Priest
Readings for Saturday of the Fourth Week In Ordinary Time[1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[2]
Reading 1: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
- and Sarah herself was sterile -
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,
of whom it was said,
Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Heb 11:1-2, 8-19
The beginning of this reading gives us a classic definition of faith: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” We note that this definition describes what faith does rather than a pure theological description. “Through faith God guarantees the blessings to be hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith that what he promises will eventually come to pass.[3]” Looking at the translation above it is instructive to look at the same verse as translated in the Jerusalem Bible; “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.” That eloquent statement is followed by a description a few verses later of Abraham’s response to faith and the Lord’s reward, incomplete before Christ and completed by him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
R. (see 68) Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old.
that he would save us from our sins
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the bonds of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
This responsorial is taken from the Canticle of Zachariah. Zachariah sings to his new born son, John the Baptist about his role as forerunner to Jesus. He sings to the “Voice”, telling the infant of the Lord fulfilling the promise made to Abraham in this first section of the Canticle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, he (Jesus) said to them,
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 4:35-41
In this passage, Jesus embarks in what is probably a fishing boat with his disciples. A storm comes up and the disciples a afraid. Jesus with a word, “Quiet! Be still!" silences the storm and waters; demonstrating the authority of the Messiah over the elements of the created world. The implication of his next statement is that if the disciples had a mature faith, they could have done the same. The disciples are awed by his power and do not yet have faith to understand its source.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Today marks a special benchmark in the history of this web log. Today marks the third anniversary of these daily reflections. It is ironic that because I do not have internet access today (sitting in a cabin in the north woods of Michigan, surrounded by a few feet of snow) and since this post will not be published until tomorrow, most of the readers will not see it. It will have been superseded by the post for the Forth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Since this is the case, rather than the usual straight forward reflection on the readings, we reflect back on how this exercise has changed me and how the faith so eloquently described by the author of Hebrews has grown as a result. We begin by looking at the process that has evolved for developing these posts. When I began, before I started writing commentaries on each reading, I would prayerfully read the scripture for each day and almost always, as I read through the text an idea would strike and it would be the main point extracted from those readings upon which my reflection would be based.
In November of that first year, having been writing reflections for 10 months, I started writing commentaries for each reading. Something important happened. In forcing myself to really exegete the scripture, deeper meanings were revealed. As I looked at Biblical Commentaries, the Jerome Biblical Commentary, the Navarre Bible, the St. Ignatius Commentary, it became clear that God was truly speaking to me through Sacred Scripture and my humble attempts to capture His meaning in the commentaries I wrote, often borrowing from others much more learned than I, was my way of saying “Lord, this is what I think you were saying.” Because I have now completed this process for Cycles C and A of the Sunday readings and now Years I and II of the weekday readings (the archive of the Deacon’s Bench now contains nearly 900 posts and I moved it in July of that first year so in total there are approaching one thousand reflections), I can look back at these commentaries of mine and it is rare that I do not change or rewrite them in light of new and deeper understandings of what the Lord is saying to me.
The reflections themselves are my thoughts on how the Word should affect how I behave, how I respond to what God calls me to do and to be. For those few who may look back to read these words, I confess that often I preach to myself in this space and fail miserably to live up to the words of my heart. Knowing is much easier than doing.
I said in the beginning of this journey that my personal faith is weak. I struggle each day with doubts so this effort, this love affair with sacred scripture, is my self-apologetic. Indeed faith as Hebrews says is “…the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” I continue this act of hope as I look for the final understanding that will only happen when I am with my Lord and Savior – face to face.
Pax
Readings for Saturday of the Fourth Week In Ordinary Time[1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[2]
Reading 1: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
- and Sarah herself was sterile -
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.
All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,
of whom it was said,
Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Heb 11:1-2, 8-19
The beginning of this reading gives us a classic definition of faith: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” We note that this definition describes what faith does rather than a pure theological description. “Through faith God guarantees the blessings to be hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith that what he promises will eventually come to pass.[3]” Looking at the translation above it is instructive to look at the same verse as translated in the Jerusalem Bible; “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.” That eloquent statement is followed by a description a few verses later of Abraham’s response to faith and the Lord’s reward, incomplete before Christ and completed by him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
R. (see 68) Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old.
that he would save us from our sins
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the bonds of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
This responsorial is taken from the Canticle of Zachariah. Zachariah sings to his new born son, John the Baptist about his role as forerunner to Jesus. He sings to the “Voice”, telling the infant of the Lord fulfilling the promise made to Abraham in this first section of the Canticle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, he (Jesus) said to them,
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 4:35-41
In this passage, Jesus embarks in what is probably a fishing boat with his disciples. A storm comes up and the disciples a afraid. Jesus with a word, “Quiet! Be still!" silences the storm and waters; demonstrating the authority of the Messiah over the elements of the created world. The implication of his next statement is that if the disciples had a mature faith, they could have done the same. The disciples are awed by his power and do not yet have faith to understand its source.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Today marks a special benchmark in the history of this web log. Today marks the third anniversary of these daily reflections. It is ironic that because I do not have internet access today (sitting in a cabin in the north woods of Michigan, surrounded by a few feet of snow) and since this post will not be published until tomorrow, most of the readers will not see it. It will have been superseded by the post for the Forth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Since this is the case, rather than the usual straight forward reflection on the readings, we reflect back on how this exercise has changed me and how the faith so eloquently described by the author of Hebrews has grown as a result. We begin by looking at the process that has evolved for developing these posts. When I began, before I started writing commentaries on each reading, I would prayerfully read the scripture for each day and almost always, as I read through the text an idea would strike and it would be the main point extracted from those readings upon which my reflection would be based.
In November of that first year, having been writing reflections for 10 months, I started writing commentaries for each reading. Something important happened. In forcing myself to really exegete the scripture, deeper meanings were revealed. As I looked at Biblical Commentaries, the Jerome Biblical Commentary, the Navarre Bible, the St. Ignatius Commentary, it became clear that God was truly speaking to me through Sacred Scripture and my humble attempts to capture His meaning in the commentaries I wrote, often borrowing from others much more learned than I, was my way of saying “Lord, this is what I think you were saying.” Because I have now completed this process for Cycles C and A of the Sunday readings and now Years I and II of the weekday readings (the archive of the Deacon’s Bench now contains nearly 900 posts and I moved it in July of that first year so in total there are approaching one thousand reflections), I can look back at these commentaries of mine and it is rare that I do not change or rewrite them in light of new and deeper understandings of what the Lord is saying to me.
The reflections themselves are my thoughts on how the Word should affect how I behave, how I respond to what God calls me to do and to be. For those few who may look back to read these words, I confess that often I preach to myself in this space and fail miserably to live up to the words of my heart. Knowing is much easier than doing.
I said in the beginning of this journey that my personal faith is weak. I struggle each day with doubts so this effort, this love affair with sacred scripture, is my self-apologetic. Indeed faith as Hebrews says is “…the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” I continue this act of hope as I look for the final understanding that will only happen when I am with my Lord and Savior – face to face.
Pax
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