The Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 9, 2018

First Reading:  Isaiah 35:4-7a

Psalm:  Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 (1b)

Second Reading:  James 2:1-5

Alleluia:  cf. Matthew 4:23

Gospel:  Mark 7:31-37

The first reading from Isaiah 35 is about God coming to deliver and restore Israel after  removing and replacing her unrighteous and self-serving leadership (chapter 32) and overthrowing and judging her enemies, Assyria (chapter 33) and Edom (chapter 34).  Isaiah 35 is also a Messianic prophecy which we will see Jesus fulfill in the Gospel reading.

God had allowed Israel to be conquered and oppressed by her enemies and for her land to become a desert.  But He did so with a redemptive purpose in mind and that was to drive her back to Himself and dependence on Him rather than dependence on other nations and her own abilities and wisdom.  He wanted to get His people to the point where they would say like Peter, Lord, to whom shall we go, You have the words of eternal life.

And so in Chapter 35, God speaks encouragement to those with fearful hearts in Israel, Be strong and fear not.  The strength and fearlessness that He is speaking of is that produced by faith or trust in Him.  Then He proceeds to give them reasons to trust in Him.  I will list them.

1. Here is your God – He is ever present though they may not see Him. He is already there in the midst of their guilt, suffering, fear and uncertainty.  They only need to turn to Him.
2. He comes with vindication – The vindication that God brings is twofold.  First, in His mercy, He will grant them absolution for their sins against them.  He will forgive them.  Second, their oppressors/abusers in their boasting have been telling them lies about their true dignity and worth as God’s people, unfaithful though they had been.  They had also been lying about and mocking their God.  That is what oppressors/abusers do to those who they have under their thumbs.  God is going to set the record straight, like Jesus said the oppressors in Revelation.  I will make them bow down and know that I have loved you.

3. With divine recompense – God will give them what they don’t deserve.   He will restore what they have lost.
4. He comes to save you. That is God’s goal to bring about restored relationship with Himself which is what salvation is.
5. Their restoration will include both physical and spiritual healing which are included here in this healings. The drought will be over and their land will be flowing with abundant water and become fruitful once again.

The Psalmist in the responsorial psalm continues the list of God’s trust inspiring attributes as we respond with thankful praise, Praise the Lord, my soul!

I will include the Psalm below but first I want to point out that the majority of these attributes have to do with justice and the Catholic definition of justice is different than what usually comes to our minds when we hear the word, justice.  I think most of us tend to think in terms of justice for us or criminal justice, giving the criminals what they deserve.  But the justice here in the Psalm is other focused, caring for the struggling, the weak and the powerless, those who can’t fend for themselves.  It also includes praising God for who He is, for as we say in the Mass, it is right and just.

Here is the definition of justice in the Catechism.

1807 Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the virtue of religion.  Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor.  You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.  Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Here is the Psalm.

The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,

secures justice for the oppressed,

gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets captives free.

The LORD gives sight to the blind;

the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.

The LORD loves the just;

the LORD protects strangers.

The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains,

but the way of the wicked he thwarts.

The LORD shall reign forever;

your God, O Zion, through all generations.

Alleluia.

James continues the justice theme in the Second Reading addressing partiality towards the rich in the assembly of believers.  This problem remains with us today.  But is God showing partiality to the poor here and elsewhere in the Scripture?  Look at the last paragraph.  And James doesn’t have very nice things to say about the rich in the rest of his epistle.

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.

Did not God choose those who are poor in the world

to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom

that he promised to those who love him?

We can see in the Catechism that partiality is not encouraged towards the poor or the rich.  What gives?

The problem is in the riches, money or mammon.  They are a temptation for us to trust in them and our resourcefulness in accumulating them rather than in God.  They can become our end game, our goal which we blindly pursue disregarding God and the collateral damage to our neighbors that our pursuit of riches creates.

God has no issue with those who use their riches in a godly manner, giving wisely and generously without expecting deferential treatment, not using their riches to lord it over and gain power over others but rather for the benefit of their employees, the furtherance of the Gospel and the betterment of the world.  They realize they are stewards whom God has gifted with the necessary skills and with the resources to be a blessing to others.

But such people are the exception rather than the rule among the rich because of the power of the temptation.  So we need to pray for them and not treat them with partiality but rather love.

Jesus in the Gospel reading travels into a more Gentile area to perform two of the miracles mentioned in the Isaiah 35 reading, the healing of the deaf and speech impeded man.  His purpose is still redemptive and He desires to open their spiritual ears to hear the Gospel about who has come among them and to heal their mouths so they can sing praises to God, their creator.  And we can perhaps see that beginning to happen in their testimony about Jesus at the end of the reading.

May God provide the healing that we need to be fully functioning children of God.