Today’s Readings – Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels (Feast)

There are few explicit references to angels in the earlier books of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). The word ‘angel’ comes from the Greek angelos and simply means a ‘messenger’.

They begin to appear in the later books, for instance, in the Book of Daniel and seem to date from after the Babylonian exile. However, in the Book of Genesis (chapts 18 and 19) there are the three men who visit Abraham, who gives them hospitality. One of them seems to be Yahweh and the other two angels. While Yahweh stays with Abraham, the other two go on to Sodom. There they are received by Lot and while in his house, the people of Sodom come and demand to have intimacies with his visitors. The next day, the visitors urge Lot to leave Sod … Continue

Yesterday’s Readings – Wednesday of Week 26 of Ordinary Time - First Reading

Commentary on Job 9:1-12, 14-16

In today’s reading Job responds to Bildad of Shuah, one of his friends and comforters. Basically Bildad had said that punishment of the wicked is as certain as the laws of nature. There is an implication that Job’s misfortunes are somehow the punishme … Continue