Sunday, September 05, 2021

Readings for September 5, 2021 annotated, lectionary 128, Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations. The entire chapter is included to provide context. 

Information about the meaning the original Hebrew or Greek of what seem to be key words is provided in blue.  That information is provided beneath the specific reading the words are contained in. 

Excerpts collected in yellow  at the end of this post tell us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. 

Excerpts collected in green  at the end of this post tell us about something God wants us to do. 

Excerpts collected in red  at the end of this post tell us about something God does not want us to do. 

Reading I

Isaiah 35:4-7a

Thus says the LORD:
    Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
        
Be strong,fear not!
    Here is your God,
        he comes with vindication;
    with divine recompense
        he comes to save you.
    Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
        the ears of the deaf be cleared;
    then will the lame leap like a stag,
        then the tongue of the mute will sing.
    Streams will burst forth in the desert,
        and rivers in the steppe.
    The burning sands will become pools
        and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

be strong = חָזַק= ḥāzaq

Blue Letter Bible

to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute;to restore to strength, give strength;sustain, encourage; make bold;to repair; to have or take or keep hold of, retain, hold up, sustain, support;to hold, contain; to put forth strength, use one's strength; to withstand; to hold strongly with; causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify; recovery from illness; courageous, confident;devote oneself to; to be urgent, pressing; to tie fast, bind

comes = בּוֹא = bô'

Blue Letter Bible

to go in, enter, come, go, come in; to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring upon; carry; fetch; follow;entering into specific relations;walk, associate with

save = יָשַׁע = yāšaʿ

Blue Letter Bible

to be liberated, be saved, be delivered; to save from moral troubles; to give victory to; to be open, wide or free, i.e. (by implication) to be safe; to free or succor; defend, help, preserve, rescue;be capacious, make wide, spacious, make sufficient, be or live in abundance; placed in freedom; give width and breadth to, liberate; save, from evils and troubles; to be opulent; to set free, preserve;

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10

R. (1b)    Praise the Lord, my soul!

The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,secures justice for the oppressedgives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.


R. 
Praise the Lord, my soul!
The LORD gives sight to the blindthe LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the justthe LORD protects strangers.


R. 
Praise the Lord, my soul!
The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign foreveryour God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. 
Praise the Lord, my soul!

praise = הָלַל= halal 

Blue Letter Bible

to shine; to flash forth light; to praise, boast, be boastful; be commended; glory; rave, celebrate; to be clear, to be brilliant; to sing; to make bright ir shining

faith = שָׁמַר= šāmar

Blue Letter Bible

to keep, guard, observe, give heed; retain, treasure up (in memory); preserve; attend to

Scriptures addressing similar principles are collected at Wisdom Principles: God’s Ways Give Security 


Reading II

James 2:1-5

My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please, ” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

partiality = προσωπολημψα = prosōpolēmpsia

Blue Letter Bible

Having respect to the position, rank, popularity, or circumstances of men, instead of their intrinsic conditions, preferring the rich and powerful to those who are not so


Alleluia

Cf. Matthew 4:23

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

cured = θεραπεω = therapeuō

Blue Letter Bible

to heal, restore to health; to care for the sick, to treat, cure, heal;to serve, do service

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

to be an attendant, do service; take care of one's person;treat medically; cultivate; mend

Gospel

Mark 7:31-37

Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis.  And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him off by himself away from the crowd.  He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. 

He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it.  

They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well.  He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

begged = παρακαλω = parakaleō

Blue Letter Bible

Beseech; denotes "to call to one's side," hence, "to call to one's aid;" exhort, urge; summon; to beg, entreat; call for; pray

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

call in, send for, summon; invoke; call upon; demand, require


groaned = στενζω = stenazō

Blue Letter Bible

Sigh; murmur; pray inaudibly 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

sigh deeply; bemoan, bewail

 

well = καλς = kalōs

Blue Letter Bible

beautifully, finely, excellently, well; rightly, so that there shall be no room for blame, well, truly; excellently, nobly, commendably;honourably, in honour; fitly 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

beautiful, of outward form; beauteous; good, of fine quality; auspicious;noble, honourable; moral beauty, virtue, honour; rightly; fairly; thoroughly; rightly, deservedly

 

 What these readings tell us about God/His ways:

Say to those whose hearts are frightened:Be strongfear not!
he comes with vindication
with divine recompense
he comes to save you
the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
the lame leap like a stag,
the tongue of the mute will sing.
Streams will burst forth in the desert,
burning sands will become pools
the thirsty ground, springs of water.

The God of Jacob keeps faith forever

secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.

The LORD gives sight to the blind

the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just

the LORD protects strangers.

The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains

the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever

your God, O Zion, through all generations

God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom

Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom

cured every disease among the people.
people brought to him a deaf manwho had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him off by himself away from the crowd

he looked up to heaven and groaned

immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly

He ordered them not to tell anyone

They were exceedingly astonished

He has done all things well

He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak

 

What these readings tell us to do:

Be strong

fear not!
Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord

adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

people brought to him a deaf man

begged him to lay his hand on him

 

What these readings tell us not to do:

fear

partiality

become judges with evil designs

No comments: