Study and Meditations on this Sunday's Scripture Readings: April 3, 2011

[Fidelis]

To help us prepare for this coming Sunday, here are the readings, studies and reflections for this coming Sunday’s Scripture readings. This Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Lent, Cycle A, and in this Sundays Gospel Reading we will hear about Jesus’ healing of the man born blind.

Here are the Scripture readings from the U.S. Catholic bishops website.

My own weekly study can be found here under “Current Study.”

Here are three audio reflections on the readings by Sister Ann Shields, Dr. Scott Hahn and Fr. Robert Barron.

Here are a pair of Catholic Bible study podcasts on the Gospel Reading, each about an hour long:

–Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother
–St. Martha’s Adult Faith Formation

The Navarre Bible Commentary for each reading can be viewed here.

Further study resources for the Readings: St. Charles Borromeo Bible Study can be found here, and Catholic Matters can be found here.

Discussion, questions and charitable comments are always welcome. Have a blessed week!

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[Barbkw]

Thanks for this link:

The Navarre Bible Commentary for each reading can be viewed here.

 

[Fidelis]

Thanks for this link…

You’re welcome.

 

[Fidelis]

1st Reading - 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a

The books of Samuel were originally one book and actually form a continuation of the deuteronomic history of the people of Israel. It also marks a turning point in the history of God’s people as Samuel is the last of the judges. Under increasing pressure from the Philistines, Samuel struggles to keep Israel faithful to Yahweh. Defeats in battle and the failure of Samuel’s sons to follow his example, convince the people that Israel needs a new kind of leadership; a king. Samuel thought this was wrong. See 1 Samuel 8:7-22
.
So Samuel, on the advice of God, yielded, if reluctantly, to their request. Saul was appointed the first king of all Israel (1030 B.C.), but though successful in many battles, he offended God and the kingship was taken from him and his descendants.

David, a shepherd boy of Bethlehem, was privately anointed king, at God’s command, to replace Saul. His dynasty lasted 500 years (until the Babylonian exile), and his direct descendants survived until the promised Messiah, the Son of Mary and adopted son of Joseph, finally came and changed the Chosen People of the Old Testament—the Israelites—into the new people of God which comprised the men of all nations. Today’s first reading describes the selection and anointing of King David.

Here is the 1st Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

The LORD said to Samuel:
“Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”

As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice,
Samuel looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because man sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There—anoint him, for this is the one!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed David in the presence of his brothers;
and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

 

[Fidelis]

From* the Navarre Bible *commentary with RSV-CE text:

**16:1-31:13. **This, the last section of 1 Samuel, begins with an account of the gradual decline of Saul until his eventual death in the battle of Gilboa against the Philistines (chap. 31); it also deals with the tortuous and sometimes slow rise to power of the new king, David. Strictly speaking, this section should also take in the final chapter of 2 Samuel. From a literary point of view we can see that the text is very much in the style of a court chronicle focusing only on episodes in which the kings play the leading role. Many of the events covered here are repeated twice–for example, David’s entry into Saul’s service (16:14-23; 18:1-2), Saul’s attempt on David’s life (18:10-11; 19:9-10), Saul’s promise to give David his daughter’s hand in marriage (18:17-19; 18:20-27), Jonathan’s pleading on David’s behalf (19:1-7; 20:25-34), David’s flight (19:10-18; 20:1-21) and the opportunity he gets to take Saul’s life (24:7-8; 26:11-12). All this goes to show that the editor has used material from a variety of sources and not made any great effort to merge them properly.

In the episodes recounted here there are few religious references, whereas the tensions between Saul and David are exposed in all their starkness; in fact, even though these chapters deal with the most famous of kings, David, and stress God’s special love for him, no effort is made to gloss over his failings and transgressions (contrary to what happens in 1 and 2 Chronicles). David comes across as a shrewd politician, capable of allying himself with the eternal enemies of his people, the Philistines, in order to save himself (chap. 27); as a usurper of Saul’s throne (chaps. 19 and 21); as a man of strong passions capable of slaughter on a grand scale (21:12; 22:17) and other human weaknesses (18:17-27; 25:32-44), yet capable, too, of great loyalty to the Lord’s anointed king (chaps. 24-26) and to his own friends (chap. 20). So, these accounts expose the most human side of the personalities involved, but they also allow us to see that the Lord God of Israel is the main protagonist even though he is in the background–mainly because it is he who chooses David and stays with him, from the first moment that he enters the picture (16:1) and through all the crises of his career: witness the constant refrain “the Lord is with him” (16:18; 18:14, 28). Saul, David and the rest of the players in this history are not guided by a blind destiny: they are all playing their part in God’s plan of salvation The great lesson contained in these accounts is that the Lord does not normally intervene by way of miracles or amazing actions; he guides the course of history through lights and shadows until he attains his key objective–to make himself known to all mankind and lead it to salvation. The other great lesson is that this salvific history steadily advances, amidst ups and downs–acts of heroism, human weaknesses–until it reaches its fully developed stage in Jesus Christ.

