Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 28

Genesis 42-43:

We continue the narrative of Joseph, and see things beginning to come around full circle as his brothers are forced to head to Egypt to obtain food during the famine.  Joseph recognizes them, but they do not recognize him.

There seems to be an interesting parallel here to the breaking of bread and the road to Emaus, as an aside.  The analogy breaks down quickly, but for that moment, the commonalities of bread (grain) and not recognizing one whom was rejected and is saving them jumped out at me.

Anyhow, Joseph tells them that they must return with their youngest brother, and keeps Simeon prisoner.  I also really like Reuben's "I told you so" moment where he tells off his brothers.

Anyhow, Joseph has clearly forgiven his brothers in a way, since he doesn't charge them for their grain (in a sneaky way that freaks them out...priceless).  At the same time, his plan is a little cruel, especially to his father...but in the end it will all work out.

Joseph has a special place in his heart for Benjamin because he is his full brother, but probably also because he played no part in his enslavement.  Hopefully Benjamin had a hearty appetite...

Psalm 27

I mentioned before that I do love the places where God is described as a protective force...here he is a stronghold and a shelter against evildoers.  We also have a great hope laid before us...to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives...to offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, to sing and make melody to the Lord...to behold the beauty of the Lord.

This psalm's call to God to embrace us and not send us away calls to my mind also how God calls to us...He does not want us to send him away, or for our love of Him to fail.  It is a covenant, after all...which means both parties hold up their end of the bargain.  How beautiful is the covenant our God has with us...

Matthew 15:1-20

Again, we have the Pharisees trying to trip up Jesus, and Jesus deftly turns it around into a teaching moment, calling out the Pharisees as hypocrites.  It would seem that they were so legalistic that they would find loopholes, meeting the letter of the law while not meeting the spirit of the law.

We get a good reference back to Isaiah (This is Matthew, after all), and then a very important bit of teaching about what defiles a man.  This is a great prefigurement of God lifting the prohibition against eating certain "unclean animals."

"Hear and understand:  not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man”…”Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on?  But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man.”

Today, as Christians, we don’t wash our hands as part of a ritual prior to eating (rather as a matter of health), nor do we pay heed to the dietary restrictions of old.  But we could all do with watching what comes out of our mouths from our hearts, I think.  We are so quick to throw out insults to people when they can’t hear us…but God hears us.  We are so quick to spread gossip and say bad things about our neighbors…even things that are true, but hurtful…and God hears us.  We are so quick to say things, even to loved ones, in heated moments that truly defile us if we are supposed to be godly people.  I witness this from my children as the speak to one another in rude tones and disrespectful words…and even find myself saying things in a manner that is not befitting the dignity of a beloved child of God. 

Truly, once something is said, it can not be unsaid.  We can regret them, apologize for them, and be forgiven…but better would it be if we treated others with gentleness and reverence at all times!

Catechism 222-231

I love the fact that our Catechism utilizes poetic works to help convey truth.  There is some lovely poetry here summing up the implications of faith in One God:

Let nothing trouble you

Let nothing frighten you

Everything passes

God never changes

Patience

Obtains all

Whoever has God

Wants for nothing

God alone is enough

-          St. Teresa of Jesus

If we are truly faithful, we have an absolute trust in God in every circumstance.  That’s hard to do sometimes, but oddly enough, whenever we put things in His hands completely, they seem to work out, don’t they?

I am also struck by paragraph 225, which states “It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men:  Everyone is made in the image and likeness of God.”

If we are to truly live our faith, we must stop seeing other people as “in our way” or “bothersome”, even the ones who truly may be…we must begin to see with the eyes of Christ, that they, too, are made in God’s image and likeness.  When we do, we are at our most human, and therefore closest to God.

Readings for tomorrow:

Genesis 44-45
Psalm 28
Matthew 15:21-39
Catechism 232-237

Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 27

Genesis 40-41

We continue the narrative of Joseph, his interpretation of dreams, his release from incarceration and becoming the Pharaoh's right hand man.

Here we see the providence of God, and that his plan is perfect, even when we don't see it ourselves.  He is able to bring good out of evil in ways that we can't possibly predict.

I also find Joseph's words to be very revealing:  "Do not interpretations belong to God?"  If God sent these dreams, God alone can interpret them and reveal them to us.  The scriptures are much the same...He inspired them, and it is He who interprets them in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 26

This Psalm goes back to a familiar formula, contrasting the righteous and wicked, and asking God to see the good of the righteous.

