Friday, March 03, 2006
New Levi
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
http://www.usccb.org/nab/030406.shtml
Reflection:
Generally when I look at the readings I do so first as a general first read and, following a short prayer, accept as guidance the first point God gives me. Something usually jumps right out. Today, however, what jumped out came when I was actually doing the analysis from the Jerome Biblical Commentary. The author of the analysis for Isaiah extracted from v. 10 a really profound paraphrase–
"If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday;"
When fasting makes the wealthy poor and when the poor impart their spirit of humble waiting upon God to the wealthy,
During lent we are reminded from scripture and from the teaching magisterium of the Church that we should give to those less fortunate. It is infrequent, however, that we hear what we (the wealthy – a relative term) will receive from those we hope to help.
It is so easy for us to fall into condescension when helping the less fortunate and to become something Jesus really did not like – self righteous. We especially should give thanks during this season of introspection that God has given us so much. We also need to remember as we hear the call of Levi in the Gospel that those to whom much is given even more is expected. Pax
If you wish to comment and are not registered on Myspace, you can email me at miles_jj@excite.com and I will post your response as a comment. Thanks.
Scripture[1] from Is 58:9b-14
Jerome Biblical Commentary[2]
9. he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
10. If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
11 Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.
10. if you bestow your bread: This translation is a slight emendation of the Hebrew-from napšeka ("your soul" or "your life") to lahmeka (your bread). The former word will occur again in v. 10b ("the afflicted" soul) and twice in v. 11 (simply "you"; the "satisfy". of v.10 also appears in v.11. as "give you plenty." When fasting makes the wealthy poor and when the poor impart their spirit of humble waiting upon God to the wealthy, then the world will confess before God "the parched land" of their whole being and God will answer with "glory" (40:5; Jn 1:14), "light" (In 8:12), and "spring of water" (41:17-18; 44:3; In 7:37-38).
12 The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; "Repairer of the breach," they shall call you, "Restorer of ruined homesteads."
12. The poem was clearly composed before the reconstruction of the city walls in 445 (Neh 6:15), and possibly before the rebuilding of the Temple in 5 1 5 (Ezr 6: 16) for other symbolical names given Jerusalem, see Is 1:26; 60:14; Ez 48:35).
13 If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD'S holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice--
14 Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
13-14. These closing lines repeat many thoughts of the opening verse, so that the entire poem becomes a strong compact unity. One of the key phrases is "your own pursuits" (or "interests"); the identical Hebr word has been translated "desire," "pleased," and "pursuits" (vv. 2-3). Selfish material-mindedness separates man from God and from all God's children, whereas the "honorable" observance of "the Lord's day" unites everyone in a
common vocation (56:2). The final words repeat 40:5.
[1] All biblical references -New American Bible United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000 December 09, 2002 Copyright © by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
[2] All references to Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc.© 1968
Scripture from Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Jerome Biblical Commentary
1 A prayer of David. 1 Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and oppressed.
1 [Psalm 86] An individual lament. The psalmist, "poor and oppressed" (Psalm 86:1), "devoted" (Psalm 86:2), "your servant" (Psalm 86:2, 4, 16), "rescued from the depths of Sheol" (Psalm 86:13), attacked by the ruthless (14), desires only God's protection (Psalm 86:1-7, 11-17).
ps. 86. An individual lament. The psalmist seems to be persecuted (14), perhaps unjustly accused, and he looks for a sign from the Lord that will confound his enemies (17). The structure is loose because of numerous borrowings from other Pss: 1-7, a cry for help; 8-10, a
hymn of praise; 11-17, a renewed appeal with motifs of confidence (15) and thanksgiving (12-13), and a return to the request (16-17). 1. Cf. Pss 102:3; 40:18.
2 Preserve my life, for I am loyal; save your servant who trusts in you.
2. Cf. Ps 25 :20
3 You are my God; pity me, Lord; to you I call all the day.
3. Cf. Ps 57:2-3. The use of the term Lord (Adonai, not Yahweh) is characteristic of this Ps.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant; to you, Lord, I lift up my soul.
