Gospel, Matthew 7:21-27  In most parts of the Negev, the hot southern region of Israel, annual rainfall is less than 8 inches.  You might not think of such an area as a place of floods, but the rocky sun-baked landscape can’t absorb water very quickly.  Rainwater runs off into gullies.  A half-inch of rain can send a wall of water several feet high surging down a normally dry wadi (the Jewish term for gully) with a force capable of knocking a truck or bus off a highway where the wadi opens out on a plain.  During the flooding in Australia a few months back, we saw news videos of houses being lifted from their foundations and swept downstream.  Such would have been the case for a house constructed in the wadi.  At first glance, the wadi seems like a better place for a home than up on the rockier surfaces.  The bottom of the wadi is shaded, cooler, and closer to water and vegetation.  It is easier to build on the sand that collects in the wadi than on the rocky surfaces above.  When the rains come, however, the wisdom of building on the less-appealing rocky surfaces above becomes clear. 

Jesus was familiar with flooding in desert regions of the Holy Land.  He also understood construction as carpenters of his time worked with all aspects of construction, not just with wood.  Jesus draws from his work experience to teach the importance of building one’s life on the solid foundation of hearing God’s word and putting it into practice. 

The Christian life, however, isn’t always the easiest and most attractive.  Like real estate down in the wadi, more worldly life styles can seem very tempting.  The storms of life inevitably come, however.  How will one come through times of financial setbacks, health problems, marital difficulties, or the death of a loved one?  How will one deal with the lure of drugs, alcohol, sex, and accumulation of material things?  That will depend largely on the foundation which parents began and encouraged for their child and upon which he or she continued to build by his or her own decision. 

Reading 1, Deuteronomy 11:18,26-28, 32   This is a repeat of some of the verses in the Shema, the most well-known scripture text among Jewish people from Deut 6:4-9.  During prayer, Jewish men wore a “tefillin” or tiny box within which was a copy of the Shema prayer on their wrist and forehead.  The wearing of the Scripture texts in this way was symbolic of committing one’s thoughts and deeds to God, much in the same way that making the sign of the cross is a symbol of dedicating our thoughts, heart and energies (signing the shoulders) to God. 

Commitment involves the ability to make choices, to control rather than being controlled by one’s instincts.  Moses offers the people a choice: follow God’s commandments and live in God’s blessing, or neglect those commandments and bring a curse upon yourselves.  Since God guides us toward what is truly best for us, God’s commandments are like a key into the storeroom of God’s blessings.  Use the key and the blessings follow.  Ignore God’s commandments and suffer the loss of potential blessings.  This is not a punishment from God but rather the result of one’s own refusal to use the key. 

Reading II, Romans 3:21-25,28  What is justification?  The text of this paragraph is aligned on the left margin.  This is called “left justification”.  If I typed a command for “right justification”, the text would be aligned on the right margin.  Justification is a matter of alignment.  Prior to his conversion to Christ, Paul was a member of the Pharisaic movement.  Concerned that Jewish culture and religion would be watered down or disappear altogether in the face of powerful Greek and Roman influences, the Pharisees emphasized following God’s law and Jewish tradition to the letter.  The problem?  While emphasis is good, OVER-emphasis is not.  Pharisees tended to despise or condemn fellow Jews who didn’t share their dedication.  They tended to be feel justified by their observance of the law, probably not conscious of the fact that, in doing so, they were aligning themselves more directly to the law than to the giver of that law.  Paul recognized that freedom from oneself and from the power of sin comes only in aligning oneself directly with God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  We strive to do God’s will but not with the goal of achieving perfection in relation to the law but as a response of love in relation to God.  Although we sin and get out of alignment with God, Jesus restores us through his victory over sin and his gift of forgiveness…something the law alone could never do.  Thus, justification comes through faith (not just belief, mind you, but living faith) apart from observance of the law.

note: as of March 2011 I will not be adding additional entries to this blog site.  They will be available at http://beadsofstdominic.wordpress.com/

Gospel, Matthew 6:24-34  Compromise is good when it involves dying to self-will so others may benefit, but there is nothing virtuous about compromising values or commitment to God.  We are called to love God with all our being as indicated in the Shema prayer from Deuteronomy 6:4-5…not 50% or even 80% but 100%.  Mammon is an Aramaic word meaning wealth or property.  People can get so consumed in the pursuit of wealth that they effectively treat it like a god. It is probably for that reason that the word Mammon became personified and was retained in the Gospel text (see also Luke 16:9-11).   

