Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial for Saint Elizabeth of Portugal*
*In the United States, this memorial is perpetually transferred from July 4^th.
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal
Biographical information about St. Elizabeth of Portugal
 
Or
 
Optional Memorial for Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Priest
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
Biographical information about St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria
 
Optional Memorial for the Blessed Virgin Mary
 
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed. [1] Mass texts may be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a Votive Mass, or from the special collection of Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary. (USCCB recommends: # 34. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Cause of Our Joy)

“Isaac Blessing Jacob”
by Govert Teunisz Flinck, 1639

 
Readings for Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29
 
When Isaac was so old that his eyesight had failed him,
he called his older son Esau and said to him, "Son!"
"Yes father!" he replied.
Isaac then said, "As you can see, I am so old
that I may now die at any time.
Take your gear, therefore–your quiver and bow–
and go out into the country to hunt some game for me.
With your catch prepare an appetizing dish for me, such as I like,
and bring it to me to eat,
so that I may give you my special blessing before I die."
 
Rebekah had been listening
while Isaac was speaking to his son Esau.
So, when Esau went out into the country
to hunt some game for his father,
Rebekah [then] took the best clothes of her older son Esau
that she had in the house,
and gave them to her younger son Jacob to wear;
and with the skins of the kids she covered up his hands
and the hairless parts of his neck.
Then she handed her son Jacob the appetizing dish
and the bread she had prepared.
 
Bringing them to his father, Jacob said, "Father!"
"Yes?" replied Isaac.  "Which of my sons are you?"
Jacob answered his father:  "I am Esau, your first-born.
I did as you told me.
Please sit up and eat some of my game,
so that you may give me your special blessing."
But Isaac asked, "How did you succeed so quickly, son?"
He answered,
"The LORD, your God, let things turn out well with me."
Isaac then said to Jacob,
"Come closer, son, that I may feel you,
to learn whether you really are my son Esau or not."
So Jacob moved up closer to his father.
When Isaac felt him, he said,
"Although the voice is Jacob's, the hands are Esau's."
(He failed to identify him because his hands were hairy,
like those of his brother Esau;
so in the end he gave him his blessing.)
Again he asked Jacob, "Are you really my son Esau?"
"Certainly," Jacob replied.
Then Isaac said, "Serve me your game, son, that I may eat of it
and then give you my blessing."
Jacob served it to him, and Isaac ate;
he brought him wine, and he drank.
Finally his father Isaac said to Jacob,
"Come closer, son, and kiss me."
As Jacob went up and kissed him,
Isaac smelled the fragrance of his clothes.
With that, he blessed him saying,
 
"Ah, the fragrance of my son
is like the fragrance of a field
that the LORD has blessed!
 
"May God give to you
of the dew of the heavens
And of the fertility of the earth
abundance of grain and wine.
 
"Let peoples serve you,
and nations pay you homage;
Be master of your brothers,
and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
and blessed be those who bless you."
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Commentary on Gn 27:1-5, 15-29
 
This passage brings us to Isaac’s deathbed. In this selection we hear the plot of Rebecca and Jacob to trick Isaac into giving his final blessing to Jacob, cheating his twin brother Esau out of it. "Here too, as in the case of Isaac (cf. Genesis 21:8-13), the part played by the mother is stressed; she ignores custom, and plays an active part in the furthering of God's plans. The passage also stresses how shrewd the patriarch is by comparison with Esau. Jacob's action is justified in the overall context of the narrative, given that he bought the birthright previously from his brother." [5]
 
 While nothing is said in this passage as to the morality of the means by which Jacob receives this inheritance, his action is condemned in other parts of Scripture (see Hosea 12:3 and Jeremiah 9:3). God punishes them for this act by separating Jacob and his mother. This action shows how God takes even the weak and undeserving and uses them to his greater glory.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 135:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
 
R. (3a) Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Praise the name of the LORD;
Praise, you servants of the LORD
Who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, which we love;
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel for his own possession.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
For I know that the LORD is great;
our LORD is greater than all gods.
All that the LORD wills he does
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and in all the deeps.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 135:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
 
Psalm 135 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. The reference in the second strophe is to God choosing Jacob, which he did at the birth of the twins telling his mother: “the older shall serve the younger.”
 
