(Optional Memorial for the First Holy Martyrs of Rome)
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| “Abraham, Sarah, and the Angel” by Jan Provost, 1520s |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 17:1, 9-10, 15-22
When Abram was ninety-nine
years old, the LORD appeared to him
and said: "I am God the
Almighty.
Walk in my presence and be
blameless."
God also said to Abraham:
"On your part, you and
your descendants after you
must keep my covenant
throughout the ages.
This is my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
that you must keep:
every male among you shall be
circumcised."
God further said to Abraham:
"As for your wife Sarai,
do not call her Sarai;
her name shall be Sarah.
I will bless her, and I will
give you a son by her.
Him also will I bless; he
shall give rise to nations,
and rulers of peoples shall
issue from him."
Abraham prostrated himself
and laughed as he said to himself,
"Can a child be born to
a man who is a hundred years old?
Or can Sarah give birth at
ninety?"
Then Abraham said to God,
"Let but Ishmael live on
by your favor!"
God replied: "Nevertheless, your wife Sarah is to
bear you a son,
and you shall call him Isaac.
I will maintain my covenant
with him as an everlasting pact,
to be his God and the God of
his descendants after him.
As for Ishmael, I am heeding
you: I hereby bless him.
I will make him fertile and
will multiply him exceedingly.
He shall become the father of
twelve chieftains,
and I will make of him a
great nation.
But my covenant I will
maintain with Isaac,
whom Sarah shall bear to you
by this time next year."
When he had finished speaking
with him, God departed from Abraham.
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Commentary on Gn 17:1, 9-10, 15-22
This selection follows the birth of
Ishmael in Chapter 16. In the first 9 verses omitted (see readings and
commentary Genesis
17:3-9) Abram’s name is changed to Abraham and God’s promise is made. In
this passage, the second half to the Covenant with Abraham is laid out,
explaining what Abraham and his descendants are expected to do to honor God. It
is here that circumcision becomes a mark of faith.
The selection continues with God
renaming Abraham’s wife from Sarai to Sarah, a unique mark of favor and
dedication, used to identify individuals who have a special mission from the
Father. In Sarah’s case this mission is to bear a son, Isaac, an heir to
Abraham. Isaac is to be the living sign of God’s covenant, blessed by him.
CCC: Gn 17:1-2 2571
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
R. (4) See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.
Blessed are you who fear the
LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit
of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and
favored.
R. See how the Lord
blesses those who fear him.
Your wife shall be like a
fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive
plants
around your table.
R. See how the Lord
blesses those who fear him.
Behold, thus is the man
blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of
Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. See how the Lord
blesses those who fear him.
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Commentary on Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
Psalm 128 is a song of
thanksgiving. It begins here with the typical blessings given to those
following and having faith in the Lord. This selection uses the analogy of the
family and the blessing it brings to the faithful, using the symbolism of vines
and olives, imagery commonly used in sacred scripture.
It also supports the creation of
woman and the marriage theme in Genesis 2:18-25. It is the
logical extension of the two becoming one flesh and the children flowing from
that union.
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Gospel: Matthew 8:1-4
When Jesus came down from the
mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached,
did him homage, and said,
"Lord, if you wish, you
can make me clean."
He stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said,
"I will do it. Be made clean."
His leprosy was cleansed
immediately.
Then Jesus said to him,
"See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the
priest,
and offer the gift that Moses
prescribed;
that will be proof for
them."
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Commentary on Mt 8:1-4
Following the first great discourse
from St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has attracted a large crowd. In the following
chapters, we see nine miracles. The cure of the leper is the first of these.
This action on the part of Jesus is proof of his identity as the Messiah; hence
the usual formula “Your faith has cured you” is missing.
The final instruction by Jesus to the
cured leper is in accordance with Mosaic Law (see Leviticus 14:2-9) His
instruction to tell no one about this was probably to insure that the priest
who had to examine him would not reject the cure and the man.
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Reflection:
We contemplate our
relationship with God in the establishment of his covenant with Abraham. Before the Savior came to give us the living
example of the Father’s love, God selected individuals to demonstrate the
Father’s hope and concern for his people.
In Genesis he selects Abram, renaming him to Abraham, and his wife
Sarai, renamed to Sarah, as his special instruments. He offers a perpetual relationship to them
and, in this case, he seals this covenant with a son to be born of Sarah. This was to happen even though she had been
barren for her entire life, and had been forced to use her servant, Hagar, as a
surrogate.
God promises this special
relationship with Abraham and his descendants, and uses the gift of Isaac as a
seal set upon the covenant. What he asks
of Abraham in this covenant is circumcision, an outward sign of faith and
loyalty to God. This sign will later be
hotly debated by St. Paul as unnecessary because Christ came and established a
new covenant, and this Jewish mark of faith was no longer necessary in light of
the Cross.
We note with curiosity a
second request made in this exchange between God and Abraham. Even as he blesses Abraham and Sarah with
Isaac, he sets aside Abram's son Ishmael whom God also protects. Ishmael of course prospers and is the root of
Islam. It appears from the previous
chapter that this split between half-brothers, Isaac and Ishmael, is doomed to
be one of enmity, and indeed we see this truth in the world today. Without Jesus Christ to bring peace, we see
how this constant struggle continues between Muslims and Jews, Christians, and
all other faiths. Hebrew Scriptures are
apparently insufficient to bring reconciliation. It is the coming of the
Messiah that may bring peace to that rift.
We pray for that peace daily.
And what of us? How do we see our covenant with the
Lord? We too were the children of
Abraham. Our roots reach back to that
union, blessed by God. But we were also
given the great gift of Jesus, the Messiah and healer of wounds. It is his promise that all who come to him
might be healed and have peace. Our
prayer today is that all who feel the fear of strife between races and
religions might understand that we are all called, through Christ, to be God’s
adopted children. We pray for peace in
the world and peace in our own hearts.
Pax
[1]
The picture used is “Abraham, Sarah, and the Angel” by Jan Provost, 1520s
[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.
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