2nd SUNDAY OF EASTER (A)

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

Jn 20: 19-31

v. 19. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."

The first day of the week is Sunday. This event occurred on the evening of Easter Sunday, that is, on the day Jesus rose from the dead.

The doors were locked and yet Jesus was able to enter the room. The resurrected body of Jesus was no longer bound by the laws of physics. It has been glorified or transformed. Hence, the stone covering the tomb was rolled back not to let Jesus get out of the tomb but for the women and the disciples to be able to enter and see the empty tomb.

The disciples had reason to hide out of fear. They could be next to be arrested.

Peace be with you is a typical greeting among Jews. But the peace that Jesus bestows is different. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (Jn 14:27). The peace that he bestows is the bounty of the messianic blessings which includes gift of salvation.

v. 20. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The dis-ciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

The body of Jesus was a glorified body, transformed by the resurrection. Jesus became unrecognizable. He had to show them his wounds (nail marks and the wound at his side) to identify himself.

Regarding the joy of the disciples, “So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you” (Jn 16:22).

v. 21. (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

Jesus was sent by the Father. He can be called the apostle of the Father. Now Jesus sends his disciples, making them his apostles. Jesus now entrusts his mission to them.
They are to proclaim and live the message of Jesus. They are to call others to membership in the community of believers in Jesus.

v. 22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit."

This is St. John’s version of the Pentecost event described in the Acts of the Apostles. It was as if the apostles were “confirmed” in the mission that has been entrusted to them.

The act of breathing on them recalls the creation of man in Genesis. “The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being” (Gen 2:7). The Holy Spirit brings about what St. Paul calls a new creation, and the putting on of the new man. “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17). “And have put on the new man, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator” (Col 3:10).

Pentecost not only marked the coming of the Holy Spirit but also the birth of the Church. Hence, this was also John’s version of the birth of the Church.

v. 23. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave the Sacraments of Eucharist and Ministerial Priesthood to his disciples. Now the Risen Lord gave to his disciples the power to forgive sins, the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

v. 25. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

The disciples were not ready to believe in the Resurrection. It belies the accusation that the Resurrection was an invention of the apostles.

v. 26. Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them.

The meeting with Thomas takes place a week later, on this very day the second Sunday of Easter.

v. 28. Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Thomas made an act of faith. What is significant is that no one in the gospels has ever made this act of faith in Jesus. And this act of faith was not the result of seeing. For he could see Jesus but he could not see God. It was faith that made him see God in Jesus (that Jesus was God).

v. 29. Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

These words were spoken by Jesus more for later disciples than for Thomas. For while Thomas at least saw Jesus, we who came later and all those who would come after us would not even have that privilege.

Advisory

This will be a very busy month for me. I might not be able to post every week. Please refer to the posts of previous years.

4TH SUNDAY OF LENT - A

I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Jn 9: 1-41

v. 2. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

In ancient times there was a common belief that sin results in physical sickness. In the case of sickness from birth, some rabbis attribute it to the sin of the parents. Others attribute it to the child himself in the course of his development in the womb.

v. 3. Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.

Jesus rejects the current belief without proposing another. Instead he affirms the fact of his infirmity and assures this man that he will be made whole (cured). By doing so, Jesus will perform a sign that will show his divine origin and invite men to receive the true light.

The passage from blindness to vision symbolizes the transition from unbelief and death to faith and life. In this sense the blind man (the only one blind from birth in the NT) may be considered to be the prototype of those who will arrive to faith.

v. 4. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.

“WE have to do the works…” seems to indicate that the Christian community is speaking here and declaring that its actions is a prolongation of the action of Christ.

The life span and activity of a person is often compared to a day of work. In the same way the activity of Jesus who is the light of the world may be compared to a day.

v. 5. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

The salvific activity of the Father is manifested in Jesus for the good of all men. He is the only possibility of salvation.

v. 6. When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes.

In ancient times it was believed that saliva possessed curative powers. (Marahil ito ang dahilan kung bakit ang laway ay ginagamit para pagalingin ang isang batang na-usog.) Jesus makes use of this familiar gesture.

v. 7. And said to him, "Go was in the Pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

The Pool of Siloam is found in the city. John who gives great importance to the theme of mission suggests an etymology: As the water of the Pool of “Sent” (Siloam) gives sight, the Messiah “who was sent” brings the light of revelation. It is very possible that this passage was used in the baptismal liturgy.

v. 14. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a Sabbath.

Except for cases of grave danger, it was forbidden to cure on the Sabbath.

v. 35. When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

The man who was cured has reached the highest point of his testimony and suffered persecution. He prefigures the situation in which the Church will find itself.

Jesus meets him and reveals himself to him as the Son of Man, that is, he who comes down from heaven in order to gather all men and elevate them to a participation in the life of God.

v. 39. 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."

The mission of Jesus brings about a reversal of situations. The blind who has faith in Jesus are cured and arrive at knowledge of revelation. On the contrary those who believe themselves enlightened do not have the capacity to see he who brings the light of salvation. They remain always in darkness and in perdition.

3rd SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."

Jn 4:5-42

v. 6. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon.

The meaning of the Greek words is that Jesus was so tired that he sat down without selecting any special place to sit. This is significant because John among the evangelists emphasizes the divinity of Jesus and yet he is not afraid to record his human limitation (11:33. 35. 38; 19:28).

v. 7. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."

Obviously she was not from Sychar. This underlines her position as the repre-sentative Samaritan just as Nicodemus had been the representative Jew.

v. 9. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Sama-ritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)

The sentence “For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans” may either be a comment of the evangelist in which case the parenthesis would be correct. It may, however, be a part of the woman’s reply to Jesus, in which case, it should be within the quotation marks.

v. 10. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

The gift of God can be taken to mean the “living water” soon to be mentioned. But in the OT it is a metaphor for the help given by God to men. It is a more common metaphor in Rabbinic writings. There it is used for the Torah (Law of God). If this is so, then the sense of Jesus’ reply would be: If only she (and the Samaritans) understood the Torah, then they would realize who Jesus was and so they would come to him for living water which he alone could give.

v. 11. (The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cis-tern is deep; where then can you get this living water?

“Sir” is a term of respect. This already indicates that the woman is already on her way to being enlightened as to the true identity of Jesus.

