The prophet as a sentinel

FIRST READING—These verses contain a message for the prophet himself and for his pastoral responsibilities towards his own people now living in exile in Babylon. Ezekiel compares his role to that of a sentinel. A sentinel standing on top of a city wall would alert the people about any approaching danger. Once the sentinel sounds a warning, the responsibility for action lies in the hands of the people. In a similar way, the prophet’s task is to warn the sinner of the impending disaster resulting from sin. Once the prophet speaks a word of warning, it is up to the sinner to listen to the word and act. If the prophet fails to issue the warning, he will be held responsible for the disaster that will befall the sinner.

©2020 Fr. Eamon Tobin. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

The vocation of a spiritual watchman

FIRST READING—Today’s theme is crime and punishment. It is also the favourite theme of politicians in an election year. Ezekiel, the first prophet to receive his call in exile, was one of the deportees to Babylon around 597 BC. Ezekiel was a priest and his chief interest lay in the temple and its liturgy. He also use the phrase Son of man to refer to himself when describing his revelation from God. Ezekiel describes himself as a watchman. In times of danger a watchman is essential. He is the one to give the early warning signal. The blast of the trumpet brooks no delay. If anyone dies it is the responsibility of the watchman. We find the same image in 1 Corinthians, “If the trumpet gives an uncertain sound who will prepare themselves for battle.” Ezekiel describes his vocation as spiritual watchman for Israel. He knows God expects him to warn of spiritual danger particularly the danger to their faith from their exile. Ezekiel has grave responsibilities to warn but of course the people are free to listen of not.

©2005 Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Used with permission.

You are responsible for warning the wicked

FIRST READING—The Lord has made Ezekiel responsible for the people who are disregarding the terms of the holy Covenant. It is up to him to speak God’sword of warning to them. We would say that it is already too late: Jerusalem has fallen; the people are being taken into exile; Ezekiel himself is being deported to Babylon. But God’s Covenant is binding even in the Exile. So, Ezekiel must speak. He speaks to the people of their responsibility for one another. He is not the only one charged by God to warn ofinfidelity; the members of the community are responsible for warning one another. Those who do not exercise this responsibility will be held accountable for the sins of those they do not warn!

© 2017 Portland Diocese / Father Clement D. Thibodeau. Used with permission.

The role of a prophet

FIRST READING—This short reading from Ezekiel offers a quick reminder of why nobody with good sense would aspire to be a prophet. God addresses Ezekiel and describes the prophetic vocation like that of a watchman, a sentinel who has to keep alert, not just for the neighborhood or town, but for the entire house of Israel. That means that the prophet has to pay attention to everybody and what they are doing.

Then, if God decides that someone should be reprimanded, the prophet is duty-bound to deliver the warning or else he will suffer whatever was due to the sinners he didn’t call out. The prophet inherits a terrible dilemma: either speak out or bear the responsibility for the evil actions of others. Since people generally react very badly to being told that they have to change, the poor prophet’s only choice seems to be whether to suffer now or later. Either way, the future looks dim. There is the outside chance that the people will actually listen and change their ways. That’s a win-win situation that the experienced prophet doesn’t often expect. (Of course, we can remember the prophet Jonah who actually pouted when the people repented and God relented — but, that’s another story.)

As we saw last week with Jeremiah, when prophets allow the word of God to inhabit them, it changes them. They have been influenced by God in the sense that God’s word begins to flow through them, and they will never be the same. As they say of young adults who have served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, they are ruined for life. They can never be comfortably complacent or facilely turn a blind eye to injustice and suffering. They will never again be able to stand by in innocent passivity while others set off on the road to perdition.

One of the conclusions we can draw from Ezekiel’s predicament is that the prophet really has to be a man or woman of God. The only way to have what it takes to carry through in the vocation to prophecy is to develop a profound love of God and of God’s people, and a desire to bring them together.

©2017 National Catholic Reporter. All Rights Reserved. Sr. Mary McGlone  is a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. 2017 Reflections,  2020 Reflections can be read at National Catholic Reporter website.

