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*Sacred Scripture* Balaam and His Ass – Tissot
January 18, 2026
This watercolor image by J. Tissot depicts the Moabite prophet, Balaam, from the Biblical book of “Numbers”, and the prophet’s encounter with an armed angel. According to the story in the Bible, Balaam’s donkey spoke to his master, informing him of the angel’s presence.
Nm 22:22-40
The Talking Donkey.
22But now God’s anger flared up* at him for going, and the angel of the LORD took up a position on the road as his adversary. As Balaam was riding along on his donkey, accompanied by two of his servants,
23the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with sword drawn. The donkey turned off the road and went into the field, and Balaam beat the donkey to bring her back on the road.
24Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow lane between vineyards with a stone wall on each side.
25When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD there, she pressed against the wall; and since she squeezed Balaam’s leg against the wall, he beat her again.
26Then the angel of the LORD again went ahead, and stood next in a passage so narrow that there was no room to move either to the right or to the left.
27When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD there, she lay down under Balaam. Balaam’s anger flared up and he beat the donkey with his stick.
28b Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you beat me these three times?”
29“You have acted so willfully against me,” said Balaam to the donkey, “that if I only had a sword at hand, I would kill you here and now.”
30But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have always ridden until now? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way before?” “No,” he replied.
31Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, so that he saw the angel of the LORD standing on the road with sword drawn; and he knelt and bowed down to the ground.
32But the angel of the LORD said to him: “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come as an adversary because this rash journey of yours is against my will.
33When the donkey saw me, she turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, you are the one I would have killed, though I would have spared her.”
34Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. Yet I did not know that you took up a position to oppose my journey. Since it has displeased you, I will go back home.”
35But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam: “Go with the men; but you may say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.
36When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at Ar-Moab on the border formed by the Arnon, at its most distant point.
37And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send an urgent summons to you? Why did you not come to me? Did you think I could not reward you?”
38Balaam answered Balak, “Well, I have come to you after all. But what power have I to say anything? I can speak only what God puts in my mouth.”
39Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.
40Here Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent portions to Balaam and to the princes who were with him.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/22
Saying the holy name of Jesus is the simplest way of praying always.
1-A prayer from Raphael the Archangel:
*While you are on this earth, you must praise the Lord God and give him thanks.
2-A prayer from Tobit and Tobias:
*They began to sing hymns of praise, giving thanks for all the mighty deeds God had done while his angel Raphael had been with them.
3-A simple Jesus prayer:
*Lord, Lord, Jesus Christ…Son of God…have mercy on me…Be kind to others…Work Hard…Be joyful.
4-Another prayer:
*When all that God asks of us is to be quiet and keep ourselves at peace-attentive to the secret work He is beginning in our souls-Be Empty and See That I Am God.
Perseverance in Trial.
2b Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,*
3for you know that the testing* of your faith produces perseverance.
4And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5But if any of you lacks wisdom,* he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it.c
6But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind.d
7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.
9The brother in lowly circumstances* should take pride in his high standing,e
10and the rich one in his lowliness, for he will pass away “like the flower of the field.”f
11For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes. So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Jas 1:2-11