In v. 6 the word for “well” may also be translated as “spring”. Here it is really “cistern” because the water here is not living (that is, not fresh) as the water coming from a mountain stream. The religion of Samaria is like the water stored in a cistern.

v. 12. Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?"

The word used for “flock” can also mean “slaves”. The point is that what Jacob left was sufficient for freemen, for slaves and beasts. Can Jesus improve on that? The answer is yes. The salvation brought by Jesus is sufficient for the world.

v. 13. Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again."

Jesus contrasts the drink that can only quench the thirst for a short time and then needs to be repeated with the drink which drunk only once quenches all thirst for good. This reminds us of the OT sacrifice which needs to be repeated daily and the sacrifice of Christ (NT) which was offered only once and yet is efficacious always and everywhere.

v. 15. The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."

The woman does not yet fully understand Jesus; but it seems equally clear that she realizes that the conversation is moving to places where her own personal and her national religious life will be challenged.

v. 16. Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back."

First, she will have to bring her husband and then from Christ she will be able to draw living water. A commentator suggests that Jesus was actually speaking at two levels. He was not only thinking about the man she was cohabiting with. He was also talking about her Samaritan religion (= husband). The woman, of course, understood that Jesus was only speaking about her husband.

v. 17. The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus answered her, "You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.'

The woman tries to evade the incursion of Jesus into her private life by saying she has no husband. But Jesus persists in talking about her husband. Of course, he also had the Samaritan religion in mind. He asserts that her religion is empty because it is not wedded to the one true God.

v. 19. The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet."

The supernatural knowledge of Jesus leads her to conclude that he was a prophet. Now it was the duty of the prophet to denounce any adultery on the part of God’s people. And she felt that it was to this that the conversation what was leading to.

Also she might be suspecting that Jesus was no ordinary prophet. Jesus could be THE prophet that Dt 18:15 was talking about.

v. 20. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem."

The mountain cannot but be Gerizim. At the same time, dialog cannot be taking place on that mountain. No doubt John had in mind the symbolic character of the conversation taking place between Jesus and the woman.

v. 21. Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

Jesus already foresees that some Samaritans will come to worship the Father and these like some of the Jews will do it through Jesus himself.

v. 22. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.

The Samaritans accepted the Pentateuch but without they remain ignorant for they are without the divine commentary written on the recorded history of Israel and without the writings of her inspired religious writers.

v. 23. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.

A scholar rephrases “in spirit and truth” into “in Spirit which is the truth.” Truth as used by John often means “reality”.

The Spirit is not some vague spirituality. He is the power that filled and pos-sessed Christ and wrought the works of God in him.

v. 24. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth."

God is not just one of the beings that inhabit the spirit world. He is not just one member of the clan of spirits.

v. 25. The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything."

“He will tell us everything” may be re-worded as “He will reveal all things by his teaching of the truth”.

v.40. When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.

Testimony (of the woman) is adequate to bring men to Christ. But this must give way to personal experience and communion with the Lord.

The Jesus whom men met in Galilee, Samaria and Judea is the same as the risen Lord that men can meet in any time or place. And it is the concern of John, the synoptics and St. Paul and the rest of the NT writers to affirm that the this Jesus of history is the same as the Christ of faith.

v. 42. And they said to the woman, "We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."

The universal mission of Jesus is once again affirmed as it was affirmed in the encounter of Jesus with Nicodemus (Jn 3:16).

2nd SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

Mt 17: 1-9

Today’s passage recalls the story of Jesus’ baptism. In both there is a voice; in both the voice says: This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased (Mt 3:17). Both are epiphanies or manifestations of Jesus. They belong to the other manifestation stories of Jesus such as the manifestation to the magi. Epiphany stories about holy men are common in ancient writings. In these stories the veil that hides the invisible and the future is pushed back for a moment in order to reveal what is hidden.

The story of the transfiguration of Jesus may be the earliest epiphany stories about Jesus, older than the Baptism of Jesus, the Visit of the Magi and the Visit of the Shepherds.

Some have suggested that that behind the Transfiguration story was really the story of the appearance of the Resurrected Christ which tradition had somehow misunderstood. Others offer the opinion that behind the Transfiguration was a mystical experience that we encounter in the lives of the Saints.

In the Transfiguration story what is revealed is the glory of the Son of Man when he comes at the end of the age (Mt 16:27f). In Mt 26:17ff he will take the same three disciples to reveal something to them again. This time it is the meaning of his death and resurrection, which is his obedience to the Father’s will.

v. 1 - After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

After six days – The precise note of time links this paragraph (Transfigura-tion) with the previous sayings – Jesus foretells his death and resurrection (Mt 16:21-23) and the cost of discipleship (Mt 16:24-28).

Precise notes of time are something unusual in the Synoptic gospels with the exception of the account of his last days in Jerusalem and of the Passion.

The mention of six days may allude to Ex 24:16ff where it is written: “The glory of the LORD settled upon Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.”

Peter, James and John seem to form the inner circle of Jesus’ apostles. He brings them with him in Gethsemane (Mt 26:17) and to the healing of Jairus daughter (Mk 5:37).

v. 2 - And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

Metemorphothe means ‘changed, transfigured’. Paul spoke of this event in 2 Cor 3. He used the same word in order to speak of the change Christians are undergoing now and which will be completed at the end of this age (2Cor 3:18).

The face of Jesus shines just as when the Kingdom comes, the righteous will shine like the sun (Mt 13:43).

His garments become white as light. The book of Revelation describes the army of angels who will accompany Jesus at the end of the world has arrayed in fine linen, white and pure (Rev 19:14).

v. 3 - And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

Moses and Elijah appear. The Jews believed that they were taken up to heaven and did not go down to Sheol, the abode of the dead. They were expected to return to earth before the Messiah. They embody the Law and the Prophets. They are also the two witnesses described in Rev 11:3ff.

v. 4 - Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

In Matthew the disciples address Jesus as Lord. Only Judas Iscariot calls him Master (Rabbi).

Peter may want to make permanent a vision that was meant to be temporary.

v. 5 - While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

The cloud is a sign of divine presence in Exodus.

Overshadowed (epeskiasen) is used of the cloud covering the tent of meeting in Ex 40:35.

