God does not grade on a curve

The readings for this coming Sunday all point to one common truth:  the Lord is a just judge, an important thing to remember as we approach the month of November, with its days dedicated to all saints and all souls, and the Solemnity of Christ the King (which was originally celebrated on the last Sunday of October, right before those first November feasts).

The first (cf. Sir. 35:12, 18) and second (cf. 2 Tim. 4:8) readings make this abundantly clear.  In the Gospel (Luke 18:9-14), the justness of the Lord's judgment is veiled in terms of a parable of two men who go to the temple to pray:

He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.

"Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'

"I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

To explain this theme, and this parable, to the students at Rider University who attend the Catholic Bible Study I host, I began by asking if they have ever taken a class or an exam where the teacher graded on a curve.

There are many ways to grade on a curve.  Perhaps the most infamous way is the "bell curve", which reflects what should be the statistically-sound normal distribution of grades among a body of students, as shown on the right.  Few students get As and Fs, more get Bs and Ds, and the most get the "average" grade, C.  This grading scheme can be good or bad for students.  It can be good because it means that the student who got the highest raw (uncurved) score on the exam is assured an A, no matter how objectively poorly he did.  It can be bad because it means that if everyone in the class aces the exam, they are all merely "average" and get Cs.

The bell curve, and other forms of curving, make up for the defect of the students' mastery of the material by comparing them to each other.  On a 100-question quiz, if no one gets more than 50 questions right, then that "failing" grade becomes an A.  Regardless of the highest-scoring student's knowledge of what he is being tested on, he receives a passing grade, because he scored better than the rest of his class.  Without the bell curve, the students are not compared to each other, but to the material covered on the exam; they receive objective grades based on their mastery of the material, not based on their relative performance.

In the parable which Jesus addressed to those who "were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else," our Lord mentions a Pharisee and a tax collector (or "publican" in some translations).  His audience, hearing the parable unfold, might have had the following impression: "A Pharisee!  Gosh, they sure are holy, with their phylacteries and their praying in the Temple and their knowledge of the Scriptures.  Ugh, and a tax collector?  My neighbor Zacchaeus is one of those traitors, taking my hard-earned money and giving it the Romans... and probably taking a little of the top for himself as well.  I'm sure Jesus wouldn't want to have anything to do with him."

The Pharisee compared himself to others, and believed himself to be better than them.  As they heard the Lord retell the Pharisee's prayer &mdash "to himself," which might just be idiomatic, but is also quite a condemnation! — they could have thought, "I might not be as good as the Pharisee, but I too am at least better than that tax collector!"  If they had to put the Pharisee and the tax collector on a scale and assign them letter grades, they would give the Pharisee an "A" and the tax collector an "F".  And then, if they had to assign themselves a grade, they would certainly place themselves above the dreaded tax collector.  Even if they got a "D", that was still a passing grade, right?

The tax collector's prayer was very different.  He did not compare himself to the Pharisee or to anyone else.  He compared himself to the divine law:  "O God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

Jesus tells us that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified.  The tax collector, comparing himself to the divine law and to God Himself, graded himself objectively; but the Pharisee, comparing himself to others, graded himself subjectively, on a curve; and God does not grade on a curve.  Our justification and salvation are not determined by comparing our performance with others'.  Our very need for justification and salvation are predicated on the great contrast between our conduct and God's law.  It does no good to compare ourselves to one another; St. Paul did not write that "some have sinned and fall short of the glory of their neighbor," but that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23)  God is the standard, most perfectly embodied in His Son Jesus Christ, in Whom the God was able to show us, by His own example, obedience to Him.

So as we approach the month which reminds us of the Last Things, let us not say, "God, I thank you that I am not like that adulterer, like that thief, like that murderer..." but instead, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

New Bible studies

I'm involved in two Bible studies right now.  One for college students at Rider University on Monday nights, where we look at the readings for the coming Sunday; and another (associated with St. David the King parish in West Windsor) for young adults, reading the book of Proverbs.

I'll share some notes from Proverbs later today.