“Son of man” means “human person.”  It was Jesus’ favorite title for Himself.  He used “Son of Man to refer to Himself thirty times in the Gospel of Matthew.  However, Yahweh referred to the prophets Ezekiel (eighty-three times), Daniel (once), and the divine Messiah in Daniel’s vision in 7:13 by the same title.

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

The psalmist begins with an invitation to praise Yahweh, the hope of the people’s salvation (verses 1).  Next, the psalmist invites the people to offer God their thanks and hymns of praise in the Liturgy of worship (verse 2).  Yahweh is the divine King of the people He created when He took them out of bondage in Egypt and made them into a free people (verse 6).  He guides and protects His people like a shepherd cares for his flock (verse 7).

In verse 8, we hear the voice of God speaking to his people “today,” warning them not to fall into sin like their ancestors of the Exodus generation (Ex 17:17; Num 20:2-13; Ps 78).  The warning is to avoid the judgment of the rebellious Exodus generation, so a repeat of their failures will not happen to the people “today” who are praising the Lord in their Liturgy of worship.

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

Centrality of love

In the Second Reading, St. Paul reminds the Roman Christians, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, quoting from Jesus’ summation of the seven of the Ten Commandments concerning the obligation to love one’s fellow man/woman.  To obey Jesus’ command to love our neighbors as ourselves is to express concern for their salvation.  Love is the central requirement of the Christian life.  It is how Jesus commanded us to behave towards one another when He said: “Love one another as I have loved you.”  It is a holy love generated by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and intended to flow outward from the souls of Christians to transform the whole world by Christ’s life-giving love.

©2020 Fr. Eamon Tobin. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

No reflection for this Sunday

SECOND READING—Go to Sister’s reflection for first reading and gospel.

©2005 Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Used with permission.

Love is the fulfillment of the law

SECOND READING—Paul speaks about debts and aboutowing.He hasjust finished teaching the Romans about their duty to obey lawful authority. He carries this sense of duty and obligation right into the realm of love! Not that he would have us love one another out of a sense of obligation; rather,love has its own inner dynamism which far surpasses the power of the law to make us do something. But Paul, nevertheless, has a healthy respect for the power of contracts and of laws to make us do what we have promised to do. Just as we would not be able to neglect doing what wehave been obliged by law to do, so we should not neglect to love, because that is the supreme law of the Lord Jesus Christ.

© 2017 Portland Diocese / Father Clement D. Thibodeau. Used with permission.

A succinct summary of Christian morality

SECOND READING—Paul’s message to the Romans provides a fitting follow-up to Ezekiel. Ezekiel was called to be a prophet, a watchman, the one who would cry out a warning to those about to lose themselves in their own egoism. When Paul says that we owe nothing to anyone except love, prophetic action on behalf of others is surely included as an element of that love.

This selection from Romans may be one of the most succinct summaries of Christian morality we can hope to find.  Augustine said it in another way when he preached “love and do what you will” (Sermon on 1 John 4). Both of these echo Jesus’ teaching that love of God and neighbor summarize the law and the prophets.

One of the notable things about Paul’s instruction on love is that he puts no limits on it. “Owe nothing to anyone.” He isn’t simply referring to the community at hand, to the Jews, to friends or enemies, but to absolutely everyone, including the stranger you have never met, but read about in the newspaper.

The word Paul uses for this love is usually written as agape. That’s a different love from what the Greek language calls eros, the relationship of lovers. It’s also distinct from philia, the love of friendship and family. In the first place, agape describes God’s love for humanity. Agape describes a non-self-interested, whole-hearted, generous desire for and commitment to the good of another. Taken in that sense, such love implies immensely more than what a minimalist might find in Paul’s injunction to do no evil to the neighbor.

Although affection may be a part of it, agape is not essentially emotional. Rather than springing from the simple spontaneity of feeling, agape requires decision, a commitment to hold others in high regard, to recognize others’ importance and value. The love described as agape involves an ongoing process. It requires an awareness of others. That awareness will necessarily lead to knowledge of their needs. That knowledge will in turn demand a response.

