Easter Vigil - Cycle C
1st Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:2
The Creation Account
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[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was
without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the
Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.
[3] And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. [4] And God saw that
the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. [5] God called
the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there
was morning, one day.
[6] And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it
separate the waters from the waters." [7] And God made the firmament and se-
parated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were
above the firmament. And it was so. [8] And God called the firmament Heaven.
And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
[9] And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into
one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. [10] God called the dry
land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And
God saw that it was good. [11] And God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation,
plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each
according to its kind, upon the earth." And it was so. [12] The earth brought forth
vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees hearing
fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was
good. [13] And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
[14] And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to sepa-
rate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for
days and years, [15] and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to
give light upon the earth." And it was so. [16] And God made the two great lights,
the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made
the stars also. [17] And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give
light upon the earth, [18] to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate
the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. [19] And there was
evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
[20] And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let
birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens." [21] So God crea-
ted the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the
waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its
kind. And God saw that it was good. [22] And God blessed them, saying, "Be
fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the
earth." [23] And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
[24] And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their
kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their
kinds" And it was so. [25] And God made the beasts of the earth according
to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps
upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
[26] Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and
over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps
upon the earth." [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
he created him; male and female he created them. [28] And God blessed them,
and God said to them.,"Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over
every living thing that moves upon the earth." [29] And God said, "Behold, I have
given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and
every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. [30] And to every
beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on
the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for
food." And it was so. [31] And God saw everything that he had made, and behold,
it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
[1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2]
And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested
on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. [3] So God blessed the
seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which
he had done in creation.
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Commentary:
1:1-2:4a. Creatlon is the beginning of salvation history and the foundation on
which are built God's salvific plans, which reach their climax in Jesus Christ.
The biblical accounts of creation focus on the action of God; it is he who sets
the scene and he is the creator, too, of those who will act out the drama and
with whom he will enter into dialogue.
The sacred text incorporates ancient traditions about the origin of the world;
scholars identify two separate accounts in the early chapters of Genesis. The
first of these emphasizes God's transcendence over all created things, and is
written in a very schematic style; this account (1:1-2:4a) is attributed to the
"Priestly" tradition. The second, which also covers the fall and the expulsion from
paradise, speaks of God in an anthropomorphic way; this more vivid, more popu-
lar account (2:4b-4:26) is considered to belong to the "Yahwistic" tradition. Here
we have two different ways in which the Word of God (not intending to provide a
scientific explanation of the origin of the world and of man) expounds the basic
facts and truths on the subject in a way people can readily understand, inviting
us to see the greatness and love of God manifested first in creation and then in
the history of mankind. "Our faith teaches us," St. Josemaria Escriva writes,
"that all creation, the movement of the earth and the other heavenly bodies, the
good actions of creatures and all the good that has been achieved in history, in
short everything, comes from God and directed toward him" ("Christ Is Passing
By", 130).
In the first account the Bible offers profound teaching about God, about man and
about the world. About God, who is the only God, creator of all things and man in
particular; he transcends the created world and is its supreme master. About man,
who is the image and likeness of God, above all other created beings and placed
in the world to rule all creation. About the world, which is something good and is
at the service of man.
1.1. "Three things are affirmed in these first words of Scripture: the eternal God
gave a beginning to all that exists outside of himself; he alone is Creator (the verb
'create'--Hebrew "bara"--always has God for its subject). The totality of what exists
(expressed by the formula 'the heavens and the earth') depends on the One who
gives it being" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 290).
"In the beginning" means that creation marks the start of time and the course of
history. Time and history have a beginning and they are headed towards a final
goal, which the Bible will tell us more about, especially in its last book, Revelation.
At the end, we are told: 'Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more" (Rev 21:1).
God the Creator is the same God as will manifest himself to the patriarchs, to
Moses and to the prophets and make himself known to as through Jesus Christ.
In the light of the New Testament we know that God created all things through his
eternal Word, his beloved Son (cf. Jn 1:1; Col 1:16-17). God the Creator is Father
and Son and (the relationship of love between them) the Holy Spirit. Creation is
the work of the Blessed Trinity, and all of creation (particularly man, created in
the image and likeness of God) in some way bears their seal. Some Fathers of
the Church (Augustine, Ambrose and Basil, for example), in the light of the New
Testament, saw the words "in the beginning" as having a deeper meaning--
namely, "in the Son".
The "action of creating" belongs exclusively to God; man cannot create; he can
only "change" or "develop" something that already exists. In the creation accounts
of other Near East religions the world and gods developed out of preexistent matter.
The Bible, however, records gradual revelation of the mystery of creation interpre-
ted in the light of God's choice of Israel and his covenant with mankind; it roundly
asserts that everything was made by God. Later on it will draw the conclusion that
everything was created out of' nothing: "I beseech you, my child, to look at the
heavens and the earth and see everything that is in them, and to recognize that
God did not make them out of things that existed" (2 Mac 7:28). This creative
power of God is also able to give sinful man a pure heart (cf. Ps 51:12), to restore
the dead to life and to give the light of faith to those who do not know him (cf. 2
Cor 4:6).
It was God's love and wisdom that moved him to create the world, thereby com-
municating his goodness and making his glory manifest. The world, therefore,
"is not the product of any necessity whatever, nor of blind, fate or chance. We
believe that it proceeds from God's free will; he wanted to make his creatures
share in his being, wisdom and goodness" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church",
295).
The expression "the heavens and the earth" means everything that exists. The
earth is the world of men; the sky (or the heavens) can mean the firmament or the
divine world, God's own "place", his glory and all spiritual (non-material) creatures
--the angels.
1:2. The Bible teaches not just that God created all things, but also thatthe sepa-
ration and ordering of the elements of nature is something established by God
once and for all. The presence of the loving power of God, symbolized by a gentle
breeze or a breath (the text refers to it as a spirit; "ruah" in Hebrew) which hovers
and keeps watch over the world when it is still in chaos, shows that, as the text
will go on to say, the Word of God and his Breath are present in the origin of being
and in the origin of every creature's life. That is why many Fathers of the Church
(Jerome and Athanasaus, for example) saw this passage as reflecting the presence
of the Holy Spirit as a divine Person who, along with the Father and the Son, is at
work in the creation of the world, "This biblical concept of creation", John Paul II
explains, "includes not only the call to existence of the very being of the cosmos,
that is to say, "the giving of existence", but also the presence of the Spirit of God
in creation, that is to say, the beginning of God's salvific self-communication to
the things he creates. This is true "first of all concerning man", who has been
created in the image and likeness of God" ("Dominum Et Vivificantem", 12).
1:3-5. At this point strictly speaking begins the description of the creation, which,
according to the literary plan of this account, is going to take place over six days.
These six days are meant to indicate the orderliness with which God went about
his work, and to show a rhythm of work and rest: the Jewish Law laid down Satur-
day, the sabbath, as a day of rest and a day dedicatcd to the Lord. In the
Christian Church this day was shifted to Sunday, because Sunday was the day
on which our Lord rose from the dead, thereby inaugurating the new Creation:
Sunday, the "dies dominica" (Latin), the Lord's day.
