Daily Retreat 07/06/07
2007 Jul 6 Fri/ Maria Goretti, v, mt
Gn 23:1-4.19; 24:1-8.62-67/Ps 105(106)/Mt 9:9-13
From today’s readings:“Then Isaac took Rebekah into his tent; he married her, and thus she became his wife.... Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.... As Jesus passed by, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post....”
I, Isaac
Although the hope and anticipation of the birth of a son for himself and Sarah figures in much of Abraham’s chronology, Genesis surprisingly treats that son, Isaac, as more of a transitional character, providing a gentle closure to the epic of Abraham, and then quickly shifting the focus to Isaac’s younger son Jacob. But, as we’ll soon see, after just a few chapters, Jacob’s fame too soon fades before the rising star of his favorite son, Joseph, the only patriarch in Genesis whose life is depicted with the same degree of detail as was Abraham’s, since each of them “star” as the central character in about twelve chapters of Genesis (Abraham: chapters 12-24; Joseph: chapters 37-50, except 38 and 49).
So, what lessons can be learned, and what then is to be said of Isaac, such a shadowy figure, but still an essential link in the chain of chronology and biblical genealogy? For, notwithstanding Isaac’s low profile, throughout the Bible, God is introduced many times (and even occasionally introduced Himself!) as “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
All fathers and mothers have hopes and great dreams for their children. Sometimes, the dreams actually come true - the children learn the essential life lessons from their parents and proudly follow in their footsteps, building on and at times even surpassing their parents’ accomplishments. However, there also are many times when children, for various reasons (and often enough even in spite of their parents’ best efforts!), fail to reach the same level of virtue or otherwise achieve as much as their parents did in their lifetimes. Both tendencies are equally evident in the drama of one generation passing on to another....
There is certainly no suggestion that Isaac was ever a disappointment to his father Abraham. Indeed, in those verses which treat most specifically about Isaac (Genesis 26), he appears as a veritable “chip off the old block,” even reliving some of his father’s adventures. Above all, like Abraham, Isaac certainly must have kept faith in God, since he was able to pass that on to his own children. Perhaps, then, especially in Isaac, there is indeed a clear biblical message for us to hold dear: the commitment to make the most of our inheritance in faith from the past generations, even as we strive to insure we pass it all on to the next generations....
Gn 23:1-4.19; 24:1-8.62-67/Ps 105(106)/Mt 9:9-13
From today’s readings:“Then Isaac took Rebekah into his tent; he married her, and thus she became his wife.... Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.... As Jesus passed by, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post....”
I, Isaac
Although the hope and anticipation of the birth of a son for himself and Sarah figures in much of Abraham’s chronology, Genesis surprisingly treats that son, Isaac, as more of a transitional character, providing a gentle closure to the epic of Abraham, and then quickly shifting the focus to Isaac’s younger son Jacob. But, as we’ll soon see, after just a few chapters, Jacob’s fame too soon fades before the rising star of his favorite son, Joseph, the only patriarch in Genesis whose life is depicted with the same degree of detail as was Abraham’s, since each of them “star” as the central character in about twelve chapters of Genesis (Abraham: chapters 12-24; Joseph: chapters 37-50, except 38 and 49).
So, what lessons can be learned, and what then is to be said of Isaac, such a shadowy figure, but still an essential link in the chain of chronology and biblical genealogy? For, notwithstanding Isaac’s low profile, throughout the Bible, God is introduced many times (and even occasionally introduced Himself!) as “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
All fathers and mothers have hopes and great dreams for their children. Sometimes, the dreams actually come true - the children learn the essential life lessons from their parents and proudly follow in their footsteps, building on and at times even surpassing their parents’ accomplishments. However, there also are many times when children, for various reasons (and often enough even in spite of their parents’ best efforts!), fail to reach the same level of virtue or otherwise achieve as much as their parents did in their lifetimes. Both tendencies are equally evident in the drama of one generation passing on to another....
There is certainly no suggestion that Isaac was ever a disappointment to his father Abraham. Indeed, in those verses which treat most specifically about Isaac (Genesis 26), he appears as a veritable “chip off the old block,” even reliving some of his father’s adventures. Above all, like Abraham, Isaac certainly must have kept faith in God, since he was able to pass that on to his own children. Perhaps, then, especially in Isaac, there is indeed a clear biblical message for us to hold dear: the commitment to make the most of our inheritance in faith from the past generations, even as we strive to insure we pass it all on to the next generations....
posted by FrPitstick | 7/05/2007
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