Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Gift of the Gospels Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew Preface

What you are about to read is one volume---The Gospel of Matthew--- in a series of four volumes. Each is a commentary on the four Gospels commissioned by and prepared for the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston for use in the faith formation of adults. It is being made available to the people of the Archdiocese in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. It can be used by a person alone; however it is designed primarily for group Bible study. The design of the commentary is thematic consisting of twelve lessons centering on themes found in the Gospel of Matthew. No attempt is made to comment on each and every verse of the Gospel, but rather to accentuate the Gospels particular themes and how they apply to the practice of faith. Each of the twelve lessons includes an opening and closing prayer service, directions as to what passage(s) is to be read and a brief commentary on that passage followed by a question(s) for reflection.

Meet Our Author-Commentator

The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has retained Arthur E. Zannoni to write the commentaries on the four Gospels. Arthur E. Zannoni is an award winning free-lance writer, scripture scholar, teacher, theologian, workshop leader and consultant in the areas of Biblical Studies and Christian-Jewish relations. He taught on the faculty of the School of Divinity of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota from 1984-1991 and in the Murray Institute of the same university from 1991-1994. He helped establish in 1985 along with Rabbi Max A Shapiro the Center for JewishChristian Learning at the University of St. Thomas. He was its Associate Director from 1988 to1991 and served on its advisory board. He is a two-time recipient of the Uhrig Foundation award for excellence in teaching and in 1993 received the Temple Israel (Minneapolis) Interreligious Award for his work in promoting Catholic-Jewish dialogue in the Twin Cities. He earned his Masters degree in Theology from the University of San Francisco, and did his doctoral studies at Marquette University specializing in Biblical Studies. Zannoni, a prolific writer, has published articles in Bible Today, St Anthony Messenger Magazine, the Catechist, Catholic Update, Scripture from Scratch, and Gods Word Today. He is a two time recipient of awards from the Catholic Press Association. He is editor of Jews and Christians Speak of Jesus, and coeditor of Introduction to Jewish Christian Relations. Zannonis book Tell Me Your Name: Images of God in the Bible has been described as a real page turner. The sequel Tell Me Your Story: The Parables of Jesus has received good reviews. The first book he wrote, Jesus of the Gospels, has been translated into both Russian and Indonesian. Zannoni is also a regular contributor to the web page www.pastoralplanning.com. Zannoni, his wife Kathleen an elementary school teacher and their teenage son live in Roseville, Minnesota a suburb of the Twin Cities. He has two married young adult children and four grandchildren. He and his family are members of St. Cecilia parish in St. Paul, MN where he is a lector, an extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and a member of the parishs Faith Formation Committee. Art enjoys gardening, cooking (especially Italian food) traveling, hiking, fishing, cycling playing bocce balls, and board games, especially Scrabble.

Copyright 2010 Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, all rights reserved

The Church as a Guide to Reading the Bible

Whenever we visit a foreign country or a museum, we have a guide help us better understand the place we are visiting. Catholics have a well-trained guide in the church that helps us read, study, understand, and pray the Sacred Scriptures. Saint Augustine (354-430) put it well when he said: But I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me. The Churchs teachings on the Bible are contained in a variety of documents that stem from the midsixteenth century and the Council of Trent (1546) right up to the twenty first Century with the 2008 World Synod of Bishops in Rome (October 5 through 26, 2008). [For further reading, see: The Bible Documents: A Parish Resource Chicago, IL: Liturgy Training Publications, 2001] A Selection of Church Teachings about the Bible The books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching firmly, faithfully and without error, that truth which God wanted put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation.
Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, no.11

Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful.
Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, no. 22

The treasures of the Bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that a richer share in Gods word may be provided for the faithful.
Vatican Council II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, no.51

The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the Body of the Lord, since from the table of both the Word of God and the Body of Christ she unceasingly receives and offers to the faithful the bread of life, especially in the sacred liturgy. She has always regarded the Scriptures together with sacred tradition as the supreme rule of faith, and will ever do so. For, inspired by God and committed once and for all to writing, they impart the word of God Himself without change, and make the voice of the Holy Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and apostles. Therefore, like the Christian religion itself, all the preaching of the Church must be nourished and ruled by sacred Scripture. For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets his children with great love and speaks with them; and the force and power of the Word of God is so great that it remains the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons, the food of the soul, the pure and perennial source of spiritual life.
Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, no.21

The interpreter [of Sacred Scripture] must investigate what meaning the sacred writer intended to express and actually expressed in particular circumstances as he used contemporary literary forms in accordance with the situation of his own time and culture.
Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, no.12

It is important for every Catholic to realize that the Church produced the New Testament, not vice versa. The Bible did not come down from heaven whole and intact, given by the Holy Spirit, just as the faith and experience of Israel developed its sacred books, so was the early Church the matrix of the New Testament The Bible, then, is the churchs book. The New Testament did not come before the church, but from the church.
United States Catholic Bishops, a Pastoral Statement for Catholics on Biblical Fundamentalism (1987)

The four Gospels occupy a central place because Christ Jesus is their center.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.139
Copyright 2010 Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, all rights reserved

Therefore, every home should have its own Bible and safeguard it in a visible and dignified way, to read it and to pray with it, while at the same time, the family should propose forms and models of a prayerful, catechetical and didactic education on how to use the Scriptures, so that young men and women, old people and children together (Ps 148:12) may hear, understand, glorify and live the word of God.
From the Message to the People of God of the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, no.12. Issued after the meeting of World Synod of Bishops in Rome on The Role and Mission of the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church October 5-26, 2008.

