Let us despise nothing: not any person, for in the worst of them there is the divine spark, which can always flame forth; nor ideas, for in all of them there is a grain of truth, which one must know how to discover; nor other people’s actions, for we often are unaware of their motives and always unaware of their far-reaching and providential consequences.

I asked myself if there was any grain of truth in Hitler’s superior race ideas – and I think that maybe the grain of truth was this:  The German people were going through terrible economic times. They needed to hear that God loved them.  But that grain of truth was perverted to the idea that the Aryan race was superior.

Perhaps the grain of truth in the pro-choice movement is that women need to hear that they are valued – but again not above others but as much as others.

Maybe our election year rhetoric could be better understood – and addressed – if we kept Elisabeth LeSeur’s meditation in mind.

It was the faith of those four men that Jesus noted, not just the faith of the paralytic.  I can imagine Jesus looking up at the four gathered around the opening they had just made in the roof and giving them a smile acknowledging their ingenuity in getting their friend before him…and them smiling back in recognition.  I imagine Peter may not have been so happy about his roof being damaged, but I’m sure that, after the paralytic was healed and the crowds dispersed, the four men got to work repairing the roof and spending some time with Jesus, home-owner Peter, and the rest of the disciples.    

Jesus forgives the paralytic’s sins before the physical healing.  Some years ago a friend who participated in a healing prayer ministry told me of a person who had come numerous times for prayer but had not received the healing she desired.  One of the team members, sensing that God wanted to heal her, asked if she was holding onto any resentment toward another person.  She acknowledged that she was.  They began praying for the grace for her to forgive, and when she was finally able to do so, she received the physical healing following the spiritual one.  We are a unity of physical-emotional-spiritual and it is not surprising that illness and healing in the physical realm be related to spiritual illness and healing. 

In the order in which Jesus healed, Jesus also wanted to give his naysayers evidence that he had the authority to forgive sins.  In this context, the physical healing becomes a proof of Jesus’ authority to forgive sins.  Still, his detractors weren’t convinced.  They had already made up their minds about Jesus.  Everything he said or did was filtered through the prism of their prejudice.  Since we are a combination of body, mind and spirit, I wonder if their lack of spiritual openness may have also resulted in a little arthritis or indigestion.

Reading 1, Isaiah 43:18-19,21-22,24b-25  Chapters 40 to 55 of Isaiah, often called second or Deutero-Isaiah, are generally attributed to an anonymous poet, a later disciple in the tradition of Isaiah, who prophesied toward the end of the Babylonian exile.  From this section come the positive words of encouragement reviving the Israelites’ hope in the “something new” that God is preparing for their future.  The sins of the past are forgiven.  The people had learned and repented. Now God could begin to refashion his people.  Living without focus on God – falling into difficult times for living by our own will – recognizing the basic error of our ways – repenting and turning to God – receiving forgiveness and rising to newness with God…this cycle into which God injected the prophetic message of Isaiah has been repeated countless times throughout history.  It is part of everyone’s personal history.  Praise God for the prophetic message along with the ministry of Jesus Christ which assures us that with God there is always forgiveness and hope for those who turn to him with repentant hearts.

Reading II, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22  The words in this passage don’t flow very well in English.  I’m not sure how smoothly Paul’s writing came across in the original Greek, but the basic message is that God is consistently “yes” in forgiving and blessing those who call on him with true faith.  Although Paul and his associates are limited in their ability to be physically present to the many Christians communities under their pastoral care, they reflect that same “yes”.  It is best to read this passage in context with the preceding verses.  Paul had previously told the Corinthians that he was going to visit them on his way to and from Macedonia.  Apparently, plans changed and Paul was not able to do so.  Some members of the highly-factionalized Corinthian community, perhaps a bit smitten by the strong language of Paul’s previous letter to the Corinthians, probably took the occasion to challenge the trustworthiness of Paul’s words and, perhaps, character.  Although he hadn’t been able to visit them as he had said, Paul, nonetheless, asserts the integrity of his person and his mission…not “yes” and “no” any more than Jesus had been “yes” and “no”.  Specific situations of life may be beyond our control, but Paul was true to Jesus in every moment.  That’s how he could write, as we read in the second reading last week (1 Cor. 11:1): “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”  Although we may not be as constant in our following Christ, more like the Corinthians than Paul, God takes us and transforms our “Amen” into a pure offering and newly bestows the Holy Spirit upon us.

Regardless of Jesus admonition to the opposite, who could blame the former leper for telling everyone about what Jesus had done for him?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were all such good evangelizers, sharing with others how we have experienced the goodness of God in our lives? 

Remember that the Son of God became one like us in everything except sin, meaning that Jesus got tired and needed rest just as we do.  He was understandably concerned about the number of people who were hearing about his healing powers and coming to him at all hours to ask for a healing.  He also tired of people seeking favors and then going away rather than staying to listen to his teaching and become disciples.  Well, the resurrected Jesus doesn’t get tired out from crowds, but he may still be concerned that people stop at asking favors rather than going on to be hearers of the word.

Reading 1, Leviticus 13:1-2,44-46  The Greek word “lepis” means a scale or flake and is the base word for “leprosy”.  The symptoms described in this text from Leviticus describe a variety of skin blotches or lesions, but although the Hebrew word tzara-at is translated as “leprosy”, it does not share the major symptoms of Hansen’s disease, what today in a more limited scope is referred to as leprosy. Hansen’s disease exhibits a puffiness of the skin rather than a dry flaky condition.  Only 5% of the general population is susceptible to the bacteria which causes Hansen’s disease which is only contagious for a few days after treatment is administered. 

