CCC Cross Reference:
Rom 4:3 146
Ps 32 304; Ps 32:5 1502
Lk 12:1-3 678; Lk 12:6-7 342
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Reading 1
Rom 4:1-8
Brothers and sisters:
What can we say that Abraham found,
our ancestor according to the flesh?
Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works,
he has reason to boast;
but this was not so in the sight of God.
For what does the Scripture say?
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
But when one does not work,
yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is credited as righteousness.
So also David declares the blessedness of the person
to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 32:1b-2, 5, 11
R. (see 7) I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Gospel
Lk 12:1-7
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Romans 4:1 – 8
Apply this to Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are all descended. If Abraham was justified as a reward for doing something, he would really have had something to boast about, though not in God’s sight because scripture says: Abraham put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him. If a man has work to show, his wages are not considered as a favor but as his due; but when a man has nothing to show except faith in the one who justifies sinners, then his faith is considered as justifying him. And David says the same: a man is happy if God considers him righteous, irrespective of good deeds:
Happy those whose crimes are forgiven,
whose sins are blotted out;
happy the man whom the Lord considers sinless.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 31(32):1-2,5,11 ©
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Happy the man whose offence is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: ‘I will confess
my offence to the Lord.’
And you, Lord, have forgiven
the guilt of my sin.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy,
all you upright of heart.
You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Gospel Luke 12:1 – 7
The people had gathered in their thousands so that they were treading on one another. And he began to speak, first of all to his disciples. ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops.
‘To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no mere. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Friday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Romans 4:1-8
The Example of Abraham
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[1] What then shall we say about Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? [2] For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. [3] For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." [4] Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. [5] And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. [6] So also David pronounces a blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: [7] "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven; and whose sins are covered; [8] blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin."
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Commentary:
1-25. Here St Paul finishes the exposition which began in 1:18: righteousness or justification comes neither through nature nor through the Law, but through faith -- which is described as "the righteousness of faith".
The Apostle quotes Scripture to support what he says, putting before us the example of Abraham, who was not justified by works of the Law, but rather by faith (vv. 1-8), as it says in Gen 15:6 and as David confirms in the psalms (cf. vv.6-8).
The Apostle also stresses (vv. 9-12) that Abraham's righteousness was not the result of circumcision, because it happened prior to circumcision (Gen 17). Therefore, according to God's plan circumcision was only an external sign of justification, not its cause.He then goes on (vv. l3-17a) to explore the relationship between the focus of Abraham's faith--namely, the promise which God made him that he would be the father of many nations and that in his descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed (cf. Gen 12:1-3; 15:5-6)--and works of' the Law, actions done in obedience to the Law; by doing so he shows that the promise God makes is completely gratuitous, completely God's initiative. He concludes (17b-22) by praising the great faith of the Father of all believers, who put his trust in a promise which from the human point of view seemed impossible to fulfill.
Abraham's faith is a model for Christians. The promise made to him is fulfilled in us when we believe in Christ, who died and arose for our sakes (vv. 22-25).
3. The words of Gen 15:5-6 which God addresses to Abraham ("Look towards heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them [...]. So shall your descendants be") provide the answer to a question implicit in the preceding verses of the letter and are also an introduction to the account of Abraham's life of faith which follows. There is indeed good reason to ask what was the meaning of the Patriarch's life, and what was it that was "reckoned to him" who is the father of the chosen people in the flesh and in faith, when he obeyed God's call. The "boast" of Abraham, who stands out above all generations of the people of Israel (cf. Sir 44:19; Jn 8:33, 39, 53), is not mere human pride: he can boast "before God" (cf. v. 2). When the Patriarch, already an old man, saw himself close to death and without offspring (cf. Gen 15:2-3). Yahweh told him to look up and count the stars, if he could, and then made a solemn promise that his descendants ould be as numerous as the stars. At that moment Abraham "believed the Lord" and God reckoned it to him "as righteousness" (Gen 15:6): he rewarded Abraham's faith by granting him righteousness or justification.
This "reckoning" casts God in the role of a Master who notes credits and debits in a ledger, the credits and debits being the merits and demerits of his servants. However, in the case of Abraham, God, in the merit column, noted not his works but his faith, which is why this faith was reckoned to him as righteousness: righteousness was like a payment owed to him on account of faith. The gratuitous character of righteousness or justification is in fact emphasized here,because in Abraham's case faith was reckoned as righteousness entirely due to God's grace and favor. The entire story of Abraham, especially the episode where God makes him the promise, is an example of how God goes about things: he draws the human soul out of its state of ignorance, and then leads it on towards faith and moves it to accept a supernatural mission of unimagined scope. "Scripture tells us again and again that God is not a respecter of persons. When he invites a soul to live a life fully in accordance with the faith, he does not set store by merits of fortune, nobility, blood or learning. God's call precedes all merits .... Vocation comes first, God loves us before we even know how to go toward him, and he places in us the love with which we can respond to his call. God's fatherly goodness comes out to meet us" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 33).
5. The act of faith is the first step towards obtaining justification (= salvation). The Magisterium of the Church teaches that, usually, those who are making their way towards faith predispose themselves in this sense: moved and helped by divine grace they freely direct themselves towards God because they believe in the truth of Revelation and, above all, believe that God, in his grace, justifies the sinner "through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" (Rom 3 24). This first act of faith moves the person to recognize and repent of his sins to put his trust in God's mercy and to love him above all things; and to desire the sacraments and resolve to live a holy life (cf. Council of Trent, "De Iustificatione", chap. 6). God reckons this faith "as righteousness", that is to say, as something which deserves to be rewarded. It is not, therefore, good works that lead to justification; rather, justification renders works good and meritorious of eternal life. Faith opens up for us whole new perspectives.
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From: Luke 12:1-7
Various Teachings of Jesus
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[1] In the meantime, when so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they trod upon one another, He (Jesus) began to say to His disciples first, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. [2] Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. [3] Whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."
[4] "I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do. [5] But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into Hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! [6] Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. [7] Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows."
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Commentary:
3. Most Palestinian houses had a roof in the form of a terrace. There people would meet to chat and while away the time in the hottest part of the day. Jesus points out to His disciples that just as in these get-togethers things said in private became matters of discussion, so too, despite the Pharisees' and scribes' efforts to hide their vices and defects under the veil of hypocrisy, they would become a matter of common knowledge.
6-7. Nothing -- not even the most insignificant thing -- escapes God, His Providence and the judgment He will mete out. For this same reason no one should fear that any suffering or persecution he experiences in following Christ will remain unrewarded in eternity.
The teaching about fear, contained in verse 5, is filled out in verses 6 and 7, where Jesus tells us that God is a good Father who watches over every one of us -- much more than He does over these little ones (whom He also remembers). Therefore, our fear of God should not be servile (based on fear of punishment); it should be a filial fear (the fear of someone who does not want to displease his father), a fear nourished by trust in Divine Providence.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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