The declaration of the voice is similar to that made at his Baptism (Mt 3:17).The voice of God from the bright cloud tells the disciples that Jesus is the Son, the fulfillment of the OT expectations. He is the one to be heard by men because he is the Judge on the last day.

v. 6-7 - When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid."

This is similar to the experience of Daniel (Dan 10:5-12).

v. 9 - As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

The disciples are not to speak of the glory of the Son of Man which they have seen until after the resurrection. At that time they will preach it to the Church to warn and to encourage.

In Matthew this is the fifth and last time when Jesus commands them to keep silent. Mt 8:4 is an instance when Matthew commands silence .

1ST SUNDAY OF LENT - A

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Mt 4: 1-11

The only words of Jesus which Matthew has so far recorded is found in 3:15 (Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.). It means that Jesus must fulfill scriptures.

In this section Jesus speaks three times and each time he uses the phrase “it is written”, that is, it is written in the scriptures (Old Testament). Jesus responds to the testing of the devil by citing scriptures which he must fulfill.

The devil begins his first two sayings with the words “If you are the Son of God…” This harks back to the voice from Heaven at the Baptism of Jesus: “This is my beloved Son” (3:17).

The three responses of Jesus all come Deuteronomy. They refer to the testing of Israel in wilderness after their crossing of the Red Sea. Matthew may have had this event in mind when he wrote about the temptation of Jesus in the desert. He might have also had in mind the crossing of the Red Sea when he wrote about the Baptism of Jesus.

The words “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights…” is similar to the words of Moses in Deuteronomy. “Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments” (Dt 8:2). Now the words “tempt” and “test” are the same in Greek. Matthew might want to tell us that Jesus is re-living the experience of Israel in his own life and that where Israel failed, Jesus is victorious.

This assertion is further strengthened by later events. For example, the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus proclaimed the Beatitudes is an allusion to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai.

v. 1. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

The desert or wilderness was believed to be the home of evil spirits. Jesus is, therefore, taken directly to the headquarters of evil.

v. 2. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.

The fasting of Jesus and his hunger paves the way for the first temptation, the satisfaction of his hunger.

v. 3. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, com-mand that these stones become loaves of bread."

At his Baptism, the voice from Heaven identifies Jesus as his Son.

If God can raise from stones children to Abraham (Mt. 3:9), then he can surely change those stones into bread.

v. 4. He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"

The reply of Jesus comes from Dt 8:3. The complete verse is as follows: “He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.”

The story of the Manna in the desert is found in Ex 16:1ff. The temptation of Israel was to doubt the power of God to provide for his people. The response of Jesus to this temptation was affirming his faith in the care of God for his creatures (Mt 6:25).

vv. 5-6. Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

The holy city is Jerusalem.

The second temptation comes from the response of Jesus to the first temptation. If God cares for his people, then they will come to no harm. Therefore, let Jesus throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple and thus prove the truth of the promise made in Ps 9:11-12 (For God commands the angels to guard you….) .

The use of the title Son of God in order to tempt Jesus is also found at the Crucifixion (Mt 27: 40. 43).

v. 7. Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"

The second reply of Jesus comes from Dt 6:16, “You shall not put the LORD, your God, to the test, as you did at Massah.” Massah means proof or testing. The incident is related in Ex 17:1-7 (The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD in our midst or not?").

Jesus refuses to test his Father by calling for angelic assistance. Cf. Mt 26:53.

vv. 8-9. Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."

Cf. Jn 12:31; 16:11; 2 Co 4:4; 1 Jn 5:19 about the devil as ruler of this world.

v. 10. At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"

The third reply of Jesus comes from Dt 6:13. But read the whole passage (Dt 6:13-15).
Jesus does not commit the sin of worshipping other gods. He, therefore, receives from the Father what the devil promises and more (Mt 28:18).

“Get away, Satan!” We find something similar in Mt 16:23. There Peter tempts Jesus to avoid the crucifixion. In both passages, Jesus is being tempted to take a path different from the one pointed out by the Father. He refuses and is rewarded (Phil 2:5-11).

v. 11. Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

Jesus is victorious ove the devil and is, therefore, exalted above the angels (Heb 1:6).

9TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.

MT 7: 21-27

v. 21 - Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of hea-ven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

v. 22 - Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'

v. 23 - Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'

Verses 21-23 is further explanation of the preceding verses (16-20) where it talks about “by their fruits you shall know them.” Fruit is not what a man says but what he does. Therefore, to distinguish the two kinds of prophets is by their deeds. The prophets in verse 22 are identified as a false prophets because their deeds were evil (v. 23).

Jesus as judge on the last day will also judge by deeds and not by words (Mt 3:12).

“I never knew you” is used here in the sense of “to not acknowledge” or “to not recognize”. Jesus declares that although they claimed his authority for the mighty deeds they performed, he has not commissioned them.

“Depart from me, you evildoers” is a quotation from Ps 6:8.

v. 24 - "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.

v. 25 - The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.

v. 26 - And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.

v. 27 - The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

As in the case of the false prophet so also those who hear the teaching of Jesus will also be judged by what they have done.

The one who acts of the words of Jesus is the one who obeys his teachings. He is considered a wise man. The one who disobeys his teachings is a foolish man.

Contrasting the wise and the foolish is also found in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Mt 25:1-13). There the foolish virgins addressed the bridegroom with “Lord, Lord” (Mt 25:11) as here in Mt 5:21. And as in v. 23 the foolish virgins also received the response of “I do not know you” (Mt 25:12).

8TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

No one can serve two masters.

Mt 6: 24-34

The teaching of this Sunday is as follows: The disciple is to have single-minded devotion to God in contrast to hypocrites who pretend to give to God but in fact collect their reward from men. The disciple is to be a slave of God alone, and have no care for anything except his will; and if he does this, he should not be afraid for himself, because the God whom he serves is the God who cares for his creation. You can rely on him today and tomorrow.

The connection with the Beatitudes – The man who lives by faith (who puts his trust in God’s providence) is not anxious about his life. He is poor in spirit. God will reward him in the age to come and will clothe him and feed him here and now.

v. 24 - "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Mammon is an Aramaic word for ‘wealth’ or ‘property’. Devotion to God cannot be combined with devotion to mammon because there will be times when the former will require the sacrifice of the latter (cf. 5:29. 30. 40). A choice has to be made between God and wealth or between faith and anxiety.

v. 25 - "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

The disciple may protest: “But I must have enough to live and to clothe myself.” The reply of Jesus is: “God who has made life and the body will surely take care after those things which are less than these, that is, food and clothing.

v. 26 - Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?