You have probably heard the term “holistic healing” based on the principle that the physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of a person are closely interconnected both in the development of illness and recovery from it.  As clearly seen in the book of Job as well as numerous other biblical texts, Jewish people generally believed that physical suffering was the result of sin and physical well-being the reward for doing God’s will.  Leprosy was considered a physical manifestation of a spiritual illness.  In that context it is not surprising that the Jewish priest was both the spiritual and medical authority of his community and the person to whom the leper would go both for diagnosis as well as reintegration into the community. 

On seeing anyone approach, the leper was to cry out, “Impure, impure!”  According to the Talmud the leper does this not only to warn others of possible contagion but also to elicit compassion and prayers on his/her behalf.  It was the responsibility of the community to offer support and prayer rather than shun or ignore the afflicted.  Nevertheless, given the belief that the leprosy was the result of sin, people would have the tendency to judge and wonder how the leper had offended God to deserve such an illness.

Reading II, 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1   This follows on a discussion of whether or not to eat meat and vegetables purchased in the general marketplace or served at table.  Sometimes food was brought to a temple as a thanks to the gods prior to being sold in the marketplace.  Paul had told people not to be concerned about this unless someone knew for sure that it had been offered in sacrifice.  In that case Paul advised not to eat the meat or vegetables, not because it was tainted but out of respect for the conscience of the person who complained (1 Cor. 10:23-30).  On that principle, Paul tells us to be sensitive to others and avoid giving offense, trying to do all for the glory of God. 

I particularly like the final verse of this selection.  The scriptural reference is full of 1’s and the English text is full of I’s…even more so in an earlier translation which I memorized, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.”  One might, at first, think Paul is boasting.  Not so, he is challenging both his audience and himself.  He is to imitate Christ, and he gives his readers permission to hold him to that high standard.  I am mindful of a familiar story from the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta on being interviewed by a reporter, “Mother Teresa, people say you are a living saint.  What do you think about that?”  She responded, “Isn’t that what we are all supposed to be?”  We are all to be imitators of Christ and challenge ourselves to be an example of such for others.

Visit just about any small town in the world, and you’ll find a pretty high percentage of the residents are related with ancestors going back generations in the same town.  People know one another, and news gets around town rather quickly.  As common as that is in this age of mobility, it was even more so centuries ago in a place like Capernaum.  Until the arrival of Jesus, Capernaum was a quiet fishing village of approximately 1,500 residents, most if not all Jewish.  With the establishment of his ministry headquarters there at the house of Peter, things would be anything but quiet in Capernaum for much of the next three years.

Jesus’ teaching and casting the unclean spirit out of the man at the synagogue had taken place on the Sabbath.  Recall that the Jewish day begins not at midnight as in our reckoning but at sunset.  That means that the Sabbath begins around 6pm on Friday and continues until 6pm Saturday evening.  No unnecessary work including food preparation, washing dishes, house cleaning, or chores other than feeding livestock was permitted.  Instead, people spend their time in prayer and being together with family and friends.  Little question that the main topic of discussion in Capernaum that Sabbath was about Jesus and what had taken place at the synagogue during the Saturday morning service.   If he could cast out an evil spirit, many of them pondered, he could surely heal grandma or Uncle Jacob.  Although they knew that Jesus was at Peter’s house, they waited until the Sabbath was over before bringing their sick and disabled to him.  They were not going to do unnecessary work or ask Jesus to do so either. 

It must have been quite a sight to see the streets of Capernaum bustling with so much activity on a normally quiet night when people tended to stay home, clean up from the Sabbath and prepare their Saturday evening meal.  Those who arrived first packed the inner courtyard of the house.  The rest crowded around the entryway out on the street.  First, news spread about Peter’s mother-in-law.  Then as one after another person was healed and their families made their way back through the crowd, a blend of euphoria and expectation ensued. Each story was repeated over and again accompanied by hugs and kisses, congratulations, words of encouragement and thanks to God. 

The people of Capernaum understandably wanted Jesus to stay around.  Over time they would witness many miraculous healings in their town.  For the next three years their quiet village would become a hotbed of activity.  Rumors spread that Jesus might be the long-awaited Messiah, and many…including representatives from powerful Jewish groups centered in Jerusalem…came to be inspired by or find fault with Jesus’ preaching and teaching. Most, however, came bringing their sick from some distance away to wait for Jesus to return.  As much as Jesus had a heart to heal people, that aspect of his ministry sometimes got in the way.  People came more to see Jesus the healer and miracle worker rather than Jesus the prophet and teacher of the ways of God.  How many crossed the bridge from favors received to faith in Jesus as spiritual guide?  Much later in his public ministry, we’ll hear some of Jesus’ frustration expressed right there in Capernaum where he had returned after feeding 5,000 people on the other side of the lake: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled (John 6:26)”.   Jesus’ desire to move on to other villages in this Sunday’s gospel passage carries a hint of that tension he will experience throughout his ministry.  

Do we turn to God primarily to seek favors or guidance?  Do we plan our lives and then ask God to bless our plans or do we seek God’s plan first and foremost?  How would we have related to Jesus if we had lived in Capernaum during his years of ministry and not known what we now profess to believe about him?

