Our series on Biblical Matriarchs concludes with not one but two women, sisters Rachel and Leah, both of whom married Jacob. After deceiving Isaac into giving him Esau’s birthright blessing, Jacob travels to the homeland of his mother Rebekah, to escape his twin brother Esau’s justifiable rage, and also to find a suitable wife.
Jacob soon finds a well and the woman of his dreams, Rachel. It turns out that Rachel, the daughter of Jacob’s uncle, Laban, has an older sister named Leah, but Jacob has no interest in her. He agrees to work for Laban for seven years in exchange for marrying Rachel. Seven years later, Laban plans the wedding and brings his veiled daughter to Jacob as his bride. The book of Genesis says, “And it came to pass that in the morning, behold, it was Leah…” Laban has deceived Jacob into marrying his older daughter!
When confronted by Jacob, Laban explains that he is simply following custom, saying, "It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn." There is irony here that seems to escape Jacob. Remember that this is the man who, with his mother’s help, stole the birthright of his older brother, by concealing his true identity from his father.
The words of the Midrash, which is Jewish commentary, provide an explanation for why Leah went along with her father’s deception. Upon discovering that he has been tricked, Jacob says to Leah: "You are a deceiver and the daughter of a deceiver!" She retorts, "Did not your father call you Esau, and you answered him! So did you too call me and I answered you!" In other words, Leah responds that her actions were no different than Jacob's.
Laban proceeds to offer Rachel as a bride to Jacob – if Jacob agrees to another seven years of servitude. In his love for Rachel, Jacob agrees to this arrangement, and they are wed right away.
Later in Genesis, Jacob, who along with Abraham and Isaac is one of the patriarchs of the faith, is given the new name “Israel” after wrestling with an angel of God. The twelve sons Jacob fathers with Leah and Rachel and their handmaids become the Twelve Tribes of Israel. While Rachel may have been the love of Jacob’s life, Leah left as her own legacy half of the twelve tribes. This includes her sons Levi, father of the priesthood, and Judah, father of the monarchy. While Rachel is buried in a tomb en route to Bethlehem, where she died giving birth to Benjamin, Leah is buried with Jacob in the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Making of Another Matriarch, Rebekah
After Sarah’s death, Abraham decides to find a wife for his son Isaac from among his kin. So he sends his most trusted servant outside of Canaan to find a suitable mate. In his search, the servant looks for a sign from God, which leads him to Rebekah, a niece of Abraham. The servant follows Rebekah to her house, where he receives permission from her family to take Rebekah to Canaan as a wife for Isaac. However, before the servant can leave with Rebekah, her family makes it clear that he must secure permission from Rebekah herself, which he does. So while Isaac did not get a voice in choosing his mate, Rebekah did! Isaac was not disappointed, however: according to Genesis, “in his love for her, Isaac found solace after the death of his mother Sarah.”
Rebekah remained childless for twenty years before becoming the first woman in the Bible to give birth to twins. The name Rebekah means “a young cow,” which may seem insulting, but was actually a compliment, since a cow was a symbol of fertility. While pregnant, it seemed to Rebekah that a fierce battle was being waged inside her body. She asked the Lord why this was happening, to which He replied, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples are quarreling while still within you; but one shall surpass the other and the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23). This takes us back to the sibling rivalries of brothers Cain and Abel, and Ishmael and Isaac.
According to rabbinic tradition, Rebecca did not share this prophecy with her husband Isaac. She named the older, red-headed twin Esau, which means “red,” and the younger she named Jacob, which means “he who grabs for something” since he grabbed Esau's heel at birth and will later grab something even more valuable.
Rebekah, as a mother, had her faults. Scripture tells us that she preferred Jacob over Esau, perhaps because of God’s prophecy. Regardless of why, our modern-day sensibilities are offended by the preferential treatment of one child over another! Isaac, on the other hand, showers attention on Esau. When Isaac is blind and nearing death, he decides to give his firstborn son his deathbed blessing, a special blessing believed to be extremely powerful. Rebekah overhears her husband speaking to Esau and instigates a plan to help Jacob “grab” the birthright blessing, a plan which is successful.
While it may seem unfair, Rebekah, another of our matriarchs in faith, was cooperating in salvation history, in God’s plan for Jacob, who ultimately becomes Israel, the father of a nation.
