http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/ Sunday Bible Reflections en shahn@salvationhistory.com Copyright 2013 2013-06-17T19:08:08+00:00 (C) St. Paul Center for Biblical TheologyCatholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,MassReligion & Spirituality/Christianityshahn@salvationhistory.comDr. Scott HahnDr. Scott HahnnoCatholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,MassSt. Paul Center for Biblical TheologyDr. Scott Hahn's biblical reflections on the Sunday Mass readings, as heard on independent Catholic radio stations across the country. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/GNdCwiApGpc/12th_sunday_in_ordinary_time1 http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/12th_sunday_in_ordinary_time1#When:18:08:08Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_12_Ordinary.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Children of the Promise</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Zech 12:10-11; 13:1<br /> Ps 62:2-6. 8-9 r. 2<br /> Gal 3:26-29<br /> Luke 9:18-24 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>In this Sunday&#8217;s readings we hear the voice of the Prophet Zechariah as he delivers difficult oracles from God. The people have returned from exile. Now back in Jerusalem, they face the arduous work of rebuilding the Temple. Zechariah acknowledges their hardships and foresees more obstacles.</p> <p>But their grief has a purpose. It is a remedy, a penance to heal them&#8212;&#8220;a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.&#8221;</p> <p>Thus purified, the people will be ready to receive the Messiah and usher in a new creation. God promises to &#8220;pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and petition.&#8221; So that no one should mistake the identity of the Messiah when He comes, God says through Zechariah: &#8220;they shall look on him whom they have thrust through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son &#8230; a first-born.&#8221; That prophecy could be fulfilled in no other than Jesus, the Word made Flesh, the Only-Begotten Son of God, the Crucified.</p> <p>The day of the Messiah indeed came, with an outpouring of the Spirit. Yet it was a saving event not only for Jerusalem, but for all people. Both Jews and Gentiles could become &#8220;children of God,&#8221; in St. Paul&#8217;s stunning phrase. Now, &#8220;There is neither Jew nor Greek &#8230; slave nor free &#8230; male and female &#8230;&nbsp; if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham&#8217;s descendant, heirs according to the promise.&#8221;</p> <p>In light of these readings, Sunday&#8217;s Gospel is poignant. Jesus asks his closest friends, &#8221; who do you say that I am?&#8221; Peter replies, &#8220;The Messiah of God.&#8221; Jesus then reveals to them, as Zechariah had foretold, that the Messiah must be &#8220;thrust through&#8221; and killed and mourned before the Spirit would come forth on Pentecost.</p> <p>The day has indeed come. Yet still we long for its fullness, and so we pray to God in the Psalm: &#8220;for you I long! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, Like a land parched, lifeless, and without water.&#8221; </p>&nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/GNdCwiApGpc" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-06-17T18:08:08+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Children of the Promise Readings: Zech 12:10-11; 13:1 Ps 62:2-6. 8-9 r. 2 Gal 3:26-29 Luke 9:18-24 In this Sunday&#8217;s readings we hear the voice of the Prophet Zechariah as he delivers difficult oracles from God. The people have returned Dr. Scott HahnListen Here! Children of the Promise Readings: Zech 12:10-11; 13:1 Ps 62:2-6. 8-9 r. 2 Gal 3:26-29 Luke 9:18-24 In this Sunday&#8217;s readings we hear the voice of the Prophet Zechariah as he delivers difficult oracles from God. The people have returned from exile. Now back in Jerusalem, they face the arduous work of rebuilding the Temple. Zechariah acknowledges their hardships and foresees more obstacles. But their grief has a purpose. It is a remedy, a penance to heal them&#8212;&#8220;a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.&#8221; Thus purified, the people will be ready to receive the Messiah and usher in a new creation. God promises to &#8220;pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and petition.&#8221; So that no one should mistake the identity of the Messiah when He comes, God says through Zechariah: &#8220;they shall look on him whom they have thrust through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son &#8230; a first-born.&#8221; That prophecy could be fulfilled in no other than Jesus, the Word made Flesh, the Only-Begotten Son of God, the Crucified. The day of the Messiah indeed came, with an outpouring of the Spirit. Yet it was a saving event not only for Jerusalem, but for all people. Both Jews and Gentiles could become &#8220;children of God,&#8221; in St. Paul&#8217;s stunning phrase. Now, &#8220;There is neither Jew nor Greek &#8230; slave nor free &#8230; male and female &#8230;&nbsp; if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham&#8217;s descendant, heirs according to the promise.&#8221; In light of these readings, Sunday&#8217;s Gospel is poignant. Jesus asks his closest friends, &#8221; who do you say that I am?&#8221; Peter replies, &#8220;The Messiah of God.&#8221; Jesus then reveals to them, as Zechariah had foretold, that the Messiah must be &#8220;thrust through&#8221; and killed and mourned before the Spirit would come forth on Pentecost. The day has indeed come. Yet still we long for its fullness, and so we pray to God in the Psalm: &#8220;for you I long! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, Like a land parched, lifeless, and without water.&#8221; &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/12th_sunday_in_ordinary_time1#When:18:08:08Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/2bsd3oFxnGA/june_16th_2013_-_11th_sunday_in_ordinary_time http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/june_16th_2013_-_11th_sunday_in_ordinary_time#When:19:34:09Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_11_Ordinary.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Many Sins, Great Love</p> <p>Readings:<br /> 2 Samuel 12: 7&#8211;10, 13<br /> Psalm 32: 1&#8211;2, 5,7,11<br /> Galatians 2:16, 19&#8211;21<br /> Luke 7:36&#8211;50 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>In this Sunday&#8217;s readings we are like the fallen king, David, and the woman who weeps at Jesus&#8217; feet. </p> <p>Like David, the Lord has rescued us from sin and death, anointed us with His Spirit in baptism and in confirmation. He has made us heirs of His promise to the children of Israel. </p> <p>And like David, and like the woman in the Gospel, we fall into sin. Our crimes may not be as grave as David&#8217;s (see 2 Samuel 11:1&#8211;26) or as &#8220;many&#8221; as that woman&#8217;s (see Luke 7:47). </p> <p>But we often squander the great gift of salvation we&#8217;ve been given. Often we fail to live up to the great calling of being sons and daughters of God. </p> <p>The good news of today&#8217;s readings, the good news of Jesus Christ, is that we can return to God in the sacrament of confession. Each of us can repeat Paul&#8217;s wondrous words in this week&#8217;s Epistle: &#8220;The Son of God has loved me and given himself up for me.&#8221; </p> <p>Our faith will save us, as Jesus tells the woman today. Our faith that no matter how many our sins, or how serious, if we come to him in true sorrow and repentance we will hear his words of forgiveness. Like David. Like the woman in the Gospel this Sunday. </p> <p>We hear David&#8217;s heartfelt confession in the First Reading. The Psalmist, too, confesses his sins to God. And we hear our Lord&#8217;s tender words of mercy and pardon in the Gospel.</p> <p>By His word of healing and his promise of peace, He makes it possible for us to join Him at the banquet table of the Eucharist. </p> <p>We can&#8217;t be like the Pharisee in the Gospel. We should never disdain the sinner or doubt the Lord&#8217;s power to convert even the worst of sinners. </p> <p>Instead, we should pledge today to better imitate that sinful woman. In gratitude for the debt we&#8217;ve been forgiven, let us promise to live by faith and for God alone. Like her, let us devote our lives to serving Him with great love.</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/2bsd3oFxnGA" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-06-10T19:34:09+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Many Sins, Great Love Readings: 2 Samuel 12: 7&#8211;10, 13 Psalm 32: 1&#8211;2, 5,7,11 Galatians 2:16, 19&#8211;21 Luke 7:36&#8211;50 In this Sunday&#8217;s readings we are like the fallen king, David, and the woman who weeps at Jesus&#8217;Dr. Scott HahnListen Here! Many Sins, Great Love Readings: 2 Samuel 12: 7&#8211;10, 13 Psalm 32: 1&#8211;2, 5,7,11 Galatians 2:16, 19&#8211;21 Luke 7:36&#8211;50 In this Sunday&#8217;s readings we are like the fallen king, David, and the woman who weeps at Jesus&#8217; feet. Like David, the Lord has rescued us from sin and death, anointed us with His Spirit in baptism and in confirmation. He has made us heirs of His promise to the children of Israel. And like David, and like the woman in the Gospel, we fall into sin. Our crimes may not be as grave as David&#8217;s (see 2 Samuel 11:1&#8211;26) or as &#8220;many&#8221; as that woman&#8217;s (see Luke 7:47). But we often squander the great gift of salvation we&#8217;ve been given. Often we fail to live up to the great calling of being sons and daughters of God. The good news of today&#8217;s readings, the good news of Jesus Christ, is that we can return to God in the sacrament of confession. Each of us can repeat Paul&#8217;s wondrous words in this week&#8217;s Epistle: &#8220;The Son of God has loved me and given himself up for me.&#8221; Our faith will save us, as Jesus tells the woman today. Our faith that no matter how many our sins, or how serious, if we come to him in true sorrow and repentance we will hear his words of forgiveness. Like David. Like the woman in the Gospel this Sunday. We hear David&#8217;s heartfelt confession in the First Reading. The Psalmist, too, confesses his sins to God. And we hear our Lord&#8217;s tender words of mercy and pardon in the Gospel. By His word of healing and his promise of peace, He makes it possible for us to join Him at the banquet table of the Eucharist. We can&#8217;t be like the Pharisee in the Gospel. We should never disdain the sinner or doubt the Lord&#8217;s power to convert even the worst of sinners. Instead, we should pledge today to better imitate that sinful woman. In gratitude for the debt we&#8217;ve been forgiven, let us promise to live by faith and for God alone. Like her, let us devote our lives to serving Him with great love. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/june_16th_2013_-_11th_sunday_in_ordinary_time#When:19:34:09Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/FovEfyzICVA/june_9th_2013_-_10th_sunday_in_ordinary_time http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/june_9th_2013_-_10th_sunday_in_ordinary_time#When:21:26:33Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/10th_Sunday_Year_C.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Restored to Life</p> <p>Readings:<br /> 1 Kings 17:17-24<br /> Psalms 30: 2,4-6,11-13<br /> Gal 1:11-19<br /> Luke 7:11-17 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>Jesus in today&#8217;s Gospel meets a funeral procession coming out of the gates of the town of Nain.&nbsp; Unlike when he raised Jairus&#8217; daughter (Mark 5) or Lazarus (John 11), no one requests his assistance.&nbsp; Moved by compassion for the widow who had lost her only son, Jesus steps forward and, laying his hand on the bier, commands him to arise.<br /> <br /> The onlookers were reminded of the story of Elijah in the first reading who raised the dead child of the widow of Zarephath and &#8220;gave him [back] to his mother.&#8221;&nbsp; They proclaimed that &#8220;a great prophet has arisen in our midst.&#8221;<br /> <br /> Jesus of course is more than a prophet; he is the ruler over life and death.&nbsp; In the Mosaic law, contact with a dead body renders an Israelite unclean for a week (Numbers 19:11-19).&nbsp; Jesus&#8217; touch and word reverses that; instead of being defiled by contact with death, he gave life.<br /> <br /> Like the physical healings that he performed, Jesus&#8217; raising people from the dead is a sign of the Messiah&#8217;s arrival (Luke 7:22).&nbsp; But it is more than that; these healings are visible signs of the awakening and liberating of men from the spiritual death caused by sin (see Mark 2:1-12).<br /> <br /> The Church Fathers return to this theme again and again.&nbsp; St. Ambrose writes, &#8220;the widow signifies Mother Church, weeping for those who are dead in sin and carried beyond the safety of her gates.&nbsp; The multitudes looking on will praise the Lord when sinners rise again from death and are restored to their mother.&#8221;<br /> <br /> When we are dead in sin, it is the outstretched hand and the words of Christ spoken by his priest, that raise us from spiritual death and restore us to the arms of our mother, the Church.