CCC: Ps 135:6 269
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Gospel: Matthew 9:14-17
 
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
"Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,
for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.
People do not put new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.
Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."
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Commentary on Mt 9:14-17

Jesus is approached by St. John the Baptist’s disciples about the Pharisaic practices of ritual fasting. In Old Testament usage this action was a token of repentance or of mourning. No fast is actually prescribed in the Law of Moses, except the fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29 and 23:27 and Numbers 29:7). Given this understanding of the Law of Moses, what was being practiced by the Pharisees (and St. John’s disciples) was tradition. Jesus' response, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them,” speaks to the fact that his disciples do not have anything to repent from or mourn for, as long as they are following him.
 
The next section of the reading seems to contradict an earlier statement of Jesus (Matthew 5:17-20), when he said he had not come to abolish the Law of Moses but to fulfill it. But his metaphors about the wineskins and the cloth refer to a completely new understanding of God’s revelation that cannot be a “patchwork” of ideas, rather a consistent application of Christ’s law of love, mercy, and hope.
 
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Reflection:
 
We reflect today upon the cautionary message embedded in the Gospel of St. Matthew.  In the passage given, the Lord is challenged by some of the disciples of St. John the Baptist (of which at least one of his own disciples, Andrew, was formerly a member).  They ask why Jesus and his disciples do not practice the Pharisaic traditions of ritual fasting.  Jesus, also of the Pharisaic tradition, was not following their scrupulous rules and neither were his disciples.  It was important that Jesus strike just the right tone in his reply.  Recognizing that the Pharisees were following a tradition developed out of their understanding of the law (not prescriptions of the law), he explains that his disciples do not need to mourn or repent while he is with them (coming as he does to fulfill the law and the prophets - we understand this).
 
Where, one may ask is the cautionary message here?  Jesus is defending his disciples' actions because what they do, they do out of understanding.  They understand that they do not fast because the Son of God is with them, and they cannot mourn while he is present.  The Pharisees and St. John’s disciples have forgotten the underlying spiritual reason for what they do and focus on the actions of their worship instead of upon the reason for those actions.  In other words, the actions themselves become important rather than the spiritual driver that caused them to be enacted in the first place.
 
In a faith so rich in ritual and tradition, we can sometimes fall into the same trap.  Our focus might be on the ritual or tradition, and we might forget that the reason we do what we do is for God’s greater glory, not simply following the rules or rubrics.  We are reminded by this gospel story that when we do the ritual things of our faith, be they as simple as making the sign of the cross or genuflecting, or as complex as the rosary or the Divine Mercy devotionals, we recall the underlying reasons for what we do at each step.
 
Today we thank God for giving us his word and the means to worship him through our faith.  We also pray that when we participate with our brothers and sisters in the practice of that faith, we focus on the spiritual aspects of what we do as well as the rubrics of the faith.
 
Pax
 

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[1] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5: “Outside Advent, Christmas Time, Lent, and Easter Time, on Saturdays which have no commemoration having the rank of Obligatory Memorial or higher, a Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be celebrated. This is indicated in the calendar by “BVM.” The readings and prayers may be selected from the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
[2] The picture is “Isaac Blessing Jacob” by Govert Teunisz Flinck, 1639.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio (Saturday of the 13^th Week in Ordinary Time)
[4] 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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 139.

Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Independence Day

Independence Day [In Dioceses of the United States]
 
Alternate Texts may be taken from the Masses for Various Needs and Occasions, II. For Civil Needs: 13. For the Nation, nos. 882-886; or 14. For Peace and Justice, nos. 887-891. Author’s selection – Independence Day.
 
On this Independence Day, for the General Intercessions one may use an adaptation of the prayer composed by Archbishop John Carroll for the inauguration of George Washington as found in the Book of Blessings (#1965): [1]
 
We [likewise] commend to your unbounded mercy
all citizens of the United States,
that we may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in
  the observance of your holy law.
May we be preserved in union and that peace which the
  world cannot give;
And, after enjoying the blessings of this life,
be admitted to those which are eternal.
 