Reading 1, Job 7:1-4,6-7  Popular logic in Old Testament times was that those who observed God’s commandments prospered and sinners suffered.  After the upright Job lost nearly everything and was in physical anguish, three of his best friends, all believers in that logic, came to plead with him to confess and repent of whatever he had done so God could restore him to health and prosperity.  This passage is part of his response to the comments of Eliphaz, the first of the three friends to speak. 

How many of the people who would come to Jesus, including those who came to Peter’s house on the evening recounted in our gospel reading, wondered for what sins God was punishing them with sickness and infirmity.  The apostles even put credence in the sin-suffering logic, asking Jesus with reference to a blind man, “Who was it who sinned, him or his parents, that he was born blind?”  Jesus gave no credence to their way of thinking, responding, “Neither, it is so the works of God might be made visible through him” (John 9:2-3).  The apostles should have read the book of Job more closely.

How do I deal with the difficulties and setbacks of life?  Is my faith strong enough to not blame or get angry with God?  Jesus even more than Job gives us a model of how to face difficulties and carry the crosses of life. 

Reading II, 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23   Those who preach the gospel and pastor churches deserve recompense for their ministry just as their predecessors from the time of Paul did.  People feel uncomfortable, however, if it seems that self-promotion and enrichment is a major motivator for a preacher’s ministry.  That was, apparently, a concern during the time of Paul.  He puts a great deal of emphasis on the fact that he works as a tentmaker and supports his own ministry rather than live off people’s donations.  Paul mentions this to assure people of the truth of the gospel he preached and the authenticity of his fervor in preaching…so true and important that Paul was offering it “free of charge”.  Paul found great personal satisfaction in this as well…the recompense he seeks is not money but a part in the very gospel he proclaimed.

I am inspired to write this note to you as a crisis pregnancy center volunteer because you can’t help but be involved in the abortion debate.  But go ahead and FELP (faith, ethics, logic, rules of public discourse) in other areas as well.

Faith:  As Christians we look at issues with the view of what Christ would want us to do – following His lead can “make wise men out of fools” as it says in the Bible.  Remember the Golden Rule but go beyond that – we must love and pray for our enemies,  we must love as God has loved us!

 Use: with fellow Christians as a starting point.

 Ethics: To the golden rule  -  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you and your mother’s rule – Whoever splits the candy bar gives the other first choice, add the moral point of view – Members of all groups affected by a decision make policies under a “veil of ignorance” not knowing which group they will belong to after the decision is made.  For example: will you be the unborn child or the pregnant woman, the employee or the employer, the immigrant or the host country, the taxpayer or the sick?

 Know the facts, who will be affected, and key values involved: dignity of human life (intrinsically valuable), autonomy (self-determination, compatible with similar liberty for others), honesty, fidelity (contract-keeping, promises, confidences), justice (equality of treatment & fairness of distribution, give to each person what belongs to or is owed to that person), utility (“greatest good for the greatest number”, not just avoiding evil, but doing good, beneficence). What if two key values are involved and a choice must be made between them?

 Remember the “Kews Gardens Principle,” namely “need, proximity, capability, and last resort” developed by  ethicists when a group of people stood by doing nothing when someone was attacked at the Kews Gardens & no one stepped up to help.  When is our country or are we as individuals obligated morally to come to the aid of another? Is there a need for help? Are we close enough to help or be aware of the need for help? Are we able to help without undue risk to ourselves? Is no one else likely to help?

 Use: when the person is not a person of faith but accepts common ethical norms, does not just have  a “My will be done -  if I can get by with it” mentality.

Logic: At a minimum work through a worst case scenario if everyone acted similarly.  And ask “How would you feel if the world or significant others were aware of your actions?”

Use: with those who prefer the pragmatic view of “what works”.

Public discourse:  Listen well to what the other person is saying. Establish common ground. Find the good in the other person’s arguments, values. Find areas of agreement and work from there, using faith, ethics and logic as much as possible.

 Use: ALWAYS!

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A tidbit I came across recently in the abortion debate to use at the Faith level:  Rather than debate about when life begins, to settle the conflict between autonomy and dignity of human life, ask “When does God consider the unborn to be a person?” 

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.

Peter’s house: The drawings above are artistic renditions of two houses in the archaeological site at Capernaum under the care of Holy Land Franciscans.  The first, and closest to the lake, is believed to be the house of Peter and his extended family.  The entrance in the upper left of the picture faced the main street coming up from the lake.  The second picture shows the neighboring house in between Peter’s and the Capernaum synagogue.  The synagogue was the finest building in town and the only one constructed of cut stone.        

During a synagogue service, an official of the synagogue invited someone, usually a guest or noted person if present, to do the reading after which he would be first to comment on the passage read.  Others present could then enter the discussion, giving their opinions and commonly quoting various rabbis to back up their interpretations.  Jesus taught with “authority”, meaning he taught without quoting but as the “author” of his teaching.  The proof of his authority to teach was then given as he spoke with the same authority in casting the spirit out of the man possessed.  Jesus, Son of God, is “author” of all good for us as he was that day in Capernaum.

Jairus, whose daughter Jesus later raised from the dead, was head of the synagogue at Capernaum (Matthew 5:22, Luke 8:41).  He may have been present as a witness to Jesus’ show of authority in the synagogue that day. 

