Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary:
365
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| Naboth and Ahab. |
Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel
next to thepalace
of Ahab , king of Samaria
Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden,
since it is close by, next to my house.
I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or,
if you prefer, I will give you its value in money."
Naboth answered him, "The LORD forbid
that I should give you my ancestral heritage."
Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer
Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him:
"I will not give you my ancestral heritage."
Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat.
His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him,
"Why are you so angry that you will not eat?"
He answered her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite
and said to him, 'Sell me your vineyard, or,
if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.'
But he refused to let me have his vineyard."
His wife Jezebel said to him,
"A fine ruler overIsrael
Get up.
Eat and be cheerful.
I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you."
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and,
having sealed them with his seal,
sent them to the elders and to the nobles
who lived in the same city with Naboth.
This is what she wrote in the letters:
"Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.
Next, get two scoundrels to face him
and accuse him of having cursed God and king.
Then take him out and stone him to death."
His fellow citizens' the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city?
did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing,
through the letters she had sent them.
They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people.
Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation,
"Naboth has cursed God and king."
And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death.
Then they sent the information to Jezebel
that Naboth had been stoned to death.
When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death,
she said to Ahab,
"Go on, take possession of the vineyard
of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you,
because Naboth is not alive, but dead."
On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way
down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite,
to take possession of it.
next to the
Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden,
since it is close by, next to my house.
I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or,
if you prefer, I will give you its value in money."
Naboth answered him, "The LORD forbid
that I should give you my ancestral heritage."
Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer
Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him:
"I will not give you my ancestral heritage."
Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat.
His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him,
"Why are you so angry that you will not eat?"
He answered her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite
and said to him, 'Sell me your vineyard, or,
if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.'
But he refused to let me have his vineyard."
His wife Jezebel said to him,
"A fine ruler over
Get up.
Eat and be cheerful.
I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you."
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and,
having sealed them with his seal,
sent them to the elders and to the nobles
who lived in the same city with Naboth.
This is what she wrote in the letters:
"Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.
Next, get two scoundrels to face him
and accuse him of having cursed God and king.
Then take him out and stone him to death."
His fellow citizens' the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city?
did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing,
through the letters she had sent them.
They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people.
Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation,
"Naboth has cursed God and king."
And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death.
Then they sent the information to Jezebel
that Naboth had been stoned to death.
When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death,
she said to Ahab,
"Go on, take possession of the vineyard
of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you,
because Naboth is not alive, but dead."
On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way
down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite,
to take possession of it.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 5:2-3ab, 4b-6a, 6b-7
R. (2b) Lord, listen to my groaning.
Hearken to my words, O LORD,
attend to my sighing.
Heed my call for help,
my king and my God!
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the LORD abhors.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
Hearken to my words, O LORD,
attend to my sighing.
Heed my call for help,
my king and my God!
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the LORD abhors.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
Gospel Mt 5:38-42
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."
"You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."
Meditation: “But I say to you, do not resist one
who is evil”
If someone insults you or tries to take advantage of you, how do
you respond? Do you repay in kind? Jesus approached the question of just
retribution with a surprising revelation of God's intention for how we should
treat others, especialy those who mistreat us. When Jesus spoke about God’s
law, he did something no one had done before. He gave a new standard based not
just on the requirements of justice – giving each their due – but based on the
law of grace and love. Jesus knew the law and its intention better than any
jurist or legal expert could imagine. He quoted from the oldest recorded law in
the world: If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye,
tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound,
stripe for stripe (Exodus 21:23-25). Such a law today seems cruel, but it was
meant to limit vengeance as a first step towards mercy. This law was not
normally taken literally but served as a guide for a judge in a law court for
assessing punishment and penalty (see Deuteronomy 19:18). The Old Testament is
full of references to the command that we must be merciful: You shall not take
vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall
love your neighbor as yourself: I am the
LORD (Leviticus 19:18). If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink (Proverbs 25:21). Do not say,
"I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what
he has done" (Proverbs 24:29). Let him give his cheek to the smiter, and
be filled with insults (Lamentations 3:30).
Jesus does something quite remarkable and unheard of. He transforms
the law of mercy with grace and loving-kindness. Jesus also makes clear that
there is no room for retaliation. We must not only avoid returning evil for
evil, but we must seek the good of those who wish us ill. Do you accept
insults, as Jesus did, with no resentment or malice? When you are compelled by
others to do more than you think you deserve, do you insist on your rights, or
do you respond with grace and cheerfulness?