We pray to you, who are Lord and God
for ever and ever.
 
R. Amen
 
Optional Memorial for Saint Elizabeth of Portugal* [Other Regions]
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal
 
*In the United States, this memorial is perpetually transferred to July 5^th.

“Meeting of Isaac and Rebecca”
by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, c. 1640

 
Readings for Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67
 
The span of Sarah’s life was one hundred and twenty-seven years.
She died in Kiriatharba (that is, Hebron)
in the land of Canaan,
and Abraham performed the customary mourning rites for her.
Then he left the side of his dead one and addressed the Hittites:
“Although I am a resident alien among you,
sell me from your holdings a piece of property for a burial ground,
that I may bury my dead wife.”
 
After the transaction, Abraham buried his wife Sarah
in the cave of the field of Machpelah,
facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
 
Abraham had now reached a ripe old age,
and the Lord had blessed him in every way.
Abraham said to the senior servant of his household,
who had charge of all his possessions:
“Put your hand under my thigh,
and I will make you swear by the Lord,
the God of heaven and the God of earth,
that you will not procure a wife for my son
from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live,
but that you will go to my own land and to my kindred
to get a wife for my son Isaac.”
The servant asked him:
“What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land?
Should I then take your son back to the land from which you migrated?”
“Never take my son back there for any reason,” Abraham told him.
“The Lord, the God of heaven,
who took me from my father’s house and the land of my kin,
and who confirmed by oath the promise he then made to me,
‘I will give this land to your descendants’–
he will send his messenger before you,
and you will obtain a wife for my son there.
If the woman is unwilling to follow you,
you will be released from this oath.
But never take my son back there!”
 
A long time later, Isaac went to live in the region of the Negeb.
One day toward evening he went out . . . in the field,
and as he looked around, he noticed that camels were approaching.
Rebekah, too, was looking about, and when she saw him,
she alighted from her camel and asked the servant,
“Who is the man out there, walking through the fields toward us?”
“That is my master,” replied the servant.
Then she covered herself with her veil.
 
The servant recounted to Isaac all the things he had done.
Then Isaac took Rebekah into his tent;
he married her, and thus she became his wife.
In his love for her, Isaac found solace
after the death of his mother Sarah.
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Commentary on Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67
 
The various excerpts from Chapters 23 and 24 of Genesis tell the story of the death of Sarah. “After Eve, Sarah is the first woman of importance to tread the stage of Genesis. From Cain to Babel, the primeval history preserves an almost exclusively male orientation; women are rarely mentioned except as adjuncts to their husbands. But with Sarah we meet a woman of heroic proportions, worthy grandmother of the nation of Israel. Her life was far from easy.” [5] Additionally, Sarah was the only patriarch’s wife whose age and death are recorded.
 
In chapter 24 the death of Abraham is announced along with his successful plan to obtain a wife for his son Isaac from the Hebrew community. His last recorded words are found in the dialogue with his servant. This passage explains how Rebekah (Rebecca) comes to be Isaac’s wife, and how God’s promise to Abraham, that his line would endure, is fulfilled as Isaac continues to enjoy God’s graces and favor.
 
CCC: Gn 23:4 145
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
 
R. (1b) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
 
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Who can tell the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or proclaim all his praises?
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
 
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
 
Visit me with your saving help,
That I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your people,
and glory with your inheritance.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
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Commentary on Ps 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
 
Psalm 106 is a song of thanksgiving. In this selection the singer thanks God for his saving mercy and favor to his chosen people. This hymn of praise rejoices over God’s gracious help to those who trust in him. We see clearly the hand of God guiding the faithful as the psalmist proclaims “That I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, rejoice in the joy of your people, and glory with your inheritance.”
 
