Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 367
Lectionary: 367
When the LORD was
about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,
he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here;
the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.”
“As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you,” Elisha replied.
And so the two went on together.
Fifty of the guild prophets followed and
when the two stopped at the Jordan,
they stood facing them at a distance.
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up
and struck the water, which divided,
and both crossed over on dry ground.
When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha,
“Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you.”
Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.”
“You have asked something that is not easy,” Elijah replied.
“Still, if you see me taken up from you,
your wish will be granted; otherwise not.”
As they walked on conversing,
a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them,
and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
When Elisha saw it happen he cried out,
“My father! my father! Israel’s chariots and drivers!”
But when he could no longer see him,
Elisha gripped his own garment and tore it in two.
Then he picked up Elijah’s mantle that had fallen from him,
and went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan.
Wielding the mantle that had fallen from Elijah,
Elisha struck the water in his turn and said,
“Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?”
When Elisha struck the water it divided and he crossed over.
he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here;
the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.”
“As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you,” Elisha replied.
And so the two went on together.
Fifty of the guild prophets followed and
when the two stopped at the Jordan,
they stood facing them at a distance.
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up
and struck the water, which divided,
and both crossed over on dry ground.
When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha,
“Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you.”
Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.”
“You have asked something that is not easy,” Elijah replied.
“Still, if you see me taken up from you,
your wish will be granted; otherwise not.”
As they walked on conversing,
a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them,
and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
When Elisha saw it happen he cried out,
“My father! my father! Israel’s chariots and drivers!”
But when he could no longer see him,
Elisha gripped his own garment and tore it in two.
Then he picked up Elijah’s mantle that had fallen from him,
and went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan.
Wielding the mantle that had fallen from Elijah,
Elisha struck the water in his turn and said,
“Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?”
When Elisha struck the water it divided and he crossed over.
Responsorial Psalm PS 31:20, 21, 24
R. (25) Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in
the Lord.
How great is the goodness, O LORD,
which you have in store for those who fear you,
And which, toward those who take refuge in you,
you show in the sight of the children of men.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men;
You screen them within your abode
from the strife of tongues.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the LORD, all you his faithful ones!
The LORD keeps those who are constant,
but more than requites those who act proudly.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
How great is the goodness, O LORD,
which you have in store for those who fear you,
And which, toward those who take refuge in you,
you show in the sight of the children of men.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men;
You screen them within your abode
from the strife of tongues.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the LORD, all you his faithful ones!
The LORD keeps those who are constant,
but more than requites those who act proudly.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Gospel MT 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his
disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Meditation: When
you pray, fast, and give alms
Why did Jesus single out prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving for his disciples? The Jews considered these three as the cardinal
works of the religious life. These were seen as the key signs of a pious
person, the three great pillars on which the good life was based. Jesus pointed
to the heart of the matter. Why do you pray, fast, and give alms? To draw
attention to yourself so that others may notice and think highly of you? Or to
give glory to God?
The Lord warns his disciples of self-seeking
glory - the preoccupation with looking good and seeking praise from others.
True piety is something more than feeling good or looking holy. True piety is
loving devotion to God. It is an attitude of awe, reverence, worship and
obedience. It is a gift and working of the Holy Spirit that enables us to
devote our lives to God with a holy desire to please him in all things (Isaiah
11:1-2).
Communion with the Father
What is the sure reward which Jesus points out to his disciples? It is communion with God our Father. In him alone we find the fulness of life and happiness, truth and beauty, love and joy. Saint Augustine, the great fourth century bishop of Hippo, wrote the following prayer in his Confessions:
When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrows or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete.
What is the sure reward which Jesus points out to his disciples? It is communion with God our Father. In him alone we find the fulness of life and happiness, truth and beauty, love and joy. Saint Augustine, the great fourth century bishop of Hippo, wrote the following prayer in his Confessions:
When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrows or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete.
The Lord rewards those who seek him with humble
and repentant hearts. He renews us each day and he gives us new hearts of love
and compassion that we may serve him and our neighbor with glad and generous
hearts. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor? Seek
him expectantly in prayer, with fasting, and in generous giving to those in
need.
“Lord Jesus, give me a lively faith, a firm
hope, a fervent charity, and a great love for you. Take from me all
lukewarmness in meditating on your word, and dullness in prayer. Give me fervor
and delight in thinking of you and your grace. Fill my heart with compassion
for others, especially those in need, that I may respond with generosity.”
 The Danger of Vanity. 2014-06-18 |
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Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order
that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your
heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of
others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you
give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that
your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay
you. When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray
in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I
say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your
inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your
Father who sees in secret will repay you. When you fast, do not look gloomy
like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear
to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not
appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father
who sees what is hidden will repay you."
Introductory Prayer: Lord,
I believe in you with a living faith. Though I am so inclined to sin and
weakness, I trust in your mercy. I want to show my love for you in this
meditation. I long for my recompense to come only from you, not from people’s
applause.