&nbsp; With the Psalmist, then, we can sing &#8220;I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.&nbsp; You brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from those going down into the pit.</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/FovEfyzICVA" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-06-03T21:26:33+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Restored to Life Readings: 1 Kings 17:17-24 Psalms 30: 2,4-6,11-13 Gal 1:11-19 Luke 7:11-17 Jesus in today&#8217;s Gospel meets a funeral procession coming out of the gates of the town of Nain.&nbsp; Unlike when he raised Jairus&#8217; daughtDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Restored to Life Readings: 1 Kings 17:17-24 Psalms 30: 2,4-6,11-13 Gal 1:11-19 Luke 7:11-17 Jesus in today&#8217;s Gospel meets a funeral procession coming out of the gates of the town of Nain.&nbsp; Unlike when he raised Jairus&#8217; daughter (Mark 5) or Lazarus (John 11), no one requests his assistance.&nbsp; Moved by compassion for the widow who had lost her only son, Jesus steps forward and, laying his hand on the bier, commands him to arise. The onlookers were reminded of the story of Elijah in the first reading who raised the dead child of the widow of Zarephath and &#8220;gave him [back] to his mother.&#8221;&nbsp; They proclaimed that &#8220;a great prophet has arisen in our midst.&#8221; Jesus of course is more than a prophet; he is the ruler over life and death.&nbsp; In the Mosaic law, contact with a dead body renders an Israelite unclean for a week (Numbers 19:11-19).&nbsp; Jesus&#8217; touch and word reverses that; instead of being defiled by contact with death, he gave life. Like the physical healings that he performed, Jesus&#8217; raising people from the dead is a sign of the Messiah&#8217;s arrival (Luke 7:22).&nbsp; But it is more than that; these healings are visible signs of the awakening and liberating of men from the spiritual death caused by sin (see Mark 2:1-12). The Church Fathers return to this theme again and again.&nbsp; St. Ambrose writes, &#8220;the widow signifies Mother Church, weeping for those who are dead in sin and carried beyond the safety of her gates.&nbsp; The multitudes looking on will praise the Lord when sinners rise again from death and are restored to their mother.&#8221; When we are dead in sin, it is the outstretched hand and the words of Christ spoken by his priest, that raise us from spiritual death and restore us to the arms of our mother, the Church.&nbsp; With the Psalmist, then, we can sing &#8220;I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.&nbsp; You brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from those going down into the pit. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/june_9th_2013_-_10th_sunday_in_ordinary_time#When:21:26:33Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/07w3kAvXPoc/june_2nd_2013_-_the_solemnity_of_the_most_holy_body_blood_of_christ http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/june_2nd_2013_-_the_solemnity_of_the_most_holy_body_blood_of_christ#When:19:09:00Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_Corpus_Christi.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Blessed and Given</p><p> </p> <p>Readings:<br /> Genesis 14:18-20 <br /> Psalm 110:1-4<br /> 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 <br /> Luke 9:11-17 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>At the dawn of salvation history, God revealed our future in figures. That&#8217;s what&#8217;s going on in today&#8217;s First Reading: A king and high priest comes from Jerusalem (see Psalm 76:3), offering bread and wine to celebrate the victory of God&#8217;s beloved servant, Abram, over his foes.</p> <p>By his offering, Melchizedek bestows God&#8217;s blessings on Abram. He is showing us, too, how one day we will receive God&#8217;s blessings and in turn &#8220;bless God&#8221; - how we will give thanks to Him for delivering us from our enemies, sin and death. </p> <p>As Paul recalls in today&#8217;s Epistle, Jesus transformed the sign of bread and wine, making it a sign of His body and blood, through which God bestows upon us the blessings of His &#8220;new covenant.&#8221; </p> <p>Jesus is &#8220;the priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,&#8221; that God, in today&#8217;s Psalm, swears will rule from Zion, the new Jerusalem (see Hebrews 6:20-7:3).</p> <p>By the miracle of loaves and fishes, Jesus in today&#8217;s Gospel, again prefigures the blessings of the Eucharist. </p> <p>Notice that He takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to the Twelve. You find the precise order and words in the Last Supper (see Luke 22:19) and in His celebration of the Eucharist on the first Easter night (see Luke 24:30).</p> <p>The Eucharist fulfills the offering of Melchizedek. It is the daily miracle of the heavenly high priesthood of Jesus</p> <p>It is a priesthood He conferred upon the Apostles in ordering them to feed the crowd, in filling exactly twelve baskets with leftover bread - in commanding them on the night He was handed over: &#8220;Do this in remembrance of Me.&#8221; </p> <p>Through His priests He still feeds us in &#8220;the deserted place&#8221; of our earthly exile. <br /> And by this sign He pledges to us a glory yet to come. For as often as we share in His body and blood. we proclaim His victory over death, until He comes again to make His victory our own. </p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/07w3kAvXPoc" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-05-27T19:09:00+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Blessed and Given Readings: Genesis 14:18-20 Psalm 110:1-4 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Luke 9:11-17 At the dawn of salvation history, God revealed our future in figures. That&#8217;s what&#8217;s going on in today&#8217;s First Reading: A king andDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Blessed and Given Readings: Genesis 14:18-20 Psalm 110:1-4 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Luke 9:11-17 At the dawn of salvation history, God revealed our future in figures. That&#8217;s what&#8217;s going on in today&#8217;s First Reading: A king and high priest comes from Jerusalem (see Psalm 76:3), offering bread and wine to celebrate the victory of God&#8217;s beloved servant, Abram, over his foes. By his offering, Melchizedek bestows God&#8217;s blessings on Abram. He is showing us, too, how one day we will receive God&#8217;s blessings and in turn &#8220;bless God&#8221; - how we will give thanks to Him for delivering us from our enemies, sin and death. As Paul recalls in today&#8217;s Epistle, Jesus transformed the sign of bread and wine, making it a sign of His body and blood, through which God bestows upon us the blessings of His &#8220;new covenant.&#8221; Jesus is &#8220;the priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,&#8221; that God, in today&#8217;s Psalm, swears will rule from Zion, the new Jerusalem (see Hebrews 6:20-7:3). By the miracle of loaves and fishes, Jesus in today&#8217;s Gospel, again prefigures the blessings of the Eucharist. Notice that He takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to the Twelve. You find the precise order and words in the Last Supper (see Luke 22:19) and in His celebration of the Eucharist on the first Easter night (see Luke 24:30). The Eucharist fulfills the offering of Melchizedek. It is the daily miracle of the heavenly high priesthood of Jesus It is a priesthood He conferred upon the Apostles in ordering them to feed the crowd, in filling exactly twelve baskets with leftover bread - in commanding them on the night He was handed over: &#8220;Do this in remembrance of Me.&#8221; Through His priests He still feeds us in &#8220;the deserted place&#8221; of our earthly exile. And by this sign He pledges to us a glory yet to come. For as often as we share in His body and blood. we proclaim His victory over death, until He comes again to make His victory our own. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/june_2nd_2013_-_the_solemnity_of_the_most_holy_body_blood_of_christ#When:19:09:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/2Yjd622XuIQ/may_26th_2013_-_the_most_holy_trinity http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/may_26th_2013_-_the_most_holy_trinity#When:19:03:55Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_Trinity.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Glorious Processions</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Proverbs 8:22-31 <br /> Psalms 8:4-9<br /> Romans 5:1-5 <br /> John 16:12-15 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>In today&#8217;s Liturgy we&#8217;re swept through time in glorious procession - from before earth and sky were set in place to the coming of the Spirit upon the new creation, the Church. </p> <p>We begin in the heart of the Trinity, as we listen to the testimony of Wisdom in today&#8217;s First Reading. Eternally begotten, the first-born of God, He is poured forth from of old in the loving delight of the Father. </p> <p>Through Him, the heavens were established, the foundations of the earth fixed. From before the beginning, He was with the Father as His &#8220;Craftsman,&#8221; the artisan by which all things were made. And He took special delight, He tells us, in the crowning glory of God&#8217;s handiwork - the human race, the &#8220;sons of men.&#8221; </p> <p>In today&#8217;s Psalm, He comes down from heaven, is made a little lower than the angels, comes among us as &#8220;the Son of Man&#8221; (see Hebrews 2:6-10). </p> <p>All things are put under His feet so that He can restore to humanity the glory for which we were made from the beginning, the glory lost by sin. He tasted death that we might be raised to life in the Trinity, that His name might be made glorious over all the earth. </p> <p>Through the Son, we have gained grace and access in the Spirit to the Father, as Paul boasts in today&#8217;s Epistle (see Ephesians 2:18).</p> <p>The Spirit, the Love of God, has been poured out into our hearts - a Spirit of adoption, making us children of the Father once more (see Romans 8:14-16).</p> <p>This is the Spirit that Jesus promises in today&#8217;s Gospel. </p> <p>His Spirit comes as divine gift and anointing (see 1 John 2:27), to guide us to all truth, to show us &#8220;the things that are coming,&#8221; the things that were meant to be from before all ages - that we will find peace and union in God, will share the life of the Trinity, dwell in God as He dwells in us (see John 14:23; 17:21).</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/2Yjd622XuIQ" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-05-20T19:03:55+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Glorious Processions Readings: Proverbs 8:22-31 Psalms 8:4-9 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 In today&#8217;s Liturgy we&#8217;re swept through time in glorious procession - from before earth and sky were set in place to the coming of the Spirit uDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Glorious Processions Readings: Proverbs 8:22-31 Psalms 8:4-9 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 In today&#8217;s Liturgy we&#8217;re swept through time in glorious procession - from before earth and sky were set in place to the coming of the Spirit upon the new creation, the Church. We begin in the heart of the Trinity, as we listen to the testimony of Wisdom in today&#8217;s First Reading. Eternally begotten, the first-born of God, He is poured forth from of old in the loving delight of the Father. Through Him, the heavens were established, the foundations of the earth fixed. From before the beginning, He was with the Father as His &#8220;Craftsman,&#8221; the artisan by which all things were made. And He took special delight, He tells us, in the crowning glory of God&#8217;s handiwork - the human race, the &#8220;sons of men.&#8221; In today&#8217;s Psalm, He comes down from heaven, is made a little lower than the angels, comes among us as &#8220;the Son of Man&#8221; (see Hebrews 2:6-10). All things are put under His feet so that He can restore to humanity the glory for which we were made from the beginning, the glory lost by sin. He tasted death that we might be raised to life in the Trinity, that His name might be made glorious over all the earth. Through the Son, we have gained grace and access in the Spirit to the Father, as Paul boasts in today&#8217;s Epistle (see Ephesians 2:18). The Spirit, the Love of God, has been poured out into our hearts - a Spirit of adoption, making us children of the Father once more (see Romans 8:14-16). This is the Spirit that Jesus promises in today&#8217;s Gospel. His Spirit comes as divine gift and anointing (see 1 John 2:27), to guide us to all truth, to show us &#8220;the things that are coming,&#8221; the things that were meant to be from before all ages - that we will find peace and union in God, will share the life of the Trinity, dwell in God as He dwells in us (see John 14:23; 17:21). &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/may_26th_2013_-_the_most_holy_trinity#When:19:03:55Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/-ECbwyJlfQ8/may_19th_2013_-_pentecost_sunday http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/may_19th_2013_-_pentecost_sunday#When:17:34:59Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_Pentecost.