From: Isaiah 55:1-1
Epilogue: Invitation to partake of the banquet of the Lord’s Covenant
[6] “Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
[7] let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he
may have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon.
[8] For my thoughts are not your
thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,
says the LORD.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[10] For as the rain and the snow come
down from heaven,
and return not thither but water
the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread
to the eater,
[11[ so shall my word be that goes forth
from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which
I purpose,
and prosper in the thing for which
I sent it.
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Commentary:
55:1-13. The invitation to the Covenant banquet acts as the epilogue to the se-
cond part of the book of Isaiah, and picks up on themes in chapter 40, which is
its prologue. The two chapters help to give literary and thematic unity to this part
of the book. The oracle in chapter 55 sums up in a way the teachings contained
in the preceding chapters — the invitation to the Covenant banquet (vv. 1-3), remi-
niscent of that celebrated by Moses at Mount Sinai (Ex 24:5, 11); the renewal
of the Covenant with David on Zion (vv. 4-5); the transcendence of God, who is
unaffected by the sins of men (vv. 8-9); the power of the word of God (vv. 10-11);
and, as a final synthesis, the promise of a new exodus, a sign of God’s ever-
lasting salvation.
These oracles are a call for conversion, a call to take advantage of the salvific
gifts so generously offered: “Come to the waters” (v. 1), “Come to me” (v. 3),
“Seek the Lord” (v. 6), “Let the wicked forsake his way” (v. 7). Originally, it was
a call to those exiled in Babylon to return to Jerusalem; but it is a call that is made
at all times, to everyone. The reference to an everlasting Covenant, in keeping
with promises made to David (cf. v. 3), can be read by Christians as an invitation
to share in the new and eternal Covenant sealed with the Blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ, a pledge of salvation for all mankind. In the Eucharist, the banquet of the
New Testament, the words of the prophet come true in the complete sense in the
words spoken by our Lord when he instituted that sacrament: “Take and eat” (cf.
v. 1) the true bread of life, the very finest food, which money cannot buy (vv. 1-3).
Therefore, the invitation extended by the prophet is a call to Christians to partake
of the Blessed Eucharist. Paul VI, urging the faithful to take part in the Sunday ce-
lebration of the Eucharist, wrote: “How could we fail to take part in this encounter,
to partake of the banquet that Christ has lovingly prepared for us? Our participa-
tion should be dignified and filled with joy. Christ, crucified and glorified, comes
among his disciples to draw them all into the power of his resurrection. It is the
pinnacle, here on earth, of the Covenant of love between God and his people: the
sign and source of Christian joy, the preparation for the eternal banquet in heaven”
(Gaudete in Domino, 322). Verses 1-11, like 54:5-14, are read in the liturgy of the
Easter Vigil, which celebrates Christ’s victory over sin and which invites the faithful
to partake of the banquet of the Covenant sealed by his death and resurrection:
“On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they pro-
claim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as
when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, ‘Christ is risen!’ Now too are life and re-
surrection conferred on whoever receives Christ” (Fanqith, Brevarium iuxta ritum
Ecclesiae Antiochenae Syrorum, in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1391).
6-9. The Israelites are called to conversion. In order to return to their homeland,
they must return to God, must “seek” him (vv. 6-7). And the Lord, who allows him-
self to be found and who does not judge in the way that men do, is willing and a-
ble to grant forgiveness (vv. 8-9). In other words, the call to repentance is groun-
ded on the goodness of God who “will abundantly pardon” (v. 7). Man, for his
part, should grasp this opportunity that God offers him. So, the words in this pas-
sage are a constant encouragement to begin and begin again in the pursuit of vir-
tue: “To be converted means to ask for forgiveness and to seek out the strength
of God in the Sacrament of reconciliation, and thus begin again, advancing step
by step every day, learning to overcome ourselves, to win the spiritual battles that
we face, and to give of ourselves joyfully, ‘for God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Cor
9:7)” (John Paul II, Novo incipiente, 8 April 1979). And St Augustine, apropos of
conversion, wrote: “Do not say: ‘Tomorrow, I will he converted; tomorrow, I will
give thanks to God; and all my sins, today’s and yesterday’s, will be forgiven’. It
is true that God promises forgiveness for your conversion; but He does not pro-
mise tomorrow for your delays” (Enarrationes in Psalmos, 144, 11).
The words of v. 8 are echoed by St Paul in Romans 11:33, and are a reminder to
us of just how narrow-minded we can be and how we can fail even to imagine the
great things that God has in store for us.
10-11. The prophet uses comparisons that are particularly meaningful to those
who live in the arid countries of the East, to describe how very powerful the word
of God is: it actually delivers the salvation that it promises. The personified word
of God (cf. ‘Ms 8:4; 9:9-10; 18:14-15) is a figure of the incarnation of Jesus Christ,
the eternal Word of the Father, who comes down to save mankind. “The Word of
God, he says, will not return to him empty and barren; rather, it will flourish in all
things, nourished by the good deeds of those who obey and fulfill his teachings.
The word is fulfilled when it is put into practice; if it is not put into practice, it re-
mains barren and withered and starved. Listen carefully, then, when he tells of
the food that nourishes him: ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me’ (Jn
4:34)” (St Bernard, “In Cantica Canticorum”, 71, 12-13).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Acts 10:34-38
Peter’s Address
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Commentary:
34-43. Peter’s short address is his first to non-Jews. It begins with the central
idea that God is impartial: he wants all men to be saved through the proclama-
tion of the Gospel (vv. 34-36). This is followed by a summary of Jesus’ public
life (vv. 37-41) and, finally, the statement (the first time it appears in Acts) that
Jesus Christ has been made Judge of the living and the dead (v. 42). As in all
Christian preaching to Gentiles, proofs from Scripture take a secondary place
(v. 43).
34. This verse refers to 1 Samuel 16:7, where the Lord, in connection with the
anointing of David as king of Israel, tells the prophet, “Do not look on his appea-
rance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord
sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks on the heart.” When God calls and offers salvation to his elect, he does
not judge as men do. With him distinctions regarding social class, race, sex
or education do not count.
Here St Peter proclaims that the Old Testament prophecies about the Jews
and the Gentiles forming one single nation (Is 2:2-4; Joel 2:28; Amos 9:12;
Mich 4:1 ) and Jesus’ words calling everyone to enter his Kingdom (cf. Mt 8:11;
Mk 16:15-16; Jn 10:16) should be interpreted literally.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.