Note: Alternate readings used for Year A Scrutinies are found below in a second section.
Catechism Links [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23
Likewise all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people
added infidelity to infidelity,
practicing all the abominations of the nations
and polluting the LORD's temple
which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers,
send his messengers to them,
for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.
But they mocked the messengers of God,
despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,
until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed
that there was no remedy.
Their enemies burnt the house of God,
tore down the walls of Jerusalem,
set all its palaces afire,
and destroyed all its precious objects.
Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon,
where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons
until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.
All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah:
"Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths,
during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest
while seventy years are fulfilled."
In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,
in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,
the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia
to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,
both by word of mouth and in writing:
"Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth
the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,
and he has also charged me to build him a house
in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people,
let him go up, and may his God be with him!"
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Commentary on 2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23
In this selection the Chronicler summarizes the last fifty-eight verses of Kings and adds additional comment. The verses describe how the Hebrews violated God’s law and were not contrite. They did not heed the warnings of Jeremiah the prophet and as a consequence Jerusalem was sacked, the temple destroyed, and the people sent exiled from the land God had given them, to Babylon. This condensed account also describes how Jeremiah interceded on behalf of the people swaying the king of Persia (Babylon), Cyrus, ending the exile.
These events are mentioned elsewhere: “The words of these verses are identical with those of Ezra 1:1-3a. Originally Ezra-Nehemiah formed the last part of the single work of the Chronicler, of which 1 and 2 Chronicles formed the first part. But when Ezra-Nehemiah was regarded as a natural sequence to the Books of Samuel and of Kings, it was separated from 1 and 2 Chronicles and placed before them. Thus, 1 and 2 Chronicles became the last part of the Hebrew Bible. To prevent this work from ending on a note of doom, Ezra 1:1-3a was repeated as 2 Chronicles 36:22-23” [5]
CCC: 2 Chr 36:21 2172
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
R. (6ab) Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
For there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
"Sing for us the songs of Zion!"
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
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Commentary on Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
The sadness that drove Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild is reflected in this communal lament. The people of God, dispersed throughout the region, recall the joys of being in God’s presence in Zion (Jerusalem). We feel in this hymn our own anticipation of being together in God’s presence as a community of faith.
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Reading II: Ephesians 2:4-10
But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved —,
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.
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Commentary on Eph 2:4-10
St. Paul places in sharp contrast the mercy and power of God and the weakness of the person. He describes how, only out of his great mercy, God rescued mankind “dead in our transgressions” though his Son, Jesus. The apostle describes the mechanism by which salvation is bestowed “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God.” St. Paul also provides a motive (though none is needed) for God’s creative act with the statement that the Christian has been “created in Christ Jesus for the good works.”
CCC: Eph 2:4-5 654; Eph 2:4 211, 1073; Eph 2:6 1003, 2796
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Gospel: John 3:14-21
"And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
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Commentary on Jn 3:14-21
Jesus tells Nicodemus that humanity will be saved when the Son of Man is lifted up on the Cross. The passage continues as a monologue of the great profession of Jesus’ relation as the only Son of God the Father and the redemptive mission upon which he was sent. The reference at the beginning to Moses, and how he “lifted up the serpent in the desert,” is referring to Numbers 21:4-9. The incident in the desert is a corollary to God’s saving power, and St. John links this to Christ’s crucifixion (“so must the Son of Man be lifted up”) which has a double significance of his death and being raised to glory in the resurrection. Both these words appear in Isaiah 52:13 to describe the Servant of the Lord.
The passage continues, clearly in the evangelist’s voice: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” In doing so he provides “the only explanation that we shall ever have of the gift of eternal life made possible for us in the redemption achieved in Christ is the incredible love of God for the world.” [6] Inasmuch as Christ has been sent into the world for its salvation, failure to believe in that saving event is its own condemnation.
The evangelist concludes this selection describing evildoers as children of darkness who will not approach the light, which is Christ. On the other hand, the one who "lives the truth" (this is an Old Testament expression, see Genesis 24:49 and Ezekiel 18:9f) is clearly visible as one who has faith in Christ, the redeemer.