Rebekah remained childless for twenty years before becoming the first woman in the Bible to give birth to twins. The name Rebekah means “a young cow,” which may seem insulting, but was actually a compliment, since a cow was a symbol of fertility. While pregnant, it seemed to Rebekah that a fierce battle was being waged inside her body. She asked the Lord why this was happening, to which He replied, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples are quarreling while still within you; but one shall surpass the other and the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23). This takes us back to the sibling rivalries of brothers Cain and Abel, and Ishmael and Isaac.
According to rabbinic tradition, Rebecca did not share this prophecy with her husband Isaac. She named the older, red-headed twin Esau, which means “red,” and the younger she named Jacob, which means “he who grabs for something” since he grabbed Esau's heel at birth and will later grab something even more valuable.
Rebekah, as a mother, had her faults. Scripture tells us that she preferred Jacob over Esau, perhaps because of God’s prophecy. Regardless of why, our modern-day sensibilities are offended by the preferential treatment of one child over another! Isaac, on the other hand, showers attention on Esau. When Isaac is blind and nearing death, he decides to give his firstborn son his deathbed blessing, a special blessing believed to be extremely powerful. Rebekah overhears her husband speaking to Esau and instigates a plan to help Jacob “grab” the birthright blessing, a plan which is successful.
While it may seem unfair, Rebekah, another of our matriarchs in faith, was cooperating in salvation history, in God’s plan for Jacob, who ultimately becomes Israel, the father of a nation.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Sarah, Our First Matriarch
There are many women in the Hebrew Scriptures who inspire us with their faith. Eve, for example, was more than just Adam’s wife: she was a good mother who taught her children to call upon the name of God and to offer sacrifices to Him.
Another good example is found in Sarah. As the wife of Abraham, the first Patriarch, she is the first Matriarch. At the end of Genesis Chapter 11, we learn that Abram and Sarai, the original names of this famous couple, are unable to have children.
In the next chapter, the Lord tells Abram to leave his homeland and go to a land that God would show him. Imagine that conversation between husband and wife! While it may have been easy for Abram to trust in God because he had actually heard the Lord, Sarai was in the position of having to trust her husband – which she apparently does, since they travel to Canaan.
Sarah's life continued to be one of obedience and sacrifice, filled with ongoing trials. As she proved herself to be faithful and obedient, the result was blessings from God.
Arriving in the land of Canaan during a time of famine, Abram and Sarai must travel to Egypt, where she catches the eye of Pharaoh. Abram asks his beautiful wife to pretend to be his “sister” to save him from death. Being blessed for her obedience, Sarai, with her virtue intact and her husband alive, leaves Egypt with riches received from Pharaoh himself.
At the age of seventy-five, knowing that her childbearing years had passed, Sarai put her heart on the altar and offered her handmaid Hagar to Abraham, to fulfill God’s promise of an heir. After the birth of Ishmael, God establishes a covenant with Abram, and because of her willingness to cooperate with the Lord, Sarah is given a new name and is blessed with the miracle birth of Isaac.
We are assured of her motherly skills as we come to know Isaac more fully through the experience he has with his father. Abraham is asked to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord. Isaac’s submission to the will of both his earthly father and his Heavenly Father confirms that Sarah had taught him the ways of the Lord, and the importance of sacrifice, of which she had given great example.
There is a saying that “Behind every good man is a good woman.” Sarah’s devotion to Abraham and to God entitles her to be called a Matriarch, one of our mothers in faith.
Another good example is found in Sarah. As the wife of Abraham, the first Patriarch, she is the first Matriarch. At the end of Genesis Chapter 11, we learn that Abram and Sarai, the original names of this famous couple, are unable to have children.
In the next chapter, the Lord tells Abram to leave his homeland and go to a land that God would show him. Imagine that conversation between husband and wife! While it may have been easy for Abram to trust in God because he had actually heard the Lord, Sarai was in the position of having to trust her husband – which she apparently does, since they travel to Canaan.
Sarah's life continued to be one of obedience and sacrifice, filled with ongoing trials. As she proved herself to be faithful and obedient, the result was blessings from God.
Arriving in the land of Canaan during a time of famine, Abram and Sarai must travel to Egypt, where she catches the eye of Pharaoh. Abram asks his beautiful wife to pretend to be his “sister” to save him from death. Being blessed for her obedience, Sarai, with her virtue intact and her husband alive, leaves Egypt with riches received from Pharaoh himself.
At the age of seventy-five, knowing that her childbearing years had passed, Sarai put her heart on the altar and offered her handmaid Hagar to Abraham, to fulfill God’s promise of an heir. After the birth of Ishmael, God establishes a covenant with Abram, and because of her willingness to cooperate with the Lord, Sarah is given a new name and is blessed with the miracle birth of Isaac.
