Readings for Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16
Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children.
She had, however, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
Sarai said to Abram:
"The LORD has kept me from bearing children.
Have intercourse, then, with my maid;
perhaps I shall have sons through her."
Abram heeded Sarai's request.
Thus, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan,
his wife Sarai took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian,
and gave her to her husband Abram to be his concubine.
He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.
When she became aware of her pregnancy,
she looked on her mistress with disdain.
So Sarai said to Abram:
"You are responsible for this outrage against me.
I myself gave my maid to your embrace;
but ever since she became aware of her pregnancy,
she has been looking on me with disdain.
May the LORD decide between you and me!"
Abram told Sarai: "Your maid is in your power.
Do to her whatever you please."
Sarai then abused her so much that Hagar ran away from her.
The LORD's messenger found her by a spring in the wilderness,
the spring on the road to Shur, and he asked,
"Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from
and where are you going?"
She answered, "I am running away from my mistress, Sarai."
But the LORD's messenger told her:
"Go back to your mistress and submit to her abusive treatment.
I will make your descendants so numerous," added the LORD's messenger,
"that they will be too many to count.
Besides," the LORD's messenger said to her:
"You are now pregnant and shall bear a son;
you shall name him Ishmael,
For the LORD has heard you,
God has answered you.
This one shall be a wild ass of a man,
his hand against everyone,
and everyone's hand against him;
In opposition to all his kin
shall he encamp."
Hagar bore Abram a son,
and Abram named the son whom Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 16:1-12, 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or: Genesis 16:6b-12, 15-16
Abram told Sarai: "Your maid is in your power.
Do to her whatever you please."
Sarai then abused her so much that Hagar ran away from her.
The LORD's messenger found her by a spring in the wilderness,
the spring on the road to Shur, and he asked,
"Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from
and where are you going?"
She answered, "I am running away from my mistress, Sarai."
But the LORD's messenger told her:
"Go back to your mistress and submit to her abusive treatment.
I will make your descendants so numerous," added the LORD's messenger,
"that they will be too many to count.
Besides," the LORD's messenger said to her:
"You are now pregnant and shall bear a son;
you shall name him Ishmael,
For the LORD has heard you,
God has answered you.
This one shall be a wild ass of a man,
his hand against everyone,
and everyone's hand against him;
In opposition to all his kin
shall he encamp."
Hagar bore Abram a son,
and Abram named the son whom Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 16:6b-12, 15-16
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. The reading instead focuses on God’s consolation of Hagar and the prediction of Ishmael’s birth as the first born of Abraham.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
R. (1b) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 7:21-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'
"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
How many times have we prayed “Lord, what is your will? What would you have me do?” We are reminded of a story that helps us as we contemplate these prayers:
There was once a master potter whose pottery was the marvel of all who saw his work. His art was highly praised, especially because of the religious themes portrayed on the pottery he made. As he grew older he took on an apprentice. An apt pupil, the youngster learned quickly and studied the master’s every technique. He practiced tirelessly under his master’s watchful eye and a great bond grew between them. The master also shared with his student his great love of God and knowledge of the sacred texts that allowed him to produce the wonderful images of God’s encounters with mankind.
After years of study and practice the master told his student that he had learned enough to go and start his own studio. But the pupil had such love for the old master that he could not bear the thought of leaving him. A few years later the old master became blind and could no longer practice his craft. His young student, however, told no one. Rather he continued to produce this wonderful pottery that was so much like his master’s work that no one could tell the difference.
Each night the student and master would eat together and the master would recount the great stories from the bible and his student’s heart would burn as he listened to the old man’s love for God. Each day, inspired by that love he would create wonderful pieces of art glorifying those words. Patrons remarked that the master’s work was improving and was even more spectacular than the work he had done earlier in his career. The student said nothing to correct them.
After a few more years, the old master died and the truth about his blindness came to light. Many patrons asked the student why he had not taken credit for the great pieces of art he had produced and established his own name as artisan. The student humbly laid all he had learned at his master’s feet saying he was merely the hands and eyes of his master.
This little story emphasizes the point being made in St. Matthew’s Gospel. The Lord calls upon us to hear the words of His Father, Our Father and act upon them. The only way we can do this is to truly understand what God wants of us. Like the student in the story above, we must get to know our Lord intimately through scripture, prayer, and the sacraments that give us grace in order to reproduce the love and compassion he calls us to have for others. Only when we work to understand the will of God and how others have followed His commands can we hope to act under his will. Only then can we see the path to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness” by Karel Dujardin, c.1662
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16
Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children.
