Readings for August 23,2020 annotated, lectionary 121

This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations or collections of other scriptures setting out similar principles. Text highlighted in yellow tells us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. Text in green tells us about something God wants us to do. Text in red  describes what God wants us to avoid. Commentary is in blue.

Reading 1 

 Isaiah 22:19-23

Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace: “I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. 

On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 

I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open. I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his family.”

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6

R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.

R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
I will give thanks to your name, because of your kindness and your truth:
When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.

R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees, and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands.

R. Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.

Reading II 

Romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Alleluia 

Matthew 16:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 16:13-20

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.  And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, andthe gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

One theme that runs through today’s readings is God’s eternal, omnipotent, nature:

-      “when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open”

-      His “love is eternal,” and His “kindness ... endures forever”

-      “To him be glory forever”

-      “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

Another theme is His loving nature, His kindness, His goodness, His faithfulness:

-      His “love is eternal;” His “kindness... endures forever”

-      “When I called, you answered me”

-      “you built up strength within me”

Today’s psalm makes it clear that God responds when we humbly call/come to Him:

-       “you have heard the words of my mouth”

-      “When I called, you answered me”

-      “you built up strength within me”

-      “the lowly he sees”

These realities—and they are indeed realities—are also reflected in the scriptures collected inWisdom Principles—God is a Refuge for Those Who Love Him

So how do we respond to those principles, what do we do? Today’s readings give us some direction:

-      Thank and praise Him

-      Come to Him, talk to Him, lay your problems, concerns, hopes and wishes before Him

-      Trust Him and the ultimate goodness of His will/plan

when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open

your love is eternal

you have heard the words of my mouth

your love is eternal

your kindness and your truth
When I called, you answered me

you built up strength within me.

your love is eternal 
The LORD is exalted

the lowly he sees, and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever

your love is eternal

the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  

How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways

from him and through him and for him are all things. 

To him be glory forever

the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God
the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

give thanks 

sing your praise

give thanks 

the proud

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Readings for August 16,2020 annotated, lectionary 118

This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations, other relevant scriptures, or meditations on similar principles. Text highlighted in yellow tells us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. Text in green tells us about something God wants us to do. Text in red describes what God wants us to avoid. Commentary is in blue.

Reading 1 

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7

Thus says the LORD: Observe what is right,do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed. The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him, loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants—all who keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

Righteousness trumps nationality/social acceptance; God embraces ALL who sincerely serve Him. See Acts 2:5-12,  Romans 10:11-13, Galatians 3:28-29,  1 Corinthians 12:12-13,Colossians 3:10-11. See also John 4:1-42.

Although some sincere believers may seem like “foreigners” to others, they are not foreigners in the Kingdom of God.

The fact that God welcomes all who seek Him, regardless of ethnic/national backgrounds, is likely one of the reasons that He repeatedly tells us to treat well folks from different backgrounds. Many of the scriptures commanding that are collected in Wisdom Principles: Caring for the Weak & Vulnerable

Responsorial Psalm 

Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6

R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation.

R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.

R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! 
May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!

Reading 2 

Romans 11:15, 29-23

I am speaking to you Gentiles.  Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous and thus save some of them.  For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.  Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.  For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.

Alleluia 

Matthew 4:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

Matthew 15:21-28

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.

Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”

He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” 

He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” 

Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be done for you as you wish.”  And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

We can come to Jesus even though we are “outsiders.”

We can come to Jesus even though other believers object to the fact that we do so or the way in which we do so.

We should not look down on/get in the way of other folks approaching Jesus.

-      We should not presume that ours is the only way to approach Jesus.

-      That kind of presumption hinders the flow of God’s love/mercy. If these disciples had had their way here the woman and her daughter would not have received Jesus’ mercy.

In contrast, we provide a conduit for Jesus’ love/mercy when we are open and welcoming to folks of different backgrounds/traditions. 

We should also beware of shutting people off from Jesus because they are difficult/we don’t want to deal with them, aside from their ethnic or other differences. That too hinders the flow of God’s love/mercy.

We should keep pursuing Jesus/His mercies when we do not receive them at our first, or later, requests. This instance seems to be an example of the persistence in prayer Jesus taught in Luke 11:1-13  and Luke 18:1-8.  This dynamic is further explored in the consideration of this and related scriptures in Readings for August 5, 2020 annotated, lectionary 409.

The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him, loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants—all who keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer

my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation

you rule the peoples in equity;

all the ends of the earth fear him!

I am speaking to you Gentiles

the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable

he might have mercy upon all.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom and cured every disease among the people

a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! 

great is your faith!  Let it be done for you as you wish.”  

Observe what is right

do what is just

join themselves to the LORD

ministering to him

loving the name of the LORD

becoming his servants

let all the nations praise you!

let all the nations praise you!
May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity;

let all the nations praise you!
may all the peoples praise you!
let all the nations praise you!

called out, “Have pity on me, Lord

the woman came and did Jesus homage

saying, “Lord, help me.” great is your faith!  

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Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”