Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 371
Lectionary: 371
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, occupied the whole land
and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel
the king of Assyria took Samaria,
and deported the children of Israel to Assyria,
setting them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan,
and the cities of the Medes.
This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the LORD,
their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt,
from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
and because they venerated other gods.
They followed the rites of the nations
whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel
and the kings of Israel whom they set up.
And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah
by every prophet and seer,
"Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes,
in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers
and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,"
they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers,
who had not believed in the LORD, their God.
They rejected his statutes,
the covenant which he had made with their fathers,
and the warnings which he had given them, till,
in his great anger against Israel,
the LORD put them away out of his sight.
Only the tribe of Judah was left.
and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel
the king of Assyria took Samaria,
and deported the children of Israel to Assyria,
setting them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan,
and the cities of the Medes.
This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the LORD,
their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt,
from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
and because they venerated other gods.
They followed the rites of the nations
whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel
and the kings of Israel whom they set up.
And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah
by every prophet and seer,
"Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes,
in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers
and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,"
they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers,
who had not believed in the LORD, their God.
They rejected his statutes,
the covenant which he had made with their fathers,
and the warnings which he had given them, till,
in his great anger against Israel,
the LORD put them away out of his sight.
Only the tribe of Judah was left.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 60:3, 4-5, 12-13
R. (7b) Help us
with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses;
you have been angry; rally us!
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
You have rocked the country and split it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
You have made your people feel hardships;
you have given us stupefying wine.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Have not you, O God, rejected us,
so that you go not forth, O God, with our armies?
Give us aid against the foe,
for worthless is the help of men.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses;
you have been angry; rally us!
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
You have rocked the country and split it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
You have made your people feel hardships;
you have given us stupefying wine.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Have not you, O God, rejected us,
so that you go not forth, O God, with our armies?
Give us aid against the foe,
for worthless is the help of men.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
AlleluiaHEB 4:12
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,'
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."
"Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,'
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."
Meditation: "First take the log out
of your own eye"
How do you wish to be judged by others? Everybody is a
critic, but who wants to be judged negatively? Judgmentalism is rampant, even
among Christians. So how can we avoid this poisonous sin and not be
contaminated by the world's view of who is good and who is bad? "Thinking
the best of other people" is necessary if we wish to grow in love. And
kindliness in judgment is nothing less that a sacred duty. The Rabbis warned
people: "He who judges his neighbor favorably will be judged favorably by
God."
Who can judge rightly?
How easy it is to misjudge and how difficult it is to be impartial in judgment. Our judgment of others is usually "off the mark" because we can't see inside the person to their inner motives and intentions, or we don't have access to all the facts, or we are swayed by instinct and unreasoning reactions to people. It is easier to find fault in others than in oneself.
How easy it is to misjudge and how difficult it is to be impartial in judgment. Our judgment of others is usually "off the mark" because we can't see inside the person to their inner motives and intentions, or we don't have access to all the facts, or we are swayed by instinct and unreasoning reactions to people. It is easier to find fault in others than in oneself.
Why did Jesus calls his critics hypocrites? Listen to
Augustine of Hippo's (354-430 A.D) explanation of this passage:
"The word hypocrite is aptly employed
here, since the denouncing of evils is best viewed as a matter only for upright
persons of goodwill. When the wicked engage in it, they are like impersonators,
masqueraders, hiding their real selves behind a mask, while they portray
another's character through the mask. The word hypocrites in fact signifies
pretenders. Hence we ought especially to avoid that meddlesome class of
pretenders who under the pretense of seeking advice undertake the censure of
all kinds of vices. They are often moved by hatred and malice.
"Rather, whenever necessity compels one to
reprove or rebuke another, we ought to proceed with godly discernment and
caution. First of all, let us consider whether the other fault is such as we
ourselves have never had or whether it is one that we have overcome. Then, if
we have never had such a fault, let us remember that we are human and could
have had it. But if we have had it and are rid of it now, let us remember our
common frailty, in order that mercy, not hatred, may lead us to the giving of
correction and admonition. In this way, whether the admonition occasions the
amendment or the worsening of the one for whose sake we are offering it (for
the result cannot be foreseen), we ourselves shall be made safe through
singleness of eye. But if on reflection we find that we ourselves have the same
fault as the one we are about to reprove, let us neither correct nor rebuke
that one. Rather, let us bemoan the fault ourselves and induce that person to a
similar concern, without asking him to submit to our correction." (excerpt
from SERMON ON THE MOUNT 2.19.64)
Merciful healing and removal of sin
Jesus states a heavenly principle we can stake our lives on: what you give to others (and how you treat others) will return to you in like manner. The Lord knows our faults, weaknesses, and sins and he sees everything, even the imperfections and hidden sins of the heart which we cannot recognize in ourselves. Like a gentle father and a skillful doctor he patiently draws us to his seat of mercy and removes the cancer of sin which inhabits our hearts.