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">A Mighty Wind</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Acts 2:1-11 <br /> Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34<br /> 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13 <br /> John 20:19-23 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>The giving of the Spirit to the new people of God crowns the mighty acts of the Father in salvation history. </p> <p>The Jewish feast of Pentecost called all devout Jews to Jerusalem to celebrate their birth as God&#8217;s chosen people, in the covenant Law given to Moses at Sinai (see Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-11).</p> <p>In today&#8217;s First Reading the mysteries prefigured in that feast are fulfilled in the pouring out of the Spirit on Mary and the Apostles (see Acts 1:14). </p> <p>The Spirit seals the new law and new covenant brought by Jesus, written not on stone tablets but on the hearts of believers, as the prophets promised (see 2 Corinthians 3:2-8; Romans 8:2). </p> <p>The Spirit is revealed as the life-giving breath of the Father, the Wisdom by which He made all things, as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm. In the beginning, the Spirit came as a &#8220;mighty wind&#8221; sweeping over the face of the earth (see Genesis 1:2). And in the new creation of Pentecost, the Spirit again comes as &#8220;a strong, driving wind&#8221; to renew the face of the earth. </p> <p>As God fashioned the first man out of dust and filled him with His Spirit (see Genesis 2:7), in today&#8217;s Gospel we see the New Adam become a life-giving Spirit, breathing new life into the Apostles (see 1 Corinthians 15:45,47). </p> <p>Like a river of living water, for all ages He will pour out His Spirit on His body, the Church, as we hear in today&#8217;s Epistle (see also John 7:37-39). </p> <p>We receive that Spirit in the sacraments, being made a &#8220;new creation&#8221; in Baptism (see 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). Drinking of the one Spirit in the Eucharist (see 1 Corinthians 10:4), we are the first fruits of a new humanity - fashioned from out of every nation under heaven, with no distinctions of wealth or language or race, a people born of the Spirit.</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/-ECbwyJlfQ8" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-05-13T17:34:59+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! A Mighty Wind Readings: Acts 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13 John 20:19-23 The giving of the Spirit to the new people of God crowns the mighty acts of the Father in salvation history. The Jewish feast of Pentecost caDr. Scott HahnListen Here! A Mighty Wind Readings: Acts 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13 John 20:19-23 The giving of the Spirit to the new people of God crowns the mighty acts of the Father in salvation history. The Jewish feast of Pentecost called all devout Jews to Jerusalem to celebrate their birth as God&#8217;s chosen people, in the covenant Law given to Moses at Sinai (see Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-11). In today&#8217;s First Reading the mysteries prefigured in that feast are fulfilled in the pouring out of the Spirit on Mary and the Apostles (see Acts 1:14). The Spirit seals the new law and new covenant brought by Jesus, written not on stone tablets but on the hearts of believers, as the prophets promised (see 2 Corinthians 3:2-8; Romans 8:2). The Spirit is revealed as the life-giving breath of the Father, the Wisdom by which He made all things, as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm. In the beginning, the Spirit came as a &#8220;mighty wind&#8221; sweeping over the face of the earth (see Genesis 1:2). And in the new creation of Pentecost, the Spirit again comes as &#8220;a strong, driving wind&#8221; to renew the face of the earth. As God fashioned the first man out of dust and filled him with His Spirit (see Genesis 2:7), in today&#8217;s Gospel we see the New Adam become a life-giving Spirit, breathing new life into the Apostles (see 1 Corinthians 15:45,47). Like a river of living water, for all ages He will pour out His Spirit on His body, the Church, as we hear in today&#8217;s Epistle (see also John 7:37-39). We receive that Spirit in the sacraments, being made a &#8220;new creation&#8221; in Baptism (see 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). Drinking of the one Spirit in the Eucharist (see 1 Corinthians 10:4), we are the first fruits of a new humanity - fashioned from out of every nation under heaven, with no distinctions of wealth or language or race, a people born of the Spirit. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/may_19th_2013_-_pentecost_sunday#When:17:34:59Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/h1suZZL1lA8/may_12th_2013_-_7th_sunday_of_easter http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/may_12th_2013_-_7th_sunday_of_easter#When:19:27:57Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_7_Easter.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Perfection as One</p><p> </p> <p>Readings:<br /> Acts 7:55-60 <br /> Psalms 97:1-2, 6-7, 9<br /> Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20<br /> John 17:20-26 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p><i>**Please Note: The Reflection for the Ascension of the Lord will be posted on Wednesday.**</i></p> <p>Jesus is praying for us in today&#8217;s Gospel. We are those who have come to believe in Him through the Word of the Apostles, handed on in His Church. </p> <p>Jesus showed the Apostles His glory, made known the Father&#8217;s name, and the love He has had for us from &#8220;before the foundation of the world.&#8221; </p> <p>He revealed that He and the Father are one (see John 14:9).</p> <p>Jesus is the &#8220;first and the last&#8221; (see Isaiah 44:6), the root of David (see Isaiah 11:10; 2 Samuel 7:12), as today&#8217;s Second Reading declares.</p> <p>Wrapped in clouds and darkness as God was at Sinai (see Exodus 19:16), He is &#8220;the king&#8230;the Most High over all the earth,&#8221; as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm. </p> <p>Exalted at God&#8217;s right hand, as Stephen sees in the First Reading, the Lord calls to us through the Church, His Bride. </p> <p>He calls us to &#8220;the tree of life,&#8221; to communion with God. This is the goal of His love, His saving purpose from all eternity - that each of us enter into the life of Blessed Trinity, be &#8220;brought to perfection as one&#8221; with the Father and Son in the Spirit. </p> <p>The story of Stephen, the first martyr, shows us how we are to answer His call. </p> <p>Listen for the echoes of the crucifixion: Stephen, like Jesus, sees the Son of Man in glory and dies with words of forgiveness and self-offering on his lips (compare Acts 7:56-60; Matthew 26:64-65; Luke 23:24,46).</p> <p>We, too, are to commend our spirits to the Father, to pray and offer our lives in love for our brethren, awaiting His coming in judgment. We renew our vows in every Mass, coming forward to receive the gift of His life. </p> <p>We answer His call by crying out a call of our own: &#8220;Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!&#8221; </p> <p>And in our communion we answer our Lord&#8217;s prayer: &#8220;That they may all be one, as You, Father are in Me and I in You.&#8221;</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/h1suZZL1lA8" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-05-06T19:27:57+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Perfection as One Readings: Acts 7:55-60 Psalms 97:1-2, 6-7, 9 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 John 17:20-26 **Please Note: The Reflection for the Ascension of the Lord will be posted on Wednesday.** Jesus is praying for us in today&#8217;s GoDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Perfection as One Readings: Acts 7:55-60 Psalms 97:1-2, 6-7, 9 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20 John 17:20-26 **Please Note: The Reflection for the Ascension of the Lord will be posted on Wednesday.** Jesus is praying for us in today&#8217;s Gospel. We are those who have come to believe in Him through the Word of the Apostles, handed on in His Church. Jesus showed the Apostles His glory, made known the Father&#8217;s name, and the love He has had for us from &#8220;before the foundation of the world.&#8221; He revealed that He and the Father are one (see John 14:9). Jesus is the &#8220;first and the last&#8221; (see Isaiah 44:6), the root of David (see Isaiah 11:10; 2 Samuel 7:12), as today&#8217;s Second Reading declares. Wrapped in clouds and darkness as God was at Sinai (see Exodus 19:16), He is &#8220;the king&#8230;the Most High over all the earth,&#8221; as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm. Exalted at God&#8217;s right hand, as Stephen sees in the First Reading, the Lord calls to us through the Church, His Bride. He calls us to &#8220;the tree of life,&#8221; to communion with God. This is the goal of His love, His saving purpose from all eternity - that each of us enter into the life of Blessed Trinity, be &#8220;brought to perfection as one&#8221; with the Father and Son in the Spirit. The story of Stephen, the first martyr, shows us how we are to answer His call. Listen for the echoes of the crucifixion: Stephen, like Jesus, sees the Son of Man in glory and dies with words of forgiveness and self-offering on his lips (compare Acts 7:56-60; Matthew 26:64-65; Luke 23:24,46). We, too, are to commend our spirits to the Father, to pray and offer our lives in love for our brethren, awaiting His coming in judgment. We renew our vows in every Mass, coming forward to receive the gift of His life. We answer His call by crying out a call of our own: &#8220;Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!&#8221; And in our communion we answer our Lord&#8217;s prayer: &#8220;That they may all be one, as You, Father are in Me and I in You.&#8221; &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/may_12th_2013_-_7th_sunday_of_easter#When:19:27:57Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/dgS6uUVo9A8/may_5th_2013_-_6th_sunday_of_easter http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/may_5th_2013_-_6th_sunday_of_easter#When:19:07:37Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_6_Easter.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Council of Jerusalem </p> <p>Readings:<br /> Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 <br /> Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8<br /> Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 <br /> John 14:23-29 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>The first Church council, the Council of Jerusalem we hear about in today&#8217;s First Reading, decided the shape of the Church as we know it. </p> <p>Some Jewish Christians had wanted Gentile converts to be circumcised and obey all the complex ritual and purity laws of the Jews. </p> <p>The council called this a heresy, again showing us that the Church in the divine plan is meant to be a worldwide family of God, no longer a covenant with just one nation.</p> <p>Today&#8217;s Liturgy gives us a profound meditation on the nature and meaning of the Church. </p> <p>The Church is One, as we see in the First Reading: &#8220;the Apostles [bishops] and presbyters [priests], in agreement with the whole Church [laity].&#8221;</p> <p>The Church is Holy, taught and guided by the Spirit that Jesus promises the Apostles in the Gospel. </p> <p>The Church is Catholic, or universal, making known God&#8217;s ways of salvation to all peoples, ruling all in equity, as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm. </p> <p>And the Church, as John sees in the Second Reading, is Apostolic - founded on the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. </p> <p>All these marks of the Church are underscored in the story of the council. </p> <p>Notice that everybody, including Paul, looks to &#8220;Jerusalem [and] ...the Apostles&#8221; to decide the Church&#8217;s true teaching. The Apostles, too, presume that Christian teachers need a &#8220;mandate from us.&#8221;</p> <p>And we see the Spirit guiding the Apostles in all truth. Notice how they describe their ruling: &#8220;It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us.&#8221;</p> <p>Knowing these truths about the Church, our hearts should never be troubled. The Liturgy&#8217;s message today is that the Church is the Lord&#8217;s, watched over and guarded by the Advocate, the Holy Spirit sent by the Father in the name of the Son. </p> <p>This should fill us with confidence, free us to worship with exultation, inspire us to rededicate our lives to His Name - to love Jesus in our keeping of His Word, to rejoice that He and the Father in the Spirit have made their dwelling with us.