Photo by Sarah Durner on Unsplash

You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
(Psalm 90:5–6)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Philemon 9–10, 12–17
September 4, 2022

The letter to Philemon is the Pauline work most people find dissatisfying and would like to change. But we do so at our peril.

Philemon is a slaveholder and both he and his slave Onesimus were converted by St. Paul. Paul is now in prison and Onesimus was so moved by Paul’s plight that he ran away from Philemon to assist him. This put Paul in a difficult position. He is harboring an escaped slave. He also does not want “law-abiding” Romans to think Christianity is a lawless religion. He therefore sends Onesimus back to Philemon.

We would like Paul to denounce slavery and call for its elimination. Slavery, however, was such a part of his society and he might not have been able to conceive of a world without it. Also, he has already said that “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28) These are very provocative indeed dangerous words and would have made him and indeed all Christians suspect during a slave rebellion. He could not count on Romans understanding his intention.

Continue reading “23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Seeing and Loving Each Other” →

The poor invited to the feast, Jesus Mafa,
From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library
Original source: http://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr

“Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
(Luke 14:13–14)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Hebrews 12:18–19, 22–24a
August 28, 2022

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews set himself a delicate task. He wrote to educated Christians who were born Jews, thus Hebrews. They have become discouraged waiting for Jesus’ return to initiate the kingdom of God in its fullness. They are also now subject to the Roman law to offer sacrifice to the emperor from which Jews were exempted. The author needed to show them that Jesus was all powerful, would return, and that waiting for him was the best thing a Jew could do. We conclude today our examination of Chapter 12 with another reason for trusting in Jesus.
Continue reading “22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Coming to Know Jesus” →

The Narrow Gate to Heaven and the Wide Gate to Hell,
Cornelis de Bie, 17th century

Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
(Luke 13:24)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time
Hebrews 12:5–7, 11–13
August 21, 2022

We are continuing our examination of the 12^th chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews. As we have seen throughout our reading of this letter, the author was responding to a specific situation. He wrote to the Church in Rome, most likely in the 80s. They were born “Hebrew” and knew the faith and expectations of their ancestors. One especially important expectation is that the Messiah would inaugurate the kingdom of God. This was very this earthy. All people of all times would rise and the good would be rewarded and the bad punished in the sight of all. They believed that Jesus is the Messiah and that he would return to establish this kingdom. They have been waiting for a generation and he has not returned. Also, they were no longer accepted in the synagogues and were subject to the Roman law which required sacrificing to the emperor. They were becoming discouraged and tempted to return to the synagogue.

The author writes to them as one Jew to another. He assumes that they know more than the basics of Judaism, yet he realizes that they are also part of the Roman world. He writes excellent Greek and as we saw last week, he is aware of and most likely participates in many Roman Customs and practices.

He will continue today to exhort the Roman Christians to preserve through a mixture of both Jewish and Roman/Greek images and examples.

Continue reading “21st Sunday in Ordinary Time – Following Jesus Isn’t Easy, But Is Sure” →

Assumption of the Virgin, (detail) Antonio da Correggio,
1526-1530, Parma Cathedral cupola fresco,
(About this Image)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Letter To the Hebrews 12:1–4
August 14, 2022

For the next 3 weeks we will examine chapter 12 of the “Letter to the Hebrews.” This is greater depth than usual. It is an important section not only for understanding the letter as a whole at any time but what being a Christian means today. The chapter presents three images of how and why we should follow Jesus even if it is difficult. Next week we will look at how the Christian way leads to maturity (12:5–13) and the following week the author will reveal it as a living liturgy (12:18–24). This week we will look at the Christian way as a great race (12:1–4).

Continue reading “20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – The Joy of Feeling His Pleasure” →