On the first day God creates light and separates light from darkness (the latter,
being something negative--the absence of light--cannot be created). Light is seen
here as being a thing in its own right (without reference to the fact that daylight
comes from the sun, which will not be created until the fourth day). The fact that
God puts names on things (or in this case on situations caused by some elements
being separated from others) indicates that he wields absolute power over them.
God is in authority, whether it be day or night.
Here we meet for the first time a phrase which is going to be used seven times
over the course of the narrative: "And God saw that it was good." This means that
everything that God creates is good because in some way it bears his seal and
shares in his own goodness, for it has come from divine goodness. The goodness
of the world proclaimed here by Holy Scripture has important consequences for
the Christian: "We must love the world and work and all human things. For the
world is good. Adam's sin destroyed the divine balance of creation; but God the
Father sent his only Son to re-establish peace, so that we, his children by adop-
tion, might free creation from disorder and reconcile all things to God" ([St]
Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 112).
1:6-8. In line with the culture of their time, the early Hebrews thought that rain
came from huge containers of water in the vault of heaven; when trapdoors were
opened, the rain poured down. When it says here that God separated the water
which were above the firmament from those below, what is really being taugt is
that God imposed order on the natural world and is responsible for the phenome-
non of rain. It is also making it clear from the outset that the firmament must not
be thought to involve any divinity (as was believed in the nations roundabout
Israel); the firmament is part of the created world.
1:11. As the inspired author depicts here, a distinction is made between God's
action in separating and ordering the elements (creating the vast spaces of sky,
sea and land) and his action of filling or adorning these spaces with different
kinds of creatures. These creatures introduced in an increasing order of dignity
(in line with the thinking of the time)--first the vegetable kingdom, then the stellar
kingdom, and, lastly, the animal kingdom. Everything is perfectly arranged; the
world of Creation invites to contemplate the Creator.
1:14-17. Against the neighboring religions, which regarded the heavenly bodies
as divinities exerting influence over human life, the biblical author, enlightened by
inspiration, teaches that the sun, moon and stars are simply created things; their
purpose is to serve man by giving him light by day and night, and to be a way of
measuring time. Put in their proper, natural place heavenly bodies (like all the rest
of creation) lead man to appreciate the greatness of God, and to praise him for
his awesome works: "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament
proclaims his handiwork..." (Ps 19:1; cf. Ps 104). It follows that all forms of divi-
nation are to be rejected--consulting horoscopes, astrology, clairvoyance etc. (cf.
"Catechism of the Catholic Church", 2116).
1:26. The sacred text emphasizes the special significance of this moment: God
seems to stop to reflect and plan every detail of his next creation--man. Ancient
Jewish interpretation (followed also by some Christian writers) saw the use of
the plural "Let us make..." as meaning that God deliberated with his heavenly
court, that is, with the angels (implying that God had created them at the very
start, when he "created the heavens and the earth"). But the use of the plural
should rather be taken as reflecting the greatness and power of God. A consi-
derable part of Christian tradition has seen the "Let us make" as reflecting the
Holy Trinity, for New Testament revelation has made the Christian reader more
aware of the unfathomable greatness of the divine mystery.
"Man" here has a collective meaning: every human being, by his or her very na-
ture, is in the image and likeness of God. The human being is intelligible not by
reference to other created beings in the universe but by reference to God. The
likeness between God and man is not a physical one, for God has no body; it
is a spiritual likeness, lying in the human being's capacity for interiority. The
Second Vatican Council teaches that man is not deceived when he regards him-
self as superior to bodily things and as more than just a speck of nature or a
nameless unit in the city of man. For by his power to know himself in the depths
of his being he rises above the whole universe of mere objects. When he is drawn
to think about his real self, he turns to those deep recesses of his being where
God who probes the heart (1 Kings 1.6:7; Jer 17:10) awaits him, and where he
himself decides his own destiny in the sight of God. So when he recognizes in
himself a spiritual and immortal soul, he is not being led astray by false imagi-
nings that are due to merely physical or social causes. On the contrary, he
grasps what is profoundly true in this matter" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 14).
The fact that God creates man in own image and likeness "means not only
rationality and freedom as constitutive properties of human nature, but also from
the very beginning, the capacity of having a "personal relationship" with God as
'I' and 'you' and therefore the capacity "of having a covenant", which will take place
in God's salvific communication with man" (John Paul II, "Dominun Et Vivificantem",
34). In the light of this communication, brought about in all its fullness by Jesus
Christ, the Fathers the Church read the words "image and likeness" as meaning,
on the one hand man's spiritual condition, and, on the other, his sharing in the di-
vine nature through sanctifying grace. Even after the fall, man is still in the "image"
of God; through sin, however, he lost his "likeness" but this was restored through
Christ's redemption.
It is part of God's design that human beings should have dominion over other crea-
ted things (represented here by the animals). This dominion makes man God's
representative (everything really belongs to God) in the created world. Therefore,
although man is going to be the lord of creation, he needs to recognize that God
alone is the Creator; man has to respect and look after creation; he is responsible
for it.
These words of Scripture show that "man is the only creature that God has loved
for itself alone, because all others were created to be at the service of man. Here
we can see, too, the basic equality of all human beings. For the Church, this
equality, which has its roots in man's very being, takes on the very special dimen-
sion of brotherhood through the Incarnation of the Son of God. [...] Therefore,
discrimination of any type [...] is absolutely unacceptable" (John Paul II, Address,
7 July 1984).
1:27. The creation of man marks the completion of God's plan, In presenting this
final act of creation, the sacred writer offers us a summary of the things that go
to make up the human being. As, well as repeating that God created man in his
image and likeness, he tells us that God created them man and woman, that is
to say, corporeal beings, endowed with sexuality, and designed to live in society.
"Being in the image of God, the human individual possesses the dignity of a per-
son, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge,
of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with
other persons. And he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator to offer
him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his stead"
("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 357).
"The fact that man 'created as man and woman' is the image of God means not
only that each of them individually is like God, as a rational and free being. It also
means that man and woman, created as a 'unity of the two' in their common hu-
manity, are called to live in a communion of love, and in this way to mirror in the
world the communion of love that is in God, through which the Three Persons
love each other in the intimate mystery of the one divine life. This 'unity of the
two', which is a sign of interpersonal communion, "shows that the creation of
man" is also marked by a certain likeness to the divine communion ("communio")
This likeness is a quality of the personal being of both man and woman, and is
also a call and a task" (John Paul II, "Mulieris Dignitatem", 7).
The fact that the Bible and everyday language speak of God as masculine is a
result of cultural influences and the great care taken in the Bible to avoid any
hint of polytheism (which could arise if the godhead were described as feminine,
opening the way to generations of gods, as in other religions). God transcends
the body and sexuality; therefore, both man (masc.) and woman (fem.) equally
reflect his image and likeness. In these words of Genesis, for the very first time
in history, the fundamental equality in dignity of man and woman is proclaimed
--in marked contrast with the low esteem in which women were held in the
ancient world.
