Fasting on Fridays and the Passion of Jesus the Bridegroom

Have you ever wondered? Why do Catholics fast on Good Friday? Moreover, why is it traditional to fast on the Fridays of Lent?

There are, of course, various historical and liturgical reasons for the custom of fasting. But there's also a biblical foundation for fasting on Fridays that's directly tied to the topic of my new book, Jesus the Bridegroom: the Greatest Love Story Ever Told. The connection really hit me when I went to Mass last Friday with my wife and children. 

Jesus the Bridegroom and the First Friday in Lent

Sitting there on the front pew (because that's the best seat if you have young children!), we were, like many other young families at the beginning of Lent, somewhat tired and distracted at the end of a long week. I for one was starting to get anxious about the flurry of speaking engagements and interviews that were coming up to promote the book, and also thinking hard about how to help people see why the topic was not just fascinating but spiritually relevant to their lives. And then, much to my surprise, when it came time to stand for the Friday Gospel, I heard these words:

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the Bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the Bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." (Matthew 9:14-15)

As I heard these words,  a big smile spread across my face. Any worries I may have had about the importance of the topic of the new book melted away.  My twelve-year old daughter reached over and tugged my arm, smiling and pointing up to the Gospel! (She knew my book was on Jesus the Bridegroom.) At that moment, I realized for the first time: Every year, on the very first Friday of Lent, the Church proclaims Jesus' riddle about the Bridegroom and the Wedding  Guests. Why?

For one thing, it's because this is one of Jesus' first allusions to his coming passion and death. You can see this by realizing that Jesus' mysterious response is really a parable, in which he makes three key comparisons.

Jesus' Riddle about the Sons of the Bridechamber

First, Jesus implicitly identifies himself as "the bridegroom" in order to suggest that the present, while he and his disciples are together, are like an ancient Jewish wedding feast: it's a time for celebration, not for fasting.

Second, he compares his disciples to the wedding guests--or, more literally, the "sons of the bridechamber" (Greek huioi tou nymphonos). These were basically the ancient Jewish equivalent of 'groomsmen', who--in ancient as well as modern times!--weren't exactly known for fasting. Indeed, in rabbinic tradition, both the bridegroom and the sons of the bridechamber were not obligated to perform ordinary religious duties during the seven-day Jewish wedding, including fasting.

Third and finally--and most importantly for us--Jesus is also implicitly identifying the day of his passion and death as his wedding day. He does this by speaking about the coming time "when the bridegroom is taken away from them" and how they will fast on that day (cf. Mark 2:20). 

The Jewish Bridechamber and Jesus' 'Wedding Day'

On one level this is a reference to the ancient Jewish night of consummation, when the bridegroom would leave his family and friends and enter into the "bridechamber" (Hebrew huppah) in order to be united to his bride, not to come out again until morning (see Psalm 19:4-5; Tobit 6:15-17). On a deeper level, the day that Jesus the Bridegroom is "taken away" is of course the day of his passion an death. As New Testament scholar Craig Keener puts it: "Jesus is the groom of God's people in the coming messianic banquet... The 'taking' of the bridegroom, of course, is a veiled reference to the impending crucifixion.' (Keener, Matthew, p. 300). In other words, Jesus' 'wedding day' is the day of his death. (And this isn't just a pretty metaphor. As I show in the chapter on the Crucifixion in the book, there are several striking parallels between Jesus' crucifixion and an ancient Jewish wedding day.)

Remembering the Day our Bridegroom was "Taken Away"

What does any of this have to do with fasting on Fridays in Lent, and on Good Friday above all? From a biblical perspective: the reason we fast  is because Friday is the day our Bridegroom was 'taken away' from us, and we don't ever want to forget it. In fulfillment of Jesus' words--"then they will fast"--we deny ourselves and remember the passion of the Bridegroom God of Israel, who loved us so much that he not only became man, but mounted the wood of the cross in order to save humanity from sin and be united to us in love. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI:

"In [Jesus] in an unexpected way, God and man become one, become a 'marriage', though this marriage--as Jesus subsequently points out--passes through the Cross, through the 'taking away' of the bridegroom. (Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, 1, p. 252)

From this perspective, our Friday fasting and penances should not just be acts of self-denial, but sacrifices given out of love, just as the Bridegroom Messiah sacrificed himself out of love for us. We fast in memory of the one who 'loved us and gave himself for us' (cf. Galatians 2:20).

