From: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Worship Open to All
[6] †And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to
love the name of the Lord,and to be his servants, every one who keeps the sab-
bath, and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant — [7] these I will bring
to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt
offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be
called a house of prayer for all peoples.
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Commentary:
56:1-66:24. These chapters make up the third part of the book of Isaiah, some-
times called “Third Isaiah†. It consists of prophetic visions and oracles about the
new Zion and the nations of the earth. The variety of style and content here
makes it difficult to identify any clear structure: the sacred writer seems to have
drawn these oracles together, apparently content that they are all to do with the
End and all refer to the whole world and not just to Israel. But he has carefully
positioned chapter 61 in the middle, making it the high-point of these chapters.
Also, 56:1-8 and 66:18-24, which stress the universality of justice and worship,
are very appropriately positioned at start and finish. To make this part easier to
read, we have divided it into three sections in this edition. The first (56:1-59:21)
is a series of oracles that show salvation being extended to all mankind, even
though the sins of the people of God will cause delays. In the second
(60:1-64:11), the salvation that the Lord will provide is proclaimed to all the na-
tions from Jerusalem. And the third section (65:1-66:24) has as its theme the
judgment of God, handed down to each according to his or her merits, be it
punishment for sin, or salvation.
Historically, the oracles have to do with the years following the return from exile
after Cyrus issued his decree of repatriation (539 BC). It was for Judah a time for
“beginning again†. God sent messages of hope to raise the Jews’ spirits during
their years in exile and on their return, when they were confronted by a scene
of devastation. They cannot fail to see that, from now on, peace and salvation
are linked with a return to God, conversion, the practice of righteousness, and
holiness.
This means that the horizon of divine salvation extends to include the whole
world, extending beyond the narrow limits of Jewish nationalism. When the pro-
phetic texts speak of Zion, they see it as the center of a new view of mankind,
as a source of light for all nations. The new Jerusalem stands for a new order,
as it will in the Revelation to John. Although all the energies of repatriates are
focused on the rebuilding of the temple (60:7-13), the message here is that the
ultimate goal is not material reconstruction, for the throne of God is to be found
in heaven, and the earth is only his footstool (66:1-2). Hope in a glorious future
is not measured in terms of external institutions—in the monarchy (which does
not exist), or in any other human authority, or in force of arms. Even divine wor-
ship, and the rules and regulations to do with fasting and sacrifices, will be
cleansed of the old formalism (58:1-14). God will act directly to save his people
(62:2-12). The new horizon opened up by “Third Isaiah†has its parallel in Haggai
and Zechariah, and, above all, it prepares the way for the still-distant eschatolo-
gical vision found in the Revelation to John.
56:1-59:21. The new section looks forward to a salvation that is open to everyone
who practises righteousness (56:1-12). However, the first announcement of this
is put on hold, as it were, due to the sins of the people of God; these delay the
manifestation of God’s salvific power, for he refuses to hearken to the prayers of
the ungodly (57:1-21). Therefore, first and foremost, the prophet issues a call to
conversion (58: 1-14), while promising that the Lord, who is faithful to his Cove-
nant, will reward people according to their actions: he will punish those who are
faithless and redeem those who return to him (59:1-21).
56:1-8. In the restored Jerusalem, the temple will begin to open its doors to all
peoples. What we were told at the start of the book (cf. 2:2-5) would happen “in
the latter days†is beginning to happen: the temple of the Lord will be a house of
prayer for those who previously could not enter it; it will be open to all peoples.
The old rulings (Lev 22:25; Deut 23:2-9) did not permit eunuchs or foreigners to
take part in the assembly of Israel (a similar approach is found in Ezra 9:1-12
and Nehemiah 9:1-2); but this oracle displays a much more open and universa-
list attitude (cf. V/is 3:14):there is no objection to eunuchs and foreigners provi-
ded that they observe the sabbath and the Covenant (cf. vv. 2, 4,6). Blood ties
are no longer the criteria for membership of the community of the people of God:
now it suffices that a person keep to the moral teaching laid down in the old Co-
venant, and worship the true God.
The mission of the temple, rebuilt by the exiles after their return with its open in-
vitation to all without exception to come and worship God as part of his people,
will reach its fullness in the redemption wrought by Christ Jesus. When he clean-
ses the temple (Mt 21:12-13 and par.), appealing to the words of v. 6 (along with
Jeremiah 7:11; cf. note on same), this prophecy will be fulfilled.
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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: Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
The New Chosen People
The Conversion of the Jews (Continuation)
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Commentary:
25-32. We all yearn for the fulfillment of these words—threatening yet consoling —
which Christ addressed to the scribes and Pharisees: “For I tell you, you will not
see me again, until you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”’
(Mt 23:39). “Together with the prophets and the Apostle, the Church awaits the
day, known to God alone, when all peoples will call on God with one voice and
‘serve him with one accord’ (Zeph 3:9)” (Vatican II, “Nostra Aetate”, 4). The con-
version of the Jews is a secret — a mystery, the text says (v. 25) — hidden in the
future, which will come about when the Incarnation of the Word achieves its
ultimate purpose.
This conversion will follow on that of the Gentiles, which will be as it were a pre-
lude to it. Jesus has foretold that “Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gen-
tiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Lk 21:24; cf. note on same),
which in some way suggests that the Jews will be converted at the end of time.
However, when the Church in its preaching touches on the main signs of the end
of the world, it only refers to the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world,
to apostasy and to the Antichrist, but it has nothing to say about the conversion
of the Jews (cf. “St Pius V Catechism”, I, 8, 7). What the Church does do, and
what we should do, is to pray the Lord to listen to its prayers “that the people
you first made your own may arrive at the fullness of redemption” (”Roman Mis-
sal”, Good Friday Liturgy, Prayer of the Faithful).
“The same thing is happening, St Paul explains, now that the Gospel is being
preached. The people of Israel in general are not accepting it and are not beco-
ming part of the Church; only a small number of Jews have believed, and these
are the “remnant.’ of Israel, chosen by God so that in them the promises might
be kept. The conversion of Paul himself is an example and an earnest of this
return of the people of Israel to their God, in line with the invitation that Hosea
addressed to them: “Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stum-
bled because of your iniquity” (Hos 14:2).
Throughout the history of the Church lapses of this type have occurred, with
a consequent breakdown in morality. Whenever this happens, those Christians
who stay true to the faith may, like Elijah, feel inclined to despair; but they should
react with a realistic and vigilant optimism and not indulge in useless lamentation.
In the presence of God, they should reflect on the fact that God actually wants to
use them and their holy lives to turn the situation around: “A secret, an open se-
cret: these world crises are sanctity crises. God wants a handful of men ‘of his
own’ in every human activity. And then...’”pax Christi in regno Christi”—the peace
of Christ in the kingdom of Christ” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 301).
29. God never goes back on anything he promises; therefore he continues to call
the Jews to enter the chosen people. He does not take account of their disobe-
dience or their sins: he will love them with an everlasting love, as he promised the
patriarchs and in line with the merits accruing to them for their fidelity (cf. Rom 9:
4-5). It is this very immutability of God’s love that makes it possible for “all Israel”
(v. 26) to be saved. God’s calling, which is eternal, cannot cease; but we for our
part can reject his call. The immutability of God’s plan is reassuring to us: it
means that even if we abandon him at any point, we can always return to our
earlier fidelity: he is still there, waiting for us.
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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.