Matthew 14:22-36

After his miracle of the loaves and fish, now Jesus dismisses the crowds and goes up to pray on his own while the disciples get in the boat and begin to head out to the other side.  And after he prays, he comes walking across the lake to get to them and freaks them out, big time. 

Peter...on the edge of brilliance sometimes, makes a show of faith that foreshadows his profession to come later.  He walks on the water with Jesus, but becomes afraid of the wind and waves, and begins to sink.  Jesus, of course, saves him.  It is powerful imagery - being saved from harsh waters by our stable and powerful God.  We often feel we are sinking beneath the waves, and often such a feeling comes soon after we were so certain about something.  We think we need to "sink or swim", but there is another option...trust in our God and ask Him to save us...and He certainly will. 

"Those in the boat worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God'"

There is still work to be done, though, and when they arrive at Gennesaret the sick come to him to be healed and to touch the fringe of his garment. 

If only people flocked to Jesus this way with such faith.  How fickle we are, like these, many of whom we can only assume later forgot all about the healing Jesus brought them.

Catechism 214-221

We have asserted part of God's nature, that He is pure being.  But He is also Truth and Love.

He is Truth in that he cannot deceive, and is the author of life, the universe and everything (not to be confused with the book by Douglas Adams)  Every truth we can possibly know can only be known because God created it.

He is Love in that "God Himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange."  This is why His love is steadfast...it doesn't change...it can't, because God's innermost nature consists of Love.  This is a pure love of which all other loves we know are mere shadows.  Divine love will make our romantic love, brotherly love, familial love, and any other flavor of love pale in comparison.

Tomorrow's readings:

Genesis 42-43
Psalm 27
Matthew 15:1-20
Catechism 222-231

Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 26

Genesis 38-39

We take a break from the narrative of Joseph to follow the story of Judah and his sons, Er and Onan. 

I'm going to go ahead and borrow from a discussion I had with my cousin on Facebook for this part:

To summarize, Judah has two sons, Er and Onan. Er marries Tamar, but Er is slain by God for his wickedness. Judah tells Onan to "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." "But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD, and he slew him also." (Gen 38:8-10)

There has been a lot of discussion on this passage, and what it really means. Some folks have said that the "crime" for which Onan is slain is that of not giving his brother an heir...but the penalty for such is documented in Deuteronomy as public humiliation. Therefore, it would seem that, had Onan simply refused to lie with Tamar, he would have been subject to humiliation, but certainly not death. Instead, Onan decided to enjoy the pleasure of relations with Tamar, but to render the act sterile (via coitus interruptus), and this appears to have been the impetus for God slaying him.

Obviously, there are very few Christian denominations remaining who agree with the Catholic interpretation.  Though, it is important to note that less than one hundred years ago, nearly ALL Christians agreed on this.
(Here ends my borrowing)

Because his younger son is not yet ready to wed, Judah sends Tamar to dwell in her father's house until such time that Shelah is old enough to wed...but he does not go about setting up the union out of fear that Shelah will die as well.  Tamar "plays the harlot" and ultimately gets Judah to sleep with her, and obtains proof of the parentage of the children conceived by that union.

It is interesting that Judah is ready to have her put to death for begetting children through "harlotry," until he realizes that she is carrying his own children.  At that point, he confesses that she is "more righteous" than he is, because he went back on his promise to marry her to Shelah.  Thus, he does not put her to death, and does not lie with her again.

We then return to Joseph's trials, where despite being sold as a slave, he flourishes under his new master.  That is, until his master's wife takes a liking to him and accuses him falsely after he refuses to lie with her.    For that he is thrown in jail, but even there it is recognized that the Lord is with him. 

I recall the animated film "Joseph:  King of Dreams" which has a beautiful montage displaying Joseph's time in prison to the song "You Know Better Than I":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzxpVGnWEWA

While this is a dramatization, and we don't have any biblical evidence of Joseph ever doubting or experiencing a spiritual growth in prison, I think it is good to reflect on the fact that even though so many terrible things have happened to Joseph to this point, he is still walking in the steadfast love of the Lord.  This is a lesson worth remembering, especially when things aren't going our way.