Jesus does not deny the reality of human needs for food and clothing and housing.  What Jesus cautions against is making such things the object of anxious concern, in effect making us slaves to them to the point that we make ourselves slaves to the quest for these things.  Anxiety over such things indicates a lack of confidence that God will provide for us what we absolutely need. 

The word translated for adding a “moment” to one’s life is “cubit”, a measure of about 18 inches in length.  The popular use of the measurement during the OT period is obvious from the fact that the word “cubit” or “cubits” appears 266 times in the bible, all of which, with exception of one reference in the book of Revelations, are found in the Old Testament giving measurements primarily for the construction of Noah’s ark and the Temple of Jerusalem.  The word was occasionally used in relation to time as in this text, the idea of advancing a cubit more along the path of life. 

Solomon had a reputation for living in splendor.  He so heavily taxed the people to realize his plans that when he died, the people of Israel told his son that they never wanted a king like Solomon again.  By comparison, God’s clothing and providing for the birds and the rest of nature is more beautiful and comes at no such price.  Nevertheless, the grass dies.  So do the birds.  So will we.  Rather than worry about that moment off in the future, however, we do best to focus on the challenges of today and entrust them all to God’s providential care.

Reading 1, Isaiah 49:14-15  Isaiah had prophesied the destruction of the nation for not following the will of God.  The people in exile will feel forsaken by God, and not be able to see beyond the moment.  There will, however, come a time of liberation and restoration.  God’s love is measured, not in the immediate moment, but in the longer span of life and afterlife.  The statement of feeling forsaken here follows a statement of hope given by God and is actually a rejection of that word from God, exhibiting how much the people were taken up by the moment and lacked the ability to look beyond it to a better future.  They see the glass not only half but completely empty.  Through Isaiah God wants them to see the glass at least half full with the promise to refill it to overflowing. 

God had promised in Deuteronomy 31:6-8 that he would never forsake his people, a message repeated in Joshua 1:5.  Ezra and Nehemiah, in charge of the reconstruction following the liberation from exile, would remind the people of that message in Ezra 8:22 and Nehemiah 9:17-31.  On the cross, Jesus will pray Psalm 22 which begins “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” but continues as a psalm, not of feeling forsaken, but of confidence in God’s care.

God’s love is compared to that of a mother for her child.  I think this is the only text in the Old Testament in which God’s love is compared to that of a woman rather than the Father figure which God had chosen to represent his care for his people.

Reading 2, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5  In the previous verses, Paul had written about the practice among some of the Corinthians to identify, not with the whole community, but with their particular group of friends…resulting in a certain competition and division within the community.  Rather than priding oneself in what divides the community, all should be seen as servants and stewards of God.  The word for steward was “oikonomos” (economist) meaning “the law or word for the household”.  The role of a steward was to manage the property and finances of the master.  We are entrusted with the management of the mysteries of God.  Who examines the books to see that the steward is doing things right?  Bank examiners or accountants are called in to do an audit.  Paul says he doesn’t even do the audit on himself.  God is the one who will do the audit on each of us, so we should not presume to be the one to perform the audit on one another.

Gospel, Matthew 5:38-48  This is a continuation of last week’s Gospel.  Jesus is giving his disciples more specific guidance on how to fulfill the spirit of the law of Moses.  The phrase “an eye for an eye…” comes from Leviticus 24:19-20.  Although it may seem harsh for Jewish people of old to exact such a penalty in kind, it was actually meant to moderate vengeance rather than allowing it to escalate.  Family and personal honor is upheld with tremendous violence even today in many parts of the world, even to wiping out someone’s family for an offense against one member of another family.  We hear the language of such retaliation all too often in threats from terrorist groups today.  Jesus forbids even proportionate retaliation.

