Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
Lectionary: 389
Lectionary: 389
Hear the word of
the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah!
What care I for the number of your sacrifices?
says the LORD.
I have had enough of whole-burnt rams
and fat of fatlings;
In the blood of calves, lambs and goats
I find no pleasure.
When you come in to visit me,
who asks these things of you?
Trample my courts no more!
Bring no more worthless offerings;
your incense is loathsome to me.
New moon and sabbath, calling of assemblies,
octaves with wickedness: these I cannot bear.
Your new moons and festivals I detest;
they weigh me down, I tire of the load.
When you spread out your hands,
I close my eyes to you;
Though you pray the more,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood!
Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah!
What care I for the number of your sacrifices?
says the LORD.
I have had enough of whole-burnt rams
and fat of fatlings;
In the blood of calves, lambs and goats
I find no pleasure.
When you come in to visit me,
who asks these things of you?
Trample my courts no more!
Bring no more worthless offerings;
your incense is loathsome to me.
New moon and sabbath, calling of assemblies,
octaves with wickedness: these I cannot bear.
Your new moons and festivals I detest;
they weigh me down, I tire of the load.
When you spread out your hands,
I close my eyes to you;
Though you pray the more,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood!
Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.
Responsorial Psalm PS 50:8-9, 16BC-17, 21 AND 23
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of
God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think you that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think you that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Gospel MT 10:34-11:1
Jesus said to his
Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Meditation: "I have not come to bring peace,
but a sword"
Why does Jesus describe his mission and the
coming of God's kingdom in terms of conflict, division, and war? Jesus told his
disciples that he did not "come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew
10:34). The "sword" which Jesus speaks of here is not a physical
weapon that cuts people down, but a spiritual weapon that cuts through the
inner core of our being to expose the corruption of sinful thoughts and
intentions as well as the lies and deception of Satan and his kingdom of darkness.
Sword of the Spirit
Scripture speaks of God's word as a sharp two-edged sword that "pierces to the divison of soul and spirit... discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, Revelations 19:15). Scripture also describes "God's word" as the "sword of the Spirit" which has power to destroy every spiritual stronghold that keep people in bondage to sin, deception, and Satan (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus came to rescue us and bring us freedom to live as citizens of God's kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
Scripture speaks of God's word as a sharp two-edged sword that "pierces to the divison of soul and spirit... discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, Revelations 19:15). Scripture also describes "God's word" as the "sword of the Spirit" which has power to destroy every spiritual stronghold that keep people in bondage to sin, deception, and Satan (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus came to rescue us and bring us freedom to live as citizens of God's kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
Spiritual warefare
Jesus' mission was an act of war against the spiritual forces who oppose the kingdom of God and his rule over the earth and the heavens. That is why Jesus identified Satan as the ruler of this world whom he will cast out(John 12:31). The battle Jesus had in mind was not an earthly conflict between individuals and nations, but a spiritual warfare between the forces of Satan and the armies of heaven. Jesus came to wage war against the spiritual powers of this present world that turn the minds and hearts of people away from God and his kingdom of peace and truth.
Jesus' mission was an act of war against the spiritual forces who oppose the kingdom of God and his rule over the earth and the heavens. That is why Jesus identified Satan as the ruler of this world whom he will cast out(John 12:31). The battle Jesus had in mind was not an earthly conflict between individuals and nations, but a spiritual warfare between the forces of Satan and the armies of heaven. Jesus came to wage war against the spiritual powers of this present world that turn the minds and hearts of people away from God and his kingdom of peace and truth.
Kingdom of light versus kingdom of darkness
The Scriptures make clear that there are ultimately only two kingdoms or powers that stand in opposition to one another - God's kingdom of light and Satan's kingdom of darkness. John the Apostle contrasts these two opossing kingdoms in the starkest of terms: We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). The Scriptures describe the "world" as that society of people who are opposed to God and his kingdom of righteousness, truth, and goodness. Jesus came to overthrow Satan's power and to set us free from everything that would hold us back from knowing, loving, and serving God who has loved each one of us with boundless mercy, compassion, and goodness.
