated inside the house, Ex. 12:46; Footnote ^h says  ‘divine’; var. ‘holy’; and Footnote ^I says “The author represents the first Passover in terms of later Passovers at which the Hallel was chanted, Ps 113-118.”

The Second Reading is taken from  Heb 11:1-2, 8-19, under the title “Exemplary faith of our ancestors.” Parallel text is Sir 14 that says: Happy the man who has not sinned^a in speech, and need not feel remorse for sins (v. 1).Happy the man whose own soul does not accuse him, and who has never given up hope (v. 2). Wealth is not the right thing for the niggardly man, and what use are possessions to a covetous one? (v. 3) A man who hoards by stinting himself is hoarding for others, and others will live sumptuously on his riches (v. 4). If a man is mean to himself, to whom will h be good? He does not even enjoy what is his own (v.5). No one is meaner than the man who is mean to himself, and this is how his wickedness pays him back (v. 6).If he does good at all, he does it without intending to, and in the end he himself reveal himself reveals his wickedness (v. 7). Evil is the man who has an grudging eye, averting his face,^b and careless of others’ lives (v. 8). The eye of the grasping man is not content with his portion, greed^c shrivels up his soul(v. 9).  The miser is grudging of bread, there is famine at his table (v. 10).  My son, treat yourself as well as you can afford, and bring worthy offerings to the Lord (v. 11). Remember that death will not delay, and that the covenant of Sheol^e has not been revealed to your (v. 12). Be kind to your friends before you die, treat him as generously as you can afford (v. 13).  Do not refuse yourself the good things of today, do not let your share of what is awfully desired pass you by (v.14). Will you not leave your fortune to another, and the fruit of your labor to be divided by lot? (v. 15). The give and receive, and take your ease, for in Sheol you cannot look for pleasure (v. 16). Every living thing grows old like a garment, an age-old law is “Death must be’ (v. 17). Like foliage growing on a bushy tree (v. 18), some leaves falling, other growing, so are the generations of flesh and blood: one dies and another is born (v.19). Every achievement rots away and perishes, and with it goes the author.^f Happy the man who meditates on wisdom, and reason with good sense (v. 20),  who studies her ways in his heart, And ponders her secrets^g (v. 21). He pursues her like a hunter, and lies in wait by her path (v. 22); who peep in at her windows, and listens at her doors (v. 23); who lodges close toher house, and fixes his pegs next in her walls^h (v. 24); he pitches his tent at her side, and lodges in an excellent lodging (v. 25); he sets his children in her shade,^I and camps beneath her branches (v. 26); he is sheltered by her from the heat and in her glory^j he makes his home (v. 27).