The Divine Love Story

Although many a man throughout history has compared his wedding day to his funeral; Jesus of Nazareth is the only man who ever compared his funeral to his wedding day. That is because he was no ordinary man; he was the Bridegroom God of Israel come in the flesh in to save his Bride. And his life and death on the Cross were nothing less than the center of the divine love story that is the real meaning of human history. Why else does the Bible begin with the wedding of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2-3) and end with the Wedding of Christ in the Church in the Book of Revelation (Rev 19-22)?!

 On every Friday during Lent--especially Good Friday--may his disciples remember his words about the passion--"they will fast on that day." In this way, we will truly prepare ourselves for the great Feast of Easter, when we will celebrate the Resurrection of the Bridegroom who gives himself to his Bride in every Eucharist as a foretaste of heaven--of the eternal "Wedding Supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:7).

Have a blessed Lent! 

Did Jabba the Hut meet St. Martha?

At St. Martha's in Murrieta leading a parish mission (see the previous post). It's a beautiful parish and a wonderful, thriving Catholic community.

The church is very beautiful. Lots of great art.

I have to highlight one piece though. Chris Mueller, the youth minister, calls this, "St. Martha in Carbonite".

Very funny.

Parish Mission in Temecula, CA

This week I will be doing a parish mission at St. Martha's Catholic Church in Murrieta, CA. I will be speaking after the 7:30am morning mass as well as from 6:30pm-8:00pm. 

I am very excited about speaking at this parish, which is an amazing Catholic community. 

You do not need to attend each night for the talks to make sense (i.e., if you miss the first day, the talks on Tuesday and Wednesday won't make less sense). 

If you're interested in coming out, the address of the church is:

37200 Whitewood Rd, Murrieta, CA 92563

Hope to see some of your there! 

Jesus the Bridegroom: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told--Now Available!

Hey everybody, my new book, Jesus the Bridegroom: the Greatest Love Story Ever Told (Image Books) now available for pre-order! (It'll be in stores next week.) So if you liked Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist--or if you're like me and still trying to figure out what to read for Lent--then this book is for you.

In this one, we go back to the Old Testament and ancient Jewish tradition to try and unlock the mystery of Jesus' identity and his passion--not just as Teacher, or Prophet, or Messiah, but as the Bridegroom of Jewish expectation. I'm really thrilled that this is finally coming out; it covers some of my favorite passages in the Bible--the Wedding at Cana, the Woman at the Well, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the book of Revelation, Paul's controversial "Wives Be Submissive" teaching in Ephesians 5, and even that mysterious Song of Songs! The heart of the book is the chapter on the Passion of Christ. Hope you enjoy.

Here’s the table of contents, a brief description from the publisher, and a couple of kind words from friends.

INTRODUCTION

1. The Divine Love Story
The Wedding at Mount Sinai
Sin as Spiritual Adultery
The New Covenant and the Forgiven Bride
The Song of Songs

2. Jesus the Bridegroom

The Riddle of John the Baptist
The Wedding at Cana
The Last Supper

3. The Woman at the Well

The Samaritan Woman
The Gift of the Living Water
The Piercing of Jesus’ Side

4. The Crucifixion

Jesus’ Wedding Day
What Was the Crucifixion Like?
The Passion of the Messiah

5. The End of Time

The Bridegroom Comes Back
The Wedding Supper of the Lamb
No Marriage in the Resurrection?

6. The Bridal Mysteries
Baptism
The Eucharist
Marriage
Virginity

7. Beside the Well with Jesus

In Jesus the Bridegroom, Brant Pitre once again taps into the wells of Jewish Scripture and tradition, and unlocks the secrets of what is arguably the most well-known symbol of the Christian faith: the cross of Christ. In this thrilling exploration, Pitre shows how the suffering and death of Jesus was far more than an ancient Roman execution. Instead, the Passion of Christ was the fulfillment of ancient Jewish prophecies of a wedding, when the God of the universe would unite himself to humankind in an everlasting nuptial covenant.