What makes a Christian different from everyone else? What makes
Christianity distinct from any other religion? It is grace – treating others,
not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated – with
loving-kindness and mercy. Only the cross of
Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge,
and resentment and gives us the courage to return evil with good. Such love and
grace has power to heal and to save from destruction. Do you know the power of
Christ’s redeeming love and mercy?
“O merciful God, fill our
hearts, we pray, with the graces of your Holy Spirit; with love, joy, peace,
patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. Teach
us to love those who hate us; to pray for those who despitefully use us; that
we may be the children of your love, our Father, who makes the sun to rise on
the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. In
adversity grant us grace to be patient; in prosperity keep us humble; may we
guard the door of our lips; may we lightly esteem the pleasures of this world,
and thirst after heavenly things; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Prayer of Anselm, 1033-1109
AD)
 Something Radically New |
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Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
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Matthew 5: 38-42
Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, you present a message that is not easy for my
fallen nature to accept. However, I believe in your words, and I trust in you
because you alone have the words of eternal life. As I begin this moment of
prayer, I turn to you as one in need. I want only to please you in all I do.
Petition: Lord, help me to embrace your call to turn the other
cheek.
1. The Leitmotif: Can we discover a unifying thread in this week’s Gospel
readings? One that stands out is the radical newness of Christ’s Kingdom. It
is new in its fundamental principle: a charity that must extend to loving
one’s very enemies (Monday and Tuesday). It is new in the intentions which
must motivate all our actions (Wednesday). It is new in the way we are to
pray to our Father in heaven (Thursday). And, finally, it is new in the
radical demands it places upon us as followers of Christ: We must make this
Kingdom our only treasure (Friday) and seek it above everything else in life
(Saturday). What a privilege to be called to the mission of helping to
establish such a Kingdom! What a joy, what an honor, what a glory to be the
subjects of such a King! Do people encounter a “newness”, a freshness, in my
approach to life? Is it rooted in Christ’s new teaching?
2. A New Legislator: We find ourselves at the heart of Christ’s discourse in
his Sermon on the Mount. Our Lord attributes to himself an authority that
must have startled and even shocked his Jewish listeners. He claims the power
to alter what has been proclaimed in the very Law of Moses and the prophets —
the absolute source of authority for the Jewish faith. Remember that God gave
Moses the Ten Commandments, and God put his word in the mouths of the
prophets. So when Jesus says, “You have heard it said…. But I say to you...,”
only two alternatives are possible: Either Christ is a madman, or he is truly
the Son of God, the one who has come “not to abolish the law and the
prophets, but to fulfill them.” I may agree that he is truly the Son of God,
but do I embrace all of his teachings?
3. Turning the Other
Cheek: It would certainly be hard to find
words more radical than these. Who would dare to speak them, if not the Son
of God himself? He would live them out fully in his own life, allowing
himself to be nailed to the cross by evil men. But is it really possible for
us to live them as his followers, as Christians? Do we really turn the other
cheek when someone strikes us? If people demand something of us unjustly, do
we give them even more than they ask? What could be the purpose of these
commands from Christ, which seem to leave us vulnerable and defenseless? In
the end, it is only such heroic charity that will be able to win over evil
men to the cause of the Gospel. And that is precisely what Christ, our
Savior, longs for. “God … desires all men to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, I long to have a heart that is
more like yours. Warm my selfish heart so that I will lovingly turn the other
cheek as you ask of me. Help me to grow in zeal for all men to be saved and
to come to know you in their lives.
Resolution: I will do an act of kindness for someone with whom it is
difficult for me to get along.
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Lord, listen to my groaning
This is
a sneaky little gospel message.Jesus turns on its head our notion of justice. He says: ‘Don’t lose the fight by seeking revenge and vengeance; hold onto to your dignity in the face of anger or oppression.’ Jesus is telling us that relationships of power do not need to be based on force. Violence leads to violence. Jesus tells us to be neither aggressive nor passive, but to stand our ground and attempt to meet force and aggression with profound human dignity.
This is easier said than done, of course, but that’s the point. It is easier to retaliate or be submissive. In his passion, Jesus would ultimately show us the way of absorbing violence without returning in kind or being weakened. Because of Jesus, we know that cycles of violence can be broken in the most surprising and life-giving ways.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
THE GLOBAL
COMMUNITY
'It takes a whole village to raise a child.'
-
African
Proverb
From A Canopy of Stars: Some Reflections for the Journey by Fr Christopher Gleeson SJ [David Lovell Publishing 2003]
From A Canopy of Stars: Some Reflections for the Journey by Fr Christopher Gleeson SJ [David Lovell Publishing 2003]
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
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Reflection
of God’s Love
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Contemplation is recognizing the mirrors of
God’s love in all of creation and that true contemplation lifts us up from
being bent down and focused on ourselves.
