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” →

Christ Appears to the Disciples on the Mountain in Galilee, Panel from the Maesta Altarpiece,
Duccio di Buoninsegna, c. 1308 – 1311, Museo dell’Opera metropolitana del Duomo (Siena)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
May 30, 2021

Today we read from the Book of Deuteronomy. It is literally translated as “Second Law” but might be better called the second reading of the law. It is the 5^th book of the Bible and concludes the Pentateuch/Torah and is composed as a series of addresses by Moses to the Hebrews as they prepare to invade Canaan. Moses reviews the law with the people and tells them that without it they will perish. This may seem to be an exaggeration. As we have many times seen in examining these readings, the concerns of the time that the texts were written down are as important as when they occurred and by the time the final edition of Deuteronomy was written, they had both died and rose. Rabbinic Judaism held that Moses lived from 1391 to 1271 BC. Therefore, his original exhortation would have been in the late 1200s BC. This is obviously a guess, and we are not quite certain to what kind of group, he was speaking nor exactly of what the law consisted.

We are on firmer ground during the reign of King Josiah, who reigned between 640 and 609 BC. Two developments marked his times. In 627, the Assyrian king, who effectively controlled Judean kingdom, died and there was a succession battle. Josiah saw this as a moment to seek independence. Around the same time, he started to renovate the temple and discovered a copy of the law. This we may assume is the central part of the book of Deuteronomy. (12:4-7) This discovery provoked a religious revival and part of this revival was editing this primitive version of Deuteronomy and adapting it for his day. (32-34)

Continue reading “Most Holy Trinity – Moved by Gratitude” →

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” →

St. Peter Baptizing the Centurion Cornelius, Francesco Trevisani (1656-1746)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Sixth Sunday of Easter
1 John 4:7-10
May 9, 2021

One of the most beloved verses in Scripture is John 3:16:

For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him
might not perish
but might have eternal life

(Jn 3:16)

It is very beautiful and moving but somewhat vague.

The lines that follow can be easily misinterpreted as meaning that we be saved, receive eternal life, by mentally acknowledging the mission and divinity of Jesus.

For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but
that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him
will not be condemned, but
whoever does not believe
has already been condemned,
because he has not believed
in the name of the only Son of God

(Jn 3:17–18)

Some readers of John the Evangelist, the author of the Gospel, would have interpreted this passage in this way. (Please see the commentary for April 17, 2021 for an explanation of the different people to whom we apply the name John.) Love is important in every time and place, but the word has many different meanings. A twentieth century theologian wrote that love has run through our times like a greased pig. Love always makes itself felt but the meaning is hard to grasp onto. Most people would define love as a feeling and often merely being polite and “nice.”

Continue reading “6th Sunday of Easter – Knowing God, Loving As Jesus” →