Making Sense of Sunday: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), August 9, 2009

This series, Making Sense of Sunday, is meant to be an aid both to lectors and the people in the pews. I cover both the First Reading and the Second Reading, usually giving more attention to the Second Reading, since it's usually omitted from the homily and only rarely topically related to the First Reading and the Gospel.

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:4-8
Context
Elijah was a prophet during the period of the divided kingdom. After Saul, David, and Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was split into a northern half (called Israel) and a southern half (called Judah). The northern kingdom was ruled by wicked king after wicked king, many of whom were killed by the man who succeeded him on the throne! The eighth king of Israel (the northern kingdom) was Ahab, who married a pagan woman named Jezebel. It was during the reign of Ahab (circa 874-853 B.C.) that Elijah manifested the power and presence of God, in the northern kingdom.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenges Jezebel's prophets who are loyal to the false god Ba'al. On Mount Carmel, the false prophets and Elijah present sacrifices. The prophets cry aloud and even cut themselves with blades to try and get Ba'al to answer them and receive their sacrifice, but it is to no avail. Then, Elijah — whose name means "the LORD is God" — takes his sacrificial offering, douses it with water three times, and calls upon the Lord, Who answers by consuming the holocaust with a flame from the heavens which even dries up all the water around the altar! The LORD is God indeed! Elijah has the false prophets slain. This does not please Jezebel in the slightest, and she returns the favor, slaughtering almost every loyal prophet of God in the northern kingdom.

I have included the verses 1-3 and 9-13a in italics and placed between { and }. These verses are not part of the pericope (the liturgical reading), but they provide a fuller context to why Elijah is on the run, and what happens when he arrives at Mount Horeb.

Reading

{ [1] Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done —
that he had put all the prophets to the sword.
[2] Jezebel then sent a messenger to Elijah and said,
“May the gods do thus and so to me
if by this time tomorrow I have not done with your life
what was done to each of them.”
[3] Elijah was afraid and fled for his life,
going to Beer-sheba of Judah.
He left his servant there[.] }

[4] Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
“This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
[5] He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
[CCC 332]but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
[6] Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
[7] but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”
[8] He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

{ [9] There he came to a cave, where he took shelter.
But the word of the LORD came to him,
“Why are you here, Elijah?”
[10] He answered:
“I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts,
but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant,
torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword.
I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.”
[CCC 2583][11] Then the LORD said,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”

A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD —
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake —
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
[12] After the earthquake there was fire —
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
[13] When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. }

Themes

• Fear and resignation in the midst of carrying out the will of God (vv. 3-6)
• Miraculous provision from God (vv. 6-8)
• The presence of God in quiet majesty (vv. 11-13)
  

Comments
Jezebel promises to take Elijah's life, and so he flees. During his journey, he gets tired and falls asleep under a broom tree. He is awakened by an angel, and he finds food and drink provided for him. He eats and drinks... but then goes back to sleep! The angel has to wake Elijah again and tell him to eat and drink and then go! The food is not "pity food" for Elijah during his depression, but is meant to energize him for the journey. At the end of his journey, Elijah has an encounter with the Lord on Mount Horeb (which is Mount Sinai).

Elijah was afraid and resigned during his journey... until the angel admonished him. Notice Elijah's demeanor in verse 4, where he asks God to take his life, for he was "no better than [his] fathers," and contrast that with his answer to God in verse 10. Elijah has been energized by the food and by the journey to Horeb.

Have you ever received spiritual nourishment from God, only to waste it? Have you ever had a spiritual encounter so powerful that you tried to recreate or hold on to the feeling rather than move forward with the energy of that encounter? Too often Christians fall into emotionalism, latching on to feelings rather than faith. Back in January, on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, as I was proclaiming the First Reading at Mass (from Acts 22), I began to weep at the ambo. By the last verse, my voice broke. To speak the words of Sts. Paul and Ananias touched my very core. I have no doubt that I had an intense spiritual encounter with God that morning. It manifested itself in feelings of humility and sorrow for my own sin, in tears.