The Scriptures make clear that there are ultimately only two kingdoms or powers that stand in opposition to one another - God's kingdom of light and Satan's kingdom of darkness. John the Apostle contrasts these two opossing kingdoms in the starkest of terms: We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). The Scriptures describe the "world" as that society of people who are opposed to God and his kingdom of righteousness, truth, and goodness. Jesus came to overthrow Satan's power and to set us free from everything that would hold us back from knowing, loving, and serving God who has loved each one of us with boundless mercy, compassion, and goodness.
God must take first place
Jesus told his disciples that if they followed him it would be costly because they must put God's kingdom first and obey his word. Whenever a great call is given it inevitably causes division between those who accept or reject it. When Jesus remarked that division would cut very close to home his listeners likely recalled the prophecy of Micah: a man's enemies are the men of his own household (Micah 7:6). The love of God compels us to choose who will be first in our lives. To place any relationship or any other thing above God is a form of idolatry. Jesus challenges his disciples to examine who they love first and foremost. A true disciple loves God above all else and is willing to forsake all for Jesus Christ. Jesus insists that his disciples give him the loyalty which is only due to God, a loyalty which is higher than spouse or kin. It is possible that family and friends can become our enemies, if the thought of them keeps us from doing what we know God wants us to do.
Jesus told his disciples that if they followed him it would be costly because they must put God's kingdom first and obey his word. Whenever a great call is given it inevitably causes division between those who accept or reject it. When Jesus remarked that division would cut very close to home his listeners likely recalled the prophecy of Micah: a man's enemies are the men of his own household (Micah 7:6). The love of God compels us to choose who will be first in our lives. To place any relationship or any other thing above God is a form of idolatry. Jesus challenges his disciples to examine who they love first and foremost. A true disciple loves God above all else and is willing to forsake all for Jesus Christ. Jesus insists that his disciples give him the loyalty which is only due to God, a loyalty which is higher than spouse or kin. It is possible that family and friends can become our enemies, if the thought of them keeps us from doing what we know God wants us to do.
The just reward
True love for God compels us to express charity towards our neighbor who is created in the image and likeness of God. Jesus declared that any kindness shown and any help given to the people of Christ will not lose its reward. Jesus never refused to give to anyone in need who asked for his help. As his disciples we are called to be kind and generous as he is. Jesus sets before his disciples the one goal in life that is worth any sacrifice and that goal is the will of God which leads to everlasting life, peace, and joy with God. Does the love of Jesus Christ compel you to put God first in all you do (2 Corinthians 5:14)?
True love for God compels us to express charity towards our neighbor who is created in the image and likeness of God. Jesus declared that any kindness shown and any help given to the people of Christ will not lose its reward. Jesus never refused to give to anyone in need who asked for his help. As his disciples we are called to be kind and generous as he is. Jesus sets before his disciples the one goal in life that is worth any sacrifice and that goal is the will of God which leads to everlasting life, peace, and joy with God. Does the love of Jesus Christ compel you to put God first in all you do (2 Corinthians 5:14)?
"Lord, no eye has seen, no ear has heard,
no heart has conceived the things you have prepared for those who love you. Set
us ablaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit, that we may love you in and above
all things and so receive the rewards you have promised us through Christ our
Lord." (from A
Christian's Prayer Book)
 Love is Demanding |
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July 14, 2014. Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin
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Matthew 10: 34-11:1
Jesus said to his Apostles: "Do not think that I have
come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the
sword. For I have come to set a man ´against his father, a daughter against
her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one´s
enemies will be those of his household.´ Whoever loves father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me
is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after
me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever
loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet
because he is a prophet will receive a prophet´s reward, and whoever receives
a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man´s
reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little
ones to drink because he is a disciple-- amen, I say to you, he will surely
not lose his reward." When Jesus finished giving these commands to his
twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in
their towns.