Michel Quoist, a French priest-poet of the 20th century, expressed the cost of agape in a prayerful reflection he began by asking, “Lord, why did you tell me to love all men, my brothers?” The prayer goes on to explain that once he opened the door to one, it was inevitably open to everyone. As he comes to the end of his prayer he protests: “I don’t belong to myself any longer. There’s no more room for me.” As a postscript to his reflection, Quoist gives God’s response to his prayer: “Don’t worry, you have gained all. While men came in to you, I, your Father, I, your God, slipped in among them.”

When Paul talks about loving one another, he’s not calling for a sentimental Hallmark moment. As Quoist’s prayer / poem  explains, loving is costly business. It is also the only way to unite with God. Paul could have been more forthright and said: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love. That will cost you absolutely everything … and give you even more.”

©2017 National Catholic Reporter. All Rights Reserved. Sr. Mary McGlone  is a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Her 2020 Reflections can be read at National Catholic Reporter website.

13:8 Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

St. Paul writes that the only debt a Christian should owe is a debt of love.  Paul advises avoiding the obligation of debt since it is a condition that makes one a “slave” of the person who holds the debt.  However, he says to owe a debt of love is quite different because to love the other person is to fulfill God’s Law, referring to the Law of the Ten Commandments which is a law of love of God and our brothers and sisters in the human family (Mt 22:37-40).  

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

13:8 Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

St. Paul’s focus in this passage is on Christian love and the Law.  Love is the central requirement of the Christian life.  It is how Jesus commanded us to behave towards one another when He said: “Love one another as I have loved you.”  Holiness is at the core of life-giving love, flowing from the Most Holy Trinity into the soul of the believer.  It is a holy love generated by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Acts of love must flow outward from the souls of Christians to every person they meet, transforming the world by Christ’s life-giving love.  St. John wrote to the faithful of the Church concerning the obligation to share Christ’s love: My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.  Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love (1 Jn 4:7-8).

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

At the end of verse 9 when Paul writes, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” he quotes both from Jesus’ summation of the Ten Commandments dealing with the love of one’s brother or sister in the human family in Matthew 22:37-40 and from the Holiness Code in Leviticus 19:17-18.  In other words, this is not a new teaching; it was a teaching from the old Law affirmed by Jesus in the new Law.

Jesus summarized the Law of the Ten Commandments when He said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and the first commandment.  The second resembles it: You must love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets too” (Mt 22:37-40).

Paul also quoted from both these passages in Galatians 5:13-14, writing: After all, brothers, you were called to be free; do not use your freedom as an opening for self-indulgence, but be servants to one another in love, since the whole of the Law is summarized in the one commandment: You must love your neighbor as yourself. 

The point is that loving one’s neighbor and treating him with unselfish love is the best way we can demonstrate our love for God, who, after all, created our neighbor.

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

Three steps to correcting a sinner

GOSPEL—In this Gospel, Jesus outlines for his disciples what one must do if a brother in the community sins against him. He gives three steps:

• The first step is to reach out to the brother, state the offense, and allow the brother to privately repent of the wrong he has done. Notice in the first step that one is not to go to others to complain about the offender.
• If that does not work, the offended person should take one or two other members (ideally guys who are 6 feet tall) of the community to help in a reconciliation effort.
• If the second step does not work, the offender should be brought before the whole community. If he continues to be unrepentant, “treat him as you would a Gentile or tax collector,” i.e., as someone who has a disdain for the Gospel. Some scholars say that Matthew is telling his audience to excommunicate the unrepentant sinner. Others think that Jesus wants us to treat the sinner with unconditional love because that is how he treated Gentiles and tax collectors. Jesus is saying that if someone sins, no effort must be spared to bring about the reform of the sinner and keep him in the community. Jesus further says when the community or even two or three members of the community prays about this issue, their decision will be affirmed in heaven.

