Let's talk about today's readings 12/1/08

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Isaiah 2:1-5
ps 121
Ps 79:4 (Gospel Acc)
Matthew 8:5-11

Did anything stike you about these readings? I read the daily
readings every day and something always strikes me that I wish
I could talk to someone about. The priest doesn’t usually talk
about what’s on my mind.

2 things struck me today: First, when the Centurian told Jesus
he was not worthy to receive Him, it says Jesus was astonished.
I’m trying to imagine Jesus being astonished because doesn’t He
know everything ahead of time? He knew He would raise Lazarus
from the dead.

Secondly, the gospel acclamation says: let us see your face
and we shall be saved. This is from the psalms and back then,
didn’t people believe that if they saw the face of God, they would die?

I’m also wondering about the first reading from Isaiah. It says it is the vision of Isaiah, son of Amoz. What if that’s the same Amos who wrote his own book in the Bible?

If you read today’s readings, what struck you?
 
cheeto1 said:
Isaiah 2:1-5
ps 121
Ps 79:4 (Gospel Acc)
Matthew 8:5-11

Did anything stike you about these readings? I read the daily
readings every day and something always strikes me that I wish
I could talk to someone about. The priest doesn’t usually talk
about what’s on my mind.

2 things struck me today: First, when the Centurian told Jesus
he was not worthy to receive Him, it says Jesus was astonished.
I’m trying to imagine Jesus being astonished because doesn’t He
know everything ahead of time? He knew He would raise Lazarus
from the dead.

Secondly, the gospel acclamation says: let us see your face
and we shall be saved. This is from the psalms and back then,
didn’t people believe that if they saw the face of God, they would die?

I’m also wondering about the first reading from Isaiah. It says it is the vision of Isaiah, son of Amoz. What if that’s the same Amos who wrote his own book in the Bible?

If you read today’s readings, what struck you?
Click to expand...
Cheeto1, perhaps I can shed light on something from the readings. I am a professional Soldier and a veteran of counterinsurgency operations in Iraq.

The centurion was a Roman Soldier who had built a synagogue for the Jews. The Romans were occupying Judah and there was an armed (and ruthlessly violent) insurgency directed against the Romans led by the “zealots” (literally, insurgents, or, those seeking to overthrow the government). This Soldier recognized Jesus’ authority - " I too am a man under authority; I say to this one go, and he goes, and to that one, ‘come’ and he comes…" His military discipline combined with his reverence for the authority that Jesus displayed were what Jesus was astonished by, because no one in Israel had really recognized his authority as firmly and reverently as this Roman Soldier. “Say the word, and my servant shall be healed” says the centurion. Those words are repeated at every Mass at the climax of the Eucharistic prayer as we make them our own:

“Lord, I am not worthy to receive you; only say the word and I shall be healed.”

This was all the more remarkable because of the violent tension between the Roman occupation and the Jewish insurgency. The Roman Soldier demonstrated heroic faith in the face of some very bad witnesses to the religion of Israel.

Lastly, The Jews chose Barabbas, an insurgent, and condemned the legitimate King of Israel, Jesus, who by His descent from David was both the legal and rightful King of Israel. By choosing the insurgent, they also symbolically chose the way of insurgency against the Romans, who crushed the rebellion in 70 AD when a million Jews died as Christ prophesied in Mark 13, Matthew 24 and Luke 21.

This is also the reason the Roman Soldiers mocked Him with the purple robe and the crown of thorns and the reed. Jesus was packaged to the Romans by the Jewish leadership as the chief insurgent - the cause of many deaths among Roman Soldiers. Of course the charges were completely false, yet the “crime” Jesus is charged with is posted as the superscription on His cross: “This is Jesus of Nazareth - King of the Jews”.

In Hebrew poetry, “seeing the face of God” was a metaphor for the LORD’s benificient gaze upon His people, not literally seeing the face of the LORD God of Israel.

Isaiah was a member of the family of David, a member of the royal court, but not in the royal line. He lived about 150 years prior to the Prophet Amoz, who prophesied to the Northern Kingdom of Israel after the 12 tribes were divided. Amoz was a fairly common name in Israel.

Hope this helps!

