Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.

Jan 30 2025

Scripture Study for

In his address to the assembly, Joshua places before them a choice that will shape their own self-identity, and will determine the path that they will travel for the rest of their lives and the lives of their descendants. Whom will they serve? They can continue to serve their ancestral gods; they can opt for the gods of the people in whose land they are now dwelling; or they can worship the Lord. Speaking for his own family, Joshua declares: We will serve the Lord. The rest of the people make the same decision. Their choice of a god is determined by the personal involvement of God in their lives.

The responsibilities of husbands in contrast to a traditional patriarchal marriage are the subject of the Ephesian reading. First, Christ loved the church enough to give his life for it. This is the degree of spousal commitment envisioned for husbands. Following the example of Christ who sacrificed his divine privileges for the sake of the church, husbands are told to sacrifice their patriarchal privileges for the sake of their wives. In Genesis the husband and wife constitute one flesh (2:24). Building on this concept, the author argues that when husbands love their spouses, they are really loving themselves. This transformed understanding of marriage is then used to characterize the mysterious union of Christ and the church.

Jesus’ words or deeds were met with disbelief. He responds to the challenge of these unbelievers with one of his own. If they were troubled by the thought of him descending from heaven, what would they think about him ascending back to where he had originated? Both descending and ascending imply that he is a heavenly being, the very claim that scandalized his hearers in the first place. Jesus continues his defense by setting the notion of flesh against that of spirit. He insists that the flesh (the human way of being in the world) cannot give life. On hearing this, some no longer followed him.

Jan 30 2025

Scripture Study for

Wisdom prepares a lavish banquet. Everything is ready, and servants are sent out to call in the guests. Wisdom always invites, cajoles, persuades; she never commands. She feeds the desire for knowledge and insight; she satisfies the hunger for learning. Wisdom is interested in the simple, the innocent, the childlike, those who are eager to learn. She oversees all of the mysteries of the universe; in her hands are the secrets of life. These are the delicacies with which she spreads her table; this is the fare that she offers her guests. No one can survive without Wisdom. The way of understanding is the way to life. The wisdom theme continues in the second reading. Christians are encouraged to live like the wise, not like the foolish. The wise are those who know how to make the most out of every opportunity. They can recognize the decisive point of the moment, and they can seize it. The ignorance against which the author warns is the inability to draw prudent conclusions in practical situations. Some people just do not seem to be able to learn from experience. As a remedy to this, Christians are urged to seek God’s will for them and to live in accordance with it. The bread of life discourse ends with a eucharistic reinterpretation of the manna tradition. Jesus’ flesh is food and his blood is drink. His flesh and blood are the source of life for those who partake of it. Just as we become one with what we eat and drink, so Jesus and those who feed on him form an intimate union. Those who share in the Eucharist already possess eternal life. For them, the future holds fullness of life that will be enjoyed after the general resurrection on the last day. Jesus, not manna, is the bread that came, not from the sky, but from the very being of God. Those who ate manna died; those who feed on Jesus live forever.

Jan 30 2025

Scripture Study for

The prophet Elijah goes into the desert, not to pray or to recommit himself to the service of the Lord, but in the hope that he will die. The office of prophet has become too heavy to bear. He sits under a broom tree, hoping to die. His prayer is not heard; his mission has not yet been completed. Instead, an angel of the Lord brings him food and drink. Then in the strength of this mysterious food and water, he walks forty days and forty nights, arriving at Horeb, the mountain of revelation. A story that begins in desperation ends with the prophet once again actively involved in God’s affairs.

The second reading opens with a plea directed to the Christians not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. They have been sealed by this Spirit, a seal that is a pledge of the fulfillment of their redemption. The author then urges the Christians to live lives of generosity of heart, compassion, tolerance, and patience. They are to forgive others as God has forgiven them, by accepting the sacrifice of Christ on their behalf. The Trinitarian theology is obvious. As imitators of God, and after the example of Christ, they have been called to live according to the Spirit.

The exchange between Jesus and his opponents was meant to enhance the status of one member of the exchange as it diminished the status of the other. In a clever turn of phrase, Jesus declares that only those drawn by God will be drawn to the one who was sent by God. If one does not come to him, it is probably a sign that person was never called by God. This argument ends with a declaration of Jesus’ ultimate authority and power. Not only is he the one who came down from heaven, but he is the one who will raise people up from the dead, for whoever believes this has eternal life.

Jan 30 2025

Scripture Study for

The Israelites’ murmuring in the wilderness highlights more than their discouragement in the face of hunger. Their very real need for food put their faith in God to the test. The entire Israelite community grumbled to Moses and Aaron. Although it is God’s leadership that is being challenged, it is God’s appointed leaders who are being blamed. It is not the complaint itself but its content that is disturbing. The people prefer their former situation of oppression in Egypt with food, rather than their present freedom without food. God hears their rebellious grumbling and responds, not with punishment, but with provisions. Once again God’s divine power and mercy are demonstrated.

The admonition that Paul gives to the Ephesians is a wisdom teaching in which contrasts are drawn in an uncompromising manner. There are only two ways of living: the way of the wise or righteous, and the way of the foolish or wicked. Paul contrasts the life the Ephesians lived before their conversion with the one to which they have now committed themselves. This new life demands a radical change. However, this is not out of the reach of the Ephesians. They must further choose the path they will follow. Will it be the way of futility, or will they be recreated in God’s own righteousness and holiness?

Jesus’ discourse on the bread of life is actually a response to the challenge from the people who demand a sign that will verify his authority. Knowing that the crowds followed him for food, Jesus makes this an opportunity to teach them about food that would endure. Just as God gave their ancestors manna from heaven, so God gives them the true bread from heaven, the bread that gives life to the world. Through careful explanation, Jesus has led them away from a superficial search for physical satisfaction to a desire for the deeper things of God. More than that, he has prepared them for his self-proclamation: I am the bread of life.

Jan 30 2025

Scripture Study for

Elisha directs that bread and grain be given to the people who have gathered at the shrine. Those who ministered at the shrine objected, because the bread was intended for cultic use. Elisha insisted, and one hundred people were fed by a mere twenty loaves. The miracle is the result of the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet. The original intent of the story is uncertain. It cannot be a reference to the manna in the wilderness, where God miraculously fed the multitude, for there the people took only what they needed and nothing was left over. This miracle reveals the bounteous generosity of God.

From prison Paul admonishes the Ephesians to lead the kind of life that has resulted in his own captivity. Rather than deterring them from following his example, his imprisonment demonstrates the price he is willing to pay for having been invited into a life of Christian virtue. He insists that only such a life is worthy of the call that they too have received from God. All the virtues he proposes are relational and foster community harmony. This is the kind of conduct that engenders peace within the community and provides the members with the inner dispositions needed to preserve the unity that comes from the Spirit.

Jesus took the barley loaves and fish, gave thanks, and distributed them. The eucharistic reference here is obvious. Once again the crowds were overwhelmed by Jesus, following him to the other side of the lake in order to witness his exceptional power. They were not disappointed. They now recognize him as more than a wonder-worker. He is the long-awaited prophet like Moses, the one who will usher in the messianic age. The event took place at the time of the Passover, the feast that coincided with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, feasts that celebrated the saving events of the past and looked forward in hope to the final age of fulfillment.