Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 423
Lectionary: 423
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| RU 1: 14B |
Once in the time of
the judges there was a famine in the land;
so a man from Bethlehem of Judah
departed with his wife and two sons
to reside on the plateau of Moab.
Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died,
and she was left with her two sons, who married Moabite women,
one named Orpah, the other Ruth.
When they had lived there about ten years,
both Mahlon and Chilion died also,
and the woman was left with neither her two sons nor her husband.
She then made ready to go back from the plateau of Moab
because word reached her there
that the LORD had visited his people and given them food.
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, but Ruth stayed with her.
Naomi said, “See now!
Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her god.
Go back after your sister-in-law!”
But Ruth said, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you!
For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
Thus it was that Naomi returned
with the Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth,
who accompanied her back from the plateau of Moab.
They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
so a man from Bethlehem of Judah
departed with his wife and two sons
to reside on the plateau of Moab.
Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died,
and she was left with her two sons, who married Moabite women,
one named Orpah, the other Ruth.
When they had lived there about ten years,
both Mahlon and Chilion died also,
and the woman was left with neither her two sons nor her husband.
She then made ready to go back from the plateau of Moab
because word reached her there
that the LORD had visited his people and given them food.
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, but Ruth stayed with her.
Naomi said, “See now!
Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her god.
Go back after your sister-in-law!”
But Ruth said, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you!
For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
Thus it was that Naomi returned
with the Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth,
who accompanied her back from the plateau of Moab.
They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Responsorial PsalmPS 146:5-6AB, 6C-7, 8-9A, 9BC-10
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD, his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
The LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD, his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
The LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
GospelMT 22:34-40
When the Pharisees
heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Meditation: "On these two depend all
the law and the prophets"
What is the purpose
of God's law and commandments? The Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge
of the law of Moses and the ritual requirements of the law. They made it a
life-time practice to study the 613 precepts of the Torah – the books of the Old
Testament containing the Law of Moses – along with the numerous rabbinic
commentaries on the law. The religious authorities tested Jesus to see if he
correctly understood the law as they did. Jesus startled them with his profound
simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose. Jesus summarized the
whole of the law in two great commandments found in Deuteronomy 6:5 –
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your might" – and Leviticus 19:18 – "you
shall love your neighbor as yourself".What does God require of us? Simply that we love as he loves! God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. God loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. The love of God comes first and the love of neighbor is firmly grounded in the love of God. The more we know of God's love and truth the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his will.
What makes our love for God and his commands grow in us? Faith in God and hope in his promises strengthens us in the love of God. They are essential for a good relationship with God, for being united with him. The more we know of God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope in his promises. The Lord Jesus, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, gives us a new freedom to love as he loves. Do you allow anything to keep you from the love of God and the joy of serving others with a generous heart? Paul the Apostle says: hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Romans 5:5). Do you know the love which conquers all?
"Lord Jesus, your love surpasses all. Flood my heart with your love and increase my faith and hope in your promises. Help me to give myself in generous service to others as you have so generously given yourself to me."
www.dailyscripture.net
 Being Like God |
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Friday of the
Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
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ather José LaBoy, LC
Matthew 22: 34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had
silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them a scholar of
the law tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is
the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the
greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love
your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two
commandments."
Introductory Prayer: Dear Lord, I believe in you, because you
have a plan for me that will bring me to be like you. I hope in you, because
your example and your grace give me the strength to be able to identify my
will with yours. I love you, because only by loving you can I be transformed
into you and be holy.
Petition: Give me, Lord, the grace to practice charity
faithfully.
1. Wanting What God Wants: What is true love? Quoting the Roman
historian, Sallust, Pope-Emeritus Benedict shows us what the authentic
content of love is: “To want the same thing, and to reject the same thing was
recognized by antiquity as the authentic content of love: the one becomes
similar to the other, and this leads to community of will and thought” (Deus
Caritas Est, 17). This quote helps us understand that to love is to
identify our will with God’s will. This leads us to be like God. This fact
corrects the error of our first parents who disobeyed God.
2. Love Has Two Dimensions: True love has two dimensions: love for God
and love for our neighbor. The first epistle of John, known as the “Magna
Carta” of charity, expresses frequently and clearly the close relationship
between them. One cannot exist without the other: “No one who fails to act in
righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother” (1
John 3:10); “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God” (1 John 4:7); “Beloved,
if God so loved us, we also must love one another” (1 John 4:11); “If anyone
says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not
love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is
the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his
brother” (1 John 4:20-21).
