Daily Bible Readings July 1 2009 13th Week in Ordinary Time

July 1 2009 Wednesday 13th Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – Blessed Junipero Serra

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/070109.shtml

Abraham Casting our Hagar and Ishmael

Genesis 21:5, 8-20a
Douay-Rheims Challoner

When he was a hundred years old: for at this age of his father, was Isaac born. And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast on the day of his weaning. And when Sara had seen the son of Agar, the Egyptian, playing with Isaac, her son, she said to Abraham:

Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.

Abraham took this grievously for his son. And God said to him:

Let it not seem grievous to thee for the boy, and for thy bondwoman: in all that Sara hath said to thee, hearken to her voice: for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. But I will make the son also of the bondwoman a great nation, because he is thy seed.

So Abraham rose up in the morning, and taking bread and a bottle of water, put it upon her shoulder, and delivered the boy, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Bersabee. And when the water in the bottle was spent, she cast the boy under one of the trees that were there. And she went her way, and sat over against him a great way off, as far as a bow can carry, for she said:

I will not see the boy die: and sitting over against, she lifted up her voice and wept.

And God heard the voice of the boy: and an angel of God called to Agar from heaven, saying:

What art thou doing, Agar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the boy, from the place wherein he is. Arise, take up the boy, and hold him by the hand, for I will make him a great nation.

And God opened her eyes: and she saw a well of water, and went and filled the bottle, and gave the boy to drink. And God was with him: and he grew.

Responsorial Psalm 33:7-8, 10-13 (Ps 34 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him:
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him:
and shall deliver them.
ear the Lord, all ye his saints:
for there is no want to them that fear him.
The rich have wanted, and have suffered hunger:
but they that seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.
Come, children, hearken to me:
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man that desireth life:
who liveth to see good days?

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 8:28-34
Haydock New Testament

And when he was come on the other side of the water, into the country of the Gerasens, there met him two that were possessed with devils, coming out of the sepulchres, exceeding fierce, so that no one could pass by that way. And behold they cried out, saying:

What have we to do with thee, Jesus, Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

And not far from them, there was a herd of many swine feeding. And the devils besought him, saying:

If thou cast us out hence, send us into the herd of swine.

And he said to them:

Go.

But they going out went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And they that kept them, fled: and coming into the city, told every thing, and concerning them that had been possessed by the devils. And behold the whole city went out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart from their coasts.

Haydock Commentary Genesis 21:5, 8-20a
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 8. Weaned. S. Jerom says when he was five years old, though some said twelve.  The age of men being prolonged, their infancy continued longer.  One of the Machabees suckled her child three years.  2 Mac. vii. 27.  2 Par. xxxi. 16.  C. — Feast. The life of the child being now considered in less danger.  From the time of conception till this place, the husband kept at a distance from his wife.  S. Clem. strom. iii.  Samuel’s mother made a feast or present when she weaned him.  1 K. i. 24.  M.
• Ver. 9. Playing, or persecuting, as S. Paul explains it.  Gal. iv. 29.  The play tended to pervert the morals of the young Isaac, whether we understand this term metsachak, as implying idolatry, or obscene actions, or fighting; in all which senses it is used in Scripture.  See Ex. xxxii. 6.  G. xxvi. 8.  2 K. ii. 14.  M. — Ismael was 13 years older than Isaac; and took occasion, perhaps, from the feast, and other signs of preference given by his parents to the latter, to hate and persecute him, which Sara soon perceiving, was forced to have recourse to the expedient apparently so harsh, of driving Ismael and his mother from the house, that they might have an establishment of their own, and not disturb Isaac in the inheritance after the death of Abraham.  H. — In this she was guided by a divine light; (M.) and not by any female antipathy, v. 12.  Many of the actions of worldlings, which at first sight may appear innocent, have a natural and fatal tendency to pervert the morals of the just; and therefore, we must keep as much as possible at a distance from their society. — With Isaac her son. Heb. has simply mocking, without mentioning what.  But the sequel shews the true meaning; and this addition was found in some Bibles in the days of S. Jerom, as he testifies, and is expressed in the Sept.  H. — Ismael was a figure of the synagogue, which persecuted the Church of Christ in her birth.  D.
• Ver. 11. For his son. He does not express any concern for Agar.  But we cannot doubt but he would feel to part with her also.  It was prudent to let both go together: and the mother had perhaps encouraged Ismael, at least by neglecting to punish or watch over him, and so deserved to share in his affliction.
• Ver. 14. Bread and water. This seems a very slender allowance to be given by a man of Abraham’s riches.  But he might intend her to go only into the neighbourhood, where he would take care to provide for her.  She lost herself in the wilderness, and thus fell into imminent danger of perishing.  H. — This divorce of Agar, and ejection of Ismael, prefigured the reprobation of the Jews.
• Ver. 17. Of the boy, who was 17 years old, and wept at the approach of death. — Fear not. Yare are under the protection of God, who will not abandon you, when all human succour fails; nor will he negelct his promises.  G. 16.  H.
• Ver. 20. Wilderness, in Arabia Petrea. — An archer, living on plunder.  C.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 8:28-34