According to the traditional Jewish and Christian interpretation, this verse is allu-
ding to marriage, as if God had already created the first man and the first woman
as a married couple--forming that human community which is the basis of every
society. In the second Genesis account of the creation of man and woman (cf.
2:18-24), this will emerge even more clearly.
1:28. God has already created animals, endowing them with fruitfulness (v. 22).
He now addresses these two human beings personally: "he said to them...";
this indicates that the reproductive power of human beings (and therefore their
sexuality) are values for which they must assume responsibility before God, as
a way of co-operating in God's plans. Thus, God, "wishing to associate them in a
special way with his own creative work, blessed man and woman with the words:
'Be fruitful and multiply' (Gen 1:28). Without intending to underestimate the other
ends of marriage, it must be said that true married love and the whole structure
of family life which results from it is directed to disposing the spouses to coope-
rate valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will
increase and enrich his family from day to day" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes",
50).
God also commands man to make the earth serve him. Here divine Revelation is
teaching us that human work is regarded as a way by which main operates in the
plan God had when he created the world: "By the work of his hands and with the
aid of technical means man tills the earth to bring fruit and to make it a dwelling
place for all mankind; he, also consciously plays his part in the life of social
groups; in so doing he is realizing the design, which God revealed at the begin-
ning of time, to subdue the earth and perfect the work of creation, and at the
same time he is improving his own person" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 57).
From this divine disposition we see the importance a person's work has in his
or her personal life: "Your human vocation is a part--and an important part--of
your divine vocation. That reason why you must strive for holiness, giving a par-
ticular character to your human personality, a style to your life; contributing at
the same time to the sanctification of others, your fellow men; sanctifying your
work and your environment: the profession or job that fills day, your home and
family and the country where you were born and which you love [...]. Work, all
work, bears witness to the dignity of man, to his dominion over creation. It is an
opportunity to develop one's personality. It is a bond of union with others, the
way to support one's family, a means of aiding the improvement of the society
in which we live and in the progress of all mankind" ("Christ Is Passing By",
46-47).
Man is charged by God with mastery over the earth; but he may not do whatever
he likes with it or act despotically: he should respect the universe as being the
work of the Creator. In this regard, Wisdom 9:3 says: "0 God, [...] who hast
formed man, to have dominion over the creatures thou hast made, and rule the
world in holiness and righteousness, and pronounce judgment in uprightness of
soul." "This holds good also for out daily work. When men and women provide for
themselves and their families in such a way as to be of service to the community
as well, they can rightly look upon their work as a prolongation of the work of the
creator, a service to their fellow men, and their personal contribution to the fulfill-
ment in history of the divine plan" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 34).
1:31. These words bring to an end this first description of the work of Creation. It
is as if God, after making man, stood back to see what he had done and was very
pleased with the result. Whereas the wording previously used was "And God saw
that it was good," now we are told that it was "very good". In this way, the good-
ness of the created world is being stressed, indicating that "this natural goodness
of theirs receives an added dignity from their relation with the human person, for
whose use they have been created" (Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem", 7).
From this it follows that the human person and his/her dignity must be valued
above all other created things, and all human endeavor should be geared to foster
and defend these values.
2:1-3. From this point onwards, God will almost never intervene in creation directly.
Now it is up to man to act in the created world through the work he does.
God's "resting" sets an example for man. By resting, we are acknowledging that
creation in the last analysis depends on and belongs to God, and that God is
watching over it. Here rest is an example set by the Creator; we shall later find it
as one of the Ten Commandments (cf. Ex 20:8-18; Deut 5:42-14). "The institution
of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their
familial, cultural, social and religious lives" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church",
2184; cf. also John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, "Dies Domini", 31 May 1998).
Apropos of the sabbath, unlike the other days there is no mention of there being
evening and morning. It is as if that rhythm of time were being broken by the sab-
bath -- prefiguring the situation in which man, once he has accomplished his
mission of mastering the earth, will enjoy an unending rest, at an eternal feast in
God's presence (cf. Heb 4:1-10). In the language of the Bible "feast" or "festival"
means three things--a) obligatory rest from everyday work; b) recognition of God
as Lord of creation, and joyful contemplation of the created world; c) a foretaste
of the enduring rest and joy that will be man's after he leaves this world.
2nd Reading: Genesis 22:1-18
The Sacrifice of Isaac and the Renewal of the Promise
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[1] After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am
I." [2] He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go
to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of
the mountains of which I shall tell you." [3] So Abraham rose early in the
morning, saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him and his
son Isaac; and he cut the wood for the burnt offering, an arose and went to the
place of which God had told him. [4] 0n the third day Abraham lifted up his
eyes and saw the place afar off. [5] Then Abraham said to his young men,
"Stay here with the ass; and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come
again to you." [6] And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid
it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they
went both of them together. [7] And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My
father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and
the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" [8] Abraham said,
"God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they
went both of them together.
[9] When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built
an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid
him on the altar, upon the wood. [10] Then Abraham put forth his hand, and
took the knife to slay his son. [11] But the angel of the Lord called to him
from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." [12]
He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I
know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son,
from me." [13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold,
behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went
and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. [14]
So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord will provide; as it is said
to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided."
[15] And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven,
[16] and said, "By myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done
this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, [17] I will indeed bless
you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the
sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the
gate of their enemies, [18] and by your descendants shall all the nations of
the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice." [19] So
Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to
Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.
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Commentary:
22:1-19. God has been true to his promise: he has given Abraham a son by
Sarah. Now it is Abraham who should show his fidelity to God by being ready
to sacrifice his son in recognition that the boy belongs to God. The divine
command seems to be senseless: Abraham has already lost Ishmael, when
he and Hagar were sent away; now he is being asked to sacrifice his remaining
son. Disposing of his son, meant detaching himself even from the fulfillment of
the promise which Isaac represented. In spite of all this, Abraham obeys.
'"As a final stage in the purification of his faith, Abraham 'who had
received the promises' (Heb 11:17) is asked to sacrifice the son God had
given him. Abraham's faith does hot weaken ('God himself will provide the
lamb for a burnt offering'), for he 'considered that God was able to raise
men even from the dead' (Heb 11:19). And so the father of believers is
conformed to the likeness of the Father who will not spare his own son but
will deliver him up for us all (cf. Rom 8:32). Prayer restores man to God's
likeness and enables him to share in the power of God's love that saves the
multitude (cf. Rom 4:16-21)" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 2572).
By undergoing the test which God set, Abraham attains perfection (cf. Jas
2:2 1) and he is now in a position for God to reaffirm in a solemn way the
promise he made previously (cf. Gen 12:3).
