Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

Streams will burst forth in the desert,
and rivers in the steppe.
The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.
(Isaiah, 35:6-7)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Letter of St. James 2:1-6
September 5, 2021

We continue today with the Letter of St. James. It was, as we discovered last week, written by a Jew to fellow Jews. Whether the author was James, the kinsman of Jesus or not, he had significant prestige among the people and insight into their communities.

These communities were within the Roman empire. It was part of the managerial genius of the Romans to realize that they could not directly administer every aspect of life, especially in small towns in faraway places. Therefore, they used the native ruling elites to maintain order and peace. We see this with the trial of Jesus. The priests were the local elite entrusted with this task and they first examined Jesus. When they deemed him a greater danger than a mere rabble rouser and thought he needed to be put to death, they needed the Romans to approve and perform the execution.  

Continue reading “Needing All Our Brothers and Sisters to be Saints” →

Photo by Dana Luig on Unsplash

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Letter of St. James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27
August 29, 2021

We begin today our readings from the Letter of St. James. Like the other letters from the New Testament, we have read: 1 Peter, 1 John, Romans, and most recently the “Letter to the Ephesians,” the Letter of St James breathes the life of its community. We might better say communities. Except for Paul’s letter to the Romans, these are circular letters addressed to Christians in several cities. Individual churches, we would now say parishes, were joined to other parishes as a loose confederation based on loyalty to the founder. We have often been unsure if these letters were written by the founder himself, but if written by a disciple successor, they would have been in his tradition and spirit.

The letter of James is attributed to James, the blood relation of Jesus, who was considered the first Bishop of Jerusalem and the leader of the Christians most committed to maintaining continuity with Judaism. We note however that he was instrumental in freeing gentile Christians from the most burdensome aspects of the law, most importantly circumcision, and had an experience of the risen Lord. He understood the freedom of the Spirit, but he also wrote the most Jewish writing in the New Testament. We may assume it was written to those parishes which maintained some Jewish customs and many Jewish attitudes. The other letters we have read desired to educate Christians born Gentile in the basics of Judaism in order to understand Christianity. This is not an issue here. This is a Jew instructing other Jews in who Jesus, another Jew, was to them.

Continue reading “22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Perfect Gifts from God; Practical Charity to Others” →

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

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady
Ephesians 5:15–20
August 15, 2021

This Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady. It is so important a feast that it displaces the regularly scheduled Sunday Mass. We will however examine the selection from the Letter to the Ephesians that is read on the Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary time to maintain continuity. Conveniently it falls into two sections which we can review in turn.

The first section speaks of Wisdom.

Watch carefully then how you live,
not as foolish persons but as wise,
making the most of the opportunity,
because the days are evil.
Therefore, do not continue in ignorance,
but try to understand
what is the will of the Lord

(Eph 5:15–17)

Continue reading “Assumption – Beginning as a Melody in Our Hearts” →

Cross of the Eucharist, Peter Winfried Koenig, 2005,
St Edward’s Church, Kettering UK
(About this Image)

I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.
(John 6:51)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 4:30–5:2
August 8, 2021

Whether written by Paul or a disciple, “The letter to the Ephesians,” is an exhortation. It does not give doctrinal instruction as much as encourage early Christians to embrace the consequences of what they already believed. But for us to understand their world we must try to reconstruct what indeed the author and his audience would have held. This week, we will focus on the Holy Spirit.

Continue reading “19th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Humbly Following the Spirit” →

The Gathering of the Manna, James Tissot, c. 1896 – 1902, Jewish Museum         

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out
and gather their daily portion
Exodus 16:4

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
August 1, 2021

There is a tendency for people of the Global North to view religion as personal and private—a matter of taste and decision that should be kept at home or in church. Religion is a balm to the soul which we hope may bring peace and meaning. Fine and important in its place but does not have social significance. It is not surprising that whenever the Pope makes a statement on global inequality or climate change, he is passionately chastised for getting involved with politics and not sticking to religion. The early church would have found this incomprehensible. Christianity is personal, but not private. This will be important for us to understand as we rebuild our parish and the “Letter to the Ephesians” is a perfect place to start.

Continue reading “18th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Walking with Jesus” →

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 4:1-6
July 24, 2021

We are examining the “Letter to the Ephesians” this summer. We have already seen that the author demonstrates with extraordinary sensitivity the cosmic nature of Jesus’s incarnation and the literally earth-shattering effects of his death and resurrection. We have also noted that there is much controversy about its authorship. This is not only a very scholarly discussion of word usage, grammatical structure and other technical issues but has become ideological. The author clearly teaches that the “Church” is not an afterthought or an application but was part of the divine plan from the beginning of time. This is a problem for many Protestants but not for Catholics. Also, for us there is no canon (list of writings accepted as revelations from God) within the canon. No writing is more revealed than others. It does not in that sense matter if this was written by the apostle Paul or not. It only matters that the church has accepted it as revealed by God. This letter, as we will see as the summer progresses, is of great and immediate importance for us in Brownstone Brooklyn.

Continue reading “17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Belonging to Jesus” →

The Good Shepherd, Thomas Cole, 1848,
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 2:13-18
July 18, 2021

Last week we began our reading of “The Letter to the Ephesians” by examining the majestic opening blessing. We suggested that we view it as an overture previewing many of the letter’s themes. Today, we will look at what it means to be chosen and how this is accomplished through the “blood of Jesus.”

Continue reading “16th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Reflecting the Peace We Were Created For” →