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.