Photo by 辰曦 on Unsplash

“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
(Luke 12:32–34)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Hebrews 11:1–2, 8–19
August 7, 2022

The second Sunday readings this month will be from the “Letter to the Hebrews.” We looked at sections of this letter last fall. Then we learned that it was most likely written in and for the 1^st century church in Rome. Most of the Christians in Rome were born Jews and understood Judaism. We can surmise from hints in the letter and the topics the author examines that they still felt a pull to return to Judaism. These were for theological, political, and psychological reasons. Many thought that the Lord’s return had been suspiciously delayed and all were aware that they had lost the protection of Judaism. Remember, Jews did not have to offer sacrifice to the emperors, if Christians were considered a new religion, they would face the death penalty.

The author first examined the most basic issue for a Jew, the covenant with the Lord which defined them. A covenant requires offering a sacrifice and thus a priest. The author established that Jesus is the eternal high priest and the covenant he creates is deeper than the temple convent and more permanent. Today we will see him address faith and why it always was the key connection to the LORD.

Continue reading “19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Embracing the Reality of Our Hopes” →

Photo by Sensei Minimal on Unsplash

“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
(Luke 12:15)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Colossians 3:1–5, 9–11
July 31, 2022

Today, we complete our examination of the “Letter to the Colossians.” It is not the end of the letter, but it is convenient for us because it gives pointed teaching on three areas of contemporary concern. He does this in a typically Pauline manner, first outlying a doctrine and then showing the practical consequences of accepting it.

The doctrine is that we have joined Jesus in his resurrection, this must change our lives and we must change our world.

Continue reading “18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – “Christ Is All and In All”” →

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread, Rudolf Eickemeyer,
c. 1906, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”
(Luke 11:1–4)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Colossians 2:12–14
July 24, 2022

Despite the fall in regular participation in Sunday services, most Americans still want Jesus to be a part of our lives. Jesus, however, wants to be the totality of our lives. This is a problem and, as we will see in today’s reading from the “Letter to the Colossians,” an ancient one.

Epaphras, a leader in the church of Colossae and its surrounding towns, has come to Paul or his successor to help him combat the corrupting influence of false teachings. He refers to these as “philosophy.” By philosophy he did not mean an academic subject but a way of life. It is hard to discover what the actual beliefs and practices are from the letter. Paul does not seek to be mysterious and his readers no doubt knew exactly what he meant, but there is much assumed and shared knowledge. This is not surprising. Two thousand years from now an article about a burning issue of our day, no matter how clearly written and well translated, will lose the subtleties of the discussion. We will find with this passage from Colossians however that, although we might not be able to define who the false teachers were or the details of their teaching, we can see why Paul and Epaphras were concerned. There are disturbing parallels with today.

Continue reading “17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Christ’s Call for Our Entire Being” →

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary,
Diego Velázquez, 1618, National Gallery (London)
(About this Image)

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious
and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”
(Luke 10:41–42)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Colossians 1:24–28
July 17, 2022

We continue this week with a reading from the “Letter to the Colossians.” Although for convenience, we will refer to the author as St. Paul, there is some dispute if wrote it himself or if it was the work of a disciple or successor. For our purposes it is important that the leaders of the church at Colossae sought the authority of Paul to combat false teachers. Last week, we read about what the real good news is. Next week we will look at who the opponents were. Today, we will see what we can expect from a leader in the church. Continue reading “16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Christ in Us” →

The Good Samaritan, Aimé Morot, 1880
Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris

Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
(Luke 10:36–37)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Colossians 1:15–20
July 10, 2022

Our second reading for the rest of the month will be from the “Letter to the Colossians”. We read Colossians once before and an introduction can be found in the commentary for last Easter. It was written around the same time and place as the letter to the Ephesians, which we read last year, and shares some of its themes. There is some debate if Paul wrote these letters himself or if they should be credited to disciple after his death. This is not of great consequence as it does not change the situation or the message. We will for the sake of convenience say the author was Paul. More certain is that it was to a mixed audience of Jewish and Christian born believers and that he is answering philosophical or cosmic questions.

Our reading today is in the first chapter of the letter. It is a song. Indeed, the congregation might well have been familiar with the basic hymn before the letter but the hymn may have been written by Paul.

He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.

(Col 1:15)

From the Greek word we are translating as image (eikon), we also get icon. Although used more widely now in a secular sense, icons originally were pictures of Jesus, Mary or the Saints in the Eastern Church and were “windows” to the reality of the sacred. Sacrament would come closer to our understanding in the west. When we meet Jesus in the flesh, we meet God. Continue reading “15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Bringing the World to Fulfillment” →

Photo by Paz Arando on Unsplash

The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
(Luke 10:2)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Galatians 6:14–18
July 3, 2022

This week, we read the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Paul is writing with great emotion and has let his guard down. As with 2^nd Corinthians, which we read earlier in the year, he will reveal much about himself. Some of this is admittedly unseemly, but they also show a man who loves God and is fiercely protective of the churches he founded.

He was protecting them from what we now call “Judaizing Christians.” These were people who came from Jerusalem and taught that the communities baptized by Paul needed to become more Jewish. The men should be circumcised, and all adopt Torah laws. They had many reasons for this, and Paul answered them throughout the letter. As he concludes, he brings to the fore a disease which would have been in the back of his readers’ minds: Jews were a protected class in the Empire. They alone did not have to offer sacrifice to the emperor. For others failure to do so was a capital crime.

Continue reading “14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Crucifying the Petty in Us” →