Commentary on the Readings: 10 OT A

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, A

Hosea 6: 3-6

Psalm 50

Romans 4: 18-25

Matthew 9:9-13



Today’s readings are centered on the necessity for ritual to be matched by chesed (the almost untranslatable Hebrew word which may best be captured by the English expression loving kindness). In the First Reading, the prophet Hosea paints a picture of a people whose piety quickly comes to the lips, but does not manifest itself in righteousness. Speaking through the prophet, God says, “For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice; and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.” The Responsorial Psalm echoes this dichotomy in its first and third stanzas: “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you, for your holocausts are before Me always…offer to God praise as your sacrifice, and fulfill your vows to the Most High—then call upon me in distress, and I will rescue you.” The Gospel relates the call of the tax collector Matthew, which the Gospel uses as an object lesson. Jesus says to those who rebuke Him in His choice of companions: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do! Go and learn the meaning of the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Thus the Gospel quotes the First Reading and puts it in the context of God’s chesed for all His creatures—which is not dependent on who they are, but on who God is. St. Augustine of Hippo, commenting on this verse, said: “Some people’s strength is based on confidence in their own righteousness…those were strong people who taunted the disciples because their master entered the homes of sinners and ate with them…God grant that we may never imitate that kind of strength. It was the humility of Jesus above all else that He impressed upon us.” (Exposition of the Psalms 58)



Our in-course reading of Romans continues with Paul’s teaching about justification. He uses the biblical story of our “father in faith” Abraham and his wife Sarah to support his understanding of God’s actions. In the ordinary course of things, Abraham and Sarah could not believe that the promises made them would come true. Through faith, they were able to do so and to trust in God’s promises. In like manner, those of us who have placed our trust in what God has promised humanity through the death and resurrection of Jesus will receive what we have confidently believed in.



You can hear an anthem based on the Gospel Reading---"Saint Matthew"---on the compact disc "Music for the Year of Matthew," sung by the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter's in the Loop, available from The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN (www.litpress.org). It retells the story of the calling of Matthew,using a tune from the Shape Note tradition. Very powerful!