Biographical Information about St. Irenaeus[1]
Readings for the Memorial of St. Iraneus[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Gn 16:1-12, 15-16 or 16:6b-12, 15-16
The story of Abram continues today and in it we find God’s promise of offspring for Abram kept but in a surprising way. Not through his wife did God give Abram his fist son, but through Hagar, Sarai’s maid servant. Here ironically is the beginning of Islam as well. Out of Ishmael comes the Prophet Mohamed and the prophetic statement by the Lord’s messenger “his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him;” seems to be coming to pass in out generation.
In the alternate short form of this reading the decision by Sarai, Abram’s wife to give her maid, Hagar, as concubine to her husband is omitted, as is the combative reaction of the two women toward each other once Hagar becomes pregnant.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Psalm 106 is a song of thanksgiving. In this selection the singer thanks God for his saving mercy and favor to his chosen people.
Gospel Mt 7:21-29
This is the final section of the first of five great discourses of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. In it he broadens his attack on false prophets to include those who perform acts in his name but lead lives of sin. He uses the analogy of the house built upon sand and the house built upon rock to indicate that those how have a deep faith and act out of that faith have a strong foundation and can stand against adversity; while those who give the faith lip service and for others to see but do not have that deep faith will fall. He will not even recognize them when they come before him in final judgment.
Reflection:
Today we marvel or at least wonder about the story in the first reading. Our news if full of war and hatred that stems from the enmity between the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac, Abram’s son out of Sarai, his wife. We wonder if the words of the author of Genesis are being fulfilled or are partly the cause of this conflict. It seems as if the angel’s words are coming true in a middle east in flames. While many say it is President Bush’s fault, the fire was burning long before he or his father lead our armed forces into the region. The current rounds of bloodshed have now been burning since 1948 when, in atonement for the persecution of the Jews in World War II, the modern nation of Israel was established and the displacement of the Palestinians in the region was started. We leave that whole history to those who know it but it does seem that what is taking place was almost inevitable.
The Gospel story we heard today was another reminder that we who proclaim faith in Christ must develop a strong faith foundation if we are to stand against adversity. Each day we go out into the world, whether it is to work, school, or just to do errands. In that secular world we are challenged to apply the principles of or faith to the life situations we face. This is especially true if we are in an environment where our friends or co-workers do not share our values and invite us to follow a path contrary to our moral precepts. If our foundation is strong, built upon rock as the Lord might say, we can comfortably decline that path. If, on the other hand, we have not strengthened that foundation we bow to the pressure and fall into darkness.
While it is super important to build that strong foundational faith while we are young and with our own young, it is equally important that we continue to fortify that foundation with regular doses of grace. Even the strongest foundation will wash away if neglected. The sea of inequity is persistent and powerful. Today let’s take a shot of grace and be thankful to those who helped us to build our own foundation.
Pax
[1] The image “St. Irenaeus” is by an UNKNOWN artist
[2] After Links Expire
Readings for the Memorial of St. Iraneus[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Gn 16:1-12, 15-16 or 16:6b-12, 15-16
The story of Abram continues today and in it we find God’s promise of offspring for Abram kept but in a surprising way. Not through his wife did God give Abram his fist son, but through Hagar, Sarai’s maid servant. Here ironically is the beginning of Islam as well. Out of Ishmael comes the Prophet Mohamed and the prophetic statement by the Lord’s messenger “his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him;” seems to be coming to pass in out generation.
In the alternate short form of this reading the decision by Sarai, Abram’s wife to give her maid, Hagar, as concubine to her husband is omitted, as is the combative reaction of the two women toward each other once Hagar becomes pregnant.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Psalm 106 is a song of thanksgiving. In this selection the singer thanks God for his saving mercy and favor to his chosen people.
Gospel Mt 7:21-29
This is the final section of the first of five great discourses of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. In it he broadens his attack on false prophets to include those who perform acts in his name but lead lives of sin. He uses the analogy of the house built upon sand and the house built upon rock to indicate that those how have a deep faith and act out of that faith have a strong foundation and can stand against adversity; while those who give the faith lip service and for others to see but do not have that deep faith will fall. He will not even recognize them when they come before him in final judgment.
Reflection:
Today we marvel or at least wonder about the story in the first reading. Our news if full of war and hatred that stems from the enmity between the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Isaac, Abram’s son out of Sarai, his wife. We wonder if the words of the author of Genesis are being fulfilled or are partly the cause of this conflict. It seems as if the angel’s words are coming true in a middle east in flames. While many say it is President Bush’s fault, the fire was burning long before he or his father lead our armed forces into the region. The current rounds of bloodshed have now been burning since 1948 when, in atonement for the persecution of the Jews in World War II, the modern nation of Israel was established and the displacement of the Palestinians in the region was started. We leave that whole history to those who know it but it does seem that what is taking place was almost inevitable.
The Gospel story we heard today was another reminder that we who proclaim faith in Christ must develop a strong faith foundation if we are to stand against adversity. Each day we go out into the world, whether it is to work, school, or just to do errands. In that secular world we are challenged to apply the principles of or faith to the life situations we face. This is especially true if we are in an environment where our friends or co-workers do not share our values and invite us to follow a path contrary to our moral precepts. If our foundation is strong, built upon rock as the Lord might say, we can comfortably decline that path. If, on the other hand, we have not strengthened that foundation we bow to the pressure and fall into darkness.
While it is super important to build that strong foundational faith while we are young and with our own young, it is equally important that we continue to fortify that foundation with regular doses of grace. Even the strongest foundation will wash away if neglected. The sea of inequity is persistent and powerful. Today let’s take a shot of grace and be thankful to those who helped us to build our own foundation.
Pax
[1] The image “St. Irenaeus” is by an UNKNOWN artist
[2] After Links Expire
1 comment:
Although the author of the comment above has chosen a pseudonym, the comment was interesting. I personally do not have the time or immediate resources to respond to the question posed in a scholarly way but would encourage any reader who wishes to engage in this debate to do so.
Pax
Dcn. Jim
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