 Verses 1 and 2 say: Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.^a  It was for faith that our ancestors were commended. Footnote ^a says “Var. ‘Faith is the assurance of things hoped for (heaven) and the conviction of things unwanted (hell)’. The Jewish christians to whom he is writing have been discouraged by persecution, so the author emphasizes that it is only what is invisible that concerns hope.  This verse was adopted as a theological definition of faith, i.e., the anticipated and assured possession of heavenly realities, cf. 6:5, Rm. 5:2, Ep. 1:13f. The examples taken from the lives of OT saints are meant to illustrate how faith is the source of patience and strength.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Rm 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the Good News; it is the power of God saving all who faith^j - Jew first,^k but Greek as well. Footnote ^j says “Faith, which is the response of a human being to God as truth and goodness and so the one source of salvation, relies on the truth of God’s promises and on God’s faithfulness to them (Rm 3:3f; 1 Th 5:24; 2 Tm 2;13; Heb 10:23; 11:11) and on his power to implement them (Rm 4:17-21; Heb  11:19). After the  long O.T. period of preparation (Heb 11) God has spoken through his Son (Heb 1:1). We must believe the Son (cf. Mt 8:10+; Jn 3:11+) and the kerygma or proclamation (Rm 10:8-17; 1 Co 1:21; 15:11, 14; cf. Ac 2:22+) of the Good News (Rm 1:16; 1 Co 15:1-2; Phl: 27; Ep 1:13) made by the apostles (Rm 1:5; 1 Co 3:5; cf. Jn 17:20). The kerygma proclaims that God raised Jesus from the dead, made him Kyrios (Rm 4:24f; 10:9; Ac 17:31; 1 P 1:21; cf. 1 Co 15:14, 17), and thorough him offers life to all who believe in him (Rm 6:8-11; 2 Co 4:13f; Ep 1:19f; Col 2;12; 1 Th 4:14). Faith in the name, or person, of Jesus (Rm 3:26; 10:13; cf. Jn 1:12; Ac 3:16; 1 Jn3;23) who is the Messiah (Ga 2:16; cf. Ac 24;24; 1 jn 5:1), the Lord (Rm 10:9; 1 Co 12:3; Ph 2:11; cf. Ac 16;31) and Son of God (Ga 2:20; cf. jn 20:31; 1 jn 5:5; Ac 8;37; 9:20) is thus the necessary condition of salvation (Rm 10:9-13; 1 Co 1:21; Ga 3:22; cf. Is 7:9+; Ac 4:12; 16:31; Heb 11:6; Jn 3:15-18). Faith is not only intellectual assent, it is to trust and obey (Rm 1:5; 6:17; 10:16; 16:26; cf. Ac 6:7) the life giving truth (2 Th 2:12f). Faith which thus unites a person with Christ (2 Co 13:5; Ga 2:16, 20; Ep 3:17) also confers the Spirit on him (Ga 3:2,5,14;cf. Jn 7:38f; Ac 11:17), the Spirit of the sons of God (Ga 3:26; cf. Jn 1:12). Faith is reliance on God and not on self (Rm 3:27; Ep 2:9) and thus contrasts with the old order of the Law (Rm 7:7+) with its vain search (Rm 10;3; Ph 3:9) for  holiness by works (Rm 3;20,28; 9:31f; Ga 2:16; 3:11f): only faith can effect rue holiness, the saving holiness of God himself (Rm 1:17+; 3:21-26), received as a free gift from him (Rm 3:24; 4:16; 5:17; Ep 2:8;cf. Ac 15:11). Faith relates to the promise made to Abraham (Rm 4; Ga 3:6-18) and so makes salvation accessible to everyone, pagans included (Rm 1:5,16; 3:29f; 9:30; 10:11f; 16:26; Ga 3:8). It is coupled with baptism (Rm 6:4+), calls for public profession (Rm 10:10; 1 Tm 6:12), and expresses itself in charity (Ga 5:6;cf. Jm 2:14+). Faith is obscure (2 Co 5:7; Heb 11:1; cf. Jn 20:29), and involves hope as its concomitant (Rm 5:2+). It must  be allowed to grow (2 Co 10:15; 1Th 3:10; 2 Th 1:3) amid struggles and sufferings (Ph 1:29; Ep 6:16; 1 Th3:2-8; 2 Th 1:4; Heb 12:2; 1 P 5:9), demanding fortitude (1 Co 16:13; Col 1:23;) and tenacity 2 Tm 4:7;cf. 1:14; 1 Tm 6:20) right up to the vision and possession of God (1 Co 13:12;cf. 1Jn 3:2)”; and Footnote ^k says “In the actual development of salvation history, the Jews come first; ‘salvation comes from the Jews’ (Jn. 4:22). Cf. Rm. 2:9-10, Mt. 10:5f, 15:24, Mk. 7:27, Ac. 13:5+. But abuse of this privilege could condemn them”.

2.       Rm 4:20 - Since God has promise it, Abraham either refused to deny it or even to doubt it but drew strength from faith^j and gave glory to God. Footnote  ^j says “Faith is all-powerful, Mk 9:23. It shares in the divine omnipotence itself, cf 2 Co 12:9-10.”

3.       Rm 8:24-25 - For we must be content to hope that we shall be savedⁿ - our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were – (v. 24) but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet, it is something we wait for with patience (v. 25). Footnote ⁿ says “Lit ‘It is through hope that we are saved’. The salvation is eschatological, cf. 5:1-11.”