In Romans 12:21 Paul writes “do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.”  Responding in kind to personal offenses only throws more kindling on the fire.  We are to offer no resistance.  By going overboard in offering the other cheek, giving the cloak along with the tunic, or going the extra mile, you defuse anger by not returning it.  You may also cause the person to recognize how inappropriate their actions and demands were and change their behavior. 

There is no Old Testament text encouraging hatred of one’s enemy.  Love of neighbor was demanded in the Old Testament (see today’s first reading from Leviticus) but the scope of who neighbor might be was limited to fellow Jews.  With this teaching and others such as the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) Jesus sought to broaden that understanding to love and respect for all people as beloved by God.  The word translated “love” in all these usages is “Agape”, the highest form of love which reflects the love of God.  We are to strive for perfection, not just a passing grade in life.

Reading 1, Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18  Jesus quotes this text from Leviticus 19:18 when asked which commandment is the greatest.  As in the gospel text for today which calls us to be perfect as God is perfect, we are to be holy as God is holy.  Our point of reference is not found in comparison to other people but in comparison to God.  The bar is set pretty high.  No one should look down on anyone else or judge another person. Rather, we should challenge one another to holy lives as God challenges us to do so.  Reproving another should be done, not as a reprimand, but to help him or her advance in holiness.

Reading 2, 1 Corinthians 3:16-23  Ancient societies not only dedicated a temple building to the honor of their gods but also considered it a home or place where those gods dwell in a special way.  As temples of God, we must dedicate ourselves to God each day and be mindful that God dwells in us.

Although we are each called individually to be temples of God, the YOU here is not singular.  The New Testament concept of being God’s temple challenges the individual Christian to see him/herself as part of the living structure with others who may be similar to him/her or may differ considerably.  We are being built together.  Putting another person down or lacking love or respect for another person in any way breaks down the temple.  See also 2 Cor 6:16, Eph 2:21-22, and 1 Peter 2:5.

Paul next discusses the difference between worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom.  As mentioned in last week’s commentary, what is deemed as wise is related to the goal one seeks to achieve.  Worldly goals are often in contrast with goals as understood from the perspective of God and revelation, thus making people’s decisions and actions taken to the achievement of worldly goals foolish in light of the true goal of life…as investing one’s life in spiritual goals may seem foolish to a person totally focused on things of this world.

The command to not kill is not only in reference to taking a person’s life.  We must not “kill” someone’s reputation or esteem among people.  Rather, we are to love and respect one another.  The Aramaic word “Raqa” was probably comparable to calling someone an “imbecile” or “blockhead”.  The Sanhedrin was the Jewish governing body in Jerusalem given authority by the Romans for local governance.  They had their own police force, court, and systems of enforcement and punishment.  They were not allowed to inflict a death sentence, however.  That was reserved to the Romans, federal trumping local government, as in the case of the Sanhedrin bringing Jesus to Pilate.  Gehenna referred to the Valley of Hinnom on the SW side of Jerusalem.  During the times of the monarchy, it was the site of an altar dedicated to the god Moloch on which children were sacrificed (2 Kings 23, Jeremiah 7:31).  In Jesus’ time the city’s garbage and human waste were dumped and burned there.  It made an ideal visual when Jesus needed an image of hell.

Jesus cautions against attempting to offer a gift to God while knowingly holding out on one of God’s children. Imagine God saying, “So you want me to accept this offering and forgive you while you refuse to forgive your neighbor?  Don’t you know your neighbor is my child?  Go first and settle up with him.  Then come back and we’ll talk.”

“Better to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand”…forgive not seven (number of perfection) but seventy times seven…descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore…Jewish teaching was given to overstatement for emphasis.  The early church did not encourage self-mutilation as a guard against temptation.  Still, the point is clear: the consequences of losing an eye or a hand are nothing compared to losing your eternal soul.