Materials for Study

This Commentary Bible: Choose a modern English translation of the Bible you are comfortable with and feel free to write in and underline. The New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (is the one used throughout the commentary) The New American Bible with Revised New Testament or the New Jerusalem Bible are recommended. English translations of the Bible approved by Roman Catholic ecclesiastical authorities will bear an imprimatur. Paraphrased editions of the Bible are strongly discouraged for they offer little help when facing difficult questions.

Additional Materials
Bible Dictionary: The Dictionary of the Bible by John L. McKenzie (Simon & Schuster) and The Collegeville Pastoral Dictionary of Biblical Theology edited by Carroll Stuhlmueller (Liturgical Press) are highly recommended as references. One Volume Commentary: Anyone interested in a one volume commentary on the entire Bible, the New Jerome Biblical Commentary edited by Raymond E. Brown, Joseph Fitzmyer and Roland Murphy (Prentice Hall) is highly recommended Notebook/Journal: A notebook may be used for notes or a journal for personal reflections.

Copyright 2010 Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, all rights reserved

Your Daily Personal Study Prayer

The first step is prayer. Quiet yourself. Light a candle, open your Bible. Open your soul, heart and mind to God. Invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit who guided the formation of the Sacred Scriptures. Ask the Spirit to help you understand what you read and enable you to relate it to your daily life. The next step is making a covenant between yourself and God to read Sacred Scripture daily. Just as we need food for the body every day we also need spiritual food. Select a regular place and time for your study, devoid of distractions. Consider this your special daily appointment with God. It is suggested that you allow about twenty minutes a day.

Reading the Sacred Scriptures and Using this Commentary

As you begin each lesson look at the theme(s) being presented, then read the assigned section from the Gospel slowly and reflectively allowing your imagination to visualize the scene or enter into it. Then read the commentary and the Question for Reflection. As you reflect on the passage ask yourself the following questions: What is the Scripture passage saying? What does the Scripture passage mean to me for the practice of my faith? What behavior, action or challenge is God revealing to me through that passage of Scared Scripture? What does the passage lead me to do? What action will I take?

Outline of the Twelve Lesson Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

1. Introduction to the Formation of the Gospel of Matthew 2. The Infancy Narrative in Matthew: Part One 3. The Infancy Narrative in Matthew: Part Two 4. The Jesus Portrait in Matthew: Part One 5. The Jesus Portrait in Matthew: Part Two 6. The Miracles of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 7. The Call of Discipleship in the Gospel of Matthew 8. Parables in Matthew: The Stories Jesus Left Behind 9. Women Around Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 10. The Passion Narrative in Matthew: Part One 11. The Passion Narrative in Matthew: Part Two 12. The Resurrection Stories in the Gospel of Matthew

Copyright 2010 Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, all rights reserved

Small-Group Meeting
Regular, usually weekly small group sharing is the heart of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Bible Study program. Participants assemble in small groups to share the results of their personal praying, reading, understanding and reflecting on the theme of the lesson. The goal is to have the entire community not only share the fruits of their labor but to strengthen and nourish each other by sharing how the Word of God has fed them and spoken to their personal lives. Participants in the small group are encouraged to select a facilitator for each session. It does not have to be the same person for every session. Here is a basic design that can be used by a facilitator. 1. Welcome the group and make any announcements or other items that need to be brought to their attention. 2. Begin with a prayer. Light a candle to remind everyone of the presence of God. You can use any prayer you feel comfortable sharing and leading the group in praying. Ask one or more of the following questions: a) In what way has the theme that you studied challenged you the most? b) What new insights did you discover as a result of your study? Will these insights help you to better practice your faith? c) How have you become a different person as a result of your exploring this weeks theme from the Gospel? d) Is there a particular character from your reading of Scripture with whom you can identify? If so, please share who that character is with the group. 4. Conclude by praying aloud as a group a prayer that the entire group knows, such as the Our Father, and when completed exchange a gesture of peace with one another.

3.

The Wrapup Presentation/Commentary

(You may choose to have a live presentation or use the video commentary provided by the Archdiocese) The video commentary has as its purpose to further develop and clarify the themes of each lesson. It is not intended to focus the groups weekly discussion. Because of this the video commentary should always occurs after the small group discussion. For accommodation purposes, if several small groups meet at one time on the same week day, they may gather in a central location to listen to the commentary. Video commentaries are presented by a local speaker (s) who has the appropriate education and training and has been approved by the Archdiocese.

Copyright 2010 Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, all rights reserved