*[1b] Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons."

[6] When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” [7] But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature because I have rejected him; for the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

[10] And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” [11] And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he comes here.” [12] And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” [13] Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers…*

16:1-13. Samuel’s anointing of David, in a private, familial setting, is reminiscent of Saul’s anointing, which was also done in secret (cf. 10:1-16). The narrative emphasizes that David does not in any way merit his election: he is a nobody, from a family of no importance: no genealogy is provided, apart from the name of Jesse, his father (v. 5); he is the youngest of his brothers (vv. 11-12) and, like the rest of his family, he works as a shepherd: he doesn’t come from a noble or military or priestly family. He could have no claim to be anointed king.

God’s gratuitous choice of this shepherd boy gives deep, religious meaning to his reception by Saul (16:14-23) and by the people, when he later kills Goliath (17:55-18:5). David’s qualities and feats would not have been enough to advance him, had not God first singled him out. David is a type of those who in the Christian dispensation are called to offices in the Church: what matters is not background, personal qualities or material resources but the realization that one is called by God. Also, one needs to bear in mind that “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (v. 7); from this derives the requirement to live and act in keeping with the call one is given. “For by his power to know himself in the depths of his being he rises above the whole universe of mere objects. When he is drawn to think about his real self, he turns to those deep recesses of his being where God who probes the heart awaits him, and where he himself decides his own destiny in the sight of God” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 14).

 

[Crumpy]

The reading from 1 Sam is shortened, by omission of several intermediate verses, where, otherwise, there would be more and more tension building, about whom the LORD would tell Samuel to anoint to be the King of Israel.

Thus, seven sons are presented and rejected. “seven” is normally portrayed as the number representing God’s will or perfection, etc. But, David is chosen, “beyond seven” indicating how God is sovereign and independent beyond human expectation, always ready to do the miraculous and unexpected.

David, as the unexpected messiah (“annointed”) of God to Israel in the OT, is just the shadow and forerunner of the true and eternal messiah to come, the One who eternally sits upon the throne. This One brings not merely vision, which He can dispense by His will, but he brings the greater vision of faith to all humanity.

 

[Fidelis]

From the 1859 Haydock Commentary with Douay-Rheims text:

Samuel is sent to Bethlehem, where he anointeth David…
*
1b And the Lord said to Samuel:… fill thy horn with oil, and come, that I may send thee to Isai, the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
**
Ver. 1.*** …Horn. *Such vessels were formerly very common, and were used to contain liquor, and instead of cups, 3 Kings i. 39. (Horace, ii. Sat. 2.) The ancient silver cups, at Athens, resembled horns. (Athen. xi. 7.) But the northern nations, particularly Denmark, &c., used horns to drink, as the Georgians still do. The rims are ornamented with silver, &c. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xi. 37.) (Chardin) (Calmet) — A fragile vile was not used, but a horn, to denote the duration and abundance of David’s reign. (Rupert) (Menochius)

6 And when they were come in, he saw Eliab, and said: Is the Lord’s anointed before him?

**Ver. 6. ***Him. *Hebrew, “surely the Lord’s anointed is in his presence.” This he spoke by his own spirit, judging from the comeliness of Eliab. (Calmet) — But the beauty of Saul’s body had concealed a deformed soul. (Haydock)

*7 And the Lord said to Samuel: Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature: because I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to the look of man: for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart.

**Ver. 7. **Rejected, or not chosen. (Menochius) — God had positively rejected this eldest son, as his pride seems to have been the greatest, chap. xvii. 28. (Haydock) — *Heart. *This is one of God’s perfections. Glorified saints see man’s heart in his light, for their own and our advantage, (St. Gregory, Mor. xii. 11.; St. Augustine) as the prophets have sometimes done, 3 Kings xiv. (Worthington)

10 Isai therefore brought his seven sons before Samuel: and Samuel said to Isai: The Lord hath not chosen any one of these.