Introductory Prayer: Almighty and ever-living God, I seek new strength from
the courage of Christ our shepherd. I believe in you, I hope in you, and I
seek to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my
strength. I want to be led one day to join the saints in heaven, where your Son
Jesus Christ lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever
and ever.
Petition: Jesus, I want to love as you have loved me.
1. Not Peace but the Sword: Complacency can be defined as
"self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or
deficiencies". This is a false peace, even a harmful peace. It is a
self-satisfied peace that lulls us to sleep and can result in the loss of
those things that are truly most valuable in life: God, faith, family,
etc.... Jesus comes to interrupt that false peace by upending the tables of
our lives (cf. John 2:15) in an effort to awaken us to the dangers
that our false peace has blinded us to. As he drove out the sheep and oxen
from the temple, so, too, he will use circumstances, trials and difficulties
as his "sword" to drive out from our lives whatever is opposed to
God´s goodness and our own dignity.
2. Nothing Before God: “Whoever loves father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me”: with this phrase we start getting an inkling of
the type of sword our Lord is wielding. He is giving us a criterion that
starts from heaven downward because he is trying to lift us from the earth
upward. What natural relationship is closer than the one between a parent and
child, especially a mother and child? Yet even this bond must be subordinate
to the love we have for God. Why? Well, no creature, not even our parents,
can bring us to the fullness of life and happiness that comes only from God.
God wants us to love him, not because he needs our love but because we need
him. He is objective reality, and we must always move from the subjective to
the objective if we are to possess the truth. Jesus invites us to adapt our
standards from the merely natural and passing to the supernatural and
everlasting.
3. Love of God Is Inclusive Not Exclusive: Giving a cup of
water to one of the least of our brothers and sisters will not go unrewarded,
and therefore, unnoticed. In this way, Jesus shows that he is not calling us
to a love of God that excludes others. The standard of placing God first does
not exclude love for mother or father, sister or brother. Once we love God as
he deserves, we will learn to love others as they truly deserve. In fact, we
merit the vision of the God we cannot see by loving the neighbor we do see.
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, following you demands my
all, and at times it seems that I do not have the strength to give what you
ask. Help me to stay close to you in prayer and in the sacraments so as to
have the grace to live the standard of love and generosity that you ask.
Mother Most Pure, make my heart only for Jesus.
Resolution: Today I will make three acts of self-denial and offer
them for someone in need of prayers.
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MONDAY, JULY 14, MATTHEW 10:34--11:1
(Isaiah 1:10-17; Psalm 50)
(Isaiah 1:10-17; Psalm 50)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me" (v 39).
READING: Jesus exhorted the twelve apostles to have courage under persecution. He was aware that his message would not be accepted by everyone, and he warned his followers that members of their own families might be their adversaries. Those who wished to follow in his footsteps, must be willing to put the gospel before all else ̶ even their own lives. They must be prepared to be treated like the prophets of old who suffered for proclaiming God's word. The apostles were Christian "prophets" who would speak God's saving message of the new covenant. Whoever offered hospitality to them received Jesus himself and God who sent him, and they would be rewarded for their kindness.
REFLECTING: Pray for missionaries whose lives may be endangered for preaching the gospel.
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, give me courage to proclaim your gospel as your apostles did.