©2020 Fr. Eamon Tobin. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

The motif of temptation

GOSPEL—In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus speaks of spiritual correction. The context is important. Jesus speaks of rifts between family members. The community of Jesus is based on Trinity it is not based on a hierarchy, with members over members. All are brothers and sisters so spiritual correction will follow a different pattern from a parent child model.

This address on fraternal correction is prefaced by two very important themes; care of little ones and care for the lost sheep. Christian discipline is established in care.

Discipline or correction must not be of a kind that would give scandal to the newcomer to the group, or to the religiously naïve. This is underlined by the warning that lack of concern for the spiritually frail will bring condemnation.

The second group of people to consider are the “lost”. These are to receive special treatment. It is enough that some have wandered off without their restoration being an occasion of added pain.

So having emphasised the need for discernment we are ready to reflect on the method which was probably used by the community of Matthew.

1. If the matter is between two members they should seek to work it out between themselves.

2. If the two cannot achieve harmony bring in a mediator or use a third person to ensure that each is heard.

3. If there is still no resolution then involve the local community, either a formal assembly or a council of elders. If the person at fault won’t accept the decision of the elders or the group then they cease to belong to the community.

It is specifically in the prayer for unity prayed by the group that the presence of Jesus is active to heal and restore. Having grasped the importance of reconciliation Peter asks his now famous, question, “How many times should I forgive a brother who has offended me?” and with a burst of bid-heartedness, “Seven times?”

Jesus replies, “Not seven, but four hundred and ninety times!” In other words forgiveness is not a numbers game but a kingdom sign. As God does not keep scores so we in imitation of Jesus choose love above all things.

©2005 Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. Used with permision.

You are responsible for warning your brother and sister!

GOSPEL—All of Chapter 18 in Matthew has been called Jesus’discourse on the Church. Matthew was particularly concerned with the instruction of the leaders in his community. They would be responsible for the good order and for the development of that community. Their style of government had to be patterned on the teachings of Jesus in a most significant manner. Our Church leaders today need to read this chapter again and again.

In Chapter 16, Peter is the one made responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the Church community; in Chapter 18, each member of the community shares in that responsibility. All have to do what is necessary for the community to remain faithful to the Lord. The defection of one will have an impact on all.

The procedures given by Matthew here have their resonance in other manuals of procedure given in parallel communities at the time. TheManual of Discipline which guided the Essene community at Qumran provided for the rebuking of one another by the members: onlyin truth, humility and charity,never in anger or ill temper. Warnings were to be given on the same day as the offense. One was not to bring the matter before the congregation without first having sought the intercession of witnesses. Rabbinical literature also would have similar procedures outlined for the reprimanding of wayward members.

If the offender refuses to listen even to the Church, let the offender be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. Church leaders have appealed to this passage especially to justify the practice of excommunication. Let them be excluded from the community as you would exclude a Gentile or a tax collector.

But, there is an alternative interpretation of this passage. It has been suggested that we should read this passage to mean: Christians ought to treat offending members the way Jesus treated Gentiles and tax collectors! Jesus did not shut these people out; rather, he went out to them in a special way, even when religious law said that they should be avoided. He reached out to sinners; he ate with tax collectors. He touched lepers. He forgave sinners rather than condemn them.

The Church todaywill be more faithful to the Gospel when it stops condemning and starts reaching out to all who have transgressed God’s law and Church laws. Individual Christians and Catholics will be more obedient to the Gospel when they do what Jesus did with sinners.

© 2017 Portland Diocese / Father Clement D. Thibodeau. Used with permission.

Settling problems in community

GOSPEL—The Lectionary cycle skips over a good amount of Matthew’s Gospel between last week and today. When we approach today’s Gospel it helps to see it in its context. The section beginning at Chapter 18 opens with disciples asking Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. They were certainly not expecting him to put a little child in the middle of their debate circle, making her or him the center of attention. Perhaps it was the child’s amazement at being singled out by the area’s most famous adult that made Jesus say that anyone who wants to understand the kingdom has to be ready to be just that surprised. From there, Jesus went on to warn the disciples never to lead one of the innocents into sin. He added that they should detach themselves completely from causes of sin — even if it required an amputation! (Matthew 18:8-9). Then, in a quick turn-around, he went on to say that, if one of the community started to drift, they should do everything possible to seek and bring him or her back, just like a shepherd would search for a lost lamb.