CCC: Jn 3:15 1033; Jn 3:16 219, 444, 454, 458, 706; Jn 3:17 2447; Jn 3:19-24 2845; Jn 3:19-20 208, 1781; Jn 3:21 2778
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Reflection:
A very good friend refers to Sundays during Lent as “Little Easters.” Indeed, that is what they are, for on these days we take time out from our Lenten discipline to remember that Christ is risen and we should all rejoice in that fact since it brings us life as well.
The readings for today illustrate that fact in spades. Especially the Gospel from John gives us food indeed. Jesus reminds us that his mission is to come into the world to reveal God to all mankind, and through that revelation, show us the way to live in God’s love so that we might share in the New Covenant for which he is the seal and sacrifice.
When he came to us, we did not know him. When he called to us, we did not answer. It was not until he had endured his terrible passion, suffering humiliation and death and then, as he told us he would, rose from the dead, that we might finally understand. And that understanding needs to be revisited time and again. We, as said many times in Scripture, are a stiff-necked and stubborn lot, easily lead astray.
Today, however, we celebrate Christ, and him crucified.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.” (Jn 3, 16)
That is our hope and our prayer. We remember today that it is through Christ’s great love that the gates of heaven are thrown open and God’s hand is extended to us.
Pax
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Fourth Sunday of Lent (For use with RCIA)
Catechism Links 1
CCC 280, 529, 748, 1165, 2466, 2715: Christ the light of the nations
CCC 439, 496, 559, 2616: Jesus is the Son of David
CCC 1216: baptism is illumination
CCC 782, 1243, 2105: Christians are to be light of the world
Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (A)
Readings and Commentary:
1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
The Lord said to Samuel:
“Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”
As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice,
Samuel looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the Lord’s anointed is here before him.”
But the Lord said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because man sees the appearance
but the Lord looks into the heart.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The Lord has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The Lord said,
“There—anoint him, for this is the one!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed David in the presence of his brothers;
and from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David.
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Commentary on 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
The story of Samuel the seer moves to the final section of First Book of Samuel (1 Samuel 16:1–31:13) Note, he is not yet referred to as a prophet, In this passage, he is deeply troubled over God’s decision to remove Saul as king of Israel. God sends Samuel to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint the next king, whom God has now identified.
Samuel looks upon the first seven of Jesse’s sons (a perfect number in Hebrew numerology). The Lord finally instructs Samuel to anoint the youngest (eighth son), David who is not present but is tending the sheep. It is important to note that it is David is not a member of any ruling class, nor does he have any lineage that would cause him to merit such honor, who is chosen by God to lead the people of Israel. This emphasizes the fact that this divine call is not won by human merit.
"The grace and strength of heaven rushes upon David and raises him up as king. The anointing of the Spirit is symbolized by pouring oil upon his head (Is 61:1) (CCC 695). From that day: David enjoys an ongoing presence of the Spirit, unlike earlier figures whose possession of the Spirit was intermittent and temporary (e.g., Saul, 10:6; 16:14; and Samson, Judg 14:6, 19; 15:14; 16:20). • The Spirit descending and abiding with David anticipates the Spirit coming down and remaining on Jesus from the day of his anointing at the Jordan (Jn 1:32–33)."[7]
This anointing is the first of three David will receive. The other two will come after the death of Saul.
