June 30, 2025
Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 377
Reading 1
Abraham and the men who had visited him by the Terebinth of
Mamre
set out from there and looked down toward Sodom;
Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way.
The LORD reflected: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
now that he is to become a great and populous nation,
and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?
Indeed, I have singled him out
that he may direct his children and his household after him
to keep the way of the LORD
by doing what is right and just,
so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham
the promises he made about him."
Then the LORD said:
"The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out."
While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom,
the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said:
"Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty,
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?"
The LORD replied,
"If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake."
Abraham spoke up again:
"See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?"
He answered, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."
But Abraham persisted, saying, "What if only forty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the sake of forty."
Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there."
Still Abraham went on,
"Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?"
He answered, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty."
But he still persisted:
"Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?"
He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it."
The LORD departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham,
and Abraham returned home.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm
103:1b-2, 3-4, 8-9, 10-11
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
When Jesus saw a crowd around him,
he gave orders to cross to the other shore.
A scribe approached and said to him,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Another of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/063025.cfm
Commentary on
Genesis 18:16-33
For the next two days we read the story of the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah. As we begin the reading we see the three mysterious
visitors of Abraham preparing to continue their journey to Sodom.
As an act of courtesy on the part of a host, Abraham
accompanies them on the beginning of their journey. In parts of the Old Testament,
especially in the Pentateuch, God is portrayed as having very human qualities,
and this is particularly revealed in the dialogues he holds with various people
(e.g. when Moses pleads on behalf of the recalcitrant Israelites).
There is a delightful touch in today’s reading. As Abraham
is seeing off his mysterious visitors, one of whom is identified as God himself
with two angels as companions, God wonders to himself whether he should reveal
to Abraham his plan to destroy Sodom. He knows how good and compassionate a man
Abraham is—almost more kind and compassionate than God himself! But Abraham is
now an important person in God’s plans. He has become the head of a great
nation, and all the other nations will be blessed in him. So in a way, he has a
right to be privy to God’s intentions.
In fact, Abraham has been specially chosen to teach his sons
and his posterity to follow closely the ways of the Lord by doing what is right
and just, so that the promises made to Abraham will be realised. And the very
justice about what the Lord is planning to do is going to be questioned.
Now, while the two angels continue on their journey, the
third man—the Lord—tells Abraham he must go down to Sodom and Gomorrah to
verify the reports reaching him of their terrible immorality. Again, God is
presented in human terms as needing to verify by a personal visit whether what
he hears about these cities is true. What was the terrible sinfulness of Sodom
and Gomorrah? Israelite tradition was unanimous in ascribing the destruction of
the two cities to their moral wickedness, but there were different
understandings of what this wickedness consisted.
According to the Yahwist account we are following here, the
evil was in a request to have homosexual acts with the three visitors of Lot
(one of whom, of course, was the Lord), giving us the origination of the word
‘sodomy’. Others however, would see this not just as a serious violation of the
traditions of hospitality, but as a sin of rape. Such acts were abhorrent to
the Jews. In that time and culture, it was regarded as the utmost degradation
for a man to be abused in this way. Roman soldiers would sometimes humiliate
their prisoners of war in this manner.
The idea of permitting this outrage to recipients of a
host’s hospitality was beyond conception to Lot. Only the most wicked could
even think of such a thing. The degree of abhorrence is indicated by Lot’s
offering the people his daughters instead. Though this compromise certainly
horrifies us, in that culture and at that time, Lot judged it better to have
his own daughters violated than allow his guests to be touched. To Lot, there
was nothing more he could have done.
Elsewhere, in Isaiah, the perpetrators of social injustice
are likened to the people of Sodom (Is 1:9). Ezekiel likens the immoral
behaviour of his people to that of Samaria and Sodom and says his people’s
record is even worse:
Your big sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters
to the north of you; your little sister, who lived to the south of you, is
Sodom with her daughters. You not only followed their ways and acted according
to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than
they in all your ways. (Ezek 16:46-51).