If God feeds the birds, how much more will he feed men.

v. 27 - Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?

Anxiety cannot increase the “helikia” of a man. The Greek word may be translated as “span of life” and “stature”. These things are in the hands of God. Cf. Mt. 5:36.

vv. 28-30 repeats the argument found in v. 26. Anxiety is the penalty for men of little faith.

v. 31 - So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?'

Compare this verse to v. 25. This is another example of inclusion, a technique used by Matthew to round off the passage.

v. 32 - All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

The Gentiles who live without faith in God (cf. Mt 5:47) are anxious about these things. The disciples in contrast trust in God because he is a Father who knows all their needs even before they ask (cf. Mt 6:8).

v. 33 – But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.

Righteousness with reference to moral conduct means conformity with God's will. It may also mean the saving activity of God.

v. 34 - Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.

It is futile to be anxious about tomorrow. Tomorrow is completely outside our possible control today (cf. Mt 5:36 ; 6:27).

Compare vv. 33 and 34 with vv. 10 and 11 of the Lords’s Prayer both found in this chapter (Ch. 6). Kingdom , righteousness, tomorrow, this day and kingdom, will (= righteousness), this day, tomorrow.

6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mt 5:17-37

DIVISION

• Mt 5: 17-20. The righteousness necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven
• Mt 5: 21-26. Killing and anger
• Mt 5: 27-32. Adultery and lust
• Mt 33-37. Oaths and truthfulness

MT 5: 17-20. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS NECESSARY TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

v. 17 - Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets may be taken in the sense of fulfilling the prophecies of the OT or in the sense of teaching a righteousness that exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.

v. 18 - Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

It may mean that the whole Law is binding until the end of the world or that it will no longer be binding on Christians once Jesus fulfills it demands.

v. 19. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

What are these commandments? Are they commandments of the law (Mosaic Law) or the commandments of Jesus (which Jesus will now talk about)? It would probably be the former because Matthew was writing for the Jews who had converted to Christianity.

v.20. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees was based on the Law and the Prophets. How Christians are to exceed this righteousness will be explained in the following verses (21-48).

THE OLD RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE NEW RIGHTEOUSNESS

If Jesus demands a greater righteousness, he must teach a more exacting “law”. Thus we find five paragraphs beginning with “You have heard that it was said…But now I say to you…” (5:21ff; 5:27ff; 5:33ff; 5:38ff and 5:43ff).


We have here the new Law for the new Israel. This law is given by Jesus who is greater than Moses (Jn 1:17). The new Law covers the subjects of anger, lust, oaths, retaliation and love. The first three are covered in the gospel for this Sunday.

The section on killing and anger may be related to the seventh beatitude (blessed are the peacemakers) while the section on adultery and lust may be related to the sixth beatitude (blessed are the pure of heart).

MT 5: 21-26. KILLING AND ANGER

Matthew takes the first the fifth commandment (you shall not kill) and contrasts it with the prohibition of anger. Anger is to killing as thought is to deed.

The disciple is not only to avoid anger in himself. He is to avoid or remove the anger of others against himself. Thus he is to be a peacemaker (Mt 5:9).

v. 21. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.'

To your ancestors – to Israel in the wilderness, who first received the Law of God through Moses.
Whoever kills will be liable to judgment – Judgment may mean the decision of a court or condemnation. See Ex 21:12, Lev 24:17 and Dt 17:8-13.

v. 22. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.

There is a double contrast here: Moses and Jesus; the Old Israel and the new.

Jesus declares that anger, the motive behind killing, is liable to the same pu-nishment as that for killing. Rabbi Eliezer (c. A.D. 90) said: “He who hates his neighbor, lo he belongs to the shedders of blood.”

Insults, raqa is probably an Aramaic word meaning “stupid” or “blockhead”.

There seems to be an ascending order of punishment here: local court (judg-ment), Sanhedrin (council) and Gehenna (hell).

Gehenna is the place of punishment after death. It received its name from a valley south of Jerusalem where refuse was burning continually. In popular Jewish belief , the last judgment was to take place there.

v. 23-24. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

The reference to gift and altar may mean that at this time Christians were still taking part in the temple worship.

The disciple has a more difficult task here. He is to seek reconciliation with those whom they have offended. He starts from a weak position.

vv. 25-26. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

Probably Matthew sees behind this saying the final court at which the Son of Man will be the judge and the prison will be Gehenna.

MT 5: 27-32. ADULTERY AND LUST

As anger is the motive behind killing, so lust is the motive behind adultery. And just as he forbids anger, he also forbids lust.

It may be that Matthew is collecting material here to illustrate “Blessed are the pure of heart”. He contrasts lust with purity and the sinful use of the eye in this world with the vision of God in the age to come.

v. 28. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

There is a rabbinic saying that goes this way: “He who looks at a woman with desire is as one who has criminal intercourse with her.”

vv. 29-30. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

In order to avoid lust, the occasions that give rise to sin must be avoided. And since looking was mentioned first, the eye is place first before the hand.

Here we find one of the basic Christian ideas – that the way to the greatest gain in the world to come involves the sacrifice and loss of life in the here and now.

v. 31. "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.'

See Dt 24:1-4.

v. 32. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlaw-ful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Neither Mark nor Luke makes an exception to this command. Only here and in Mt 18:9 is an exception allowed in the case of unchastity (porneia). It is not clear what “porneia” refers to.

MT 33-37. OATHS AND TRUTHFULNESS

The Law forbade the use of oaths when one was going to tell a lie. It also commanded oaths in the name of the Lord. Jesus forbids all oaths in the name of the Lord or in any other name. The disciples are simply to be truthful and this makes oaths unnecessary.

v. 33. Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.'

Do not take a false oath - This is not an exact OT quotation. But see Ex 20:7, Dt 5:11 and Lv 19:12.
Make good to the Lord all that you vow – See Ps 50:14.

v. 37. Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one.