3. Loving Others: Loving God requires loving others. This is
not easy, especially in a world that highly esteems individualism and permits
stepping on others to get ahead. If loving others according to the Old
Testament requirement, “as you love yourself” is difficult, we can imagine
how difficult it is to love others according to Christ’s requirement, “as I
have loved you” (cf. John 13:34), which is a true Christian’s hallmark: “This
is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another” (John 13:35). How many times do we judge only from appearances, or
judge people only by their physical traits or defects? It’s so easy to
comment on peoples’ defects, imperfections, and ways of acting; yet, it is so
difficult to praise constantly what is positive in them. One of the best ways
to love our neighbor is to seek charity in speech.
Petition: Dear Jesus, give me the grace to love others
with all my effort and good will. I want to contemplate you, Lord, so that I
may learn from you how to love them to the point of giving my life for them.
Resolution: I will practice charity towards others in a
very concrete way.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23
MATTHEW 22:34-40
(Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22; Psalm 146)
KEY VERSE: "The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments" (v 40).
READING: The Pharisees believed in the divine authority of the written Hebrew Scriptures ("the law and the prophets," v 40) as well as the oral interpretations of the law. These included 613 precepts that were divided into categories of greater or lesser importance. The Sadducees, on the other hand, accepted only the first five books of the law (the Pentateuch) and rejected oral tradition, including the belief in angels and the bodily resurrection. Both groups were opposed to Jesus. A scribe, an expert in the law, challenged Jesus by asking which law was greater than the others. Jesus summed up the entire law with two commands upon which the whole law was based: �You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Dt 6:5) and "You must love your neighbor as yourself� (Lv 19:18). Jesus thereby put the love of God on a par with love of neighbor. Only by loving oneself, will we be able to start loving other people as the Lord commanded. Jesus perfectly fulfilled this law of love in his words and deeds.
REFLECTING: Do I have a healthy self love?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, fill me with love for you so that it will overflow to others.
Optional Memorial of Rose
of Lima, virgin
Rose was born in Peru to Spanish immigrants to the New World. Her real name was Isabel, but she was such a beautiful baby that she was called Rose. As she grew older, she became more and more beautiful, and one day, her mother put a wreath of flowers on her head to show off her loveliness to friends. But Rose had no desire to be admired, for her heart had been given to Jesus. Rose worked hard to support her poor parents and she humbly obeyed them, except when they tried to get her to marry as she was devoted to her vow of chastity. A Dominican Tertiery with a great devotion to St. Catherine of Siena, Rose was a mystic, visionary, and received an invisible stigmata. Rose had many temptations and there were times when she suffered loneliness and sadness, for God seemed far away. Yet she cheerfully offered all these troubles to God. Many miracles followed her death. She was beatified by Clement IX, in 1667, and canonized in 1671 by Clement X, the first American to be so honored. Rose of Lima is the patroness of Latin America and the Philippines and is represented wearing a crown of roses.
August 23
St. Rose of Lima
(1586-1617)
The first canonized saint of the New World has one characteristic
of all saints—the suffering of opposition—and another characteristic which is
more for admiration than for imitation—excessive practice of mortification.
She was
born to parents of Spanish descent in Lima, Peru, at a time when South America
was in its first century of evangelization. She seems to have taken Catherine
of Siena (April 29) as a model, in spite of the objections and ridicule of
parents and friends.
The
saints have so great a love of God that what seems bizarre to us, and is indeed
sometimes imprudent, is simply a logical carrying out of a conviction that
anything that might endanger a loving relationship with God must be rooted out.
So, because her beauty was so often admired, Rose used to rub her face with
pepper to produce disfiguring blotches. Later, she wore a thick circlet of
silver on her head, studded on the inside, like a crown of thorns.
When her
parents fell into financial trouble, she worked in the garden all day and sewed
at night. Ten years of struggle against her parents began when they tried to
make Rose marry. They refused to let her enter a convent, and out of obedience
she continued her life of penance and solitude at home as a member of the Third
Order of St. Dominic. So deep was her desire to live the life of Christ that
she spent most of her time at home in solitude.