Jesus states a heavenly principle we can stake our lives on: what you give to others (and how you treat others) will return to you in like manner. The Lord knows our faults, weaknesses, and sins and he sees everything, even the imperfections and hidden sins of the heart which we cannot recognize in ourselves. Like a gentle father and a skillful doctor he patiently draws us to his seat of mercy and removes the cancer of sin which inhabits our hearts.
Do you trust in God's mercy and grace? And do you
submit to his truth about what is right and wrong, good and evil, helpful and
harmful for your welfare and the welfare of your neighbor as well? Ask the Lord
to purify your heart with his loving-kindness and mercy that you may have ample
room for charity and forbearance towards your neighbor.
"O Father, give us the humility which realizes
its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice,
accepts rebuke. Help us always to praise rather than to criticize, to
sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy, and to
think of people at their best rather than at their worst. This we ask for thy
name's sake. (Prayer of William Barclay, 20th century)
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Judge from justice, forgive from grace,
by Ephrem the Syrian, 306-373 A.D.
"Do not judge, that is, unjustly, so that you may
not be judged, with regard to injustice. With the judgment that you judge shall
you be judged (Matthew 7:2). This is like the phrase 'Forgive, and it will be
forgiven you.' For once someone has judged in accordance with justice, he
should forgive in accordance with grace, so that when he himself is judged in
accordance with justice, he may be worthy of forgiveness through grace.
Alternatively, it was on account of the judges, those who seek vengeance for
themselves, that he said, 'Do not condemn.' That is, do not seek vengeance for
yourselves. Or, do not judge, from appearances and opinion and then condemn,
but admonish and advise." (excerpt
from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON 6.18B)
MONDAY, JUNE 25, MATTHEW 7:1-5
Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
(2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18; Psalm 603)
KEY VERSE: "Stop judging, that you may not be judged" (v. 1).
TO KNOW: In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples that God would judge them in the same way that they judged others. He was not telling them to determine whether an act was right or wrong. They had God's law to help them to decide. Nor was he saying that they should approve the wrongdoing of others. What he did address was their hypocritical and judgmental attitude toward the faults of others while refusing to acknowledge their own defects. Jesus used the analogy of trying to remove a tiny splinter from someone's eye, while ignoring the huge plank lodged in their own. With the help of divine light, they would clearly see their own failings and not be looking to condemn the same or worse fault in someone else. St. John Chrysostom explained: "Jesus was not saying we cannot prevent a sinner from sinning; we have to correct him, indeed, though not as the enemy seeking revenge but, rather, as a doctor applying the cure."
TO LOVE: How harshly do I judge others? How lavishly do I love them?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to repair someone's reputation that I may have damaged.
Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
(2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18; Psalm 603)
KEY VERSE: "Stop judging, that you may not be judged" (v. 1).
TO KNOW: In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples that God would judge them in the same way that they judged others. He was not telling them to determine whether an act was right or wrong. They had God's law to help them to decide. Nor was he saying that they should approve the wrongdoing of others. What he did address was their hypocritical and judgmental attitude toward the faults of others while refusing to acknowledge their own defects. Jesus used the analogy of trying to remove a tiny splinter from someone's eye, while ignoring the huge plank lodged in their own. With the help of divine light, they would clearly see their own failings and not be looking to condemn the same or worse fault in someone else. St. John Chrysostom explained: "Jesus was not saying we cannot prevent a sinner from sinning; we have to correct him, indeed, though not as the enemy seeking revenge but, rather, as a doctor applying the cure."
TO LOVE: How harshly do I judge others? How lavishly do I love them?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to repair someone's reputation that I may have damaged.
Monday 25 June
2018
2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18. Psalm 59(60):3-5, 12-13. Matthew
7:1-5.
Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us—Psalm
59(60):3-5, 12-13.
‘But they would not listen.’
Modern culture encourages us to be very critical of others. We
often judge others harshly in order to avoid acknowledging our own perceived
failings, imperfections and humanness.