To be sure, most Christians are familiar with the apostle Paul's teaching that Christ is the "Bridegroom" and the Church is the "Bride." But what does this really mean? And what would ever possess Paul to compare the death of Christ to the love of a husband for his wife? If you would have been at the Crucifixion, with Jesus hanging there dying, is that how you would have described it? How could a first-century Jew like Paul, who knew how brutal Roman crucifixions were, have ever compared the execution of Jesus to a wedding? And what does Paul mean when he refers to it as the “great mystery” (mysterion mega) (Ephesians 5:32)?

As Pitre shows, the key to unlocking this mystery can be found by going back to Jewish Scripture and tradition and seeing the entire history of salvation, from Genesis to Revelation, from Mount Sinai to Mount Calvary, as a divine love story between Creator and creature, between God and Israel, between Christ and his bride—a story that comes to its climax on the wood of a Roman cross.

In the pages of Jesus the Bridegroom, dozens of familiar passages in the Bible—the Exodus, the Song of Songs, the Wedding at Cana, the Woman at the Well, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and even the Second Coming at the End of Time—are suddenly transformed before our eyes. Indeed, when seen in the light of Jewish Scripture and tradition, the life of Christ is nothing less than the greatest love story ever told.

"This book will change you. It is an invitation to the Messiah's wedding feast--and a foretaste of heaven. It will change the way you experience the sacraments, personal prayer, Scripture study, and marriage. Most of all, it will deepen your love for Christ." -Scott Hahn, author of The Lamb's Supper and Signs of Life.

“With his customary combination of deep erudition and clarity of expression, Brant Pitre sheds light on a central theme of the New Testament: Jesus as the incarnation of the God who wants to marry his people. In the course of elaborating this motif, Pitre offers wonderfully fresh readings of the Wedding Feast of Cana, the Woman at the Well, the Last Supper, and the Crucifixion. His interpretation of the Passion as the consummation of the spousal relationship between Jesus and his people is simply stunning. This is a book that will appeal to both the scholar and the ordinary believer, indeed to anyone interested in understanding Jesus Christ more profoundly.” -Father Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire and author of Catholicism

Overcoming Temptation: 1st Sunday of Lent

The Readings for this Sunday are exceptionally rich, so we will have to limit ourselves to following just a few themes

1. The First Reading is the account of the Fall, in which Eve, followed by Adam, gives in to temptation by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Reading 1 Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7

Happy Ash Wednesday!

 

Happy Lent, everyone!  Let's indulge in a little commentary on the Readings for Ash Wednesday:

Charge up Catholic teens

An idea for parents, youth ministers, pastors, teachers etc. of teens:

Trust in God the Father alone: The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the beautiful encyclical letter, Lumen fidei, a letter begun by Pope Benedict XVI and finished by Pope Francis, faith is contrasted with idolatry.

The temptation of that sin was great, the popes explain. Why?

In place of faith in God, it seems better to worship an idol, into whose face we can look directly and whose origin we know, because it is the work of our own hands. Before an idol, there is no risk that we will be called to abandon our security, for idols "have mouths, but they cannot speak" (Ps 115:5). (Lumen fidei, no. 13)

Faith involves "risk". Better said, it involves trust.

As Lumen fidei explains, faith involves recognizing that God himself is faithful. The encyclical cites St. Augustine, "Man is faithful when he believes in God and his promises; God is faithful when he grants to man what he has promised" (Lumen fidei, 10; citing Augustine, In Psal. 32, II, s. I, 9: PL 36, 284).

This quote essentially sums up the message of the readings this Sunday. Let us take a closer look at them.

FIRST READING: ISAIAH 49:14-15

Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;
my LORD has forgotten me.”
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.

Zion here is an image for the people of God. In context, Zion is in mourning because of the suffering of the exile. Zion appears to have been left abandoned.

In other passages, Isaiah describes the future hope of a return to Zion of both God and the exiles. Yet, awaiting that future day, it seems that in the interim Zion has been cast aside.

Here the Lord speaks with great love for his people, using the language of maternal love. The exile resulted from Israel's infidelity, not God's. The LORD has not forgotten his people or his covenant.

And, yet, during the time of suffering, that is exactly how it can feel. The psalmist will famously cry out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Ps 22:1).