</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/dgS6uUVo9A8" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-04-29T19:07:37+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Council of Jerusalem Readings: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8 Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 John 14:23-29 The first Church council, the Council of Jerusalem we hear about in today&#8217;s First Reading, decided the shape of the Church aDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Council of Jerusalem Readings: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8 Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 John 14:23-29 The first Church council, the Council of Jerusalem we hear about in today&#8217;s First Reading, decided the shape of the Church as we know it. Some Jewish Christians had wanted Gentile converts to be circumcised and obey all the complex ritual and purity laws of the Jews. The council called this a heresy, again showing us that the Church in the divine plan is meant to be a worldwide family of God, no longer a covenant with just one nation. Today&#8217;s Liturgy gives us a profound meditation on the nature and meaning of the Church. The Church is One, as we see in the First Reading: &#8220;the Apostles [bishops] and presbyters [priests], in agreement with the whole Church [laity].&#8221; The Church is Holy, taught and guided by the Spirit that Jesus promises the Apostles in the Gospel. The Church is Catholic, or universal, making known God&#8217;s ways of salvation to all peoples, ruling all in equity, as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm. And the Church, as John sees in the Second Reading, is Apostolic - founded on the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. All these marks of the Church are underscored in the story of the council. Notice that everybody, including Paul, looks to &#8220;Jerusalem [and] ...the Apostles&#8221; to decide the Church&#8217;s true teaching. The Apostles, too, presume that Christian teachers need a &#8220;mandate from us.&#8221; And we see the Spirit guiding the Apostles in all truth. Notice how they describe their ruling: &#8220;It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us.&#8221; Knowing these truths about the Church, our hearts should never be troubled. The Liturgy&#8217;s message today is that the Church is the Lord&#8217;s, watched over and guarded by the Advocate, the Holy Spirit sent by the Father in the name of the Son. This should fill us with confidence, free us to worship with exultation, inspire us to rededicate our lives to His Name - to love Jesus in our keeping of His Word, to rejoice that He and the Father in the Spirit have made their dwelling with us. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/may_5th_2013_-_6th_sunday_of_easter#When:19:07:37Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/PRiwDGPxEFw/april_28th_2013_-_5th_sunday_of_easter http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/april_28th_2013_-_5th_sunday_of_easter#When:21:02:21Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_5_Easter.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">New For All Ages</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Acts 14:21-27 <br /> Psalm 145:8-13<br /> Revelation 21:1-5 <br /> John 13:31-35 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>By God&#8217;s goodness and compassion, the doors of His kingdom have been opened to all who have faith, Jew or Gentile. </p> <p>That&#8217;s the good news Paul and Barnabas proclaim in today&#8217;s First Reading. With the coming of the Church - the new Jerusalem John sees in today&#8217;s Second Reading - God is &#8220;making all things new.&#8221; </p> <p>In His Church, the &#8220;old order&#8221; of death is passing away and God for all time is making His dwelling with the human race, so that all peoples &#8220;will be His people and God Himself will always be with them.&#8221; In this the promises made through His prophets are accomplished (see Ezekiel 37:27; Isaiah 25:8; 35:10).</p> <p>The Church is &#8220;the kingdom for all ages&#8221; that we sing of in today&#8217;s Psalm. That&#8217;s why we see the Apostles, under the guidance of the Spirit, ordaining &#8220;presbyters&#8221; or priests (see 1 Timothy 4:14; Titus 1:5). </p> <p>Anointed priests and bishops will be the Apostles&#8217; successors, ensuring that the Church&#8217;s &#8220;dominion endures through all generations&#8221; (see Philippians 1:1, note that the New American Bible translates episcopois, the Greek word for bishops, as &#8220;overseers&#8221;). </p> <p>Until the end of time, the Church will declare to the world God&#8217;s mighty deeds, blessing His holy name and giving Him thanks, singing of the glories of His kingdom. </p> <p>In His Church, we know ourselves as His &#8220;faithful ones,&#8221; as those Jesus calls &#8220;My little children&#8221; in today&#8217;s Gospel. We live by the new law, the &#8220;new commandment&#8221; that He gave in His final hours.</p> <p>The love He commands of us is no human love but a supernatural love. We love each other as Jesus loved us in suffering and dying for us. We love in imitation of His love. </p> <p>This kind of love is only made possible by the Spirit poured into our hearts at Baptism (see Romans 5:5), renewed in the sacrifice His priests offer in every Mass. </p> <p>By our love we glorify the Father. And by our love all peoples will know that we are His people, that He is our God.</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/PRiwDGPxEFw" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-04-22T21:02:21+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! New For All Ages Readings: Acts 14:21-27 Psalm 145:8-13 Revelation 21:1-5 John 13:31-35 By God&#8217;s goodness and compassion, the doors of His kingdom have been opened to all who have faith, Jew or Gentile. That&#8217;s the good news Paul aDr. Scott HahnListen Here! New For All Ages Readings: Acts 14:21-27 Psalm 145:8-13 Revelation 21:1-5 John 13:31-35 By God&#8217;s goodness and compassion, the doors of His kingdom have been opened to all who have faith, Jew or Gentile. That&#8217;s the good news Paul and Barnabas proclaim in today&#8217;s First Reading. With the coming of the Church - the new Jerusalem John sees in today&#8217;s Second Reading - God is &#8220;making all things new.&#8221; In His Church, the &#8220;old order&#8221; of death is passing away and God for all time is making His dwelling with the human race, so that all peoples &#8220;will be His people and God Himself will always be with them.&#8221; In this the promises made through His prophets are accomplished (see Ezekiel 37:27; Isaiah 25:8; 35:10). The Church is &#8220;the kingdom for all ages&#8221; that we sing of in today&#8217;s Psalm. That&#8217;s why we see the Apostles, under the guidance of the Spirit, ordaining &#8220;presbyters&#8221; or priests (see 1 Timothy 4:14; Titus 1:5). Anointed priests and bishops will be the Apostles&#8217; successors, ensuring that the Church&#8217;s &#8220;dominion endures through all generations&#8221; (see Philippians 1:1, note that the New American Bible translates episcopois, the Greek word for bishops, as &#8220;overseers&#8221;). Until the end of time, the Church will declare to the world God&#8217;s mighty deeds, blessing His holy name and giving Him thanks, singing of the glories of His kingdom. In His Church, we know ourselves as His &#8220;faithful ones,&#8221; as those Jesus calls &#8220;My little children&#8221; in today&#8217;s Gospel. We live by the new law, the &#8220;new commandment&#8221; that He gave in His final hours. The love He commands of us is no human love but a supernatural love. We love each other as Jesus loved us in suffering and dying for us. We love in imitation of His love. This kind of love is only made possible by the Spirit poured into our hearts at Baptism (see Romans 5:5), renewed in the sacrifice His priests offer in every Mass. By our love we glorify the Father. And by our love all peoples will know that we are His people, that He is our God. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/april_28th_2013_-_5th_sunday_of_easter#When:21:02:21Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/21rBqplNNKw/april_21st_2013_-_4th_sunday_in_easter http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/april_21st_2013_-_4th_sunday_in_easter#When:18:27:01Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_4_Easter.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Shepherd and the Lamb</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Acts 13:14, 43-52 <br /> Psalm 100:1-3, 5&#8232;<br /> Revelation 7:9,14-17 &#8232;<br /> John 10:27-30&#8232; </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>Israel&#8217;s mission - to be God&#8217;s instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth (see Isaiah 49:6) - is fulfilled in the Church. </p> <p>By the &#8220;Word of God&#8221; that Paul and Barnabas preach in today&#8217;s First Reading, a new covenant people is being born, a people who glorify the God of Israel as the Father of them all. </p> <p>The Church for all generations remains faithful to the grace of God given to the Apostles, continues their saving work. </p> <p>Through the Church, the peoples of every land hear the Shepherd&#8217;s voice, and follow Him (see Luke 10:16). <br /> The Good Shepherd of today&#8217;s Gospel is the enthroned Lamb of today&#8217;s Second Reading. &#8232;In laying down His life for His flock, the Lamb brought to pass a new Passover (see 1 Corinthians 5:7), by His blood freeing &#8220;every nation, race, people and tongue&#8221; from bondage to sin and death. </p> <p>The Church is the &#8220;great multitude&#8221; John sees in his vision today. God swore to Abraham his descendants would be too numerous to count. And in the Church, as John sees, this promise is fulfilled (compare Revelation 7:9; Genesis 15:5). </p> <p>The Lamb rules from the throne of God, sheltering His flock, feeding their hunger with His own Body and Blood, leading them to &#8220;springs of life-giving waters&#8221; that well up to eternal life (see John 4:14). <br /> The Lamb is the eternal Shepherd-King, the son of David foretold by the prophets. His Church is the Kingdom of all Israel that the prophets said would be restored in an everlasting covenant (see Ezekiel 34:23-31; 37:23-28). </p> <p>It is not a kingdom any tribe or nation can jealously claim as theirs alone. The Shepherd&#8217;s Word to Israel is addressed now to all lands, calling all to worship and bless His name in the heavenly Temple. </p> <p>This is the delight of the Gentiles - that we can sing the song that once only Israel could sing, today&#8217;s joyful Psalm: &#8220;He made us, His we are - His people, the flock He tends.&#8221; </p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/21rBqplNNKw" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-04-15T18:27:01+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Shepherd and the Lamb Readings: Acts 13:14, 43-52 Psalm 100:1-3, 5&#8232; Revelation 7:9,14-17 &#8232; John 10:27-30&#8232; Israel&#8217;s mission - to be God&#8217;s instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth (see Isaiah 49:6) - is fulDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Shepherd and the Lamb Readings: Acts 13:14, 43-52 Psalm 100:1-3, 5&#8232; Revelation 7:9,14-17 &#8232; John 10:27-30&#8232; Israel&#8217;s mission - to be God&#8217;s instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth (see Isaiah 49:6) - is fulfilled in the Church. By the &#8220;Word of God&#8221; that Paul and Barnabas preach in today&#8217;s First Reading, a new covenant people is being born, a people who glorify the God of Israel as the Father of them all. The Church for all generations remains faithful to the grace of God given to the Apostles, continues their saving work. Through the Church, the peoples of every land hear the Shepherd&#8217;s voice, and follow Him (see Luke 10:16). The Good Shepherd of today&#8217;s Gospel is the enthroned Lamb of today&#8217;s Second Reading. &#8232;In laying down His life for His flock, the Lamb brought to pass a new Passover (see 1 Corinthians 5:7), by His blood freeing &#8220;every nation, race, people and tongue&#8221; from bondage to sin and death. The Church is the &#8220;great multitude&#8221; John sees in his vision today. God swore to Abraham his descendants would be too numerous to count. And in the Church, as John sees, this promise is fulfilled (compare Revelation 7:9; Genesis 15:5). The Lamb rules from the throne of God, sheltering His flock, feeding their hunger with His own Body and Blood, leading them to &#8220;springs of life-giving waters&#8221; that well up to eternal life (see John 4:14). The Lamb is the eternal Shepherd-King, the son of David foretold by the prophets. His Church is the Kingdom of all Israel that the prophets said would be restored in an everlasting covenant (see Ezekiel 34:23-31; 37:23-28). It is not a kingdom any tribe or nation can jealously claim as theirs alone. The Shepherd&#8217;s Word to Israel is addressed now to all lands, calling all to worship and bless His name in the heavenly Temple. This is the delight of the Gentiles - that we can sing the song that once only Israel could sing, today&#8217;s joyful Psalm: &#8220;He made us, His we are - His people, the flock He tends.