The sacrifice of Isaac has features which make it a figure of the redemptive
sacrifice of Christ. Thus, there is father giving up his son; the son who
renders himself to his father's will; the tools of sacrifice such as the
wood, the knife and the altar. The account reaches its climax by showing
through Abraham's obedience and Isaac's non-resistance, God's blessing will
reach all the nations of the earth (cf. v. 18). So, it is not surprising that
Jewish tradition should attribute a certain redemptive value to Isaac's
submissiveness, and that the Fathers should see this episode prefiguring
the passion of Christ, only Son of the Father.
22:2. "The land of Moriah": according to the Syrian version of Genesis this
is "land of the Ammorites". We do not in fact know where this place was,
although in 2 Chronicles 3:1 it is identified the mountain on which the
temple Jerusalem was built, to stress the holiness of that site.
22:12. God is satisfied just by Abraham's sincere intention to do what he
asked of him. It is as good as if he had actually done the deed. "The
patriarch turned sacrificer of his son for the love of God; he stained his
right hand with blood in intention and offered sacrifice. But owing to God's
loving kindness beyond telling he received his son back safe and sound and
went off with him; the patriarch was commended for his intention and
bedecked with a bright crown; he had engaged in the ultimate struggle and
at every stage given evidence of his godly attitude" ("Homiliae in Genesim",
48, 1).
Making an implicit comparison between Isaac and Jesus, St Paul sees in
the death of Christ the culmination of God's love; he writes: "He who did not
spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all
things with him?" (Rom 8:32).
If staying Abraham's hand was really a sign of God's love, an even greater
one was really a sign of God's love, an even greater one was the fact that
he allowed Jesus to die as an expiatory sacrifice on behalf of all mankind.
In that later sacrifice, because "God is love" (1 Jn 4:8), "the abyss of
malice which sin opens wide has been bridged by his infinite charity. God
did not abandon men. His plans foresaw that the sacrifices of the old law
would be insufficient to repair our faults and reestablish the unity which
had been lost. A man who was God would have to offer himself up" (St. J.
Escrivᬠ"Christ is Passing By", 95).
22: 13-14. Some Fathers see this ram as a prefigurement of Jesus Christ,
insofar as, like Christ, the ram. was immolated in order to save man. In
this sense, St Ambrose wrote: "Whom does the ram represent, if not him
of whom it is written, 'He has raised up a horn for his people' (Ps 148:14)?
[...] Christ: It is He whom Abraham saw in that sacrifice; it was his
passion he saw. Thus, our Lord himself says of Abraham: 'Your father
Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad'
(Jn 8:56). Therefore Scripture says: 'Abraham called the name of that place
'The Lord will provide,' so that today one can say: the Lord appeared on the
mount, that is, he appeared to Abraham revealing his future passion in his
body, whereby he redeemed the world; and sharing, at the same time, the
nature of his passion when he caused him to see the ram suspended by
his horns. The thicket stands for the scaffold of the cross" ("De Abraham",
1, 8, 77-7.8).
3rd Reading: Exodus 14:15-15:1
Crossing the Red Sea
--------------------
[15] The Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of
Israel to go forward. [16] Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over
the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go on dry ground
through the sea. [17] And I will harden the heart of the Egyptians so that
they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his
host, his chariots, and his horse men. [18] And the Egyptians shall know
that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and
his horsemen."
[19] Then the angel of God who went before the host of Israel moved and
went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood
behind them, [20] coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel.
And there was the cloud and the darkness; and the night passed without one
coming near the other all night.
[21] Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord drove the
sea back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the
waters were divided. [22] And the people of Israel went into the midst of
the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand
and on their left. [23] The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into
the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
[24] And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud
looked down upon the host of the Egyptians, and discomfited the host of the
Egyptians, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily; and the
Egyptians said, "Let us flee from before Israel; for the Lord fights for
them against the Egyptians."
[26] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that
the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon
their horsemen." [27] So Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and
the sea returned to its wonted flow when the morning appeared; and the
Egyptians fled into it, and the Lord routed the Egyptians in the midst of
the sea. [28] The waters return and covered the chariots and the horsemen
and all the hosts of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not so
much as one of them remained. [29] But the people of Israel walked on dry
ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand
and on their left.
[30] Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians; and
Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. [31] And Israel saw the
great work which the Lord did against the Egyptians, and the people feared
the Lord; and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Song of Victory
---------------
[1] Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song the Lord, saying, "I
will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his
rider he has thrown into the sea."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
14:10-14. The Egyptians get so close that the Israelites are terrified; this
produces their first crisis of faith: the liberty they seek means giving up
a quiet life in Egypt. Moses begins to reveal himself not just as a
charismatic leader but as a mediator between the people and God. The words
of v. 13 underlie the theological virtue of hope: God is the one who acts,
man has to stand firm in faith; he has no reason to fear. As the Letter to
the Hebrews teaches, Jesus is the model of faithfulness and hope: "Therefore
[...] let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking
to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the
right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:12)
14:17-18. The military language and the depiction of God as a warrior should
cause no surprise: it is a daring anthropomorphism which shows that God is
almighty and therefore can deliver the elect from any danger that threatens:
"You, too, if you distance yourself from the Egyptians and flee far from the
power of demons," Origen comments, "will see what great helps will be
provided to you each day and what great protection is available to you. All
that is asked of you is that you stand firm in the faith and do not let
yourself be terrified by either the Egyptian cavalry or the noise of their
chariots" ("Homiliae in Exodum", 5, 4).
14:19-22. At the wonderful moment of the crossing of the sea, God, man and
the forces of nature play the leading role. In the person of the angel of
the Lord, God the person of the angel of the Lord, becomes more visible; he
directs operations; he plays a direct part. Moses' part consists in doing as
the Lord commands; he is his vicar. The sons of Israel have no active part;
they benefit from what happens. Even the forces of nature come into play:
the pillar of cloud which marked the route by day now blocks the Egyptians'
way; night, the symbol of evil become, as in the Passover, the time God's
visitation; the warm west wind, always feared for its harmful effects, now
proves a great help; and the waters of the sea, so often the symbol of the
abyss and of evil, allow the victorious passage of the sons of Israel.
The prophets see this event as an instance of the creative power of God (cf.
Is 43:1-3), and Christian writers comment along the same lines. Thus, Origen
will say: "See the goodness of God the Creator: if you submit to his will
and follow his Law, he will see to it that created things cooperate with
you, against their own nature if necessary" ("Homiliae In Exodum", 5,5).
The book of Wisdom turns the account of the crossing of the sea into a hymn
of praise to the Lord who delivered Israel (cf. Wis 19:6-9), and St Paul
sees the waters as a figure of baptismal water:
"All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Cor 10:2).
14:31. The main effect the miraculous crossing of the sea had on the
Israelites was the faith it gave them in the power of God and in the
authority of Moses. This section of the account of the escape from Egypt
ends as it began--that is, showing that the people's faith (4:31) is now
strengthened. So, too, Christian faith is strengthened when we do what God
desires.: "Following Jesus on his way. You have understood what our Lord
was asking from you and you have decided to accompany him on his way.
You trying to walk in his footsteps, to clothe yourself in Christ's clothing, to
be Christ himself: well, your faith, your faith in the light our Lord is giving
you, must both operative and full of sacrifice" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends
of God", 198).
