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| “Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness” by Karel Dujardin, c. 1662 |
(Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in
Ordinary Time)
Reading 1: Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27,
31–5:1
Brothers
and sisters:
It
is written that Abraham had two sons,
one
by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The
son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the
son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now
this is an allegory.
These
women represent two covenants.
One
was from Mount Sinai , bearing children for
slavery;
this
is Hagar.
But
the Jerusalem
For
it is written:
Rejoice,
you barren one who bore no children;
break
forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for
more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than
of her who has a husband.
Therefore,
brothers and sisters,
we
are children not of the slave woman
but
of the freeborn woman.
For
freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and
do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
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Commentary on Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27,
31–5:1
St.
Paul uses the analogy of the two sons of Abraham to describe the difference
between two covenants; the covenant of Sini, represented by the birth of
Ishmael to Hagar (see Genesis
16:3ff)., where the Torah (the Book of the Law) was given to Jewish people;
and the New Covenant represented by the birth of Isaac to Sara, a miraculous
intervention of the spirit, representing the New Jerusalem, God’s Kingdom
revealed in Christ. The clear reference here is; those born under the Law of
Moses are slaves to the Law. While those
born under the faith in Christ are set free (“For freedom Christ set us free”).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7
R. (see 2) Blessed be the
name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise,
you servants of the LORD,
praise
the name of the LORD.
Blessed
be the name of the LORD
both
now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of
the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
From
the rising of the sun to its setting
let
the name of the LORD be praised.
our
God enthroned on high,
R. Blessed be the name of
the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Who
is like the LORD,
looking
down on heaven and earth?
The
LORD raises the needy from the dust,
lifts the poor from the ash heap,
R. Blessed be the name of
the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7
Psalm 113 is a
song of praise. In these strophes we rejoice in all of God’s creation and his
loving mercy for the poor.
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Gospel: Luke 11:29-32
While
still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This
generation is an evil generation;
it
seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except
the sign of Jonah.
Just
as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so
will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At
the judgment
the
queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and
she will condemn them,
because
she came from the ends of the earth
to
hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and
there is something greater than Solomon here.
At
the judgment the men of Nineveh
and
condemn it,
because
at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and
there is something greater than Jonah here.”
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Commentary on Luke 11:29-32
Jesus’ message,
in this reading, echoes Jonah’s call to repentance but this time is it is
directed to the Jewish people. Instead of a prophet he uses himself; “Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so
will the Son of Man be to this generation.” The reference to the “queen
of the south” is to the
Queen of Sheba who in the first book of Kings (1 King 10:1ff) came and saw
God’s wisdom in Solomon. Using this imagery, the Lord refers to himself as
Wisdom incarnate “…something greater than Jonah here.”
The final verse
of this passage summarizes the message. Christ’s call to repentance carries
more weight than Jonah’s call did for the Ninevites (Jonah 3:1-10) and his wisdom is greater than that of Solomon.
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Reflection:
If Paul had been living today
and made the statement: “One was from Mount Sinai , bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar.” There would
be riots in Palestine , Pakistan , and Afghanistan
Paul’s use of this allegory
today is directed once more at some of the Christian converts from Judaism
continued dedication to the Law of Abraham.
His point was that God gave us the law, not to enslave us, but to set us
free. This same kind of argument would
become necessary again in the late 1500s as the Calvinists asserted not so much
that we were slaves to the law but that we were predestined to either be saved
or forever damned. Ironically the
biggest scriptural sign-post for the Calvinists was Jesus teaching his
disciples to pray; “…Thy will be done”.
This sentiment leaked into
the Church during that same period in history in which Jansenism reared its
head in France. It said fundamentally;” …emphasize predestination, deny free
will, and maintain that human nature is incapable of good.[4]” Like all attacks on doctrine, this one served
to build up the Church’s understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit. Ironically many of the Jansenists were
vehemently opposed to the devotion of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque also French
but devoted to the intersession of the Holy Spirit and the merit of works in
support of salvation.
We must ask what practical
impact the word for today has for us.
First, it is always good to be reminded that whatever we do each day is
a free choice made by us. It is also
important that we remember that these actions have consequences not only in
this life but the next. In the Gospel, Jesus
speaks to those who reject him on his fateful trip to Jerusalem kingdom
of God
Although the scriptures today
are somewhat dark, our response today must be one of light. It is up to us to accept the mantle of
disciple and carry that word to the world today (or at least our part of it).
Pax
[2]
The picture used today is “Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness” by Karel
Dujardin, c. 1662
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
Source is the on-line Free
Dictionary.
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