The Tolerance of Paganism

David Bentley Hart, in Atheist Delusions, writes about the kind of religious culture early Christians left behind when they accepted baptism:

"Quite apart from their more revolting ritual observances, however, the religions of the empire were— to a very great degree— contemptible principally for what they did not do, and what in fact they never considered worth doing. Occasional attempts have been made by scholars in recent years to suggest that the paganism of the late empire was marked by a kind of 'philanthropy' comparable in kind, or even in scope, to the charity practiced by the Christians, but nothing could be further from the truth (as I discuss below). Pagan cult was never more tolerant than in its tolerance— without any qualms of conscience— of poverty, disease, starvation, and homelessness; of gladiatorial spectacle, crucifixion, the exposure of unwanted infants, or the public slaughter of war captives or criminals on festive occasions; of, indeed, almost every imaginable form of tyranny, injustice, depravity, or cruelty. The indigenous sects of the Roman world simply made no

VIDEO: Pope Francis speaks to Protestant Charismatic Group

Pope Francis begins speaking at about 31:30.

Thomas Aquinas on John 6:53 ("the flesh is of no avail")

The Bread of Life discourse in John 6 has Jesus emphasize over and over again that it is necessary for believers to "eat his flesh" and "drink his blood".

Is this passage about the Eucharist?

There are good reasons for thinking so. First, the imagery of "eating" Jesus' "flesh" and "drinking" his "blood" seems closely linked with the Last Supper, the only other place where such language is clearly used.

In addition, the sermon follows shortly after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, a story that is clearly meant to be linked with the Last Supper in the Synoptic Gospels. In Matthew, for example, Davies and Allison find 9 parallels which occur in order in Matthew 14, the feeding of the five thousand, and the account of the Last Supper in Matthew 26[1] They conclude: “It seems to us evident that Matthew intended 14.13–21 to be closely related to the institution of the Eucharist.”[2] 

But what about Jesus' words at the end of the sermon: "it is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail"? 

The Zwingli, the Protestant Reformer, famously argued that these words make the eucharistic reading untenable. 

Thomas Aquinas, however, would not have been convinced. Here's his interpretation:

It is obvious that the flesh of Christ, as united to the Word and to the Spirit, does profit very much and in every way; otherwise, the Word would have been made flesh in vain, and the Father would have made him known in the flesh in vain, as we see from 1 Timothy [1 Tim 3:16]. And so we should say that it is the flesh of Christ, considered in itself, that profits nothing and does not have any more beneficial effect than other flesh. For if his flesh is considered as separated from the divinity and the Holy Spirit, it does not have different power than other flesh. But if it is united to the Spirit and the divinity, it profits many, because it makes those who receive it abide in Christ, for man abides in God through the Spirit of love: “We know that we abide in God and God in us, because he has given us his Spirit” [1 John 4:13] And this is what our Lord says: the effect I promise you, that is, eternal life, should not be attributed to my flesh as such, because understood in this way, flesh profits nothing. But my flesh does offer eternal life as united to the Spirit and to the divinity. “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” [Gal 5:25]. And so he adds, The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life, i.e., they must be understood of the Spirit united to my flesh; and so understood they are life, that is, the life of the soul. For as the body lives its bodily life through a bodily spirit, so the soul lives a spiritual life through the Holy Spirit: “Send forth your Spirit, and they will be created” (Ps 103:30).
--St. Thomas Aquinas, Ion. 6.993

NOTES

[1] (1) “And when it was evening” (14:14; 26:20); (2) “reclined” (14:19; 26:20); (3) “having taken” (14:19; 26:26); (4) “the bread” (14:19; 26:26); (5) “he blessed” (14:19; 26:26); (6) “having broken” / “he broke” (14:19; 26:26); (7) “he gave to the disciples” / “having given to the disciples, he gave to them (14:19; 26:26); (8) “they ate” / “eat” (14:20 26:27); (9) “all” (14:20; 26:27).

[2] W. D. Davies and Dale Allison, The Gospel According to Saint Matthew (ICC; London: T&T Clark, 1991): 3:481.

Loving Your Enemies: The 7th Sunday in OT

 

This Sunday’s Readings include some of the best known—and hardest to practice—passages from the Gospel, including Jesus famous command to “turn the other cheek.”  Biblical scholarship can only go so far in elucidating some of Jesus’ challenging commands; beyond that, we need the saints. 

1.  Our Readings start off showing the continuity between Jesus’ teachings and the Old Testament, quoting a section from Leviticus (19:1-2, 17-18):

The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

“You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”

The Book of Leviticus is the heart of the Pentateuch from the point of view of literary structure.  It is typically the first book

Did Origen lay aside the "Rule of Faith"?

