Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Doctor
Biographical Information about St. Peter Chrysologus[1]
Readings for Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Ex 32:15-24, 30-34
In this passage from Exodus, Moses has gone up Mt. Sinai and has been absent for some time. In their ignorance, the people are afraid that they have no leadership in the wilderness and have Aaron make for them an image of God (most scholars agree that the Calf was intended to be an image of God rather than a false God. Graven images of God were forbidden.).
God’s response to Moses intercession is that those who committed the sin would be punished on the Day of Judgment.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
King David, the psalmist, reflects upon the action of the people in the story from Exodus just given. He gives praise to Moses for interceding on the part of the people and preventing God from destroying them for their foolishness.
Gospel Mt 13:31-35
The Lord continues his descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven using two parables. The parable of the mustard seed and the parable of yeast have the same point. What appears to be small grows to miraculous size. What has been insignificant is vastly important, what cannot be seen is unknowingly immense.
Reflection:
If we take the scripture all together today we cannot help but come to the idea that God is unknowably immense and unfathomably merciful. The Lord, in the Gospel of Matthew, tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, or yeast. These smallest of particles have huge results. It is impossible for us to wrap our minds around God’s infinite creation and the life he has promised for the faithful.
In the Exodus reading we hear the story of the Children of Israel, fearing that Moses had been lost or destroyed on the holy mountain, turned to the superstitions of the pagans and persuaded Aaron to make an image of God. This is done in violation of the covenant they had already made with the Lord. A covenant that forbids them to create images that represent God and could therefore be used to indicate that God could somehow be controlled by the people.
There were, as in all covenants, promises made by both sides. In return for following the precepts set before them, God promised them his salvation. He promised to lead them to a place where they would have safety and peace, free from the cruel bondage of Egypt. But when Moses, who had been the Prophet of God and their leader is gone for longer than they suppose he should be, they forget the signs and wonders, they forget the covenant and return to more comfortable practices.
There is a lesson for us clearly spelled out in this ancient encounter with God. We must constantly remember God’s wondrous saving persons are with us. They are so immense our minds cannot grasp their omnipotent presence. Let us not forget and return to the idols of pride and self importance that can be so comforting to us. We are called to be a people who cling to the New Covenant, recalling constantly that is only through Christ and with Him that we accomplish any good thing.
Pax
[1] The image is of St. Peter Chrysologus, artist is UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Biographical Information about St. Peter Chrysologus[1]
Readings for Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Ex 32:15-24, 30-34
In this passage from Exodus, Moses has gone up Mt. Sinai and has been absent for some time. In their ignorance, the people are afraid that they have no leadership in the wilderness and have Aaron make for them an image of God (most scholars agree that the Calf was intended to be an image of God rather than a false God. Graven images of God were forbidden.).
God’s response to Moses intercession is that those who committed the sin would be punished on the Day of Judgment.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
King David, the psalmist, reflects upon the action of the people in the story from Exodus just given. He gives praise to Moses for interceding on the part of the people and preventing God from destroying them for their foolishness.
Gospel Mt 13:31-35
The Lord continues his descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven using two parables. The parable of the mustard seed and the parable of yeast have the same point. What appears to be small grows to miraculous size. What has been insignificant is vastly important, what cannot be seen is unknowingly immense.
Reflection:
If we take the scripture all together today we cannot help but come to the idea that God is unknowably immense and unfathomably merciful. The Lord, in the Gospel of Matthew, tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, or yeast. These smallest of particles have huge results. It is impossible for us to wrap our minds around God’s infinite creation and the life he has promised for the faithful.
In the Exodus reading we hear the story of the Children of Israel, fearing that Moses had been lost or destroyed on the holy mountain, turned to the superstitions of the pagans and persuaded Aaron to make an image of God. This is done in violation of the covenant they had already made with the Lord. A covenant that forbids them to create images that represent God and could therefore be used to indicate that God could somehow be controlled by the people.
There were, as in all covenants, promises made by both sides. In return for following the precepts set before them, God promised them his salvation. He promised to lead them to a place where they would have safety and peace, free from the cruel bondage of Egypt. But when Moses, who had been the Prophet of God and their leader is gone for longer than they suppose he should be, they forget the signs and wonders, they forget the covenant and return to more comfortable practices.
There is a lesson for us clearly spelled out in this ancient encounter with God. We must constantly remember God’s wondrous saving persons are with us. They are so immense our minds cannot grasp their omnipotent presence. Let us not forget and return to the idols of pride and self importance that can be so comforting to us. We are called to be a people who cling to the New Covenant, recalling constantly that is only through Christ and with Him that we accomplish any good thing.
Pax
[1] The image is of St. Peter Chrysologus, artist is UNKNOWN
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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