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June 19
Venerable Matt Talbot
(1856-1925)
Venerable Matt Talbot
(1856-1925)
Matt can be considered the patron of
men and women struggling with alcoholism.
Matt
was born in One day he decided to take "the pledge" for three months, make a general confession and begin to attend daily
Most of his life Matt worked as a builder’s laborer. He joined the Secular Franciscan Order and began a life of strict penance; he abstained from meat nine months a year. Matt spent hours every night avidly reading Scripture and the lives of the saints. He prayed the rosary conscientiously. Though his job did not make him rich, Matt contributed generously to the missions.
After 1923 his health failed, and Matt was forced to quit work. He died on his way to church on Trinity Sunday. Fifty years later Pope Paul VI gave him the title venerable.
Comment:
In looking at the life of Matt Talbot, we may easily focus on the later years when he had stopped drinking for some time and was leading a penitential life. Only alcoholic men and women who have stopped drinking can fully appreciate how difficult the earliest years of sobriety were for Matt.
He had to take one day at a time. So do the rest of us.In looking at the life of Matt Talbot, we may easily focus on the later years when he had stopped drinking for some time and was leading a penitential life. Only alcoholic men and women who have stopped drinking can fully appreciate how difficult the earliest years of sobriety were for Matt.
Quote:
On an otherwise blank page in one of Matt’s books, the following is written: "God console thee and make thee a saint. To arrive at the perfection of humility four things are necessary: to despise the world, to despise no one, to despise self, to despise being despised by others."
On an otherwise blank page in one of Matt’s books, the following is written: "God console thee and make thee a saint. To arrive at the perfection of humility four things are necessary: to despise the world, to despise no one, to despise self, to despise being despised by others."
Patron
Saint of:
Alcoholics
Sobriety
Alcoholics
Sobriety
ST. OSANNA ANDREASI
St. Osanna was a Dominican tertiary, who spent
her adult life serving the poor and the sick and offering spiritual direction
to many. However, she was also a mystic and a visionary, eventually bearing the
pain and red marks of the stigmata, though not the bleeding.
She was born in 1449 to a noble Italian family.
Her visions, first of angels and of the Trinity, began at the young age of
five. She felt a call to religious life and became a tertiary at 17, having
already rejected a marriage arranged by her father.
Her visions continued into her adult life, and
she often fell into ecstasies. She was also a strong critic of the lack of
morality of her day. She died in 1505.
St. Gregory
Barbarigo
St. Gregory Barbarigo
Feastday: June 18
1625 - 1697
1625 - 1697
St. Gregory
Barbarigo was born in 1625, of a very old and distinguished Venetian family. A
brilliant student, he embraced a diplomatic career and accompanied the Venetian
Ambassador, Contarini, to the Congress of Munster in 1648. Then he became a priest and
was soon thereafter consecrated as the first Bishop of Bergamo by
Pope Alexander VII. Later on he was elevated to the rank ofCardinal and
also given authority over the diocese of
Padua
LECTIO: MATTHEW 5,38-42
Lectio:
Monday, June 18, 2012
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
our hope and our strength,
without you we falter.
Help us to follow Christ
and to live according to your will.
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
our hope and our strength,
without you we falter.
Help us to follow Christ
and to live according to your will.
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading
Jesus said to his disciples: 'You have heard
how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer
no resistance to the wicked. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right
cheek, offer him the other as well; if someone wishes to go to law with you to
get your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone requires you to
go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks you, and if anyone
wants to borrow, do not turn away.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel forms part of a small
literary unit which goes from Mt 5, 17 to Mt 5, 48, in which is described how
to pass from the ancient justice of the Pharisees (Mt 5, 20) to the new justice
of the Kingdom of God (Mt 5, 48). It describes how to go up to the Mountain of
the Beatitudes, from where Jesus announces the new Law of Love. The great
desire of the Pharisees was to live in justice, to be just before God. And this
is the desire of all of us. Just is the one who succeeds to live where God
wants him/her to live. The Pharisees tried to attain justice through the strict
observance of the Law. They thought that with their own effort they could
succeed in being where God wanted them to be. Jesus takes a stand concerning
this practice and announces the new justice which should exceed, surpass the
justice of the Pharisees (Mt 5, 20). In today’s Gospel we are reaching almost
the summit of the mountain. Only a little is lacking. The summit is described
in one phrase: “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5, 48), on
which we will meditate in tomorrow’s Gospel. Let us look closely at this last
degree which is still lacking to reach the summit of the Mountain, of which Saint John
• Matthew 5, 38: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. Jesus quotes a text of the Ancient Law saying: “You have heard how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth!” He shortened the text, because the complete text said: “Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, blow for blow” (Ex 21, 23-25). Like in the previous cases, here also Jesus makes a completely new rereading. The principle “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” was already found in the origin of the interpretation which the Scribes made of the law. This principle should be overthrown, because it perverts and destroys the relationship between persons and with God.