**Ver. 10. **Seven. David was absent. Isai had eight sons, chap. xvii. 12. Yet only seven are mentioned, 1 Paralipomenon ii. 13. Perhaps one of those whom he produced on this occasion, might be a grandson, or one is omitted in Chronicles [Paralipomenon]. (Calmet)

11 And Samuel said to Isai: Are here all thy sons? He answered: There remaineth yet a young one, who keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said to Isai: Send, and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

Ver. 11. Young son, (parvulus,) “a little one;” (Haydock) or the youngest, who might be about 15, (Calmet) or 28. (Seder. olam. iii.) (Menochius)

12 He sent therefore and brought him. Now he was ruddy and beautiful to behold, and of a comely face. And the Lord said: Arise, and anoint him, for this is he.
**
Ver. 12.** Ruddy, like the spouse, Canticle of Canticles v. 10. Some explain it of his hair. So Alexander [the Great] is said to have had reddish or golden locks. — Behold. Hebrew, “with the beauty of the eyes.”
*
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren…

**Ver. 13. ***Brethren. *Some say, without informing him, (Calmet) or them, (Menochius) what the unction meant. If he told the brothers, he would no doubt take the necessary precautions to keep it secret, as the whole family would have been in imminent danger, if the transaction had come to the ears of Saul, ver. 2. Josephus says, that Samuel only informed Isai in private: and David’s brothers treated him with no peculiar distinction. Whence it is inferred, that they had not been present when he was anointed. Some witnesses seem, however, to have been requisite, as the title of David to the regal dignity depended on this ceremony, and none were more interested than his own family to assert his pretensions. He now had a right to the kingdom, but not the possession; being like a son expecting his father’s estate as his future right, of which, as yet, he cannot dispose. (Calmet)…

 

[Fidelis]

Other thoughts and commentary on the 1st Reading:

**
1 The LORD said to Samuel: …Fill your horn with oil: ** Anointing with olive oil had a special significance among the Chosen People, ever since the Exodus. The High Priests were consecrated to God’s service in the Temple by this sacred anointing (Lev. 8: 12). The Kings, beginning with Saul, were anointed to signify that they were God’s representatives and now invested with a sacred character. They were henceforth called “God’s anointed” and were revered by all.

and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons.": When told to go to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse, Samuel did not know whom he was to anoint king. God simply tells him that he has chosen for himself a king from that household.
**
6 As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is here before him.”:** Because of Jesse’s eldest son’s stature and fine appearance, Samuel felt “here is God’s chosen one,” but God told him otherwise. God sees the inner man, the true man, and therefore can judge rightly.
**
7 But the LORD said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.”

10 In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”: **What happened to Eliab happened to the next six sons. They were not chosen by God.

**11 Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”: **The youngest son David was so unimportant in his father’s eyes that he had not even thought of calling him in from the fields. David is called in and God tells Samuel to anoint him, for this is the young man he has chosen as his king.

It is interesting that the first king of Israel, whom God has now rejected, was found by Samuel when out looking for his father’s lost wild asses. This implies some irresponsibility on Saul’s part. David, on the other hand, when called by God faithfully tending his father’s sheep. We see this mirrored in the image of Jesus as the Good (literally, the “ideal”) Shepherd (John 10:11).

**12 Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance: **Just because he was faithful and chosen (and God does not judge by appearances), doesn’t mean he had to be homely.

The LORD said, "There—anoint him, for this is he!"
**
13 Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David: **The young shepherd-boy received the power of God in that anointing—his later deeds of valor and wisdom proved this. He had still many sufferings and trials to undergo at the hands of the rejected Saul before he became king of Israel, but he received God’s mandate and God’s divine assistance from that day forward.

This whole story shows that the choice was God’s and not man’s. Man’s choice would have been the firstborn. In order to emphasize the authority behind this anointing, David is anointed with all his brothers as witnesses so no one can say “I didn’t know.” Eliab was the firstborn and has difficulty accepting David’s selection as can be seen in 1 Samuel 17:28.

 

[Fidelis]

Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs referencing 1 Samuel 16:1-13

**CHRIST

436 **The word “Christ” comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, which means “anointed”. It became the name proper to Jesus only because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that “Christ” signifies. In effect, in Israel those consecrated to God for a mission that he gave were anointed in his name. This was the case for kings, for priests and, in rare instances, for prophets.29 This had to be the case all the more so for the Messiah whom God would send to inaugurate his kingdom definitively.30 It was necessary that the Messiah be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord at once as king and priest, and also as prophet.31 Jesus fulfilled the messianic hope of Israel in his threefold office of priest, prophet and king.