&#8221; &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/april_21st_2013_-_4th_sunday_in_easter#When:18:27:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/mAj0Pq2wpr8/april_14th_2013_-_3rd_sunday_in_easter http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/april_14th_2013_-_3rd_sunday_in_easter#When:19:11:24Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_3_Easter.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Fire of Love</p><p> </p> <p>Readings:<br /> Acts 5:27-32,40-41<br /> Psalm 30:2,4-6,11-13<br /> Revelation 5:11-14<br /> John 21:1-19 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>There are two places in Scripture where the curious detail of a &#8220;charcoal fire&#8221; is mentioned. <br /> One is in today&#8217;s Gospel, where the Apostles return from fishing to find bread and fish warming on the fire. </p> <p>The other is in the scene in the High Priest&#8217;s courtyard on Holy Thursday, where Peter and some guards and slaves warm themselves while Jesus is being interrogated inside (see John 18:18). </p> <p>At the first fire, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, as Jesus had predicted (see John 13:38; 18:15-18, 25-27). </p> <p>Today&#8217;s charcoal fire becomes the scene of Peter&#8217;s repentance, as three times Jesus asks him to make a profession of love. Jesus&#8217;&nbsp; thrice repeated command &#8220;feed My sheep&#8221; shows that Peter is being appointed as the shepherd of the Lord&#8217;s entire flock, the head of His Church (see also Luke 22:32).</p> <p>Jesus&#8217; question: &#8220;Do you love me more than these?&#8221; is a pointed reminder of Peter&#8217;s pledge to lay down his life for Jesus, even if the other Apostles might weaken (see John 13:37; Matthew 26:33; Luke 22:33). </p> <p>Jesus then explains just what Peter&#8217;s love and leadership will require, foretelling Peter&#8217;s death by crucifixion (&#8220;you will stretch out your hands&#8221;).</p> <p>Before His own death, Jesus had warned the Apostles that they would be hated as He was hated, that they would suffer as He suffered (see Matthew 10:16-19,22; John 15:18-20; 16:2).<br /> We see the beginnings of that persecution in today&#8217;s First Reading. Flogged as Jesus was, the Apostles nonetheless leave &#8220;rejoicing that they have been found worthy to suffer.&#8221; </p> <p>Their joy is based on their faith that God will change their &#8220;mourning into dancing,&#8221; as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm. By their sufferings, the know, they will be counted worthy to stand in heaven before &#8220;the Lamb that was slain,&#8221; a scene glimpsed in today&#8217;s Second Reading (see also Revelation 6:9-11).</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/mAj0Pq2wpr8" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-04-08T19:11:24+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Fire of Love Readings: Acts 5:27-32,40-41 Psalm 30:2,4-6,11-13 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1-19 There are two places in Scripture where the curious detail of a &#8220;charcoal fire&#8221; is mentioned. One is in today&#8217;s Gospel, where theDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Fire of Love Readings: Acts 5:27-32,40-41 Psalm 30:2,4-6,11-13 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1-19 There are two places in Scripture where the curious detail of a &#8220;charcoal fire&#8221; is mentioned. One is in today&#8217;s Gospel, where the Apostles return from fishing to find bread and fish warming on the fire. The other is in the scene in the High Priest&#8217;s courtyard on Holy Thursday, where Peter and some guards and slaves warm themselves while Jesus is being interrogated inside (see John 18:18). At the first fire, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, as Jesus had predicted (see John 13:38; 18:15-18, 25-27). Today&#8217;s charcoal fire becomes the scene of Peter&#8217;s repentance, as three times Jesus asks him to make a profession of love. Jesus&#8217;&nbsp; thrice repeated command &#8220;feed My sheep&#8221; shows that Peter is being appointed as the shepherd of the Lord&#8217;s entire flock, the head of His Church (see also Luke 22:32). Jesus&#8217; question: &#8220;Do you love me more than these?&#8221; is a pointed reminder of Peter&#8217;s pledge to lay down his life for Jesus, even if the other Apostles might weaken (see John 13:37; Matthew 26:33; Luke 22:33). Jesus then explains just what Peter&#8217;s love and leadership will require, foretelling Peter&#8217;s death by crucifixion (&#8220;you will stretch out your hands&#8221;). Before His own death, Jesus had warned the Apostles that they would be hated as He was hated, that they would suffer as He suffered (see Matthew 10:16-19,22; John 15:18-20; 16:2). We see the beginnings of that persecution in today&#8217;s First Reading. Flogged as Jesus was, the Apostles nonetheless leave &#8220;rejoicing that they have been found worthy to suffer.&#8221; Their joy is based on their faith that God will change their &#8220;mourning into dancing,&#8221; as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm. By their sufferings, the know, they will be counted worthy to stand in heaven before &#8220;the Lamb that was slain,&#8221; a scene glimpsed in today&#8217;s Second Reading (see also Revelation 6:9-11). &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/april_14th_2013_-_3rd_sunday_in_easter#When:19:11:24Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/Jf0J7Js8il4/april_6th_2013_-_divine_mercy http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/april_6th_2013_-_divine_mercy#When:14:57:56Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/Divine_Mercy.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Breath of New Life</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Acts 5:12-16 <br /> Psalm 118:2-4,13-15, 22-24<br /> Revelation 1:9-13,17-19 <br /> John 20:19-31 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>The prophet Daniel in a vision saw &#8220;One like the Son of Man&#8221; receive everlasting kingship (see Daniel 7:9-14). John is taken to heaven in today&#8217;s Second Reading where He sees Daniel&#8217;s prophecy fulfilled in Jesus, who appears as &#8220;One like a Son of Man.&#8221; </p> <p>Jesus is clad in the robe of a High Priest (see Exodus 28:4; Wisdom 18:24) and wearing the gold sash of a King (see 1 Maccabees 10:89). He has been exalted by the right hand of the Lord, as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm. </p> <p>His risen body, which the Apostles touch in today&#8217;s Gospel, has been made a life-giving Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 15:45). </p> <p>As the Father anointed Him with the Spirit and power (see Acts 10:38), Jesus pours out that Spirit on the Apostles, sending them into the world &#8220;as the Father has sent Me.&#8221; </p> <p>Jesus &#8220;breathes&#8221; the Spirit of His divine life into the Apostles - as God blew the &#8220;breath of life&#8221; into Adam (see Genesis 2:7), as Elijah&#8217;s prayer returned &#8220;the life breath&#8221; to the dead child (see 1 Kings 17:21-23), and as the Spirit breathed new life into the slain in the valley of bones (see Ezekiel 37:9-10).</p> <p>His creative breath unites the Apostles - His Church - to His body, and empowers them to breathe His life into a dying world, to make it a new creation. </p> <p>In today&#8217;s Gospel and First Reading, we see the Apostles fulfilling this mission, with powers only God possesses - the power to forgive sins and to work &#8220;signs and wonders,&#8221; a biblical expression only used to describe the mighty works of God (see Exodus 7:3; 11:10; Acts 7:36). </p> <p>Thomas and the others saw &#8220;many other signs&#8221; after Jesus was raised from the dead. They saw and they believed. </p> <p>They have been given His life, which continues in the Church&#8217;s Word and sacraments, so that we who have not seen might inherit His blessings, and &#8220;have life in His name.&#8221;</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/Jf0J7Js8il4" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-04-01T14:57:56+00:00 Dr. Scott Hahnhttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/april_6th_2013_-_divine_mercy#When:14:57:56Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/K3rfb9DOJBI/march_31st_2013_-_easter_sunday http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_31st_2013_-_easter_sunday#When:19:02:17Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_Easter.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">They Saw and Believed</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Acts 10:34, 37-43 <br /> Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23<br /> Colossians 3:1-4 <br /> John 20:1-9 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>Jesus is nowhere visible. Yet today&#8217;s Gospel tells us that Peter and John &#8220;saw and believed.&#8221;</p> <p>What did they see? Burial shrouds lying on the floor of an empty tomb. Maybe that convinced them that He hadn&#8217;t been carted off by grave robbers, who usually stole the expensive burial linens and left the corpses behind. </p> <p>But notice the repetition of the word &#8220;tomb&#8221; - seven times in nine verses. They saw the empty tomb and they believed what He had promised: that God would raise Him on the third day.</p> <p>Chosen to be His &#8220;witnesses,&#8221; today&#8217;s First Reading tells us, the Apostles were &#8220;commissioned&#8230;to preach&#8230;and testify&#8221; to all that they had seen - from His anointing with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan to the empty tomb. </p> <p>More than their own experience, they were instructed in the mysteries of the divine economy, God&#8217;s saving plan - to know how &#8220;all the prophets bear witness&#8221; to Him (see Luke 24:27,44). </p> <p>Now they could &#8220;understand the Scripture,&#8221; could teach us what He had told them - that He was &#8220;the Stone which the builders rejected,&#8221; that today&#8217;s Psalm prophesies His Resurrection and exaltation (see Luke 20:17; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11).</p> <p>We are the children of the apostolic witnesses. That is why we still gather early in the morning on the first day of every week to celebrate this feast of the empty tomb, give thanks for &#8220;Christ our life,&#8221; as today&#8217;s Epistle calls Him.</p> <p>Baptized into His death and Resurrection, we live the heavenly life of the risen Christ, our lives &#8220;hidden with Christ in God.&#8221; We are now His witnesses, too. But we testify to things we cannot see but only believe; we seek in earthly things what is above. </p> <p>We live in memory of the Apostles&#8217; witness, like them eating and drinking with the risen Lord at the altar. And we wait in hope for what the Apostles told us would come - the day when we too &#8220;will appear with Him in glory.&#8221; </p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/K3rfb9DOJBI" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-03-25T19:02:17+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! They Saw and Believed Readings: Acts 10:34, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-9 Jesus is nowhere visible. Yet today&#8217;s Gospel tells us that Peter and John &#8220;saw and believed.&#8221; What did they see? BuriDr. Scott HahnListen Here! They Saw and Believed Readings: Acts 10:34, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-9 Jesus is nowhere visible. Yet today&#8217;s Gospel tells us that Peter and John &#8220;saw and believed.&#8221; What did they see? Burial shrouds lying on the floor of an empty tomb. Maybe that convinced them that He hadn&#8217;t been carted off by grave robbers, who usually stole the expensive burial linens and left the corpses behind. But notice the repetition of the word &#8220;tomb&#8221; - seven times in nine verses. They saw the empty tomb and they believed what He had promised: that God would raise Him on the third day. Chosen to be His &#8220;witnesses,&#8221; today&#8217;s First Reading tells us, the Apostles were &#8220;commissioned&#8230;to preach&#8230;and testify&#8221; to all that they had seen - from His anointing with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan to the empty tomb. More than their own experience, they were instructed in the mysteries of the divine economy, God&#8217;s saving plan - to know how &#8220;all the prophets bear witness&#8221; to Him (see Luke 24:27,44). Now they could &#8220;understand the Scripture,&#8221; could teach us what He had told them - that He was &#8220;the Stone which the builders rejected,&#8221; that today&#8217;s Psalm prophesies His Resurrection and exaltation (see Luke 20:17; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11). We are the children of the apostolic witnesses. That is why we still gather early in the morning on the first day of every week to celebrate this feast of the empty tomb, give thanks for &#8220;Christ our life,&#8221; as today&#8217;s Epistle calls Him. Baptized into His death and Resurrection, we live the heavenly life of the risen Christ, our lives &#8220;hidden with Christ in God.