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Catholic Sunday Scripture Study, 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
2/16/2012 9:20:50 PM
February 19, 2012
First Reading
Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25
18 "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
21 the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.
22 "Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!
24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins, you have wearied me with your iniquities.
25 "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14
R. (5b) Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Blessed is the one who has regard for the lowly and the poor;
in the day of misfortune the LORD will deliver him.
The LORD will keep and preserve him;
and make him blessed on earth,
and not give him over to the will of his enemies.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
The LORD will help him on his sickbed,
he will take away all his ailment when he is ill.
Once I said, "O LORD, have pity on me;
heal me, though I have sinned against you."
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
But because of my integrity you sustain me
and let me stand before you forever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from all eternity. Amen. Amen.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Second Reading
2 Corinthians 1:18-22
18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silva'nus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes.
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God.
21 But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us;
22 he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Gospel
Mark 2:1-12
1 And when he returned to Caper'na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
7 "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Rise, take up your pallet and walk'?
10 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" –– he said to the paralytic ––
11 "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home."
12 And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Overview of the Gospel:
As we have seen in previous weeks, Jesus and his disciples have been traveling around the Galilee region preaching and healing (Mark 1: 39). This Sunday’s Gospel reading finds him back in his adopted home of Capernaum (verse 1).
As we also read in previous weeks, Jesus’ reputation causes him to be thronged by large crowds wherever he goes. The house he is preaching in becomes so crowded that no one can get in (and probably out!) the door. A paralytic and his friends are so determined to see Jesus that they make an opening in the roof to lower him down to where he is (it is remarkable that it is the faith of the paralytic’s friends rather than the faith of the paralytic alone that is cited in Jesus’ decision to heal him). Jesus heals the man—but not before he forgives the man’s sins!
Today’s reading also marks the beginning of a section in Mark’s Gospel (to verse 3:6) that relates a series of conflicts between Jesus and his opponents leading to their plot to put him to death. When the scribes (scholars of the Jewish law) hear Jesus pronounce forgiveness for the man’s sins they see Jesus as claiming a power that belongs to God alone (verses 6-7).
Jesus not only doesn’t deny this, but confirms the fact that even as a man, he has the power and authority of God (verses 9-11). His demonstration of his authority to forgive sins anticipates that same power which he will later pass on to the leaders of his Church (Matthew 9:6-8, 16:18-19; John 20:21-23).
Questions:
In the 1st Reading, who provides the way for a new beginning? On whose initiative is it given? What should our response be to God, who is always offering his forgiveness?
How often do you find that your faith vacillates between Yes and No—between on and off, hot and cold, zealous and slothful (2nd reading)? What tends to make you swing in one direction or the other? Have you found ways to strengthen your faith, so that it increasingly gravitates toward Yes? Have you ever been aware that the Spirit of God has actually been given to you? Of what is the Spirit a guarantee?
In this Sunday’s Gospel, what do you think you would you be seeing and feeling if you were in this crowd (verses 1-4)? Do you identify more with the paralytic, his friends, or the scribes? Why? Why are the scribes so upset? In their minds, how are sin and the authority of God linked (see John 9:1-3)? Why didn’t Jesus just heal the man in the way everyone expected? What new insight about himself and the kingdom of God is he revealing?
In what ways is sin like paralysis? What freedoms has Jesus’ word of forgiveness given to you, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)? Where do you need to hear that word again?
First Reading
Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25
18 "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
21 the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.
22 "Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!
24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins, you have wearied me with your iniquities.
25 "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14
R. (5b) Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Blessed is the one who has regard for the lowly and the poor;
in the day of misfortune the LORD will deliver him.
The LORD will keep and preserve him;
and make him blessed on earth,
and not give him over to the will of his enemies.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
The LORD will help him on his sickbed,
he will take away all his ailment when he is ill.
Once I said, "O LORD, have pity on me;
heal me, though I have sinned against you."
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
But because of my integrity you sustain me
and let me stand before you forever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from all eternity. Amen. Amen.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Second Reading
2 Corinthians 1:18-22
18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silva'nus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes.
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God.
21 But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us;
22 he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Gospel
Mark 2:1-12
1 And when he returned to Caper'na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,
7 "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Rise, take up your pallet and walk'?