Petition: Lord,
help me to act with greater purity of intention in my life.
1. Who Do You Seek to Please: In today’s Gospel reading, Christ presents a difficult
challenge and, at the same time, a great consolation. His teaching can be
summed up with a simple phrase: In everything we do, act always before God
alone. At the end of our life, all that will remain is what we have done for
God and our brothers and sisters. Everything else, all of our vanities, our
desires to be esteemed, loved or taken into account will vanish on the last
day, like fog disappears under the rays of the sun. The challenge is clear: to
act before God with absolute purity of intention. But where is the
consolation? Our heavenly Father “sees in secret.” What might never be
perceived or recognized or appreciated by the world will one day be rewarded
in heaven.
2. Between You and God: Mother Theresa echoes the Gospel teaching in a brief
poem entitled “It’s Between You and God.”
People are
often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Forgive
them anyway.
If you are
kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be
kind anyway.
If you are
successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed
anyway.
If you are
honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be
honest and frank anyway.
What you spend
years building, someone may destroy overnight.
Build
anyway.
If you find
serenity and happiness, others may be jealous.
Be
happy anyway.
The good you do
today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do
good anyway.
Give the world
the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give
the world the best you have anyway.
Why?
Because in the
final analysis, all of this is between you and God….
It
was never between you and them anyway.
3. Our Everlasting Reward: Christ declares three times that hypocrites who act before
others have already received their reward. One day each of us will stand
alone before Christ. Our eternal destiny will depend upon the outcome of that
moment. May we not discover to our chagrin that our hands are empty because
we have secretly acted to win the applause of men. Rather, may we perform our
good deeds in secret, not letting our left hand know what our right is doing.
Then our heavenly Father, “who sees what is hidden” will repay us.
Conversation with Christ: Thank
you, Lord, for always seeing what is hidden, for always being ready to reward
what is done for you. Your words and the example of holy men and women
inspire me on this point. I wish to live facing you and eternity and to give
up all my vain ambitions and worries about what others think of my actions.
Resolution: I will renew my purity of intention in the different
activities of the day, doing them out of love for Christ and to help
establish his Kingdom.
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, MATTHEW
6:1-6, 16-18
(2 Kings 2:1, 6-14; Psalm 31)
(2 Kings 2:1, 6-14; Psalm 31)
KEY VERSE: "Be on guard against performing religious acts for people to see" (v 1).
READING: Jesus asked his disciples to examine their motives when performing virtuous deeds. He gave three examples that were characteristic of Jewish piety at the time: almsgiving (vs 1-4), prayer (vs 5-15), and fasting (vs 16-18). While good in themselves, they must be carried out in a way to honor God, and not be used to make a public show of holiness. Jesus contrasted the hypocritical behavior of the religious leaders with the sincere conduct he expected of his followers. Prayer should express our right relationship with God. Fasting should convey sorrow for sin. Almsgiving should show solidarity with the poor. These works have no value if only performed to win the praise and approval of others. God, the sole judge of all deeds, will reward each according to the true intentions of the heart. Without a willingness to have one's heart changed, salvation cannot be experienced.
REFLECTING: Do I work for the admiration of people or for eternal reward?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to give glory to God and to serve my neighbor through my good works.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Cooling Our Temper
If being ourselves means letting our frustration loose too easily,
we would do well to work harder at not being so much ourselves. A simple social
rule: Treat those closest with the same demeanor reserved for those less close.
Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord
‘When you fast, do not put on a gloomy face.’Today isn’t Ash Wednesday, but we have the same gospel reading we proclaim on Ash Wednesday. Prayer, fasting and alms-giving aren’t meant to be activities limited to Lent. They are ways of living out our whole Christian life. Today might be an opportunity for us to think about how we are putting these into practice throughout the whole of the year. How is our prayer-life going? Are we committed to living life a little more simply? Are we enriching the world through small or large acts of generosity and compassion?
June
18
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 Dublin, where his father worked on the docks and had a difficult time
supporting his family. After a few years of schooling, Matt obtained work as a
messenger for some liquor merchants; there he began to drink excessively. For
15 years—until he was almost 30—Matt was an active alcoholic.
One day
he decided to take "the pledge" for three months, make a general
confession and begin to attend daily Mass. There is evidence that Matt’s first
seven years after taking the pledge were especially difficult. Avoiding his
former drinking places was hard. He began to pray as intensely as he used to
drink. He also tried to pay back people from whom he had borrowed or stolen
money while he was drinking.
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.
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.
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
LECTIO DIVINA:
MATTHEW 6,1-6.16-18
Lectio:
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
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 - MATTHEW 6,1-6.16-18
Jesus said to his disciples: 'Be careful not to parade your
uprightness in public to attract attention; otherwise you will lose all reward
from your Father in heaven.
So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this
is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win human
admiration. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you give
alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving
must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward
you.