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Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13
 
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
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Commentary on Mt 9:9-13
 
The journey of Jesus continues with the Lord’s encounter with Matthew (Levi in St. Mark’s Gospel), the tax collector. The Pharisees are scandalized because this renowned teacher (Jesus) has chosen to associate with “sinners,” who clearly violate some of the numerous laws about ritual purity (Matthew 5:46). Jesus’ response, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” makes it clear that interior faith is more highly prized than purely ritualistic rigor.
 
This passage is the call of St. Matthew into discipleship. His profession, as customs worker or tax collector, would have stimulated controversy among the scribes and Pharisees, and the presence of others of the same type at the meal described, would have caused ritual impurity. However, as with his disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, Jesus calls Matthew as he was engaged in his profession. The question the Pharisees ask, because such contact would have caused ritual impurity, would have been construed as a critical remark. The Lord responded with a challenge, quoting Hosea 6:6, and punctuated his response with the observation that those who were critical of his associations did not understand the Scriptures they professed to represent.
 
CCC: Mt 9:12 581; Mt 9:13 589, 2100
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Reflection:
 
We were given the Reader’s Digest version of Abraham’s response to the death of Sarah, his first wife, and the procurement of Rebecca as wife for his son Isaac.  What was left out of the story was the fact that those involved (the servant, Rebecca and Rebecca’s family) were all guided by God and gave praise to him at each new stage of the story.  We were not shown the faith of the servant who prayed for a sign from God, that the girl Rebecca was the one sent for Isaac by God, nor were we shown the faith of Rebecca, as she prayed for guidance in going with the servant.  The entire saga, with the parts we did not hear today, is a story of faith and submission to the will of God.
 
The psalm used paints the larger picture of God’s gracious mercy to those who follow him.  It essentially pulls the moral from the story for us, and leads to the Gospel, as Jesus chooses to dine with the “sinners” rather than eat in the ritualistically pure environment of the Pharisees.  The Lord makes it clear that it is more important for him to reach out to those who need his spiritual example than it is for him to follow the ritually complex rules of the Pharisaic laws.  That he calls Matthew should be great news for us who, though unworthy of God’s grace, also are called to serve the Lord.
 
By these examples we see the importance of our own interior faith and how it must be developed and applied in the world.  Is the implication here the one that so many of the “unchurched” use to rationalize their lack of participation in organized religion?  Is the message that the formal celebration of the faith is unimportant? 
 
No, that is not the message.  The message, which was intended for and can only be truly understood by the organized community of faith represented by the Church, tells us that our call must be to reach out as well as maintain an interior faith, strengthened by the sacraments.
 
Pax
 

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[1] Book of Blessings, by the Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, MN © 1989, p. 747.
[2] The picture is “Meeting of Isaac and Rebecca” by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, c. 1640.
[3] S.S.Commemoratio
[4] 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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 16–50, vol. 2, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1994), 129.

Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

Biographical Information about St. Thomas the Apostle

“Saint Thomas“
by Caravaggio, 1601-02

 
Readings for the Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Ephesians 2:19-22
 
Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
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Commentary on Eph 2:19-22
 
In this passage, St. Paul describes the unity brought about among all believers in Christ. This unity is formed under a common teaching flowing from the Hebrew prophets, through the apostles, to Christ himself, who is described as the “capstone” or cornerstone. This unity of spirit becomes the Church, the “dwelling place for God in the Spirit.” The Church, in turn, is the unity of all Christians, those who were formerly Jews, and those who were formerly Gentiles. They are, says the apostle, joined through Christ on the same road to the Kingdom of God. They share the same foundation of faith, transmitted to them through the apostles, and held firm by Christ the “capstone.” Together they form the “Temple of the Spirit,” the essential understanding that the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ.
 
CCC: Eph 2:19-22 756; Eph 2:20 857; Eph 2:21 797
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 117:1bc, 2
 
R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
 
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
 
For steadfast is his kindness for us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
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Commentary on Ps 117:1bc, 2
 
“This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God's supremacy. The supremacy of Israel's God has been demonstrated to them by the people's secure existence, which is owed entirely to God's gracious fidelity.” [4] Using a refrain from St. Mark’s Gospel, the psalm is one of praise for the Good News of God’s salvation.
 