• Matthew 5, 39ª: Do not give back evil for evil received. Jesus affirms exactly the contrary: “But I say to you do not offer resistance to the wicked”. Before some violence received, our natural reaction is to pay the other one with the same coin. Vengeance asks for “eye for eye, tooth for tooth”. Jesus asks to pay back the evil not with evil, but with good. Because if we do not know how to overcome the violence received, the spiral of violence will take up everything and we will not know what to do. Lamec said: For a wound received I will kill a man, and for a scar I would kill a young person. If the vengeance of Cain was worth seven that of Lamec will count for seventy-seven” (Gen 4, 24). And it was precisely because of this terrible act of vengeance that everything ended in the confusion of theTower of Babel
• Matthew 5, 39b-42: the four examples to overcome the spiral of violence. Jesus says: “rather (a) if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; (b) if anyone wishes to go to Law with you to get your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (d) And if anyone requires you to go one mile, go two miles with him. (e) Give to anyone who asks you, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away” (Mt 5, 40-42). How are these four affirmations to be understood? Jesus himself helps us to understand. When the soldier hit him on the cheek, he did not offer the other cheek. Rather, he reacted with energy: “If there is some offence in what I said, point it out, but if not, why do you strike me?” (Jn 18, 23) Jesus does not teach us to be passive. Saint Paul thinks that paying evil with good “you will make others be ashamed” (Rm 12, 20). This faith in the possibility to recover the human being is possible only beginning from the root which comes from the total gratuity of the creative love which God shows us in the life and the attitudes of Jesus.
• Matthew 5, 38: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. Jesus quotes a text of the Ancient Law saying: “You have heard how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth!” He shortened the text, because the complete text said: “Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, blow for blow” (Ex 21, 23-25). Like in the previous cases, here also Jesus makes a completely new rereading. The principle “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” was already found in the origin of the interpretation which the Scribes made of the law. This principle should be overthrown, because it perverts and destroys the relationship between persons and with God.
• Matthew 5, 39ª: Do not give back evil for evil received. Jesus affirms exactly the contrary: “But I say to you do not offer resistance to the wicked”. Before some violence received, our natural reaction is to pay the other one with the same coin. Vengeance asks for “eye for eye, tooth for tooth”. Jesus asks to pay back the evil not with evil, but with good. Because if we do not know how to overcome the violence received, the spiral of violence will take up everything and we will not know what to do. Lamec said: For a wound received I will kill a man, and for a scar I would kill a young person. If the vengeance of Cain was worth seven that of Lamec will count for seventy-seven” (Gen 4, 24). And it was precisely because of this terrible act of vengeance that everything ended in the confusion of the
• Matthew 5, 39b-42: the four examples to overcome the spiral of violence. Jesus says: “rather (a) if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; (b) if anyone wishes to go to Law with you to get your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (d) And if anyone requires you to go one mile, go two miles with him. (e) Give to anyone who asks you, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away” (Mt 5, 40-42). How are these four affirmations to be understood? Jesus himself helps us to understand. When the soldier hit him on the cheek, he did not offer the other cheek. Rather, he reacted with energy: “If there is some offence in what I said, point it out, but if not, why do you strike me?” (Jn 18, 23) Jesus does not teach us to be passive. Saint Paul thinks that paying evil with good “you will make others be ashamed” (Rm 12, 20). This faith in the possibility to recover the human being is possible only beginning from the root which comes from the total gratuity of the creative love which God shows us in the life and the attitudes of Jesus.
4) Personal questions
• Have you some time felt within you such a
great anger as to want to apply the vengeance “eye for eye, tooth for tooth”?
What did you do to overcome this?
• Does life in community, living together, favour today in the Church and in us the creative love which Jesus proposes in today’s Gospel?
• Does life in community, living together, favour today in the Church and in us the creative love which Jesus proposes in today’s Gospel?
5) Concluding Prayer
Give ear to my words, Yahweh,
spare a thought for my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God! To you I pray. (Ps 5,1-2)
spare a thought for my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God! To you I pray. (Ps 5,1-2)
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