CJ
 
Wow, thank you for all that information on Amoz and the
military situation. I see that you do not waste your time
wondering how Jesus could be astonished by anything and
you just accept it.
 
cheeto1 said:
Isaiah 2:1-5
ps 121
Ps 79:4 (Gospel Acc)
Matthew 8:5-11

2 things struck me today: First, when the Centurian told Jesus
he was not worthy to receive Him, it says Jesus was astonished.
I’m trying to imagine Jesus being astonished because doesn’t He
know everything ahead of time? He knew He would raise Lazarus
from the dead.
Click to expand...
I looked up the definition of “astonish”. One meaning is to affect or fill with wonder. That is how I would understand Jesus’ reaction to the centurion: Altho Jesus knew what the centurion would say, it was only when the centurion actually expressed his faith in words that Jesus experienced wonder/astonishment.

I’m thinking of my two granddaughters who are very good piano players. Before they begin to play, I know how well they are going to sound. And yet whenever I hear them play I experience wonder, or “astonishment”.

Nita
 
If I remember correctly, my priest this morning said that Isaiah mentions the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 10:2) which St. Paul writes about in one of his letters. Also, Isaiah writes that the Messiah is one who will bring peace, verses 6-8, “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.”
 
ziapueblo said:
If I remember correctly, my priest this morning said that Isaiah mentions the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 10:2) which St. Paul writes about in one of his letters. Also, Isaiah writes that the Messiah is one who will bring peace, verses 6-8, “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.”
Click to expand...
This is the reading for 12/02 – Could you put it in the 12/02 thread? Let’s talk about it.
 
Nita said:
I looked up the definition of “astonish”. One meaning is to affect or fill with wonder. That is how I would understand Jesus’ reaction to the centurion: Altho Jesus knew what the centurion would say, it was only when the centurion actually expressed his faith in words that Jesus experienced wonder/astonishment.

I’m thinking of my two granddaughters who are very good piano players. Before they begin to play, I know how well they are going to sound. And yet whenever I hear them play I experience wonder, or “astonishment”.

Nita
Click to expand...
good thought, excellent example 👍
why do examples help so much?
 
Cheeto1 - great thread! I like the idea of daily Reading threads, although I may not have a lot to contribute.

Catholic Johnny - wow… just wow!
 
Sheeniac said:
Cheeto1 - great thread! I like the idea of daily Reading threads, although I may not have a lot to contribute.

Catholic Johnny - wow… just wow!
Click to expand...
Oh, believe me, before I went to Iraq, I would have never entertained such insights. One of the great privileges I experienced there was being able to worship with the Chaldean Rite Catholics - a Community founded by St. Thomas (of the 12 Apostles) in Aramaic - YES! Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus and the Apostles! They speak the language to this day. The Christians in Iraq have been heavily persecuted by the terrorists, but they some of the most pius, loving and courageous believers on earth.

The Chaldean Rite Catholics in Iraq (about 650,000) and the Orthodox in Iran (about 79,000) are the last Christian Communities on earth still speaking Aramaic.

Here’s a report about them I wrote when we first got to Baghdad.
 
Catholic Johnny, I read your report. I am interested in the idea of donating. Is there a third party address that a donation could be sent to? Someplace other than Iraq? I think it’s dangerous to
correspond with Iraq under these dangerous conditions.
 
Catholic_Johnny said:
Oh, believe me, before I went to Iraq, I would have never entertained such insights. One of the great privileges I experienced there was being able to worship with the Chaldean Rite Catholics - a Community founded by St. Thomas (of the 12 Apostles) in Aramaic - YES! Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus and the Apostles! They speak the language to this day. The Christians in Iraq have been heavily persecuted by the terrorists, but they some of the most pius, loving and courageous believers on earth.

The Chaldean Rite Catholics in Iraq (about 650,000) and the Orthodox in Iran (about 79,000) are the last Christian Communities on earth still speaking Aramaic.

Here’s a report about them I wrote when we first got to Baghdad.
Click to expand...
What a fantastic report! God bless you,
ZP
 
cheeto1 said:
Catholic Johnny, I read your report. I am interested in the idea of donating. Is there a third party address that a donation could be sent to? Someplace other than Iraq? I think it’s dangerous to
correspond with Iraq under these dangerous conditions.
Click to expand...
We donate through the Christian Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), an organ of the Vatican. We also give through The Iraqi Christian Relief organizaion run by the Orthodox church of the East.

Not a penny of your money is wasted that is donated to these brave and vulnerable Christians.

Johnny
 
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