4. Cf. Pss 51:14 and 25:r.
5 Lord, you are kind and forgiving, most loving to all who call on you.
6 LORD, hear my prayer; listen to my cry for help.
5. Cf. Ps I30:4.
Scripture from Lk 5:27-32
Jerome Biblical Commentary
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me."
(c) THE CALL OF LEVI (5:27-39). See Mk 2:13-22; Mt 9:9-17. 27. Lk omits Mk's references to the Sea of Galilee and to the crowd. At once Jesus turns away from everything else and peers intently (theaomai) at Levi, detecting his noble hopes and genuine compunction. publican: See comment on 3 :12. Levi: Usually considered to be the same as the apostle Matthew (Mt 9:9; 10:13); but the name Levi is never included in any list of the Twelve (? Aspects NT Thought, 78:165-166).
28 And leaving everything behind, 11 he got up and followed him.
11 [28] Leaving everything behind: see the note on Luke 5:11.
28. Lk alone states that Levi "left everything" behind to follow Jesus. This addition, along with the word "rising," is expressed by an aor participle, indicating the continual and ready disposition of discipleship (M. Zerwick, GrBib § 363-65).
29 Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them.
29. The income Levi renounced must have been large, if he was able to spread a banquet for the many invited guests.
30 The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"
30. the Pharisees and their scribes: They heard that Jesus did something worse than inviting unclean persons to his own home: He went to their homes, where one could never be sure that the dietary laws were being observed.
31 Jesus said to them in reply, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners."
32. not to call the just: Thus Jesus refers ironically to the self-righteous. To repentance: Luke's addition gives a more religious and conventional form to the saying. While sinners invite Jesus to be their guest at a dinner, Jesus invites them-by repentance-to become his guests at the eschatological banquet. Jesus, by his presence, transforms their banquet into his own (W. Grundmann, Evangelium, 133; A. Schlatter, Das Evangelium des Lukas [Stuttgart, 193 I] 62).
New Levi
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
http://www.usccb.org/nab/030406.shtml
Reflection:
Generally when I look at the readings I do so first as a general first read and, following a short prayer, accept as guidance the first point God gives me. Something usually jumps right out. Today, however, what jumped out came when I was actually doing the analysis from the Jerome Biblical Commentary. The author of the analysis for Isaiah extracted from v. 10 a really profound paraphrase–
"If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday;"
When fasting makes the wealthy poor and when the poor impart their spirit of humble waiting upon God to the wealthy,
During lent we are reminded from scripture and from the teaching magisterium of the Church that we should give to those less fortunate. It is infrequent, however, that we hear what we (the wealthy – a relative term) will receive from those we hope to help.
It is so easy for us to fall into condescension when helping the less fortunate and to become something Jesus really did not like – self righteous. We especially should give thanks during this season of introspection that God has given us so much. We also need to remember as we hear the call of Levi in the Gospel that those to whom much is given even more is expected. Pax
If you wish to comment and are not registered on Myspace, you can email me at miles_jj@excite.com and I will post your response as a comment. Thanks.
Scripture[1] from Is 58:9b-14
Jerome Biblical Commentary[2]
9. he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
10. If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
11 Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.
10. if you bestow your bread: This translation is a slight emendation of the Hebrew-from napšeka ("your soul" or "your life") to lahmeka (your bread). The former word will occur again in v. 10b ("the afflicted" soul) and twice in v. 11 (simply "you"; the "satisfy". of v.10 also appears in v.11. as "give you plenty." When fasting makes the wealthy poor and when the poor impart their spirit of humble waiting upon God to the wealthy, then the world will confess before God "the parched land" of their whole being and God will answer with "glory" (40:5; Jn 1:14), "light" (In 8:12), and "spring of water" (41:17-18; 44:3; In 7:37-38).
12 The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; "Repairer of the breach," they shall call you, "Restorer of ruined homesteads."