4.       2 Co 4:18 - And so we have no eyes for things that are visible, but only for things that are invisible, and the invisible things are eternal.

Verse 8 say: It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants,  and that he set out without knowing where he was going.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Gn 12:1-4 that says: The call of Abraham^a Yahweh said to Abram: “Leave your country, your family and your father’s house for the land I will show you (v. 1).  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as^b a blessing(v.2). ‘I will bless those who bless you; I will curse those who slight you. All the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you’ (v. 3)^c So Abram went as Yahweh told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran (v. 4).  Footnote ^a says “Ch. 12-13 are a Yahwistic narrative with some ‘Priestly’ or editorial EDITIONS. As a result of God’s call and promise of posterity Abraham cuts off all earthly ties and with his childless wife, 11:30, sets out for an unknown land. It is Abraham’s first act of faith; it will be renewed when the promise is repeated, 15:5-6+, and put to the test when God asks for the surrender of Isaac who was the fruit of that promise, ch. 22+. To Abraham’s unquestioning act of faith the chosen people owes its existence and destiny, Heb 11:8-19. Not only Abraham’s physical descendants but all who, in virtue of this same faith, become his sons will have their share in that destiny as Paul shows, Rm 4; Ga 3:7; Footnote ^b says ‘that it will be used as’ corr.; ‘and may you be’ Hebr; and Footnote ^c says “The formula is repeated in 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14. Its precise meaning is: ‘the nations shall say to each other: May you be blessed as Abraham was’ (cf. v. 2 and 48:20; Jr 29:22); but Si 44:21, the LXX translation and the NT take it to mean ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’”

2.       Rm 1:5 - Through him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith^e to all pagan nations in honor of his name. Footnote ^e says “Subjective genitive: the obedience implicit  in the virtue of faith. Cf. Ac. 6:7, Rm. 6:16-17, 10:16, 15:18, 16:19,26, 2 Co. 10:5-6, 2 Th. 1:8, 1 P. 1:22, Heb. 5:9, 11:8.”

Verse 9 says: By faith he arrived, as a foreigner, in the Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him on the same promise.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Gn 23:4  - “I am a stranger and a settler among you’ he said. ‘Let me own a burial-plot among you, so that I may take my dead wife and bury her.”

2.       Gn 26:3 - Remain for the present here in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. For it is to you and your descendants that I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath I swore to your father Abraham.

3.       Gn 35:12 - ‘I will give you this land, the land I gave to Abraham and to Isaac; and I will give this land to your descendants after you.’

Verse 10 says: He lived there in tents while he looked forward to the city founded, designed and built by God.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Heb 13:14 - For there is no eternal city for us in this life but we look for one  in the life to come.

2.       Rv 21:10-14, 22-23 - In the spirit he took me to the top of  an  enormous mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven.^j (v. 10) It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered  like some precious jewel, diamond,  crystal clear (v. 11). The walls of it were of a great height, with twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel(v. 12).On the east there were three gates on the north  three gates, on the south  three gates, and on the west three gates (v. 13).The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the names of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb(v. 14).I saw there was no temple in the city,^m since the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves temple(v. 22).and the city did not need the sun or the moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God, and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it(v. 23). Footnote ^j –says “This is Jerusalem on earth during the last or messianic days since the pagan nations have not yet been destroyed, 21:24, and have a chance of conversion, 22:2; but it foreshadows the heavenly the heavenly Jerusalem that develops from it. The details of the description are most from Ezk 40-47”  and Footnote ^m  says “The destruction of Jerusalem Temple symbolizes the end of the old covenant; there is now a new Temple, the Body of Christ, cf. Jh 2:19-21.”

Verse 11 says: It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who made the promise would be faithful to it.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Heb 10:23 - Let us keep firm in the hope we profess, because the one who made the promise is faithful.