I have never had that reaction while reading at Mass before, and have not had it since... and I'm okay with that. I do not try to recreate the scenario or recapture that feeling. Instead, I remember the effect the feeling had, I remember how it changed me, I remember the encounter. I pray I will never forget it. I do not need to be moved to tears in front of the congregation at Mass to remember the power of God in the life of St. Paul and in my own life. If I kept trying to be moved to tears while reading, instead of moving forward from this encounter, I would be like Elijah, eating and drinking and then going back to sleep. The angel told Elijah that the food was meant to give him strength for a journey, and that if he did not eat and drink and go soon, he would not have the energy to make it all the way to Horeb.

God gave me that encounter for a reason. Yes, it was a witness to the congregation. But it was also a special grace to me, and that grace was meant as strength for a journey. If I don't go forward in that grace, if I waste it just waiting for it to happen again, or trying to manufacture it again, I may not have the strength to go on further down the line.

There's a reason why Catholics (with rare exceptions) are only permitted to receive Holy Communion twice a day. Lay Catholics do not belong in the church, morning, noon, and night: lay Catholics have an apostolate in the world. (See Apostolicam Acuositatem from Vatican II.) When we receive Holy Communion (the miraculous spiritual food prefigured in the First Reading), it is meant to sustain us on our mission. We are dismissed at the end of Mass, sent out, sent forth. We should not be like sleepy Elijah, but like determined Elijah.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2
Context
Last week, St. Paul continued comparing and contrasting the pre-Christ way of life and the post-Christ way of life. This week, we hear him continuing to exhort the Ephesians to live a genuinely Christian way of life, characterized by the absence of evil attitudes ("bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, ... reviling, [and] malice") and the exercise of true charity ("be kind [and] compassionate, forgiving one another").

I have included verses 3-8b of chapter 5, which are some the verses in between this Sunday's and next Sunday's Second Reading.

Reading

Brothers and sisters:

[Isa. 63:10][30] Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
[CCC 1274, 1296]with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.
[31] All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling
must be removed from you, along with all malice.
[32] And be kind to one another, compassionate,
[CCC 2842]forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

[CCC 1694][5:1] So be imitators of God,
as beloved children, and live in love,
[CCC 616;[2] as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
Ex. 29:18; Ezek. 20:41]as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

{ [3] Immorality or any impurity or greed
must not even be mentioned among you,
as is fitting among holy ones,
[4] no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk,
which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving.
[5] Be sure of this,
that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater,
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
[6] Let no one deceive you with empty arguments,
for because of these things the wrath of God
is coming upon the disobedient.
[7] So do not be associated with them.
[8] For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. }

Themes

• Avoiding lack of charity (vv. 4:30-31, 5:3-5)
• Showing the merciful love of God in Christ (vv. 4:32, 5:1-2)
• Conversion from darkness to light (vv. 5:7-8)
  

Comments
This reading challenges us to face the hurtful and hateful attitudes that are so prevalent in our day and age. How often throughout the day do we, almost unknowingly, manifest "bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, ... reviling, [and] malice" to those around us? How about "immorality or ... impurity or greed" or "obscenity or silly or suggestive talk"? It's a shame we don't hear this sober reminder in the reading at Mass: "no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." That should wake us up to our sins, especially those against charity.

Our model is nothing short of God Himself! "Be imitators of God," St. Paul says. "Live in love as Christ loved us." The commandment of "love your neighbor as yourself" is transformed by Christ into "love your neighbor as I have loved you". Our love for one another must be so great as to manifest itself as a sacrificial self-offering to God for the good of the other person. Where do we find the energy to love one another to such a degree? The Eucharist, the spiritual food which God gives to us for the journey.

Making Sense of Sunday: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), August 2, 2009

This series, Making Sense of Sunday, is meant to be an aid both to lectors and the people in the pews. I cover both the First Reading and the Second Reading, usually giving more attention to the Second Reading, since it's usually omitted from the homily and only rarely topically related to the First Reading and the Gospel.

First Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
Context
In Exodus 15, the Israelites sing a triumphant song to the Lord Who has just defeated Pharaoh's entire army by drowning them in the Red Sea. The chapter ends, though, with grumbling: the company of Israel had walked through the desert of Shur for three days without finding water, and when they finally did find water, it was too bitter to drink. The Israelites called that place Marah (meaning, "bitter").

So faced with bitter water, the Israelites complained to Moses, "What are we to drink?" The Lord instructed Moses to throw a certain type of wood into the water to make it drinkable. Could this be a sign pointing to the wood of the cross by which death (often represented by water) is transformed from being bitter to being our final passage into the sweetness of eternity?

After Marah, they travel to Elim, "where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees." (Exodus 15:27) From there, they set off through the desert of Sin (what a name, eh?) which is between Elim and Sinai. (cf. Exodus 16:1) They have not yet reached Mt. Sinai and received the Commandments; they reach it in Exodus 19.

I have included the whole of chapter 16; verses omitted from the liturgical reading are in italics and placed between { and }.

Reading

{ [1] Having set out from Elim, the whole Israelite community came into the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. }

[2] The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
[3] The Israelites said to them,
“Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt,
as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into this desert
to make the whole community die of famine!”

[Ps. 78:23-25; 105:40[4] Then the LORD said to Moses,
Wis. 16:20]“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;
thus will I test them,
to see whether they follow my instructions or not.

{ [5] On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in, let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

[6] So Moses and Aaron told all the Israelites, “At evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
[7] and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, as he heeds your grumbling against him. But what are we that you should grumble against us?
[8] When the LORD gives you flesh to eat in the evening,” continued Moses, “and in the morning your fill of bread, as he heeds the grumbling you utter against him, what then are we? Your grumbling is not against us, but against the LORD.”

[9] Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole Israelite community: Present yourselves before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.”
[10] When Aaron announced this to the whole Israelite community, they turned toward the desert, and lo, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud!
[11] The LORD spoke to Moses and said, }

[12] “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites.
Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,
and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,
so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.”

[13] In the evening quail came up and covered the camp.
In the morning a dew lay all about the camp,
[14] and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert
were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.
[15] On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, “What is this?”
for they did not know what it was.
But Moses told them,
“This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.”

{ [16] “Now, this is what the LORD has commanded. So gather it that everyone has enough to eat, an omer for each person, as many of you as there are, each man providing for those of his own tent.”
[17] The Israelites did so. Some gathered a large and some a small amount.
[18] But when they measured it out by the omer, he who had gathered a large amount did not have too much, and he who had gathered a small amount did not have too little. They so gathered that everyone had enough to eat.

[CCC 2836-2837][19] Moses also told them, “Let no one keep any of it over until tomorrow morning.”
[20] But they would not listen to him. When some kept a part of it over until the following morning, it became wormy and rotten. Therefore Moses was displeased with them.

[21] Morning after morning they gathered it, till each had enough to eat; but when the sun grew hot, the manna melted away.
[22] On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers for each person. When all the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses,
[23] he told them, “That is what the LORD prescribed. Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, the sabbath, sacred to the LORD. You may either bake or boil the manna, as you please; but whatever is left put away and keep for the morrow.”
[24] When they put it away for the morrow, as Moses commanded, it did not become rotten or wormy.

[25] Moses then said, “Eat it today, for today is the sabbath of the LORD. On this day you will not find any of it on the ground.
[26] On the other six days you can gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, none of it will be there.”
[27] Still, on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, although they did not find any.
[28] Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and laws?
[29] Take note! The LORD has given you the sabbath. That is why on the sixth day he gives you food for two days. On the seventh day everyone is to stay home and no one is to go out.”
[30] After that the people rested on the seventh day.

[31] The Israelites called this food manna. It was like coriander seed, but white, and it tasted like wafers made with honey.