Speaking of the idolatry and sexual immorality of Jerusalem,
Jeremiah says:
…all of them have become like Sodom to me
and its inhabitants like Gomorrah. (Jer 23:14)
While two of the men (the angels) continue on their way to
Sodom, the third, who is the Lord, stays behind with Abraham, who immediately
begins to plead on behalf of Sodom. Surely a God of justice will not wipe out
the innocent with the guilty? Supposing there are as many as 50 good people in
the city, will God destroy it? Abraham dares to tell God how he should behave!
He says:
Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the
righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked!
And then Abraham presents the punch line:
Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the
earth do what is just?
It would be unjust to condemn the innocent, however few in
comparison with the many sinners. We have here the age-old problem of why the
good should suffer along with and because of the wicked.
The sense of collective responsibility was so strong in
ancient Israel that the question does not arise as to whether the just might
may be spared separately and individually. God will, in fact, save Lot and his
family, but the principle of individual responsibility does not appear until
later (e.g. in Deuteronomy and the prophets). Abraham’s argument, then, is that
since all will share the same fate he asks that even a minority of good people
would be enough to win pardon for all.
Even so, Abraham’s request does not go below the number 10.
Beyond that would be too much to ask for. But later we read in Jeremiah (5:1)
that God would pardon Jerusalem if only one just person could be found; the
same is implied in Ezekiel (22:30). Then, in Isaiah (chap 53), it is the
suffering of the one Servant which will save the whole race, but this was not
understood until it was seen fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
God ultimately agrees to spare the city, if he can find 50
good people in it. But having received this concession, Abraham presses on even
further, although he knows he is being very impertinent in speaking to his God
like this:
Let me take it upon myself to speak to my lord, I who am
but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you
destroy the whole city for lack of five?
No, God says, the city would not be destroyed if 45 innocent
people could be found. Abraham then continues his bargaining—40? 30? 20? Even
only 10? Each time God concedes and at the end replies:
For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.
With that, the Lord leaves Abraham and continues on his
journey to Sodom, while Abraham returns to his home. However, on the following
day, he will go back to the place where he spoke with the Lord and where he
could look down on Sodom and Gomorrah in the valley below.
Unfortunately, as we shall see, not even 10 good people
could be found in the whole of Sodom. Perhaps this would be a good time for us
to reflect on the level of our own compassion with people who come into our
lives. We may sometimes find ourselves doing the very opposite of Abraham, that
is, condemning a whole group because of a small number of misbehaving people.
We do need more of Abraham’s attitude of seeing as much good as possible in the
world around us.
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Commentary on
Matthew 8:18-22
There are times when Jesus goes out of his way to meet the
crowds. On one occasion we are told he was filled with compassion because he
saw them as sheep without a shepherd. But today, he gives orders to cross the
lake apparently to avoid the crowds pressing in on him.
The crowds represent two kinds of people: those in real need
of teaching and healing, and those who are simply driven by a kind of curiosity
for the unusual. Jesus is not particularly interested in the second kind; they
represent a false interest in Jesus. For them he is just a sensation, a
wonder-worker—‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.
Similarly, when a scribe approaches Jesus and says,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go”, it seems like a generous offer,
but Jesus reminds the man of just what that may entail:
Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but
the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
To follow Jesus means, like him, to be ready to have nothing
of one’s own. As Jesus said earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, we cannot at
the same time serve two masters. To be with Jesus is to accept a situation
where we may have nothing in the way of material possessions—our security will
be elsewhere.
We do not know whether the scribe took up the challenge or
not, and it does not really matter. Jesus’ words are recorded mainly for us to
hear them. What do I think when I hear them? Have I made the choice between
having Jesus and having things? Or do I think I can have both? Do I want to
have both?
Another person, described as being already a disciple, asks
for permission to go and bury his father first before following Jesus. It seems
a fairly reasonable request and Jesus’ reply sounds rather harsh as both the
Jewish and Hellenistic world regarded this as a filial obligation of the highest
importance:
Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.
