12th Week, Thursday; Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16
Hagar bears Abram's son; He was named Ishmael.
Modern archaeologists have discovered clay tablets at Nuzi in modern Iraq that date back to Abram's time. Among the tablets is a marriage contract. It states that a sterile wife is obligated to provide her husband with a substitute wife for the purpose of childbearing. This explains why Sarai, who considered herself to be sterile, proposed that Abram have children by her Egyptian maid, Hagar.
It is interesting from a theological perspective that both Arabs and Jews claim descendancy from Abram. Arabs claim descendancy through Ishmael; Jews, through Isaac.
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How aware are we that modern sciences, like archaeology, are contributing greatly to our understanding of the Bible? Do we belong to any Bible study groups? Lord, help us realize that science and religion are "in-laws," not "out-laws."
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Introduction
Gen: When it took time for God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah to give him a son, Abraham begets a son from his maid Agar. Ishmael, though rejected by Sarah, will become the forefather of the fierce and independent Bedouins.
Gospel. “Not those who say, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom, but one who does the will of my Father.” We are familiar with Jesus’ words, but do we follow them? Do we build on rock, that is, follow Jesus, or do we follow ourselves and our whims and so build on sand?
Matthew 7:21-29:
The context: Today’s Gospel is the concluding part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus gives us two warnings: 1) that we must match our profession of Faith with actual obedience to the will of God and 2) that we must build our life on the firm foundation of his teachings. Jesus warns us against hypocrisy and challenges us to make a radical commitment to his word by putting it into action.
Criterion for entrance to Heaven: In the first part of the Gospel for today, Jesus asserts that fidelity, both in Faith and in its practice, is what gives one admission into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is speaking about the future leaders in his Church who will prophesy, cast out demons, and accomplish deeds of power in the cause of Christ without stopping to reflect on whether they are obeying Jesus and living according to his ideals. Fine words can never be a substitute for fine deeds. We may deceive men with our words, but we cannot deceive God who reads our hearts. That is why the Apostle James advises us in his epistle, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (James 1: 22).
The obedient wise man and the non-obedient fool: Jesus contrasts a wise man who practices what he believes with a fool who does not practice his religious beliefs, using the images of one man who built his house on firm rock and another who built his house on loose sand in summer, right in the rainy season flood-plain of a river.
Life messages: 1) We need to build our family on a strong foundation: There can be no great marriage and no great family without a solid foundation, and that foundation begins with the husband and wife doing and being the love of Christ for each other and for their children. The members of the family must love one another the way Jesus wants us to love, to forgive each other as he teaches, and to become servants of one another the way Jesus was to everyone.
2) We need to synchronize our living with our profession of Faith: The test of our Sunday worship is the effect it has on us in our homes and workplaces and the way it influences our relationships with friends and neighbours. The great test is the care, consideration, and sensitivity we show to our neighbours, many of whom would otherwise lack affection, words of encouragement, and forgiveness.
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Opening Prayer
Lord our God, your Son Jesus Christ challenges us to honor you not only with our lips but also in our hearts and with our deeds. Help us to respond to his word with all that is in us and with him to seek your will in all we do. Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