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Gospel: John 20:24-29
 
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
But Thomas said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
 
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
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Commentary on Jn 20:24-29
 
This story from St. John’s Gospel is set just after Mary Magdalene has brought news to the disciples of the Risen Christ, and his appearance to them in the locked room. He (the Lord) has departed and now Thomas returns to find his friends speaking of Jesus’ return from the dead.
 
Thomas acquires his nickname ("Doubting Thomas") by doubting what the other disciples tell him, and he persists in doing so until the Lord again comes to the locked upper room. To his credit, following the Lord’s own challenge, St. Thomas applies to Jesus the title “My Lord and my God.” It is the first time this title, reserved for God the Father, is given to the Son, proclaiming his divinity. The passage concludes with Jesus acknowledging the title, but praising those not present who will believe in him without requiring physical proof.
 
CCC: Jn 20:24-27 644; Jn 20:26 645, 659; Jn 20:27 645; Jn 20:28 448
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Reflection:
 
On July 12, 1835, or 190 years ago, about a block west of the current Kingsly St. location in Ann Arbor, Father Patrick O’Kelly celebrated the first Mass for the small Irish Catholic faith community in Ann Arbor that would become St. Thomas the Apostle Church.  Sixty-four years later, in 1899, this building was dedicated when Bishop Foley from Detroit started with this prayer:
 
O Lord God, who although the heavens and earth cannot contain Thee, are pleased to have Thy dwelling on earth, in which Thy name may be perpetually invoked; we beseech Thee, by the merits of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, of Thy apostle Saint Thomas, and all Thy Saints, visit this place with Thy benign clemency, and purify it by the infusion of Thy grace, from all defilement and preserve it undefiled; and O Thou who didst satisfy the devotion of Thy beloved David in the performance of his son Solomon, be pleased to hearken to our petitions and banish hence all spiritual wickedness. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
 
I was not able to find a record of what motivated our forefathers in faith to choose St. Thomas the Apostle as patron.  But we pray that the living tradition of faith which has been handed down to us is pleasing to our parish patron, whose feast we celebrate today.
 
From a scriptural perspective, not much is known about St. Thomas.  His name occurs in all the lists of the synoptics (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6, cf. Acts 1:13), but, as we heard, in St. John’s Gospel he plays a distinctive part.
 
First, when Jesus announced his intention of returning to Judea to visit Lazarus, Thomas who is called Didymus [the twin], thinking about the danger to Jesus in Judea, loyally said to his fellow disciples: "Let us also go to die with him” (John 11:16). (As a side note, Thomas is thought to have been called “the twin” because he strongly resembled Jesus, not because he was a twin.)
 
Again, it was St. Thomas who during the discourse before the Last Supper raised an objection: "Thomas said to him, ‘Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?’" (John 14:5).
 
But more especially St. Thomas is remembered for his incredulity, proclaimed on his feast, when the other apostles announced Christ's resurrection to him: "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." (John 20:25) But eight days later he made his act of faith professing “My Lord and my God.”  Even so, the Lord chided him saying: "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." (John 20:29)
 
What does the scriptural record say about the faith of our patron?  He is continually saying more than he knows.  When he suggested that the disciples should go and die with Jesus in Judea, he could not have known that, in light of what was to happen, all Christians would die with Christ and rise with him at the resurrection.  He was the first to identify Christ as God in his profession of faith, even though he doubted, winning him the unfortunate nickname “doubting Thomas” that has followed him since.
 
We see in what is known of his later ministry that St. Thomas was not always in agreement with his brother apostles. According to tradition, when the apostles were planning their evangelistic directions, St. Thomas was selected to go to India.  He immediately objected, saying he could not go.  At this point, his master, Jesus, appeared in a supernatural way to Abban, the envoy of Gundafor, an Indian king, and sold Thomas to him to be his slave and serve Gundafor as a carpenter.
 
When he arrived in India, his apostolic zeal took over and he accomplished great works throughout the northern part of the continent.  He finally converted the wife and son of a local king who, again, according to tradition, had our patron executed by four of his soldiers who used spears to kill him.
 