&#8221; We are now His witnesses, too. But we testify to things we cannot see but only believe; we seek in earthly things what is above. We live in memory of the Apostles&#8217; witness, like them eating and drinking with the risen Lord at the altar. And we wait in hope for what the Apostles told us would come - the day when we too &#8220;will appear with Him in glory.&#8221; &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_31st_2013_-_easter_sunday#When:19:02:17Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/JgB7O_pZ75I/march_24th_2013_-_passion_of_the_christ http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_24th_2013_-_passion_of_the_christ#When:19:11:36Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_Passion.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Passion Sunday</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Isaiah 50:4-7<br /> Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24<br /> Philippians 2:6-11<br /> Luke 22:14-23:56 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>What is written about Me is coming to fulfillment,&#8221; Jesus says in today&#8217;s Gospel (see Luke 22:37). </p> <p>Indeed, we have reached the climax of the liturgical year, the highest peak of salvation history, when all that has been anticipated and promised is to be fulfilled. </p> <p>By the close of today&#8217;s long Gospel, the work of our redemption will have been accomplished, the new covenant will be written in the blood of His broken body hanging on the cross at the place called the Skull. </p> <p>In His Passion, Jesus is &#8220;counted among the wicked,&#8221; as Isaiah had foretold (see Isaiah 53:12). He is revealed definitively as the Suffering Servant the prophet announced, the long-awaited Messiah whose words of obedience and faith ring out in today&#8217;s First Reading and Psalm. </p> <p>The taunts and torments we hear in these two readings punctuate the Gospel as Jesus is beaten and mocked (see Luke 22:63-65; 23:10-11,16), as His hands and feet are pierced (see Luke 23:33), as enemies gamble for His clothes ( see Luke 23:34), and as three times they dare Him to prove His divinity by saving Himself from suffering (see Luke 23:35,37,39) </p> <p>He remains faithful to God&#8217;s will to the end, does not turn back in His trial. He gives Himself freely to His torturers, confident that, as He speaks in today&#8217;s First Reading: &#8220;The Lord God is My help&#8230;I shall not be put to shame.&#8221;</p> <p>Destined to sin and death as children of Adam&#8217;s disobedience, we have been set free for holiness and life by Christ&#8217;s perfect obedience to the Father&#8217;s will (see Romans 5:12-14,17-19; Ephesians 2:2; 5:6).</p> <p>This is why God greatly exalted Him. This is why we have salvation in His Name. Following His example of humble obedience in the trials and crosses of our lives, we know we will never be forsaken, that one day we too will be with Him in Paradise (see Luke 23:42). Seeing and Believing </p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/JgB7O_pZ75I" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-03-18T19:11:36+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Passion Sunday Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24 Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14-23:56 What is written about Me is coming to fulfillment,&#8221; Jesus says in today&#8217;s Gospel (see Luke 22:37). Indeed, we have reached the cDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Passion Sunday Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24 Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14-23:56 What is written about Me is coming to fulfillment,&#8221; Jesus says in today&#8217;s Gospel (see Luke 22:37). Indeed, we have reached the climax of the liturgical year, the highest peak of salvation history, when all that has been anticipated and promised is to be fulfilled. By the close of today&#8217;s long Gospel, the work of our redemption will have been accomplished, the new covenant will be written in the blood of His broken body hanging on the cross at the place called the Skull. In His Passion, Jesus is &#8220;counted among the wicked,&#8221; as Isaiah had foretold (see Isaiah 53:12). He is revealed definitively as the Suffering Servant the prophet announced, the long-awaited Messiah whose words of obedience and faith ring out in today&#8217;s First Reading and Psalm. The taunts and torments we hear in these two readings punctuate the Gospel as Jesus is beaten and mocked (see Luke 22:63-65; 23:10-11,16), as His hands and feet are pierced (see Luke 23:33), as enemies gamble for His clothes ( see Luke 23:34), and as three times they dare Him to prove His divinity by saving Himself from suffering (see Luke 23:35,37,39) He remains faithful to God&#8217;s will to the end, does not turn back in His trial. He gives Himself freely to His torturers, confident that, as He speaks in today&#8217;s First Reading: &#8220;The Lord God is My help&#8230;I shall not be put to shame.&#8221; Destined to sin and death as children of Adam&#8217;s disobedience, we have been set free for holiness and life by Christ&#8217;s perfect obedience to the Father&#8217;s will (see Romans 5:12-14,17-19; Ephesians 2:2; 5:6). This is why God greatly exalted Him. This is why we have salvation in His Name. Following His example of humble obedience in the trials and crosses of our lives, we know we will never be forsaken, that one day we too will be with Him in Paradise (see Luke 23:42). Seeing and Believing &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_24th_2013_-_passion_of_the_christ#When:19:11:36Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/zQHuyWAJOdU/march_17th_2013_-_5th_sunday_of_lent http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_17th_2013_-_5th_sunday_of_lent#When:19:31:11Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_5_Lent.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Something New </p> <p>Readings:<br /> Isaiah 43:16-21 <br /> Psalms 126:1-6<br /> Philippians 3:8-14 <br /> John 8:1-11 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>The Liturgy this Lent has shown us the God of the Exodus. He is a mighty and gracious God, Who out of faithfulness to His covenant has done &#8220;great things&#8221; for His people, as today&#8217;s Psalm puts it. <br /> But the &#8220;things of long ago,&#8221; Isaiah tells us in today&#8217;s First Reading, are nothing compared to the &#8220;something new&#8221; that He will do in the future. </p> <p>Today&#8217;s First Reading and Psalm look back to the marvelous deeds of the Exodus. Both see in the Exodus a pattern and prophecy of the future, when God will restore the fortunes of His people fallen in sin. The readings today look forward to a still greater Exodus, when God will gather in the exiled tribes of Israel which had been scattered to the four winds, the ends of the earth. </p> <p>The new Exodus that Israel waited and hoped for has come in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Like the adulterous woman in today&#8217;s Gospel, all have been spared by the Lord&#8217;s compassion. All have heard His words of forgiveness, His urging to repentance, to be sinners no more. Like Paul in today&#8217;s Epistle, Christ has taken possession of every one, claimed each as a child of our heavenly Father.</p> <p>In the Church, God has formed a people for Himself to announce His praise, just as Isaiah said He would. And as Isaiah promised, He has given His &#8220;chosen people&#8221; living waters to drink in the desert wastelands of the world (see John 7:37-39). </p> <p>But our God is ever a God of the future, not of the past. We are to live with hopeful hearts, &#8220;forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead,&#8221; as Paul tells us. His salvation, Paul says, is power in the present, &#8220;the power of His resurrection.&#8221; </p> <p>We are to live awaiting a still greater and final Exodus, pursuing &#8220;the goal, the prize of God&#8217;s upward calling,&#8221; striving in faith to attain the last new thing God promises - &#8220;the resurrection of the dead.&#8221;</p> <p class="mediumSubHeading">A &#8216;New&#8217; Exodus </p> <p>Israel&#8217;s Exodus from Egypt is in the background of every reading in this month&#8217;s Liturgy of the Word. </p> <p>The Exodus convinced the Israelites that they were God&#8217;s chosen people. What other people could boast that God had personally delivered them in their time of trial (see Exodus 15:11-16)? </p> <p>Later in its history, when Israel through sin had fallen into captivity and exile, the prophets predicted a &#8220;new Exodus,&#8221; led by a Messiah, a new Moses who would restore them once more as a holy kingdom (see Isaiah 10:25-27; 11:15-16; 51:9-11). This new Exodus, Jeremiah predicted, would mark the start of a &#8220;New Covenant&#8221; (see Jeremiah 23:7-8; 31:31-33). </p> <p>In the readings for the Second Sunday in Lent (Cycle C), we see Jesus as the hoped-for new Moses, liberating God&#8217;s people from the last enemy - sin and death - and bringing them into the promised land of heaven. And as Paul says in the Epistle for the Third Sunday, the events of Exodus - the Red Sea crossing, the manna from heaven, the water from the rock - were signs of the Church&#8217;s sacraments. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>&nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/zQHuyWAJOdU" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-03-11T19:31:11+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Something New Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21 Psalms 126:1-6 Philippians 3:8-14 John 8:1-11 The Liturgy this Lent has shown us the God of the Exodus. He is a mighty and gracious God, Who out of faithfulness to His covenant has done &#8220;great thiDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Something New Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21 Psalms 126:1-6 Philippians 3:8-14 John 8:1-11 The Liturgy this Lent has shown us the God of the Exodus. He is a mighty and gracious God, Who out of faithfulness to His covenant has done &#8220;great things&#8221; for His people, as today&#8217;s Psalm puts it. But the &#8220;things of long ago,&#8221; Isaiah tells us in today&#8217;s First Reading, are nothing compared to the &#8220;something new&#8221; that He will do in the future. Today&#8217;s First Reading and Psalm look back to the marvelous deeds of the Exodus. Both see in the Exodus a pattern and prophecy of the future, when God will restore the fortunes of His people fallen in sin. The readings today look forward to a still greater Exodus, when God will gather in the exiled tribes of Israel which had been scattered to the four winds, the ends of the earth. The new Exodus that Israel waited and hoped for has come in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Like the adulterous woman in today&#8217;s Gospel, all have been spared by the Lord&#8217;s compassion. All have heard His words of forgiveness, His urging to repentance, to be sinners no more. Like Paul in today&#8217;s Epistle, Christ has taken possession of every one, claimed each as a child of our heavenly Father. In the Church, God has formed a people for Himself to announce His praise, just as Isaiah said He would. And as Isaiah promised, He has given His &#8220;chosen people&#8221; living waters to drink in the desert wastelands of the world (see John 7:37-39). But our God is ever a God of the future, not of the past. We are to live with hopeful hearts, &#8220;forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead,&#8221; as Paul tells us. His salvation, Paul says, is power in the present, &#8220;the power of His resurrection.&#8221; We are to live awaiting a still greater and final Exodus, pursuing &#8220;the goal, the prize of God&#8217;s upward calling,&#8221; striving in faith to attain the last new thing God promises - &#8220;the resurrection of the dead.&#8221; A &#8216;New&#8217; Exodus Israel&#8217;s Exodus from Egypt is in the background of every reading in this month&#8217;s Liturgy of the Word. The Exodus convinced the Israelites that they were God&#8217;s chosen people. What other people could boast that God had personally delivered them in their time of trial (see Exodus 15:11-16)? Later in its history, when Israel through sin had fallen into captivity and exile, the prophets predicted a &#8220;new Exodus,&#8221; led by a Messiah, a new Moses who would restore them once more as a holy kingdom (see Isaiah 10:25-27; 11:15-16; 51:9-11). This new Exodus, Jeremiah predicted, would mark the start of a &#8220;New Covenant&#8221; (see Jeremiah 23:7-8; 31:31-33). In the readings for the Second Sunday in Lent (Cycle C), we see Jesus as the hoped-for new Moses, liberating God&#8217;s people from the last enemy - sin and death - and bringing them into the promised land of heaven. And as Paul says in the Epistle for the Third Sunday, the events of Exodus - the Red Sea crossing, the manna from heaven, the water from the rock - were signs of the Church&#8217;s sacraments. &nbsp;&nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_17th_2013_-_5th_sunday_of_lent#When:19:31:11Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/7OW3SdrjvVA/march_10th_2013_-_4th_sunday_of_lent http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_10th_2013_-_4th_sunday_of_lent#When:20:15:57Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_4_Lent.