Memorial of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
Kateri was the daughter of a Christian Algonquin woman captured by the Iroquois and married to a non-Christian Mohawk chief. Kateri was orphaned during a smallpox epidemic, which left her with a scarred face and impaired eyesight. She converted to the Christian faith and was baptized in 1676 by a Jesuit missionary. Shunned and abused by relatives for her faith, Kateri escaped through 200 miles of wilderness to the Christian Native American village of Sault-Sainte-Marie, and took a vow of chastity in 1679. Known for spirituality and an austere lifestyle, her grave became a pilgrimage site and place of miracles for Christian Native Americans and French colonists. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, known informally as the Lilly orf the Mohawks, was canonized on 10/21/2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Holy Eucharist
Jesus calls us to eat His flesh and drink His blood, which is a
difficult concept to understand. Jesus’s command to eat His Body and drink His
Blood can only make sense if we understand the words Body and Blood as designating
the whole person, the real and glorified Jesus as He exists today
To the upright I will show the saving power of God
‘I have not come to bring peace, but the sword.’Lord, you present so many apparent paradoxes to us, we are sometimes unsure which way to turn. The sword, not peace? Prefer you over father or mother? Yet, to all these questions, answers, or acceptance, can be given, if we sincerely seek the truth. We have only one life to determine our eternity. Give us the strength to follow where our restless heart leads, until it is filled to the capacity you intend for each one of us. When our conscience tells us clearly what you are asking, may we say yes to you. May we be willing to lose our life for your sake.
July
14
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
(1656-1680)
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
(1656-1680)
The blood of martyrs is the seed of saints. Nine years after the
Jesuits Isaac Jogues and John de Brébeuf (October 19) were tomahawked by
Iroquois warriors, a baby girl was born near the place of their martyrdom,
Auriesville, New York.
Her
mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the Iroquois and given as
wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest and fiercest of the Five
Nations. When she was four, Kateri lost her parents and little brother in a
smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half blind. She was adopted by
an uncle, who succeeded her father as chief. He hated the coming of the
Blackrobes (Jesuit missionaries), but could do nothing to them because a peace
treaty with the French required their presence in villages with Christian
captives. She was moved by the words of three Blackrobes who lodged with her
uncle, but fear of him kept her from seeking instruction. She refused to marry
a Mohawk brave and at 19 finally got the courage to take the step of
converting. She was baptized with the name Kateri (Catherine) on Easter Sunday.
Now she
would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on Sunday, she received
no food that day. Her life in grace grew rapidly. She told a missionary that
she often meditated on the great dignity of being baptized. She was powerfully
moved by God’s love for human beings and saw the dignity of each of her people.
She was
always in danger, for her conversion and holy life created great opposition. On
the advice of a priest, she stole away one night and began a 200-mile walking
journey to a Christian Indian village at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal.
For three
years she grew in holiness under the direction of a priest and an older
Iroquois woman, giving herself totally to God in long hours of prayer, in
charity and in strenuous penance. At 23 she took a vow of virginity, an
unprecedented act for an Indian woman, whose future depended on being married.
She found a place in the woods where she could pray an hour a day—and was
accused of meeting a man there!
Her
dedication to virginity was instinctive: She did not know about religious life
for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this, she and two friends
wanted to start a community, but the local priest dissuaded her. She humbly
accepted an “ordinary” life. She practiced extremely severe fasting as penance
for the conversion of her nation. She died the afternoon before Holy Thursday.
Witnesses said that her emaciated face changed color and became like that of a
healthy child. The lines of suffering, even the pockmarks, disappeared and the
touch of a smile came upon her lips. She was beatified in 1980 and canonized
in 2012..
Comment:
We like to think that our proposed holiness is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition, better health. Kateri repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need: the support of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends. These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and alms: union with God in Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity for her brothers and sisters.
We like to think that our proposed holiness is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition, better health. Kateri repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need: the support of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends. These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and alms: union with God in Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity for her brothers and sisters.
Quote:
Kateri said: “I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love. The state of helpless poverty that may befall me if I do not marry does not frighten me. All I need is a little food and a few pieces of clothing. With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor. If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”
Kateri said: “I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love. The state of helpless poverty that may befall me if I do not marry does not frighten me. All I need is a little food and a few pieces of clothing. With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor. If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”
LECTIO DIVINA:
MATTHEW 10,34 - 11,1
Lectio:
Monday, July 14, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God our Father,
your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow him
reject what is contrary to the gospel.
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.
your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow him
reject what is contrary to the gospel.
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 10,34-11,1
Jesus said to his disciples: 'Do not suppose that I have come to
bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword.