The statement allowing a bill of divorce comes from Deut. 24:1 in which grounds were a man finding in his wife “something indecent  Rabbis at the time Christ differed on what was that phrase meant and what would be sufficient grounds for divorce.  Jesus is quoted here as saying no divorce should be permitted “unless the marriage is unlawful”, literally the Greek text says “except on account of porneia (fornication)”.  Here again, it is unclear exactly what justifies divorce. 

The statement on oaths comes from Numbers 30:3.  People got pretty creative swearing by this or that.  Have you ever heard people say they’d “swear on their dead mother’s grave” or some similarly odd thing?  Just let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no”…your word must come from your own heart and soul, not from anything external to you.

“You’ve hear it said…what I tell you is…”  Jesus challenges his disciples to strive to live by a high code of conduct. 

Reading 1, Sirach 15:15-20 It is helpful to add in verse 14 which immediately precedes this quote:” When God in the beginning created man, he made him subject to his own free choice.”  Being “subject to” means we are personally responsible for our decisions and actions.  Our actions are pre-known but not predetermined by God.  God allows us to choose badly and to sin, but that does not mean that God causes us to sin or gives license for it.  We choose and then receive the blessings or suffer the consequences of our choices.  Nevertheless, God’s mercy goes beyond justice.  His forgiveness can free us from the just consequences of sin. 

Reading 2, 1 Corinthians 2:6-10  Wisdom is the gift/ability to make good decisions, but it does not exist in a vacuum.  Decisions are oriented toward goals.  The determination of what makes a decision good depends on whether or not it leads to the goal.  Before wisdom can be applied, then, one needs to know if he/she is following goals that are true and right.  The “wisdom of this age”, what one might term as “worldly wisdom” orients us toward the wrong goals.  The wisdom of God is more hidden but revealed to us through Jesus Christ and discernible through the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

“What eye has not seen…”  Paul quotes Isaiah 64:3 but rather roughly.  I once made a list of Paul’s quotes from the Old Testament and was surprised how inexact his memory was on almost all but the most common passages.  Thank God for reference books.  Perhaps that’s why Paul, in 2 Timothy 4:13, asked Timothy to bring some papyrus rolls and parchments he had left in a town along the way.

People in Jesus’ time did not buy granulated salt as we do today.  There were abundant natural deposits in the Jordan River Valley, especially around the Dead Sea where it was harvested by letting the salt-rich waters of the Sea into shallow pools.  The pools were then closed off.  The water evaporated under the hot sun, leaving a deposit of salt.  When the salt was removed, some sand and other particles adhered to it.  People bought salt in small blocks which kept in cloth bags and placed in the kettle as water boiled.  When the right amount of salt for the desired seasoning had dissolved in the water, the bag was removed.  Eventually the salt in the bag was depleted, leaving only the impurities which were emptied out on the street on the way to the market for another chunk of salt.

The bible is filled with the imagery of light in darkness, but the phrase “light of the world” appears only a few times.  In the Gospel of John Jesus states, “I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12).  Here in this text from Matthew Jesus says, “You are the light of the world”.  This interesting combination of texts calls us to let Christ be the light shining in and through our lives. 

The statement that our light must shine so others might see our good deeds would seem to be in sharp contrast Jesus’ statement to keep our almsgiving and prayer secret (Matthew 6:1-8).  The difference between the two statements is in the intention.  We must avoid doing things for show so as to make people think more highly of us.  We must do what is necessary to give good example and encouragement to others for the glory of God.  It’s a question of our motives.  I recall many years ago asking a priest who was a very dynamic charismatic figure if it bothered him that people came up and praised him for his homilies and other presentations.  He told me that at first he would respond with things such as, “No, no.  Don’t praise me.  Give God the glory.”  People went away feeling as though they had been chastised.  So he changed and replied, “Thank you, I’m just thankful God can use me and you as well for his glory.”  People went away encouraged, giving thanks to God.