2.       Gn 17:19 - But God replied: ‘No, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son whom you are to name Isaac. With him I will establish my Covenant,  a Covenant in perpetuity, to be his God and the God of his descendants after him

3.       Gn 21:2 - So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the time God had promised.

4.       Rm 4:19-21 - Even the thought that his body was past fatherhood- he was about a hundred years old- and Sarah too old to become a mother, did not shake his belief (v. 19)ⁱ. Since God has promise it, Abraham either refused to deny it or even to doubt it but drew strength from faith^j and gave glory to God (v. 20), convinced that God had  power to do what he had promised (v. 21).  Footnote ⁱsays  “Lit. ‘Though he considered his own body dead (and that Sarah’s womb was dead) it was with unshaken faith’.Text. Rec. and Vulg. ‘His faith was not shaken, nor did he give a thought to his own body that was dead already’”; Footnote ^j  says “Faith is all-powerful, Mk 9:23. It shares in the divine omnipotence itself, cf 2 Co 12:9-10.”

Verses 12 and 13 say: Because of this there came from one man, and one who was already as good as dead himself, more descendants that could be counted as many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore. All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognizing them that they were only  strangers and nomads on earth.

Parallel text for verse 13 is Jn 8:56 that says: Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day;^q he saw it and was glad.^r Footnote ^q says  “i.e. Christ’s coming. Another example of an expression reserved for God in the OT (the ‘day of Yahweh’, cf. Am 5:18+) but adopted for himself by Christ”; and Footnote ^r says  “Abraham saw Christ’s ‘day’ (as Isaiah ‘saw his glory’, Jn 12:41), but ‘from a distance’, cf. Heb 11:13; Nb 24:17, because he saw it in the birth of the promised Isaac (at which Abraham ‘laughed’, Gn 17:17+) which was an event prophetic of Christ. Jesus claims to be the ultimate fulfillment of this promise made to Abraham; he is Isaac according to the spirit.”

Verse 14 says: People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of their homeland.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Gn 23:4  - “I am a stranger and a settler among you’ he said. ‘Let me own a burial-plot among you, so that I may take my dead wife and bury her.”

2.       Ps 39:12 - Yahweh, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for help, do not stay deaf to my crying. I am your guest, and only for a time, a nomad like all my ancestors.

3.       Ps 119:19 - Exile though I am on earth, do not hide your commandments from me.

Verse 15 and 16 say: They can hardly have meant country they came from, since they had the opportunity to go back to it but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them.

Parallel texts for verse 16 are:

1.       Heb 13:14 - For there is no eternal city for us in this life but we look for one  in the life to come.

2.       Heb3:1 - That is why all you who are holy brothers, and have had the same heavenly call should turn your mind to Jesus, the apostle and high priest^a of our religion.  Footnote ^a says “Christ is both apostle, i.e. someone ‘sent’ by God to the human race, cf. Jn 3:17,34; 5:36; 9:7; Rm 1:1+; 8:3; Ga 4:4; and high priest representing the human race before God, cf. 2:17; 4:14; 5:5,10; 6:20; 7:26; 8:1; 9:11; 10:21.”

3.       Ph 3:20 - For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the savior we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ.

4.       Rv 21:2 - I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of the heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband^d Footnote ^d says “The new and joyful wedding of Jerusalem and her God has taken place, cf. Is 65:18; 61:10; 62:4-6; the Exodus ideal has at last been achieved, cf. Ho 2:16+.”

Verse 17 says: It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him

Parallel texts are:

