"The burden of this volume is how
to increase the value of the Liturgy of the Word in homilies. Matthew proves that Jesus fulfilled
his role as the Jewish Mesisah. Matthew did not stress what Jesus did, but rather what he taught.
Matthew brings in opposing points of view, pro-Jewish and pro-Gentile, a mystic and a legalist.
The result is a balance and impartiality to each side. The purpose of this Gospel is to show that
Jesus is the King of Israel, so it has a strong Jewish flavor. Converts from Judaism were to bring
the best of their past to their new life as people of God in Jesus. For these reasons scholars
believe it was written about 80 A.D.
The arrangement of Matthew's gospel
is number laden, typically Jewish. Jesus' public ministry can easily be divided into 5, and with
the rest, it comes to 7. Read this section in the introduction to discover how Jews found these
numbers significant. The first discourse is the Sermon on the Mount; the second is to the apostles
to be missionary preachers; the third is the parables; the fourth is the community in the new
Church; the fifth deals with His Second Coming and the Last Judgment. Another feature of Matthew's
Gospel is his capable bridging of the Old and New Testaments. A third characteristic is how He
weaves in ecclesiastical affairs for the Church and the training of the apostles with catechetical
intent. Matthew's Jesus attains the hopes of his people, is a lawgiver, a teacher, and an international
Christ since He saved the whole world, not only the Jews.
Check the incidents related by
Matthew only, such as the Magi, flight into Egypt, Holy Innocents, his piety in contrast to that
of the Pharisees, money in the fish's mouth, his yoke being easy, the parables of the weeds, of
the ten virgins, of the workers in the vineyard. This is what Matthew is about and he gave us the
special name for Jesus: Emmanuel.
The introduction contains
information about the other New and Old Testametn readings that occur in these weeks. For example
some themes in 2 Corinthians are Paul's consolation, suffering, honesty, sincerity, hardships,
his plea for a collection for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. The main purpose of 1 Thessalonians
was to clarify his position on the Second Coming of Christ. In 2 Thessalonians, he explains that
the Second Coming would occur only after certain events took place. The most sacred of all days is
the day of the at-one-ment, described in Leviticus. Numbers recounts the experiences of traveling
from Sinai to the Promised Land. The Old Testament historical books not only interpret history but
give a theological statement. In Joshua we learn that God made the sun and moon stand still so that
Joshua could win a battle. The book of Ruth teaches filial piety with a reward for that virtue. For
Amos and others the deity was a God of justice; for Hosea a God of mercy and love. Micah names
the place where the Messiah will be born, Bethlehem. Jeremiah taught that the correct relationship
with Yahweh is a change of heart. In religious history the most important movements accepted
Habakkuk's statement: the just shall live by faith. Ezekiel asserted that Israel would arise to a
new life in his famous vision of the bones." --Jovian P. Lang, OFM in
Catholic Library World, June 2003
"These three volumes (Thirst for Life, The New Out of the Old, and Rejoicing
in Hope) are part of one continuous set of reflections on the Lectionary readings for the
two-year weekday cycle of Ordinary Time. Each volume concentrates on the selections from each of
the Synoptic Gospels, although the author also offers briefer comment on the accompanying first
reading for each of the two-year cycle of the weekday readings (from either the Old Testament or
the New Testament letters). The reflections offer deft summaries of the biblical message for each
passage along with succinct connections to human experience. These volumes could serve either as
solid spiritual reading to accompany the liturgical year or as a source of homily ideas."
--Donald Senior, C.P. in The Bible Today,
Jan/Feb 2003
"About everyday: Fine new 3-volume series that will be a great help to homilists, as well as
useful to individuals and groups rooting regular prayer in the liturgy and readings. Title:
Meditations/Homilies for the Weekdays of the Year by Brooklyn priest and veteran Catholic
University of America professor, Fr. Harold A. Buetow, PhD JD. Titles
available: (1) Thirst for Life: Weeks 1 through 9 of Ordinary Time - St. Mark, which also
includes coverage of the Epistles, as well as Old Testament books (Genesis, History and Wisdom),
with major focus on the Gospel. (2) The New Out of the Old: Weeks 10 through 21 of Ordinary
Time - St. Matthew, plus attention to 2 Corinthians and 1 & 2 Thessalonians, along with Old
Testament writings (Pentateuch, Historical, and Prophecy books); with major emphasis on the
Gospel; (3) Rejoicing in Hope: Weeks 22 through 34 of Ordinary Time - St. Luke; looking at
the Epistles, Book of Revelation, and Old Testament writings (History, Prophecy, and Wisdom), with
chief emphasis on the Gospel. Common to all three -- What the author calls "too much material"
to be used on any one weekday, since the material is condensed, useful year after year; when
possible, the First Readings (Year 1 and Year 2) are connected with the day's Gospel. Noted: The
text concentrates on the correct emphasis, relevance and human realities versus dwelling on
technicalities (source Q, J, E), or modes of speech. Each book carries helpful Introductions to
the Scriptures featured in that text." --Crux of the News, December
16, 2002
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