Why did Jesus heal on the Sabbath?  Jewish people were not allowed to do any unnecessary work on the Sabbath.  I think a weekly day of rest was unique to the Jewish people.  They could treat someone who needed medical attention or even rescue an animal in danger, but anything that could wait until after the Sabbath was prohibited.  This law guaranteed Jewish people a full day of rest each week (from around 6pm Friday evening until 6pm Saturday evening) on which they could spend time deepening personal relationships with God, family and friends rather than being occupied with everyday tasks.  A bit later in Mark’s gospel (2:27) Jesus is confronted by a group of Pharisees for what they regarded as laxity in keeping the Sabbath law, to which he responds, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”.  They were focused on the letter of the law, Jesus on the spirit of that law.  Still, Jesus’ penchant for healing on the Sabbath (see also Mark 3:1-6, Luke 13:10-17, Luke 14:1-6, John 5:1-18, John 9:1-41) communicated a message which the Pharisees and scribes interpreted as far more serious than breaking a Sabbath law.  Despite the Sabbath regulation being grounded on God’s resting on the 7^th day (Genesis 2:2-3), Jewish scholars had reasoned that God did not really rest for, if he did, the sun would not rise and pass through the sky and creation would go out of existence.   God was the only one to do work, the ongoing re-creation of the world, on the Sabbath.  Without actually saying so, something that would certainly result in Jesus being called on trial before the Jewish authorities, Jesus was indicating his divinity through healing on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees and scribes, catching Jesus’ unspoken message, considered his healing on the Sabbath as blasphemy, and it was for that more than anything else that they sought to put him to death.  The closest Jesus came to giving them solid spoken evidence was in Matthew 12:8 when he said, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”.

Reading 1, Deuteronomy 18:15-20  Moses assembled all Israel together (Deut, 5:1) for an extensive summary of all God’s statutes and decrees.  This text comes in the middle of his speech.  It is best understood in relation to the previous couple verses (Deut. 18:13-14) in which Moses warns them to be wholehearted with the Lord and not resort to fortunetellers, diviners, astrologers, and practitioners of witchcraft as did the people in the lands the Israelites are about to enter and occupy.  God himself will raise up prophets and put his word in their mouth.

The word “prophet” means “one who speaks for another”.  The true prophet does not speak for himself and certainly not in the name of some other god.  Moses was extremely careful to consult the Lord in everything he said relevant to his leadership and prophetic role.  It was clear that the “author” of what Moses said was God.  Any other person whom God will raise up may not command the honor and prestige of Moses but, by being a true mouthpiece of God, he will be, as Moses put it, “a prophet like me” and speak with an authority greater than even the king.  This passage is selected to highlight Jesus’ speaking and acting with authority in today’s gospel reading.

It is worth noting that even true prophets can, at times, forget to consult God and not see God’s will clearly.  The bible gives us two such examples with the great prophets Samuel assessing the qualities of the future king he was to anoint (1 Samuel 16:6-7) and Nathan who initially gave David a green light to build the temple (2 Samuel 7:3-7).  We must recall that good intention and a history of seeking God’s will are not enough.  We do best to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit constantly in every decision of life.

Reading II, 1 Corinthians 7:32-35   Back at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 7, Paul says, “Now in regard to the matters about which you wrote”.  Paul had apparently received a list of questions and concerns from the community at Corinth and decided to respond to them in his letter.  This passage comes in response to a question about whether people should remain single or get married.  “Now in regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my opinion…this is what I think best because of the present distress, that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is” (1 Cor. 7:25-26).  Paul is not anti-marriage but he clearly believed that the responsibility of caring for a wife and family could cause anxieties and compromise the attention and focus one might otherwise give to God.  Why be intent on such things if Jesus would be returning before the kids were even old enough to go to school?  Had Paul known that the second coming was not so imminent, would he have been less emphatic in his encouragement to remain single?  Maybe.  I’ll leave it to those of you who are single to consider if your present state of life is free of anxiety and totally focused on the Lord and maybe consider a vocation to priesthood or the religious life.  Likewise, I’ll leave it to you who are married to consider whether your marriage and family distract you from the things of God or are the very vehicle through which you serve God.

After John had been arrested: After the death of King Herod the Great in 4 B.C., the Roman government divided his kingdom into three political divisions, each entrusted to one of Herod’s sons: Herod Antipas became tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea; Archelaus ruler of Judea, Samaria and Idumaea (until being replaced by a Roman governor); Philip tetrarch of the territories east of the Jordan River.  Theirs was the story of a dysfunctional family.  Dad Herod the Great divorced his first wife to marry Mariamme and gain control of her family’s political power.  Eventually, he accused her of adultery and had her and several members of her family executed on grounds of conspiracy.  He likewise executed his own brother and his sister’s husbands.  Antipas and Archelaus were Herod’s sons by his fourth wife, Philip by his fifth wife.  With advancing years, Herod became more paranoid and had two of his older sons killed for allegedly plotting against him and another executed for treason.  Caesar Augustus reportedly said, “I would sooner be Herod’s pig than his son.”  Son Herod Antipas divorced his first wife for Herodias who happened to be the daughter of an older half-brother (thus, his niece) and previously wife of his half-brother Philip (thus, his sister-in-law).  John the Baptist was imprisoned for publicly reproving Antipas for taking his brother’s wife. 