[32] Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded. Keep an omerful of manna for your descendants, that they may see what food I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
[33] Moses then told Aaron, “Take an urn and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the LORD
in safekeeping for your descendants.”
[Heb. 9:4][34] So Aaron placed it in front of the commandments
for safekeeping, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

[35] The Israelites ate this manna for forty years, until they came to settled land;
[Jos. 5:12]they ate manna until they reached the borders of Canaan.

[36] (An omer is one tenth of an ephah.) }

Themes

• The Israelites' lack of satisfaction with Moses and with God (vv. 2-3, 12)
  
• The Israelites' inability to obey (vv. 4, 20, 27-28)
• God testing and providing for His people (vv. 4-8, 12-14, 29, 35)
• The manna as "bread from heaven" (vv. 4, 14-15)
  
• The sabbath rest (vv. 23-30)
  

Comments
The first verse helps situate the narrative in time. The first month of the Hebrew calendar, Nisan, was the month when they celebrated the first Passover and left Egypt. The incident with the manna is taking place on the 15th day of the second month, exactly one full month since they began to leave Egypt. This grumbling occurs on a Saturday (Sabbath), and the quail appear that evening, and the manna begins to appear on Sunday morning. The manna appears for six days, but not on the following Saturday, the Sabbath.

This is the first time the Israelites are hearing of this "Sabbath" idea: this is before the Law has been given, before Israel has heard of the commandment of keeping holy the Sabbath. The Bible does not go into great detail about how Israel worshiped God before they went into Egypt.

The Israelites are not happy with God or Moses: they long for the days when they were back in Egypt, where despite being slaves, they could eat and drink better than now. This problem plagues (no pun intended) the Israelites throughout their Exodus. After taking the Israelites out of Egypt, God spends 40 years getting Egypt out of the Israelites. God sends the quail and the manna to show Israel that it is He, the Lord, who is God, who brought them out of Egypt (for which many of them still long).

The part of Exodus 16 read at Mass this Sunday focuses on God sending the manna (Hebrew man hu, meaning "what is this?", v. 15) as bread from Heaven. This is a prefiguring of the Eucharist, of the very flesh and blood of Christ, as Jesus makes clear in the Gospel reading from John 6. The manna in the desert was the Israelites' "daily bread." God introduced them to the concept of the Sabbath by letting them take twice as much on Friday and not sending any manna to them on Saturday. By a miracle, the leftovers from Friday would not go bad, unlike the leftovers from the other days.

The remainder of the chapter deals with their inability to follow instructions: some of them try keeping some manna for another day, but it rots; others waste time on Saturday going out in search of manna, despite being told that it would not appear. First Moses is displeased, then God is displeased. It will take the Israelites a long time before they come to trust God and believe in His words to them... and this, after all the miracles and signs He accomplished for them!

The last verses of the chapter do not immediately follow the action described in the rest of the chapter. Verses 32-33 may refer to carrying of a jar during the Israelites' march to Sinai, but they are most likely in direct connection with verse 34, which relates an event that happened at Mt. Sinai, once the tablets of the commandments had been created and the Ark had been constructed. Verse 35 records how long the manna came to them. These verses are found here simply because this is the part of Exodus which records their experiences with the manna. (For more on the apparent anachronism of verses 31-35, read this brief post.)

In case you don't know how much an ephah or an omer is, an omer is about two quarts (half a gallon). That's how much manna each Israelite ate daily, and that's the amount which was reserved (also miraculously!) in the jar.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24
Context
Last week, we heard St. Paul calling the Ephesians (both Jews and Gentiles) to maintain unity and peace among themselves. The faith is one, he told them. In the verses between last week's reading and this week's, he writes that God has distributed grace to us "according to the measure of Christ's gift." The members of this one Church are one body, despite holding different offices and having different functions: "And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ..." (vv. 7, 11-13)

Then he reminds them that the whole body is being built up in love so that it may grow in every way into Christ, who is the head. The verses we hear at Mass are an admonition to the Gentiles in Ephesus.