15:1-21. This victory anthem, along with that of Deborah (Judg 5), is one
the oldest hymns of Israel. It probably goes as far back as the 13th century
BC, long before the redactor of this be decided to include it as a colophon
to Exodus account. It is called the "Song of Miriam" (v. 21) because, as we
know from Ugarit poems of the period (13th-9th centuries BC) it was the
practice to put at the end (not the start) the reason why the poem was
written, the author's name and the poem's title (vv. 18-21). It is very likely
that this canticle was recited in the liturgy and that the entire people said
the response (vv, 1, 21) after each stanza was said or sung by the choir.
It is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving which the three stages of the
deliverance of Israel are remembered--the prodigies of the Red Sea (vv.
4-10), the triumphal pilgrimage in the desert (vv. 4-16) and the taking
possession of the land of Canaan (vv. 17-18).
In this poetic re-creation of these events the divine attributes are extolled
one by one (might, military power, redemption, etc); they reflect the
theological implications of exodus, wilderness and land: it is God who has
done all these wondrous things; he has done them because he has chosen
the people to be his very own; he himself requires that they respond by
acknowledging him to be God, Lord of all, the only deliverer.
15:1-3. Victory over the Egyptians has revealed the glory arid might of God.
Strength, power, salvation can be taken as meaning the same thing, for the
sacred author does not regard the divine attributes as abstract qualities
but as particular actions: only God could truly save the people.
"The Lord is a man of war": this daring description indicates that this is a
very ancient poem. Some translations, possibly because they thought it might
be misunderstood, toned it down a little: the Samaritan Pentateuch has
"powerful in combat" and the Septuagint "he who breaks through battles". We
in our Spanish version coincide with the RSV and the New Vulgate, retaining
the blunt military imagery, which is very descriptive of the almighty power
of God: "He is the Lord of the Universe [...]. He is master of history,
governing hearts and events in keeping with his will" ("Catechism of the
Catholic Church", 269).
"The Lord is his name": literally, "his name is Yah", using an abbreviation
of Yahweh which may have been customary in more ancient times. It may well
be that there is an echo of this name in the "Alleluia" of the Psalms.
4th Reading: Isaiah 54:5-14
[5] For your Maker is your husband,
the LORD of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
[6] For the LORD has called you
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
[7] For a brief moment I forsook you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
[8] In overflowing wrath for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,
says the LORD, your Redeemer.
[9] "For this is like the days of Noah to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
and will not rebuke you.
[10] For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
[11] "O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
[12] I will make your pinnacles of agate,
your gates of carbuncles,
and all your wall of precious stones.
[13] All your sons shall be taught by the LORD,
and great shall be the prosperity of your sons.
[14] In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
54:1-17. After the Song of the Servant, the sacred writer turns his attention again
to Zion in a beautiful hymn celebrating the glory and restoration of Jerusalem. By
inserting it immediately after the fourth song, he seems to indicate that this will
be the first outcome of the servant's work. This hymn is an oracle of consolation
and hope after the humiliations of exile. The content of the fourth song was quite
new not so this hymn it uses traditional Old Testament imagery -- the barren wife
who becomes fruitful again (v. 1; cf. 1 Sam 2:5; Ps 113:9), the unfaithful and repu-
diated wife who is taken back (v.4; cf. Hos 1:16-22). Zion will have far more off-
spring than she had before the exile (v. 3). The Lord of hosts will be her Maker
and her Husband (vv. 5-6). He forsook her for a short while (vv. 7-9) but now he
will make a new Covenant with her, sealed with love (v. 10). He will rebuild Zion's
walls with precious stones, and peace will prevail (vv. 11-15). But the figure of Zi-
on now accommodates not just the city's inhabitants: it comes to stand for the
homeland of all the Lord's servants.
As the poem develops, so does God's tenderness towards his city and his people:
the first stanza (vv. 1-3) sees the city as a woman who was once barren and now
has many children: she is the new Sarah (Gen 16:1), the new Rachel (Gen 29:31),
the new Hannah (1 Sam 1:2). This will be so, for so "says the Lord" (v. 1). The se-
cond stanza (vv. 4-6) stresses the titles of her husband -- Maker, Lord of hosts,
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, etc; and it confirms this by a slight change in
wording: "says your God" (v. 6). The third stanza (vv. 7-10) describes the hus-
band's tender affection: he forsook Israel "for a brief moment", but his love is ever-
lasting: as in the days of Noah she was disgraced for a while, but he has sworn
to be angry no longer, and not to rebuke her. The oracular formula is now: "says
the Lord, your Redeemer" (v. 8b) and "says the Lord who has compassion on you"
(v. 10b), which is etymologically the equivalent of "who loves you tenderly".
The second part of the poem consists of two oracles of restoration: the first (vv.
11-15) shows the city constructed with precious stones ("abanim" in Hebrew; v.
11) and full of sons ("banim", in Hebrew) who will be docile to the Lord; the se-
cond part (vv. 16-17) confirms that God himself, mighty and just, guarantees the
splendor and permanence of Zion.
A Christian reading sees the poem as explaining that the Church is the continua-
tion and culmination of the ancient people of God, especially in its eschatological
stage when tribulation will be a thing of the past: "The cry in scripture, 'Sing, 0 bar-
ren one', refers to us, because our Church was barren until children were born to
it. 'Break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in travail': our
singing is the prayers we should offer to God, without ceasing, without fail; those
who live apart from God will fail. And Scripture adds 'the children of the desolate
one will be more than the children of her that is married', so that we will see how,
though we seemed to have been abandoned by the Lord in the beginning, we are
now more fruitful than ever, and more numerous even than the people who be-
lieved that God was their God alone" (Pseudo-Clement, "Epistula II Ad Corinthi-
os", 2).
Verses 11-12 will inspire the vision of the heavenly Jerusalem in Revelation 21:
18-21. Verse 13 is applied to Jesus' disciples in John 6:45 to indicate that God
himself guarantees' faith of believers in Jesus Christ.
The Church reads part of this passage (vv. 5-14) during the Easter Vigil, because
the death and resurrection of Jesus is, for the new people of God, the fulfillment
of this promise made by God, that he would enter into a new and definitive Cove-
nant in which Christ unites himself permanently to his Church, the beloved
Spouse for whom he sacrifices himself.
5th Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11
Epilogue: Invitation to partake of the banquet of the Lord’s Covenant
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[1] “Ho, every one who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
[2] Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in fatness.