CCC: 1 Sm 16:1 436; 1 Sm 16:12-13 436; 1 Sm 16:13 695
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Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
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Commentary on Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Psalm 23 is probably the most quoted psalm in Holy Scripture and perhaps one of the most commonly used of all the Scripture. It is both a song of praise and a prayer in difficult times. The imagery of the Good Shepherd is also found in the exodus (see Isaiah 40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah 31:10). It is used extensively in both the Old Testament and the New Testament (see Ezekiel 34:11-16; John 10:11-18). [8]
The reference in the third strophe above “You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes” “occurs in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies watch: my enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke 7:37, 46; John 12:2).” [9]
CCC: Ps 23:5 1293
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Ephesians 5:8-14
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Commentary on Eph 5:8-14
As is typical in St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the apostle uses language in this passage that is almost liturgical or hymn-like, especially the last verse (v. 14) which was probably taken from a hymn used at baptisms (compare also Ephesians 2:5-6; 3:9 and Isaiah 60:1). He proclaims that Christ, who is the light of truth to the world, has handed on this light to his followers who, in their turn, are to live as children of the light. (This passage is the justification for the modern baptismal prayer at the presentation of the baptismal candle as well as foundational for the Easter Candle.)
CCC: Eph 5:8 1216, 1695; Eph 5:9 1695; Eph 5:14 2641
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John 9:1-41
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied,
“The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”
And they said to him, “Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t know.”
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?”
His parents answered and said,
“We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself.”
His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
“He is of age; question him.”
So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, “Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner.”
He replied,
“If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
So they said to him,
“What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
He answered them,
“I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
They ridiculed him and said,
“You are that man’s disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from.”
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind.”
Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.
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Commentary on Jn 9:1-41
The story of the healing of the man born blind is the sixth sign that Jesus is the Son of God from St. John’s Gospel. In this story we are presented with Jesus as “the light of the world.” The story provides a number of key theological points that help understand the mission of Christ.
The first of these points is the understanding that sin is not inherited. The Jews believed that the man born blind had inherited sin. ("Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?") This understanding would have been shared by the Pharisees in that it was supported by both tradition and Old Testament Scripture (Exodus 20:5).
Next we see that the Pharisees are accusing Jesus of violating the Sabbath, considering it “work” to cure a person on that day when all work was to cease. The logic that flowed from this was that Jesus could not be a prophet (much less the Messiah) if he did not keep the scrupulous Pharisaic laws governing the Sabbath.
The references to the miracle were clearly disturbing to the people of the Jewish community as we hear even the parents of the man born blind avoiding validating Jesus’ standing as prophet or Messiah for fear of being called blasphemous and being thrown out or shunned by the faith community. This is what happened to the man born blind as he continued to argue that Jesus was from God and that he was the Messiah. This reaction/rejection attitude about Jesus as Messiah was formalized by the Jewish hierarchy around 85 A.D. when the curse against the minim or heretics was introduced into the "Eighteen Benedictions."
CCC: Jn 9:6 1151, 1504; Jn 9:7 1504; Jn 9:16-17 595; Jn 9:16 596, 2173; Jn 9:22 575, 596; Jn 9:31 2827; Jn 9:34 588; Jn 9:40-41 588
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Or
Shorter Form : John 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent —.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him, and
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
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Commentary on Jn 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
The shorter form of the story omits the iterative nature of the questioning of the Pharisees, their own condemnation as being blind, and skips straight to Jesus’ profession of faith and that of the man born blind as he replied to Jesus' question concerning his identity with the profession: “’I do believe, Lord,’ and he worshiped him.”
CCC: Jn 9:6 1151, 1504; Jn 9:7 1504; Jn 9:16-17 595; Jn 9:16 596, 2173; Jn 9:34 588
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Homily:
I’d like to have you reflect with me about what took place in the Gospel story we just heard. I know; I have proclaimed it and it is a story familiar to us with many symbolic parts (coming as it does from St. John’s Gospel). But I’d like to tell the story of the man born blind as I have imagined it; not as the sixth miracle story, not as another one of Jesus’ miracles but as it must have impacted a real person and a real community.
First, let’s give the man born blind a name – no name is provided by St. John so let’s call him Abner (In Hebrew it means father of light. In the bible he was King Saul's cousin and commander of his army. Abner was a valiant warrior and clever strategist.) When Abner’s parents were expecting him, they would have been filled with expectation. He would be a great man.
