Blessed Are They Who Fear the Lord

Homily for Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

While the first reading from the Book of Genesis and the passage from the Gospel of St. Mark have one thing in common – namely, a woman – all three of the readings, and by this I include the psalm response, have something else in common. Adam and the Syrophoenician woman are both blessed by God as are all of us. Adam receives a suitable partner; the woman in the Gospel reading receives a positive answer to her request. Psalm 128 names those who fear the Lord as blessed; and as I am sure that we count ourselves among that number, we can count ourselves with Adam and the woman in the Gospel. At the same time, we, of course, can never stop counting all of the blessings that we have received.

Much has been made of this second creation story, especially the notion that Adam’s suitable partner was made from his rib. The interpretation that I feel fits best is the notion that the rib was chosen by God as a sign that Adam and Eve would walk side-by-side as true partners of one another.

The blessing that the woman in the gospel received can also be interpreted to understand that Jesus walks side-by-side with all those who call upon his name. He is always present to us. We cannot reduce him to an historical figure as the Gospels proclaim that he has promised not to leave us orphaned.

Psalm 128 is one of the Psalms of Ascent, the songs that the people would sing as they moved from their homes to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holy days, or as they moved back to their homes after the celebration. It would have been particularly fitting as they are moving back to their homes as it sings of the blessings of the family life together.

Praising God as we move from one place to another during our day is a good way to use the time. I can still remember the time in religious life when we would chant the psalms as we moved from the chapel to the dining room on our way to dinner.

As we gather around the table of the Lord, we count ourselves blessed as we know that this sacrament is a foretaste of our life in heaven where we will be present to God as God will be present to us.