The Dynamics of Temptation (Lent I - Cycle A)

40 is a number we find at several significant moments in the Bible. The reason for the use of 40 is its association with transformation. At least 40 days are needed for an individual to be transformed, as old habits are uprooted and are replaced with new ones. Similarly, 40 years are required for the large scale transformation of society, as one generation passes and another one rises up.

In the Book of Genesis, 40 days of rain bring about a global flood, which erases the evil social structures that had arisen. Later, after their liberation from Egypt, the Israelites spend 40 years wandering in the desert in order to be reshaped into a new people, who are ready to enter the Promised Land. During this time, Moses stays 40 days at the top of the mountain in God's presence as he prepares to be God's messenger, through whom the law will be communicated to the Israelites. When the Israelites fall into sin by worshipping the Golden Calf, they undergo 40 days of fasting to atone for their sin.

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Photo Credit: Mount Quarantania near Jericho, where, according to tradition, Jesus was tempted by Satan by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

Three Things That Destroy Society (6th Sunday - Cycle A)

The Torah, the Israelite Law, was revealed by God through Moses in the Old Testament. In the passage for this Sunday, Jesus says about some aspects of the Law: You have heard said…, but I say to you. For a mere human, such a statement would be terrible presumption. For any one of us to speak in such a way about God's law would be nothing short of blasphemy. But Christ can speak that way because he is not a mere human. He is God Incarnate. He is the Lawgiver Himself. Since the Law comes from God, Christ, who is God Incarnate, can speak any way he wants about the Law.

We see in the passage that Jesus comes not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. He shows the fuller, deeper meaning of the Law and the relationship with God that the Law is pointing toward. In the process, he will set aside certain precepts that prepared the way for Christ but are no longer needed now that the grace of Christ has been given to us. In doing so, Jesus is not abolishing parts of the Law, but is allowing the deeper meaning of the Law to flourish. In interpreting the Mosaic Law, we can say that the Old Testament precepts are to be followed by Christians only to the extent that Christ restated or reaffirmed them.

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Photo Credit: Storm by Francesco Gamba from Wikimedia Commons.

Faith Is Not Enough (5th Sunday - Cycle A)

Salt was an essential ingredient for food processing in the ancient world. Without modern refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meat, fish, and other types of food, which was especially important in the hot desert climate of the Middle East. Salt was also used as a basic spice to make various foods more tasty.

Given its importance, salt was an expensive commodity in the ancient world. So valuable was salt that soldiers were often paid in salt for their military service. In fact, the English word "salary" comes from the Latin word for salt. Even today, we might say that someone is "worth his salt," meaning that they have truly earned their wages.

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Photo Credit: Via Dolorosa, First Station, in Jerusalem by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

Understanding the Beatitudes (4th Sunday - Cycle A)

In the Gospel of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, recounted in the Gospel passage for this Sunday, can be seen as the opening statement of the ministry of Jesus. In this speech, Jesus expounds on key concepts that he will build on in his preaching and actions throughout the rest of his public ministry. The principles outlined in the Sermon on the Mount have come to be known as the Beatitudes, from the Latin word for blessed. The Beatitudes are among the most commented on statements from the Bible, and therefore I cannot possibly provide and exhaustive interpretation of this pivotal text in a brief article. But let us look at some key thoughts regarding these teachings.

At their core, the Beatitudes are characterized by the inversion of the values of the world. Historically, the world values temporal satisfaction obtained through temporal things and experiences. The quest for such fleeting satisfaction often leads to disordered behaviors, which bring about an ever-spiraling sense of disorder in the world.

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Photo Credit: Mount of Beatitudes by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

Leaving All for Christ (3rd Sunday - Cycle A)

According to biblical chronology, the Israelites conquered the Holy Land in the 15th century BC. Each of the tribes received a large territory for its own, except for the tribe of Levi, which was designated as the priestly tribe. The Levites would tend to the spiritual needs of the other tribes and, in return, their reward wouldn't be land, but the Lord Himself, who would be their inheritance. The territories belonging to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, mentioned both in the First Reading and the Gospel Reading for this Sunday, were located in the northern part of the Holy Land.

In the 11th century BC, the tribal lands started to be forged into a single monarchy under King Saul, the first king of the Israelites. The kingdom reached its peak in the 10th century BC under King David and his son King Solomon. However, after Solomon's reign, still in the 10th century BC, the kingdom was split in two, the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah in the south. Roughly 200 years later, the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians, who removed the local population and resettled the tribes in other lands. They started the dismantling of the Kingdom of Israel in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali.

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Photo Credit: The Sea of Galilee by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

What Is Ordinary Time? (2nd Sunday - Cycle A)

The Feast of the Baptism of Lord, which we celebrated last Sunday, marks the beginning of Ordinary Time in the liturgical cycle of the Catholic Church. Ordinary Time has two parts: 1) the shorter stretch between the end of the Christmas season and Ash Wednesday and 2) the much longer period between Pentecost and the first Sunday of Advent. The phrase "Ordinary Time" has an unfortunate connotation in the English language, suggesting that this period is plain old ordinary and that nothing special is happening during this time. But nothing could be further from the truth.

At the heart of Catholic liturgical practice is the concept that every Mass, regardless of how grand or simple it is, expresses the fullness of our faith. In that sense, no Mass is ordinary, since the Mass is the most intimate union we can have with God on this side of Heaven. The various feasts and seasons of the liturgical year do not add new concepts to the Mass but serve to highlight different aspects of our faith, helping us to reflect on them more deeply and to enter into them more fully.

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Photo Credit: The Sea of Galilee by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

Baptism Is the Foundation (Baptism of the Lord - Cycle A)

At the time of Jesus, baptism was already a custom showing repentance and a sense of recommitment to the spiritual life. Culturally, ritual bathing could be the sign of inner spiritual cleansing. Of course, Jesus himself had no need of cleansing. Being God Incarnate, he was free of all sin. So why did he need go through baptism? In fact, in the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist himself wonders why Jesus would want to be baptized by him, given that Jesus is the Lord.

Two reasons come to the fore as to why Jesus had John baptize him. One was to set an example for his future followers. Jesus made baptism the foundational sacrament of the Church, the entryway into the new life of salvation he offers to all of humanity. Even though Jesus did not need to get baptized, he underwent baptism to show the way.

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Photo Credit: The Baptism Site of Jesus in Jordan (c) 2016 by Zoltan Abraham.