As salt of the earth we are called to preserve all that is true and good as well as add flavor that brings out the good for people around us.  As the light of the world we are to let Jesus shine in and through us as we give light to others by our words and example.

Reading 1, Isaiah 58:7-10  This text from Isaiah was selected to match the light theme in today’s gospel reading.  They are written in the context of a word from Isaiah cautioning people not to perform religious acts as mere external worship totally separate from the conduct of their daily lives. Sacrifices at the temple are not only worthless, they are repulsive to God, if we treat God’s children with oppression, false accusations and malicious speech.  We must be people of integrity with eyes.  If we remain blind to the needs of those around us, neither will we be able to see the light of God to guide us.  Opening our eyes to others, the light of God will rise in the darkness.

Reading 2, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5  In the previous weeks’ selections from 1 Corinthians, Paul had told people not to boast of their personal gifts, standing, wealth, knowledge, and so forth.  Such was part of a pattern of behavior creating divisions within the Christian community there.  Paul now uses himself as an example about not showing off personal gifts by giving a brief review of his inadequacies as a public speaker.  His preaching style was not that of an eloquent orator in the theater.  The effectiveness of his preaching and teaching rested completely on his being an instrument through whom the power of God was at work.

Jesus’ first four apostles were fishermen from Capernaum.  Another apostle from Capernaum, Matthew, was a tax collector whose job may have been connected to the fishing industry since fishermen were taxed a percentage of each catch.  King Herod Antipas sold fishing rights to groups of fishermen joined together in syndicates.  As with farmers today who must run more acres and thus purchase bigger equipment to make a go of it, the cost of licensing a fishing operation required a high volume of catch possible only through the use of bigger boats and nets.  Herod also gave out loans for syndicates to purchase boats and equipment.  Some techniques of setting out and then collecting long nets required two boats.  It is very possible that Peter’s boat and that of Zebedee were from the same syndicate making them all partners.  The boats were not pulled up on the shore.  Remember, these were big enough crafts for Jesus and all the apostles to move around the lake in one boat.  Capernaum had a half-mile breakwater to protect the town from occasional storms rolling in from the lake with a number of wharfs jutting out from the breakwater to moor the boats.

Some parishes in our archdiocese are currently being merged due to shortage of priests and changing demographics.  The major challenges to these mergers arise from the strong identification of people with their particular church as compared with the broader Catholic Christian community.  Today as in Paul’s time, loyalties to individuals and groups are fine unless they become the source of competition, division, and resistance to seeing oneself as part of a fuller Christian community.   

The other fishermen in the syndicate would need the boat and nets to continue the business.  Jesus and the apostles would use the same boat for occasional trips around the lake.  Peter and Andrew didn’t just leave or “abandon” the boat to follow Jesus.  The license had to be maintained, taxes were due, they may have had payments to make on the boat and nets, there were a number of families dependent on the business (each boat needed a crew of 6-8 men to run it for fishing at night and another crew to run it for transportation of cargo and passengers during the day), and, whatever more family was involved, Peter at least had a mother-in-law and a house to take care of.  How to cover all that while freeing up their schedule to follow Jesus?  Such was their reality.  Their decision was more like that of anyone today who senses a call to follow Jesus more fully while being true to his/her responsibilities in life.

The ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus are interlaced.  Jesus was apparently down in the lower Jordan region following his baptism when he received news of John’s imprisonment.  This is the signal for him to head back north to Galilee to begin his ministry there.  Look through all that Jesus does until we get Matthew 11 where John in prison sends disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one for whom John had prepared the way, and on to the account of his death in Matthew 14.  John is hearing about all that is happening.  Imagine what solace it would have been for him to receive testimony of Jesus’ ministry. 

Reading 1, Isaiah 8:23-9:3  Zebulun and Naphtali were among the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel.  The territories of the tribes bearing their names were located in northern Galilee.  When the Assyrian invaded from the north and conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C., these were the first regions “degraded” on their path.  Isaiah received his call around 742 B.C. and prophesied in the southern kingdom of Judah well past the time of the downfall of Israel and into the rule of King Hezekiah who successfully resisted the attack of Assyria in 701 B.C. 