[3] lncline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
[4] Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
[5] Behold, you shall call nations that you know not,
and nations that knew you not shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
[6] “Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
[7] let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
[8] for my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[10] For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither
but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower
and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it
shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and
prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
55:1-13. The invitation to the Covenant banquet acts as the epilogue to the se
cond part of the book of Isaiah, and picks up on themes in chapter 40, which is
its prologue. The two chapters help to give literary and thematic unity to this part
of the book. The oracle in chapter 55 sums up in a way the teachings contained
in the preceding chapters -- the invitation to the Covenant banquet (vv. 1-3), remi-
niscent of that celebrated by Moses at Mount Sinai (Ex 24:5, 11); the renewal
of the Covenant with David on Zion (vv. 4-5); the transcendence of God, who is
unaffected by the sins of men (vv. 8-9); the power of the word of God (vv. 10-11);
and, as a final synthesis, the promise of a new exodus, a sign of God’s ever-
lasting salvation.
These oracles are a call for conversion, a call to take advantage of the salvific
gifts so generously offered: “Come to the waters” (v. 1), “Come to me” (v. 3),
“Seek the Lord” (v. 6), “Let the wicked forsake his way” (v. 7). Originally, it was a
call to those exiled in Babylon to return to Jerusalem; but it is a call that is made
at all times, to everyone. The reference to an everlasting Covenant, in keeping
with promises made to David (cf. v. 3), can be read by Christians as an invitation
to share in the new and eternal Covenant sealed with the Blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ, a pledge of salvation for all mankind. In the Eucharist, the banquet of the
New Testament, the words of the prophet come true in the complete sense in the
words spoken by our Lord when he instituted that sacrament: “Take and eat” (cf.
v. 1) the true bread of life, the very finest food, which money cannot buy (vv. 1-3).
Therefore, the invitation extended by the prophet is a call to Christians to partake
of the Blessed Eucharist. Paul VI, urging the faithful to take part in the Sunday
celebration of the Eucharist, wrote: “How could we fail to take part in this encoun-
ter, to partake of the banquet that Christ has lovingly prepared for us? Our partici-
pation should be dignified and filled with joy. Christ, crucified and glorified, comes
among his disciples to draw them all into the power of his resurrection. It is the
pinnacle, here on earth, of the Covenant of love between God and his people: the
sign and source of Christian joy, the preparation for the eternal banquet in heaven”
(Gaudete in Domino, 322). Verses 1-11, like 54:5-14, are read in the liturgy of the
Easter Vigil, which celebrates Christ’s victory over sin and which invites the faith-
ful to partake of the banquet of the Covenant sealed by his death and resurrection:
“On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they pro-
claim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as
when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, ‘Christ is risen!’ Now too are life and
resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ” (Fanqith, Brevarium iuxta ritum
Ecclesiae Antiochenae Syrorum, in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1391).
55:6-9. The Israelites are called to conversion. In order to return to their home-
land, they must return to God, must “seek” him (vv. 6-7). And the Lord, who
allows himself to be found and who does not judge in the way that men do, is
willing and able to grant forgiveness (vv. 8-9). In other words, the call to repen-
tance is grounded on the goodness of God who “will abundantly pardon” (v. 7).
Man, for his part, should grasp this opportunity that God offers him. So, the
words in this passage are a constant encouragement to begin and begin again
in the pursuit of virtue: “To be converted means to ask for forgiveness and to
seek out the strength of God in the Sacrament of reconciliation, and thus begin
again, advancing step by step every day, learning to overcome ourselves, to win
the spiritual battles that we face, and to give of ourselves joyfully, ‘for God loves
a cheerful giver’ (2 Cor 9:7)” (John Paul II, Novo incipiente, 8 April 1979). And
St Augustine, apropos of conversion, wrote: “Do not say: ‘Tomorrow, I will he
converted; tomorrow, I will give thanks to God; and all my sins, today’s and yes-
terday’s, will be forgiven’. It is true that God promises forgiveness for your con-
version; but He does not promise tomorrow for your delays” (Enarrationes in
Psalmos, 144, 11).
The words of v. 8 are echoed by St Paul in Romans 11:33, and are a reminder
to us of just how narrow-minded we can be and how we can fail even to imagine
the great things that God has in store for us.
55:10-11. The prophet uses comparisons that are particularly meaningful to those
who live in the arid countries of the East, to describe how very powerful the word
of God is: it actually delivers the salvation that it promises. The personified word
of God (cf. 'Ms 8:4; 9:9-10; 18:14-15) is a figure of the incarnation of Jesus Christ,
the eternal Word of the Father, who comes down to save mankind. "The Word of
God, he says, will not return to him empty and barren; rather, it will flourish in all
things, nourished by the good deeds of those who obey and fulfill his teachings.
The word is fulfilled when it is put into practice; if it is not put into practice, it re-
mains barren and withered and starved. Listen carefully, then, when he tells of the
food that nourishes him: 'My food is to do the will of him who sent me' (Jn 4:34)"
(St Bernard, "In Cantica Canticorum", 71, 12-13).
6th Reading: Baruch 3:9-15.32-4:4
[9] Hear the commandments of life, O Israel;
give ear, and learn wisdom!
[10] Why is it, O Israel, why is it that you are
in the land of your enemies,
that you are growing old in a foreign country,
that you are defiled with the dead,
[11] that you are counted among those in Hades?
[12] You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.
[13] If you had walked in the way of God,
you would be dwelling in peace for ever.
[14] Learn where there is wisdom,
where there is strength,
where there is understanding,
that you may at the same time discern
where there is length of days, and life,
where there is light for the eyes, and peace.
[15] Who has found her place?
And who has entered her storehouses?
[32] But he who knows all things knows her,
he found her by his understanding.
He who prepared the earth for all time
filled it with four-footed creatures;
[33] he who sends forth the light, and it goes,
called it, and it obeyed him in fear;
[34] the stars shone in their watches, and were glad;
he called them, and they said, "Here we are!"
They shone with gladness for him who made them.
[35] This is our God;
no other can be compared to him!
[36] He found the whole way to knowledge,
and gave her to Jacob his servant
and to Israel whom he loved.
[37] Afterward she appeared upon earth
and lived among men.
[1] She is the book of the commandments of God,
and the law that endures for ever.
All who hold her fast will live,
and those who forsake her will die.
[2] Turn, O Jacob, and take her;
walk toward the shining of her light.
[3] Do not give your glory to another,
or your advantages to an alien people.
[4] Happy are we, O Israel,
for we know what is pleasing to God.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
7th Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-17a.18-28
Restoration; return from exile
------------------------------------------
[16] The word of the LORD came to me: [17] "Son of man, when the house of Israel
dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their doings; their conduct
before me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. [18] So I poured
out my wrath upon them for the blood which they had shed in the land, for the idols
with which they had defiled it. [19] I scattered them among the nations, and they
were dispersed through the countries; in accordance with their conduct and their
deeds I judged them. [20] But when they came to the nations, wherever they came,
they profaned my holy name, in that men said of them, `These are the people of the
LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land.' [21] But I had concern for my holy
name, which the house of Israel caused to be profaned among the nations to which
they came. [22] "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD:
It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of
my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came.
[23] And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned
among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations
will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my
holiness before their eyes. [24] For I will take you from the nations, and gather
you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land.