Besides marrying the same woman, Antipas and Philip also competed in trying to demonstrate their importance by building capital cities on the Sea of Galilee.  Philip built up Bethsaida just east of where the northern Jordan flowed into the lake.  Herod Antipas, who had just completed rebuilding his capital of Sepphoris in the hills near Nazareth, took up the challenge and built a new capital city, Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee. 

All that construction, along with maintaining a full retinue of government officials and troops, required significant cash flow.  To raise revenue, Herod promoted the fishing industry on the Sea of Galilee.  Fishing rights were licensed.  Boats (two large boats were needed to properly work the nets) were expensive, but Herod’s government offered loans with interest to purchase boats and equipment.  Taxes were collected as a percentage of each day’s catch. 

Simon and Andrew were fishermen: Fishermen formed partnerships or syndicates to make a go of the business.  Since the boat is referred to as Peter’s, he probably had a business loan with the government under his name, managed a minimum of eight workers to help with fishing each night and other employees to transport cargo and passengers during the day.  By keeping the boats busy all the time, he could make ends meet.  People depended on him.  Given such responsibilities, what would it mean for him and Andrew to “abandon” their nets?  The word for “abandon” is also translated “divorce”, “leave behind”, or “send away”.  It indicates an intentional separation from a relationship which previously existed.  Peter, along with Jesus and the other apostles, would return to use the boat and nets on several occasions.  Somehow he figured out how to keep the business going, organize the men who depended on the business for their livelihood, and care for his family while dedicating the major portion of his time to following Jesus.  “Abandoning their nets”, then, does not mean leaving them to rot on the beach but, more profoundly, divorcing themselves from being “married” to fishing to become “fishers of men”.  Peter took care of his responsibilities to family, business, and associates while making following Jesus his number one priority.  Christians today, given the same sort of responsibilities, can learn from Peter’s example. 

Jesus came proclaiming the gospel: When we hear the word “gospel” we think of the four written accounts in the New Testament.  What was the “gospel” Jesus proclaimed? The Greek word for gospel is “euaggelion”, most closely written “evangelism”.  Thus, the gospel writers are called evangelists.  See the word “angel” in there?  An angel is a messenger.  Eu- is good.  The gospel is the “good message”.  Jesus proclaimed the good message of God.  We are called to repent and believe in the good message. 

Reading 1, Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was located on the west bank of the Tigris River opposite modern-day Mosul,  the city in northern Iraq which was in the news in recent years. Nineveh was a large and beautiful city with many temples and royal palaces.   Under Tiglath-pilezer III (745-727 B.C.) and his immediate successors, Assyria expanded its empire, defeating various small countries to the west including Israel and Judah.  These countries retained self-rule but were forced to pay huge tributes annually to their Assyrian overlords.  To free themselves from this burden, Syria and Israel, often enemies in the past, joined forces to mount a resistance against the Assyrians.  They tried to pressure Judah to join them, even to the point of invading Judah.  Under pressure, King Ahaz of Judah appealed to Assyria.  Over the course of several years, Assyrian campaigns into the region resulted in the total downfall of Israel in 721 B.C.  In Judah, Hezekiah succeeded his father Ahaz as king in 715 B.C. and reversed his pro-Assyrian policies, initiating a period of political and religious reform.  At some point he quit paying the tribute and prepared Jerusalem and his country for a full-scale resistance against the Assyrians.  Jerusalem withstood the Assyrians in 701 B.C. possibly due to a rat-borne plague or epidemic in the camp of the Assyrian army.  Assyria was eventually defeated by the Babylonians in a series of campaigns ending in 609 B.C.  In the course of the conflicts, Nineveh was conquered and razed to the ground in 612 B.C. and never rebuilt. 

Tobit was a  resident of Nineveh: The book of Tobit in the Old Testament places Tobit as a Jew deported from Israel to Nineveh during the Assyrian conquest in 721 B.C. He was eventually put in charge of purchases for the household of the king, a rather favorable and lucrative position for a deportee.  In that capacity he occasionally traveled to Media (northwester Iran) to buy goods for the king and to deposit his own money with a relative who lived there.  After several years, Tobit sent his son Tobiah to Media collect his money and to find himself a wife.    

The story of Jonah: The book of Jonah is believed to have been written after the Babylonian exile (587-538 B.C.), many years after the destruction of Nineveh.  Although Assyria and its capital no longer existed, they lived on in infamy given symbolic status as the hated overlord and enemy of the Jewish people.  Jonah tried to escape the Lord’s command and buys passage on a ship bound for Tarshish, a Greek colony in SW Spain on the Atlantic Ocean.  When the boat is tossed about for days in a huge storm, Jonah tells the crew to throw him overboard.  He is swallowed by a whale which spits him up on shore with a long hike to Nineveh at least 400 miles inland from the Mediterranean. 

In the post-exilic time, many Jewish people cultivated a very nationalistic mentality.  Freed from exile, they were once again God’s “chosen people”. They expected God to show them mercy and display divine wrath against anyone who opposed them.  The story of the conversion of Nineveh was probably written to make the point that, if a major world city like Nineveh could repent and do the will of God on the word of a single prophet, then they, the people of tiny Judah, should not be presumptive about divine favor, get rid of their petty nationalism, and recognize that the Lord God is lord of the whole earth.

