Comments on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today.
The Reading from Genesis 19.15-29 Genesis 21:5, 8-20 Abraham put the bread and the waterskin on Hagar’s back, while her son apparently walked beside her.
* [21:14] Placing the child on her back: a reading based on an emendation of the traditional Hebrew text. In the traditional Hebrew text, Abraham put the bread and the waterskin on Hagar’s back, while her son apparently walked beside her. In this way the traditional Hebrew text harmonizes the data of the Priestly source, in which Ishmael would have been at least fourteen years old when Isaac was born; compare 16:16 with 21:5; cf. 17:25. But in the present Elohist (?) story, Ishmael is obviously a little boy, not much older than Isaac; cf. vv. 15, 18. (Genesis, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 34 declares The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
* [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 34 | USCCB, n.d.)
Gospel: Matthew 8:28-34 describes The Healing of the Gadarene Demoniacs.
* [8:28] Gadarenes: this is the reading of Codex Vaticanus, supported by other important textual witnesses. The original reading of Codex Sinaiticus was Gazarenes, later changed to Gergesenes, and a few versions have Gerasenes. Each of these readings points to a different territory connected, respectively, with the cities Gadara, Gergesa, and Gerasa (modern Jerash). There is the same confusion of readings in the parallel texts, Mk 5:1 and Lk 8:26; there the best reading seems to be “Gerasenes,” whereas “Gadarenes” is probably the original reading in Matthew. The town of Gadara was about five miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee, and Josephus (Life 9:42) refers to it as possessing territory that lay on that sea. Two demoniacs: Mark (5:1–20) has one.
* [8:29] What have you to do with us?: see note on Jn 2:4. Before the appointed time: the notion that evil spirits were allowed by God to afflict human beings until the time of the final judgment is found in Enoch 16:1 and Jubilees 10:7–10.
* [8:30] The tending of pigs, animals considered unclean by Mosaic law (Lv 11:6–7), indicates that the population was Gentile. (Matthew, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Suzanne Braddock shares the Daily Reflection July 2, 2025
https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jul2
Don Schwager Jesus Frees Those Who Are Bound Up
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for June 30, 2025
Richard Rohr (https://cac.org/daily-meditations/set-free-for-freedom/ ) introduces Palestinian Anglican priest Naim Ateek who writes that the life Christ offers us is life in all its fullness. This fullness is not offered in some distant, far-off future, but in our present circumstances.
References
Genesis, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 2, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/19?15
Matthew, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 2, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8?28
Psalms, PSALM 34 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 2, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/34?7
No comments:
Post a Comment