How fortunate we are to have so human a patron.  His less-than-perfect faith allows us to identify with him.  As we heard in the Letter to the Hebrews: "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”  And faith is a gift from God, freely given but in different measures.  It is a very fortunate few who have not had doubts about God, his presence, and his promise. For many of us logic wars with faith, and we are forced to overcome our own disbelief, fighting to force a reluctant mind to embrace what we know in our hearts is true. Yes, we believe.  But do we all not wish we could have the Lord stand in front of us so that we could see the nail marks in his hands and put our hand into his side?
 
It is a great blessing for us to know that one as flawed as we are in faith could be loved so deeply by our Lord and Savior. Today we rejoice in God’s gift of St. Thomas.  He struggled to understand and in the end received the martyr’s crown; his faith ultimately saved him.  We consider those who have worshiped in this space for the past hundred and twenty-six years and think of all the prayers offered up, asking our patron to intercede on their behalf.  Today we add our prayers to theirs as we ask him to help our unbelief so that we, like him, might offer up the profession: “My Lord and my God.”
 
Pax
 
In other years on this date: Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
 

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[1] The picture is “The Saint Thomas“ by Caravaggio, 1601-02.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] NAB footnote on Psalm 117.

Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Expulsion of Hagar”
by Willem van Mieris, 1724

 
Readings for Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 21:5, 8-20a
 
Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Isaac grew, and on the day of the child's weaning
Abraham held a great feast.
 
Sarah noticed the son whom Hagar the Egyptian
had borne to Abraham
playing with her son Isaac;
so she demanded of Abraham:
"Drive out that slave and her son!
No son of that slave is going to share the inheritance
with my son Isaac!"
Abraham was greatly distressed,
especially on account of his son Ishmael.
But God said to Abraham: "Do not be distressed about the boy
or about your slave woman.
Heed the demands of Sarah, no matter what she is asking of you;
for it is through Isaac that descendants shall bear your name.
As for the son of the slave woman,
I will make a great nation of him also,
since he too is your offspring."
 
Early the next morning Abraham got some bread and a skin of water
and gave them to Hagar.
Then, placing the child on her back, he sent her away.
As she roamed aimlessly in the wilderness of Beer-sheba,
the water in the skin was used up.
So she put the child down under a shrub,
and then went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away;
for she said to herself, "Let me not watch to see the child die."
As she sat opposite Ishmael, he began to cry.
God heard the boy's cry,
and God's messenger called to Hagar from heaven:
"What is the matter, Hagar?
Don't be afraid; God has heard the boy's cry in this plight of his.
Arise, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand;
for I will make of him a great nation."
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water.
She went and filled the skin with water, and then let the boy drink.
God was with the boy as he grew up.
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Commentary on Gn 21:5, 8-20a
 
The saga of Abraham (Abram) continues in this passage as he strives to follow God’s will. The birth of Isaac is announced and immediately tension arises. His wife Sarah (Sarai) has demanded that Hagar and Ishmael (firstborn of Abraham) be cast out of their family group. This is truly the beginning of the split in Abraham’s descendants, as the Jewish people would begin through his son Isaac, and the followers of Islam develop through his son Ishmael. The same God (whose Only Son is the Messiah) that favored the early Jewish people also shows his love for Hagar and Ishmael and their descendants.
 
"The scene of Hagar in the wilderness is itself an example of the mercy of God for, as St John Chrysostom teaches, 'whenever God wishes, even if we are utterly alone, even if we are in desperate trouble, even if we have no hope of survival, we need no other assistance, since God's grace is all we require. You see, if we win favor from him, no one will get the better of us, but rather we will prevail against anyone' (Homiliae in Genesim, 46, 2)." [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:7-8, 10-11, 12-13
 
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
 
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
 
Fear the LORD, you his holy ones,
for naught is lacking to those who fear him.
The great grow poor and hungry;
but those who seek the LORD want for no good thing.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
 
Come, children, hear me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Which of you desires life,
and takes delight in prosperous days?
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
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Commentary on Ps 34:7-8, 10-11, 12-13
 
Psalm 34 is a hymn of thanksgiving.  In this selection, the singer rejoices in God’s love and compassion, especially for those in need (“the poor”).  God saves those who love him and shares in their delight during good times.
 