During
the last few years of her life, Rose set up a room in the house where she cared
for homeless children, the elderly and the sick. This was a beginning of social
services in Peru. Though secluded in life and activity, she was brought to the
attention of Inquisition interrogators, who could only say that she was
influenced by grace.
What
might have been a merely eccentric life was transfigured from the inside. If we
remember some unusual penances, we should also remember the greatest thing
about Rose: a love of God so ardent that it withstood ridicule from without,
violent temptation and lengthy periods of sickness. When she died at 31, the
city turned out for her funeral. Prominent men took turns carrying her coffin.
Comment:
It is easy to dismiss excessive penances of the saints as the expression of a certain culture or temperament. But a woman wearing a crown of thorns may at least prod our consciences. We enjoy the most comfort-oriented life in human history. We eat too much, drink too much, use a million gadgets, fill our eyes and ears with everything imaginable. Commerce thrives on creating useless needs on which to spend our money. It seems that when we have become most like slaves, there is the greatest talk of “freedom.” Are we willing to discipline ourselves in such an atmosphere?
It is easy to dismiss excessive penances of the saints as the expression of a certain culture or temperament. But a woman wearing a crown of thorns may at least prod our consciences. We enjoy the most comfort-oriented life in human history. We eat too much, drink too much, use a million gadgets, fill our eyes and ears with everything imaginable. Commerce thrives on creating useless needs on which to spend our money. It seems that when we have become most like slaves, there is the greatest talk of “freedom.” Are we willing to discipline ourselves in such an atmosphere?
Quote:
“If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna” (Matthew 18:8–9).
“If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna” (Matthew 18:8–9).
Patron Saint of:
Americas
Florists
Latin America
Peru
Philippines
South America
Americas
Florists
Latin America
Peru
Philippines
South America
LECTIO: MATTHEW
22,34-40
Lectio:
Friday, August 23, 2013
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God our Father,
may we love you in all things and above all things
and reach the joy you have prepared for us
beyond all our imagining.
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.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 22,34-40
The Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to put him to the test, one of them put a further question, 'Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?'
Jesus said to him, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.'
The Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to put him to the test, one of them put a further question, 'Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?'
Jesus said to him, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.'
3) Reflection
• The text is enlightened. Jesus is in Jerusalem and precisely in the Temple where a process between he and his adversaries is taking place, the chief priests and the Scribes (20, 18; 21, 15), between the chief priests and the elders of the people (21, 23) and between the chief priests and the Pharisees (21, 45). The point of controversy of the debate is: the identity of Jesus or of the Son of David, the origin of his identity, and, therefore, the question regarding the nature of the Kingdom of God. The evangelist presents this plot of debates with a sequence of controversies that present a growing rhythm: the tribute to be paid to Caesar (22, 15-22), the resurrection of the dead (22, 23-33), the greatest commandment (22, 34-40), the Messiah, son and Lord of David (22, 41-46). The protagonists of the first three discussions are representatives of the official Judaism who try to place Jesus in difficulty on some crucial questions. These disputes are addressed to Jesus in so far as he is “Master” (Rabbi), this title tells the reader the understanding that the interlocutors have of Jesus. But Jesus takes this occasion to lead them to ask themselves a more crucial question: the last time they took position concerning his identity (22, 41-46).
• The greatest commandment. On the trail of the Sadducees who have preceded, the Pharisees ask Jesus a burning question: which is the greatest commandment? The Rabbis always first made evident the multiplicity of the prescriptions (248 commandments) the question is asked to Jesus regarding which is the fundamental precept. Just the same the Rabbis themselves had created a true survey to reduce them as far as possible: David lists eleven (Ps 15, 2-5), Isaiah six (Is 33, 15), Micah three (Mi 6, 8), Amos two (Am 5, 4) and Habakkuk only one (Hab 2, 4). But the intention of the Pharisees regarding their question, goes beyond every type of survey, it is a question of the essence itself of the prescriptions. Jesus, in answering binds together love of God and love of neighbour, so much so as to unite them in only one, but without renouncing to give priority to the first one, which subordinates, in a close way, the second one. Thus, all the prescriptions of the Law, they were 613, are placed in relationship with this unique commandment: the whole Law finds its significance and foundation in the one of love. Jesus carries out a process of simplification of all the precepts of the Law: anyone who puts into practice the only commandment of love does not only observe the Law, but also the prophets (v. 40). Just the same, the novelty of the response is not so much in the material content as in its realization: in Jesus, the love of God and love of neighbour have their own context, their last solidity. That is to say, that God’s love and of neighbour, shown and realized in some way in his person, guides man to place himself before God and before others through love. The only commandment in two, God’s love and love for neighbour, become the supporting column, not only of the Scriptures, but also of the life of the Christian.
