You know the Scriptures: They are inspired by God.
How did God inspire the Scriptures?
Some suggest that God dictated to the biblical writers, as a boss dictates to a
private secretary. Others suggest the biblical writers were inspired
religiously, as songwriters are musically. Most people hold a middle position.
They hold that God enlightened the writers in such a way that they wrote all
and only what God wanted them to write. God is therefore the primary author;
the biblical writers are secondary authors. The important thing, however, is
not how the biblical writers were inspired, but that they
were.
****
Can we say with Samuel Taylor
Coleridge, “The words of the Bible find me at a deeper level of my being than
any other book does”? “My heart has always assured me that the gospel of Jesus
Christ must be Divine Reality.” Daniel Webster
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The Bible is the sacred book of the
Church, and we call it the Word of God. We revere it, read it, meditate on it,
pray with it, because as we heard in the 1st reading, "All scripture is
inspired by God ... " so the Bible is a means of coming into communion
with God. The 1st reading also continues
by saying that the Holy Scriptures "can profitably be used for teaching,
for refuting error, for guiding people's lives and teaching them to be
holy". It is surely very comforting
and affirming to hear all this, just as in the gospel, the great majority of
the people heard the teaching of Jesus with delight. Yet the Word of God
strengthens, as well as commissions. As we read and meditate on the scriptures,
we must be aware that we are being equipped and made ready to do any kind of
good work. The 1st reading painted this scenario before us: You are well aware
that anybody who tries to live in devotion to Christ is certain to be attacked;
while the wicked impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and
deceived themselves. Well, the Word of
God brings comfort to the distressed, and distresses the comfortable. The Word
of God is not for us to pick and choose what we want to hear. The Word of God
strengthens and commissions; the Word of God also probes and challenges us. May
the Word of God lead us to the truth and may it also bring us comfort in our
distress.
***
Friday of 9th Week of Ordinary Time
JESUS MORE THAN A HUMAN PERSON
Introduction The author of 2 Timothy asks
Timothy to learn from Paul how to bear persecution and difficulties. He assures
Timothy that the persecutors will be punished. Then, he asks Timothy to hold on
firmly to the faith and to the sacred writings that express it. The Scriptures
are inspired by God and like a handbook for a life of faith. Using a rabbinic
form of argumentation, Jesus states that he is more than a descendant of David.
No king would have addressed his son as Lord. The Savior is more than a human
being. Early Christianity understood this title of “Son” and “Lord” in the divine
sense.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, the person who laid
down his life to save us from our human limitations and to let us live in your
world is your own Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Give us the true wisdom to
accept him as the Lord of our lives and your presence among us. Let him lead us
to you, our God, for ever and ever.
Commentary
The praise of the scriptures in
today’s reading from Timothy underscores its centrality in the Christian life.
It is honored and respected as inspired by God. How inspiration takes place is
widely discussed by scholars; opinions on the subject are numerous. But the
fact remains that from earliest times certain compositions have been confirmed
by the church as inspired, while numerous competitors have not. They include
books that have been received from the Hebrew tradition as well as those
written in the light of New Testament revelation. These books are normative for
the Christian life. We are not free to pick and choose, although we certainly
have our favorites. We are told that the scriptures are useful for correction
and refutation. Since they constitute the inspired norm of our faith life,
deviations can lead to wrong judgment and error. But most important, the Bible
is important for teaching, to make us equipped for teaching in holiness and for
every good work. Today’s Gospel is a classic example of biblical teaching. The
first and greatest commandment is the love of God and neighbor. With this as
our guiding norm, we quickly realize that there is no commandment or precept
that falls outside its domain. To be schooled in the scriptures is to be
totally at one with God’s will. In the past fifty years there has been a
remarkable growth in our understanding of the Bible. Scripture formation is now
part of the life of many parishes. We learn from the Bible’s towering figures
and from the mistakes of some of its heroes. Above all, Christ stands as its
center and heart. The scriptures are multifaceted, a rich source of
inspiration.
Points to Ponder
Daily scripture reading
The Bible: inspired and inspiring
Teaching from the scriptures.
Intercessions
That we may recognize and love
Jesus as one of us, who knows us and shares our struggles and concerns, we
pray: That people everywhere may accept Christ as more than a great human
person and as our Lord and Savior, we pray: That our communities may recognize
Christ and his Spirit as the binding force of love and friendship among us we
pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, accept in this bread
and this wine our faith and our commitment to Jesus as our Savior and Lord. May
he help us grow in faith and patience, in love and constancy, that we may be
ready for any good work and encounter you and people through Jesus Christ, our
Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, your
Son is with us as our brother and Savior. It is our joy that he has become one
of us, human, breathing, living. We want to go his way. Let his suffering be
our victory, his humiliation our honor, his innocence our justice, his death
our life, his resurrection our comfort, for he is our Lord for ever.
Blessing
We believe in Jesus Christ, born of
the virgin Mary and one of us, human, but more than a human person: the Son of
God and our Savior. May Almighty God confirm your faith and bless you, the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