• Ver. 28. Two that were possessed with devils. S. Mar. (c. v.) and S. Luke (c. viii.), in the same passage, mentions but one man, who is also said to be possessed with a legion of devils. Those evangelists seem to make mention only of one of them, because he might be much more fierce and famous than the other.  Wi. — These sepulchres were caverns excavated in the rocks, which served them as places of retreat.  V.
• Ver. 29. Before the time which God has marked to drive us from the world, and to bury us for ever in the prison of hell.  V. — What have we to do with thee? Or what hast thou to do with us?  what harm have we done thee?  Art thou come hither to torment us before the time? That is, before the time and day of judgment, after which the torments and punishments of the devils will be increased.  Wi.
• Ver. 30. And not far from them.[1]  In all Greek copies at present we read, There was afar off. Beza himself here owns, that the Latin Vulgate is to be preferred before all Greek copies and MSS.  Wi. — The Greco-Latin MS. of Cambridge has not the word non in the Latin; but in the Latin of the ancient Vulgate it occurs.  V.
• Ver. 31. “Send us into the herd of swine.” According to S. Luke, they begged of him two things; the first, that they might not be sent into hell, there to be tormented with more grievous torments, as they will be at the end of the world; the second, that they might be permitted to go into the herd of swine, that these being destroyed, the inhabitants of that country might be ill affected towards our Saviour, and refuse to receive him.  The event seems to confirm this opinion.  M.
• Ver. 32. Many reasons might be brought why our Saviour suffered the devils to enter into the swine: 1. To shew that the devils had no power even over swine without his permission.  2. That such as were freed from their power, might acknowledge the greatness of the favour done them, by seeing from how great a multitude they were liberated.  3. To punish those Jewish citizens, who fed upon swine’s flesh contrary to their law.  And, 4. To shew how willingly the devils dwell in the hearts of those who are addicted to the voluptuous and carnal life, aptly designated by the swine.  M. — S. Chrysostom says that our Saviour permitted the devils to enter the swine, not for their own sakes, but for our instruction.  1. That we might know how very desirous the enemy of our salvation is to bring upon us the greatest evils.  2. That the devil has not any power, even over swine, without the permission of God.  And, 3. That these cruel fiends would, if the Almighty allowed them, inflict still more grievous torments on their unhappy slaves.  Hom. xxix.  Jesus Christ here confutes the Sadducean doctrine, which denies the existence of spirits, good or bad.  A.
• Ver. 34. That he would depart from their coasts. S. Jerom thinks these people did this out of a motive of humility, looking upon themselves unworthy of his presence: others judge that the loss of the swine made them apprehend lest Christ, being a Jew, might do them greater damages.  Wi. — The fear lest his presence might cause them some fresh loss, seems to have overbalanced, in their estimation, the advantages they might have expected from his visit.  V. — How often has our good Lord wished to visit us, to honour us with his sacred presence, to enrich us with his divine inspirations; and how often, like these Gerasens, have we desired him to depart from our territories?  Some worldly interest, sensual enjoyment, or supine listlessness on our part, has occasioned us to neglect the proffered advantages.  Oh!  can there be more marked ingratitude than this!  Oh!  how shall we one day grieve for having lost, by our culpable indifference, immense spiritual treasures, which have been made over to others far more deserving than ourselves!  Yes, the day will certainly arrive, when we shall value a single additional degree of the divine favor and grace, infinitely more than all the united honours, riches, and pleasures of this world.  A.

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