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Found Alive Again</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Joshua 5:9-12 <br /> Psalms 34:2-7<br /> 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 <br /> Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>In today&#8217;s First Reading, God forgives &#8220;the reproach&#8221; of the generations who grumbled against Him after the Exodus. On the threshold of the promised land, Israel can with a clean heart celebrate the Passover, the feast of God&#8217;s first-born son (see Joshua 5:6-7; Exodus 4:22; 12:12-13). </p> <p>Reconciliation is also at the heart of the story Jesus tells in today&#8217;s Gospel. The story of the prodigal son is the story of Israel and of the human race. But it is also the story of every believer. </p> <p>In Baptism, we&#8217;re given a divine birthright, made &#8220;a new creation,&#8221; as Paul puts it in today&#8217;s Epistle. But when we sin, we&#8217;re like the prodigal, quitting our Father&#8217;s house, squandering our inheritance in trying to live without Him. </p> <p>Lost in sin, we cut ourselves off from the grace of sonship lavished upon us in Baptism. It is still possible for us to come to our senses, make our way back to the Father, as the prodigal does.</p> <p>But only He can remove the reproach, restore the divine sonship we have spurned. Only He can free us from the slavery to sin that causes us - like the prodigal -&nbsp; to see God not as our Father but as our master, One we serve as slaves.</p> <p>God wants not slaves but children. Like the father in today&#8217;s Gospel, He longs to call each of us &#8220;My son,&#8221; to share His life with us, to tell us: &#8220;Everything I have is yours.&#8221;</p> <p>The Father&#8217;s words of longing and compassion still come to His prodigal children in the Sacrament of Penance. This is part of what Paul today calls &#8220;the ministry of reconciliation&#8221; entrusted by Jesus to the Apostles and the Church.</p> <p>Reconciled like Israel, we take our place at the table of the Eucharist, the homecoming banquet the Father calls for His lost sons, the new Passover we celebrate this side of heaven. We taste the goodness of the Lord, as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm, rejoicing that we who were dead are found alive again.</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/7OW3SdrjvVA" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-03-04T20:15:57+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Found Alive Again Readings: Joshua 5:9-12 Psalms 34:2-7 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 In today&#8217;s First Reading, God forgives &#8220;the reproach&#8221; of the generations who grumbled against Him after the Exodus. On the threDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Found Alive Again Readings: Joshua 5:9-12 Psalms 34:2-7 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 In today&#8217;s First Reading, God forgives &#8220;the reproach&#8221; of the generations who grumbled against Him after the Exodus. On the threshold of the promised land, Israel can with a clean heart celebrate the Passover, the feast of God&#8217;s first-born son (see Joshua 5:6-7; Exodus 4:22; 12:12-13). Reconciliation is also at the heart of the story Jesus tells in today&#8217;s Gospel. The story of the prodigal son is the story of Israel and of the human race. But it is also the story of every believer. In Baptism, we&#8217;re given a divine birthright, made &#8220;a new creation,&#8221; as Paul puts it in today&#8217;s Epistle. But when we sin, we&#8217;re like the prodigal, quitting our Father&#8217;s house, squandering our inheritance in trying to live without Him. Lost in sin, we cut ourselves off from the grace of sonship lavished upon us in Baptism. It is still possible for us to come to our senses, make our way back to the Father, as the prodigal does. But only He can remove the reproach, restore the divine sonship we have spurned. Only He can free us from the slavery to sin that causes us - like the prodigal -&nbsp; to see God not as our Father but as our master, One we serve as slaves. God wants not slaves but children. Like the father in today&#8217;s Gospel, He longs to call each of us &#8220;My son,&#8221; to share His life with us, to tell us: &#8220;Everything I have is yours.&#8221; The Father&#8217;s words of longing and compassion still come to His prodigal children in the Sacrament of Penance. This is part of what Paul today calls &#8220;the ministry of reconciliation&#8221; entrusted by Jesus to the Apostles and the Church. Reconciled like Israel, we take our place at the table of the Eucharist, the homecoming banquet the Father calls for His lost sons, the new Passover we celebrate this side of heaven. We taste the goodness of the Lord, as we sing in today&#8217;s Psalm, rejoicing that we who were dead are found alive again. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_10th_2013_-_4th_sunday_of_lent#When:20:15:57Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/An8CTSC1gIY/march_3rd_2013_-_3rd_sunday_of_lent http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_3rd_2013_-_3rd_sunday_of_lent#When:21:10:38Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_3_Lent.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Fruits of the Fig</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Exodus 3:1-8,13-15 <br /> Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8, 11<br /> 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 <br /> Luke 13:1-9 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>In the Church, we are made children of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - the God who makes known His name and His ways to Moses in today&#8217;s First Reading. </p> <p>Mindful of His covenant with Abraham (see Exodus 2:24), God came down to rescue His people from the slave-drivers of Egypt. Faithful to that same covenant (see Luke 1:54-55, 72-73), He sent Jesus to redeem all lives from destruction, as today&#8217;s Psalm tells us. </p> <p>Paul says in today&#8217;s Epistle that God&#8217;s saving deeds in the Exodus were written down for the Church, intended as a prelude and foreshadowing of our own Baptism by water, our liberation from sin, our feeding with spiritual food and drink. </p> <p>Yet the events of the Exodus were also given as a &#8220;warning&#8221; - that being children of Abraham is no guarantee that we will reach the promised land of our salvation. </p> <p>At any moment, Jesus warns in today&#8217;s Gospel, we could perish - not as God&#8217;s punishment for being &#8220;greater sinners&#8221; - but because, like the Israelites in the wilderness, we stumble into evil desires, fall into grumbling, forget all His benefits. </p> <p>Jesus calls us today to &#8220;repentance&#8221; - not a one-time change of heart, but an ongoing, daily transformation of our lives. We&#8217;re called to live the life we sing about in today&#8217;s Psalm - blessing His holy name, giving thanks for His kindness and mercy. </p> <p>The fig tree in His parable is a familiar Old Testament symbol for Israel (see Jeremiah 8:3; 24:1-10). As the fig tree is given one last season to produce fruit before it is cut down, so too Jesus is giving Israel one final opportunity to bear good fruits as evidence of its repentance (see Luke 3:8). </p> <p>Lent should be for us like the season of reprieve given to the fig tree, a grace period in which we let &#8220;the gardener,&#8221; Christ, cultivate our hearts, uprooting what chokes the divine life in us, strengthening us to bear fruits that will last into eternity.</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/An8CTSC1gIY" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-02-25T21:10:38+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Fruits of the Fig Readings: Exodus 3:1-8,13-15 Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8, 11 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 Luke 13:1-9 In the Church, we are made children of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - the God who makes known His name and His ways to Moses Dr. Scott HahnListen Here! Fruits of the Fig Readings: Exodus 3:1-8,13-15 Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8, 11 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 Luke 13:1-9 In the Church, we are made children of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - the God who makes known His name and His ways to Moses in today&#8217;s First Reading. Mindful of His covenant with Abraham (see Exodus 2:24), God came down to rescue His people from the slave-drivers of Egypt. Faithful to that same covenant (see Luke 1:54-55, 72-73), He sent Jesus to redeem all lives from destruction, as today&#8217;s Psalm tells us. Paul says in today&#8217;s Epistle that God&#8217;s saving deeds in the Exodus were written down for the Church, intended as a prelude and foreshadowing of our own Baptism by water, our liberation from sin, our feeding with spiritual food and drink. Yet the events of the Exodus were also given as a &#8220;warning&#8221; - that being children of Abraham is no guarantee that we will reach the promised land of our salvation. At any moment, Jesus warns in today&#8217;s Gospel, we could perish - not as God&#8217;s punishment for being &#8220;greater sinners&#8221; - but because, like the Israelites in the wilderness, we stumble into evil desires, fall into grumbling, forget all His benefits. Jesus calls us today to &#8220;repentance&#8221; - not a one-time change of heart, but an ongoing, daily transformation of our lives. We&#8217;re called to live the life we sing about in today&#8217;s Psalm - blessing His holy name, giving thanks for His kindness and mercy. The fig tree in His parable is a familiar Old Testament symbol for Israel (see Jeremiah 8:3; 24:1-10). As the fig tree is given one last season to produce fruit before it is cut down, so too Jesus is giving Israel one final opportunity to bear good fruits as evidence of its repentance (see Luke 3:8). Lent should be for us like the season of reprieve given to the fig tree, a grace period in which we let &#8220;the gardener,&#8221; Christ, cultivate our hearts, uprooting what chokes the divine life in us, strengthening us to bear fruits that will last into eternity. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/march_3rd_2013_-_3rd_sunday_of_lent#When:21:10:38Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/IN2zDPv8v8w/february_25th_2013_-_2nd_sunday_of_lent http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/february_25th_2013_-_2nd_sunday_of_lent#When:19:34:26Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_2_Lent.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">The Glory in Sight </p> <p>Readings: <br /> Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 <br /> Psalm 27:1,7-9, 13-14<br /> Philippians 3:17-4:1 <br /> Luke 9:28-36 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>In today&#8217;s Gospel, we go up to the mountain with Peter, John and James. There we see Jesus &#8220;transfigured,&#8221; speaking with Moses and Elijah about His &#8220;exodus.&#8221;</p> <p>The Greek word &#8220;exodus&#8221; means &#8220;departure.&#8221; But the word is chosen deliberately here to stir our remembrance of the Israelites&#8217; flight from Egypt. </p> <p>By His death and resurrection, Jesus will lead a new Exodus - liberating not only Israel but every race and people; not from bondage to Pharaoh, but from slavery to sin and death. He will lead all mankind, not to the territory promised to Abraham in today&#8217;s First Reading, but to the heavenly commonwealth that Paul describes in today&#8217;s Epistle.</p> <p>Moses, the giver of God&#8217;s law, and the great prophet Elijah, were the only Old Testament figures to hear the voice and see the glory of God atop a mountain (see Exodus 24:15-18; 1 Kings 19:8-18).</p> <p>Today&#8217;s scene closely resembles God&#8217;s revelation to Moses, who also brought along three companions and whose face also shone brilliantly (see Exodus 24:1; 34:29). But when the divine cloud departs in today&#8217;s Gospel, Moses and Elijah are gone. Only Jesus remains. He has revealed the glory of the Trinity - the voice of the Father, the glorified Son, and the Spirit in the shining cloud. </p> <p>Jesus fulfills all that Moses and the prophets had come to teach and show us about God (see Luke 24:27). He is the &#8220;chosen One&#8221; promised by Isaiah (see Isaiah 42:1; Luke 23:35), the &#8220;prophet like me&#8221; that Moses had promised (see Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22-23; 7:37). Far and above that, He is the Son of God (see Psalm 2:7; Luke 3:21-23). </p> <p>&#8220;Listen to Him,&#8220;the Voice tells us from the cloud. If, like Abraham, we put our faith in His words, one day we too will be delivered into &#8220;the land of the living&#8221; that we sing of in today&#8217;s Psalm. We will share in His resurrection, as Paul promises, our lowly bodies glorified like His. </p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/IN2zDPv8v8w" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-02-18T19:34:26+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! The Glory in Sight Readings: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 Psalm 27:1,7-9, 13-14 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 9:28-36 In today&#8217;s Gospel, we go up to the mountain with Peter, John and James. There we see Jesus &#8220;transfigured,&#8221; speaking Dr. Scott HahnListen Here! The Glory in Sight Readings: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 Psalm 27:1,7-9, 13-14 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 9:28-36 In today&#8217;s Gospel, we go up to the mountain with Peter, John and James. There we see Jesus &#8220;transfigured,&#8221; speaking with Moses and Elijah about His &#8220;exodus.