29. Cf. Ex 29:7; Lev 8:12; 1 Sam 9:16; 10:1; 16:1,12-13; 1 Kings 1:39; 19:16.

30. Cf. Ps 2:2; Acts 4:26-27.

31. Cf. Isa 11:2; 61:1; Zech 4:14; 6:13; Lk 4:16-21.

**695 ***Anointing. *The symbolism of anointing with oil also signifies the Holy Spirit,30 to the point of becoming a synonym for the Holy Spirit. In Christian initiation, anointing is the sacramental sign of Confirmation, called “chrismation” in the Churches of the East. Its full force can be grasped only in relation to the primary anointing accomplished by the Holy Spirit, that of Jesus. Christ (in Hebrew “messiah”) means the one “anointed” by God’s Spirit. There were several anointed ones of the Lord in the Old Covenant, pre-eminently King David.31 But Jesus is God’s Anointed in a unique way: the humanity the Son assumed was entirely anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit established him as "Christ."32 The Virgin Mary conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit who, through the angel, proclaimed him the Christ at his birth, and prompted Simeon to come to the temple to see the Christ of the Lord.33 The Spirit filled Christ and the power of the Spirit went out from him in his acts of healing and of saving.34 Finally, it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.35 Now, fully established as “Christ” in his humanity victorious over death, Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit abundantly until “the saints” constitute - in their union with the humanity of the Son of God - that perfect man “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”:36 “the whole Christ,” in St. Augustine’s expression.

30. Cf. 1 Jn 2:20:27; 2 Cor 1:21.

31. Cf. Ex 30:22-32; 1 Sam 16:13.

32. Cf. Lk 4:18-19; Isa 61:1.

33. Cf. Lk 2:11,26-27.

34. Cf. Lk 4:1; 6:19; 8:46.

35. Cf. Rom 1:4; 8:11.

36. Eph 4:13; cf. Acts 2:36.

 

[Fidelis]

A meditation on the 1st Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

**APPLICATION: **The selection of David, an unimportant shepherd-boy of little Bethlehem, as second King of Israel, was an event which happened over 3,000 years ago, and may at first sight appear to be of little importance for Christians of our century. Yet it has many important lessons to teach us. First and foremost, it shows us how little years and centuries mean to God in his eternal plans. In choosing David he was choosing the royal ancestor of the King of Kings, a thousand years before he came on earth. The day he sent Samuel to Bethlehem, he was planning in advance for you and for me. His thoughts were on us from eternity.

The choice of David, the least likely of Jesse’s sons, is another lesson for us, a lesson to make us humble by admitting our limitations. The whole book of man’s life is open before God; we can see only the cover and the title. In that book, together with his good deeds, God saw the very serious offences David would commit against him in later years, but he also saw his sincere repentance—he still chose David, a consolation surely and an encouragement for all of us sinners, provided our repentance (like David’s) is sincere. And also a lesson for even the holiest of us to avoid rash judgment of our neighbors and of those placed over us.

Another and a very important truth which needs stressing today, perhaps more than ever before, is that all legitimate power exercised by men over their fellowman comes from God. It is part of God’s plan for men’s existence on this earth. Because of the special gifts he has given us, God intends us to live in society, to live together in smaller or greater groups for the benefit of all. For such a group, let it be a tribe or a nation or group of nations, there must be an authority which will regulate the dealings of individuals with one another and with the appointed lawful authority. This authority, provided it is lawfully conferred and lawfully exercised, comes from God and must be accepted, revered and obeyed as such.

And what holds for civil or secular authority holds for authority in the Church also. Christ founded a society in which all the members of his mystical body would live in mutual love and fraternal cooperation. To lead and direct these members Christ appointed leaders to whom he promised his divine assistance. The first leaders were the Apostles, with Peter as their head. Their direct successors are with us still (and will be till the end of time) in the persons of the Pope and the bishops of the Church. To these we owe obedience in all matters that concern our Christian welfare, because this is God’s will and purpose for us.

While those who hold authority in state or Church must exercise that authority with justice and prudence, never forgetting that the power they wield is not their own personal prerogative but is given to them by God, so in like manner must their subjects accept their directives and their laws as coming from God, not from a fellowman.

