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| “Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness” by Karel Dujardin, c. 1662 |
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 Gal 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. First,
the covenant of Sinai is represented by
the birth of Ishmael to Hagar (see Genesis 16:3ff). This
was where the Torah (the Book of the Law) was given to Jewish people. Then, the
New Covenant represented by the birth of Isaac to Sara, a miraculous
intervention of the spirit, which represents the New Jerusalem, God’s Kingdom
revealed in Christ. The clear reference here is that 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”).
CCC: Gal 4:21-31 1972; Gal
4:26-28 723; Gal
4:26 757; Gal
5 1454; Gal 5:1 1741, 1748
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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.
The song is directed to the faithful of Israel (servants of the Lord), likely
temple priests. In these strophes, the psalmist rejoices in all of God’s
creation, an eternal testament to his power and glory. The psalmist sings of
the Lord’s omnipresence (from the heavens above to the earth below), yet God's
gaze is loving mercy for the poor.
CCC: Ps 113:1-2 2143
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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 is asked again for a sign
that would prove to his audience that he is what he claims to be. His response
is vehement: the only sign that will be given to them will be the sign of
Jonah, the message that they are under a condemnation from God unless they
repent and return to faithfulness. This is followed by another reference to the
Old Testament “the queen of the south,” a reference to the Queen of
Sheba (1 Kings 10: 1ff),
who came seeking the wisdom of Solomon. Using this imagery, the Lord
refers to himself as God’s Wisdom incarnate.
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. People would die because Paul dared to say
anything against Hagar; the mother of Ishmael who, we all know, was in the line
of their revered prophet.
Paul’s
use of this allegory today is directed once more at some of the Christian
converts from Judaism who continued their 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” (Matthew 6:9-10).
This
sentiment leaked into the Church during that same period in history in which
Jansenism reared its head in France. The theological principles of Jansenism”…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, who was also French but she was devoted
to the intercession 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
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 discipleship, and carry the Word of God 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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