&#8221; The Greek word &#8220;exodus&#8221; means &#8220;departure.&#8221; But the word is chosen deliberately here to stir our remembrance of the Israelites&#8217; flight from Egypt. By His death and resurrection, Jesus will lead a new Exodus - liberating not only Israel but every race and people; not from bondage to Pharaoh, but from slavery to sin and death. He will lead all mankind, not to the territory promised to Abraham in today&#8217;s First Reading, but to the heavenly commonwealth that Paul describes in today&#8217;s Epistle. Moses, the giver of God&#8217;s law, and the great prophet Elijah, were the only Old Testament figures to hear the voice and see the glory of God atop a mountain (see Exodus 24:15-18; 1 Kings 19:8-18). Today&#8217;s scene closely resembles God&#8217;s revelation to Moses, who also brought along three companions and whose face also shone brilliantly (see Exodus 24:1; 34:29). But when the divine cloud departs in today&#8217;s Gospel, Moses and Elijah are gone. Only Jesus remains. He has revealed the glory of the Trinity - the voice of the Father, the glorified Son, and the Spirit in the shining cloud. Jesus fulfills all that Moses and the prophets had come to teach and show us about God (see Luke 24:27). He is the &#8220;chosen One&#8221; promised by Isaiah (see Isaiah 42:1; Luke 23:35), the &#8220;prophet like me&#8221; that Moses had promised (see Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22-23; 7:37). Far and above that, He is the Son of God (see Psalm 2:7; Luke 3:21-23). &#8220;Listen to Him,&#8220;the Voice tells us from the cloud. If, like Abraham, we put our faith in His words, one day we too will be delivered into &#8220;the land of the living&#8221; that we sing of in today&#8217;s Psalm. We will share in His resurrection, as Paul promises, our lowly bodies glorified like His. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/february_25th_2013_-_2nd_sunday_of_lent#When:19:34:26Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/9_JKF75wGio/february_17th_2013_-_1st_sunday_in_lent http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/february_17th_2013_-_1st_sunday_in_lent#When:02:23:49Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_1_Lent.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Forty Days</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Deuteronomy 26:4-10 <br /> Psalm 91:1-2,10-15<br /> Romans 10:8-13 <br /> Luke 4:1-13 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>In today&#8217;s epic Gospel scene, Jesus relives in His flesh the history of Israel.</p> <p>We&#8217;ve already seen that like Israel, Jesus has passed through water, been called God&#8217;s beloved Son (see Luke 3:22; Exodus 4:22). Now, as Israel was tested for forty years in the wilderness, Jesus is led into the desert to be tested for forty days and nights (see Exodus 15:25).</p> <p>He faces the temptations put to Israel: Hungry, He&#8217;s tempted to grumble against God for food (see Exodus 16:1-13). As Israel quarreled at Massah, He&#8217;s tempted to doubt God&#8217;s care (see Exodus 17:1-6). When the Devil asks His homage, He&#8217;s tempted to do what Israel did in creating the golden calf (see Exodus 32).</p> <p>Jesus fights the Devil with the Word of God, three times quoting from Moses&#8217; lecture about the lessons Israel was supposed to learn from its wilderness wanderings (see Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:12-15).</p> <p>Why do we read this story on the first Sunday of Lent? Because like the biblical sign of forty (see Genesis 7:12; Exodus 24:18; 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Jonah 3:4), the forty days of Lent are a time of trial and purification.</p> <p>Lent is to teach us what we hear over and over in today&#8217;s readings. &#8220;Call upon me, and I will answer,&#8221; the Lord promises in today&#8217;s Psalm. Paul promises the same thing in today&#8217;s Epistle (quoting Deuteronomy 30:14; Isaiah 28:16; Joel 2:32).</p> <p>This was Israel&#8217;s experience, as Moses reminds his people in today&#8217;s First Reading: &#8220;We cried to the Lord&#8230;and He heard.&#8221; But each of us is tempted, as Israel was, to forget the great deeds He works in<br /> our lives, to neglect our birthright as His beloved sons and daughters. </p> <p>Like the litany of remembrance Moses prescribes for Israel, we should see in the Mass a memorial of our salvation, and &#8220;bow down in His presence,&#8221; offering ourselves in thanksgiving for all He has given us.</p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/9_JKF75wGio" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-02-12T02:23:49+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Forty Days Readings: Deuteronomy 26:4-10 Psalm 91:1-2,10-15 Romans 10:8-13 Luke 4:1-13 In today&#8217;s epic Gospel scene, Jesus relives in His flesh the history of Israel. We&#8217;ve already seen that like Israel, Jesus has passed through wDr. Scott HahnListen Here! Forty Days Readings: Deuteronomy 26:4-10 Psalm 91:1-2,10-15 Romans 10:8-13 Luke 4:1-13 In today&#8217;s epic Gospel scene, Jesus relives in His flesh the history of Israel. We&#8217;ve already seen that like Israel, Jesus has passed through water, been called God&#8217;s beloved Son (see Luke 3:22; Exodus 4:22). Now, as Israel was tested for forty years in the wilderness, Jesus is led into the desert to be tested for forty days and nights (see Exodus 15:25). He faces the temptations put to Israel: Hungry, He&#8217;s tempted to grumble against God for food (see Exodus 16:1-13). As Israel quarreled at Massah, He&#8217;s tempted to doubt God&#8217;s care (see Exodus 17:1-6). When the Devil asks His homage, He&#8217;s tempted to do what Israel did in creating the golden calf (see Exodus 32). Jesus fights the Devil with the Word of God, three times quoting from Moses&#8217; lecture about the lessons Israel was supposed to learn from its wilderness wanderings (see Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:12-15). Why do we read this story on the first Sunday of Lent? Because like the biblical sign of forty (see Genesis 7:12; Exodus 24:18; 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Jonah 3:4), the forty days of Lent are a time of trial and purification. Lent is to teach us what we hear over and over in today&#8217;s readings. &#8220;Call upon me, and I will answer,&#8221; the Lord promises in today&#8217;s Psalm. Paul promises the same thing in today&#8217;s Epistle (quoting Deuteronomy 30:14; Isaiah 28:16; Joel 2:32). This was Israel&#8217;s experience, as Moses reminds his people in today&#8217;s First Reading: &#8220;We cried to the Lord&#8230;and He heard.&#8221; But each of us is tempted, as Israel was, to forget the great deeds He works in our lives, to neglect our birthright as His beloved sons and daughters. Like the litany of remembrance Moses prescribes for Israel, we should see in the Mass a memorial of our salvation, and &#8220;bow down in His presence,&#8221; offering ourselves in thanksgiving for all He has given us. &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/february_17th_2013_-_1st_sunday_in_lent#When:02:23:49Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~3/aSW06UblGY8/february_10th_2013_-_5th_sunday_in_ordinary_time http://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/february_10th_2013_-_5th_sunday_in_ordinary_time#When:21:42:53Z <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/saintpaulcenter/C_5_Ordinary.mp3">Listen Here!</a><br /><p class="mediumSubHeading">Into the Deep</p> <p>Readings:<br /> Isaiah 6:1-8 <br /> Psalm 138:1-5, 7-8<br /> 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 <br /> Luke 5:1-11 </p><hr size="1"><br /><p>Simon Peter, the fisherman, is the first to be called personally by Jesus in Luke&#8217;s Gospel. </p> <p>His calling resembles Isaiah&#8217;s commissioning in the First Reading: Confronted with the holiness of the Lord, both Peter and Isaiah are overwhelmed by a sense of their sinfulness and inadequacy. Yet each experiences the Lord&#8217;s forgiveness and is sent to preach the good news of His mercy to the world. </p> <p>No one is &#8220;fit to be called an apostle,&#8221; Paul recognizes in today&#8217;s Epistle. But by &#8220;the grace of God,&#8221; even a persecutor of the Church&#8212;as Paul once was&#8212;can be lifted up for the Lord&#8217;s service. </p> <p>In the Old Testament, humanity was unfit for the divine&#8212;no man could stand in God&#8217;s presence and live (see Exodus 33:20). But in Jesus, we&#8217;re made able to speak with Him face-to-face, taste His Word on our tongue. </p> <p>Today&#8217;s scene from Isaiah is recalled in every Mass. Before reading the Gospel, the priest silently asks God to cleanse his lips that he might worthily proclaim His Word. </p> <p>God&#8217;s Word comes to us as it came to Peter, Paul, Isaiah, and today&#8217;s Psalmist&#8212; as a personal call to leave everything and follow Him, to surrender our weaknesses in order to be filled with His strength. </p> <p>Simon put out into deep waters even though, as a professional fisherman, he knew it would be foolhardy to expect to catch anything. In humbling himself before the Lord&#8217;s command, he was exalted&#8212;his nets filled to overflowing; later, as Paul tells us, he will become the first to see the risen Lord. </p> <p>Jesus has made us worthy to receive Him in the company of angels in God&#8217;s holy Temple. On our knees like Peter, with the humility of David in today&#8217;s Psalm, we thank Him with all our hearts and join in the unending hymn that Isaiah heard around God&#8217;s altar: &#8220;Holy, holy, holy&#8230;.&#8221; (see also Revelation 4:8). </p> &nbsp;<br /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SundayBibleReflectionsByDrScottHahn/~4/aSW06UblGY8" height="1" width="1"/> English 2013-02-04T21:42:53+00:00 Dr. Scott HahnnoListen Here! Into the Deep Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8 Psalm 138:1-5, 7-8 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11 Simon Peter, the fisherman, is the first to be called personally by Jesus in Luke&#8217;s Gospel. His calling resembles Isaiah&#8217;s commissioning in Dr. Scott HahnListen Here! Into the Deep Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8 Psalm 138:1-5, 7-8 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11 Simon Peter, the fisherman, is the first to be called personally by Jesus in Luke&#8217;s Gospel. His calling resembles Isaiah&#8217;s commissioning in the First Reading: Confronted with the holiness of the Lord, both Peter and Isaiah are overwhelmed by a sense of their sinfulness and inadequacy. Yet each experiences the Lord&#8217;s forgiveness and is sent to preach the good news of His mercy to the world. No one is &#8220;fit to be called an apostle,&#8221; Paul recognizes in today&#8217;s Epistle. But by &#8220;the grace of God,&#8221; even a persecutor of the Church&#8212;as Paul once was&#8212;can be lifted up for the Lord&#8217;s service. In the Old Testament, humanity was unfit for the divine&#8212;no man could stand in God&#8217;s presence and live (see Exodus 33:20). But in Jesus, we&#8217;re made able to speak with Him face-to-face, taste His Word on our tongue. Today&#8217;s scene from Isaiah is recalled in every Mass. Before reading the Gospel, the priest silently asks God to cleanse his lips that he might worthily proclaim His Word. God&#8217;s Word comes to us as it came to Peter, Paul, Isaiah, and today&#8217;s Psalmist&#8212; as a personal call to leave everything and follow Him, to surrender our weaknesses in order to be filled with His strength. Simon put out into deep waters even though, as a professional fisherman, he knew it would be foolhardy to expect to catch anything. In humbling himself before the Lord&#8217;s command, he was exalted&#8212;his nets filled to overflowing; later, as Paul tells us, he will become the first to see the risen Lord. Jesus has made us worthy to receive Him in the company of angels in God&#8217;s holy Temple. On our knees like Peter, with the humility of David in today&#8217;s Psalm, we thank Him with all our hearts and join in the unending hymn that Isaiah heard around God&#8217;s altar: &#8220;Holy, holy, holy&#8230;.&#8221; (see also Revelation 4:8). &nbsp; Catholic,Christianity,Scripture,Bible,Masshttp://www.salvationhistory.com/homily_helps/february_10th_2013_-_5th_sunday_in_ordinary_time#When:21:42:53Z (C) St. Paul Center for Biblical TheologyDr. Scott HahnnonadultSt. Paul Center for Biblical Theology