“Ek tou ponerou” may either be masculine (the evil one) or neuter (evil).

Oath-taking presupposes a sinful weakness of the human race, namely, the tendency to lie.

5TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.

Mt 5:13-16

v. 13 - "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

Parallels:
• Mk 9:50 - Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.
• Lk 14:34 - Salt is good, but if salt itself loses its taste, with what can its flavor be restored?

The Church is the new Israel because the old Israel had lost its taste.
Just as salt is useful in cooking, preserving and as fertilizer on the earth, so the Church has a usefulness to God in making the world acceptable to him through its sacrifice and intercession (prayers).

Some consider this to refer to the salt that came from the Dead Sea which was often an unstable combination of salts. This salt was quite capable of deteriorating and going bad. Others take this to refer to even pure salt which could not lose its flavor but could become ritually unclean and thus be unusable and be thrown out.

Jesus compares a disciple who loses his passion for following the Master with salt that has gone bad.

Salt which acts as both a spice and a preservative was also an image of a good teacher who enhanced and preserved the student's life by his teaching.

v. 14 - You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.

Perhaps the city set on a mountain is Jerusalem.

v. 15 - Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.

Parallel. Mk 4:21 - He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?”

God is lighting a lamp through the teaching of Jesus and which he is giving to his disciples. This light will be displayed for all to see when he sends his disciples to all nations.

v. 16 - Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

The light will be seen both in their words and in their good works which is doing the will of the heavenly Father.

v. 17 - Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets may be taken in the sense of fulfilling the prophecies of the OT or in the sense of teaching a righteousness that exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.

v. 18 - Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

It may mean that the whole Law is binding until the end of the world or that it will no longer be binding on Christians once Jesus fulfills it demands.

4TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME - A

When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

Mt 5: 1-12a

The gospel for this Sunday is the Sermon on the Mount. In this section of the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is presented again as the new Moses. Moses went up the mountain to receive the Law. Jesus goes up the mountain to present to his disciples a vision of life for those who wish to follow him. The Law of Moses is contained in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. In this section we find the first of the five long discourses that correspond to the five books of Moses. The five long discourses are:

• The "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5:3-7:27)
• The missionary discourse (Matthew 10:5-42)
• The parable discourse (Matthew 13:3-52)
• The "church order" discourse (Matthew 18:3-35), and
• The eschatological discourse (Matthew 24:4-25:46)

We find in Luke a parallel to the Sermon on the Mount. It is called the Sermon on the Plain. Instead of the 8 Beatitudes, Luke has a list of “4 blessings and 4 curses” (Lk 6: 20-26).

v. 1. When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

The mountains are believed to be places where God is especially present. It was in Sinai that God gave the Law to Moses. It was in Mt. Tabor that the disciples saw the divine glory of Jesus and heard the voice of the Father.

Jesus sits down. It is a position of authority, in this case of teaching authority. When the Pope preaches, he is seated. When he proclaims a truth of faith and morals with full teaching authority, he is said to be teaching ex cathedra, from the chair.

v. 3. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed” is a combination of being happy AND fortunate. In Greek it is “makarios”. In Latin, it is “felix”.

The poor in spirit belong to the Kingdom of heaven. God reigns over them. For this reason they are both happy and fortunate. But this is not immediately obvious. We would expect that it is the rich who are happy and fortunate. But this is not so. Instead, we find Jesus declaring: “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation” (Lk 6:24). It is precisely for this reason that entering the Kingdom of Heaven requires metanoia, a change in the way of thinking and of looking at things.

The poor are the needy ones of Israel, the anawim They prefer divine service to financial advantage. Their poverty is real and economic but with a spiritual dimension.

“In spirit”. The emphasis shifts from social-economic to personal-moral: hu-mility, detachment from wealth, voluntary poverty.

But the poor in the Bible are not just the materially destitute but all those who in their need turn to God. Poor in spirit are those who clearly acknowledge that they depend totally on God.

v. 4. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Here we think not just of those grieving for a death but those also who feel a deep sorrow for the evils and injustices of this world. They mourn not just for their own pain but are in solidarity with all those who are the victims of "man's inhumanity to man".

v. 5. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Derived from Ps 37:11, it means “slow to anger” and “gentle with others”. It is a form of charity. t is the very opposite of arrogance, bullying and violent manipulation.

It is not to be confused with wimpishness, weakness or cowardice. The truly gentle person, the one who can remain gentle and respectful of the other's dignity in the face of provocative violence is a very strong person.

v. 6. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

To hunger and thirst for something is to pray for it. And what do they pray for? Righteousness, that is, obedience of the world to the will of God.

v. 7. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

This is not just pity or sympathy but a deep down compassion and empathy, a real entering into the pain that others are experiencing.

It also refers to pardoning of one’s neighbor (Mt 6:12), to love (Mt 9:13), especially of the needy (Mt 25:31) and even one’s enemies (Mt 5:44-47). All vengeance is excluded.

v. 8. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

In the OT this refers to ritual and moral impurity being cleansed (Ps 51). In Mt it means justice, covenant fidelity, loyalty to God’s commands, sincere worship.

v. 9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Peace (shalom) means total well-being. In Mt peacemaking is closely related to love of neighbor and hence, to the beatitude of the merciful.

v. 10. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

They are persecuted because of their obedience to God.

3RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Mt 4:12-23

The gospel for this Sunday may be divided into three parts:
• Jesus, the light of the nations (in fulfillment of the OT prophecies)
• The call to conversion (or living in the light of Jesus)
• Response to the call of Jesus

v. 12. When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.

The Greek that was used to translate “arrested” was “paradidomi” which literally means “handed over”. As John the Baptist was handed over and executed, so also Jesus will be handed over and executed.

This handing over of Jesus is commemorated in every celebration of the Eucharist. Hence, the words of consecration are formulated as: “Take this all of you and eat it. This is my body which will be given up for you.” “Given up” is how the Latin “tradetur” was translated into English. Now “tradetur” is in fact the Latin equivalent of the Greek “paradidomi”.

vv. 13-14. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled. 

The choice of Galilee did not seem to be a good one for the start of Jesus’ public ministry. It was populated by Gentiles and Jews who were not noted for their observance of the Law. It was not held in high esteem. Nathanael’s low estimation of Nazareth (Can anything good come from Nazareth?) might be a reflection of the common low estimation for Galilee.

v. 17. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the king-dom of heaven is at hand."