 

[Fidelis]

2nd Reading - Ephesians 5:8-14

Ephesus was in Western Asia Minor, established by Ionian Greeks in the 11th century B.C. It possessed the famous Temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and was a center of magical practice. The Church was established there early and was visited by Saint Paul. It is the place where Saint John is reputed to have written his gospel, served as bishop, and he may also have been buried there. An impressive basilica was built over his supposed tomb. According to one tradition, the Dormation or Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary occurred on a hill near the city. Early in the 14th century A.D. it was occupied by the Turks and all that remains now is a small village called Selcuk which is located near the extensive ruins of the ancient city.

Today’s reading comes from the section of the epistle which gives exhortations to worthy conduct.

Here is the 2nd Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

Brothers and sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth.
Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness;
rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention
the things done by them in secret;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says:
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

 

[Fidelis]

From the Navarre Bible commentary with RSV-CE text:

Walking in the Light
--------------------
*[8] For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light [9] (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), *

**8-9. **In contrast to the Christian’s previous situation, which St. Paul describes as “darkness”, he now goes on to speak about the proper course for a believer, for someone enlightened by faith. The Christian is in a different position from that of a pagan; he knows our Lord Jesus Christ and he has a new way of thinking: he is a “child of light”, because Christ has given him insight into the criteria which should govern his behavior. In his new life, he should be light; he has been reborn to be the “light of the world” (cf. Matthew 5:14-16; John 1:5; 8:12), a pursuer of all that is good and right and true; this means that he has a new way of being and thinking and acting, and is an example and a help to those around him. There is no room for excuses when what is at stake is the salvation of souls to whom we could be giving a helping hand: “Do not say, I cannot help others,” St. John Chrysostom preached, “if you are truly a Christian, it is impossible for you not to be able to do so …]. If we act properly, everything else will follow as a natural consequence. Christians’ light cannot be hidden, a lamp so brilliant cannot fail to be seen” (“Hom. on Acts”, 20).
*
[10] and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. *

10. Created in the image and likeness of God, man is guided by reason, which can lead him to recognize his Creator and shape his life in line with the moral law God has impressed upon creation itself. He should always be trying to grow in wisdom and knowledge: that is an essential feature of the human spirit. The Second Vatican Council explained this in these terms: “The intellectual nature of man finds at last its perfection, as it should, in wisdom, which gently draws the human mind to look for and to love what is true and good. Filled with wisdom man is led through visible realities to those which cannot be seen” (“Gaudium Et Spes”, 15). If a person uses his natural intellect properly, it will bring him closer to God; moreover, the light of faith gives one a supernatural capacity to obtain better insight into the nature of God and His plans, and greater discernment as to what to do to please God.

A person who is in love tries to discover what the loved one likes, in order to do what pleases the loved one. The love of God should also lead one to prove that love with deeds, and not leave it at the level of words. If one is to offer God actions which are pleasing to Him, one needs to have a good grasp of His commandments, of Christian doctrine and moral teaching. A first sign of the sincerity of a person’s love of God is the effort he makes to obtain good spiritual and doctrinal training; that shows that he is at least making an effort in the right direction.

[11] Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. [12] For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; [13] but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.
**
11-13. **By his word and example, a Christian sheds light on all human realities, and thereby helps others to distinguish right from wrong. Anything that becomes visible is “light”: that is, when things are properly identified–when good is shown to be good, and evil exposed for what it is (charitably but unambiguously)–the result is to dispel the confusion and moral relativism which does such harm to society. Hence the Second Vatican Council’s exhortation to all Christians, especially lay people: “At a time when new questions are being put and when grave errors aiming at undermining religion, moral order and human society itself are rampant, the Council earnestly exhorts the laity to take a more active part, each according to his or her talents and knowledge and in fidelity to the mind of the Church, in the explanation and defense of Christian principles and in the correct application of them to the problems of our times” (“Apostolicam Actuositatem”, 6).

[14] Therefore it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.”

14. St. Paul seems to be quoting from an early liturgical hymn, which depicts Baptism as true enlightenment (cf. Hebrews 6:4; 10:32). By their good works–the light of the world–Christians can help “the dead”, that is, those separated from God by sin, to move out of darkness into the light, where they will attain through Baptism that new life which membership of Christ begins. The Apostle is comparing this situation to the luminous clarity a person obtains when he awakens from a deep sleep, in contrast to the profound darkness experienced by one who remains asleep. A sinner’s conversion is the equivalent of rising up out of the sleep of death into a new existence, life in a
new world illuminated by Christ, who possesses and radiates the glorious light of God (cf. Hebrews 1:3).

