Praying: the Lord’s prayer

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Friar Musings

¹He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” ²He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. ³Give us each day our daily bread ⁴ and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.” ⁵The disciples realize that the right relationship to the Father (and to Jesus) is sought in prayer. Jesus, like John the Baptist, must have a distinctive insight into prayer flowing from his mission. In response to the disciples’ question, he reveals the Lord’s Prayer. Continue reading →

Praying: its nature

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Friar Musings

The Communal Nature of the Lord’s Prayer. The context for the Lord’s Prayer in Luke and Matthew (6:5-15) are quite different. Matthew is writing for Jewish Christians that share a common heritage of prayer. Thus Jesus simply begins: “But when you pray…” They seem to know how to pray and the importance of prayer, but they need further clarification about prayer – especially vis-à-vis the temple and synagogue exemplar and the pagans. In Luke, the audience, (including the disciples,) don’t know how to pray (at least as Jesus’ followers). The disciples (and Luke’s readers?) ask Jesus to teach them to pray – and this seems to be in distinction from John the Baptist’s disciples (v.1). This introduction also suggests that we are defined by our prayers. Continue reading →

Beatitudes: blessings

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Friar Musings

The Second Stanza – Promises of Reward to the Virtuous

All the beatitudes in Matthew 5:7-10 are best interpreted as promising eschatological rewards to people who exhibit virtuous behavior. The second stanza does not, however, represent a logical departure from the thought that undergirds the first, for the virtues that are rewarded with blessings are ones exercised on behalf of the people mentioned in Stanza One. In other words the people whom Jesus declares blessed in 5:7-10 are those who help to bring to reality the blessings promised to others in 5:3-6. Continue reading →

Beatitudes: mourn and meek

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Friar Musings

Those who mourn. This is not necessarily the bereaved, or even the penitent. Boring (178-9) notes that at one level Matthew here taps into the deep biblical tradition that one of the characteristics of the true people of God is that they lament the present condition of God’s people and God’s program in the world (see Lamentations; the lament Psalms; etc.). In Isa 61:1-11, on which the beatitudes are based, the community laments the desolation of the holy city. Those who mourn do not resign themselves to the present condition of the world as final, but lament the fact that God’s kingdom has not yet come and that God’s will is not yet done (6:10) ). Continue reading →

Beatitudes: structure & stanza

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Friar Musings

Altogether there are nine beatitudes in 5:3–12, the ninth (5:11–12) is really an expansion of the eighth (5:10). Some scholars opt for a structure with three sets of three, the first eight exhibit such a tightly knit parallel structure that it is more likely that we should understand them as two sets of four. This is most consistent with Hebraic poetry forms which seem to be the literary background of the Beatitudes. Still there is an internal consistency within each “stanza/verse” as seen in the form of each pronouncement:

Continue reading →

Beatitudes: their fabric

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Friar Musings

The 4^th Sunday (Year A) and All Saints Day includes (a) the setting of the entire discourse and (b) the opening section, universally known as the Beatitudes. Beatitudes are found elsewhere in Matthew (11:6; 13:16; 16:17; 24:46) and more frequently in Luke. They are based on a common form of expression in the poetical books of the Old Testament (e.g. Pss. 1:1; 32:1–2; 40:4; 119:1–2; 128:1), but nowhere in the Old Testament or other Jewish literature is there so long and carefully constructed a series as here. A beatitude (Latin) or makarism (Greek) is a statement in the indicative mood beginning with the adjective makarios, declaring certain people to be in a privileged, fortune circumstance. It is not original to Jesus but occurs frequently in the OT as well as in non-Scriptural Jewish and pagan writings. Used here, the beatitudes reflect the Jewish use and setting: wisdom and prophecy. Continue reading →

Beatitudes: context

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Friar Musings

This coming weekend, the Catholic Church will celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. The readings for that celebration are a departure from the lectionary cycle of the Gospel according to Mark.

The Sermon on the Mount

¹When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. ²He began to teach them, saying: ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. ⁶Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. ⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Continue reading →

Fulfilling the Law: teachings

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Friar Musings

A Teaching About Anger. As will be evident, the following comments use Boring’s model as a way to think about the text at hand.

²¹“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’²²But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.²³Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you,²⁴leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.²⁵Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.²⁶Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. Continue reading →

Fulfilling the Law: Jesus, Law and Prophets

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Friar Musings

Commentary. The opening passage of this Gospel is controversial. Is it a general statement of Jesus’ attitude to the Old Testament, especially in its legal provisions, designed to introduce the detailed examples of Jesus’ teaching in relation to the Old Testament law in vv. 21–48 and other points throughout the Gospel? Do Jesus’ words affirm the permanent validity of the details of the Old Testament law as regulations, or do they express more generally the God-given authority of the Old Testament without specifying just how it is applicable in the new situation introduced by the coming of Jesus? Continue reading →

Fulfilling the Law: context and covenants

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Friar Musings

Here in the 6^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, our gospel reading continues the “Sermon on the Mount” begun on the 4^th Sunday. As mentioned elsewhere, the “Sermon” is the first of the Matthean discourses and perhaps the best known. Warren Carter (Matthew and the Margins) has these introductory comments about the entire sermon: Continue reading →

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