Preaching might be better translated proclaiming. Hence, “Jesus began to proclaim….”

Jesus was proclaiming the nearness of the kingdom of heaven. We might think of kingdom of heaven as the place were good people go after death. Jesus was not speaking of the after-life. He was speaking of life here on earth.

At this point it must be pointed out that when Matthew talks about kingdom of heaven, he was really talking of the kingdom of God. The Jews do not mention the name of God. So they use other words, such as heaven.

Instead of “kingdom of God”, the better translation would be “reign of God”. This is because the kingdom of God is not a territory. It is not a place. Instead it is a relationship between you and God. And that relationship is described as placing oneself under the loving power of God.

To repent is usually understood as being sorry. It is to regret some wrong thing I have done in the past and not to do it again. The repentance that Jesus asks of us is more than that. He is asking us to change direction. And this change in direction is the fruit of a paradigm shift. Simply put, paradigm shift means a change in how one thinks and how one looks at life. In other words, Jesus is asking us to an external change that is rooted in an internal change. The New Testament uses the Greek word “metanoia” for this kind of change.

vv. 18-19. As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus began to form a group associates. He did not pick them from influential members of the community such as the Scribes and Pharisees (although later on he would call St. Paul to be an apostle) . He picked fishermen who were probably illiterate (unable to read nor write) but steeped in the oral tradition of their Jewish faith. They probably knew very well the OT.

Another thing that may be pointed out is that the initiative comes from Jesus. He chose them to be his helpers. They did not choose to be his followers.

Following Jesus meant undergoing a metanoia. They left the life of fishermen to become fishers of men instead. Jesus had already done this. He left the life of a carpenter to be an itinerant preacher.

Regarding fishing Matthew (13:47ff) uses it as a metaphor for the kingdom. On the other hand, Luke (5:1-11) and John (21:4-8) use it as a metaphor for the work of the ministry.

v. 21. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them….

Can we find any symbolism in the observation that James and John were mending their nets?

The Greek word for “mending” is “katartizein”. Now this word has been used in the NT Letters to indicate the work of perfecting the church. Cf. 1 Cor 1:10; Heb. 13:21; and 1Pt 5:10.

Following this line of thought, casting the nets (Peter and Andrew) might be interpreted as the work of evangelization directed to those outside the church while mending their nets (James and John) might be interpreted as the ministry directed to those already in the church.

v .23. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.

Teaching, proclaiming and curing describe the activities of Jesus. Late on Jesus will give to his disciples the authority to do what he does. Cf. Mt 10:1.7; and 28:20.
 
Matthew regularly uses the expression “their synagogues” to bring out the distinction between Christians and Jews.

Among the people (in Greek, “laos”). Matthew uses this expression 14 times. In most cases it means the Jews. Matthew might want to point out that although the ministry of Jesus was taking place in Galilee of the Gentiles, it was directed to the Jews who lived there. Only later when the Jews reject the good news will it be preached purposefully to the gentiles.

STO. NINO

Please refe to the Sto. Nino entries of the previous years for information and reflection on the Solemnity of the Sto. Nino.

BAPTISM OF OUR LORD - A

And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

Mt 3:13-17

We celebrated the feast of the Epiphany last Sunday. The feast recalls the visit of the Magi in which Jesus manifested himself as Savior also of the gentiles, represented by the Magi. Jesus had two other epiphanies or manifestations: his Baptism at the Jordan and the miracle at Cana. At his baptism, the Father presented Jesus to the Jews as his beloved Son. At Cana Jesus manifested his glory, “the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). Today we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus at the Jordan.

Matthew seeks to show Jesus as fulfilling the OT. In particular he seeks to present the life of Jesus as a parallel to that of Moses. For example, Pharaoh sought to kill the children of the Hebrews, including Moses, so also King Herod sought to kill Jesus and in doing so killed the Holy Innocents. Now Matthew wishes to show that as Moses led the Hebrews through the Red Sea and in the words of St. Paul were “all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1Cor 10:2), so also now Jesus goes to the John to be baptized by him in the Jordan.

Matthew takes Mark as his basis in his narration of the baptism of Jesus. However, there are important differences:

• Mark has “he saw the heavens opened”. Matthew has “And behold the heavens were opened”.
• Mark has “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased”. Matthew has “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The changes in Matthew make the baptism of Jesus a public event, a manifestation, an epiphany to those who are present.

The conversation between John and Jesus may have served to solve the problem surrounding the baptism of Jesus:

• Did his baptism imply that Jesus was also a sinner and needed repentance?
• Was John superior in rank to Jesus?

This is the first and only time that John and Jesus meet (excluding the visitation of Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth). The Voice crying out in the desert meets his Lord. The one who baptizes with water for repentance meets the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire.

v.14. John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?"

John objects to Jesus coming to him for baptism for he had asserted previously that “but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals” (Mt 3:11).

v. 15. Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."

Being a righteous man is often understood as a person who fulfills the Law. It is in this sense that Joseph was called a righteous man. Fulfilling all righteousness may mean fulfilling the Scriptures, that is, the baptism of the Hebrews in Red Sea (crossing of the Red Sea) is repeated in the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan.

v. 16. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the hea-vens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him.

Matthew may have in mind Gen 1:2 “The Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters”. The meaning then is that as the Spirit of God was there at the creation of the world so also now the Spirit is present in Jesus and then upon his disciples at the beginning of the new creation.

v. 17. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

This has reference to several OT passages:

• Gen 22:2 – Take your son, your only son, Isaac.
• Ps 2:7 – I will tell the decree of the Lord: He said to me, You are my son.
• Is 42:1 – Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.

As Abraham brought Isaac to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him there, so also Jesus will be brought to Mt. Calvary to be sacrificed for the salvation of men.

In this verse, the Father proclaims to the people that Jesus is his Son. It is be-cause of this that the Baptism in the Jordan is truly an epiphany, a manifestation of who Jesus is.

EPIPHANY - A

And on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Mt 2:1-12

v. 1. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem…

The place is called Bethlehem of Judea because there is another Bethlehem in Zebulun (Jos 19:15). Lk 2:1-7 explains how Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem and then brought up at Nazareth.