 

[Fidelis]

From the 1859 Haydock Commentary with Douay-Rheims text:

Exhortations to a virtuous life…

8 For you were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord. Walk ye then as children of the light:

Ver. 8. *By darkness is here meant the state of infidelity into which they had been plunged so far as to adore stones as God, and committed without remorse the above-mentioned grievous sins. But delivered by Christ from this darkness, they have become light in the Lord, shining in faith and justice. (Estius)
*
9 For the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice, and truth:

Ver. 9. *For the fruit of the light. *So the Latin and divers Greek copies; not the fruit of the spirit, as we read in many Greek manuscripts; and in this Dr. Wells thought fit to change the Protestant translation. (Witham)

10 Proving what is acceptable to God:

*Ver. 10. With solicitude seek out what things are pleasing to God, and carefully perform them. (Estius)
*
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
**
Ver. 11. You are light, they are darkness; do you, therefore, shew by the light of your good works how base and detestable their works of darkness are. (Estius)

*12 For the things that are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to mention.

13 But all things that are reproved, are made manifest by the light: for all that is made manifest is light.

14 Wherefore he saith: Rise, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten thee.*

Ver. 14. *Rise, thou that sleepest. *The sense may be taken from Isaias lx. 1. St. Jerome thinks they may be cited from some work not canonical. (Witham)

 

[mom2em]

I really have to thank you for doing all this. On Sunday’s, where my daughter and I have usually attended mass the previous evening, while she does her “Sunday school” this gives me something to do also that is in keeping with the Lord’s day. I very much appreciate all the work you do.

Thank you

 

[Fidelis]

I really have to thank you for doing all this. On Sunday’s, where my daughter and I have usually attended mass the previous evening, while she does her “Sunday school” this gives me something to do also that is in keeping with the Lord’s day. I very much appreciate all the work you do.

Thank you

You’re very welcome, mom2em. I very much appreciate hearing this.

 

[Fidelis]

Other thoughts and commentary on the 2nd Reading:

**8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: **As last week’s Readings revolved around the symbolism of “water”, watch for the themes of “darkness” and “light” in the Readings for this week.

The majority of the new Christians of Ephesus were converts from paganism. Paganism was darkness; it shed no light on man’s purpose in life. The pagan knew not whither he came from, where he was going, or how he could get there. This has all changed for the converts. They have the truth of the Lord, the true facts of the Incarnation, and all it means for them. The contrast of darkness and light is the contrast of opposition to God and membership in the Christian community.

“The darkness is being turned into light. There is not, as some heretics argue, a nature so alienated that it cannot receive salvation. … Those who receive salvation—the righteous—are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Those who refuse, the unrighteous, are in consequence called darkness. … The difference and distance between one and the other is clearly seen by their own fruits.” [Saint Jerome (A.D. 386),* Commentaries on the Epistle to the Ephesians

, 3,5,8]

**Live as children of light: **Live (or “walk”) Their daily life must be lived according to the truths of the Christian faith they have received, trying always to please God by doing his will.

9 for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.

10 Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord: Learn. More accurately, discern. Christians must use the light provided by grace to be able to speak and act in a godly manner in all situations.
**
11 Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness:** Apart from the immorality and vices which were common among the pagans of that time, their religious rites or services were unfruitful—they were offered to false gods, who could not reward or help them.

rather expose them: Not only must they not think of going back to these pagan practices, but they must do all they can to show their pagan neighbors how sinful and how unfruitful they are. Notice Paul directs this exposure be, not so much of the persons themselves, but of their evil deeds. We might have occasion and responsibility to point this out more or less directly, but we can also do this by not participating or supporting these activities and providing a good counter-example.
**
12 for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret: The immoralities practiced by the pagans, not only in their daily lives, but frequently in their so-called religious rites were not fit even to be mentioned by a Christian. Sometimes we have to mention them to expose them, but we are not to make light of them or make them the subject of idle conversation.
**
13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible: It is now the duty of the newly-converted Christians to bring home to their pagan neighbors the contrast that exists between their pagan way of life and the light of truth and virtue which they now possess as Christians.
**
14 for everything that becomes visible is light: ** What is a fruitless work (vain deed)? One which lacks substance or worth. Galatians 5:19-21 lists some of them.
*
“He has said, ‘you are light’. Light exposes what takes place in darkness. Insofar as you are light your goodness shines forth. The wicked are not able to hide. Their actions are illuminated as though a lamp were at hand.” *[Saint John Chrysostom (A.D. 392-397), *Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 18,5,11-13]

**Therefore, it says: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”: **This is probably a fragment of an ancient Christian hymn used in a baptismal liturgy (see also Ephesians 2:5-6; 3:9; Isaiah 60:1. See also John 1:7-9, 14). Baptism by immersion, as practiced in the early Church, represented the convert as dying to his old self and being buried with Christ and then rising from the waters to live with Christ “the light of the world.”

