(Optional Memorial for Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr)
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| “The Sacrifice of Abraham“ by Andrea Del Sarto,1527-28 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Genesis 22:1b-19
Commentary on Gn 22:1b-19
Abraham is put to the test to prove his faithfulness to God. He is to offer his son Isaac as a holocaust, an offering completely burnt on the altar. Abraham, though reluctant, is faithful to God and follows his instructions. At the last moment, when God is sure that Abraham has greater love for God than even his beloved son Isaac, he stops Abraham and “blesses him abundantly,” making him the father of nations. (Note: the use of the term “beloved,” “Only one: uniquely precious, especially loved; therefore the same term is rendered in Genesis 22:12, 17 as "beloved." This connotation is used extensively in the New Testament identifying Jesus as God’s “beloved” son, again, only one and uniquely precious (Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Colossians 1:13). In his obedience to the will of God, Abraham is found worthy of the honor God will afford him.
This example demonstrates that God expects those faithful to him to place love and obedience to him above all other worldly interests, and loves, in return, those like Abraham, who demonstrate that God is their first priority, will be blessed as only God can bless.
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Responsorial Psalm: Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (9) I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Psalm 115 is a hymn of praise to our God who is above all things, and creator of all that exists. The strophes exhort the people to be faithful to God, unlike the pagans. False idols are lifeless and dead. Those who create and worship them will be dead as well. The faithful have life because of their trust in the Lord.
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Gospel: Matthew 9:1-8
Commentary on 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, which in their thinking caused the man’s affliction (cf. John 9:1-3), and could only be taken away by God (cf. Luke 5:21). 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.
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Reflection:
Think of what Christ did for the paralytic. The man was crippled and had to be carried on a stretcher and Jesus, out of his will, freed the man from his prison and gave him his life. Once again, we see this act of healing as a metaphor for Jesus’ gift to each of us; the gift of forgiveness.
In his argument with the scribes who were saying that only God could forgive sins, outwardly manifested in the paralysis, Jesus demonstrated what he would do for us. The scribes presumed in their ignorance that paralysis was caused by God because of some hidden sin committed by either the paralytic himself or by his parents (the punishment transferred to their child). Jesus demonstrated his authority over sin and death, the physical and metaphysical, in his healing act.
Christ came for us in the same way. God understands the debilitating effect of sin in our lives. (Just so we share a common point of reference, we will define sin as conscious failure to love.)
When we fail to love ourselves, we do things that will harm us physically or psychologically. We act out of hedonism seeking pleasure for the senses by crippling the mind and creating a sense of self-loathing. We offer those sins to Jesus who tells us we are precious and beloved. He forgives us and begs us to love ourselves because of the life he gave us.
When we fail to love others and are hurtful, cruel, or forget the dignity with which our brothers and sisters should be treated, we harm ourselves as well. That hurt and hate eat us like a cancer and cripple us spiritually. Knowingly hurting another stains us and makes us unclean in our own eyes. Jesus asks to carry those sins as well. He reminds us that all people are like Isaac was to Abraham, beloved and cherished. In accepting our sin and guilt, he frees us to love once more.
In choosing not to love ourselves or others, we ultimately sin against God our Father and his Son, Jesus. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, this stain is removed and we are once more placed in God’s grace and mercy. Christ heals us and bids us; "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
Pax
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