Having broached the topic of community, he talked about how to settle the problems that would inevitably arise among them. With this, Jesus touches back into the idea of prophecy, but he’s brought it directly home to the little group closest to him and to one another.

Jesus wasn’t simply presenting a problem-solving technique, although it is a good methodology even before we understand its theology. For step one, Jesus starts out by setting the stage like this: “If your brother sins against you. . .” The situation is clear, one person in the community feels injured and thinks that the other has done something wrong. A lot of people in that situation will start out by complaining, not to the person with whom they have a grievance, but with anybody they think will listen and agree with them.

The approach Jesus counsels feels much riskier because it requires honest dialogue and avoids amassing a team of supporters who will have been swayed by one side of the story. Following Jesus’ methodology, the more serious the grievance, the more the injured party will be acting like a good shepherd trying to bring back one who is deviating from promoting the common good.

Step Two: If an honest attempt to dialogue comes to an impasse, the person who has taken on the role of shepherd needs to engage companions to help in the process. Now, the two or three who go together must remember that their goal is to win over the other, to restore the community.

Step Three: If the efforts of a few are unsuccessful, the case needs to be brought to the community as a whole. Remembering the goal is crucial in this process. The aim is always to restore the offender to integrity in the community. Throughout the process, all the participants will be called upon to examine their own integrity and commitment to the common good. Thus, in Jesus’ methodology, seeking the lost becomes an intense exercise in deepening communal bonds.

Finally, Jesus says that if the community cannot bring someone back into union, they are to treat that one as “a Gentile or a tax collector.” Note that he didn’t say to treat the person as an adversary, but rather as one who has not yet received the message of the kingdom.

That understanding gives a context to Jesus’ final saying. Who are the two or three of whom he speaks? They are the ones who are seeking the common good. The risen Christ promises that they never need do that alone.

©2017 National Catholic Reporter. All Rights Reserved. Sr. Mary McGlone  is a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Her 2020 Reflections can be read at National Catholic Reporter website.

In this passage, Jesus addresses the subject of brothers or sisters engaged in sin but remaining in the fellowship of the faith community.  Jesus gives four steps to follow when a “brother” or “sister” has fallen into error in verses 15-20:

1. Go to the person within the community who is in error or who has wronged you and privately tell him his fault.
2. If he listens, reconcile with him.  But if he does not listen, take others along and speak to him a second time so that you have witnesses to the discussion.
3. If he refuses to listen or mend his ways, take the problem to the Church (first the priest or possibly the Bishop).
4. If he refuses to listen even to the Church and remains in sin, then he or she is to be considered outside the fellowship of the community (excommunication and denied the Sacraments).

The first step in the process of brotherly correction comes from the Holiness Code in Leviticus 19:17~ You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. 

The second step from Deuteronomy 19:15 ~ One witness alone shall not take the stand against a man in regard to any crime of any offense of which he may be guilty; a judicial fact shall be established only on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

In the third step, if the person refuses to repent, the offense becomes a judicial case under the jurisdiction of the Church’s leadership.

In the fourth and final step, the Church may impose the redemptive judgment of excommunication.  The drastic measure in separating a covenant believer from the Sacraments is a last resort to attempt to bring that person to repentance and back into communion with God and fellowship with his covenant brothers and sisters (CCC 1444-45).

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church [ekklesia].  If he refuses to listen even to the church [ekklesia], then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. 