 

[Fidelis]

Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs referencing Ephesians 5:8-14:

1216 "This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this [catechetical] instruction are enlightened in their understanding . . . ."8 Having received in Baptism the Word, “the true light that enlightens every man,” the person baptized has been “enlightened,” he becomes a “son of light,” indeed, he becomes “light” himself:9

    *Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . .We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship.*10

8. St. Justin, Apol. 1,61,12:PG 6,421.

9. Jn 1:9; 1 Thes 5:5; Heb 10:32; Eph 5:8.

10. St. Gregory Of Nazianzus, Oratio 40,3-4:PG 36,361C.

1454 The reception of this sacrament ought to be prepared for by an examination of conscience made in the light of the Word of God. The passages best suited to this can be found in the Ten Commandments, the moral catechesis of the Gospels and the apostolic Letters, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the apostolic teachings.53

53. Cf. Mt 5-7; Rom 12-15; 1 Cor 12-13; Gal 5; Eph 4-6; etc.

1695 "Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God,"13 "sanctified . . . [and] called to be saints,"14 Christians have become the temple of the Holy Spirit.15 This “Spirit of the Son” teaches them to pray to the Father16 and, having become their life, prompts them to act so as to bear "the fruit of the Spirit"17 by charity in action. Healing the wounds of sin, the Holy Spirit renews us interiorly through a spiritual transformation.18 He enlightens and strengthens us to live as “children of light” through "all that is good and right and true."19

13. 2 Cor 6:11.

14. 1 Cor 1:2.

15. Cf. 1 Cor 6:19.

16. Cf. Gal 4:6.

17. Gal 5:22,25.

18. Cf. Eph 4:23.

19. Eph 5:8, 9.

2641 "[Address] one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart."124 Like the inspired writers of the New Testament, the first Christian communities read the Book of Psalms in a new way, singing in it the mystery of Christ. In the newness of the Spirit, they also composed hymns and canticles in the light of the unheard-of event that God accomplished in his Son: his Incarnation, his death which conquered death, his Resurrection, and Ascension to the right hand of the Father.125 Doxology, the praise of God, arises from this “marvelous work” of the whole economy of salvation.126

124. Eph 5:19; Col 3:16.

125. Cf. Phil 2:6-11; Col 1:15-20; Eph 5:14; 1 Tim 3:16; 6:15-16; 2 Tim 2:11-13.

126. Cf. Eph 1:3-14; Rom 16:25-27; Eph 3:20-21; Jude 24-25.

 

[Fidelis]

A meditation on the 2nd Reading for practical application from “Catholic Matters”:

APPLICATION: These words of St. Paul to the Ephesians are applicable to every one of us, especially during this season of Lent. We too have the great blessing of the light of the Christian faith. We, too, have died with Christ in our baptism and have been set on the road to the eternal life. We. too, know “all that is good and right and true,” and we know that if we live according to this knowledge, we will be “pleasing to the Lord” and will be moving steadily towards the destination God in his love and mercy has prepared for us.

That destination is heaven, a place of everlasting happiness which God has planned for us before time began and which is the only place which will satisfy all the desires of the human heart.

Knowing this, one wonders why we need reminders to keep us on our toes: that the purpose of today’s lesson should be to awaken us from the sleep of laziness and forgetfulness of our real purpose in life. But the sad fact is, that, apart from the few truly devoted Christians who never forget what their Christian faith means to them, the vast majority of us are very apt to let the passing pleasures and interests of this life take hold on us and blot out ninety-nine per cent of the Christian light which should illuminate all our daily actions.

Many of us today also are asleep, and need this call to awaken us to a sense of our obligations as Christians. This does not mean that we must change our occupation or cut ourselves off from all our relatives and friends, but that we must change our outlook on life and eternity. We must still carry out our daily, worldly tasks whatever they may be, but we must do these tasks from the Christian motive of pleasing God.

