Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.

Jan 15 2025

Scripture Study for

Isaiah provides us with a glimpse of what ecologists today would refer to as the integrity of creation. Focusing on precipitation in the forms of rain and snow, he traces the cycle that it takes. His understanding comes from observation of nature, the primary source of wisdom. This metaphor assures us that we can be as confident of the power of the word of God as we can be of the working of the natural world. Just as nature produces miracles upon which we can rely and because of which we can survive, so the word of God can effect miracles upon which we can rely and because of which we can live.

Paul’s teaching on the end of time takes a very interesting turn. He maintains that the new life of which he speaks is not limited to the human sphere. Rather, the entire created world participates in this transformation. The entire created world is somehow swept up with humankind into this eschatological drama, awaiting the revelation that will be granted the children of God, not as spectators, but as participants. Paul assures the Christians that they already possess the first fruits of the Spirit, a pledge that guarantees they will be brought into full transformation. By implication, all of creation will be brought along with them.

The Gospel parable focuses neither on the sower nor on the seed, but on the receptivity of the soil. The parable is not a difficult story to understand. But what does it really mean? Jesus provides his disciples an allegorical interpretation of the parable. In each case described, the sown word is actually heard; to some extent it is accepted. Jesus is not referring to outright rejection from outsiders, but to the way followers receive the word of God. When one understands the meaning of the parable, one is apt to wonder: What kind of soil am I? How receptive am I to the word of God?

Jan 15 2025

Scripture Study for

The passage from Zechariah is an oracle of salvation, containing an idealized picture of an Israelite king and the peaceful kingdom over which he will rule. Though this is a vision of the future, the verbs are prophetic perfect, indicating that in God’s time the future is already present. The king is seated on the foal of an ass, a purebred animal born of a female ass rather than of a mule. While this may be a depiction of a victory march, it is devoid of military ostentation. Instead, the king proclaims peace to all nations. This king is the agent of God’s blessings to all people.

Paul contrasts two ways of living: life in the flesh and life in the spirit. For Paul, flesh is human nature in all of the limitations that sometimes incline one away from God; by spirit he means a life that is attuned to God. Paul argues that life in the flesh cannot please God, while life in the spirit is a form of union with God. Sin may still exact physical death, but it cannot quench the spirit that lives because of righteousness. Just as Christ conquered death and lives anew, so those joined to Christ will share in his victory and through the Spirit will enjoy new life.

Jesus describes the intimate relationship that he shares with God in terms that can only be considered a high Christology, an emphasizing of his divine rather than his human nature. He claims that only the Father can really know him, because only God has this kind of experiential knowledge of him. Correspondingly, only he can really know God, for only he has experiential knowledge of the Father. If anyone else knows the Father it is only because Jesus has revealed God to that person. In this sense, Jesus is the mediator of knowledge of God. If his hearers learn from him, they too will be blessed with the revelation of the Father.

Jan 15 2025

Scripture Study for

The reading from Deuteronomy shows that God’s graciousness is not to be squandered. The people are told to remember the past in order to act in a certain way in the present. Though the time of their sojourn in the wilderness is over, there are still lessons that they must learn from it. Moses directs the people to remember how God delivered them from bondage, guided them through the wilderness, miraculously gave them water, and provided them with mysterious food. The trials in the wilderness did not so much test their obedience to the commandments as their total dependence on God.

Paul’s discourse on the Eucharist not only identifies the symbolic potential of the substances of bread and wine, but it also describes actions that are rich in symbolism. It is by sharing the cup that is blessed that one participates in the blood of Christ. Eating food with another establishes a bond of companionship, a bond that includes mutual obligations. Paul further insists that breaking bread together may form us into a community, but sharing eucharistic bread forms us into the body of Christ. The acts of blessing the cup and breaking the bread have profound significance for salvation and the life of the church.

Jesus identifies his flesh as the bread of heaven, thus giving manna a new meaning. His flesh and blood are the source of life for those who partake of them. In other words, eternal life comes from feeding on Jesus, not simply from believing in him. He insists that it is not something that believers merely hope to enjoy in the future. Rather, those who share in this meal already possess eternal life. Furthermore, just as we and whatever we eat and drink become one, so Jesus and those who feed on him form an intimate union. In a mutually intimate way, they abide in him and he abides in them. Jesus does not merely visit them, but he dwells with them permanently.

Jan 15 2025

Scripture Study for

The readings for Trinity Sunday do not really explain the mystery of the Trinity. Rather, they underscore several divine characteristics that are relational and that throw light on ways that the Triune God interacts with us. Some of them traditionally have been associated with one of the three persons more than with the others.

In the first reading, though the cloud upon which God descends onto the mountain conceals God, God’s declaration to Moses is self–revelatory: “The Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity” (Exodus 42:6). Moses’ response to this spectacular revelation is worship. He prostrates himself on the ground in profound adoration. In this appearance, God reveals those divine traits that are associated with the covenant, namely, mercy, steadfast love, and fidelity.

Paul promises that if the Corinthian Christians follow his admonitions and live in the way he instructs them, they will experience the presence of God. The blessing with which he ends this letter embodies an early Trinitarian emphasis. It notes the gift of grace that is received through Jesus Christ, the love that God has for all of creation, a love that is the source of all good things, and the community of the Holy Spirit within which believers are rooted. There is no more meaningful benediction that Paul might have chosen.

In the Gospel reading, the extent of God’s love is drawn in bold lines in two significant ways. The first is the scope of divine love, and the second is the price that God is willing to pay because of that love. The passage is remarkable in its explicit declaration of God’s love for the entire world. This love for the world is so deep and so magnanimous that, for the world to be saved, nothing is spared, not even God’s only Son. Those who believe in that Son are saved; those who do not believe in him call down judgment upon themselves.

Jan 14 2025

Scripture Study for

The Jewish feast of Pentecost was one of the three major pilgrimage festivals of Israel. This feast explains why there was a crowd gathered in Jerusalem. This is the crowd that heard a loud noise and was confused, astonished, and amazed. They knew that those speaking were Galileans, yet the hearers could understand the message in their own dialect. The exact nature of this marvel is less significant than its meaning. It was clearly a manifestation of the universal presence and power of the Spirit. The outpouring of the Spirit and the preaching of the gospel to all nations are seen by some as initiating the reunion of the human race and the gathering of all into the reign of God.

The acclamation “Jesus is Lord!” is rich in both Jewish and early Christian meaning. “Lord” was the official title of the Roman emperor. To proclaim Jesus as Lord was to set up a rivalry between the followers of Jesus and the ruling political authority. The title “Lord” is also used in the Greek-language version of the Old Testament as a substitute for God’s personal name. To use this title for Jesus is also to ascribe to him the attributes of God. Paul next launches into a discourse on the varieties of functions within the Christian community. The diversity of gifts is compared to the complexity of the human body. This metaphor exemplifies unity in diversity and interdependence.

John’s account of the risen Lord treats the Resurrection and the bestowal of the Spirit as occurring on the same day. The locked doors, meant to secure the disciples from those who put Jesus to death, also underscore the mysterious character of his risen body. The image of breathing life into another is reminiscent of the creation of Adam (Genesis 2:7) and restoration of Israel after the Exile (Ezekiel 37:9). The disciples are commissioned to go forth, to declare salvation and judgment. With the bestowal of the Spirit, the disciples are authorized to continue the mission of Jesus.