Reading II, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Convinced that the return of Christ was imminent, Paul advises the Corinthians to not go about life with a “business-as-usual” attitude.  What does this reading mean for us today?  Don’t get too invested in things that are passing as to lose focus on the ultimate purpose for our existence and our ultimate goal…then, to live each day in relation to that.  What is deemed a reason for joy in the short-term may, in the bigger picture, be an obstacle to fuller blessings and vice versa, suffering in the present moment may be a source of blessing in the bigger picture of time (reminiscent of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12).

In the gospels of Matthew and Mark (next Sunday’s gospel), Peter is putting his nets in order down at the lakefront when Jesus first encounters him and calls Peter to follow him.  Luke presents a similar lakefront call, but has the initial encounter take place at Peter’s house where Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law.  Here, John’s gospel gives a different scenario as Peter comes to Jesus only after his brother Andrew had spent time with Jesus and, believing Jesus to be the long-expected Messiah, brought Peter to Jesus. “Where are you staying?” Andrew asked, letting Jesus know he wanted to spend time with him, more than just a quick interview on the spot.  In addition to study, prayer is essential.  The gospel says it was about “four in the afternoon”, literally “the tenth hour”.  The hour would have been particularly significant if they were approaching the beginning of the Sabbath which began at sunset or around the twelfth hour.  Since Jewish people were not to do unnecessary work on the Sabbath, Andrew and his companion would spend the day in prayer and conversation with Jesus…a wonderful encouragement for us to honor the Day of the Lord by spending time with Jesus in prayer.  Faith is more than just having the right beliefs based on accurate information.  Faith is a way of life which comes through spending time with Jesus. 

“Simon” is a Hebrew name that means “one who hears”.  “Cephas” is the Hebrew word for “rock”, as is “petros” in Greek.  “Andrew” is from Greek meaning “manly”.  “John” is from Hebrew and means “gift of God”.  The fourth gospel mentions two people named John, the Baptist and the father of Peter and Andrew, both mentioned in this passage.  The fourth gospel never mentions John the Evangelist nor his brother James by name.  They are first mentioned as “Zebedee’s sons” and listed as Jesus’ disciples in John 21:2 in the epilogue, the last chapter of the gospel. Even the phrase “the beloved disciple” does not appear in the fourth gospel until being placed at Jesus’ side during the Last Supper (13:23), next at the foot of the cross (19:26), then running to the tomb with Peter ((20:2), and last of all at Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to the disciples at the Sea of Galilee (21:7 and 21:20).  In 21:24 the author of the gospel identifies himself as the one referred to as the beloved disciple.  The question remains regarding two other references to an unnamed disciple in the fourth gospel…a disciple who had an in at the home of the high priest and got Peter in during Jesus’ trial (18:15-16) and here in today’s reading as the other disciple of John the Baptist who went with Andrew to spend time with Jesus.  Though there is no proof, tradition often places John in both spots, making him one of the first witnesses and disciples of Jesus.

Reading 1, 1 Samuel 3:3b-10,19  Eli and his sons functioned as priests at the sanctuary in Shiloh at which the tabernacle with the ark of the Lord was kept (the ark would not be transferred to Jerusalem until the time of King David).  Hannah, a childless woman getting along in years, had gone to Shiloh to petition the Lord for a child, promising that her child would be dedicated to the Lord’s service.  Eli, observing her emotional sobbing, thought her to be drunk and reprimanded her.  On learning what was actually going on, he blessed her.  Hannah conceived and gave birth to Samuel.  After he was weaned, Hannah and her husband brought the boy and turned him over to Eli’s care and direction.  Thus, Samuel, as a young boy, helped Eli at the sanctuary.  The good-hearted boy must have been a good companion and solace to Eli whose heart was grieved by his own sons who had “respect neither for the Lord nor for the priests’ duties toward the people” (1 Samuel 2:12).  In this beautiful recounting of little Samuel learning to recognize the voice of the Lord, we all would do well to pray in the words old Eli taught the youth: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Reading II, 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20   What does it mean that “the Lord is for the body”?  In the first part of verse 13 (not included in this reading) Paul refers to a popular saying of the time: “food for the belly and the belly for food”, a rationale for indulging in feasting and partying.  If it tastes good, why not enjoy it.  Undoubtedly some people applied the same logic to sexual license…the body for sexual immorality.  In Greek culture, this  indulgent attitude ranged from Hedonism, a philosophy giving full license to the gratification of natural desires as the highest form of happiness, to Epicureanism, a fondness for luxury and sensual delight in food and drink moderated by morality, temperance, serenity, and cultural development.  Paul corrects such logic with a similar juxtaposition of terms as in the saying about food and belly: “the body is for the Lord and the Lord for the body.”  The purpose of the body, as God has created it, is to give honor to the Lord.  Elsewhere in 1 Corinthians, Paul refers to the body as the “temple of the Lord” (3:16-17 and here quoted in 6:19).  The Lord is for the body as its creator who will “change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body” (Phil. 3:21).  So, glorify God by using the body for the purpose for which it was created.

Imagine someone allowed to live someone else’s house, perhaps watching a house while the owners are on vacation or maybe babysitting.  If the guest is responsible and mindful that the house belongs to someone else, he / she will be sure to take care of it as the owner desired…perhaps better than if the house were his / her own.  The owner may have left a list of things to pay attention to, maybe even a list of people or activities not allowed in the house.  Although I feel that my body is MY body, considering it the temple of God whose care is entrusted to me might make me more attentive to activities God does not want and influences God does not want me to welcome into his house.