Psalm 25

I'm going to stop saying that I like this psalm or thing that psalm is great.  They are all great, and I like them all (yes, even the ones that are somewhat depressing).  This is one we often pray at mass, at least partially, and is full of beautiful imagery.  Again, the term steadfast love appears multiple times.  It would seem that this is a characteristic of God's love we are not to miss.

Matthew 14:1-21

First we have the manner in which John the Baptist is put to death.  As my wife puts it:  "Proof that even in ancient times men would do stupid things to gain the affection of a beautiful woman."  Certainly this serves as a warning to us not to make open ended promises.

But moreover, we see Jesus' reaction.  Jesus withdraws to a "lonely place apart," presumably to mourn.  Still, the crowds follow him.  Jesus would have been well within his rights to ask them to depart, but even in his own suffering, he has compassion on them, and heals them.  But it doesn't end there.  His disciples tell him to send the crowd away to get food for themselves, but Jesus refuses, saying instead that "you give them something to eat."  When he is informed (as though he needed to be informed) that there are only five loaves of bread and two fish, he works a miracle that feeds them all with twelve baskets left over.

Some folks try and pass this off as a natural occurrence in which the people all had some food with them and shared what they had, but this is a rather lame attempt to de-divinize what has occurred.  The people would not have been carrying food for an outing such as this.  This miracle which Jesus wrought also prefigures in a special way the way that the Eucharist will work in the future...how He is able to give His own body to us all over the world through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Five loaves.  Two Fish.  Five Thousand Men, plus women and children.  Not to mention the healings...and all while Jesus is clearly saddened over John's death.

Truly this is steadfast love.

Catechism 210-213

I sort of went into this yesterday.  God is pure being.  He never changes.  Even His name tells us this. 

We must resist the temptation to try and anthropomorphize God.  God lowered himself to take on the incarnation, but he didn't have to.  He does it to show the nature of his steadfast love.  That's all I have to say about that...

Tomorrow's Readings:

Genesis 40-41
Psalm 26
Matthew 14:22-36
Catechism 214-221

Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 25

Genesis 36-37

Genesis 36 gives us the genealogy of Esau's descendants. 

Then in chapter 37 we begin the story of Joseph.  Joseph is initially hated by his older brothers because he is favored by his father, but makes matters worse by sharing his dreams.  In fact, sharing one particular dream also draws criticism from his father. 

In any case, Jacob sends Joseph to check up on his brothers.  Although Jacob must know how his elder children feel about Joseph, he clearly doesn't think that they will engage in treachery to get rid of him.  Yet, one questions this assessment considering what happened at Shechem before at the hands of Simeon and Levi...

A bright spot here is Reuben, who was prepared to rescue his brother.

In any case, the story unfolds as Joseph is sold into slavery and his death is reported to Jacob.  The stage is set for the drama that is to come.

Psalm 24

This song of praise declares that the earth belongs to God, and so do we who dwell upon it.  The imagery of gates and doors opening before our Lord to let him in reminds me of how we receive Him in communion...hearkening back to the phrase from Matthew "I am not worthy to receive you under my roof"  One gets under the roof by going through the door.  Each of us must be ready to lift our gates and open our doors to receive him, be they the gates to our minds or the doors to our hearts. 

Surely, the Lord could break through these gates and doors, for He is mighty and strong.  But is it not better for us to let Him in?

"Such is the generation of those who seek him,"

Matthew 13:44-58

Jesus continues with a series of parables about the kingdom of heaven.  The first two suggest that it needs to be our first priority...that we be willing to trade all we have in order to gain it.  The last warns that not all who are caught in the net will gain salvation, much like the parable of the weeds sown among the good seed.

Are we willing to put God's kingdom before our own little kingdoms?  Are we prepared to sell all we have to gain that pearl of great price?  Some days more than others, perhaps. 

We finish this passage with Jesus heading home and declaring that "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Often it is hardest to witness to those who know us best.

Catechism 203-209

God's name:  "I AM WHO AM"  God is, in essence, being.  Existence isn't something He does, like we do, but something He is.  Living isn't something He does, like we do, but something He is.  Our existence is a mere reflection of His.  Our capabilities for thought and action are a mere reflection of His. 

Basically, the reality of God is mind blowing.  We can't hope to fully understand it, yet we are able to embrace that which we can know about him through creation and revelation. What a beautiful mystery!

