And Saint Antony Mary Zaccaria, priest
Biographical Information about St. Antony Mary Zaccaria[1]
Readings for Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Gn 22:1b-19
The saga of Abraham continues with as he is tested by God. God orders Abraham to sacrifice his only (legitimate) son, Isaac. The term “beloved” is used in this passage which is later also assigned to Jesus as God’s only Son. The sacrifice is aborted once God sees that Abraham will indeed go through with his challenge, thus Abraham is found worthy of the honor God will afford him.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
Psalm 115 is a hymn of praise to our God who is above all things and creator of all. While he is not seen, his creation is evidence of his creation and salvation.
Gospel Mt 9:1-8
Jesus continues his saving works in the healing of the paralytic. The leaders of the synagogue hear Jesus forgive the man’s sins first which in their thinking caused the man’s affliction and could only be taken away by God. Jesus was therefore blaspheming. To demonstrate that he was from God and acting for God, Jesus took away not only the man’s sins but what the scribes believed were the consequences of those sins, his paralysis. The crowds, if not the scribes immediately understood and gave thanks to God for his mercy.
Homily:
We are given an example of unwavering faith as we hear the story of how Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, the only beloved son of his union with his wife Sarah. He does not resist God’s command, even though it must tear him apart. Only at the last moment when it is clear that he will actually do as the Lord commanded does God’s messenger stop him.
It was only a test. It was a test Abraham passed. It was a test God Himself passed as well but in the case of His Only Son, it was not the Father who was tested but His children and they failed, taking the human life from the Son of God.
The God we understand did not withhold His Son. He sent him to us and he showed us who he was. The people in today’s Gospel saw him do something only God could do – forgive a man’s sins and in doing so cure him of an incurable illness. They were given visible evidence of who the Lord was, yet they nailed him to a tree and watched as his life’s blood flowed out.
The evidence is passed on to us. The Word of God is clear for us. And each day we face our own tests. Each day we are called to love those we meet whether they love us in return, as the paralytic must surly have loved Christ, or if, like the scribes, our love is met with distrust and envy.
We pray today that we have a faith strong enough to meet the tests the world throws at us today. We pray for the intersession of St. Anthony Mary, whose unwavering devotion to Christ earned him a place with the angles, that our faith be sustained by the Holy Spirit and through our actions all will give glory to God as he shines through us.
Pax
[1] The picture used today of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria is from a Holy Card and according to the Barnaites was painted by Cristina Bellazzi
[2] Readings After Links Expire
Biographical Information about St. Antony Mary Zaccaria[1]
Readings for Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Gn 22:1b-19
The saga of Abraham continues with as he is tested by God. God orders Abraham to sacrifice his only (legitimate) son, Isaac. The term “beloved” is used in this passage which is later also assigned to Jesus as God’s only Son. The sacrifice is aborted once God sees that Abraham will indeed go through with his challenge, thus Abraham is found worthy of the honor God will afford him.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
Psalm 115 is a hymn of praise to our God who is above all things and creator of all. While he is not seen, his creation is evidence of his creation and salvation.
Gospel Mt 9:1-8
Jesus continues his saving works in the healing of the paralytic. The leaders of the synagogue hear Jesus forgive the man’s sins first which in their thinking caused the man’s affliction and could only be taken away by God. Jesus was therefore blaspheming. To demonstrate that he was from God and acting for God, Jesus took away not only the man’s sins but what the scribes believed were the consequences of those sins, his paralysis. The crowds, if not the scribes immediately understood and gave thanks to God for his mercy.
Homily:
We are given an example of unwavering faith as we hear the story of how Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, the only beloved son of his union with his wife Sarah. He does not resist God’s command, even though it must tear him apart. Only at the last moment when it is clear that he will actually do as the Lord commanded does God’s messenger stop him.
It was only a test. It was a test Abraham passed. It was a test God Himself passed as well but in the case of His Only Son, it was not the Father who was tested but His children and they failed, taking the human life from the Son of God.
The God we understand did not withhold His Son. He sent him to us and he showed us who he was. The people in today’s Gospel saw him do something only God could do – forgive a man’s sins and in doing so cure him of an incurable illness. They were given visible evidence of who the Lord was, yet they nailed him to a tree and watched as his life’s blood flowed out.
The evidence is passed on to us. The Word of God is clear for us. And each day we face our own tests. Each day we are called to love those we meet whether they love us in return, as the paralytic must surly have loved Christ, or if, like the scribes, our love is met with distrust and envy.
We pray today that we have a faith strong enough to meet the tests the world throws at us today. We pray for the intersession of St. Anthony Mary, whose unwavering devotion to Christ earned him a place with the angles, that our faith be sustained by the Holy Spirit and through our actions all will give glory to God as he shines through us.
Pax
[1] The picture used today of St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria is from a Holy Card and according to the Barnaites was painted by Cristina Bellazzi
[2] Readings After Links Expire
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