For I have come to set son against father, daughter against mother,
daughter-in-law against mother-in-law; a person's enemies will be the members
of his own household. 'No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of
me. No one who prefers son or daughter to me is worthy of me. Anyone who does
not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who
finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find
it. 'Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes
the one who sent me. 'Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet
will have a prophet's reward; and anyone who welcomes an upright person because
he is upright will have the reward of an upright person. 'If anyone gives so
much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a
disciple, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without his reward.'
When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.
When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.
3) Reflection
• In May of last year, the V Conference of Latin American
Bishops, which was held in Aparecida in the north of Brazil, wrote a very
important Document on the theme: Disciples and Missionaries of Jesus Christ, so
that our peoples may have life”. The discourse of the Mission of chapter 10 of
the Gospel of Matthew, offers much light in order to be able to carry out the
mission as disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ. The Gospel today
presents to us the last part of this Discourse of the Mission.
• Matthew 10, 34-36: I have not come to bring peace to the earth but the sword. Jesus always speaks of peace (Mt 5, 9; Mk 9, 50; Lk 1, 79; 10, 5; 19, 38; 24, 36; Jn 14, 27; 16, 33; 20, 21. 26). And then, how can we understand the phrase in today’s Gospel which seems to say the contrary: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; no, I have not come to bring peace but the sword”. This affirmation does not mean that Jesus was in favour of division and the sword. No! Jesus does not want neither the sword (Jn 18, 11), nor division. He wants the union of all in truth (cf. Jn 17, 17-23). At that time, the announcement of the truth that He, Jesus of Nazareth, was the Messiah became a reason of great division among the Jews. In the same family or community, some were in favour and others were radically contrary. In this sense the Good News of Jesus was truly a source of division, a “sign of contradiction” (Lk 2, 34) or, as Jesus said, he was bringing the sword. In this way the other warning is understood: “I have come to set son against father, daughter against mother, daughter-in-law against mother– in-law; a person’s enemies will be the members of his own household”. In fact, that was what was happening in the families and in the communities: much division, much discussion, the consequence of the announcement of the Good News among the Jews of that time, because some accepted, others denied. Today the same thing happens. Many times, there where the Church renews itself, the appeal to the Good News becomes a ‘sign of contradiction’ and of division. Persons, who during years have lived comfortably in their routine of Christian life, do not want to allow themselves to be bothered by the ‘innovations’ of Vatican Council II. Disturbed by the changes, they used all their intelligence to find arguments in defence of their opinions and to condemn the changes considering them contrary to what they thought was the true faith.
• Matthew 10, 37: No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of me. Luke gives this same phrase, but much more demandino. Literally he says: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his sons and brothers, his sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14, 26). How can this affirmation of Jesus be combined with the other one in which he orders to observe the fourth commandment: love and honour father and mother? (Mk 7, 10-12; Mt 19, 19). Two observations: (1) The fundamental criterion on which Jesus insists always is this one: the Good News of God should be the supreme value of our life. In our life there can be no greater value. (2) The economic and social situation at the time of Jesus was such that the families were obliged to close themselves up in themselves. They no longer had the conditions to respect the obligations of human community living together as for example: sharing, hospitality, invitation to a meal and the acceptance of the excluded. This individualistic closing up in self, caused by the national and international situation produced distortion: (1) It made life in community impossible (2) It limited the commandment “honour father and mother” exclusively to the small family nucleus and no longer to the larger family of the community (3) It prevented the full manifestation of the Good News of God, because if God is Father/Mother we are brothers and sisters of one another. And this truth should be expressed in the life of the community. A living and fraternal community is the mirror of the face of God. Human living together without community is a mirror which disfigures the face of God. In this context, the request of Jesus: “to hate father and mother means that the disciples should overcome the individualistic closing up of the small family on itself, and extend it to the community dimension. Jesus himself put into practice what he taught others. His family wanted to call him to close himself up in self. When they told him: “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside and they are looking for you”, he answered: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And looking at the persons around him he said: “Behold, my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God is my brother, my sister and my mother” (Mk 3, 32-35). He extends the family! This was and continues to be even today for the small family the only way to be able to keep and transmit the values in which he believes.