Reading

Brothers and sisters:

[CCC 2219; Col. 3:12-14][17] I declare and testify in the Lord
that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do,
in the futility of their minds;
[Rom. 1:18-32]{ [18] darkened in understanding,
alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance,
because of their hardness of heart,
[19] they have become callous
and have handed themselves over to licentiousness
for the practice of every kind of impurity to excess. }

[20] That is not how you learned Christ,
[21] assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him,
as truth is in Jesus,
[Col. 3:9-10][22] that you should put away the old self
of your former way of life,
corrupted through deceitful desires,
[23] and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
[CCC 1473; Rom. 13:14; Gal. 2:20; 3:27][24] and put on the new self,
created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Themes

• Corrupt way of life of the Gentiles (vv. 17-19, 22)
• "Learning" Christ (vv. 20-21)
• Renewal from the old self to the new self through Christ (vv. 22-24)
  

Comments
This reading (with the two omitted verses supplied) is the juxtaposition of two ways of life: the former way of life before/without Christ (vv. 17-19) and the new way of life after/with Christ (vv. 20-24). Because the Gentiles do not know God — although evidence for His existence is made known to them through nature, cf. Rom. 1:18-32 — they have hardened their hearts and become wicked and devoted to all kinds of impurity. St. Paul contrasts that ignorance with "learn[ing] Christ" who is truth: hearing of him and being taught in him. From this knowledge (gnosis in Greek) of Christ flows the renewal of our minds.

What is this "old self" that can be "put away"? What is this "new self" that can be put on? This is, perhaps, a reference to the rite of Baptism. The book of Revelation speaks of the saints washing their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. The Church eventually incorporated into her rite of Baptism the clothing of the newly baptized Christian in a white garment. If this was already the practice in St. Paul's day, that may be to what he is referring. This white robe, our "wedding garment," if you will (cf. Matt. 22:11-12), is a sign of being made a new creation in Christ. Our old self is nailed to the cross with Christ (cf. Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:19-20; 5:24; 6:14) and our new self is living in Christ, with Christ, and for Christ.

Paul speaks twice of "taking off" the old self and "putting on" the new self: here and in Colossians 3:9-10, where he says: "Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator." Once again, he connects the old self with former sinful practices (lying among other things: "immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry ... anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths," cf. Col. 3:5-8), and he connects the new self to renewal and knowledge and conformity to Christ.

The verses that follow this week's Second Reading echo those of Colossians 3:5-8: "Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil. The thief must no longer steal, but rather labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with one in need. No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear." (Eph. 4:25-29) This message is continued next Sunday, with verse 30.

Making Sense of Sunday: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), July 26, 2009

This series, Making Sense of Sunday, is meant to be an aid both to lectors and the people in the pews. To that end, I will try to cover both the First Reading and the Second Reading. More attention will be given to the Second Reading, since it's usually omitted from the homily and only rarely topically related to the First Reading and the Gospel.

First Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44
Context
The prophet Elisha was the successor of Elijah. Chapter 4 of 2 Kings records several miraculous acts at the direction of Elisha. First, he helped a widow save her two sons from slavery (for failure to pay a debt) by causing a single jar of oil to fill numerous vessels, thus providing her to sell the oil to pay off her debt and live off the remainder. (2 Kings 4:1-7) Then, in Shunem, he received lodging from a woman with no child an aging husband; for her hospitality, Elisha prophesied that she would have a son in a year. (2 Kings 4:8-17) When the boy had grown, he died suddenly one day, and the woman sought Elisha, who came to her house and brought the son back to life. (2 Kings 4:18-37) On another occasion, Elisha countered some poisonous substance in a stew. (2 Kings 4:38-41) The last vignette in the chapter is the one we hear at Mass, where Elisha multiplies bread to feed a hundred people. (2 Kings 4:42-44)

Reading

[42] A man came from Baal-shalishah
bringing to Elisha, the man of God,
twenty barley loaves made from the firstfruits,
and fresh grain in the ear.
Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”
[43] But his servant objected,
“How can I set this before a hundred people?”
Elisha insisted, “Give it to the people to eat.
For thus says the LORD,
'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’”
[44] And when they had eaten,
there was some left over, as the LORD had said.

