Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“The Sacrifice of Abraham“
by Andrea Del Sarto,1527-28

Readings for Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 22:1b-19
 
God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a burnt offering
on a height that I will point out to you."
Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well,
and with the wood that he had cut for the burnt offering,
set out for the place of which God had told him.
 
On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.
Then he said to his servants: "Both of you stay here with the donkey,
while the boy and I go on over yonder.
We will worship and then come back to you."
Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering
and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders,
while he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:
"Father!" he said.
"Yes, son," he replied.
Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood,
but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?"
"Son," Abraham answered,
"God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering."
Then the two continued going forward.
 
When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Next he tied up his son Isaac,
and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am," he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.
Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;
hence people now say, "On the mountain the LORD will see."
Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing all this because you obeyed my command."
 
Abraham then returned to his servants,
and they set out together for Beer-sheba,
where Abraham made his home.
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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 for 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 in return, those like Abraham, who demonstrate that God is their first priority, will be blessed as only God can bless.
 
CCC: Gn 22:1-18 1819; Gn 22:8 2572; Gn 22:11 332; Gn 22:17-19 706
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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.
 
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your kindness, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
"Where is their God?"
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
They have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone who trusts in them.
The house of Israel trusts in the LORD;
he is their help and their shield.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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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.
 
CCC: Ps 115:3 268, 303; Ps 115:4-5 2112; Ps 115:8 2112
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Gospel: Matthew 9:1-8
 
After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
"Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
"This man is blaspheming."
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins"–
he then said to the paralytic,
"Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
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Commentary on Mt 9:1-8
 
Jesus continues his saving works in the healing of the paralytic. He leaves the territory of the Gadarenes, having been rejected out of fear.  He comes once more to his own town and is confronted with a singular demonstration of faith.  We are told, "And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher." Note, there was no outcry or plea from those who lovingly brought the paralytic to Jesus. Rather, an unspoken faith in the Lord that moved Jesus to remove his burden.
 
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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[1] The Picture is “The Sacrifice of Abraham“ by Andrea Del Sarto,1527-28.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.