King Herod ruled as King of Judah from 37 to his death in 4 B.C.  Tyrannical and suspicious to the point of paranoia, he had all actual and presumed opposition eliminated including his wife and several other members of his own family.  He built fortresses, Herodium and Masada, in locations in his kingdom to which he could escape and secure himself in case of a popular uprising.  I have read that he had a list of the most popular people in every town and city of Judah with a standing order that they be killed in the event of his own death…a unique sort of life insurance policy.  His soldiers wisely refused to carry out the order when he did die.  Such a person would be capable of commandeering soldiers to kill babies in Bethlehem on the possibility of one being a future king.  No wonder both he and the people of Jerusalem, for different reasons, were troubled at the news brought by the Magi.  Placing Jesus’ birth a couple years prior to the death of Herod (the family was living in Egypt when they heard of Herod’s death) would put the birth of Jesus around 6 B.C. which aligns well with the appearance of the star.  When the monk Dionysius Exiguus was commissioned by the pope in 525 A. D. to figure out the year Jesus was born and renumber all years accordingly, he was off by those six years…not bad given the information he had to work with.

Many years ago I saw a marquee sign in front of a church in St. Paul proclaiming “Wise men still seek him”.  Matthew’s gospel sets up an interesting contrast between the Magi and the Jewish chief priests and scribes. Non-Jews from a distant land discerned the birth of Jesus and his uniquely important role in God’s plan.  Those most expert in the Jewish scriptures and prophecies missed the signs and then failed to follow up on them once the birth of the long-awaited king had been pointed out to them.  Wouldn’t it seem logical that, on hearing that the Magi were headed to Bethlehem just six miles down the road, at least one or two of them would have thought to ask if they might accompany the Magi?  Of course, knowing King Herod’s ways, they might have thought it better not to have such information.  Whatever the case might have been, Matthew’s account encourages readers with non-Jewish backgrounds to be wise and recognize Jesus as Messiah even though most Jewish people had not come to such belief. 

God, inspire me to be more an active seeker like the Magi than a storehouse of religious information like the chief priests and scribes.   May I respect and be motivated in my own faith by all who honestly search for God, whether or not they do so in the same religious path I follow.  Grant me wisdom and focus to seek out Jesus every day and to offer him the gift of myself…a gift more precious to God than gold, frankincense and myrrh.  

Reading 1, Isaiah 60:1-6  The Midianites were a nomadic group that originally lived in the Sinai desert.  Ephah was a branch of the Midianite tribe.  When Moses fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian overseer of Jewish slaves, he found shelter with the Midianite chieftain Jethro and eventually married his daughter Zipporah (Ex. 2:15-23; 4:18-23).  Centuries later when the Israelites had settled in the Promised Land, Midianites would raid Israelite camps and villages on their camels and make off with grain and sheep.  Being adept with camels and life on the move, many Midianites became merchants, transporting goods from far-away lands on their camels.  Sheba, located in the SW of the Arabian Peninsula, became prosperous as a port for international trade.  Frankincense is the resin of a variety of rather scraggly desert trees found in the southern area of the Arabian peninsula.  It was used by Jews only for liturgical purposes.  The imagery is of a renewed Jerusalem, prosperous as a center of trade and renowned far and wide in a golden era, resplendent as a brilliant sunny day after the cold cloudy season. 

Old Testament texts, especially those more prophetic or Messianic in tone, are often quoted or referenced in the New Testament to show that Jesus and the new covenant through him are the fulfillment of the old covenant.  The practice of drawing parallels between the Old Testament writings and the Gospel story did not end with the writing of the New Testament texts but, rather, was enhanced as Christians sought to fill out the scriptural story with more and more detail.  This text from Isaiah is a good case in point.  While Matthew’s account in today’s gospel reading clearly indentified the visitors as Magi, popular religiosity promoted them to being kings as a more perfect parallel to this Isaiah text. 

We Christians certainly consider Jesus as the light…“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)…fulfilling this prophecy, but what does that mean for each of us personally?  It must be more than an intellectually satisfying insight into biblical interpretation.  God, help me recognize the areas of darkness in my life.  Guide me to “walk by your light”.   May faith in Jesus and his word truly enlighten my mind, heart and soul to the extent that I am “radiant” (a great image, radiating the glory of God out to others as a radiator heats a room) at what I see and my “heart shall throb and overflow”.

Reading II, Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 The word “Gentiles” means “the peoples” and referred to all who were not of the Jewish race or religion.  Such people were allowed to enter the Temple of Jerusalem (the first large area on entering the Temple was called the Court of the Gentiles) and could join the Jewish religion as full members through circumcision or as associates or “God-fearing” members who, short of circumcision, shared beliefs and could attend the synagogue services.  This latter group was rather numerous in the areas Paul visited on his missionary journeys and comprised a high percentage of those who became baptized Christians.  Paul carried their cause to the Council of Jerusalem (c. 46 A.D.) which determined that they could be full members of the Christian community without need to be circumcised and follow the details of the Mosaic law.