1.       Gn 22:1-14 - The sacrifice of Isaac^a It happened some time later that God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he called. ‘Here I am’ he replied (v. 1)‘Take your son’ God said ‘your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah.^b There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will point out to you (v.2).’ Rising early next morning Abraham saddled his ass, and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the burnt offering and started his journey to the place God pointed out to him (v. 3).On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in thedistance (v.4)Then Abraham said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there; we will worship and  come back to you” (v. 5).Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, loaded it on Isaac, and carried in his own hands  the fire and the knife. Then the two of them set out together (v. 6).Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. ‘Father’ he said. “Yes, my son’, he replied. ‘Look’ he said, “here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (v. 7) Abraham answered, ‘My son, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” Then the two of them walked on together (v.8). When they arrived at the place God has pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar on top of the wood (v.9).Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son (v. 10).But the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he said.  ‘I am here’ he replied (v. 11). ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy’ the angel said. ‘Do not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your son (v. 12).’Then looking up. Abraham saw a ram caught by its horn in a bush. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt  offering in place of his son (v. 13).Abraham called this place Yahweh-yireh (God provides),  and hence the saying today, “On the mountain Yahweh provides^c (v. 14). Footnote ^a says  “The narrative is commonly credited to the ‘Elohistic’ stream of tradition but it includes ‘Yahwistic’ elements; vv. 11:14,15,18 and the name Moriah in v. 2. It is the basis of the ritual prescription for the redemption of the first-born of Israel: like all ‘first fruits’ these belong to God; they are not, however, to be sacrificed but bought back, ‘redeemed’. Ex. 13:11. Lying behind the story, therefore, is the condemnation of child-sacrifice, See Lv. 18:21, so often denounced by the prophets. In this incident, Abraham’s faith reaches its climax - the story’s second lesson, more profound than the first. In the sacrifice of Isaac, the Fathers saw the prefiguring of the Passion of Jesus, the only-begotten Son;  Footnote^b says “2 Ch. 3:1 identifies Moriah with the hill on which the Jerusalem temple was later built. Subsequent tradition accepted the identification; and Footnote ^c says “Translated according to the Greek. The text at the end of the verse is uncertain. Hebr. has ‘On the mountain of Yahweh he appears’.”

2.       Si 44:20-21 - He observed the Law of the Most High, and entered  into a covenant with him (v. 20). He confirmed the covenant in his own flesh, and proved himself faithful under ordeal (v. 21).^p Footnote ^p says “On the faith of Abraham, cf. Gn 12:1+; 15:6+; 22:1; Ga 3:6-14; Rm 4:1-25.”

3.       Jm 2:21-22 - You surely know that Abraham our Father was justified by his deed, because he offered his sons Isaac on the altar? There you see it: faith and deeds are working together; his faith became perfect by what he did.^j Footnote ^j says  “Unlike most Jews, James does not consider Abraham’s faith (trust in God) as constituting a ‘good deed’ in itself: however closely he relates the two things, James makes a clear distinction between having faith and doing something as a result of that faith.”

Verse 18 says: And he had been told: it is through Isaac your name will be carried on.

Parallel text is Gn 21:12 that says: But God said to him: Do not distress yourself on account of the boy and your slave girl. Grant Sarah all she asks of you, for it is through Isaac that your name will be carried on.

Verse 19 says: He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking,^e he was given back Isaac from the dead.  Footnote ^e says  “Lit ‘by a parable’. The saving of Isaac from death prefigures the resurrection of all humans and, according to traditional exegesis, the death and resurrection of Christ.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Rm 4:17-21 - As scripture says, “I have made you the ancestor of many nations-Abraham is our father in the eyes of God, in whom he put his faith, and who brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist (v. 17) Though it seemed Abraham’s hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and believed, and through doing so he did become the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars (v. 18). Even the thought that his body was past fatherhood- he was about a hundred years old- and Sarah too old to become a mother, did not shake his belief (v. 19)ⁱ. Since God has promise it, Abraham either refused to deny it or even to doubt it but drew strength from faith^j and gave glory to God (v. 20), convinced that God had  power to do what he had promised (v. 21). Footnote  i  says “Lit. ‘Though he considered his own body dead (and that Sarah’s womb was dead) it was with unshaken faith’.Text. Rec. and Vulg. ‘His faith was not shaken, nor did he give a thought to his own body that was dead already’”; and Footnote j  says “Faith is all-powerful, Mk 9:23. It shares in the divine omnipotence itself, cf 2 Co 12:9-10.”

2.       1 Co 10:6 - These things all happened as warning ^e for us, not to have the wicked lusts for forbidden things that they had. Footnote ^e says  “Lit. ‘types’ (tupoi). The purpose in the events intended by God, was to prefigure in the history of Israel, the spiritual realities of the messianic age (which are known as ‘anti-types’, 1 P. 3:21, but cf. Heb. 9:24). These ‘typological’ (or less accurately, ‘allegorical’, Ga.4:24) meanings in the OT narrative though.”