Inner renewal
-------------------
[25] I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your un-
cleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. [26] A new heart I will
give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the
heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my spirit within
you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordi-
nances. [28] You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; and you
shall be my people, and I will be your God.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
36:16-39:29. In this second last section of the book, the prophet uses a series
of metaphors to paint the scene of a restored Israel. The oracles have an escha-
tological dimension to them, particularly the latter ones (38:1-39:29).
Overall, what we are given here is a song celebrating hope; nothing is impossible
to the Lord: he is able to renew Israel (36:16-38), by giving her a new heart and
a new spirit (v. 25); he can make the people come back to life (37:1-14); and the
unity between this new people and their Lord will he almost like the way things
were in Eden (37:15-28) -- so wonderful that it will astonish the nations (37:28).
The final oracles (38:1-39:29) are a dramatic climax that convey an idea of the
vicissitudes of the chosen people up to when their fortunes will be permanently
restored. The empires seem to be those determining the course of events, but
that is not the case: the Lord is always in control and, when the end comes, his
victory will be so amazing that not only Israel but all other nations, too, will know
that he truly is the Lord.
36:16-38. In these oracles, which continue the proclamation of Israel’s restoration
-purification, we can see the core of Ezekiel’s teaching, namely, that the Lord,
who is above all things, is the one who determines the election, punishment and
restoration of his people. People have an obligation to accept the gifts that God
offers; they must acknowledge that the Lord is sovereign and free, and render him
due worship. This teaching can be seen in the announcement about restoration
and a return to the promised land (vv. 16—24) and in the Lord’s promise of inner
renewal (vv. 25-38).
“They defiled it by their ways” (v. 17): the people’s straying, their sins, defiled
the promised land, the most precious of all the gifts God had given them. As
Ezekiel explains it, their exile was a necessary punishment (v. 19), but it is also
a condition for restoring to the land its lost honour.
“The holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations”
(v. 22): when the pagan nations saw the Israelites being deported, they thought
that the God of Israel had been defeated or, at least, that he had failed to protect
his people. In this sense the exile caused the name of the Lord to he profaned
among the nations. The return of the people to the promised land was a neces-
sary part of their deliverance (v. 24). but it was also needed to vindicate the
name of the Lord (v. 22). This “theology” of the Name of God carries over into
the New Testament, where we find it as a petition in the Our Father (cf. Mt 6:9;
Lk 11:2, and from there it becomes part of the whole Christian tradition. The
Catechism of the Council of Trent has this to say about these verses of Ezekiel:
“Many people judge the truth of religion and of its Author by the deeds and lives
of Christians. Those who truly profess their faith and put it into practice in their
lives carry out the most valuable apostolate, provoking in others the desire to
glorify the name of the heavenly Father” (Roman Catechism, 4, 10, 9).
“You shall be clean[sed]” (v. 25): Ezekiel views the renewal of Israel from the
perspective of divine worship -- sprinkling with water and other purification rites
being a sign of inner change. This passage can be read as an announcement
of the effects of Baptism: “Baptism, by the power of God, remits and pardons
all sin -- the original sin that we inherited from our first parents, and all our per-
onal sins, no matter how grave and terrible they may seem to us, no matter
how grave and terrible they were. This truth was foretold long ago by the pro-
phet Ezekiel, through whom the Lord God spoke: I will sprinkle clean water
upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses (Ezek 36:25)”
(ibid., 2, 2, 42).
“A new heart” and “a new spirit” (v. 26): renewal affects a person’s disposition
(heart) and motivation (spirit). The Israelites will have a completely new life-force:
as a result, their conduct will be perfect (v. 27), the Covenant will never again be
broken (v. 28), and the land, also cleansed of defilement, will he abundant in the
fruit it yields (v. 30).
God’s patent initiative in repatriating and renewing Israel is a proof of his disinter-
ested love for his people. Jesus makes this very clear, for example, in his dis-
course on the bread of life: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent
me draws him” (Jn 6:44). “Our salvation flows from God’s initiative of love for us,
because ‘he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins’ (Jn 4:10)’’
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 620).
Epistle: Romans 6:3-11
Baptism (Continuation)
---------------------------------
[3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death? [4] We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into
death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we
too might walk in newness of life.
[5] For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be
united with Him in a resurrection like His. [6] We know that our old self was cru-
cified with Him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer
be enslaved to sin. [7] For He who has died is freed from sin. [8] But if we have
died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. [9] For we know that
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has domi-
nion over him. [10] The death He died He died to sin once for all, but the life He
lives He lives to God. [11] So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin
and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
[번역자 주: 여기를
클릭하면 매년 동일한 이 서간 독서(로마 6,3-11)의
우리말
번역문을 읽을 수 있다].
1-11. The universal dominion of sin, which began with the sin of Adam, is not the
only event to be reckoned with. When sin reached its full extent, the grace brought
by Jesus Christ came in superabundance. Through Baptism this grace reaches
each of us and frees us from the control of sin. When we receive this Sacrament
we die: that is to say, our blameworthiness is destroyed, we renounce sin once
and for all, and are born again into a new life.
"The Lord", St. Ambrose tells the newly baptized, "who wanted His benefactions
to endure, the serpent's plans to be turned to naught, and the harm done to be
put right, delivered a sentence to mankind: 'You are dust, and to dust you shall
return' (Genesis 3:19), and made man subject to death [...]. The remedy wa
given him: man would die and rise again [...]. You ask me how? [...] Pay
attention. So that in this world too the devil's snare would be broken, a rite was
instituted whereby man would die, being alive, and rise again, being alive [...].
Through immersion in water the sentence is blotted out: 'You are dust, and to
dust you shall return'" ("De Sacramentis", II, 6).
This passage of the epistle, which reveals the key truths concerning Baptism,
also reminds us of the profound meaning of this rite which Christ established, its
spiritual effects in Christians and its far-reaching effects with respect to the Chris-
tian life. Thus, we can apply to Baptism what St. Thomas Aquinas says about
all the sacraments: "Three aspects of sanctification may be considered--its very
cause, which is Christ's Passion; its form, which is grace and the virtues; and its
ultimate end, which is eternal life. And all these are signified by the sacraments.
Consequently, a sacrament is a sign which is both a reminder of the past, that
is, of the Passion of Christ, and an indication of what is effected in us by Christ's
Passion, and a foretelling and pledge of future glory" ("Summa Theologiae", III,
q. 60, a. 3).
In the specific case of Baptism, the various things which the Sacrament implies
carry a special nuance--a new birth which presupposes a symbolic death. It
reproduces in us not only the Passion, Death and burial of Christ, symbolized by
immersion in water (verses 3-4, 6), but also new life, the life of grace which pours
into the soul, enabling the person to share in the Resurrection of Christ (verses
4-5). This sharing in Christ's Resurrection to immortal life is a kind of seed which
will ultimately produce the glorious resurrection of our bodies.
The baptized person is, therefore, someone newly created, someone born into a
new life, someone who has moved out of darkness into light. The white garment
used at Baptism symbolizes innocence and grace; the burning candle, the light
of Christ--two symbols the Church uses in the baptismal liturgy to signify what
is happening.