Archaeologists have discovered no indication of Jewish settlement in Galilee between the time of the Assyrian conquest until Jewish resettlement of the region during the 2^nd century B.C.  It was truly the District of the Gentiles during that time period. 

The “day of Midian” refers to the victory of Gideon leading the Israelites against the Midianites who had held Israel subject for seven years (Judges 6-8).  The Midianites were desert nomads whose periodic raids to steal crops and destroy what they couldn’t carry off had gone unchecked for those several years.  Gideon’s victory was particularly impressive in that God had Gideon hone his army down to 300 men so as to make it clear that it was God and not the Israelites who really won the battle. 

Reading II, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17  The community of Corinth, as Paul’s letters indicate, suffered more from divisions and rivalries than any other community to which Paul wrote.  Paul will later go so far as to tell the Corinthians that they were eating a drinking a judgment on themselves for carrying their divisions into the Eucharistic celebration (1 Cor. 11:17-34).  The Apollos to whom Paul refers was a dynamic preacher from Alexandria in Egypt converted to Christ by Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus.  Cephas was the Hebrew name for Peter.  People were identifying with one or another minister in an unhealthy spirit of feeling superior to converts of other ministers, ultimately getting in the way of their identifying with the whole community of Christians and leading to competition and division.

“The Lamb of God”(v. 29) This is the text quoted in the Mass as the priest breaks the host, symbolizing Jesus offering himself as lambs were offered in sacrifice at the temple of Jerusalem.  The phrase only appears twice in the Bible, here and in verse 36.  John does make considerable reference to Jesus as the Lamb in Revelation (34 times).  The only other reference to Jesus as the Lamb is in 1 Peter 1:19 stating that we were ransomed from our sin “with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb”.  The lamb to be slaughtered for the final meal in Egypt and whose blood marking the doorposts to protect those within, was to be an unblemished lamb (Exodus 12:5). 

Reading 1, Isaiah 49:3,5-6  This is the second of Isaiah’s four “Servant-of-the-Lord” oracles mentioned last week.  Whereas the first prophecy focused on the ministry of the servant, this one speaks of how that ministry of the servant will bring glory to God to the point that the title “servant” is “too little”…not sufficient…to describe his role or the impact of his ministry.  He would be God’s “light to the nations” for through him the glory of God would be revealed to peoples far beyond the nation of Israel to the ends of the earth.

This reading is selected to match the theme of the Gospel where John the Baptist calls Jesus the “Lamb of God” and the one God was sending into the world.  The “Suffering Servant” was compared to a “lamb led to the slaughter” (Is. 53:7) who would “give his life as an offering for sin” (Is. 52:10).

Reading II, 1 Corinthians 1:1-3  Corinth was located on the west side of the isthmus connecting the Peloponnesian peninsula (southern Greece) with the continent to the north, just short of four miles across to Cenchrae on the Aegean side.  Cargo was downloaded from ships on one side of the isthmus and hauled overland to be reloaded into ships on the other side.  It was a lot of work, but it saved considerable time for ships that would otherwise have to sail around the peninsula.  It was also safer since ships could avoid the more open waters of the Mediterranean where storms battered many a ship.  As one of the chief commercial centers of the ancient world, Corinth was a very cosmopolitan city with a great diversity of ethnic and social groups.  It was infamous for loose living…the Las Vegas of its day.  All this was reflected in the Corinthian community where Paul labored for over a year and a half and to which he later wrote his most challenging letters. 

Although attempts were made in ancient times to cut a canal across the isthmus to permit ships to pass without the need to unload and haul cargo, the project was not completed until 1893, at the time the largest cut of any canal in the world.  Although only 3.94 miles long, the average depth of the cut in the middle 2.6 miles was over 1,000 feet deep. 