Tomorrow's readings:

Genesis 38-39
Psalm 25
Matthew 14:1-21
Catechism 210-213

Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 24

Genesis 34-35

The sordid tale of the rape of Dinah and the vengeance of her brothers. There is a lot going on here, though.  Jacob, though he is favored by God, has certainly made some bad decisions leading up to this point.  For one reason or another, he does not honor his words to his brother, going to Succoth instead of Se'ir and ultimately to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan.  In addition, he doesn't go where God told him to go.  Finally, he apparently allows his daughter, Dinah, to go out to "visit the women of the land" without a suitable escort. 

So, Dinah is kidnapped and raped by Shechem, who then asks his father to arrange their marriage (bass-ackwards...)  For whatever reason, Jacob doesn't go out to meet Hamor about this, but allows his sons to work things out.

Here we have an example of protective brothers "getting even."  Certainly what they do through deception and violence can not be justified, as it is totally out of proportion with the offense, punishing folks who had nothing to do with the affair.  In addition, they full on disrespect their faith by using circumcision as a weapon of warfare.  Jacob himself condemns their actions, but we still have to ask where he was during the whole thing.

It would seem that there is a lesson in here about going where God wants you to go.  Jacob's family suffers from him deciding that he knew best what to do and where to go, rather than trusting in God.  His reputation suffers as well.  The silver lining, though, is that God follows Jacob where he goes, and calls him back.  Similarly, even when we don't listen to God's will in our lives, he is always there to gently call us back to him.

As Jacob follows God's instructions, going to Bethel and ultimately to Mamre to bury his father with his brother, Rachel dies birthing Benjamin.  It is interesting that she dies and is buried in Bethlehem.  I wonder if this is significant somehow.

Psalm 23

The famous Shepherd Psalm.  My youngest son has a book which is a children's adaptation of this psalm which follows a sheep and its shepherd.  He LOVES it. I think this one really speaks to our need to be comforted in times of need.  It also speaks to the extravagant love of God, who sets a banquet for us in the sight of our foes.  God always takes care of us, providing more than we need, even when we don't realize it.  To trust God as the good shepherd is to place ourselves in the most capable care available.

Matthew 13:24-43

Jesus is in full-on parable mode.  We get the parable of good seed and weeds sown by the enemy, the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of leaven.  Matthew again points out that this fulfills a prophecy, and then the disciples ask in private for an explanation.

Certainly the parable showing the good seed oversown with weeds by the enemy is important today.  We don't live our faith in a vacuum amongst saintly people.  Rather, we grow side by side with weeds, and so we have an opportunity to affect them for the better, and to develop patience in dealing with them.  Of course, we also can becorrupted and choked by the weeds if we are not vigilant.  I seem to remember reading a quote from a saint about this matter...but it escapes me at the moment.

Catechism 198-202

Here we begin to build the Creed.  As such, we must begin at the beginning:  "I believe in God."  Without that premise, the rest of our faith has nothing to stand on.  Without God, there is no creation...there is nothing.  The idea that the universe spontaneously erupted into existence without any action goes against everything we know.  The existence of our universe is the best evidence we have for God's existence, and truly is all we really need (though we can argue it from many other angles).  In my opinion, beauty is God's greatest advocate.  In every flower, in every blade of grass, in every leaf on every tree, in every perfectly made ant, and in every imperfect human being I see God's fingerprints, but perhaps only because I have eyes to see.  And yet, the precision with which the universe works seems to contradict the idea that all that has come about is from random chance. 

So we believe in God...one God...creator of heaven and earth. 

Tomorrow's readings:

Genesis 36-37
Psalm 24
Matthew 13:44-58
Catechism 203-209

Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 23

Genesis 32-33

So Jacob heads homeward, and learns that Esau is coming with 400 men to meet him.  Naturally, Jacob fears the worst, remembering Esau's vow to kill him.  After praying, Jacob decides to send gifts ahead to his brother, hoping to alleviate his anger. 

Then Jacob wrestles with a man until the break of day, apparently an angel.  Jacob is not defeated by this angel, but is given a serious limp.  This messenger gives Jacob a new name:  Israel.

It turns out that Esau is happy to see his brother, and not because of the gifts.  Thus the two are reconciled in a tearful reunion, and all is right in the world.

Psalm 22:

One of the most famous of Psalms...the lamentation of the righteous man, which foretells some details of the Crucifixion, and is invoked by Christ on the cross. 