Comments
This short vignette is not situated very clearly in time or place, but some scholars assume it took place in Gilgal (where the previous miracle took place). This miracle is a clear prefiguring of the multiplication of the fishes and loaves which we hear in the Gospel. It does not appear that Elisha is quoting a former word of the Lord, although it does seem a bit reminiscent of the statements God made regarding the abundance of manna and of quail in Exodus; rather, Elisha's message that "they shall eat and there shall be some left over" seems to be a word given to Elisha at this time for this occasion.

Note that the man presenting the bread was offering the first-fruits. This was the customary practice: the first and best was offered, trusting in God's generosity to repay abundantly.

Baal-shalishah is pronounced Bah-ahl-shal-ee-shah.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6
Context
In Ephesians 2, St. Paul re-affirmed the unity of Jew and Gentile in the one body of Christ, his Church. In Ephesians 3 (which begins with a reference to Paul's being "a prisoner for Christ Jesus"), Paul explains his ministry to the Gentiles, affirming once more that, through a mystery made known only in these later times, "the Gentiles are fellow heirs [with the Jews], members of the same body [the Church], and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." Then, in Ephesians 4 (also beginning with a reference to Paul's being a prisoner), he repeats once more this call to unity.

Reading

Brothers and sisters:
[1] I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
[CCC 2219; Col. 3:12-14][2] with all humility and gentleness,
with patience, bearing with one another through love,
[CCC 814][3] striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace:
[4] one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
[5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
[CCC 172-173][6] one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

Themes

• Live worthily of Christ (vv. 1-3)
• Unity; oneness (vv. 4-6)

Comments
St. Paul writes in his letters on many occasions about the need of living worthily of the gift we have received. It is clear he sees grace as a gift we do not deserve... but as one which we can disqualify ourselves of after having received it. Thus, here as elsewhere, he admonishes these Christians to be humble, gentle, patient, and loving; he challenges them to strive to maintain unity through peace.

The second half of the reading is Trinitarian in nature: one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father. It also lists seven ones, seven being a number signifying completion and perfection: one body (the Church), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father.

Making Sense of Sunday: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), July 19, 2009

In an effort to post more regularly (on Scripture), I've decided to blog about the Second Reading from Sunday Mass. In the future, I'll be more timely than I was for this Sunday. The reason for this series is that during Ordinary Time, the Second Reading is taken sequentially from the New Testament epistles and is rarely thematically related to the other readings at Mass; thus it is often overlooked in the homily. In addition to that, there are other difficulties presented: sometimes there is insufficient context for the average Catholic to understand what is being spoken and sometimes there are words or concepts (or exceptionally long sentences) that could use explanation.

To that end, I am starting this Making Sense of Sunday series. I will be displaying the Second Reading (as found on the USCCB web site, that is, using the NAB Lectionary text, which differs from the NAB) and providing contextual information, glosses, Scriptural cross references, and my own comments. My primary tool will be the Ignatius Study Bibles.

Context
St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians was probably written around A.D. 60, during his first imprisonment in Rome; this is supported by the multiple references to imprisonment found in the letter (3:2, 4:1, 6:20). There is some doubt as to whether the words "in Ephesus" in the greeting of the letter are genuine. If they are genuine, then Paul was writing to Christians in "the leading metropolis of the Roman province of Asia (southwest Turkey)". If they are not genuine, the impression is that this was a "circular letter" to the churches in Asia Minor, in which case Ephesus would have been one of the recipients. Paul did preach in Ephesus (Acts 18-20), so it is logical for him to have written to them.

The church in Ephesus, like many other (notably the church in Thessalonika) was made up both of Jews (Acts 18:19-28; 19:8-10, 17; 20:21) and Greeks (Acts 19:10, 17; 20:21). In some places, this was an occasion of disagreement and disunity, but this was not necessarily a problem in the Ephesian church, although the reading this Sunday does speak of the unifying effect of Christ's crucifixion.