The salutation at the beginning of a letter takes different forms from one era or one culture to another.  When I worked in Venezuela, for example, the initial part of an official letter included a variety of requisite salutations and good wishes, considerably different from the more direct style here in the United States which would seem all too abrupt and discourteous.  Compare this introduction to those of Paul’s other letters.  The Sosthenes mentioned is more than likely not the person by the same name in Acts 18:12-17who, although living in Corinth, led the Jewish opposition against Paul during Paul’s stay in the city.

Reading 1, Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7  This is the first of the four “Servant-of-the-Lord” oracles in Isaiah, the others being 49:1-7, 50:4-11, 52:13-53:12.  The Jewish people placed their hope in a Messiah, an anointed leader through whom God would establish a new kingdom and usher in an era of glory and prosperity.  The Servant exemplified the Messiah of their hopes.  Christians, of course, see these Servant prophecies as referring to Jesus. I have read that the reed was a symbol of authority. If so, the bruised reed could represent the fragile state of the Jewish nation that would not be destroyed but strengthened by the Messiah.  The smoldering wick signifies the light of hope extremely dim but not out.  “Coastlands” refers to all the nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea.  There were Jewish settlements in almost all of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea.  St. Paul hoped to bring the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ to all those lands.  He for sure got as far west as Rome and wrote about his hope to travel to Spain.

Reading II, Acts 10:34-38  Caesarea, built by King Herod the Great on the Mediterranean coast, had the largest artificial harbor in the world.  It was the headquarters of the Roman governor and troop garrison for the region of Judea.  Cornelius was a centurion in the Italian Cohort stationed at Caesarea.  The Bible (Acts 10:1) tells us he and his family were “God-fearing”.  This term referred to non-Jewish people who associated with the Jewish faith, joining in the prayers and celebrations, but not officially initiated into the Jewish religion through circumcision.  Read all of Acts 10-11 to find out about Peter’s vision to go to Cornelius, his visit to the home, and the negative reaction among some Jerusalem Christians to Peter having entered the house of a non-Jew.  Cornelius and his household were the first non-Jews to become Christians.  The question of whether or not followers of Christ must also be fully initiated into the Jewish religion…whether Christians are part of the Jewish family or something new and different…would be the cause of much conflict within the Church for most of the first century.

Note that the Magi found Mary and Jesus in a house.  This differs from the stable in Luke’s account.  We prefer to put the two gospel accounts together, figuring that the family had gotten established after the census was over, Joseph was off working, and they had moved from the stable into their own place.  There are a number of other differences, however, such as the circumstances of their return to Nazareth (Luke) compared to their later settling in Nazareth after a sojourn in Egypt (Matthew) and the differences in their respective genealogies.  We should remember that the evangelists were writing theological truths and felt a certain editorial license to rework some of the details to get those points across. 

Matthew draws a comparison here between the Magi who, although non-Jews, discerned the birth of the Messiah and traveled a thousand miles to find him…and the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem who, although possessing the scriptural word in prophecies, missed the most important birth in history just six miles away in Bethlehem.  We Christians have been blessed with the word of God and avenues of God’s grace through Jesus Christ, but we will still remain in the dark like if we don’t look into that word to seek and follow the light of Christ. 

Reading 1, Isaiah 60:1-6  Chapters 56-66 of Isaiah prophesy the return of the exiles to Jerusalem, an event which transpired after Cyrus of Persia (the area of Iran) defeated the Babylonians (the area of Iraq) in 539 B.C. and dealt with the people of conquered territories with a tolerance hitherto unknown in the East.  Rather than oppression and deportation, the policies of previous conquerors, he treated the various races with respect.  He granted religious freedom, allowed resettlement to their original territories, and even funded the reconstruction of Jerusalem which had been destroyed by the Babylonian armies in 587 B.C.  This prophecy from Isaiah envisions the new Jerusalem as a commercial center with the concomitant blessings of stature, activity, and financial benefits.  Such prophecies sustained the hopes of the Jewish people during the time following the destruction and conquest of their country when all hope seemed to have been lost…light in the midst of their darkness.