She had, however, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
Sarai said to Abram:
"The LORD has kept me from bearing children.
Have intercourse, then, with my maid;
perhaps I shall have sons through her."
Abram heeded Sarai's request.
Thus, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan,
his wife Sarai took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian,
and gave her to her husband Abram to be his concubine.
He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.
When she became aware of her pregnancy,
she looked on her mistress with disdain.
So Sarai said to Abram:
"You are responsible for this outrage against me.
I myself gave my maid to your embrace;
but ever since she became aware of her pregnancy,
she has been looking on me with disdain.
May the LORD decide between you and me!"
Abram told Sarai: "Your maid is in your power.
Do to her whatever you please."
Sarai then abused her so much that Hagar ran away from her.
The LORD's messenger found her by a spring in the wilderness,
the spring on the road to Shur, and he asked,
"Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from
and where are you going?"
She answered, "I am running away from my mistress, Sarai."
But the LORD's messenger told her:
"Go back to your mistress and submit to her abusive treatment.
I will make your descendants so numerous," added the LORD's messenger,
"that they will be too many to count.
Besides," the LORD's messenger said to her:
"You are now pregnant and shall bear a son;
you shall name him Ishmael,
For the LORD has heard you,
God has answered you.
This one shall be a wild ass of a man,
his hand against everyone,
and everyone's hand against him;
In opposition to all his kin
shall he encamp."
Hagar bore Abram a son,
and Abram named the son whom Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 16:1-12, 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or: Genesis 16:6b-12, 15-16
Abram told Sarai: "Your maid is in your power.
Do to her whatever you please."
Sarai then abused her so much that Hagar ran away from her.
The LORD's messenger found her by a spring in the wilderness,
the spring on the road to Shur, and he asked,
"Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from
and where are you going?"
She answered, "I am running away from my mistress, Sarai."
But the LORD's messenger told her:
"Go back to your mistress and submit to her abusive treatment.
I will make your descendants so numerous," added the LORD's messenger,
"that they will be too many to count.
Besides," the LORD's messenger said to her:
"You are now pregnant and shall bear a son;
you shall name him Ishmael,
For the LORD has heard you,
God has answered you.
This one shall be a wild ass of a man,
his hand against everyone,
and everyone's hand against him;
In opposition to all his kin
shall he encamp."
Hagar bore Abram a son,
and Abram named the son whom Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 16:6b-12, 15-16
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. The reading instead focuses on God’s consolation of Hagar and the prediction of Ishmael’s birth as the first born of Abraham.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
R. (1b) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 7:21-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'
"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
How many times have we prayed “Lord, what is your will? What would you have me do?” We are reminded of a story that helps us as we contemplate these prayers:
There was once a master potter whose pottery was the marvel of all who saw his work. His art was highly praised, especially because of the religious themes portrayed on the pottery he made. As he grew older he took on an apprentice. An apt pupil, the youngster learned quickly and studied the master’s every technique. He practiced tirelessly under his master’s watchful eye and a great bond grew between them. The master also shared with his student his great love of God and knowledge of the sacred texts that allowed him to produce the wonderful images of God’s encounters with mankind.
After years of study and practice the master told his student that he had learned enough to go and start his own studio. But the pupil had such love for the old master that he could not bear the thought of leaving him. A few years later the old master became blind and could no longer practice his craft. His young student, however, told no one. Rather he continued to produce this wonderful pottery that was so much like his master’s work that no one could tell the difference.
Each night the student and master would eat together and the master would recount the great stories from the bible and his student’s heart would burn as he listened to the old man’s love for God. Each day, inspired by that love he would create wonderful pieces of art glorifying those words. Patrons remarked that the master’s work was improving and was even more spectacular than the work he had done earlier in his career. The student said nothing to correct them.
After a few more years, the old master died and the truth about his blindness came to light. Many patrons asked the student why he had not taken credit for the great pieces of art he had produced and established his own name as artisan. The student humbly laid all he had learned at his master’s feet saying he was merely the hands and eyes of his master.
This little story emphasizes the point being made in St. Matthew’s Gospel. The Lord calls upon us to hear the words of His Father, Our Father and act upon them. The only way we can do this is to truly understand what God wants of us. Like the student in the story above, we must get to know our Lord intimately through scripture, prayer, and the sacraments that give us grace in order to reproduce the love and compassion he calls us to have for others. Only when we work to understand the will of God and how others have followed His commands can we hope to act under his will. Only then can we see the path to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness” by Karel Dujardin, c.1662
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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