Daily Retreat 08/03/06
2006 Aug 3 Thu: Ordinary Weekday
Jer 18: 1-6/ Ps 145(146): 1b-2. 3-4. 5-6ab/ Mt 13: 47-53
From todays readings: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the LORD.... Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD, his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them.... every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.
The Old and the New
Chapter 13 of Matthews Gospel contains a healthy sampling of the Lords parables. After the chapters last parable (the dragnet), Jesus asked His disciples, Do you understand all these things? And the reply is a simple Yes.
There is a real danger in studying scripture to assume that the Word of God is more complicated than at first it appears. The parables of Chapter 13 seem clear enough, but some readers are inclined to start guessing about deeper meanings. True, Gods Word expresses His unfathomable wisdom, and so there will always be something new that we can learn from it, by re-reading and studying more in depth. But that doesnt mean that scripture can only be understood by those with graduate degrees, because the Lord inspired the Bible specifically so His Word could be clearly spread in the written media!
On the other hand, an equally disastrous temptation is to pretend that the Bible is so clear, that no real study is necessary, because the intended meaning is always readily apparent. But Jesus Himself refers to the advantages of the scribe who is learned and instructed in heavenly matters, able to bring forth from the treasury of both the new and the old. Thats the effective balance that we need to strive for in our scripture study!
Jer 18: 1-6/ Ps 145(146): 1b-2. 3-4. 5-6ab/ Mt 13: 47-53
From todays readings: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the LORD.... Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD, his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them.... every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.
The Old and the New
Chapter 13 of Matthews Gospel contains a healthy sampling of the Lords parables. After the chapters last parable (the dragnet), Jesus asked His disciples, Do you understand all these things? And the reply is a simple Yes.
There is a real danger in studying scripture to assume that the Word of God is more complicated than at first it appears. The parables of Chapter 13 seem clear enough, but some readers are inclined to start guessing about deeper meanings. True, Gods Word expresses His unfathomable wisdom, and so there will always be something new that we can learn from it, by re-reading and studying more in depth. But that doesnt mean that scripture can only be understood by those with graduate degrees, because the Lord inspired the Bible specifically so His Word could be clearly spread in the written media!
On the other hand, an equally disastrous temptation is to pretend that the Bible is so clear, that no real study is necessary, because the intended meaning is always readily apparent. But Jesus Himself refers to the advantages of the scribe who is learned and instructed in heavenly matters, able to bring forth from the treasury of both the new and the old. Thats the effective balance that we need to strive for in our scripture study!
posted by FrPitstick | 8/02/2006
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