Origen (d. circa A.D. 254)

This evening I have been reading essays in S. Mark Heim, Faith to Creed: Ecumenical Perspectives on the Affirmation of the Apostolic Faith in the Fourth Century (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991). The book has a lot of interesting material. Here, however, I'd like to look at a claim made by one of the authors about Origen.

In his contribution, "The Nicene Creed and the Unity of Christians," E. Glenn Hinson makes the following assertion:

"Both Clement and origen professed to approach Scriptures by the rule of faith. Origen himself expressed the necessity in terms of the diversity of opinions, not only about trivial but also about important matters, among professed Christians. He was quick to note, however, matters on which the church had no clear tradition, and he was capable of setting aside the church's rule of faith if he thought Scriptures allowed it." (p. 125; emphasis added)

I was stunned by the last line. As the author provided references in a footnote--though no quotations!--I was quick to examine the sources cited.

To be clear, as is well known, like other early writers, Origen insists that proper biblical interpretation must be consistent with the "rule of faith", which seems to be another way of talking about ecclesiastical authority.

In fact, the rule of faith is closely associated with apostolic succession:

. . . so, seeing there are many who think they hold the opinions of Christ, and yet some of these think differently from their predecessors, yet as the teaching of the Church, transmitted in orderly succession from the apostles, and remaining in the Churches to the present day, is still preserved, that alone is to be accepted as truth which differs in no respect from ecclesiastical and apostolical tradition. (De princ., Preface, 2; ANF 1).

It seems to me that the idea of the "rule of faith" is problematic for those who believe in the Protestant Reformation's affirmation of sola scriptura, so I can understand why a Protestant scholar would love to find Origen departing from it.

I was eager to see evidence that Origen did that. 

Let's just say I was underwhelmed.

Some of the sources cited make absolutely no comment relating to the rule of faith. Those that do seem relevant appear completely misunderstood by Hinson.

For example, Hinson cites this from Origen's Matthew commentary:

Let others, then, who are strangers to the doctrine of the Church, assume that souls pass from the bodies of men into the bodies of dogs, according to their varying degree of wickedness; but we, who do not find this at all in the divine Scripture, say that the more rational condition changes into one more irrational, undergoing this affection in consequence of great slothfulness and negligence. (Comm. Matt. 17; ANF 9]

How in the world does this illustrate that Origen dispenses the rule of faith? It is "strangers to the doctrine of the church" who get Scripture wrong! Origen's point is that to get Scripture right, one must not be a stranger to the church's teaching.

The Surpassing Righteousness of the New Law: The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sin leads to sadness, holiness leads to happiness. That pretty much sums up this Sunday's readings.

More specifically, the lectionary selections focus on the Law of the Lord and its fulfillment in Jesus. Whereas our secular society views divine law in terms of restricting freedom, the readings actually, in a sense, reveal how freedom is found in fulfilling the law. In fact, in the Gospel we find how Jesus is bringing about a "better righteousness", making it possible for us to even transcend the standards of the Old Testament law.

Let's unpack this idea by looking at the readings. . .

THE FIRST READING: Sirach 15:15-20 

If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you;
if you trust in God, you too shall live;
he has set before you fire and water
to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.
Before man are life and death, good and evil,
whichever he chooses shall be given him.
Immense is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power, and all-seeing.
The eyes of God are on those who fear him;
he understands man’s every deed.
No one does he command to act unjustly,
to none does he give license to sin.

The Book of Sirach

The First Reading is taken from the book of Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus), which is only found in the Catholic Bible. It was originally written in Hebrew and translated into Greek around 132 B.C. Of course, this means it is also one of the last books of the Old Testament to be written.