King Herod ruled over Palestine from 37-4 B.C.

Magi (magoi ) may be used in two senses: a wise man or a magician. In the NT the only other magus was Elymas (Acts 13:6ff) and he was clearly a magician.

v. 2. …saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."

The magi ask for the king of the Jews because they were gentiles. Jews would say the Christ (v. 4) o the King of Israel (27:42).

The star was the sign of a king. In Num 24:17 we read: “A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel”.

In 7 B.C. there was an alignment of Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. Matthew might be referring to this phenomenon.

v. 3. When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

We meet the word “troubled” again in Mt 14:26. “When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.” In this passage the Greek word is translated as terrified. In both cases being troubled and being terrified arise from unbelief.

v. 4. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

The chief priests and scribes make up the Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jews.

There might be a reference to Ps 2:2 “Kings on earth rise up and princes plot together against the LORD and his anointed”.

v. 5-6. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

The prophecy of Micah might have been combined with a passage from Samuel.

Micah 5:1 - But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.

2Samuel 5:2 - In days past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back. And the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.'"

v. 7. Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.

From v. 16 it would seem that the star had appeared two years earlier. “When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.”

v. 8. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage."

This is a lie. V. 13 “When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."

v. 10. They were overjoyed at seeing the star.

We see the same reaction in the women when angels announce the resurrection of Jesus and the command to give a message of Jesus to the disciples. “Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples” (Mt 28:8).

v. 11. …and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Worshipping Jesus is often cited in Matthew.

• 8:2 - And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean."
• 28:16-17 - The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

Symbolic meanings have been given to the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

• But they may all be gifts suitable for a king.
• They may be the materials used by a magus/magician. In this case the magi by surrendering them to Jesus may be declaring an end to their practices.

HOLY FAMILY

"Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt."

Mt 2:13-15. 19-23

This Sunday's gospel is divided into two parts:

• vv. 13-15. Flight into Egypt
• vv. 19-23. Return to Israel

v. 13. When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."

In v. 12 the Magi were warned not to return to Herod. V.13 reveals the reason. Herod wanted the baby dead.

In v. 8 Herod tells the Magi: “"Go and search diligently for the child… that I too may go and do him homage.” Contrast this with his real motive as revealed by the angel in this verse: “Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”

Matthew sees in Jesus the New Moses. This is probably why he shows what happened to Moses repeated in Jesus. The King of Egypt, Pharaoh, wanted the Jewish children dead. Moses was hidden and was saved. Now a King wanted Jesus dead but was saved by fleeing to Egypt.

v. 14. Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.

The verb used for “departed” is “anachorein”. Matthew uses this verb when he writes that Jesus departed from a certain place due to unbelief. See 2:22; 4:12; 12:15; 14:13 and 15:21.

It is possible that Matthew’s use of the verb “anachorein” was influenced by the Greek version of the OT (LXX or Septuagint). “Moses fled (anachorein) from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of Midian” (Ex 2:15).

The verb “anachorein” was used in the for the following contexts:
• Withdrawal from public life
• Withdrawal to the desert by peasants who were oppressed by taxes
• Withdrawal into oneself in contemplation

Monasticism took the word in order to describe the withdrawal of monks from the world. Hence, eastern monks were called “anchorites”.

v. 15. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

The quotation is taken from Hosea 11:1. It originally referred to God’s calling Israel out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus.

v. 19. When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt…

Did Matthew make a mistake here? Herod died in 4 B.C. (Before Christ!). There is a mistake here but the mistake was made by Dionysius Exiguus who wrongly accepted the year 753 after the founding of Rome as the year of Christ’s birth.

v. 20. …and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."

There is an allusion here to Moses. In Exodus 4:19 we read: “In Midian the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought your life are dead.’"

Notice the contrast between the OT and the NT.

• In the OT the king of Egypt is the enemy of Israel. In the NT it is the king of Jerusalem that is the enemy.
• In the OT Moses flees FROM Egypt to save himself and later returns. In the NT the Holy Family flees TO Egypt to save Jesus and late returns to Israel.
• In the OT Pharaoh and Egypt are symbols of unbelief and hardness of heart. In the NT it is Herod and Jerusalem.

v. 22. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.

Archelaus reigned over Judea from 4BC to 6AD. Herod Antipas reigned over Galilee from 4BC to 39AD.
Take note of the verb “departed” (anachorein). Again there is a withdrawal from unbelief (Judea) to a place where Jesus will find faith, Galilee of the Gentiles.

v. 23. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spo-ken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazorean."

The source of this prophecy is unknown. It has been suggested that Is 11:1 might have something to do with this prophecy. “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” Bud is “neser” which has similarity to the name of the town of Nazareth.

4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT - A

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.

Mt 1: 18-24

v. 18 - When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, 7 but before they lived together….

Jewish marriage consists of three steps. (1) Engagement. When the couple are still children, their parents or a match-maker arranges their marriage. (2) Betrothal. It is a one-year period when the engaged couple are already considered husband and wife but not yet living together. The betrothal may be broken if the girl does not want to go through with it. Once entered into, it can only be ended through divorce. This was the stage in which the gospel of today finds Joseph and Mary. (3) Marriage proper – at the end of the one-year betrothal.

v. 19. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to ex-pose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.

A just man is one who observes the Law. St. Jerome asks: How can Joseph be a just man if he seeks to hide the sin of his spouse (adultery)? He will only be a just man if he had insight into the origin of the child, that is, the child to be born was not the fruit of adultery but of divine intervention.

v. 20. Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

Jesus did not become a man through ordinary means.

v. 21. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

Naming the child Jesus means that Joseph was adopting Mary’s son. Since Joseph belonged to the House of David, Jesus also becomes part of David’s House. In this way Scripture was fulfilled. The Messiah was to come from David’s House.

Jesus is the Greek form of Yehoshuah. Joshua is the Jewish form. It means “Yahweh saves”. Jesus was born to be a savior.

v. 22. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet….

The Greek word that is translated as “fulfill” can mean two things: (1) To realize, for example, a prophecy; (2) to fill, for example, a container. Here it means to realize the full meaning of the prophecy or to bring it to perfection.

3RD SUNDAY OF ADVENT - A

Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see?"

