July 4, 2013

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Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time 
Lectionary: 380

Reading 1GN 22:1B-19

God put Abraham to the test.

He called to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Obviously, God knew that Abraham was there, Abraham was saying, "I'm ready!"

Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,

and go to the land of Moriah.

There you shall offer him up as a burnt offering

on a height that I will point out to you.”

Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,

took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well,

and with the wood that he had cut for the burnt offering,

set out for the place of which God had told him.

Something interesting here.  God called Isaac Abraham's only son.  But Abrahan actually had two sons.  One from his legitimate wife, Sarah, Isaac.  And one from his concubine, Haggai, Ishmael.

This is an indicator that it was not according to God's will that Abraham should join with Haggai to engender a child (read about that here).  God did not recognize Ishmael as a legitimate son of Abraham because God did not join Abraham and Haggai together.  God had given him Sara to be his wife.   

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.

Abraham took two servants to help and loaded the donkey, then he and his son traveled for three days to the location where God told him to go.

Then he said to his servants: “Both of you stay here with the donkey,

while the boy and I go on over yonder.

Then he left both servants at a location a day's journey away from where he was going.

We will worship and then come back to you.”

Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering

and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,

Just as Jesus took the wood of the cross upon his shoulders, Isaac carries the wood upon which he will be sacrificed on his.

while he himself carried the fire and the knife.

As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:

“Father!” he said.

“Yes, son,” he replied.

Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood,

but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”

This is a very heartwarming verse.  The boy, Isaac, knowing the ritual of animals sacrificed to God, asks his father, "Where is the sheep we will sacrifice?"

“Son,” Abraham answered,

“God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.”

Then the two continued going forward.

This is also heartwarming.  Abraham, whose faith overcomes his fear, has complete trust  that God will safeguard the child in some manner which he can't conceive.  St. Paul says:

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,  18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:  19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.   

The words, "God will provide the sheep" are a prophecy of the fact that Jesus, the lamb of God will be sacrificed by the Father, in this very same place many years hence." 

When they came to the place of which God had told him,

According to Catholic Tradition, this place is exactly the same place where Jesus was crucified.

Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.

Next he tied up his son Isaac,

and put him on top of the wood on the altar.

I am totally amazed that there seems to be no objections from Isaac.  Isaac, like Jesus, seems to be a willing victim.  Which underscores how much he trusted and loved his father.

Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,

“Abraham, Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.

“Do not do the least thing to him.

I know now how devoted you are to God,

since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”

Then, at the point when Abraham was about to kill his son, God steps in and stops him.  

As Abraham looked about,

he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

So he went and took the ram

and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.  

Abraham immediately replaced Isaac on the altar with a ram which God provided.

Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;

hence people now say, “On the mountain the LORD will see.”

On this mountain, the Lord saw Abraham's faithfulness and obedience.  

Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:

“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,

that because you acted as you did

in not withholding from me your beloved son,

I will bless you abundantly

and make your descendants as countless

as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;

your descendants shall take possession

of the gates of their enemies,

and in your descendants all the nations of the earth

shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command.”

Therefore, God blessed Abraham abundantly.  Because although he loved his son more than he loved his own life, Abraham was willing to give him back to God.

Abraham then returned to his servants,

and they set out together for Beer-sheba,

where Abraham made his home.

And Abrahamand Isaac returned home with his servants.

Responsorial PsalmPS 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (9) I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your kindness, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
They have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone who trusts in them.
The house of Israel trusts in the LORD;
he is their help and their shield.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.

There is no other god but God.  Those who worship idols will become like their lifeless images.  Those who worship God will become like unto Him.  God is our life and our salvation.  It is in God whom we trust.

GospelMT 9:1-8

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
“This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
:Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he then said to the paralytic,
“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

For God there are no obstacles.  Jesus, with but a word, can heal of sins or heal of illness.  We, like the paralytic, appear before Jesus in the Sacraments where we ask for spiritual healing.  And Jesus has promised that we will receive that healing there, where He pours out His grace into our hearts.