• Matthew 10, 38-39: The demands of the mission of the disciples. In these two verses, Jesus gives important and demanding advice: (a) To take up the cross and follow Jesus: Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. In order to perceive all the significance and important of this first advice it is well to keep in mind the witness of Saint Paul: “But as for me, it is not of the question that I should boast at all, except of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world” (Ga 6, 14). To carry the cross presupposes, even now, a radical drawing away from the iniquitous system which reigns in the world. (b) To have the courage to give one’s life: “Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it”. Only the one, who in life has been capable of giving himself totally to others, will feel fulfilled. This second advice confirms the deepest human experience; the source of life is in the gift of life. Giving one receives. If the wheat grain does not die … (Jn 12, 24).
• Matthew 10, 40: The identification of the disciple with Jesus and with God himself. This human experience of donation and of the gift receives here a clarification, a deepening:”Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me: and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” In the total gift of self, the disciple identifies himself with Jesus; there the encounter with God takes place, and God allows himself to be found by the one who seeks him.
• Matthew 10, 41-42: the reward of the prophet, of the just and of the disciple. The discourse of the Mission ends with one phrase on reward: “Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes an upright person because he is upright will have the reward of an upright person If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is a disciple, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without reward”. In this phrase the sequence is very meaningful: the prophet is recognized because of his mission as one sent by God. The upright person is recognized by his behaviour, by his perfect way of observing the law of God. The disciple is recognized by no quality or mission, but simply by his social condition of being least among the people. The Kingdom is not made of great things. It is like a very big house which is constructed with small bricks. Anyone who despises the brick will have great difficulty in constructing the house. Even a glass of water serves as a brick for the construction of the Kingdom.
• Matthew 11, 1: The end of the Discourse of the Mission. The end of the Discourse of the Mission. When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he moved from there to teach and preach in their towns. Now Jesus leaves to put into practice what he has taught. We will see this in the next chapters 11 and 12 of the Gospel of Matthew.
• Matthew 10, 34-36: I have not come to bring peace to the earth but the sword. Jesus always speaks of peace (Mt 5, 9; Mk 9, 50; Lk 1, 79; 10, 5; 19, 38; 24, 36; Jn 14, 27; 16, 33; 20, 21. 26). And then, how can we understand the phrase in today’s Gospel which seems to say the contrary: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; no, I have not come to bring peace but the sword”. This affirmation does not mean that Jesus was in favour of division and the sword. No! Jesus does not want neither the sword (Jn 18, 11), nor division. He wants the union of all in truth (cf. Jn 17, 17-23). At that time, the announcement of the truth that He, Jesus of Nazareth, was the Messiah became a reason of great division among the Jews. In the same family or community, some were in favour and others were radically contrary. In this sense the Good News of Jesus was truly a source of division, a “sign of contradiction” (Lk 2, 34) or, as Jesus said, he was bringing the sword. In this way the other warning is understood: “I have come to set son against father, daughter against mother, daughter-in-law against mother– in-law; a person’s enemies will be the members of his own household”. In fact, that was what was happening in the families and in the communities: much division, much discussion, the consequence of the announcement of the Good News among the Jews of that time, because some accepted, others denied. Today the same thing happens. Many times, there where the Church renews itself, the appeal to the Good News becomes a ‘sign of contradiction’ and of division. Persons, who during years have lived comfortably in their routine of Christian life, do not want to allow themselves to be bothered by the ‘innovations’ of Vatican Council II. Disturbed by the changes, they used all their intelligence to find arguments in defence of their opinions and to condemn the changes considering them contrary to what they thought was the true faith.