NARROW DOOR - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Homily for the 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Based on Lk 13:22-30 (Gospel), Is 66:18-21 (First Reading) and Heb 12:5-7, 11-13 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

NARROW DOOR

“Try your best to enter by the narrow door” (Lk 13:24a)

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from Lk 13:22-30. Verse 22 and 23 say:  Through towns and villages he went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them…

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 2:38 - She came by just at that moment began  to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward the deliverance of Jerusalem.^k  Footnote ^k says “The messianic deliverance of the Chosen People, 1:68; 24:21, primarily affected their capital city; cf Is 40:5; 52:9 (and see 2 S 5:9+). FrLk, Jerusalem is God’s chosen centre from which will spread his salvation: 9:31,51,53; 13:22,33; 17:11; 18:31; 19:11; 24:47-49,52; Ac 1:8+”.

2.       Lk 9:51 - Now as the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, ^k  he resolutely took the road for Jerusalem… Footnote ^k says  “Lit. ‘for his taking up’. This ‘assumption’ of Jesus, cf. 2 K 2:9-11; Mk 16:19; Ac 1:2,10-11; 1 Tm 3:16, refers to the last days of his suffering life (Passion, death) and the beginning of his glory (resurrection, ascension). Jn, thinking more theologically, uses the word ‘glorify’ in connection with the whole of this period, Jn 7:39; 12:16,23; 13:31f; for him the crucifixion is a ‘lifting up’, Jn 12:32+.”

Verse 24 says: Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.

Parallel text is Mt 7:13-14 that says: Enter by the narrow gate,  since the road broad that leads to perdition is wide and spacious,^c and  many  take it (v. 13); but it is a narrow the gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only  a few find it (v. 14).  Footnote ^c  says “Var. ‘the gate that leads to perdition is wide, and the road spacious’.”

Verse 25 says: Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “ I do not know where you come from”.

Parallel text is Mt 25:10-12 that says: They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in  with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed (v. 10). The other bridesmaids arrived later.  “Lord, Lord,”  they said  “open the door for us” (v. 11). But he replied, ‘Amen, I tell you solemnly, I do not know you (v. 12).

Verse 26 says:  Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets”

Parallel text is Mt 7:22-23 that says: When the day comes^e many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name? (v. 22).  Then I will tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men (v. 23)! Footnote ^e says “The day of the final Judgment.”

Verse 27 says: But he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!”

Parallel text is Ps 6:8 that says:  Away from me, all you evil men! For Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping…

Verse 28 and 29 say: Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from the east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

Parallel text is Mt 8:11-12 that says: And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast^c in the kingdom of heaven (v. 11); but the subjects of the kingdom^d will be turned out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’^e Footnote ^c  says  “Basing their idea on Is 25:6, the Jews often described the joyous messianic era as a banquet (cf. 22:2-14; 26:19p; Lk 14:15; Rev 3:20; 19:9)”; Footnote ^d  says “Lit ‘the sons of the kingdom’, that is to say the Jews, natural heirs of the promises. Their place will be taken by the pagans, who prove more worthy”; and Footnote ^e  says “Scriptural image for the dismay and frustration of the wicked as seeing the virtuous rewarded, cf Ps 35:16; 37:12; 112:10; Jb 16:9. In Mt it is used as a description of damnation.”

Verse 30 says: ‘Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 19:30 - Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.

2.       Mt 20:16 - Thus the last will be first, and the first,  last.’^b Footnote ^b  says  “Add. ‘For many are called, but few are chosen’, probably borrowed from 22:14.”

3.       Mk 10:31 - Many who are first will be last, and the last first.’

The First Reading is taken from Is 66:18-21. Verses 18 and 19 says: I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory. I will give them a sign and send some of their survivors^m to the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moshech, Rosh, Tubal and Javan, to the distant islandsⁿ that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations. Footnote  ^m  says “i.e. of the nations conquered by Yahweh.”