I consider it one of the great tragedies of the Reformation that this book is largely unread and unappreciated by most non-Catholic Christians. In many ways, this book is the greatest anthology of wisdom literature in the Old Testament, a kind of mature reflection on older books such as Proverbs. Among other things, the book is full of all sorts of practical wisdom aphorisms. Some of my favorites include:

"A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter:
he that has found one has found a treasure." (Sir 6:14)

Do not find fault before you investigate; first consider, and then reprove. 8 Do not answer before you have heard, nor interrupt a speaker in the midst of his words. 9 Do not argue about a matter which does not concern you, nor sit with sinners when they judge a case. (Sir 11:7-9) 

Speak, you who are older, for it is fitting that you should,
but with accurate knowledge, and do not interrupt the music. 4 Where there is entertainment, do not pour out talk; do not display your cleverness out of season. (Sir 32:3-4)

Church, Temple, Lighthouse: The Fifth Sunday in OT

The Readings for this Sunday remind me of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, which I’ve had the privilege of visiting a couple of times in the past few years.  This beautiful church is built on a hillside and is easily visible from much of the modern city of Nazareth.  The architect designed the dome of the basilica to look like a lighthouse, symbolizing the light of Christ going out to all Nazareth and the rest of the Galilee region, in keeping with the theme of last week’s Gospel, “Those walking in darkness have seen a great light.”

The theme of light continues in this Sunday’s Readings, in which Jesus calls the people of God, the Church, to be a kind of lighthouse or beacon calling the whole world to the safe harbor with God.

1. The First Reading Isaiah 58:7-10:

Join Me in Saginaw this Tuesday and Wednesday

 I will be in Saginaw, Michigan, this Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, Feb. 4-5, speaking at 6pm at Holy Family Church.  On Tuesday I'll be giving my talk, "How to Get through the Bible in an Hour!" (complete with stick figures!), and on Wednesday, "The Seven Sacraments in the Gospel of John."

The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple: Thoughts on the Sunday Readings

This Sunday hear the story of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple. For Catholics who pray the rosary, the story is familiar. However, it's meaning is often misconstrued or misinterpreted. For instance, some think the story is about Jesus' circumcision. That's inaccurate.

In the readings this Sunday the lectionary highlight the way the story points forward to the passion of Christ. Specifically, the episode is linked with Old Testament hopes for the renewal of the priesthood and the sacrificial worship of the cult.

By the way, I have written quite a bit on this. If you're interested in a fuller and more scholarly examination, I'd recommend by article, "The New Temple, the New Priesthood, and the New Cult in Luke-Acts", which appeared in the latest volume of the Letter & Spirit academic journal. You can read it for free here.

Without any further ado, here we go.

FIRST READING:  Mal 3:1-4

Thus says the Lord God:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

As usual, the reading is far too rich for a short blog post to do justice to it. Here let us just highlight three ideas:

1. The Lord is coming to purify the temple. The Lord specifically announces that he is coming to the temple. His arrival is described in terms of a "refiner's fire". 

2. The Lord is coming to purify the priesthood. Specifically, the purpose of the Lord's advent is to purify the "sons of the Levi", the priestly tribe in ancient Israel. 

3. The Lord's coming will enable proper sacrifice. The coming of the Lord will bring about "due sacrifice to the LORD". The language suggests that such is not capable of being offered in the present condition. The reason for this seems to be that the priesthood needs to be purified. In other words, the Lord is coming to purify the priesthood so that it may offer the sacrifices God wills to be presented. 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10

R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Following on the imagery of the first reading, it is appropriate that the Responsorial Psalm envisions the Lord coming to the temple. 

SECOND READING: Heb 2:14-18

Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.

The second reading highlights Christ's priesthood. Again, I'd like to draw out three ideas. 

1. Christ is a merciful high priest. Christ is, as we find elsewhere in Scripture, the one priestly mediator between God and man (cf. 1 Tim 2:5)

2. Christ's death serves as a sacrificial offering that saves us from sin and death. This is seen in two ways. First, by his death Christ has conquered the devil to "free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery".  Second, Christ died to "expiate the sins of the people". Both terms seem related to the concept of "atonement". 

a. Liberty from slavery as atonement language. 

In Judaism sin was understood in terms of a debt. This conceptual matrix is clearly behind the language of the Lord's Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew; the petition "forgive us our debts" (Matt 6:12) is clearly about God forgiving us of our sins. Moreover, debt led to slavery. In the ancient world, if one could not pay off his or her debts one ended up being sold into servitude. This is specified by the Torah (cf. Lev. 25:39–55). See also 1 Kings 4:

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves. (2 Kings 4:1) 

Interestingly, then, the Jubilee Year, which involved the forgiveness of death and the freeing of indebted slaves, was announced on the Day of Atonement (cf. Lev. 25:9-10; cf. Lev. 23:27). For ancient Jews, the forgiveness of sins and the forgiveness of debts were inseparably linked.  