Thus, in Baptism, God "removes every trace of sin, whether original or personal"
("The Rite of Baptism", Introduction, 5) and also remits the penalties that these
sins incur. On being baptized in the name of the Three Divine Persons, the
Christian is shown God the Father's love for him (a love he has not merited), is
given a share in the Paschal Mystery of the Son, and to him is communicated
new life in the Spirit (cf. "Instruction on Infant Baptism", 20 October 1980, 9).
Baptism, which is also described as "the door of the spiritual life", unites a per-
son to Christ and to the Church by means of grace, which makes us children
of God and heirs to Heaven. Finally, in addition to the infused virtues and super-
natural gifts, the person is given "the graces necessary to live in a Christian way,
and on his soul is impressed the sacramental character which makes him a
Christian for evermore" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 250).
Baptism, which confers a "character", that is, a kind of seal confirming our
Christian calling, gives us a share in Christ's priesthood and makes us capable
of receiving the other sacraments.
4. It is easier to grasp the symbolism of burial and resurrection if one remembers
that in earlier times, and particularly in the apostolic period, Baptism was usually
administered by immersion in water--in some cases by total immersion, up to
three times, with one Person of he Blessed Trinity being invoked each time.
"They asked you, 'Do you believe in God the Father almighty?' You said, 'I be-
lieve', and you were immersed, that is, you were buried. Again they asked you,
'Do you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Cross?' You said, 'I believe',
and you were again immersed. This time you have been buried with Christ, and
he who is buried with Christ rises with Christ. For a third time you were asked,
'Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?' You said, ' I believe', and for a third time you
were immersed, so that by this three-fold confession you might be loosed of
your many attachments to your past life" (St. Ambrose, "De Sacramentis", II, 7).
Today Baptism is normally administered by pouring water over the head -- a
method also used in apostolic times and which gradually came into general use
because it was found more convenient.
5. Just as the ingraft and the plant form a single thing and make a single prin-
ciple of life, Christians by being grafted onto or incorporated into Christ through
Baptism form one single thing with Him and begin to draw on His divine life. We
are also "united with Him in a death like His": Christ suffered physical death; we,
in Baptism, die spiritually to the life of sin. St. John Chrysostom explains this as
follows: "Baptism is for us what the Cross and burial were for Christ; but with
this difference: the Savior died physically, He was physically buried, whereas we
ought to die spiritually. That is why the Apostle does not say we are 'united with
Him with His death', but 'in a death like his'" ("Hom. on Rom.", 10).
9-10. Jesus Christ chose to bear all the consequences of sin, even though He
was sinless. His voluntary death on the Cross and His glorious Resurrection
broke the bonds of death, for Himself and for all His own. Death no longer shall
have dominion: "[Christ died] that through death He might destroy him who has
the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of
death were subject to lifelong bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15). And as a conse-
quence He won, for His own human nature and for us, a new life.
In all those who have been baptized these same events in Christ's life are in
some way reproduced. "Our past sins have been wiped out by the action of grace.
Now, so as to stay dead to sin after Baptism, personal effort is called for, although
God's grace continues to be with us, providing us with great help" (Chrysostom,
"Hom. on Rom.", 11). This personal effort might be encapsulated in a resolution:
"May we never die through sin; may our spiritual resurrection be eternal" (St. J.
Escriva, "Holy Rosary", 1st Glorious Mystery).
Gospel Reading: Luke 24:1-12
The Women Are Told That Jesus Is Risen
------------------------------------------------------------
[1] But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking
the spices which they had prepared. [2] And they found the stone rolled away
from the tomb, [3] but when they went in they did not find the body. [4] While
they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling ap-
parel; [5] and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the
men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here,
but has risen. [6] Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, [7]
that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be cru-
cified, and on the third day rise." [8] And they remembered his words, [9] and
returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. [10]
Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and
the other women with them who told this to the apostles; [11] but these words
seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. [12] But Peter rose
and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by them-
selves; and he went home wondering at what had happened.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
1-4. The affection which led the holy women to make the necessary prepara-
tions for the embalming of Jesus' body was, perhaps, an intuition of faith which
the Church would express more elaborately much later on: "We firmly believe
that when his soul was dissociated from his body, his divinity continued always
united both to his body in the sepulchre and to his soul in limbo" ("St Pius V
Catechism", I, 5, 6).
5-8. True faith concerning the resurrection of Jesus teaches that he truly died,
that is, his soul was separated from his body, and his body was in the grave for
three days; and that then by his own power his body and soul were united once
more, never again to be separated (cf. "St Pius V Catechism", I, 6, 7).
Although this is a strictly supernatural mystery there are some elements in it
which come within the category of sense experience--death, burial, the empty
tomb, appearances, etc.--and in this sense it is a demonstrable fact and one
which has been verified (cf. St Pius X, "Lamentabili", 36-37).
Jesus Christ's resurrection completes the work of Redemption, "For just as by
dying he endured all evil to deliver us from evil, so was he glorified in rising again
to advance us towards good things, according to Rom 4:25 which says that 'he
was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification'" (St Thomas
Aquinas, "Summa Theologiae", III, q. 53, a. 1, c.).
"'Christ is alive.' This is the great truth which fills our faith with meaning. Jesus,
who died on the cross, has risen. He has triumphed over death; he has over-
come sorrow, anguish and the power of darkness. 'Do not be amazed' was how
the angels greeted the women who came to the tomb. 'Do not be amazed. You
seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here' (Mk
16:6). 'This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it'
(Ps 117:24).
"Easter is a time of joy--a joy not confined to this period of the liturgical year, for
it should always be present in the Christian's heart. For Christ is alive. He is not
someone who has gone, someone who existed for a time and then passed on,
leaving us a wonderful example and a great memory.
"No, Christ is alive, Jesus is the Emmanuel: God with us. His Resurrection
shows us that God does not abandon his own. He promised he would not: 'Can
a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the
son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you' (Is 49:15).
And he has kept his promise. His delight is still to be with the children of men
cf. Prov 8:31)" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 102).
Through Baptism and the other sacraments, a Christian becomes part of the re-
demptive mystery of Christ, part of his death and resurrection: "You were buried
with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the
working of God, who raised him from the dead" (Col 2: 12). "If then you have
been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated
at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things
that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col
3:13).
9-12. The first people to whom the angel announced the birth of Christ were the
shepherds at Bethlehem; and the first to be told of his resurrection are these
devout women: one further sign of God's preference for simple and sincere souls
is the fact that he gives them this honor which the world would not appreciate
(cf. Mt 11:25). But it is not only their simplicity and kindness and sincerity that
attracts him: poor people (such as shepherds) and women were looked down
on in those times, and Jesus loves anyone who is humbled by the pride of men.
The women's very simplicity and goodness lead them to go immediately to Peter
and the Apostles to tell them everything they have seen and heard. Peter, whom
Christ promised to make his vicar on earth (cf. Mt 16:18) feels he must take the
initiative in checking out their story.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].