Verses 20 and 21 says: As an offering to Yahweh they will bring all your brothers, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on dromedaries, from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says Yahweh, like Israelites bringing oblations in clean vessels to the Temple of Yahweh. And some of them I will make priests and Levites, says Yahweh.  

Parallel text is Ps 87:7 that says: And there will be princes dancing there.^f All find their home in you.^g

Footnote ^f says “‘princes’ MSS and versions; ‘singers’ Text. Rec. ‘dancing there’, lit. ‘as dancers’. The nations are made freemen of the city and their princes are allowed to sing and dance in her sacred liturgy, 149:3; 150:4; cf. 2 S 6:5; and Footnote ^g says “Following Greek. Hebr. ‘all my water-sources are in you’.”

The Second Reading is from Heb 12:5-7, 11-13. Verse 5 says: Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you.

Parallel text is Pr 3:11-12 that says: My son, do not spurn correction from Yahweh, do not resent his rebuke (v. 11); for Yahweh reproves the man he loves, as a father checks a well-loved son (v. 12).

Verses 6 and 7 say: For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training;^b God is treating you as his sons. Footnote ^b says “To the eyes of faith, the various trials of life are all part of the way God is bringing us up. The argument depends on the biblical concept of education, mÚsar, paedeia, mean ‘teaching through hitting, punishing’, cf. Jb 5:17; 33:19; Ps 94:12; Si 1:27; 4:17; 23:4.”

Parallel text for verse 6 is  Rv 3:19 that says:  I am the one who reproves and disciplines all those he loves: so repent in real earnest.

Verse 11 says: Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but, later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 16:20 - I tell you most solemnly,  you will be weeping and wailing while the world rejoice;  but your sorrow will turn to joy.ⁱ  Footnote ⁱ says “The happiness of seeing the risen Christ after the sad days of his Passion, cf. 20:20.”

2.       2 Co 7:8-11 - But to tell the truth, even if I distressed you by my letter,^b I do not regret it; I did regret it before, and I see that that letter did distress you, at least for a time (v. 8); but I am happy now - not because I made you suffer, but because your  suffering led to your repentance. Yours had been a kind of suffering that God approves, and so you have come to no kind of harm from us (v. 9). To suffer in God’s way means changing for the better and leaves no regrets, but to suffer as the worldly knows suffering brings death (v. 10). Just look at what suffering in God’s way has brought you: what keenness, what explanations, what indignation, what alarm! Yes, and what aching to see me, what concern for me, and what  justice done (v. 11)!^c Footnote ^b says “The ‘severe letter’, cf. 2:3+”; and Footnote ^c says  “i.e. to the guilty man. Paul is enumerating the effects his ‘severe letter’ had on the Corinthians, cf. 2:5-8.”

3.       1 P 1:6-7 - This is a cause of great joy for you, even though you may for a short time have to bear being plagued by all sort of trials (v. 6); so that, when Jesus Christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold – only more precious than gold, which is corruptible even though it bears testing by fire – and then you will have praise and glory and honor (v. 7).

4.       Jm 1:2-4 - My brothers, you will always have your trials but when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege (v. 2); you understand that your faith is only put to the test to make you patient (v. 3), but patience too is to have its practical results^c  so that you will become fully developed, complete, with nothing missing (v. 4). Footnote ^c says  “James, in the tradition of the Jews, believes the essence of religion is its practical value in actions, cf. 2:14+.”

Verse 12 and 13 say: So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again.

Parallel text of verse 13 are:

1.       Is 53:3 …a thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their faces^c; he was despised and we took no account of him. Footnote ^c says “The expression was used of lepers.

2.       Pr 4:26 - Let the path you tread be level, and all your ways made firm.

The narrow door of life is the way of disciple and correction. Footnote ^b  of Heb 12:7 says “To the eyes of faith, the various trials of life are all part of the way God is bringing us up. The argument depends on the biblical concept of education, mÚsar, paedeia, mean ‘teaching through hitting, punishing’, cf. Jb 5:17; 33:19; Ps 94:12; Si 1:27; 4:17; 23:4.

For the poor and miserable people, “pain and suffering are the condiments of life”.