There are two ways we can understand this reply. In one
case, the man is asking to postpone his following of Jesus until his father
dies and he can bury him. But to follow Jesus is to enter a new family with a
new set of obligations. It is not that the man should not honour his father,
but in the meantime, there are other things of much greater importance that
need to be done. In the new family, of which his father is just one member,
there are more pressing obligations. It is another example of Jesus letting us
know that our following of him has to be unconditional. We cannot say, “I will
follow you if…” or “I will follow you when I am ready.” When he calls we have,
like the first disciples, to be ready to drop our nets, our boats and even our
family members.
A second way of understanding Jesus’ words is to see his
call as a call to a way of life. Those who want to go their own self-seeking
ways belong to the spiritually dead. Leave the burial of the dead to them. The
rituals of society, including burial, have their place—even an important place.
But for Jesus, the call to the Kingdom represents a commitment to a more
important set of values.
We must put all these statements in their context. They make
clear that following Jesus involves a radical commitment, but it does not mean
that we act in ways that are inhumane or unreasonable. Soon after Peter and
Andrew had abandoned their boats and their nets to follow Jesus, we find Jesus
in their house tending to Peter’s mother-in-law who had fallen sick (Mark
1:29-31).
While there was a time in the past when some religious
sisters were not allowed to attend a family funeral, that has now changed—and
rightly so. At the same time, the call of Jesus still involves a total
commitment.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/o1132g/
Monday,
June 30, 2025
Ordinary
Time
Opening Prayer
Father, guide and protector of Your people, grant us an
unfailing respect for
Your name, and keep us always in Your love. We ask this
through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 8: 18-22
When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave
orders to cross to the other shore. A scribe approached and said to him,
"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him,
"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has
nowhere to rest his head." Another of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But Jesus answered him,
"Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."
Reflection
From the 10th to the 12th week of ordinary
time, we have meditated on chapters 5 to 8 of the Gospel of Matthew. Following
the meditation of chapter 8, today’s Gospel presents the conditions for
following Jesus. Jesus decides to go to the other side of the lake, and a
person asks to follow Him (Mt 8: 18-22).
•
Matthew 8: 18 – Jesus
gives orders to go to the other side of the lake. He had accepted and
cured all the sick whom people had brought to Him (Mt 8: 16). Many people were
around Him. Seeing that crowd, Jesus decides to go to the other side of the
lake. In Mark’s Gospel, from which Matthew takes a great part of his
information, the context is varied. Jesus had just finished the discourse of
the parables (Mk 4: 3-34) and said, “Let us go to the other side!” (Mk 4: 35),
and, once on the boat from where He had pronounced the discourse (cf. Mk 4:
1-2), the disciples took Him to the other side. Jesus was so tired that He went
to sleep on a cushion (Mk 4: 38).
•
Matthew 8: 19 – A
doctor of the Law wants to follow Jesus. The moment at which Jesus
decides to cross the lake, a doctor of the law comes to Him and says, “Master I will follow You wherever You go.” A
parallel text in Luke (Lk 9: 57-62) treats the same theme but in a slightly
different way. According to Luke, Jesus had decided to go to Jerusalem, where
He would have been condemned and killed. In going toward Jerusalem, He entered
the territory of Samaria (Lk 9: 51-52), where three people ask to follow Him
(Lk 9: 57, 59,61). In Matthew’s Gospel,
written for the converted Jews, the person who wants to follow Jesus is a
doctor of the law. Matthew insists on the fact that an authority of the Jews
recognizes the value of Jesus and asks to follow Him, to be one of His
disciples. In Luke, who writes for the converted pagans, the people who want to
follow Jesus are Samaritans. Luke stresses the ecumenical openness of Jesus who
also accepts non-Jews to be His disciples.
•
• Matthew 8: 20 – Jesus’ response to the doctor
of the law. The response of Jesus is identical both in Matthew and in Luke, and
it is a very demanding response which leaves no doubts: “Foxes have holes and
the birds of the air have nests but the son of Man has nowhere to lay His
head.” Anyone who wants to be a disciple of Jesus has to know what he is doing.