• The text is enlightened. Jesus is in Jerusalem and precisely in the Temple where a process between he and his adversaries is taking place, the chief priests and the Scribes (20, 18; 21, 15), between the chief priests and the elders of the people (21, 23) and between the chief priests and the Pharisees (21, 45). The point of controversy of the debate is: the identity of Jesus or of the Son of David, the origin of his identity, and, therefore, the question regarding the nature of the Kingdom of God. The evangelist presents this plot of debates with a sequence of controversies that present a growing rhythm: the tribute to be paid to Caesar (22, 15-22), the resurrection of the dead (22, 23-33), the greatest commandment (22, 34-40), the Messiah, son and Lord of David (22, 41-46). The protagonists of the first three discussions are representatives of the official Judaism who try to place Jesus in difficulty on some crucial questions. These disputes are addressed to Jesus in so far as he is “Master” (Rabbi), this title tells the reader the understanding that the interlocutors have of Jesus. But Jesus takes this occasion to lead them to ask themselves a more crucial question: the last time they took position concerning his identity (22, 41-46).
• The greatest commandment. On the trail of the Sadducees who have preceded, the Pharisees ask Jesus a burning question: which is the greatest commandment? The Rabbis always first made evident the multiplicity of the prescriptions (248 commandments) the question is asked to Jesus regarding which is the fundamental precept. Just the same the Rabbis themselves had created a true survey to reduce them as far as possible: David lists eleven (Ps 15, 2-5), Isaiah six (Is 33, 15), Micah three (Mi 6, 8), Amos two (Am 5, 4) and Habakkuk only one (Hab 2, 4). But the intention of the Pharisees regarding their question, goes beyond every type of survey, it is a question of the essence itself of the prescriptions. Jesus, in answering binds together love of God and love of neighbour, so much so as to unite them in only one, but without renouncing to give priority to the first one, which subordinates, in a close way, the second one. Thus, all the prescriptions of the Law, they were 613, are placed in relationship with this unique commandment: the whole Law finds its significance and foundation in the one of love. Jesus carries out a process of simplification of all the precepts of the Law: anyone who puts into practice the only commandment of love does not only observe the Law, but also the prophets (v. 40). Just the same, the novelty of the response is not so much in the material content as in its realization: in Jesus, the love of God and love of neighbour have their own context, their last solidity. That is to say, that God’s love and of neighbour, shown and realized in some way in his person, guides man to place himself before God and before others through love. The only commandment in two, God’s love and love for neighbour, become the supporting column, not only of the Scriptures, but also of the life of the Christian.
4) Personal questions
• Is love for God and for neighbour only a vague sentiment, an emotion, a passing motion or a reality that affirms your whole person: heart, will, intelligence and human relationships?
• You were created out of love. Are you aware that your fulfilment takes place in God’s love, to love Him with the whole heart, with the whole soul, with the whole mind? Such a love demands a confirmation of charity toward the brothers and sisters and their situation of life. Do you practice this in daily life?
• Is love for God and for neighbour only a vague sentiment, an emotion, a passing motion or a reality that affirms your whole person: heart, will, intelligence and human relationships?
• You were created out of love. Are you aware that your fulfilment takes place in God’s love, to love Him with the whole heart, with the whole soul, with the whole mind? Such a love demands a confirmation of charity toward the brothers and sisters and their situation of life. Do you practice this in daily life?
5) Concluding Prayer
Let them thank Yahweh for his faithful love,
for his wonders for the children of Adam!
He has fed the hungry to their hearts' content,
filled the starving with good things. (Ps 107,8-9)
Let them thank Yahweh for his faithful love,
for his wonders for the children of Adam!
He has fed the hungry to their hearts' content,
filled the starving with good things. (Ps 107,8-9)
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