The Midianites were desert dwellers to the south noted as traders with trains of camels.  Sheba was in the Arabian peninsula, also desert territory, whose wealth was accumulated through trade as well as gold mining (there were no deposits of gold in the Holy Land) and frankincense (made from the gum of certain coniferous trees found in the Arabian peninsula).

Reading II, Ephesians 3:2-3a,4-5  “Mystery cults” were popular in ancient Asia Minor.  The word mystery comes from a Greek word meaning “hidden” or “secret”.  The cults practiced secret rites and revealed knowledge to their members which they believed would give them special power and protection from certain gods.  Plato, as a member of one such mystery cult, was severely criticized by fellow members for revealing some of their secrets in his writings.  Members were initiated and expected to keep everything a secret.  Paul makes a bridge from that popular way of thinking to give new Christians knowledge of the secret plan for the entire universe and connection to the highest spiritual power…all revealed through Jesus Christ.  Unlike members of the mystery cults, Christians were encouraged to reveal the plan of God to others…to bring all peoples to the light.

Herod died in 4 B.C.  “How is that possible?” you might ask.  When Dionysius Exiguus, Dennis the Humble, set out in the middle of the 6^th Century to determine the year of Jesus’ birth and transfer the numbering of years from the establishment of the Roman Empire to the birth of Jesus, he was about six years off…not bad, really.  Welcome to the future as we go now from 2016 to 2017.  After Herod’s death, his territory was divided into three regions by the Romans, each given to one of Herod’s sons.  Phillip received the northeastern area.  Herod Antipas received Galilee and some adjoining sections.   Archelaus received the more heavily populated southern region of Judah which included Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  He turned out to be such so cruel and unpredictable that, after a few years, the Romans exiled him to France (which doesn’t seem like such a horrible punishment today) and replaced him with a Roman governor.  Joseph and Mary wisely decided to bypass Judah and settle to the north in Galilee.

Reading 1, Sirach 3:2-6,12-14  The book of Sirach is named for the author “Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach”, a teacher from Jerusalem around 200 B.C.  His grandson translated the work into Greek and added a foreword.  The first 43 chapters deal largely with moral instruction and were so commonly used in the early Christian Church that Latin manuscripts entitled the book “Liber Ecclesiasticus” (Book of the Church) or simply Ecclesiasticus.  Until 1898 no Hebrew copies of Sirach had been found.  Since then about two thirds of the text in Hebrew has been recovered from manuscripts dating back before the Christian era.  Sirach is one of seven O.T. books from the Greek Septuagint not found in the more limited Hebrew canon of the 1^st century AD and, therefore, not included in all Christian bibles.   

Reading II, Colossians 3:12-21  Most people have a rather standard routine for getting dressed each day.  It becomes rather habitual.  In similar fashion, Paul suggests we get in the habit of “dressing” ourselves every day with virtues.  Over all of them, like a sweater or coat or whatever else just finishes off your look for the day, the well-dressed Christian should put on love. 

When you think of it, we dress not just for ourselves but for other people as well.  What one wears may express respect for those wit whom he or she will spend the day or an evening out.  One may dress in a uniform as a symbol of being part in a school or work community.  Paul’s clothing metaphor is presented within the context of dressing for others as part of the Christian community, members of the same Body of Christ. 

Paul turns to virtues that bring unity to the domestic church of the Christian family.  Neither “submissive” nor “subordinate” sounds appealing to women since they are often used in the context of power and authority.  Is there a different angle from which we can understand what Paul is saying here?  The Greek word “hupostasso” which means “to stand under” in the sense of being subject or obedient to another, but the most direct word in English is “hypostasis” which means to support as a foundation giving something the strength to stand without falling. In theology the same word refers to the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as well as the “hypostatic union” of the two natures, human and divine, in the person of Jesus Christ.  Wives, be supportive of your husbands as the three Persons in God support one another to the point of being one God.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, probably written and sent at the same time as that to the Colossians, also uses the image of getting dressed (although from the perspective of a soldier ready for conflict, Eph. 6:11-17) and an encouragement for mutual respect and love within families (5:21-33).