Lector's Notes, Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

Lector's Notes		To the home page of Lector's Notes
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, February 19, 2006		To the home page of Lector's Notes

Guest writer: Hugh M. Kahler, who has long helped lectors prepare at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church, Marquette, Michigan, USA, helped write today's Notes.

First reading, Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25

Our Liturgical Setting: We've recently begun a year-long sequence of readings from the gospel of Saint Mark. Jesus has quickly become famous for healing many and even driving out an evil spirit. In today's gospel, he breaks controversial new ground by telling someone, "Your sins are forgiven." The newness of what Jesus is doing, including the forgiving of sins, seems to prompt the choice of this passage from Isaiah, where God promises surprising new things, including the forgiving of sins, to his people Israel.

The Historical Situation: The middle section of Isaiah, chapters 40-55, is set in the period when the Jews were being permitted to return home from their exile in Babylon. Some characteristics of these chapters are:

The prophet is blunt about the people's idolatry and other sins. The people have been disobedient and have come under judgment. That's been the cause of their exile, now ended.
The prophet is confident about God's mercy. Now God makes them into a new people so that there is new hope. This is the "something new" of today's verse 19, a new Genesis.
The prophet hints, here and there, that the people have a larger role than just being the "Chosen People." God wants to use them to get his message into the whole world.

Proclaiming It: Proclaim this passage with concern and joy. The phrases are short, and many are poetically "doubled," that is, they say the same thing two ways. This gives them a rhythmic, songlike quality. Consider these verses, read left-to-right:

Remember not the events of the past, the things of the past remember not.
In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.
Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob for you grew weary of me, O Israel.*
You burdened me with your sins, and wearied me with your crimes.
It is I who wipe out ... your offenses; your sins I remember no more.

So make it sing in your proclamation, or at least make it sound rhythmic. When you repeat the Lord's complaint about the people burdening and wearying Him, preserve His dignity; don't make Him whine.

The whole passage moves to a climax in verse 25. God declares that he is forgiving the people: "I, I, for my own sake, wipe out your sins." God's grace triumphs over the idolatry of the people, over the idols themselves, and over any delusion the people had of saving themselves. As lector, state this triumphantly.

*Jacob and Israel were two names of the same patriarch, grandson of Abraham, very many generations back. See Genesis, chapter 33 and chapter 35 about his dual names. Both names are often later applied to the whole nation of his descendants.

Second Reading, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22

The Historical Background: Paul's calling as an apostle was difficult and challenging. He enjoyed the love of the Christian community in Corinth. But these people, with their Greek philosophical ferment, seaport morals, and internal rivalries, did not make Paul's life easy. He had paid the Corinthians one visit, and had since told them of his plans for another visit. But his cancellation of that visit, for the sake of other apostolic duties, made some Corinthians very critical of Paul.

Part of Saint Paul's genius is to take a trivial event (here, "You call me wishy-washy because the big picture required that I change my plans.") and turn it into an occasion for a profound teaching. The verses preceding today's Lectionary selection say:

... I formerly intended to come to you so that you might receive a double favor, namely, to go by way of you to Macedonia, and then to come to you again on my return from Macedonia, and have you send me on my way to Judea. So when I intended this, did I act lightly? Or do I make my plans according to [mere] human considerations, so that with me it is "yes, yes" and "no, no"? Paul makes a quick segue from self-defense to a beautiful statement about the fidelity of God, proven in the unequivocal "Yes!" that is Jesus Christ, and in the "Yes!" that is the gift of the Spirit.

Proclaiming It: Every triumphant "Yes!" in this reading should sound joyful and confident, and distinctly contrasted from the words surrounding it. So the pauses are important here. Do not go too fast. Allow time for the MEANING to sink into the hearts of your listeners.

Several other commentaries on these passages. All are thoughtful, all quite readable, from the scholarly to the popular.
Links may be incomplete more than a few weeks before the "due date."
Lutheran pastor and college teacher Dan Nelson's notes for a study group Father Frank Cleary's column from the Saint Louis Review.
Columns by Father Roger Karban covering these readings:
2003 column

second column, probably from 2000
The Text This Week; links to homilies, art works, movies and other resources on the week's scripture themes Saint Louis University's excellent Sunday liturgy site.

The Lectionary selections in the frame at the left, if any, are there for your convenience. The publishers of the page in that frame have no connection, except for membership in the one Body of Christ, with the publisher of this page. Likewise the publishers of the pages on the links above.

Return to Lector's notes home page

Send email to author Hugh M. Kahler of Marquette, Michigan, USA.

Send email to editor Greg Warnusz of Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.

Join a discussion among lectors.

Last modified: Sun Jan 22 09:36:02 CST 2006

Remember not the events of the past,	the things of the past remember not.
In the desert I make a way,	in the wasteland, rivers.
Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob	for you grew weary of me, O Israel.*
You burdened me with your sins,	and wearied me with your crimes.
It is I who wipe out ... your offenses;	your sins I remember no more.

Several other commentaries on these passages. All are thoughtful, all quite readable, from the scholarly to the popular. Links may be incomplete more than a few weeks before the "due date."
Lutheran pastor and college teacher Dan Nelson's notes for a study group	Father Frank Cleary's column from the Saint Louis Review. Columns by Father Roger Karban covering these readings: 2003 column second column, probably from 2000
The Text This Week; links to homilies, art works, movies and other resources on the week's scripture themes	Saint Louis University's excellent Sunday liturgy site.

Lector's Notes

Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, February 19, 2006

First reading, Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25

Second Reading, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22