The verses immediately preceding this reading (vv. 11-12) address the Gentiles specifically: "Therefore, remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by those called the circumcision, which is done in the flesh by human hands, were at that time without [or: separated from] Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world." From these two verses, we enter the reading for this Sunday. The next verse after the reading (v. 19) confirms Gentile Christians as equal-status "fellow citizens" in the "household of God" with the Jewish Christians.

Reading (Eph 2:13-18)

Brothers and sisters:
[13] In Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the blood of Christ.

[CCC 2305][14] For he is our peace, he who made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity,
through his flesh,
[15] abolishing the law
with its commandments and legal claims,
[Rom 10:12; 1 Cor 12:13;that he might create in himself
Gal 3:28; Col 3:11]one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
[16] and might reconcile both with God,
in one body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
[Isa 57:19][17] He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
[18] for through him
we both have access in one Spirit
to the Father.

Themes

• The "far off" (the Gentiles) and the "near" (the Jews) (vv. 13, 17)
• Christ is our "peace" (vv. 14, 15, 17) contrasted with "dividing wall of enmity" (vv. 14, 16)
• Reconciling Gentiles and Jews into "one new person" (vv. 13-17) through his "one body" (v. 16)
• Reconciling through Christ's "blood", "flesh", and "cross" (vv. 13, 14, 16)
• Trinitarian unity (v. 18)

Comments
In the two verses before this reading, Paul mentions the conditions (prior to Christ) of the Gentiles and the Jews according to the flesh: "Gentiles in the flesh" and "the circumcision ... done in the flesh by human hands." These fleshly differences disappear through the flesh of Christ. (v. 14) The circumcision of the foreskin which was the sign of the covenant with Abraham is surpassed by the sign of the new covenant in Christ: circumcision of the heart. (cf. Deut 10:16; Jer 9:25-26; Acts 7:51; Rom 2:29) This circumcision is brought about by Christ in the waters of baptism, not by a surgical procedure with human hands. (cf. Phil 3:3; Col 2:11)

The distance between the Jews (those who are "near") and the Gentiles (those who are "far off") is historical as well as liturgical. In the Old Testament, Israel is commanded by God many times to avoid mingling with the other nations, lest they be seduced by false gods and abandon the one true God, the Lord. Thus, Israel tried to keep its distance from the surrounding nations, but failed over and over again. But in the Temple in Jerusalem, there was a "dividing wall" which separated the outer court of the Gentiles from the inner court. A Gentile who passed into this inner area would be punished with death. This wall in the Temple was a liturgical manifestation of Israel's need to keep itself apart from the pagan nations.

Despite this need for separation, there are plenty of prophecies in the Old Testament which speak of a future time when all nations shall worship God, Jew and Gentile together. One of these prophecies is alluded to by Paul. (v. 17; cf. Isa 57:19) By Christ's crucifixion — his blood, his flesh, and his cross — this "dividing wall" is torn down, just as the veil in the Temple was torn as he died. (cf. Matt 27:51) The "access" (v. 18) may also be a reference to the Temple veil, given the other Temple imagery used.

Christ is the "peace" which defeats the "enmity" between the Jews and the Gentiles. This peace comes through reconciliation with God the Father, necessary because of our sins; this reconciliation of peace comes about through Christ's coming in the flesh and the sacrifice of his blood on the cross. The distinctions of Jew and Gentile are lost in Christ: there is "one new person" in the place of the two, a new Israel comprised of all peoples. Jesus, then, is the universal savior and mediator of the new covenant. The one Lord is the Lord of all.

One last point: Paul says Jesus "abolish[ed] the law with its commandments and legal claims." This is not in contradiction to what the Lord himself said in Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill." Rather, Christ did fulfill the law and the prophets, instead of doing away with them before they reached their intended conclusion and end. Jesus is the conclusion and end of the law and the prophets. What Paul means, then, is that Jesus (and the early Church, cf. Acts 15) abolished the necessity for Gentiles to become Jews in order to enter into the covenant.