CCC: Ps 34:8 336
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Gospel: Matthew 8:28-34
 
When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,
two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.
They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"
Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
The demons pleaded with him,
"If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine."
And he said to them, "Go then!"
They came out and entered the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea
where they drowned.
The swineherds ran away,
and when they came to the town they reported everything,
including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,
and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.
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Commentary on Mt 8:28-34
 
Jesus comes to a region about five miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee and encounters the two demoniacs (people taken over by demons). He drives the demons out into a herd of swine. The symbolism here for the Jewish audience would be powerful, as swine were unclean animals. By casting themselves into the sea, they showed that even they preferred death to the presence of evil. The Gentile population, probably very superstitious, was afraid of Christ’s power over evil and did not want any more damage as a result of his presence.
 
"Not only do the Demons confess Jesus’ identity as Son of God; they go on to reveal their vision of his appointed function as Messiah, who in the end will judge all spiritual beings. The spirit of evil can lie to everyone but God himself. Truth spouts from these filthy mouths as a parody of praise. But the disciples stand by as beneficiaries of the encounter." [5]
 
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Reflection:
 
What is the difference between physical love (eros) and love (agape), the highest and purest form of love? The story of Sarah and Hagar from Genesis answers this question.  It is also a tremendous lesson in moral theology.  In her rush to give Abraham the heir he needed for his prosperity to be handed down, Sarah brought Hagar, her servant, to Abraham to be a surrogate.  In this action, we see Abraham performing the physical act of love (eros) with Hagar.  Through this action, Hagar’s dignity as a person was not considered.  She was seen by Sarah, and indeed by Abraham, as merely the vessel for an heir.
 
Having been thus demeaned and having produced the desired son for Abraham in Ishmael, we see the natural enmity arise between Sarah and Hagar.  Hagar for her part loved Ishmael.  Ignoring the circumstances of his conception, she saw Abraham’s fortune passing to Ishmael, as his son and heir.  Then the unthinkable happened, Sarah became pregnant in her advanced years, and bore a son, Isaac.  This event essentially took away any rights that Ishmael could claim on Abraham’s heritage.  We can understand the feelings (jealousy, hate, resentment) between the two women, as complex as they were.
 
We see something else in this story as well.  As favored as Abraham is in the eyes of God, the Lord loves (agape) Ishmael and Hagar without prejudice.  The promise of salvation is given them as well as Abraham, Isaac, and Sarah.  In God’s eyes, they are all precious to him.
 
Within the context of human relationships, we can see a clear example of what happens when the wrong thing is done for what is considered to be a noble purpose.  In this case, Sarah loved (agape) her husband and felt she had somehow displeased God.  Since Abraham was clearly beloved by God and had been promised a multitude of descendants, and since she was barren of children, it must be that God disapproved of her.  With this thought she presented her servant to her husband to be the means of God’s promised continuation of life.  She did so without thinking that this action would constitute any infidelity on the part of Abraham.  She also did not consider that this action would violate the dignity of her servant.
 
Even if Hagar considered this order from her mistress a reasonable one, the action violated her human dignity.  Even though the resultant life in Ishmael was precious to God, the means of begetting that life were ignoble at best.  The end result is obvious to us now.  God’s promise was fulfilled in Ishmael as well as Isaac.  God’s prediction was also fulfilled, that there would be enmity between Ishmael and his descendants and those of Isaac.
 
We see the pain that can arise from doing the wrong thing for the right reasons in this story, and pray for the wisdom to hear and apply this knowledge in our own actions.  We see also that God loves all his people, and hope that our own hearts will respond to that love in the same way.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Expulsion of Hagar” by Willem van Mieris, 1724.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Pentateuch”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 116.
[5] Leiva-Merikakis, Erasmo. Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Matthew (p. 472). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.