'And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to
say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for
people to see them. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when
you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father
who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in
secret will reward you.
'When you are fasting, do not put on a gloomy look as the
hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to let people know they are
fasting. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you fast,
put scent on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are
fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father
who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
3)
REFLECTION
• The Gospel of today continues the meditation on the Sermon on
the Mountain. In the previous days we have reflected at length on the message
of chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel. In today’s Gospel and the following days we
meditate on the message of chapter 6 of this Gospel. The sequence of chapters 5
and 6 can help us to understand it. The passages in italics indicate the text
of today’s Gospel. The following is the schema:
Matthew 5, 1-12: The Beatitudes: solemn opening of the New Law
Matthew 5, 13-16: The new presence in the world: Salt of the earth and Light of the world
Matthew 5, 17-19: The new practice of justice; relationship with the ancient law
Matthew 5, 20-48: The new practice of justice: observing the new Law.
Matthew 6, 1-4: The new practice of piety: alms
Matthew 6, 5-15: The new practice of the works of piety: prayer
Matthew 6, 16-18: The new practice of the works of piety: fasting
Matthew 6, 19-21: New relationship to material goods: do not accumulate
Matthew 6, 22-23: New relationship to material goods: correct vision
Matthew 6, 24: New relationship to material goods: God and money
Matthew 6, 25-34: New relationship to material goods: abandonment in Providence.
Matthew 5, 13-16: The new presence in the world: Salt of the earth and Light of the world
Matthew 5, 17-19: The new practice of justice; relationship with the ancient law
Matthew 5, 20-48: The new practice of justice: observing the new Law.
Matthew 6, 1-4: The new practice of piety: alms
Matthew 6, 5-15: The new practice of the works of piety: prayer
Matthew 6, 16-18: The new practice of the works of piety: fasting
Matthew 6, 19-21: New relationship to material goods: do not accumulate
Matthew 6, 22-23: New relationship to material goods: correct vision
Matthew 6, 24: New relationship to material goods: God and money
Matthew 6, 25-34: New relationship to material goods: abandonment in Providence.
Today’s Gospel treats three themes: alms giving (6, 1-4), prayer
(6, 5-6) and fasting (6, 16-18). These are three works of piety of the Jews.
• Matthew 6,1: Be careful not to parade your uprightness
to attract attention.Jesus criticises those who do the good works to be
seen by men (Mt 6,1). Jesus asks to build up interior security not in what we
do for God, but in what God does for us. From the advise that he gives there
results a new type of relationship with God: “Your Father who sees all
that is done in secret will reward you” (Mt 6,4)."Your Father
knows what you need before you ask him” (Mt 6, 8). "If
you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive your
failings” (Mt 6, 14). It is a new way which opens itself now to have
access to the Heart of God our Father. Jesus does not allow that the practice
of justice and of piety be used as a means for self promotion before God and
before the community (Mt 6, 2.5.16).
• Matthew 6, 2-4: How to practice almsgiving. To
give alms is a way of sharing, very recommended by the first Christians (Ac 2,
44-45; 4, 32-35). The person who practices alms giving and sharing to promote
herself before others merits to be excluded from the community, as it happened
to Ananias and Saphira (Ac 5, 1-11). Today, in society as well as in the
Church, there are persons who make great publicity of the good that they do to
others. Jesus asks the contrary: to do good in such a way that the left hand
does not know what the right hand does. It is the total detachment and the
total gift in total gratuity of the love which believes in God the Father and
imitates all that he does.
• Matthew 6, 5-6: How to practice prayer. Prayer
places the person in direct relationship with God. Some Pharisees transformed
prayer into an occasion to show themselves before others. At that time, when
the trumpet sounded in the three moments of prayer, morning, noon and evening,
they should stop in the place where they were to pray. There were people who
sought to be in the corners in public places, in such a way that everybody
would see that they were praying. Well then, such an attitude perverts our
relationship with God. This is false and has no sense. This is why, Jesus says
that it is better to close up oneself in our room to pray in secret,
maintaining the authenticity of the relationship. God sees you even in secret,
and he always listens to you. It is a question of a personal prayer, not of a
community prayer.
• Matthew 6, 16-18: How to practice fasting. At
that time the practice of fasting was accompanied by some very visible external
gestures: not to wash one’s face, not to comb one’s hair, use sober dresses.
These were visible signs of fasting. Jesus criticises this form of fasting and
orders to do the contrary, and thus others cannot become aware that you are
fasting: bathe, use perfume, and comb your hair well. In this way, only your
Father who sees in secret knows that you are fasting and he will reward you.
4)
PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• When you pray, how do you live your relationship with God?
• How do you live your relationship with others in the family
and in community?
5)
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Yahweh, what quantities of good things you have in store
for those who fear you,
and bestow on those who make you their refuge,
for all humanity to see. (Ps 31,19)
for those who fear you,
and bestow on those who make you their refuge,
for all humanity to see. (Ps 31,19)
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