Read the New Papal Encyclical "Caritas in Veritate" ("Charity in Truth")
Readings for Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30
Israel set out with all that was his.
When he arrived at Beer-sheba,
he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called,
"Jacob! Jacob!"
He answered, "Here I am."
Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father.
Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
for there I will make you a great nation.
Not only will I go down to Egypt with you;
I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes."
So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba,
and the sons of Israel
put their father and their wives and children
on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport.
They took with them their livestock
and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan.
Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt.
His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughtersB
all his descendants—he took with him to Egypt.
Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph,
so that he might meet him in Goshen.
On his arrival in the region of Goshen,
Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot
and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen.
As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck
and wept a long time in his arms.
And Israel said to Joseph, "At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 46:1-7, 28-30
After being told years earlier that his son Joseph had been killed and shown the bloodied coat he had given Joseph (Genesis 37:20-36), Jacob (Israel) and his son are reunited and the promise of God is fulfilled. Jacob travels to Egypt on God’s instruction that he will not only be returned to the land he had been given but that Joseph would “close his eyes”, a burial ritual.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time;
in days of famine they have plenty.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
A didactic Selection from Psalm 37 promises the salvation of those who hear God’s voice and trust in Him. Central to this passage is the fidelity of God to those who are faithful. Salvation for them is assured if they trust in him and take refuge in their faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23
Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 10:16-23
Jesus concludes his instruction to the Apostles in this selection from Matthew’s Gospel. We begin to hear about the persecutions that attend the spreading of the Gospel. Those who spread that Good News are encouraged not to worry about an apologetic but rather to trust in the Holy Spirit, the Father “speaking through you.”
Matthew’s final statement, referring to the coming of the Son of Man, has a couple of possible explanations. First it could be referring to the return of Christ after his crucifixion; it could also mean the punishment of the unbelieving Jewish people by the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“See how they love one another.” (While this sounds biblical it is actually popularized form of a quote from Tertullian’s noted Apology [39.6] written in the Third Century.) The implication is that non-Christians would be able to identify us by the way we behaved toward one another (and others as well since the injunction to love one’s neighbor does not simply mean other Christians). This action of “loving one another” is an outward sign of an interior faith. There are a number of factors that must be present before we demonstrate to the world that we are Christian through our actions.
In the story unfolding in Genesis we see Jacob (Israel) challenged by events to give up his belief in God’s love and mercy. He was lead to believe by his son’s that his favored son, Joseph, had been killed. In spite of this evidence of his eyes, God promised Jacob he would see Joseph again before he died. What elevates Jacob to the status of Patriarch of the faith is that, even though he had been convinced that Joseph was dead, he believed God’s promise. His faith was strong in the face of overwhelming physical evidence to the contrary.
In St. Matthew’s Gospel Jesus warns the disciples that they will have their faith tested as well. He tells them “I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves.” Indeed, all but one of the twelve will be killed by those to whom they are sent. In all cases, the Apostles are elevated to that same holy status as Jacob; all save one – Judas. Judas’ failure was not that he turned Jesus over to be executed. His failure was that he negotiated on a key point of faith. He could not accept that Jesus was meant to fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah in the way he ultimately did – through humble service.
As in these two examples (Jacob and the disciples), each of us also faces challenges to our faith. Like Judas, we are offered the option of negotiating the core values that make us Christian. We can choose an easier path; ignoring the poor and marginalized, choosing our own comfort over the greater good of our neighbors, selfishness over generosity. These choices face us each day and our selections define us as either faithful Christians or pretenders. We pray today for the faith of those who have gone before us in faith; may we be steadfast in our love of God and neighbor, thereby maintaining our friendship with Christ.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Jacob Receiving the Bloody Tunic of Joseph” Jan Lievens, c. 1660
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings for Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30
Israel set out with all that was his.
When he arrived at Beer-sheba,
he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called,
"Jacob! Jacob!"
He answered, "Here I am."
Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father.
Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
for there I will make you a great nation.
Not only will I go down to Egypt with you;
I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes."
So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba,
and the sons of Israel
put their father and their wives and children
on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport.
They took with them their livestock
and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan.
Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt.
His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughtersB
all his descendants—he took with him to Egypt.
Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph,
so that he might meet him in Goshen.
On his arrival in the region of Goshen,
Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot
and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen.
As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck
and wept a long time in his arms.
And Israel said to Joseph, "At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 46:1-7, 28-30
After being told years earlier that his son Joseph had been killed and shown the bloodied coat he had given Joseph (Genesis 37:20-36), Jacob (Israel) and his son are reunited and the promise of God is fulfilled. Jacob travels to Egypt on God’s instruction that he will not only be returned to the land he had been given but that Joseph would “close his eyes”, a burial ritual.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time;
in days of famine they have plenty.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
A didactic Selection from Psalm 37 promises the salvation of those who hear God’s voice and trust in Him. Central to this passage is the fidelity of God to those who are faithful. Salvation for them is assured if they trust in him and take refuge in their faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23
Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 10:16-23
Jesus concludes his instruction to the Apostles in this selection from Matthew’s Gospel. We begin to hear about the persecutions that attend the spreading of the Gospel. Those who spread that Good News are encouraged not to worry about an apologetic but rather to trust in the Holy Spirit, the Father “speaking through you.”
Matthew’s final statement, referring to the coming of the Son of Man, has a couple of possible explanations. First it could be referring to the return of Christ after his crucifixion; it could also mean the punishment of the unbelieving Jewish people by the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
“See how they love one another.” (While this sounds biblical it is actually popularized form of a quote from Tertullian’s noted Apology [39.6] written in the Third Century.) The implication is that non-Christians would be able to identify us by the way we behaved toward one another (and others as well since the injunction to love one’s neighbor does not simply mean other Christians). This action of “loving one another” is an outward sign of an interior faith. There are a number of factors that must be present before we demonstrate to the world that we are Christian through our actions.
In the story unfolding in Genesis we see Jacob (Israel) challenged by events to give up his belief in God’s love and mercy. He was lead to believe by his son’s that his favored son, Joseph, had been killed. In spite of this evidence of his eyes, God promised Jacob he would see Joseph again before he died. What elevates Jacob to the status of Patriarch of the faith is that, even though he had been convinced that Joseph was dead, he believed God’s promise. His faith was strong in the face of overwhelming physical evidence to the contrary.
In St. Matthew’s Gospel Jesus warns the disciples that they will have their faith tested as well. He tells them “I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves.” Indeed, all but one of the twelve will be killed by those to whom they are sent. In all cases, the Apostles are elevated to that same holy status as Jacob; all save one – Judas. Judas’ failure was not that he turned Jesus over to be executed. His failure was that he negotiated on a key point of faith. He could not accept that Jesus was meant to fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah in the way he ultimately did – through humble service.
As in these two examples (Jacob and the disciples), each of us also faces challenges to our faith. Like Judas, we are offered the option of negotiating the core values that make us Christian. We can choose an easier path; ignoring the poor and marginalized, choosing our own comfort over the greater good of our neighbors, selfishness over generosity. These choices face us each day and our selections define us as either faithful Christians or pretenders. We pray today for the faith of those who have gone before us in faith; may we be steadfast in our love of God and neighbor, thereby maintaining our friendship with Christ.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Jacob Receiving the Bloody Tunic of Joseph” Jan Lievens, c. 1660
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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