Saint Raymond of Penyafort, Priest
Biographical Information about St. Raymond of Penyafort
Readings for Wednesday following Epiphany[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 1 John 4:11-18
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
In this is love brought to perfection among us,
that we have confidence on the day of judgment
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 4:11-18
We continue St. John’s first letter following the profession of God’s love yesterday. “The testimony of the Spirit and that of faith join the testimony of love to confirm our knowledge of God. Our love is grounded in the confession of Jesus as the Son of God and the example of God's love for us. Christian life is founded on the knowledge of God as love and on his continuing presence that relieves us from fear of judgment.”[4]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[5] Psalm 72:1-2, 10, 12-13
R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13
Psalm 72 is a royal psalm, to be sung by the king. While the song recounts the tribute brought by adjoining kingdoms (as tribute to his just rule) we see this as a reminder of the gifts brought by the Magi to the young Savior. This is reinforced in the final strophe as the song stresses care for the poor and afflicted.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 6:45-52
Then he made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were (completely) astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 6:45-52
The Gospel of St. Mark provides us with a second proof of the identity of Jesus. Following the feeding of the five thousand, he now calms the sea and walks upon the waters as a demonstration of the authority of the Messiah. Used in this passage is a formula utterance attributed to God “It is I, do not be afraid!” Translated literally the identity is “I am”. The disciples are not ready to accept the meaning of these signs “there hearts were hardened”. They resisted the leap of faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We see in the Gospel today an ironic prediction of human reaction to the coming of the Messiah. The disciples have just been told to leave Jesus, their teacher, after witnessing the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes and go to the other side (probably around 5 miles of open water). They must have been amazed at what had taken place and were probably discussing its meaning as they sailed across the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee).
We are told that “…the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them.” We can gather from this that they were in a small boat, meant only for short trips. Otherwise they would have been able to sail even against the wind, instead of being forced to row. We can also gather that the wind was blowing fairly hard and dead fowl (meaning straight out of the East – the direction in which they were traveling). The disciples would have been wet from spray, and tired having made slow progress in those conditions.
It is into this situation that the Lord comes; “he came toward them walking on the sea”. In the dusk of evening (“When it was evening…”) they saw him but not clearly. They must have cried out not in recognition but in fear, seeing the specter of a man walking on the wind-tossed sea. What would they have thought? They thought they were seeing a ghost or spirit of some sort.
Sensing their fear, Jesus answered. Our modern translations of scripture do not carry the gravity of his answer. He answered in an Old Testament formula, we are told, reserved for identifying God! He said “…it is I, do not be afraid!” But the “I” is rendered in the Aramaic as “I am”. While the disciples would have recognized Jesus by voice and then appearance – that response would have caused more questions to arise among them. In St. Mark’s depictions of the disciples, they were not quick to understand the meaning of the signs and wonders they witnessed. They were “astounded”, but resisted the obvious conclusion their earliest readings must have jumped to, that Jesus was the Messiah, God incarnate. He identified himself as “I am” (see Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 41:4, 10, 14; 43:1-3, 10, 13).
As we said in the beginning, this is an “ironic prediction of human reaction to the coming of the Messiah.” Do we not react in the same way these Marcian disciples do when confronted by obvious proofs of the Lord’s identity? Do we not look to other supernatural or natural explanations when the Lord’s hand touches us? It is hard for us to look past the physical and see the metaphysical, even when we strive so diligently to rely on our faith. We have been conditioned by secular physics to question the logic of the unexplainable and challenge the illogical events that take place around us. Later generations will no doubt look at us as we look at these early disciples and say “They had not understood …On the contrary, their hearts were hardened”
The message we take away from the storm tossed waves of the Sea of Galilee is that we must expect God’s presence and embrace his hand in our lives. We must look for and find Jesus, not just walking on water but waking in our midst. Today our prayer is that we find the child like faith necessary to see the Lord in the illogical and the unfathomable events in our lives and to rejoice with the world in his presence.