Paul clearly understood his ministry as a “stewardship of God’s grace”.  He invested himself 100% in that ministry.  His dedication was more like a person who might be named “employee of the year” than someone striving to become CEO.   My ministry…and the specific ministry given to each of us…is, likewise, a stewardship of God’s grace.  May Paul’s dedication to his ministry inspire us.

The shepherds of Bethlehem had a responsibility unlike any other shepherds in Israel.  It was required that a lamb be sacrificed in the temple of Jerusalem each morning and evening in addition to the other lambs sacrificed during the day.  The lambs were to be without blemish (see Exodus 12:5 regarding the requirement of unblemished lambs on Passover).  To assure a regular supply of unblemished lambs, it is believed that the temple authorities maintained their own private flocks pastured in Bethlehem around five or six miles from Jerusalem.  Thus, shepherds responsible for the lambs to be sacrificed at the temple were the first to see the Lamb of God, the “unblemished lamb” (1 Peter 1:19), who would be sacrificed as a redemptive offering for us. 

Jesus’ circumcision, as with all Jewish boys, took place on the eighth day after his birth. This timing requirement is so important to Jewish people that circumcisions were to be performed on the Sabbath, if it were the eighth day, rather than waiting one more day.  Circumcision was practiced by other Semitic peoples, a practice which the Jewish people adopted from the Canaanites on their arrival in Palestine (Genesis 17:9-14).  It became a sign of the individual person entering into the covenant of the Jewish people with God.  As such it was also required for an older male converting to the Jewish faith that he be circumcised. 

I came across a note that, according to Jewish custom, no baby showers were held prior to the birth of the child due to the greater possibility of miscarriages, the child being stillborn, or dying from some complication soon after birth.  For this reason, it was considered both bad luck and a possible cause for regret by getting too attached to the baby by gathering baby items (and then having reminders of shattered hopes) or even discussing baby names until the baby was born.  This gave me a bit of insight into the account of people’s amazement at the naming of John the Baptist.  Given that tradition, it would have been very possible that Elizabeth and Zachariah had not discussed the baby’s name prior to that moment.  Also, we have in the same account an example of neighbors coming together to rejoice with a baby shower party which undoubtedly included some singing and bestowal of gifts.  With the birth of Jesus, lacking neighbors in the vicinity, the angels did the singing, and, although the angel had told Mary in advance what the child was to be called, Jesus was officially named the day of his circumcision.

Reading 1, Numbers 6:22-27  This prayer is commonly invoked by Jewish rabbis and cantors as the benediction of most services, weddings, bar and bat mitzvah’s.  Jewish parents use this to bless their children on the eve of the Sabbath.  Moses was God’s prophet or mouthpiece, but Aaron and his sons were the consecrated priests of the covenant.  As such they, not Moses, were responsible for official worship and care of the tabernacle.  As the Catholic Church directs priests as to the wording of the blessings they give, so God communicates through Moses the wording that Jewish priests are to use.  As with Catholic understanding of the role of priests, Jewish priests did not possess divine powers in and of themselves but were two-way channels or instruments through whom God communicated a blessing to the people and people communicated their petitions to God.

The word “Lord” here is the divine name “Yahweh” which Jewish people, out of respect for God, were not to pronounce (such was limited to the high priest who would whisper the divine name in the holy of holies once a year).  Whenever the divine name appeared, another word was substituted.  In some traditions the word “Jehovah” is used for this purpose.  Hebrew originally had no letters for vowels, only consonants.  Marking were added under letters to indicate vowel sounds.  The words YaHWeH and YeHoWaH would thus be spelled the same but using different vowel sounds would still respect God’s real name. 

The word “keep” is to be understood as “to protect”.  As to what is to be protected, Jewish commentaries interpret this as protecting what was received in the blessing (usually referring to tangible things such as health, strength, riches, possessions, peace) as well as protecting the recipient from being corrupted by the attainment of material blessings.   

For God to “let his face shine upon you” was associated with light or illumination of the mind and heart rather than material blessings.  This second blessing asks for wisdom and understanding of the purpose for which God has bestowed any material blessings.

To “look upon you kindly” is literally to “turn his head in your direction”, a sign of God giving you special attention.  Giving “peace” is giving “shalom”, which encompasses all positive wishes and blessings.  This is basically asking God to turn to you and share a Sign of Peace.  We all share in that priestly act of invoking God’s blessing for one another with the Sign of Peace at Mass.

Reading II, Galatians 4:4-7  The word “sent” in Greek has a sense of being sent on a mission.  Here the mission is to ransom or redeem someone out of slavery, meaning paying the price to buy someone’s freedom.  But the gift goes a step beyond freedom to adoption.  In the ancient world people who incurred huge debts which they were unable to repay could be sold into slavery along with their family members (see Matthew 18:25).  There were instances in the ancient world of people buying a slave’s freedom or freeing a slave one had purchased and then making the former slave an heir through adoption. The story Ben-Hur tells of a galley slave who saves the life of his Roman master and is subsequently adopted as his son and heir.  The depth of this personal relationship with God is shown in allowing us to call God “Abba”, a very personal familial address similar to “Daddy”.         

The proof or confirmation of being God’s sons and daughters comes with the bestowal of the same Spirit, “the Spirit of his Son”.  The Holy Spirit is given to guide us to know how to live as true sons and daughters of God and to give us strength to actually do live as such.  This is symbolized for us through the Sacrament of Confirmation.