Daily Retreat 08/07/09
2009 Aug 7 Fri:Ordinary Weekday/ Sixtus II, pp, mt, & co., mts/ Cajetan, p
Dt 4:32-40/ Ps 76(77):12-13. 14-15. 16 and 21/ Mt 16:24-28
From today’s readings:“This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other.... I remember the deeds of the Lord.... Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me....”
Deuteronomy
Because of tedious details, Leviticus and Numbers are two of the more difficult books of the Bible to read from cover to cover. But the last book of the Torah is generally considered much more “user friendly,” for that book, Deuteronomy, showcases some of the most polished rhetoric found in the Old Testament, and it also serves as a neat resume and review reflection of many of the most important incidents mentioned earlier in the Pentateuch.
The passage of the first reading is a prime example of the style of Deuteronomy. These verses are the conclusion of a long speech by Moses (which started in Chapter One!), in which he summarized the wanderings of the Israelites from the departure of Mt. Horeb to the edge of the Promised Land. In general, the speeches of Moses are a simple and straightforward exhortation to the Israelites: Think back on the great things God has done for us, His chosen people, in the past - if you remain faithful to God and obey His commandments, He will continue to guide you and bless you!
Such a simple but profound message is the summary of the whole Bible, so the message needs to be proclaimed anew and repeated every day, thereby fulfilling Moses’ injunction to “fix in your heart that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep His statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper....”
Dt 4:32-40/ Ps 76(77):12-13. 14-15. 16 and 21/ Mt 16:24-28
From today’s readings:“This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other.... I remember the deeds of the Lord.... Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me....”
Deuteronomy
Because of tedious details, Leviticus and Numbers are two of the more difficult books of the Bible to read from cover to cover. But the last book of the Torah is generally considered much more “user friendly,” for that book, Deuteronomy, showcases some of the most polished rhetoric found in the Old Testament, and it also serves as a neat resume and review reflection of many of the most important incidents mentioned earlier in the Pentateuch.
The passage of the first reading is a prime example of the style of Deuteronomy. These verses are the conclusion of a long speech by Moses (which started in Chapter One!), in which he summarized the wanderings of the Israelites from the departure of Mt. Horeb to the edge of the Promised Land. In general, the speeches of Moses are a simple and straightforward exhortation to the Israelites: Think back on the great things God has done for us, His chosen people, in the past - if you remain faithful to God and obey His commandments, He will continue to guide you and bless you!
Such a simple but profound message is the summary of the whole Bible, so the message needs to be proclaimed anew and repeated every day, thereby fulfilling Moses’ injunction to “fix in your heart that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep His statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper....”
posted by FrPitstick | 7/25/2009
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