Sunday Scripture Readings

Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

seventeenth sunday

in ordinary time,

july 29

Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138;

Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13 OUR GOOD NEWS: God ignores our sins in his eagerness to forgive and bless us. In those days, the Lord said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave that I must . . . " Opening words in the first reading established God as the model for all who exercise authority. The outcry constituted a direct appeal to the world ruler in his role as preserver of the moral order, a petition God could not ignore for long-term gross injustice is incompatible with divine power and holiness. God did not, however, shoot from the hip. With patient objectivity he withheld judgmental reaction until personally checking out the situation. "I must go down and see" how valid the complaint really is. There is no hint of punishment or condemnation until a full and impartial inquiry has been completed. "I mean to find out." "While Abraham's visitors walked on farther toward Sodom, the Lord remained standing before Abraham." This sentence ranks with the most shocking and near-blasphemous in the entire Bible. In Hebrew, to "stand before" someone describes the posture of an inferior presenting a petition to a superior. Normally, ancient copyists wrote out exactly what was before them, doubtless at times with some shaking of heads. But this was the limit! Old manuscripts (and most translations until recently) attest a rare "scribal correction" here, whereby Abraham was made, more properly, to stand before the Lord. Scandal or not, the text means what it originally said. God had a favor to ask of Abraham, although propriety prevented his asking outright. God already knew what he would find in Sodom, but wanted Abraham to talk him out of inflicting richly deserved punishment upon this depraved, pagan city! We are astounded at Abraham's casual familiarity with God. Even more amazing is that God lets him get away with it - more accurately, God wants, if at all possible, to be talked out of punishing. Abraham verbalized God's own concern for the few good persons that can leaven an entire city. This semi-nomadic sheep raiser had survived only because of his shrewd, quick mind and tongue. Now he bravely, selflessly negotiated on behalf of a city notorious for moral corruption. This master wheeler-dealer tried to push God to the limit: How much wickedness can the Lord bear? But it was Abraham and not God who drew the line at "10 innocent people." So much for the alleged "Old Testament God of wrath and judgmentality"! Here is a lesson we all desperately need to hear and interiorize. God doesn't enjoy punishing us sinners, doesn't get angry when we mess up, is more eager to forgive than we are to ask for or accept forgiveness. Also difficult for us is imitating the example of Abraham, our revered Father in the faith. Rather than calling down God's curse on these depraved pagans, he sought their deliverance. This is the definition of true neighbor love. Finally and especially moving, we share Abraham's awesome familiarity with the majestic world Creator!