Those hopes turned to ashes when they discovered some time after his birth that he could not see. In those times, this terrible affliction not only meant Abner would grow up to be a beggar (that was all he would be able to do once he came of age and his parents could no longer support him). It also meant that Abner’s parents or perhaps even his grandparents had committed some unforgiven sin. What other reason could there be for God to punish them so – causing their son to be born blind.
This stain of humiliation would have caused Abner’s family to lose any esteem they may have had with their community. People would have wondered – what awful thing did they do to merit Abner’s affliction. It is no wonder after the miracle happened that they would have been less than cooperative with the local Jewish leaders, telling them to ask Abner about the miracle cure since he was of age.
Growing up in that village Abner would have had a difficult time as well. Children would have heard from their parents how Abner was being punished by their God and they would not have been overly kind – certainly Abner would have been lucky to have any friends. From his teenage years he would have been forced to beg for subsistence. He was completely dependent upon the charity of others.
Then, on a day that would change his life forever, Abner, sitting in customary place in the outskirts of modern-day Jerusalem, heard a discussion in which he was keenly interested.
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
They were talking about him and he listened already feeling humiliation for what he expected to follow – blame cast at either himself, or his family. To his surprise the next voice he heard filled him with awe –
“Neither he nor his parents sinned; (the man said)
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
All of a sudden, he heard footsteps approaching and someone was smearing something damp on his eyes. Abner would have been startled. Only the very brave would seek to intervene against God’s will. Then the man said:
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam”
Siloam was a small pool cut out of rock not too far away. Abner knew the way and the authority with which he was told to go propelled him in that direction, feeling his way along what must have been a familiar path.
When he washed his eyes and for the first time in his experience saw light, he must have gasped at least. Unfamiliar shapes surrounded him. Knowing more by touch and smell than any other sense he would have seen his own face for the first time in that small pool. Knowledge would have flooded into him – “I am the light of the world” all of a sudden, they would have meaning to Abner. He would have rushed back to the Lord, moving faster than he had ever been able to move. But who had cured him? Abner would have looked frantically seeking the voice because that would be the only way he could recognize the Lord.
People were staring at him now too. They knew him; how was it possible he could now see? They asked how it had happened and he knew only the name “Jesus.” It must have been mentioned by one of those following the Lord but not recorded in Scripture. They asked him where Jesus was but poor Abner had never seen his face.
Jewish law required Abner to go to the priests to demonstrate his well-being when cures were affected. This one would have really perturbed them. Abner had not recovered from some accident or gotten over some disease. He had been blind from birth. And these priests knew something Abner did not. They knew the identity of Jesus and also knew he was a threat.
They needed to prove Jesus did not cause this miracle. First they challenged Abner’s identity; they even brought in his parents. Then they tried to prove he had blasphemed by doing work on the sabbath. Nothing changed the fact that God had been revealed in this carpenter’s son from Galilee.
Abner knew what had happened. He had heard Jesus speak and even though he was blind, he had heard the words of the Law and Prophets his whole life. Jesus, who had smeared mud in his eyes and restored his sight, must certainly be the Messiah. He challenged those in authority. When they started in the third time, Abner asked them “Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
With that the priests effectively excommunicated him from the synagogue, a punishment for challenging their authority. Abner left the synagogue and found the Lord. Something in this man erased any doubt Abner had left. When the Lord asked: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (Using Isaiah’s words for the Messiah), Abner only need to be sure, asking:
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
And when Jesus identified himself, Abner worshiped him – probably falling at his feet.
We do not know what became of Abner after that. He was undoubtedly one of the Lord’s followers – walking proof of God’s love. He saw and believed.
We are offered this story so we too might be reminded. Jesus was a real person. He walked the earth and lived as we do. We are asked to believe without seeing and follow him – the Light of the World – and in doing so become light ourselves.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used today is “Moses and the Brazen Serpent" by Sebastien Bourdon 1653-54.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] 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.
[5] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc.© 1968, 24:80 p. 426.
[6] Ibid., 63:71 p. 430
.[7] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. 1 Samuel 16:13.
[8] NAB footnote on Ps 23:5.
[9] Ibid.
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