Pax
Biographical Information about St. Raymond of Penyafort
Readings for Wednesday following Epiphany[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 1 John 4:11-18
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
In this is love brought to perfection among us,
that we have confidence on the day of judgment
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 4:11-18
We continue St. John’s first letter following the profession of God’s love yesterday. “The testimony of the Spirit and that of faith join the testimony of love to confirm our knowledge of God. Our love is grounded in the confession of Jesus as the Son of God and the example of God's love for us. Christian life is founded on the knowledge of God as love and on his continuing presence that relieves us from fear of judgment.”[4]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[5] Psalm 72:1-2, 10, 12-13
R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13
Psalm 72 is a royal psalm, to be sung by the king. While the song recounts the tribute brought by adjoining kingdoms (as tribute to his just rule) we see this as a reminder of the gifts brought by the Magi to the young Savior. This is reinforced in the final strophe as the song stresses care for the poor and afflicted.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 6:45-52
Then he made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were (completely) astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 6:45-52
The Gospel of St. Mark provides us with a second proof of the identity of Jesus. Following the feeding of the five thousand, he now calms the sea and walks upon the waters as a demonstration of the authority of the Messiah. Used in this passage is a formula utterance attributed to God “It is I, do not be afraid!” Translated literally the identity is “I am”. The disciples are not ready to accept the meaning of these signs “there hearts were hardened”. They resisted the leap of faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We see in the Gospel today an ironic prediction of human reaction to the coming of the Messiah. The disciples have just been told to leave Jesus, their teacher, after witnessing the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes and go to the other side (probably around 5 miles of open water). They must have been amazed at what had taken place and were probably discussing its meaning as they sailed across the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee).
We are told that “…the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them.” We can gather from this that they were in a small boat, meant only for short trips. Otherwise they would have been able to sail even against the wind, instead of being forced to row. We can also gather that the wind was blowing fairly hard and dead fowl (meaning straight out of the East – the direction in which they were traveling). The disciples would have been wet from spray, and tired having made slow progress in those conditions.
It is into this situation that the Lord comes; “he came toward them walking on the sea”. In the dusk of evening (“When it was evening…”) they saw him but not clearly. They must have cried out not in recognition but in fear, seeing the specter of a man walking on the wind-tossed sea. What would they have thought? They thought they were seeing a ghost or spirit of some sort.
Sensing their fear, Jesus answered. Our modern translations of scripture do not carry the gravity of his answer. He answered in an Old Testament formula, we are told, reserved for identifying God! He said “…it is I, do not be afraid!” But the “I” is rendered in the Aramaic as “I am”. While the disciples would have recognized Jesus by voice and then appearance – that response would have caused more questions to arise among them. In St. Mark’s depictions of the disciples, they were not quick to understand the meaning of the signs and wonders they witnessed. They were “astounded”, but resisted the obvious conclusion their earliest readings must have jumped to, that Jesus was the Messiah, God incarnate. He identified himself as “I am” (see Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 41:4, 10, 14; 43:1-3, 10, 13).
As we said in the beginning, this is an “ironic prediction of human reaction to the coming of the Messiah.” Do we not react in the same way these Marcian disciples do when confronted by obvious proofs of the Lord’s identity? Do we not look to other supernatural or natural explanations when the Lord’s hand touches us? It is hard for us to look past the physical and see the metaphysical, even when we strive so diligently to rely on our faith. We have been conditioned by secular physics to question the logic of the unexplainable and challenge the illogical events that take place around us. Later generations will no doubt look at us as we look at these early disciples and say “They had not understood …On the contrary, their hearts were hardened”
The message we take away from the storm tossed waves of the Sea of Galilee is that we must expect God’s presence and embrace his hand in our lives. We must look for and find Jesus, not just walking on water but waking in our midst. Today our prayer is that we find the child like faith necessary to see the Lord in the illogical and the unfathomable events in our lives and to rejoice with the world in his presence.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture today is “Storm on the Sea of Galilee” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1645
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] see NAB footnote on 1 Jn 4:11ff
[5] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment