Ordinary Time Week 12

Psalm: Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c 

Old Testament: Exodus 3:1-15 

Gospel: Matthew 16:21-28 

Epistle: Romans 12:9-21

Matthew and Romans this week continue the discussions we have been having the last few weeks. Last week, we discussed Peter’s confession that Jesus is indeed “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” But we all know that right after this great statement of faith, Peter rebukes Jesus for teaching that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and be killed. It is no light thing to be called of Satan by Jesus. But I think there is more at play here. A couple of clues point to this being no easy thing for Jesus, and actually a temptation he faced. It begins actually with the temptations of Jesus earlier in Matthew Chapter 4. The thrust of those temptations was to skip the pain and death that was to come and to arrive at the glory and honor offered by the devil rather than that offered by the Father through obedience to him. Peter confronts him with that same temptation again.  Jesus recognizes it as the same temptation and calls him Satan.

Ordinary Time Week 11

Psalm: Psalm 124 or Psalm 138

Old Testament: Exodus 1:8-2:10 or Isaiah 51:1-6 

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20 

Epistle: Romans 12:1-8

This week, we have one of those classic passages from Paul’s letters. It is used as a means to exhort Christians to go deeper and to truly live the sacrificial, cruciform life. We are encouraged to be “living and holy sacrifices.” This alone is a strange concept because sacrifices in generally in that time were killed. And notice also that we are to present our “bodies” as a “spiritual service of worship.” The body and the spirit seem to be wrapped up together here. Nonetheless, the idea is that we are to wholly give ourselves over to following Christ. 

Ordinary Time Week 10

Psalm: Psalm 133 or Psalm 67 
Old Testament: Genesis 45:1-15 or Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 

Gospel: Matthew 15:10-20, 21-28 
Epistle: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

We continue this week working through Matthew and Romans and in the Old Testament we are offered either the resolution of the Joseph Narrative in Gen. 45 or a brief passage from Isaiah.

We have been dealing the Romans readings the last few weeks and this week is perhaps the most confusing of all. But we can still understand some of the basic ideas: Israel has fallen away, God is saving a remnant like he always has, and Gentiles have been grafted into the People of God. Paul makes the point that even though most of Israel has failed to believe in the Messiah, they can still come back. And just like Israel, who were the “natural olive branches” broken off, how much more then can we Gentiles also be broken off from the tree if we fall from God. The ideas on the surface are straightforward, but in typical Pauline fashion are also very deep and theological.

Ordinary Time Week 9

Psalm: Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b

Old Testament: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

Epistle: Romans 10:5-15

I want to focus on the Romans passage again this week because I think we have yet to deal with one of the central themes of Romans and I want to make sure we cover it. This might not be the best place to do that, but it is interesting nonetheless. Romans 10:5-10 is a brief explanation of 2 types of righteousness-- one based on the law and one based on faith. We are all familiar with this juxtaposition as good Protestants and no doubt know all the key points from the book of Romans. But, there are still a few things we may need to review. For starters, it might be helpful to ask what exactly Paul means when he says "faith." In verse 9 he defines the faith which he and his co-ministers are preaching. Faith means 1. Confessing with our mouth “Jesus is (as) Lord” (a very early, if not the earliest, Christian confession of faith) and 2. Believing in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead. In doing these two things, we will be saved.

Ordinary Time Week 8

Psalm: Psalm 17:1-7, 15 

Old Testament: Genesis 32:22-31 

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21 

Epistle: Romans 9:1-5

We are now in the month of August, or Ordinary Time week 8. Eight weeks have passed since Pentecost Sunday.

It has been awhile since we have focused on the Old Testament passages, but the scene from Genesis 32 is a crucial one in the life of the Israelites. Jacob goes into Chapter 32 known as Jacob and comes out of it known as Israel. Jacob is alone sleeping by the Jabbok (yabboq) and then and he and God wrestle. (ye’abeq/ya’aqob) All throughout Genesis and the Old Testament, we get these little word plays that we miss when the language is translated. I am not sure if we can/should make exegetical insight out of these or if the authors were doing what we still do today by playing with literature and put thought into how writing is structured.