• Matthew 10, 37: No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of me. Luke gives this same phrase, but much more demandino. Literally he says: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his sons and brothers, his sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14, 26). How can this affirmation of Jesus be combined with the other one in which he orders to observe the fourth commandment: love and honour father and mother? (Mk 7, 10-12; Mt 19, 19). Two observations: (1) The fundamental criterion on which Jesus insists always is this one: the Good News of God should be the supreme value of our life. In our life there can be no greater value. (2) The economic and social situation at the time of Jesus was such that the families were obliged to close themselves up in themselves. They no longer had the conditions to respect the obligations of human community living together as for example: sharing, hospitality, invitation to a meal and the acceptance of the excluded. This individualistic closing up in self, caused by the national and international situation produced distortion: (1) It made life in community impossible (2) It limited the commandment “honour father and mother” exclusively to the small family nucleus and no longer to the larger family of the community (3) It prevented the full manifestation of the Good News of God, because if God is Father/Mother we are brothers and sisters of one another. And this truth should be expressed in the life of the community. A living and fraternal community is the mirror of the face of God. Human living together without community is a mirror which disfigures the face of God. In this context, the request of Jesus: “to hate father and mother means that the disciples should overcome the individualistic closing up of the small family on itself, and extend it to the community dimension. Jesus himself put into practice what he taught others. His family wanted to call him to close himself up in self. When they told him: “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside and they are looking for you”, he answered: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And looking at the persons around him he said: “Behold, my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God is my brother, my sister and my mother” (Mk 3, 32-35). He extends the family! This was and continues to be even today for the small family the only way to be able to keep and transmit the values in which he believes.
• Matthew 10, 38-39: The demands of the mission of the disciples. In these two verses, Jesus gives important and demanding advice: (a) To take up the cross and follow Jesus: Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. In order to perceive all the significance and important of this first advice it is well to keep in mind the witness of Saint Paul: “But as for me, it is not of the question that I should boast at all, except of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world” (Ga 6, 14). To carry the cross presupposes, even now, a radical drawing away from the iniquitous system which reigns in the world. (b) To have the courage to give one’s life: “Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it”. Only the one, who in life has been capable of giving himself totally to others, will feel fulfilled. This second advice confirms the deepest human experience; the source of life is in the gift of life. Giving one receives. If the wheat grain does not die … (Jn 12, 24).
• Matthew 10, 40: The identification of the disciple with Jesus and with God himself. This human experience of donation and of the gift receives here a clarification, a deepening:”Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me: and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” In the total gift of self, the disciple identifies himself with Jesus; there the encounter with God takes place, and God allows himself to be found by the one who seeks him.
• Matthew 10, 41-42: the reward of the prophet, of the just and of the disciple. The discourse of the Mission ends with one phrase on reward: “Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes an upright person because he is upright will have the reward of an upright person If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is a disciple, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without reward”. In this phrase the sequence is very meaningful: the prophet is recognized because of his mission as one sent by God. The upright person is recognized by his behaviour, by his perfect way of observing the law of God. The disciple is recognized by no quality or mission, but simply by his social condition of being least among the people. The Kingdom is not made of great things. It is like a very big house which is constructed with small bricks. Anyone who despises the brick will have great difficulty in constructing the house. Even a glass of water serves as a brick for the construction of the Kingdom.
• Matthew 11, 1: The end of the Discourse of the Mission. The end of the Discourse of the Mission. When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he moved from there to teach and preach in their towns. Now Jesus leaves to put into practice what he has taught. We will see this in the next chapters 11 and 12 of the Gospel of Matthew.
4) Personal questions
• To lose life in order to gain life. Have you had some
experience of having felt rewarded for an act of donation or gratuity for
others?
• He who welcomes you welcomes me, and who welcomes me, welcomes the One who sent me. Stop and think what Jesus says here: He and God himself identify themselves with you.
• He who welcomes you welcomes me, and who welcomes me, welcomes the One who sent me. Stop and think what Jesus says here: He and God himself identify themselves with you.
5) Concluding Prayer
How blessed are those who live in your house;
they shall praise you continually. Pause
Blessed those who find their strength in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. (Ps 84,4-5)
they shall praise you continually. Pause
Blessed those who find their strength in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. (Ps 84,4-5)
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