10 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" –– he said to the paralytic ––
11 "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home."
12 And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Overview of the Gospel:
As we have seen in previous weeks, Jesus and his disciples have been traveling around the Galilee region preaching and healing (Mark 1: 39). This Sunday’s Gospel reading finds him back in his adopted home of Capernaum (verse 1).
As we also read in previous weeks, Jesus’ reputation causes him to be thronged by large crowds wherever he goes. The house he is preaching in becomes so crowded that no one can get in (and probably out!) the door. A paralytic and his friends are so determined to see Jesus that they make an opening in the roof to lower him down to where he is (it is remarkable that it is the faith of the paralytic’s friends rather than the faith of the paralytic alone that is cited in Jesus’ decision to heal him). Jesus heals the man—but not before he forgives the man’s sins!
Today’s reading also marks the beginning of a section in Mark’s Gospel (to verse 3:6) that relates a series of conflicts between Jesus and his opponents leading to their plot to put him to death. When the scribes (scholars of the Jewish law) hear Jesus pronounce forgiveness for the man’s sins they see Jesus as claiming a power that belongs to God alone (verses 6-7).
Jesus not only doesn’t deny this, but confirms the fact that even as a man, he has the power and authority of God (verses 9-11). His demonstration of his authority to forgive sins anticipates that same power which he will later pass on to the leaders of his Church (Matthew 9:6-8, 16:18-19; John 20:21-23).
Questions:
In the 1st Reading, who provides the way for a new beginning? On whose initiative is it given? What should our response be to God, who is always offering his forgiveness?
How often do you find that your faith vacillates between Yes and No—between on and off, hot and cold, zealous and slothful (2nd reading)? What tends to make you swing in one direction or the other? Have you found ways to strengthen your faith, so that it increasingly gravitates toward Yes? Have you ever been aware that the Spirit of God has actually been given to you? Of what is the Spirit a guarantee?
In this Sunday’s Gospel, what do you think you would you be seeing and feeling if you were in this crowd (verses 1-4)? Do you identify more with the paralytic, his friends, or the scribes? Why? Why are the scribes so upset? In their minds, how are sin and the authority of God linked (see John 9:1-3)? Why didn’t Jesus just heal the man in the way everyone expected? What new insight about himself and the kingdom of God is he revealing?
In what ways is sin like paralysis? What freedoms has Jesus’ word of forgiveness given to you, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)? Where do you need to hear that word again?
2/17/2012 9:28:58 PM
Catholic Matters - FIRST READING:
EXPLANATION: The prophet is in Babylon with the exiles and is encouraging his fellow sufferers with words of hope and consolation. Soon they will be set free, to return to their native land. This liberation––-second Exodus––-will be even greater and more astounding than the first Exodus from Egypt.
Thus...Lord: The prophets frequently use such words to show that they were speaking for God, not from themselves. remember not: All through their history the Jews looked back with longing on the great things God did for them in the past; the liberation from Egypt was among the greatest of these past favors.
I...new thing: The same true God is still there and active. He is about to perform another liberations new proof of his love and his power. He will soon set them free from Babylon.
perceive it: This Exodus from Babylon is already in God's mind, and he implies that the exiles also should see it.
a way...wilderness: The exiled Jews had to cross over miles of empty desert to return to Palestine, but God would prepare a road for them on which they could travel with all security.
rivers...desert: One of the chief hazards to life in desert travel is lack of water. God would provide abundant water for his travelers.
people I formed: These are the Chosen People, the descendants of Abraham who had been his special concern for about twelve centuries (from the eighteenth to the sixth century B.C.).
declare my praise: His Chosen People alone know him as the true God. They alone can, therefore, give him honor and praise. Did they always do so?
not call upon me: God now reprimands them for their negligence in the past. They did not call on him, they did not rely on him, but instead relied on the help of pagans. Thus they lost their freedom and were sent into exile.
I am he...sake: He who is Yahweh, God of all, pardons their transgressions, not because they deserve this mercy but because of his infinite forgiveness, and because they have a part to play in his plans for the future liberation of the human race––-in the incarnation.