The light which Christ has brought, shows us the true meaning of life. Our short sojourn on earth is our training ground and preparation for the everlasting life which will be ours after death, if we use the few years we are given on this earth properly. If any of us have been sleeping—that is, wasting the valuable time God is giving us—now is the time to wake up to the reality of life. There is still time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We know not how much time is left, but this we do know, that if we use that time as St. Paul tells us today, if we “walk as children of light,” living our Christian life to the full, we can still earn the resurrection from the dead and receive eternal light from Christ, our brother and our Savior.

 

[Fidelis]

Gospel Reading: John 9:1-41

* In this Sunday’s gospel reading, Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:10), a feast marked by the lighting of large candelabra and torchlight processions. He is in the temple with his disciples on the Sabbath a few months before his Passion.

* While in the temple, Jesus heals a blind man using clay made from his own saliva, which he smears on (literally, “anoints”) the blind man’s eyes. Jesus instructs the blind man to wash in the pool of Siloam and the blind man is cured. The blind man, acting first out of trust and obedience, comes to believe in Jesus as Lord. Jesus enemies, however, miss the significance of the cure, instead focusing on its perceived illegality (verses 14, 16. See Luke 13:16, 14:5).

* As the preceding Sunday’s reading focused on “water” (John 4:5-42. See also John 7:37), the theme of “light” is emphasized here (see John 8:12). Also, as in the case of the Samaritan woman, the blind man has a progression of faith (verses 11, 17, 33, 35). The Pharisees that are opposing Jesus, however, have their own faith progression, moving from mere doubt (verse 16) to blasphemy (verse 24) to injustice (verse 34).

This Sunday’s Gospel Reading has both a full version (comprising all of John, chapter 9) and an abbreviated version. Here is the long version of the Gospel Reading as most of us should hear it this Sunday:

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied,
“The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”
And they said to him, “Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t know.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?”
His parents answered and said,
“We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself.”
His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
“He is of age; question him.”

So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, “Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner.”
He replied,
“If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
So they said to him,
“What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
He answered them,
“I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
They ridiculed him and said,
“You are that man’s disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from.”
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind.”

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

 

[Fidelis]

The Navarre Bible Commentary on John, chapter 9 (the RSV-CE text can be found here):

**2-3. **The disciples’ question echoes general Jewish views on the causes of illness and of misfortunes in general: they regarded them as punishment for personal sins (cf. Job 4:7-8; 2 Maccabees 7:18), or as the sins of parents being visited on their children (cf. Tobit 3:3).

We know through Revelation (cf. Genesis 3:16-19; Romans 5:12; etc.) that the origin of all the misfortunes which afflict mankind is sin–Original Sin and later personal sin. However, this does not mean that each misfortune or illness has its immediate cause in a personal sin, as if God inflicted or allowed evils to happen in direct proportion to every sin committed. Suffering, which is so often a factor in the life of the just man, can be a resource God sends him to cleanse him of his imperfections, to exercise him in virtue and to unite him to the sufferings of Christ the Redeemer, who although He was innocent, bore in Himself the punishments our sins merited (cf. Isaiah 53:4; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 3:5). For example, our Lady and St. Joseph and all the Saints have experienced intense suffering, thereby sharing in the redemptive suffering of Christ.

4-5. The “day” refers to Jesus’ life on earth. Hence the urgency with which He approaches the task of doing the will of the Father until He reaches His death, which He compares with “night”. This “night” can also be understood as referring to the end of the world; in this passage it means that the Redemption of men brought about by Christ needs to be continued by the Church throughout the centuries, and also that Christians should strive to spread the Kingdom of God.

“Time is precious, time passes, time is a phase of experiment with regard to our decisive and definitive fate. Our future and eternal destiny depends on the proof we give of faithfulness to our duties. Time is a gift from God; it is a question posed by God’s love to our free and, it can be said, fateful answer. We must be sparing of time, in order to use it well, in the intense activity of our life of work, love and suffering.Idleness or boredom have no place in the life of a Christian! Rest, yes, when necessary (cf. Mark 6:31), but always with a view to vigilance, never set” ([Pope] Paul VI, “Homily”, 1 January 1976).

Jesus proclaims that He is the Light of the world because His life among men has given us the ultimate meaning of the world, of the life of every man and every woman, and of mankind as a whole. Without Jesus all creation is in darkness, it does not understand itself, it does not know where it is going. “Only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. …] Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful; apart from His Gospel they overwhelm us” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 22). Jesus warns us–as He will do more clearly in John 12:35-36–of the need to let ourselves be enlightened by the Light, which is He Himself (cf. John 1:9-12).

Continued on the next post…