Mt 11:2-11

The Gospel consists of two parts:
• Mt 11:2-6. Who is Jesus?
• Mt 11:7-11. Who is John the Baptist?

v. 2. When John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him….

According to Josephus, Herod put John the Baptist in jail for fear that he might start a rebellion. Mt 14:3-12 instead blames it on Herodias who took offense when John told Herod that it was not right to take his brother’s wife.

The works of THE Messiah. “The Christ” or "the Messiah" - for it was a title. And this is how Matthew uses it in his gospel – 1:17; 2:4; 16:16. 20; 22:42; 23:10; 24:5. 23; 26:63. 68.

v. 3. “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"

“He who is to come” may be a title of the Messiah (3:11; 21:9; 23:39) and may have been derived from Ps 118:26 (Blessed is he who enters in the name of the Lord).

“Or shall we look for another”. In Greek “proskdokomen” means “wait for” or “expect” as in 24:50.

v. 4. Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see."

Jesus does not answer directly but asks John to consider what the messengers see and hear – the deeds and words of Jesus. These are the way to come to faith. Hence, those who do not believe are said to be deaf and blind (cf. 13:16).

v. 5. The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.

The miracles of chapters 8 and 9 of Matthew are summarized in this list. They (the miracles) accompany the preaching of the Kingdom.

• Blind – 9:27ff
• Lame – 8:5ff; 9:1ff
• Lepers – 3:1ff
• Deaf – 9:32ff. The Greek “kophos” translate either as deaf or dumb.
• Dead – 9:18ff

The climax of the list is the poor having the good news preached to them (Is 61:1).

See also Is 29:18ff; 35:5f; 9:27ff; 61:1f.

v. 6. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.

To take offense is to sin. Jesus cause the Pharisees to sin. Their sin is their unbelief in him (12:24. 31ff).

v. 7. As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

John preached in the wilderness as Isaiah prophesied in 40:3 (Greek transla-tion). An abundance of reed can be seen in the Jordan valley shaken by the wind and not in the desert.

The reed can also stand for a weak and vacillating person, carried away by what people say. This cannot be said of John who was imprisoned for denouncing the behavior of Herod (Mt 14:3f).

v. 8. Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.

Those who dress in fine clothing are people of the King’s court. John in fact is in prison and his clothing was that of a prophet: woven camel’s hair and leather belt.

v. 9. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

A prophet is not one who foretells the future. He is one who speaks the word of God. When the last of the prophets died—Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the Jews believed that the Holy Spirit ceased to be present in Israel. The appearance of another prophet meant a new epoch in the history of Israel.
Jesus says that John was more than a prophet for he is the messenger who comes before the Messiah and prepares his way.

v. 10. This is the one about whom it is written: 'Behold, I am sending my mes-senger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.'

This seems to be a fusion of two verses: Ex 23:20 and Mal 3:1.

Although Ex 23:30 is traditionally translated as “Behold, I send an angel before you”, angel may also be translated as “messenger”.

The wording in all the synoptic gospels (“before you”) differs from the Greek and Hebrew Malachi, which has “before my face” or “before me”.

v. 11. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

No one has appeared in the world with a greater function than that of John, which is to proclaim the coming of the Messiah.

Anyone who shall gain entry into the Kingdom will be greater than John the Baptist is now.

Yet "the least in the kingdom" may also be interpreted as Jesus who came to serve and not to be served. This would agree with what John said that he who is coming after me is great then I (Mt 3:11).

2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT - A

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Mt 3:1-12

Today’s gospel is divided into three parts:
• vv. 1-6. John the Baptist in the wilderness.
• vv. 7-10. John warns the Sadducees and Pharisees.
• vv. 11-12. John preaches the coming Judge.

Who is John the Baptist?

John is the herald of the King and announces the nearness of the Kingdom. He fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah: he preaches in the wilderness and prepares the way of the Lord. He dresses like Elijah who was expected to return before the Messiah. He preaches repentance and Baptism and people come to him. He baptizes them and they confess their sins.

According to Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews, Herod was afraid of John because of his influence over the people. He put him to death so that he would not raise a rebellion.

There is a similarity between the teachings of John the Baptist and the Essenes.

v. 2. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

The word used for repent is metanoia which means a change of mind. It involves turning from one’s evil ways to the commandment and love of God.

The message of John the Baptist is the same as that of Jesus in Mk 1:14-15.

Kingdom of heaven is the same as Kingdom of God. These terms do not refer to heaven in the after-life. Instead, it refers to the condition where man is in perfect harmony with God and each other and where man lives in a way that he reflects perfectly the image of God.

v. 3. It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'"

The Hebrew version states: “"A voice of one cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord….”

v. 4. John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

The clothing of John the Baptist is the same as that of Elijah (2Kings 1:8). This was to identify John as the Elijah who was believed to return before the Messiah.

Locusts was the food of poor people in Arabia, Africa and Syria.

v. 7. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

The Pharisees recognize both the written and unwritten law. The Sadducees accept only the written law, the Pentateuch. They lived mainly around and in Jerusalem.

Viper stands for wickedness and murder.

“Who told you to flee….” The Pharisees and Sadducees come to John as if repenting to escape the wrath. But in fact, they have not repented.

v. 8. Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.

Produce fruit (or bear fruit) is “poiein” which also translates as “do”. Fruit stand for deeds. To produce good fruits, therefore, means “to do good deeds”.

v. 9. For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

In Aramaic, “stone” and “children” sound almost the same.

v. 10. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

To cut down a fruitless tree is to pass judgment.

Fire stands for condemnation. See 3:12; 5:22; 7:19; 13:40.42; 18:8; 25:41.

vv. 11-12.
The coming Judge is greater than John himself, greater than John’s baptism nad divide men for reward and punishment.

v. 11. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.

The baptism of John is baptism of repentance. The baptism of Jesus is baptism with Holy Spirit and fire.

Joel 2:28 speaks about the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit and fire are mentioned together as an allusion to the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire (Acts 2:3).

Fire may also be an allusion to the coming judgment which either purifies o destroys (1Cor 3:13).

v. 12. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Wheat and chaff stands for the wicked and the righteous. The wicked will receive punishment and the righteous, reward. Jesus also speaks of reward and punishment (Mt 25:46 ).