He Sent them out Two by Two,
James Tissot, 1886-1896, Brooklyn Museum

He summoned the Twelve
and began to send them out
two by two.
(Mark 6:7)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
15^th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Letter to the Ephesians 1:14
July 11, 2021

This summer we will be studying the 2^nd reading for Sundays which is now called the “Letter of Paul to the Ephesians”. Most discussions of this letter begin by asking if it was written by St. Paul himself in the 60s or a disciple most likely in the 90s. This will not concern us here. It is a complicated question and as we will see in a few weeks, it has much to do with post reformation church politics. Another question is the original audience. This too does not directly interest us. It was most likely written to several churches, one of which was Ephesus. This will mean that it will not have the local color of some of the letters attributed to St. Paul but will free the author to more directly examine “Cosmic” themes.

Continue reading “15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Fulfilling Our Being” →

Jesus Unrolls the Book in the Synagogue (detail),
James Tissot, 1886-1894, Brooklyn Museum
(About this Image)

When the sabbath came
he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished. 

And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor
except in his native place…”
(Mark 6:2, 3-5)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 3:2-5
July 4, 2021

Priests and prophets are both important in the history of the Jews. They fulfill separate roles. Ideally, they work together, but as often as not, there was conflict. Before and during the exile in Babylon, we see the extortionary situation when priests became prophets. This is a sign of crises and has occurred in our own times.

The principal responsibly of the Jewish priest, as indeed the Catholic or Orthodox priest today, is to offer sacrifice. Originally, this was the privilege of the head of the clan or tribal group. We several times see Abraham offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Over the centuries this developed into the professional and hereditary priesthood. With Moses, this process was codified into Law and with Solomon, sacrifice not only needed to be performed by a hereditary priest but only at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Continue reading “Learning from Our Priest/Prophets” →

Resurrection of Jairus’ Daughter, Vasily Polenov, 1871

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 27, 2021

The reading from the Old Testament this Sunday is from the Book of the “Wisdom of Solomon.” Although it sounds ancient it is perhaps the last book in the Old Testament and could have been written as late as 30 BC. Also, although it takes the name of King Solomon of Jerusalem from about 1,000 BC, it was most likely written in Alexandria, Egypt for the children of the Jewish elite who were immersed in the Roman world and tempted to give up their faith. Some things do not change.

The conceit of the book is that King Solomon is presenting to the other kings and princes of the world the mind of God. Note it is assumed that God has created the entire world and his laws are based on this creation. Thus, they must be obeyed by everyone. Memorably, he begins:

Continue reading “13th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Clinging to Eternal Truth No Matter How Difficult” →

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1633,
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (painting stolen in 1990)
(About this Image)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Job 38:1, 8-11
June 20, 2021

The Book of Job is part of both the canons of Scripture and Western literature. It is now perhaps read more by non-believers than by believers in the God of Abraham. Perhaps more skillfully than any other book it asks how an all-powerful God can also be all loving. It has attained such a high place in both religion and literature not only because it is undoubtedly well-written, but because it refuses to give pat answers to any of the questions it raises. However much everyone can admire it, it will have different meanings for believers and non-believers. But ultimately, we will discover that there is a more fundamental distinction?

Continue reading “12th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Experiencing God’s Love” →

Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel: 17:22-24
June 13, 2021

We return today to the Book of Ezekiel. He was an interesting man who lived in interesting times and always seems to have something to say our contemporary situation. Before examining today’s passage let us look at his life and then the passage before the one chosen for today.

Ezekiel was born about 622 BC in Jerusalem and died about 570 BC in Babylon and the dates and places tell his story. Jerusalem was situated on the trade route between Egypt to the south and whatever power was dominating the north. Never a mighty empire, the Jews were able to play one power off against the other to maintain significant independence for over 3 centuries. Ezekiel lived at the time when this ended. In 609 BC, the leaders of Judah thought that the Neo-Babylonian empire was ascendant and allied themselves with it. By 597 the leadership felt that it was weakening, and they could assert more independence. This was a grave miscalculation and the Babylonians invaded, conquered Jerusalem, and took King Jehoiachin and many Jewish leaders into captivity. Ezekiel was one of these and he spent the rest of his life in Babylon. The Babylonians under King Nebuchandnezzar placed Zedekiah in his place. He seemed to be pro-Babylonian but sometime between 593 BC and 488 BC he thought he could get a better deal from Egypt and sought and alliance. In 586/87 BC, Nebuchadnezzar reacted and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple exiling the remaining leaders of the people especially the royal court, the scribes and the priests. Without the temple, how could the Covenant be maintained and without the monarchy how could the promise to David be fulfilled? All that could be seen was devastation. (This may be found in 2 Kings 24:6–20) Ezekiel however saw more. He expressed the situation and its cause poetically in the Parable or riddle of the eagles.

Continue reading “11th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Reality and Presence of God” →

The Last Supper, Juan de Juanes, c. 1562, Museo del Prado

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Exodus: 24 3-8
June 6, 2021

Today’s reading narrates the LORD’s first attempt to make a covenant with the Israelites after freeing them from captivity in Egypt. We have seen covenants many times before and no passage can exhaust its meaning and importance. A covenant forms a relationship between persons. It is more than a contract. Although it can have stipulations, as we will see today, it is ultimately a sharing of life and thus will always include a meal. Today, this will be emphasized using blood, the primordial sign of life. There are many kinds of convents, but they are all invitations to become part of a family. We can only understand these passages in general, and today’s in particular, if we are awestruck at what the LORD is offering the Israelites.

Continue reading “Corpus Christi – Worshiping Sincerely, Living Justly” →

Impromptu Gathering on Church Steps after the 9 AM Mass last Sunday

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Pentecost Sunday
Acts 2:1-11
May 23, 2021

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Disciples is one of the determining events of Christianity, yet it is dramatized in four verses in the “Acts of the Apostles.” This certainly reveals Luke’s literary skill but also that he could rely on his readers or listeners recognizing the scriptural references and making a commitment to studying his work intensely and often. In preparation for Pentecost, we will rely more heavily on quoting from the scriptures, both the Old Testament and Luke’s Gospel, than usual to make it more understandable.

Continue reading “Pentecost – Bright Tongues of Fire; Tighter Bonds of Community” →