Wis 18:6-9 Ps 32(33):1-22 Heb 11:1-2,8-19 Lk 12:32-48
The Wisdom of Solomon was the last book of the Old Testament to be written. It was written in Greek, not Hebrew, so not in the Septuagint nor therefore in the Protestant Bible. The final chapters meditate on the Exodus, contrasting the woes visited on the Egyptians at the first Passover with the gifts given by God to the Israelites.
The Psalm celebrates God’s faithfulness, power and wisdom, justifying our confidence in him.
The 2nd readings in August from Hebrews describe faith, which gives assurance to our hopes. Abraham is the prime example of a man of faith: he obeyed God’s command to go to a new land; he believed God’s promise that he and Sarah would have a child in their old age; and he passed the supreme test of faith when God asked him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. God’s last minute reprieve for Isaac is seen as a return from the dead.
In Luke’s Gospel, following the parable we heard last week about the rich man building a bigger barn, Jesus assures us that we will be given all the resources we need to meet the Lord’s demands. He then urges us to have faith and to be prepared.
Psalm Response: Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
(Wis 18:6-9 Ps 32(33):1-22 Heb 11:1-2,8-19 Lk 12:32-48)