Much more could be said here. Significantly, Israel's exile was understood in terms of God selling Israel into slavery because of its debt of sin (e.g., Isa. 50:1: "Behold, for your iniquities you were sold. . ."). 

In sum, Christ's death has delivered his people from the bondage to due their sin. His death has paid the "ransom" price--i.e., he has "redeemed" us by his blood. The language is inseparably linked to atonement. 

Indeed, the in the Dead Sea Scrolls, "atonement" is specifically understood in terms of deliverance from the debt of sin and the Jubilee: 

". . . And liberty will be proclaimed for them, to free them from [the debt of] all their iniquities. And this [wil]l [happen] 7 in the first week of the jubilee which follows the ni[ne] jubilees. And the d[ay of aton]ement is the e[nd of] the tenth [ju]bilee 8 in which atonement shall be made for all the sons of [light and] for the men [of] the lot of Mel[chi]zedek. . . " (11QMelchizedek 2:6-8

It is perhaps worth mentioning that the Epistle to the Hebrews goes on to not only identify Christ's death as an atoning sacrifice but it also specifically identifies him as "a priest in the order of Melchizedek" (cf. Ps 110:4).

b. "Expiation" as a sacrifice of "atonement"

Christ's death is understood in terms of "expiation", in Greek, hilasmos, the word used to translate the Hebrew, kippūr, "atonement". The term is closely related to Israel's sacrificial cult and, in that context, refers to "atonement" sacrifices. See, for example, Num. 5:8, Ezek. 44:27; 2 Macc 3:33.   

Together with the language above about setting humanity free from slavery, the terminology reinforces the notion that Christ's death has served as a priestly sacrifice.  

3. As Christ was "tested", so too will believers be. Christ has paved the way ahead of believers. He has suffered but we shall as well. However, he is not unmerciful or compassionate towards them in their suffering for he endured suffering himself.

GOSPEL:  Luke 22:40

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
—and you yourself a sword will pierce—
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 

There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

I cannot possibly comment on every aspect of this passage. Let us just hit the following highlights.

1. Why did the Holy Family go to Jerusalem? According to the Old Testament, after a woman gave birth she was ritually unclean (cf. Lev. 12:1-5). In order to be purified a sacrifice was required (Lev. 12:6-8).

To be clear: ritual impurity did not necessarily involve "sin", though sin was a kind of impurity (cf. Klawans, Impurity and Sin in Ancient Judaism, 158). A woman was not a "sinner" because she had given birth. Without giving a long explanation, we can simply say here that the purity laws were essentially "symbolic".

Exactly how they were symbolic is debated. Three basic approaches might be mentioned here:

• Jacob Milgrom has shown that things associated with "death" were linked with "impurity" (e.g., touching a corpse)(cf. Milgrom, Leviticus 1-16, 1002–3). The purity system thus underscores that God is the Lord of life. 
• Another approach is that of Mary Douglas, who has tied purity to the idea of God's "order" and purpose in creation (e.g., creatures that depart from the norm, i.e., fish that do not have fins and scales, are unclean). 
• The Church fathers made the case that the purity laws were given to Israel to teach them to reject the ways of the nations and to, in a sense, quarantine Israel from their neighbors. The more recent analysis offered by Jan Assmann would seem to support aspects of this theory (Moses the Egyptian).   

Without offering a long explanation, it seems to me that the laws had a multi-faceted purpose.

2. Luke seems hesitant to speak of Mary as "unclean". One fascinating aspect of the narrative is that even though Luke would have known that "impurity" was metaphorical in the case of childbirth and not related to sinfulness, he still seems uncomfortable identifying Mary with uncleanness. Rather than explain that the couple went up to Jerusalem to deal with her state of impurity after childbirth, Luke says that the time came for "their purification." Perhaps this hesitancy is due to Luke's previous narrative, which seems to identify Mary with the ark of the covenant. Go here for more on that: http://www.thesacredpage.com/2010/12/ark-imagery-in-luke-1-and-mary-in.html?m=1

3. Mary and Joseph are obedient to the law. Mary and Joseph do not seek a "way out". They do not look for loopholes (i.e., "I am the mother of the Messiah"). Here we see their great willingness to obey the Law of the Lord--giving us an example to follow!