All Gentiles, who were outside of the community of the faithful before the birth of the New Covenant Church at Pentecost (Acts 2), were considered to be sinners, and “tax collectors” was a metaphor for sinners in general. We have the responsibility to correct those within the Christian family of our faith communities who are in sin, but do we have the responsibility to correct those who are not Christians?  We are responsible for the conduct of Christians within the Church, and we have the responsibility to preach the Gospel of salvation to those outside the Church.  However, as for those who choose to live steeped in sin outside the Church, we are to avoid them (Mt 18:17).  We must leave them to God’s discipline (1 Cor 5:13a) and the judgments of the civil authorities.   Also see Mt 18:17; 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Mk 4:11-12; 1 Cor 5:12-13; Col 4:5; 1 Thes 4:12; 1 Tim 3:7.

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

18 Amen, I say to you [plural], whatever you bind [plural] on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [plural] on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Except for the plural form of the pronoun “you” and the plural verbs “bind” and “loose,” this passage is almost identical to what Jesus said to St. Peter in Matthew 16:19b ~ “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.“  In Matthew 18:18, Jesus gave the same authoritative power to “bind and loose” that he gave to St. Peter, the Vicar (chief minister) of His earthly Kingdom in Matthew 16:19.  He now gives this authority to His other ministers who are, together with Peter, form the hierarchy of the New Covenant Church.

The Greek word ekklesia supports this interpretation.  Ekklesia, or the “called out ones,” k(q)ahal in Hebrew (which we translate into English as “church”) only occurs in the Gospels in these two passages in Matthew 16:18 and 18:17.  There are many examples in Jewish literature of this same “binding and loosing” imagery.  In those cases, the references are to giving authoritative teaching or the imposition of the ban of exile from the community (excommunication) or lifting of such a ban.  Jesus will repeat the declaration of this power and authority to the Apostles assembled in the Upper Room on Resurrection Sunday (Jn 20:22-23).  See the same “binding and loosing” or “open and shut” imagery in Isaiah 22:22 concerning the authority of the Davidic king’s chief steward/vicar.

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

It is clear from these three passages (Mt 16:19, 18:18, and Jn 20:22-23) that the hierarchy of the Church has the authority of heaven itself in passing verdicts on what kinds of behavior are considered acceptable within the community of believers.  It is an authority that did not end with the deaths of the Apostles.  In Acts 1:15-26, the eleven surviving Apostles, after the death of Judas Iscariot, chose a twelfth Apostle to take the place of Judas.  It was their understanding that Jesus intended the authoritative hierarchy of His Kingdom to continue.  The hierarchy of the Church, established by Jesus through Peter and the Apostles, continues through their successors in the Universal Magisterium, composed of the Pope and the Council of Bishops.  They have the authority of heaven in passing verdicts on:

• the forgiveness of sin
• authoritative teaching and the interpretation of Sacred Scripture
• the conduct of Christians that can lead to reproof or excommunication

See CCC 553.

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

19 Again, [amen], I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.  20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Jesus’ statement in verse 20 recalls the judicial ruling in Mosaic Law that called for two or three witnesses to testify against the accused in a trial (Dt 19:15).  But in this case, when believers gather to pray in one accord in the name of Jesus, He is their witness, standing in their midst and receiving their petition.  In the context of this passage, united prayer is a petition for the Lord’s intervention in the life of a brother or sister whose soul is in peril because of sin or for the Lord’s assistance.  Bible scholar John Nolland notes that “behind the binding and loosing of verse 18 stands the prayer of verse 19” (Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, page 749).

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

there am I [I AM] in the midst of them.

Jesus encouraged both private and public prayer, but here He confirms the power of faith expressed in communal prayer with the promise of His presence, as we pray in the Intercessory Prayers during the Mass (see CCC 1088 and 1373).  Jesus’ promise “there I AM in the midst of them” (the better translation) recalls a prophecy about the Messiah from Matthew 1:23, quoting Isaiah 7:14 and the promise Jesus will make in Matthew 28:20.  His promise in Matthew 28:20 recalls the title “Emmanuel” (meaning “God with us”) given in Isaiah 7:14 and repeated as fulfilled by Jesus in Matthew 1:23.  It was after Jesus’ resurrection that He promised the disciples, “And behold, I AM with you always, until the end of the age” (underlining added for emphasis).  When we pray together with one accord in Jesus’ name, we can have confidence that God fulfills this promise.

Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.

Here are some of the Church Fathers that Aquinas uses:

Third Century

• Origen  – Alexandrian biblical critic, exegete, theologian, and spiritual writer; analyzed the Scriptures on three levels: the literal, the moral, and the allegorical
• Cyprian  – pagan rhetorician converted to Christianity; acquired acquired a profound knowledge of the Scriptures and the writings of Tertullian; elected bishop of Carthage; martyred in 258

Fourth Century

• Eusebius  – Bishop of Caesarea; author of Ecclesiastical History, the principal source for the history of Christianity from the Apostolic Age till his own day; also wrote a valuable work on Biblical topography called the Onomasticon
• Athanasius  – Bishop of Alexandria; attended the Council of Nicea; opposed Arianism, in defence of the faith proclaimed at Nicaea—that is, the true deity of God the Son
• Hilary  – Bishop of Poitiers; the earliest known writer of hymns in the Western Church; defended the cause of orthodoxy against Arianism; became the leading Latin theologian of his age
• Gregory of Nazianzus  – one of the “Cappadocian Fathers”; a great influence in restoring the Nicene faith and leading to its final establishment at the Council of Constantinople in 381
• Gregory of Nyssa  – one of the “Cappadocian Fathers”; Bishop of Nyssa; took part in the Council of Constantinople
• Ambrose  – Bishop of Milan; partly responsible for the conversion of Augustine; author of Latin hymns; it was through his influence that hymns became an integral part of the liturgy of the Western Church
• Jerome  – biblical scholar; devoted to a life of asceticism and study; his greatest achievement was his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate); also wrote many biblical commentaries
• Nemesius  – Christian philosopher; Bishop of Emesa in Syria
• Augustine  – Bishop of Hippo (in northern Africa); a “Doctor of the Church”; most famous work is his Confessions; his influence on the course of subsequent theology has been immense
• Chrysostom  – Bishop of Constantinople; a “Doctor of the Church”; a gifted orator; his sermons on Gen, Ps, Isa, Matt, John, Acts, and the Pauline Epistles (including Hebrews) established him as the greatest of Christian expositors
• Prosper of Aquitaine  – theologian; supporter of Augustinian doctrines; closely associated with Pope Leo I (“the Great”)
• Damasus  – pope; active in suppressing heresy
• Apollinaris of Laodicea  – Bishop of Laodicea; close friend of Athanasias; vigorous advocate of orthodoxy against the Arians
• Amphilochius of Iconium  – Bishop of Iconium; close friend of the Cappadocian Fathers; defended the full Divinity of the Holy Spirit

Fifth Century

• Asterius of Amasea  – Arian theologian; some extant homilies on the Psalms attributed to him
• Evagrius Ponticus  – spiritual writer; noted preacher at Constantinople; spent the last third of his life living a monastic life in the desert
• Isidore of Pelusium  – an ascetic and exegete; his extant correspondence contains much of doctrinal, exegetical, and moral interest
• Cyril of Alexandria  – Patriarch of Alexandria; contested Nestorius; put into systematic form the classical Greek doctrines of the Trinity and of the Person of Christ
• Maximus of Turin  – Bishop of Turin; over 100 of his sermons survive
• Cassion (prob. Cassian)  – one of the great leaders of Eastern Christian monasticism; founded two monasteries near Marseilles; best known books the Institutes and the Conferences
• Chrysologus  – Bishop of Ravenna; a “Doctor of the Church”
• Basil “the Great”  – one of the “Cappadocian Fathers”; Bishop of Caesarea; responsible for the Arian controversy’s being put to rest at the Council of Constantinople
• Theodotus of Ancyra  – Bishop of Ancyra; wrote against the teaching of Nestorius
• Leo the Great  – Pope who significantly consolidated the influence of the Roman see; a “Doctor of the Church”; his legates defended Christological orthodoxy at the Council of Chalcedon
• Gennadius  – Patriarch of Constantinople; the author of many commentaries, notably on Genesis, Daniel, and the Pauline Epistles
• Victor of Antioch  – presbyter of Antioch; commentator and collector of earlier exegetical writings
• Council of Ephesus  – declared the teachings of Nestorious heretical, affirming instead the unity between Christ’s human and divine natures
• Nilus  – Bishop of Ancyra; disciple of St John Chrysostom; founder of a monastery; conducted a large correspondence influencing his contemporaries; his writings deal mainly with ascetic and moral subjects

