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| “Meeting of Isaac and Rebecca” by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, c. 1640 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67
Commentary on Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67
The various excerpts from Chapters 23 and 24 of Genesis tell the story of the death of Sarah and Abraham’s successful plan to obtain a wife for his son Isaac from the Hebrew community. This passage explains how Rebekah (Rebecca) comes to be Isaac’s wife, and how God’s promise to Abraham, that his line would endure, is fulfilled as Isaac continues to enjoy God’s graces and favor.
CCC: Gn 23:4 145
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
R. (1b) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
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. This hymn of praise rejoices over God’s gracious help to those who trust in him. We see clearly the hand of God guiding the faithful as the psalmist proclaims “That I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, rejoice in the joy of your people, and glory with your inheritance.”
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Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13
Commentary on Mt 9:9-13
The journey of Jesus continues with the Lord’s encounter with Matthew (Levi in St. Mark’s Gospel), the tax collector. The Pharisees are scandalized because this renowned teacher (Jesus) has chosen to associate with “sinners,” who clearly violate some of the numerous laws about ritual purity (Matthew 5:46). Jesus’ response, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” makes it clear that interior faith is more highly prized than purely ritualistic rigor.
This passage is the call of St. Matthew into discipleship. His profession, as customs worker or tax collector, would have stimulated controversy among the Scribes and Pharisees, and the presence of others of the same type at the meal described, would have caused ritual impurity. However, as with his disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, Jesus calls Matthew as he was engaged in his profession. The question the Pharisees ask, because such contact would have caused ritual impurity, would have been construed as a critical remark. The Lord responded with a challenge, quoting Hosea 6:6, and punctuated his response with the observation that those who were critical of his associations did not understand the scriptures they professed to represent.
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Reflection:
We were given the Reader’s Digest version of Abraham’s response to the death of Sarah, his first wife, and the procurement of Rebecca as wife for his son Isaac. What was left out of the story was the fact that those involved (The servant, Rebecca and Rebecca’s family) were both guided by God and gave praise to him at each new stage of the story. We were not shown the faith of the servant who prayed for a sign from God, that the girl Rebecca was the one sent for Isaac by God, nor were we shown the faith of Rebecca, as she prayed for guidance in going with the servant. The entire saga, with the parts we did not hear today, is a story of faith and submission to the will of God.
The Psalm used paints the larger picture of God’s gracious mercy to those who follow him. It essentially pulls the moral from the story for us, and leads to the Gospel, as Jesus chooses to dine with the “sinners” rather than eat in the ritualistically pure environment of the Pharisees. The Lord makes it clear that it is more important for him to reach out to those who need his spiritual example than it is for him to follow the ritually complex rules of the Pharisaic laws. That he calls Matthew should be great news for us who, though unworthy of God’s grace, also are called to serve the Lord.
By these examples we see the importance of our own interior faith and how it must be developed and applied in the world. Is the implication here the one that so many of the “un-churched” use to rationalize their lack of participation in organized religion? Is the message that the formal celebration of the faith is unimportant?
No, that is not the message. The message, which was intended for and can only be truly understood by the organized community of faith represented by the Church, tells us that our call must be to reach out as well as maintain an interior faith, strengthened by the Sacraments.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Meeting of Isaac and Rebecca” by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, c. 1640
[2] S.S.Commemoratio
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