4. Holy Family offers turtle doves, the offering of the poor (Lev. 12:8). The Holy Family is identified with the poor.

5. The meaning of "presentation". The precise language of Mary and Joseph "presenting" the child Jesus in the temple is significant. One level it recalls figures such as Samuel, who in the Old Testament were dedicated to God from their youth by their parents. However, there seems to be more than just a "dedication" going on here. The word translation “to present" is paristēmi. As Pope Benedict observed in volume 3 of his work, Jesus of Nazareth, the term is specifically used for "presenting" a "sacrifice". See Romans 12:1: "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present [paristēmi] your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

Jesus is in the temple as the sacrifice. Here Jesus' sacrificial death is anticipated. (For more on that Jesus' sacrificial death in Luke-Acts, see my Letter & Spirit article, for which there is a link above). 

5. The Piercing of the Messiah and His Mother. Mary is told that her soul will be pierced so that "the thoughts out of many hearts will be revealed" (Luke 2:35). Much could be said here. Suffice it to say, Mary is so closely united to her son that she will participate in his redemptive suffering.

Indeed, in this Mary is a model of all believers. St. Paul explains, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. . ." (Col. 1:24)

6. Christ and the renewal of the priesthood. The story of the presentation reveals the fulfillment of what Malachi longed for: the arrival of God at his temple and the purification of the priesthood. Christ comes to the temple as the true priest, offering the true sacrifice, himself. He therefore brings about a renewal of the priesthood.

In fact, all believers have a share in that priesthood. By uniting ourselves with Christ and following Mary's example we offer our selves as a sacrifice to God, as Paul explains.

Join John Bergsma and me for a FREE Bible conference in California next month

On February 15th, John Bergsma and I will be speaking at the 6th Annual Biblical Studies Conference at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church in beautiful Santa Maria, CA.

The event is co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

Here are the 8 things you need to know about it.

1. How much? The event is FREE. There will be a free-will offering to help defray the costs.

2. What's the topic? The theme is, Christ, Our Passover: The Eucharist and the Cross

3. What's the schedule? In broad strokes, the conference begins at 9am and ends at 2:30pm. There is a lunch break from 12:00pm-12:45pm.

4. What about lunch? There is an optional $6 lunch (sandwich, drink, chips), for which you must RSVP. (It's really worth it. The sandwiches are fantastic!)

5. Where is Santa Maria? Santa Maria is north of Santa Barbara. Many people from northern, central and southern California come each year.

6. The drive there is spectacular. . . Really. A perfect Valentine's Day trip!  I highly recommend you come--if nothing else than for the drive there. The scenic route along the beach is truly breathtaking.

True story: Immediately after going there for this conference the first time I attended, I took my wife on a weekend get away shortly afterwards. It was so stunningly beautiful, I had to make the drive with her. We stayed at a nearby beach. 

I recommend making a Valentine's Day date out of it. Young parents, maybe think about about getting a babysitter. You won't regret it! And if you don't like the conference, you can have your money back. 

Oh wait, it's free. 

7. Location

St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church Parish Hall
5075 Harp Road
Santa Maria, CA 93455

8. Who should I contact?

For more information, contact Trent Benedetti at (805) 922-4881.

The flyer is above. Yes, the first time I did this I didn't have a beard and I guess they just recycled this old picture of me!

***Update***

9. Will John Bergsma be doing any of his famous drawings during his talk? Not sure, but I think it's a safe bet that he will probably draw something. Expect no drawings from me, however.

THREE previously unreleased commentaries by Aquinas coming from Logos Software

As readers of this blog know, I am a huge fan of Logos Bible Software.

From time to time, I get emails or comments from people who make the case that such a software program is unnecessary because the materials available on Logos are available online.

Not only do such people fail to understand what Logos is capable of doing (e.g., word studies, cross referencing across resources, etc.), they are also just plain wrong--you simply cannot find the same resources on the web for free.

For example, Logos is now about to make history by releasing the the first English translation of three commentaries by Aquinas.

THREE!!!

They are:

• Thomas' commentary on Isaiah (2 vols.)
• Thomas' commentary on Jeremiah (2 vols.)
• Thomas' commentary on Peter Lombard's Sentences (8 vols.)

I can't believe these works have never been available in English. Stunning!

But soon you'll be able to get them--and only from Logos.

Pre-order now and get the incredible discount!

Learn more here.