Matthew 13:1-23

Here we have the parable of the sower - an important parable.  In addition, Jesus explains to his disciples why he speaks in parables, and again Isaiah is invoked.  He explains this parable in detail to ensure that it is understood. 

I know that sometimes I feel like the ground among the thorns...trying to live my faith but being challenged by the thorny world.  Fortunately, tomorrow's reading is very helpful in this regard.

Catechism 185-197

Here we begin to explore the ancient creeds of Christianity - The Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.  As Catholics, we profess the Nicene Creed each week before we celebrate the Eucharist, and the Apostles Creed each time we say a rosary.  These are important prayers to remind us of the most important tenets of our faith - "They help us today to attain and deepen the faith of all times by means of the different summaries made of it."

Tomorrow's Readings:

Genesis 34-35
Psalm 23
Matthew 13:24-43
Catechism 198-202

Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 22

Genesis 31

This story of Jacob and his entourage being overtaken by Laban, and the ensuing drama, is actually quite exciting.  I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of Rachel stealing her father's idols was, but it certainly makes for a tense (or should I say 'tents') moment.  Rachel proves again to be very clever in hiding her thievery from her father.  Perhaps she was taking them to try and deliver her father from idolatry, or perhaps there is a different meaning hidden here in the symbolism of these "household gods."

In any case, both Jacob and Laban make good points in listing their grievances and responding to one another.  It is no surprise that Jacob's case is stronger, though.  We almost expect this meeting to end in bloodshed, but somehow the two come to an accord of peace.  In some way this involves making a heap of stones which serves as a witness...I suppose this is like making a monument to remind them of their agreement.

It is clear that, despite Laban's less than savory dealings with Jacob, he does love his daughters and wants what is best for them.

Psalm 21

And now we're back to blessings on the righteous and fire and brimstone on the unrighteous.  This one is particularly well put...it will be difficult to resist the temptation to wish some of these things on those who have wronged me...I pray that the knowledge that I could easily be put into this category of unrighteous at times will keep me humble enough not to wish things on others.

And yet, there is something satisfying in thinking of these things befalling evil itself...death itself...as Christ's victory over the grave certainly swallows up death and sin, aiming His bow at the face of evil.

Be exalted, O Lord, in thy strength!  We will sing and praise thy power!

Matthew 12:38-50

Finishing up chapter 12, we get Jesus foretelling his resurrection and calling it the sign of the prophet Jonah, and explaining that "something" greater than Jonah, and greater than Solomon, is here.

We end this chapter with a few verses which folks often try to say amounts to Jesus disrespecting his mother.  These same folks often also try to use this passage to "prove" that Jesus had siblings by Mary, and therefore refute her perpetual virginity. 

However, it does not say that Jesus refused to see his mother, or his "brethren," but certainly does show that he uses their appearance as a teachable moment, to show that the bonds of our faith are more important than the bonds of family...something he has already mentioned a few times in different ways.  It is possible that after making his point he received them.  I would argue that this makes sense, since it would certainly be remarkable if He had sent them away without seeing them, but not particularly remarkable if He did see them.  So it would make more sense to include it in the writings if He had sent them away than it would to include it in the writings if He did not.

As to the "brethren" or "brothers" of Jesus, I would refer readers to this well laid out article:  http://www.catholic.com/library/Brethren_of_the_Lord.asp

Catechism 172-184

A lot of St. Irenaeus in this passage regarding the fact that there is only one faith in Christ Jesus.  We Catholics get a lot of flak for saying that there is no salvation outside the Church...but in saying this we are acknowledging that no one says "Christ is Lord" without the Holy Spirit, and that the Church is not confined to her perceptible boundaries.  There is only one baptism, after all, and we practice what we preach in this regard.  That is, when a non-Catholic Christian asks to enter the Catholic Church, his or her baptism is considered valid if the proper form, matter, and intention were present when the baptism was performed.

It is the same Christ which saves us, even those outside the perceptible boundaries of the Church.  Certainly, we believe that the Catholic Church holds the fullness of the Christian faith, but we do not claim a monopoly on all truth.  In so much as some of the truths we hold are shared with those of other Christian faiths, we consider them brethren in Christ.  Separated brethren, perhaps, but brethren nonetheless.

Tomorrow's Readings:

Genesis 32-33
Psalm 22
Matthew 13:1-23
Catechism 185-197