We are assured of her motherly skills as we come to know Isaac more fully through the experience he has with his father. Abraham is asked to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord. Isaac’s submission to the will of both his earthly father and his Heavenly Father confirms that Sarah had taught him the ways of the Lord, and the importance of sacrifice, of which she had given great example.
There is a saying that “Behind every good man is a good woman.” Sarah’s devotion to Abraham and to God entitles her to be called a Matriarch, one of our mothers in faith.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Eve, Our First Mother
The first three chapters of Genesis record God’s creation of the world, and Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God by eating the forbidden fruit. That first sin resulted in the loss of Paradise for all of humanity, but even in the face of rebellion and tragedy, God provided a way for humans to escape the prison of sin and death.
Before being expelled from the Garden of Eden, Eve was given a very special promise. God said to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." This statement is God’s pronounced judgment of the eventual defeat of the serpent.
This verse is considered the first annunciation of the gospel, the first promise of a savior, one who would defeat the power of sin by crushing the head of the serpent, a symbol of sin. The rest of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is the gradual unfolding of salvation history to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who conquered sin with His death and resurrection. Since St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that the “wages of sin is death,” then to destroy sin is to destroy death itself.
How did this come about? God ensures salvation through a descendant of Eve, with the cooperation of another woman, Mary. As Paul tells us in Galatians, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.”
What do we know about Eve as mother? The name Eve is from a Hebrew word that means “living.” The man – Adam, who isn’t mentioned by name until the next chapter – “called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.”
Like mothers today, Eve experienced both sorrow and joy from being blessed with children. She felt the heartache of loss as she suffered the death of one child, Abel, and estrangement from another, Cain. But she also knew the happiness of knowing her descendants would continue in righteousness with the blessing of an obedient child in Seth. As her children are born, Eve blesses the Lord for them. This tells us that, in spite of their sin and separation from God, in spite of their expulsion from Eden, our first parents continued to worship God and taught their children about their heavenly Father and the offering of sacrifices.
And so the example was set and passed down to us today: families together in worship, forming their children in God’s ways. This is the legacy of Eve, our first mother in faith.
Before being expelled from the Garden of Eden, Eve was given a very special promise. God said to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." This statement is God’s pronounced judgment of the eventual defeat of the serpent.
This verse is considered the first annunciation of the gospel, the first promise of a savior, one who would defeat the power of sin by crushing the head of the serpent, a symbol of sin. The rest of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is the gradual unfolding of salvation history to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who conquered sin with His death and resurrection. Since St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that the “wages of sin is death,” then to destroy sin is to destroy death itself.
How did this come about? God ensures salvation through a descendant of Eve, with the cooperation of another woman, Mary. As Paul tells us in Galatians, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.”
What do we know about Eve as mother? The name Eve is from a Hebrew word that means “living.” The man – Adam, who isn’t mentioned by name until the next chapter – “called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.”
Like mothers today, Eve experienced both sorrow and joy from being blessed with children. She felt the heartache of loss as she suffered the death of one child, Abel, and estrangement from another, Cain. But she also knew the happiness of knowing her descendants would continue in righteousness with the blessing of an obedient child in Seth. As her children are born, Eve blesses the Lord for them. This tells us that, in spite of their sin and separation from God, in spite of their expulsion from Eden, our first parents continued to worship God and taught their children about their heavenly Father and the offering of sacrifices.
And so the example was set and passed down to us today: families together in worship, forming their children in God’s ways. This is the legacy of Eve, our first mother in faith.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Beatification of Pope John Paul II
In January of this year, Pope Benedict XVI announced that the late Pope John Paul II would be beatified on May 1st in Rome. John Paul died in April of 2005, after serving 26 years as the head of the Church on earth. He will now be called “Blessed John Paul.”
Beatification is an official Church recognition of a person's entry into Heaven. What does it take to be beatified? Normally, five years must have passed since the death of the candidate, although for John Paul, this waiting period was waived by Pope Benedict. Next, witnesses are called to testify about the candidate’s life of virtue, and documentation is given to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. An evaluation by theologians, cardinals, and bishops takes place, and a positive appraisal is presented to the Holy Father.
For beatification, a miracle credited to the intercession of the deceased person is necessary. The miracle must be verified through canonical investigation. This is where things stand in the case of John Paul II. For canonization – actually being named a saint – another miracle is required. The reasoning behind this requirement is that miracles prove that the saint is indeed in Heaven and capable of interceding for those who request help in prayer.
