Some notes for Week beginning 31 July 2017

Ordinary week 17, Year 1 (lectionary vol. 2, p. 218 and following)

General Most of the week’s first readings are from Exodus, with a focus on Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai, and God giving the Law to Moses. There is rejection of God, a furious response from Moses, a re-presention of the Ten Commandments, and the construction of a fitting, if temporary place for the stone tablets of the Law. Later in the week, readings are from Leviticus, with two days’ servings of rules regarding festivals and celebrations. Matthew’s gospel continues through the Parable Sermon (no. 3 in the series of five), and the reaction to Jesus’ teaching.

Monday’s readings (31 July; Memorial, St. Ignatius Loyola):

Exodus 32:15-24. 30-34 The passages in this part of the Old Testament are often very complicated, so they are edited in our lectionary readings. In this one, Moses comes back down the mountain only to discover that the Israelites have already abandoned the God who freed them.

Matthew 13:31-35 Both the mustard seed and yeast are remarkable in the growth they give rise to; but it is often forgotten that the mustard plant was regarded as a very large and troublesome weed, and that yeast was a corrupting agent (leavened bread goes off earlier than unleavened bread, because of the yeast). So, is Jesus saying the Kingdom should be a nuisance and a corrupting influence in society? That is what the Christian community was thought to be in the Apostolic age – surely it is what the Church should be today: we should ‘corrupt’ the way the world thinks. We should be a ‘nuisance’ to the complacency of the materially minded!

Tuesday’s readings (1 August; Memorial, St. Alphonsus Ligouri):

Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5-9. 28 Two stories about Moses meeting God. First, Moses used to meet with God at the Tent of Meeting, pitched outside the camp. Second, Moses met with God to implore forgiveness for those who had abandoned God. Notice the Lord proclaims Himself as “a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness. This reappears in the psalms.

Matthew 13:36-43 The explanation of last Saturday’s parable of the weeds. The bottom line is that wickedness will be destroyed but only by the angels at the judgement: not by humans now.

Wednesday’s readings (2 August):

Exodus 34:29-35 Moses didn’t realise that when he came away from God’s presence, carrying the stone tablets, his face shone with the reflection of the glory (i.e. presence) of God. We could legitimately say that when Moses was aware of God’s presence, his face lit up!

Matthew 13:44-46 Short parables, about treasure and pearls – both of immense value, remind us that absolutely nothing is of more value than the Kingdom of heaven.

Thursday’s readings (3 August):

Exodus 40:16-21. 34-38 This contains some of the instructions for the proper keeping of the Ark of the Covenant and the stone tablets with the 10 commandments. A cloud signified the presence of God, and led Israel’s way through the desert. At night, a fire lit up the cloud.

Matthew 13:47-53 This is like the parable of the weeds and wheat, only this time, what is rejected at the final count was not put in place by the ‘evil one’. Again, humans do not decide now what is to be rejected from the kingdom – that will happen at the judgement. The final parable tells us that the kingdom is a mixture of things new and old. Notice, however, that the new is first!

Friday’s readings (4 August; Memorial, St. John Mary Vianney):

Leviticus 23:1. 4-11. 15-16. 34-37 In a change of book, we turn to the wider subject of the laws received by Moses, concentrating on festivals. This one is about the feast of Passover, Sabbath, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles

Matthew 13:54-58 Matthew uses a story found in Mark, but softens it a bit. In Mark, we were told Jesus COULD NOT perform miracles in Nazareth because of their lack of faith; Matthew says Jesus DID NOT perform them. The point is clear in each case: Jesus is rejected by his own.

Saturday’s readings (5 August):

Leviticus 25:8-17 The second extract from the instructions about rules and regulations is about the celebrating of the Jubilee, to be held after every set of ‘seven weeks of years’, that is, forty nine years. This was to be a time of cancelling debts, but there is absolutely no evidence that such a Jubilee was ever celebrated; rather, it became a messianic dream (c.f. Luke 4:19).

Matthew 14:1-12 There will soon be controversy between Jesus and the chief priests and elders over John the Baptist, so Matthew inserts the story here, in a flashback, of John the Baptist’s death. This happened much earlier, but is given here, because it is a chilling reminder to us of the death that awaits Jesus, also rejected for speaking the truth.