1962 Missal - Commentary on the Mass Readings: Sat, Mar 7

Saturday, March 7.

The lesson from Genesis chapter 27 verses 6 through 40.

In those days, Rebecca said to her son, Jacob,

I heard your father tell your brother, Esau, bring me some game, prepare some savory food

for me to eat, and then I will bless you in the sight of the Lord before I die.

Now my son do what I tell you, go to the flock and bring me two choice kids that I may

make of them savory food for your father, such as he likes, then bring it to your father

to eat that he may bless you before he dies.

Jacob said to his mother, Rebecca,

But Esau, my brother, is a hairy man while I am smooth.

If my father touches me, it will seem to him that I am mocking him, thus I shall bring

a curse on myself instead of a blessing.

His mother replied, Let the curse fall on me, my son.

Do but listen to me, go get them for me."

He went, selected them, and brought them to his mother, who prepared savory food such

as his father liked.

Then Rebecca took the best clothes of her elder son Esau, which she had in the house,

and put them on her younger son Jacob.

She put the skins of the kids on his hands, and over the smooth parts of his neck.

Then she gave her son Jacob the savory food and bread she had prepared.

He went to his father and said, Father, he answered, Here I am, who are you, my son?

And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau, your firstborn.

I have done as you told me, Sit up please, eat again of my game that you may bless me.

Isaac replied, How did you find it so quickly, my son?

He answered, The Lord your God let me come upon it.

Then Isaac said to Jacob, Come close that I may touch you, my son, to know whether you

are really my son Esau or not.

Jacob went close to his father, Isaac touched him and said, The voice is the voice of Jacob,

but the hands are the hands of Esau.

He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau.

So he blessed him.

Isaac said, Are you really my son Esau?

Jacob answered, Yes I am.

Isaac continued, Set your game near me my son, that I may eat it and bless you.

He said it before him and he ate of it and he brought him some wine which he drank.

Then his father Isaac said to him, Come close and kiss me my son.

He came close and kissed him.

When he smelled the fragrance of his garments, he blessed him and said, The fragrance of my

son is like the fragrance of a field which the Lord has blessed.

God give you do from heaven and fruitfulness of the earth, abundance of grain and wine.

Let nations serve you, peoples bow down to you.

Be master of your brothers, may your mother's sons bow down to you.

Cursed be those who curse you, blessed be those who bless you.

Isaac had pronounced the blessing and Jacob had just left his father's presence when his

brother Esau returned from hunting.

He also prepared savory food and brought it to his father, saying, Sit up father and

eat of your son's game that you may bless me.

His father Isaac said to him, Who are you?

He answered, I am Esau, your first born son.

Isaac was greatly disturbed and asked, Who was it then that hunted game and brought it

to me?

Before you came I ate heartily and then blessed him and he shall be blessed.

On hearing his father's words Esau uttered a very loud and bitter cry and said to him,

Father bless me too.

But he answered, Your brother came deceitfully and received your blessing.

When he said, Must he true to his name Jacob supplant me now a second time.

He took my birthright and now he has taken my blessing.

He added, Have you not reserved a blessing for me?

Isaac answered Esau, I have appointed him your Lord and have given him all his brothers

as servants.

I have enriched him with grain and wine.

What then can I do for you my son?

But Esau said to his father, Have you only one blessing father?

Bless me also my father.

And Esau wept aloud.

His father Isaac answered him, Without the fruitfulness of the earth shall your dwelling

be, Without the dew of the heavens above.

Hey dot commentary.

Rebecca had too much confidence in God's promises to think that he would suffer them

to be ineffectual and she is saying, I have learned by revelation that thou wilt receive

no curse but only blessing.

What followed shows that she was directed by God in this delicate business.

According to Gustin, treating at large upon this place, excuses Jacob from a lie because

this whole passage was mysterious as relating to the preference which was afterwards to

be given to the Gentiles before the Carnal Jews, which Jacob by prophetic light might understand.

So far as certain that the first birthright, both by divine election and by Esau's free

session, belong to Jacob, so that if there were any lie in the case, it could be no more

than an officious and venial one.

It's also might excuse them for many sin as many good and learned men have thought

an officious lie to be lawful.

So says Saint John Chrysostom.

And even if we allow that they did wrong, the scripture relates but does not sanction

what they did.

As our Savior says of Saint John the Baptist, he is Elijah.

So Jacob says, I am Esau, not in person, but in right of the first born.

The voice is Jacob's but the hands are Esau's.

Us too often our voice contradicts our hands or actions.

Saint Augustine says, Isaac was wrapped into an ecstasy exceedingly great, during which

God explained to him the meaning of what had happened, that he might not think of revoking

his blessing.