Most of the miracles in sainthood causes are healings. The miracle approved for Pope John Paul concerns a 49-year-old French nun who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Parkinson’s disease in 2001. After her order prayed to John Paul for help, Sister Marie-Simone was cured and able to resume her work as a maternity nurse.
The date for the beatification ceremony, May 1st, the Sunday after Easter, has been observed since 2000 as “Divine Mercy Sunday” by the Catholic Church. The Divine Mercy feast is associated with a 20th century Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska, to whom John Paul had a strong personal devotion. Her diary entries focused on God’s mercy and the call to practice mercy in our lives, something the previous pope strongly believed in and practiced. One of the most profound moments in the late pope’s life was his1983 meeting with his would-be assassin and the forgiveness he offered.
It is important to remember that when the Church beatifies or canonizes a person, it is not a declaration that that person was perfect in earthly life, or that their views or ideology reflected those of God! Rather, we honor the Church’s saints and blesseds because we see in them (and try to imitate) a holy response to God’s offer of grace.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Easter Blessings
As previously posted, our 3-Minute Catechesis is on holiday but will return Sunday, May 1st.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Palm Sunday
Our 3-Minute Catechesis is taking a holiday this week and next (Palm Sunday & Easter). In lieu of the catechism we're reprinting an essay which looks at the crucifixion of Christ through the eyes of Barabbas. A blessed Palm Sunday to each of you.
"Hello, my name is Yoshua. Oh, I’m sorry, some of you are Greek speakers, you would probably know me better as Jesus. No, not that Jesus. I’m Yoshua Bar-Abbas, Jesus, son of the father.
"I was born and raised here in Judea and it’s been hard to watch what’s happening to our country under Roman rule. They extort taxes from us just to pay the soldiers who are here to keep us under control. And here we are, at the Passover, and what have they done? They’ve increased the guard to “protect” us. They’ve increased the guard to protect their interests! Even Pontius Pilate has come into the city from his palace at the sea to watch over us. Our “friends,” the Romans. Hah!
"I’ve waited all my life for the words of the prophets to come true. Scripture and the prophets all point to our time, now, for the Messiah to come. But where is he? A few years ago I followed the Baptizer, John. He preached that the kingdom of God was at hand and repentance. But, now he’s dead.
"The Messiah is supposed to come and raise up a mighty army and defeat our enemies. We’ll drive out all those who would hope to put us into slavery or to death.
"But where’s the Messiah that Scripture tells us about? I don’t know, but John made me believe that it’s time. I felt that I couldn’t wait any longer for him to make his move. Maybe God wants us to take matters into our own hands. And what better time could there be than during Passover, when the city swells to four times its normal size? That’s why I did what I did. Yesterday, I sneaked up behind a centurion and took his short-sword from its scabbard. Before he could react I made a quick thrust and he lay dead at my feet.
"I called others to join me. “There’s tens of thousands of us and only a few thousand of them. We can overthrow them.” But, no one joined me and I was quickly captured. And I thought that I’d end up being a martyr, and maybe that was God’s plan for me. But even that didn’t happen.
"This morning I was yanked out of my cell, and instead of being taken to Golgotha, I was brought before Pilate, himself. And to my surprise, I wasn’t the only Jesus there.
"The Nazarean, the prophet was there and Pilate was asking the crowd which one of us they wanted released; the son of the father, or the king of the Jews. What chance did I have of being picked against the prophet? Surely the crowd would rather have him freed. But from the back of the crowd came a few voices that shouted, “Bar Abbas, and they got louder, “BAR ABBAS” and more joined in, “BAR ABBAS” until it seemed that everyone was calling my name.
"The next thing I know, I’m being thrown into the street in front of the Praetorium. I started to move away, not waiting for someone to change their mind, thinking myself lucky. But, I couldn’t make myself leave.
"Soon, they brought out the Nazarean, dragging the beam that he was to be crucified on. They had beaten him, and he was bloody and weak. It was all he could do to drag the great beam of wood.
"I still couldn’t leave. I was compelled to follow, puzzled by the humility of this just man. I watched as he slowly made his way out of the city gate near the palace to the place of the skull. They stripped him of his clothes and nailed him to the beam. Then they raised the beam, and I saw his anguish as his weight pulled at the nails. It was only after some people came to take his body away that I stopped to consider all that had happened.
"I can’t believe what they’ve done! This man was innocent! I was guilty, not him! How could they have crucified him and let me live? I’m the criminal. He died for my sins. He died so that I might live!"
© 1998 Mark Bussemeier
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