APPLICATION: Because of their forgetfulness of their vocation as God's Chosen People and on account of their utter worldliness, God allowed the Jews to be driven from their homes and fatherland by the king of Babylon in the year 597. Their temple and city of Jerusalem were razed to the ground. Strangers came and lived there. They remained as serfs in Babylon from 597 to 538. King Cyrus captured Babylon in 539 and, inspired by God, one of his first acts was to give the Jews permission to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple and city. Many of them returned. Because of this there were descendants of Abraham and of David in Palestine when God's appointed time came for sending his divine Son on earth.
This past history of the Jews is not something which does not concern us; it was part of God's merciful and loving plans for our redemption. Twelve centuries earlier he had chosen Abraham and revealed himself to him. He made the descendants of Abraham his own special people; he heaped love and kindness on them; but their response was far from generous. However, he tolerated them even when they ignored and insulted him, for in the incarnation which he had planned from eternity, his divine Son was to take his human nature from a descendant of Abraham.
Therefore, the liberation from the Babylonian exile which happened through God's loving intervention twenty-four hundred years ago, was a necessary step toward our salvation. If the prophet idealizes and exaggerates the happy conditions of the returning exiles, for example, "roads in the wilderness and rivers in the desert," it is because he sees in his mind's eye the true liberation of all men for which this was but a remote preparation. The life, death and resurrection of Christ not only brought men back from exile from God which sin had imposed on them, but it laid down a direct road through the desert of life to the homeland, which Christ won for us through his incarnation. Through the shedding of his blood Christ has made the treasures of divine grace available to all who seek them––-rivers of life-giving water flow through the wilderness of this world for all who will drink of them.
Reflect for a few moments today on all that God has done for our salvation. Bringing back the Jewish exiles from Babylon was but one small incident in the long chain of events which he set in motion in order to make us Christians and his adopted children. The call of Abraham, thirty-eight centuries ago, the Exodus from Egypt thirty-two hundred years ago, the return from Babylon in 538 B.C., the coming of Christ on earth nearly two thousand years ago, were all links in the golden chain of God's salvific plan for all of us. He intended heaven to be our eternal home. To do this he raised us up through the incarnation of his divine Son to the status of adopted children. This gives us a claim to a share in his kingdom; this makes us heirs to heaven.
Unfortunately, there is but one thing that can spoil this plan of God as far as we are concerned, abuse of the free will which God has given us. Our free will which should follow what is right, which should choose the greatest good can, and sometimes does, choose instead what is not only not good but what is positively evil. We know from experience that this is so. We have been ungrateful, disloyal, disobedient and insulting to God in the past. But we know also that we do not have to continue in such a state. We can use our free will to choose what is right and avoid what causes offense to God. We owe so much to God that we should never hesitate in the future to do what he asks of us. The eternal happiness of heaven is worth all the crosses and sufferings and mortification of a million lives on this earth. Let us not begrudge sixty or seventy years of loyal service to him, who has prepared a place for us since the beginning of time.
Thus...Lord: The prophets frequently use such words to show that they were speaking for God, not from themselves. remember not: All through their history the Jews looked back with longing on the great things God did for them in the past; the liberation from Egypt was among the greatest of these past favors.
I...new thing: The same true God is still there and active. He is about to perform another liberations new proof of his love and his power. He will soon set them free from Babylon.
perceive it: This Exodus from Babylon is already in God's mind, and he implies that the exiles also should see it.
a way...wilderness: The exiled Jews had to cross over miles of empty desert to return to Palestine, but God would prepare a road for them on which they could travel with all security.
rivers...desert: One of the chief hazards to life in desert travel is lack of water. God would provide abundant water for his travelers.
people I formed: These are the Chosen People, the descendants of Abraham who had been his special concern for about twelve centuries (from the eighteenth to the sixth century B.C.).
declare my praise: His Chosen People alone know him as the true God. They alone can, therefore, give him honor and praise. Did they always do so?
not call upon me: God now reprimands them for their negligence in the past. They did not call on him, they did not rely on him, but instead relied on the help of pagans. Thus they lost their freedom and were sent into exile.
