Ordinary Time

Jan 06 2025

Scripture Study for

The reason given for the murders described in the first reading leaves no doubt in our minds that these are genuine martyrs, faithful Israelites who died for their faith. The real point of this narrative is the faith in resurrection. Early Israel believed that justice would be accomplished in this life, either during the time of those directly involved or in the time of their descendants. The idea of individual reward or punishment after death became a major issue after the experience of the Exile. This reading reflects the shift that took place in Israel’s thinking around the time of the Maccabean revolt (c. 167 B.C.E.).

Paul prays for encouragement and strength for the Thessalonians. Though he asks that they pray for him, he is not concerned with his own personal needs, but with the progress of the gospel that he preaches. When he also asks them to pray for his own deliverance from opposition, he is less concerned with the consequences of the persecution in his life than with how it might set up obstacles for the progress of the gospel. He places his trust in the faithfulness of the Lord. It is Christ who will strengthen the believers, be their protection, and keep them on the path of righteousness.

The Sadducees, who claimed to be descendants of Zadok, the high priest at the time of David, were a conservative, aristocratic group who cooperated with the Romans and enjoyed a certain amount of privilege as a result. Unlike the Pharisees, they did not believe in the resurrection, and they used ridicule to demonstrate that the belief in it was foolish. In response to them, Jesus employs a very traditional Jewish method of argument. He points out that if one is in covenant with God, not even death can sever the bond of that union. His method of interpreting may be unfamiliar to us today, but Jesus employed it effectively to counter the challenge of the Sadducees.

Jan 06 2025

Ripe for the Picking

The universal love and providence of the Creator are celebrated in this most unusual reading. Unlike earlier traditions that envision creation as a kind of reordering of cosmic debris after the primordial battle, this passage depicts a Creator who is personally involved with every dimension of the natural world. We find here the same cosmic power, but it is coupled with love and mercy. Just as the power of the Creator is matched by the love of the Creator, so is this love manifested through mercy. God is merciful precisely because God is powerful. Finally, the author claims that the imperishable spirit of God is in all things.

Paul assures his people that though he has been the minister of the word, it is God who called them, and it is Paul’s prayer that they remain worthy of that calling. He states that though they are obliged to live ethical lives, it is the prior grace of God and not the ethical behavior that saves them. He further teaches an “already-but-not-yet” form of eschatology (teachings about the end-times). Though the eschatological day of the Lord is imminent, it is not yet present. Believers must continue to live their lives in patient anticipation of Christ’s coming, realizing that they do so in his presence, for he has already come. The story of Zacchaeus demonstrates Jesus’ mission to seek and to save what is lost. Not only did Zacchaeus belong to the hated class of tax collectors, he was chief among them. This means that he probably benefitted both from the taxes paid and from the fees that tax collectors themselves exacted from the people. The narrative draws bold lines of contrast between Jesus’ attitude toward this man and the scorn of some of the bystanders. Jesus insisted that only those who are lost can be found; only those who are perishing can be saved. Those who revere themselves as righteous seldom understand this, and as a result, miss opportunities for their own salvation.

Jan 06 2025

Scripture Study for

Jan 06 2025

Praying for Mercy

There is a funny song in the highly irreverent musical The Book of Mormon. One of the two young Mormons being sent as a missionary to Uganda is a real “golden boy” with genuine expectations of doing great things. When he is paired up with a less prepossessing fellow named Callahan, he sings a song predicting the great things they will do. The song’s title is “It’s You and Me—But Mostly Me.”

The prayer of the Pharisee falls into this category. It is not a bad prayer, we are told. The Pharisee stands before God in gratitude for many blessings. But the focus quickly shifts to “I . . . I . . . I . . . I . . . ” It is the simple prayer of the tax collector that wins God’s heart. Note how Jesus expresses it: “the latter went home justified.” To be justified is to be in right relationship with God; it is a gift of God. Asking that God be merciful puts us in right relationship with God.

We can make our own several prayers found in Luke’s first two chapters. Consider the prayer of Mary upon hearing Elizabeth’s words of greeting (1:46–55), the prayer of Zechariah at the birth of John the Baptist (1:68–79), and the prayer of Simeon in the temple when he takes in his arms the Christ Child (2:29–32). Each keeps our focus on God as a God of justice and mercy. Each calls us to bow our heads humbly in recognition of who we are and who God is.

Consider/Discuss

Does God really want us bowing our heads and beating our breasts?
Where is the line between self-acceptance, self-esteem, and self-absorption?

Responding to the Word

When I am tempted to be boastful in my prayer, O God, help me to recall that I always stand before you as a sinner.

Jan 06 2025

Scripture Study for

Sirach insists that the justice of God is an established fact. He also states that God knows no favorites, neither the privileged nor the dispossessed. By making this statement he indirectly shows that, if there is any partiality, it is ours and not God’s. According to covenant theology, we are all responsible for each other. The well-off are obliged to address the needs of those who suffer misfortune. This is a matter of justice, not charity. As a covenant partner, God will intervene on behalf of the poor when other covenant partners disregard their responsibilities. Sirach assures these forlorn people that their entreaties will not go unheeded.

Paul is aware that his days are numbered. His death is imminent. He faces it with the calm resignation that springs from deep faith. He states that he is being poured out like sacrificial blood. He also views his death as a departure like that of sailors weighing anchor or soldiers breaking camp. Like them, Paul has completed a demanding tour of service and is now preparing to return home. Finally, employing imagery from athletic competition, he claims that he has competed well; he has finished the race. He is confident that just as God previously rescued him from peril, so God will rescue him again.

The story of the Pharisee and the tax collector is an example of divine reversal. The Pharisee is a model of religious observance. His practices of piety exceed the requirements of the law. The tax collector, despised because he is part of the economic system put in place by the occupying Romans, asks God for mercy. He stands at a distance, not raising his eyes to heaven. The tax collector prays that his sins be expiated, and his prayer is answered. The Pharisee asks for nothing, and he receives nothing. The men’s lives may have been the reverse of each other, but the judgment of Jesus exposes the real reversal.