LITURGY
LESSON: FIRST
READING
(Given: March 21, 2010 5th Sunday of Lent)
Last week we talked about the Lectionary and
the various readings. Today we spend a moment on just the
first reading.
The primary part of the Jewish synagogue service was the reading
from what the Jews called Torah (tor ah) and
Nevi'im (ne veem).
The Torah is the first five books
of the Old Testament. Torah is the Hebrew word for The Law. Nevi'im is a less well-known word which means The Prophets, and
applies to much of the rest of the
Old Testament books. We know, for instance, that when Jesus was invited to read
at a synagogue service in Nazareth,
he chose a reading from Nevi'im; on that particular occasion, the prophet Isaiah.1
The earliest celebrations of the Eucharist
always included a reading from the Old Testament. Since the Second Vatican
Council the Church has restored the Old Testament to prominence because, as St. Augustine said,
"In the Old Testament the New is hidden, in the New
Testament the Old appears."17 On most of
the Sundays of the year the first reading is from the Old Testament, although a
few times, such as during the Easter season, it is a New Testament reading.
These first readings are often very
difficult, and the one you will hear today is a good example
of why really studying the Old Testament is essential. Today Isaiah reminds the
captive Israelites that just as God released Israel from the Egyptian slavery
centuries earlier, he will now do the same for them – releasing them from
Babylonian slavery. Rather than
punishing and binding Israel
for the events of the past that led them into exile in Babylon,
God is now forgiving and releasing Israel from her debt. It is
somewhat of an ‘Epiphany” – a moment when God is made manifest. It was chosen for today's liturgy because in
the Gospel we will hear of another ‘epiphany’.
Rather than pass judgment on the woman caught in adultery and allow her
harsh punishment, Jesus chooses not to condemn her, and he challenges others to
do the same.
17 St. Augustine, Quaetiones in Hept. 2,73 as quoted in
Johnson, p. 36