As long as we are in 1 Timothy, let's look at one of Paul's more controversial instructions: "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent" (1 Timothy 2:11-12). In Paul's day and in the Jewish faith women were not allowed to study at all. Only men studied (and argued over) the Torah. So for Paul to say that women should learn was extraordinary. The women, naturally, would have been learning from men because no women at that time would have been qualified to teach. And, after all, a good portion of this letter is concerned with false teachers who were men. Would Paul have allowed women to teach had he lived longer? I don't know, but I think it is a possibility. Paul goes to some lengths in his letters to send greetings to women, to mention churches that meet in women's houses, and so forth. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul praises Timothy's grandmother and mother, who were believers. So it has never seemed to me that Paul hated women or disrespected them. For a man of his day, he seems to hold women in high regard. For reflection: Is there anyone whom I consider less than me? beneath me? Have I relegated anyone to a second class status? How do I treat people with learning disabilities? Let us pray. Father, you created all people in your image and likeness. In you we have our inherent dignity. As your children, we are worthy of respect. Thank you for your gift of life.
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As we approach the commemoration of Jesus' return to heaven, also known as his ascension, there are some final appearances to consider. Strangely enough, they come from Paul's letter to the Christians living in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul is summarizing his basic teaching on the good news. He says, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." We have not heard in the gospel accounts that Jesus appeared to the crowd of 500 people or that he appeared separately to James. Certainly we did not hear in the gospels that he appeared to Paul because those accounts end, at the latest, with the ascension, and Jesus appeared to Paul sometime after that. Besides, Paul was not a disciple or follower of Jesus during Jesus' lifetime. Paul was not even a believer when Jesus appeared to him. I think there is a conclusion we can draw from these appearances to his apostles and to others. If Jesus can appear to his closest apostles and followers, if Jesus can appear to a group of 500 people who cannot all be his closest disciples, and if Jesus can appear to someone who is not his disciple at all (Paul), he can appear to us. Jesus' appearances were not limited to the 11 remaining apostles. They were not limited to men. They were not even limited to those who knew him in his earthly body. Jesus can and will appear to whomever he wants whenever he wants. This is a bold conclusion, is it not? Most of us think the appearances stopped when Jesus ascended to heaven. Obviously not, for he appeared to Paul after that. Also the prayer journals of many saints through the ages record that they saw Jesus. Why not us? For reflection: Am I open to seeing Jesus? Am I ready to see Jesus? Let us pray. Jesus, you are the best thing in my life. I want to know you better. I want to see you clearly. Come, Lord Jesus. "Do not be afraid." We hear that command several times in the resurrection and post-resurrection accounts. In Matthew's telling of the story of Jesus' resurrection(chapter 28), the angel says it to the women at the tomb. Jesus says it to the women again when he appears to them as they are on their way to tell the other disciples. It must be a fearsome thing to have an angel appear and speak to you and then, shortly after, Jesus appear (poof!) right in front of you when you know he died just a few days ago. Contrary to how the "undead" are portrayed on TV and in movies today, I don't think Jesus looked like a zombie or a vampire. The women recognized Jesus immediately, fell at his feet and worshiped him (verse 9). Perhaps they were afraid at these appearances, but perhaps they were afraid because of the Roman and Jewish authorities and what this might mean for Jesus' little band of followers. For reflection: Am I afraid to believe Jesus rose from the dead? Am I afraid of what believing in Jesus might mean in my life? Am I afraid to face Jesus? Let us pray. Jesus, risen Lord, I too am afraid. I am afraid . . . . Mary was a common name at the time of Jesus, as it is today. In the death and resurrection accounts we hear of several women named Mary. In Mark's Gospel, for instance, the women who are watching the crucifixion are identified as Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome. There were also many other women followers watching (see Mark 15:40-41). Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses also watch to see where Jesus is laid to rest. In Matthew's account, the three women watching from a distance are identified as Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's son's (Mt 27:55-56). The same two women as in Mark watch to see where Jesus is entombed. Luke has an unidentified crowd of women (Lk 23:27, 49, 55-56) at the cross and tomb. John has a slightly different grouping. "Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene" (John 19:25). John also relates to us the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, being given into John's care. John doesn't mention any women watching where Jesus' body is laid, but Mary Magdalene is the first to go to the tomb. If not for John's gospel, I would be asking myself, "Where's Jesus' mother?" Forget "Where's Waldo?", "Where's Mary?" In the movies of Jesus' life, we always see Mary somewhere in the crowd. She's watching the scourging; she is following along as Jesus carries the cross; she weeps at the foot of the cross as Jesus dies. Mary is always there somewhere. But was she? According to Matthew, Mark and Luke, it appears Mary was not there. For reflection: Set aside preconceived notions of what happened. Imagine that you are Mary. Would you follow along to the place of crucifixion and be there when your son dies? Could you handle that? Or would you be elsewhere, not able to face the execution of your son? Let us pray. Jesus, . . . Today we end our study of Sarah. Let's look at her strengths and accomplishments. She was faithful to Abraham, following him wherever he went. She bore Isaac, nursed him, and raised him in her old age. She was loyal to Isaac and always wanted the best for him. She became the mother of a nation and ancestor of Jesus. She believed the promise even though all she ever saw was one son, Isaac, not the many who were to come. For this she is listed in the "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews 11. And her weaknesses? She had trouble believing that the promise was for her. She tried to work out her own solution to God's promise of a son by giving Hagar to Abraham. She treated Hagar (and Ishmael?) badly. I guess like most of us Sarah is a mixed bag. She does the best she can according to the way she understands. She put her faith in God and her trust in Abraham. These accomplishments were enough to put her into the "Faith Hall of Fame" and to qualify her as one of our mothers. As Isaiah says, "Listen to me you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham your father and to Sarah, who gave you birth (Isaiah 51:1-2). For reflection: Who are our mothers in the faith? What strengths of theirs did we pick up? How can we thank them? Let us pray. Father, I thank you for the mothers I have had, both natural and supernatural. I thank you for their strengths in . . . . A few years after Sarah gives birth to Isaac she demands that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. In that way she can get rid of the evidence of her previous unbelief and eliminate any contention for Abraham's inheritance. God assures Abraham that he will take care of Hagar and their son, so Abraham does as Sarah wants. When Hagar's and Ishmael's supplies run out in the desert, God sends a heavenly messenger to provide for them and to reassure them that Ishmael will be the father of a great nation (Genesis 21:8-21). Like Sarah, who among us wants signs of our unbelief around to remind us on a daily basis that we didn't trust what God had promised? I surely don't. I like to pretend that I've always been a stalwart believer in everything God has said, and I have never questioned or doubted. The truth is I probably doubt something every day. Let's look at what has happened in the story, though. Neither Abraham nor Sarah is reproved for their doubts. God provides for Hagar and Ishmael. God keeps his promises. Since we are in Holy Week, I'll make comparisons around the death of Jesus. Peter doubts and denies he even knows Jesus. Peter goes on to be a great man of God. After the resurrection, the apostle Thomas doubts that Jesus is risen. Thomas goes on to be a great man of God. For reflection: How can I overcome my doubts? Let us pray. Jesus, I'm having a hard time believing . . . . Help my unbelief. "The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised" (Gen 21:1). After all the travail of having the initial promise of a son for Abraham, the waiting, the birth of Ishmael by Hagar, Hagar running away and coming back, more waiting, God speaking to Abraham again and sending the three visitors so that Sarah could hear the promise again, we have a simple sentence. God did as he said he would. Abraham and Sarah rejoiced as Abraham named their son Isaac (he laughs). Sarah exclaimed, "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me. Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." God did as he said he would. It is true for us too. All that God has promised us will happen in due time. This week we celebrate the fulfillment of another of the promises of God - that he would send a Savior who would set us free from the laws of sin and death. God did as he said he would. For reflection: How are we keeping the promises of God alive in our hearts? What promises has God already fulfilled in my life? Let us pray. Lord God, you are not only one who makes promises but one who keeps them. Thank you for the promises you have made to me, the promises already kept and the promises I know will be fulfilled because you made them. Holy is your name. In Genesis 17 we saw Abraham's reaction to being told that he and Sarah would have a son in their old age. Now we see Sarah's reaction in Genesis 18: 1-15. The story is different. In chapter 17, it is God who speaks to Abraham directly. In chapter 18, three messengers arrive at Abraham and Sarah's campsite. They are welcomed and shown hospitality. Sarah begins to make bread; Abraham has a calf killed and prepared. Conversation ensues over the meal. Several anomalies occur in the story. The three messengers appear at Abraham's tent. Why didn't Abraham or one of the servants see them coming? How is it that they ask for Sarah by name? Both Abraham and Sarah are addressed by their new names, and yet Sarah doesn't seem to know that she is to have a son. In this version of the story, it is Sarah who laughs, not Abraham. Granted, she is more delicate in her laughter - she doesn't roll on the ground laughing as Abraham did. Finally one of the messengers, the one who promises a son, is identified as "the Lord." Speaking so that Sarah can overhear the promise, he tells Abraham of a son to be born in the next year. Let's apply a little imagination between chapters 17 and 18. What if, after God speaks to Abraham as recorded in chapter 17, Abraham tells Sarah of her new name and the requirement of circumcision as a sign of the covenant, but doesn't tell her about having a son and naming him Isaac? What if 99-year-old Abraham was afraid to talk to 90-year-old Sarah about having a baby? Then we see the necessity of the visit by the three messengers to reaffirm the message to Abraham and to allow Sarah to hear it herself. Now Sarah can join her faith to Abraham's in the conception of Isaac. Abraham and Sarah both need to believe the promise. For reflection: When has God been persistent with us in giving the same message over and over until we believe? What is the promise we have the most trouble accepting? Let us pray. God, you are the Father of promises and the Lord of truth. Help us to recognize, understand and believe the promises you have made to us. In re-reading our text, Genesis 17:15-22, I am amazed at God's patience. God waits while Abraham laughs at the notion that he and Sarah will have a child at their advanced age. Then Abraham suggests to God that the covenant be established through Ishmael. God calmly replies, "No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son." So the covenant will be established through Isaac. However, God does not forget Ishmael. "As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous." God does not appear to be offended by Abraham's laughter nor by his suggestion that the covenant be established through Ishmael. He patiently explains that Abraham's legitimate wife, not Hagar, will have a son, as He said all along. It was Sarah who lost patience with God's promise and her infertility. God shows himself more patient than Abraham and Sarah both. For reflection: How and when has God been patient with me? Let us pray. Lord of Patience, thank you for all the occasions that you have been patient with me. . . . Forgive me for all the times I have been impatient with you. "What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," so says Juliet to Romeo. Just in the last week we have seen that the Pope takes on a new name when elected. I've known adults who chose new names at baptism. What's with God changing Sarai's name to Sarah (Gen 17:15) which means princess? I suppose he is indicating a new role for her - from being barren to being the mother of nations. Now she is royalty. Sarah and her husband are starting a new dynasty. Isaac, Sarah's firstborn son (but not Abraham's firstborn son), is the proof that God's promises of land and descendants are true. God has proven himself in a most spectacular way. What other 90-year-old woman has given birth? So we see what an important role Sarah had in God's plan. Indeed, she was essential, as was Mary the mother of Jesus. We have two reflection questions today: What is my role in God's plan? What name does God call me? Let us pray. God, you called Sarah to a new role, even in her old age. Please allow me to serve you, even to the last day of my life. |
AliceI started this website and blog on May 1, 2012. I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years. I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s. Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs. It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. Archives
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