Sixth Century

• Dionysius Areopagita  (aka Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite) – mystical theologian; combined Neoplatonism with Christianity; the aim of all his works is the union of the whole created order with God
• Gregory the Great  – Pope; a “Doctor of the Church”; very prolific writer of works on practical theology, pastoral life, expositions of Job, sermons on the Gospels, etc.
• Isidore  – Bishop of Seville; a “Doctor of the Church”; concerned with monastic discipline, clerical education, liturgical uniformity, conversion of the Jews; helped secure Western acceptance of Filioque clause
• Eutychius (Patriarch of Constan­tinople)  – consecrated the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople; defended the Chalcedonian faith against an unorthodox sect; became controversial later in life
• Isaac (Bp. of Nineveh)  (aka Isaac the Syrian) – monastic writer on ascetic subjects
• Severus (Bp. of Antioch)  – Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch; the leading theologian of the moderate Monophysites
• John Climacus  – ascetic and writer on the spiritual life; later Abbot of Mt. Sinai; best known for his Ladder of Divine Ascent which treats of the monastic virtues and vices
• Fulgentius  – Bishop of Ruspe in N. Africa; scholarly disposition; follower of St. Augustine; wrote many treatises against Arianism and Pelagianism

Seventh Century

• Maximus ( of Constantinople, 645.)  – Greek theologian; prolific writer on doctrinal, ascetical, exegetical, and liturgical subjects

Eighth Century

• Bede (131CESK) – “the Venerable Bede”; a “Doctor of the Church”; pedagogue, biblical exegete, hagiographer, and historian, the most influential scholar from Anglo-Saxon England
• John Damascene  – Greek theologian; a “Doctor of the Church”; defender of images in the Iconoclastic Controversy; expounded the doctrine of the perichoresis (circumincession) of the Persons of the Trinity
• Alcuin  – Abbot of St. Martin’s (Tours); a major contributor to the Carolingian Renaissance; supervised the production of several complete editions of the Bible; responsible for full acceptance of the Vulgate in the West

Ninth Century

• Haymo (of Halberstadt)  – German Benedictine monk who became bishop of Halberstadt; prolific writer
• Photius (of Constantinople)  – Patriarch of Constantinople; a scholar of wide interests and encyclopedic knowledge; his most important work, Bibliotheca, is a description of several hundred books (many now lost), with analyses and extracts; also wrote a Lexicon
• Rabanus Maurus  – Abbot of Fulda in Hess Nassau; later Archbishop of Mainz; wrote commentaries on nearly every Book of the Bible
• Remigius (of Auxerre)  – monk, scholar, and teacher
• Paschasius Radbertus  – Carolingian theologian; wrote commentaries on Lamentations and Matthew, as well as the first doctrinal monograph on the Eucharist, he maintained the real Presence of Christ

Eleventh Century

• Theophylact  – Byzantine exegete; his principal work, a series of commentaries on several OT books and on the whole of the NT except Revelation, is marked by lucidity of thought and expression and closely follows the scriptural text
• Anselm  – Archbishop of Canterbury; a “Doctor of the Church”; highly regarded teacher and spiritual director; famous ontological argument for the existence of God as “that than which nothing greater can be thought”
• Petrus Alphonsus  – Jewish Spanish writer and astronomer, a convert to Christianity; one of the most important figures in anti-Judaic polemics
• Laufranc (prob. Lanfranc)  – Archbishop of Canterbury; commented on the Psalms and Pauline Epistles; his biblical commentary passed into the Glossa Ordinaria