He should examine the requirements and estimate well, before making a decision
(Lk 14: 28-32). “So in the same way none of you can be My disciple without
giving up all that he owns.” (Lk 14: 33).
•
• Matthew 8: 21 – A disciple asks to go and bury
his father. Immediately, one who was already a disciple asks Him for permission
to go and bury his deceased father: “Lord, let me go and bury my father first.”
In other words, he asks Jesus to delay crossing the lake until after the burial
of his father. To bury one’s parents was a sacred duty for the sons (cf. Tob 4:
3-4).
•
Matthew 8: 22 – Jesus’ answer. Once again, the
response from Jesus is very demanding. Jesus does not delay His trip to the
other side of the lake and says to the disciple, “Follow Me, and leave the dead
to bury their dead.” When Elijah called Elisha, he allowed him to greet his
relatives (1Kings 19: 20). Jesus is much more demanding. In order to understand
the significance and importance of Jesus’ response it is well to remember that
the expression “Leave the dead to bury their dead” was a popular proverb used
by the people to indicate that it is not necessary to spend energies in things
which have no future and which have nothing to do with life. Such a proverb
should not be taken literally. It is necessary to consider the objective with
which it is being used. Thus, in our case, by means of the proverb, Jesus
stresses the radical demands of the new life to which He calls and which
demands abandoning everything to follow Jesus. It describes the requirements of
following Jesus. Like the rabbi of that time Jesus gathers His disciples. All
of them “follow Jesus.” To follow was the term which was used to indicate the
relationship between the disciple and the master. For the first Christians, to
follow Jesus, meant three very important things bound together:
•
a) To imitate the example of the Master: Jesus
was the model to be imitated and to recreate in the life of the disciple (Jn
13: 13-15). Living together daily allowed for a constant confrontation. In
“Jesus’
School” only one subject was taught: The Kingdom—and this
Kingdom is recognized in the life and practice of Jesus.
•
b) To participate in the destiny of the Master:
Anyone who followed Jesus should commit himself to be with Him in His
privations (Lk 22: 28), including persecutions (Mt 10: 24-25) and on the Cross
(Lk 14: 27). He should be ready to die with Him (Jn 11: 16).
•
c) To bear within us the life of Jesus: After
Easter, the light of the Resurrection, following took on a third dimension:
"It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2: 20). It
is a matter of the mystical dimension of following and the fruit of the action
of the Spirit. The Christians tried to follow in their life the path of Jesus who
had died in defense of life and rose from the dead by the power of God. (Phil
3: 10-11).
Personal Questions
•
In what way am I living the “following of
Jesus”?
•
The foxes have their dens and the birds of the
sky have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. How can
we live this aspect of discipleship today?
•
In what ways and how often do I tell Jesus to
“hold off” and wait while I do my own thing at the moment, rather following
always and everywhere?
•
In what way is living a conventional life like
telling Jesus to wait? If He calls us radically like He called the disciples,
and we say “yes,” how is it that we continue to live “like everyone else”
still?
For Further Study
The Church of the first few centuries saw the
beginnings of asceticism and monasticism in the Egyptian hermits. These early
monastics took these words of Jesus literally and left everything to follow
Him. This was the foundation for Eastern Monasticism, and through Saint
Benedict, Western Monasticism. Some of the more visible modern monastic
communities are the Benedictines and the Cistercians, or Trappists. Take time
this week to read about the early Desert Fathers as they are called, as well as
the the monastic orders that have resulted. Their lives are modeled after the
early Christian communities and this advice from Jesus. The writings of the
Desert Fathers, Saint Benedict, Saint Bernard, and others give insight on
spiritual growth in this way.
Concluding Prayer
Fix your gaze on Yahweh and your face will
grow bright, you will never hang your head in shame. A pauper calls out and
Yahweh hears, saves him from all his troubles. (Ps 34:5-6)
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