12. The poem was clearly composed before the reconstruction of the city walls in 445 (Neh 6:15), and possibly before the rebuilding of the Temple in 5 1 5 (Ezr 6: 16) for other symbolical names given Jerusalem, see Is 1:26; 60:14; Ez 48:35).
13 If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD'S holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice--
14 Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
13-14. These closing lines repeat many thoughts of the opening verse, so that the entire poem becomes a strong compact unity. One of the key phrases is "your own pursuits" (or "interests"); the identical Hebr word has been translated "desire," "pleased," and "pursuits" (vv. 2-3). Selfish material-mindedness separates man from God and from all God's children, whereas the "honorable" observance of "the Lord's day" unites everyone in a
common vocation (56:2). The final words repeat 40:5.
[1] All biblical references -New American Bible United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000 December 09, 2002 Copyright © by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
[2] All references to Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc.© 1968
Scripture from Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Jerome Biblical Commentary
1 A prayer of David. 1 Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and oppressed.
1 [Psalm 86] An individual lament. The psalmist, "poor and oppressed" (Psalm 86:1), "devoted" (Psalm 86:2), "your servant" (Psalm 86:2, 4, 16), "rescued from the depths of Sheol" (Psalm 86:13), attacked by the ruthless (14), desires only God's protection (Psalm 86:1-7, 11-17).
ps. 86. An individual lament. The psalmist seems to be persecuted (14), perhaps unjustly accused, and he looks for a sign from the Lord that will confound his enemies (17). The structure is loose because of numerous borrowings from other Pss: 1-7, a cry for help; 8-10, a
hymn of praise; 11-17, a renewed appeal with motifs of confidence (15) and thanksgiving (12-13), and a return to the request (16-17). 1. Cf. Pss 102:3; 40:18.
2 Preserve my life, for I am loyal; save your servant who trusts in you.
2. Cf. Ps 25 :20
3 You are my God; pity me, Lord; to you I call all the day.
3. Cf. Ps 57:2-3. The use of the term Lord (Adonai, not Yahweh) is characteristic of this Ps.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant; to you, Lord, I lift up my soul.
4. Cf. Pss 51:14 and 25:r.
5 Lord, you are kind and forgiving, most loving to all who call on you.
6 LORD, hear my prayer; listen to my cry for help.
5. Cf. Ps I30:4.
Scripture from Lk 5:27-32
Jerome Biblical Commentary
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me."
(c) THE CALL OF LEVI (5:27-39). See Mk 2:13-22; Mt 9:9-17. 27. Lk omits Mk's references to the Sea of Galilee and to the crowd. At once Jesus turns away from everything else and peers intently (theaomai) at Levi, detecting his noble hopes and genuine compunction. publican: See comment on 3 :12. Levi: Usually considered to be the same as the apostle Matthew (Mt 9:9; 10:13); but the name Levi is never included in any list of the Twelve (? Aspects NT Thought, 78:165-166).
28 And leaving everything behind, 11 he got up and followed him.
11 [28] Leaving everything behind: see the note on Luke 5:11.
28. Lk alone states that Levi "left everything" behind to follow Jesus. This addition, along with the word "rising," is expressed by an aor participle, indicating the continual and ready disposition of discipleship (M. Zerwick, GrBib § 363-65).
29 Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them.
29. The income Levi renounced must have been large, if he was able to spread a banquet for the many invited guests.
30 The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"
30. the Pharisees and their scribes: They heard that Jesus did something worse than inviting unclean persons to his own home: He went to their homes, where one could never be sure that the dietary laws were being observed.
31 Jesus said to them in reply, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners."
32. not to call the just: Thus Jesus refers ironically to the self-righteous. To repentance: Luke's addition gives a more religious and conventional form to the saying. While sinners invite Jesus to be their guest at a dinner, Jesus invites them-by repentance-to become his guests at the eschatological banquet. Jesus, by his presence, transforms their banquet into his own (W. Grundmann, Evangelium, 133; A. Schlatter, Das Evangelium des Lukas [Stuttgart, 193 I] 62).
posted by Deacon Jim | 12:38 PM
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