He permitted Isaac to be in darkness respecting the severe, that it might be more manifest,

that the will of man had no part in preferring Jacob, and that Esau might not direct his

rage against his father.

So says John Chrysostom.

Both Isaac and Esau speak of the blessing according to the dictates of nature, but

God had disposed of it otherwise.

The profane and cruel manners of Esau rendered him unworthy of it, and he could not maintain

his natural claim after having freely resigned it even with an oath.

He seems to distinguish the blessing from the birthright, though one necessarily follows

the other.

The Gospel from Luke chapter 15 verses 11-32.

At that time Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and scribes this parable.

A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me

the share of the property that falls to me, and he divided his means between them.

And not many days later, the younger son gathered up all his wealth and took his journey

into a far country, and there he squandered his fortune in loose living.

And after he had spent all, there came a grievous famine over that country, and he began

himself to suffer want.

And he went and joined one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his farm to

feed swine.

And he longed to fill himself with the pods that the swine were eating, but no one offered

to give them to him.

But when he came to himself, he said, how many hired men in my father's house have

bred in abundance, while I am perishing here with hunger.

I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven,

and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to his servants, fetch quickly the best robe and put it on him,

and give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet, and bring out the fattened calf

and kill it, and give it to him.

And there he goes, and the father said to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and

before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to his servants, fetch quickly the best robe and put it on him, and give

for his finger and sandals for his feet, and bring out the fattened calf and kill it,

and let us eat and make Mary, because this my son was dead and has come to life again.

He was lost and is found.

And they began to make Mary.

Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard

music and dancing.

And calling one of the servants, he inquired what this meant.

And he said to him, your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf

because he has got him back safe.

But he was angered and would not go in.

His father therefore came out and began to entreat him.

But he answered and said to his father, behold these many years I have been serving you

and have never transgressed one of your commands, and yet you have never given me a kid that

I might make Mary with my friends.

But when this your son comes, who has devoured his means with harlots, you have killed

for him the fattened calf.

But he said to him, son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

But we were bound to make Mary and rejoice, for this your brother was dead and has come

to life.

He was lost and is found.

Hey dot commentary.

By the elder son has commonly expounded the Jewish people, who for a long time had been

chosen to serve God.

And by the younger son, the Gentiles, who for so many ages had run blindly on in their

idolatry and vices.

Others understand it of the just and sinners.

The former opinion seems preferable.

It is very probable that the children of the family when come to age could demand of their

parents the share of property which would fall to their lot.

For these parables suppose the ordinary practices of the country and are founded on what was

customarily done.

The Gentiles prefigured by the prodigal son receive from their father, that is the Almighty,

every will, reason, mind, health, natural knowledge, and the goods which are common to

mankind, all which they dissipated and abused.

Sinners who have besides received the gift of faith and sanctification by baptism and who

have profane the holiness of their state by crimes are more expressed figures of the

bad conduct of this son.

How merciful is the Almighty, who though so much offended still does not disdain the name

of Father.

I have sinned.

These are the first words of a sinner's confession to the author of nature.

God knows all things, still does he expect to hear the voice of your confession.

It is vain to think of concealing your sins from the eyes of him whom nothing can escape,

and there can be no danger of acknowledging to him what his infinite knowledge has already

embraced.

Confess then that Christ may intercede for you, the church pray for you, the people pour

forth their tears for you.

Fear not that you cannot obtain pardon, for pardon is promised to you.

Grace and a reconciliation with the most tender parent are held out to you.

So say St. Ambrose.

He placed on him the best robe by which is signified the habit of grace.

He was dead and has come to life again.

A sinner in mortal sin is deprived of the divine grace which is the spiritual life of the

soul.

At his conversion it is restored to him and he begins to live again.

We have already remarked that the elder son represents the Jews.

He boasts of having always served his father faithfully and of never disobeying him.

This is the language of that presumptuous people who believe themselves alone, holy, and

despising the Gentiles with sovereign contempt could not bear to see the gates of salvation

laid open also to them.

With what face could the Jews, represented here by the eldest son, say they have never

transgress the commandments of their father.

This made Tertullian think that this was not the expression of the Jews, but of the faithful

Christians, and therefore he interprets the whole parable as applied to a disciple of

Christ.

But we should recollect that it is not uncommon for presumption to boast of what it never

has done.

The whole history of the Jews is full of numberless details of their prevarication and disobedience.

The Jews demanded a kid, but the Christians a lamb.

Numberless Barabbas said at liberty for them, whilst for us the lamb was emulated.

So say St. Ambrose.