I am he...sake: He who is Yahweh, God of all, pardons their transgressions, not because they deserve this mercy but because of his infinite forgiveness, and because they have a part to play in his plans for the future liberation of the human race––-in the incarnation.
APPLICATION: Because of their forgetfulness of their vocation as God's Chosen People and on account of their utter worldliness, God allowed the Jews to be driven from their homes and fatherland by the king of Babylon in the year 597. Their temple and city of Jerusalem were razed to the ground. Strangers came and lived there. They remained as serfs in Babylon from 597 to 538. King Cyrus captured Babylon in 539 and, inspired by God, one of his first acts was to give the Jews permission to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple and city. Many of them returned. Because of this there were descendants of Abraham and of David in Palestine when God's appointed time came for sending his divine Son on earth.
This past history of the Jews is not something which does not concern us; it was part of God's merciful and loving plans for our redemption. Twelve centuries earlier he had chosen Abraham and revealed himself to him. He made the descendants of Abraham his own special people; he heaped love and kindness on them; but their response was far from generous. However, he tolerated them even when they ignored and insulted him, for in the incarnation which he had planned from eternity, his divine Son was to take his human nature from a descendant of Abraham.
Therefore, the liberation from the Babylonian exile which happened through God's loving intervention twenty-four hundred years ago, was a necessary step toward our salvation. If the prophet idealizes and exaggerates the happy conditions of the returning exiles, for example, "roads in the wilderness and rivers in the desert," it is because he sees in his mind's eye the true liberation of all men for which this was but a remote preparation. The life, death and resurrection of Christ not only brought men back from exile from God which sin had imposed on them, but it laid down a direct road through the desert of life to the homeland, which Christ won for us through his incarnation. Through the shedding of his blood Christ has made the treasures of divine grace available to all who seek them––-rivers of life-giving water flow through the wilderness of this world for all who will drink of them.
Reflect for a few moments today on all that God has done for our salvation. Bringing back the Jewish exiles from Babylon was but one small incident in the long chain of events which he set in motion in order to make us Christians and his adopted children. The call of Abraham, thirty-eight centuries ago, the Exodus from Egypt thirty-two hundred years ago, the return from Babylon in 538 B.C., the coming of Christ on earth nearly two thousand years ago, were all links in the golden chain of God's salvific plan for all of us. He intended heaven to be our eternal home. To do this he raised us up through the incarnation of his divine Son to the status of adopted children. This gives us a claim to a share in his kingdom; this makes us heirs to heaven.
Unfortunately, there is but one thing that can spoil this plan of God as far as we are concerned, abuse of the free will which God has given us. Our free will which should follow what is right, which should choose the greatest good can, and sometimes does, choose instead what is not only not good but what is positively evil. We know from experience that this is so. We have been ungrateful, disloyal, disobedient and insulting to God in the past. But we know also that we do not have to continue in such a state. We can use our free will to choose what is right and avoid what causes offense to God. We owe so much to God that we should never hesitate in the future to do what he asks of us. The eternal happiness of heaven is worth all the crosses and sufferings and mortification of a million lives on this earth. Let us not begrudge sixty or seventy years of loyal service to him, who has prepared a place for us since the beginning of time.
2/17/2012 9:31:08 PM
I Am Doing Something New! by Fr. Barron
2/18/2012 8:10:57 PM
In the 1st Reading, who provides the way for a new beginning? On whose initiative is it given? What should our response be to God, who is always offering his forgiveness?
Through His prophet, Isaiah, God is providing the Jews the way to begin anew. This is given on God's own initiative.
Before the exile Israel was relatively prosperous, overly self-confident, and very material-minded. Isaiah sees that the people will be discouraged, dazed and even destitute while in exile. Because of this, they must be consoled rather than punished, their faith must be sustained rather than tried. He sees Abraham as the rock upon which all future ages may look for example and the exodus from Egypt as an ever-continuing act of salvation for his people. He looks to this time and writes to bolster the faith of the people in their time of need.
To me. it's as if he's telling the Jews: "Recall how God saved and redeemed you in the past––BUT, don't dwell on the past, look what's happening right now in front of your eyes! This is all part of God's divine plan of redemption.
My own response to God's forgiveness is humility, acceptance, awe, love, and obedience to God's love.