The readings remind us of the call to God’s way of faithfulness
and right living. We recognise that God continues to call us into a loving
relationship, in spite of who we are. We all fall short and could be judged
harshly – yet God loves us. Who are we then, to treat others differently? When
we turn to God, we see our own faults and failings and in turn have a greater
compassion for others
Blessed Jutta of Thuringia
Saint of the Day for June 25
(d. c. 1260)
 |
| Grave Monument for Jutta, wife of count Louis II of Thuringia | Saint George parish Church, Thuringia | photographed by Wolfgang Sauber |
Blessed Jutta of Thuringia’s Story
Today’s patroness of Prussia began her life amidst luxury and
power but died the death of a simple servant of the poor.
In truth, virtue and piety were always of prime importance to
Jutta and her husband, both of noble rank. The two were set to make a
pilgrimage together to the holy places in Jerusalem, but her husband died on
the way. The newly widowed Jutta, after taking care to provide for her
children, resolved to live in a manner she felt was utterly pleasing to God.
She disposed of the costly clothes, jewels, and furniture befitting one of her
rank, and became a Secular Franciscan, taking on the simple garment of a
religious.
From that point her life was utterly devoted to others: caring
for the sick, particularly lepers; tending to the poor, whom she visited in
their hovels; helping the crippled and blind with whom she shared her own home.
Many of the townspeople of Thuringia laughed at how the once-distinguished lady
now spent all her time. But Jutta saw the face of God in the poor and felt
honored to render whatever services she could.
About the year 1260, not long before her death, Jutta lived near
the non-Christians in eastern Germany. There she built a small hermitage and
prayed unceasingly for their conversion. She has been venerated for centuries
as the special patron of Prussia.
Reflection
Jesus once said that a camel can pass through a needle’s eye
more easily than a rich person can enter God’s realm. That’s pretty scary news
for us. We may not have great fortunes, but we who live in the West enjoy a
share of the world’s goods that people in the rest of the world cannot imagine.
Much to the amusement of her neighbors, Jutta disposed of her wealth after her
husband’s death and devoted her life to caring for those who had no means.
Should we follow her example, people will probably laugh at us, too. But God
will smile.
Blessed Jutta of Thuringia is the Patron Saint of:
Prussia
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW 7:1-5
Lectio Divina:
Monday, June 25, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Father,
guide and protector of Your people,
grant us an unfailing respect for Your name,
and keep us always in Your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
guide and protector of Your people,
grant us an unfailing respect for Your name,
and keep us always in Your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) GOSPEL READING - MATTHEW
7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples: "Stop
judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you
notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam
in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter
from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the
wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the
splinter from your brother's eye."
3) REFLECTION
• In today’s Gospel we continue to
meditate on the Sermon on the Mount, found in chapters 5 to 7 of the Gospel of
Matthew. During the 10th and 11th week we have seen chapters 5 and 6. Beginning
today, we will see chapter 7. These three chapters, 5, 6, and 7, offer an idea
of how the catechesis was done in the communities of the converted Jews in the
second half of the first century in Galilee and in Syria. Matthew unites and
organizes the words of Jesus to teach how the new way of living the law of God
should be.
• After having explained how to
re-establish justice (Mt 5:17 to 6:18) and how to restore the order of creation
(Mt 6:19-34), Jesus teaches how the life in community should be (Mt 7:1-12). At
the end He presents some recommendations and final advice (Mt 7:13-27). Then
follows an outline of the entire Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 5:1-12: The Beatitudes: solemn
openness 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 the works of piety: alms giving.
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: The new relationship to material goods: do not store up.
Matthew 6:22-23: The new relationship to material goods: a correct vision.
Matthew 6:24: The new relationship to material goods: God or money.
Matthew 6:25-34: The new relationship to material goods: trust in Providence
Matthew 7:1-5: The new community life together: do not judge.
Matthew 7:6: The new community life together: do not despise the community.
Matthew 7:7-11: The new community life: trust in God produces sharing.
Matthew 7:12: The new community life together: the Golden Rule.
Matthew 7:13-14: Final recommendations to choose the sure way.
Matthew 7:15-20: Final recommendations, the prophet is known by his fruits.
Matthew 7:21-23: Final recommendations to not only speak but also practice.
Matthew 7:24-27: Final recommendations to construct the house on rock.
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 the works of piety: alms giving.
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: The new relationship to material goods: do not store up.
Matthew 6:22-23: The new relationship to material goods: a correct vision.
Matthew 6:24: The new relationship to material goods: God or money.
Matthew 6:25-34: The new relationship to material goods: trust in Providence
Matthew 7:1-5: The new community life together: do not judge.
Matthew 7:6: The new community life together: do not despise the community.
Matthew 7:7-11: The new community life: trust in God produces sharing.
Matthew 7:12: The new community life together: the Golden Rule.
Matthew 7:13-14: Final recommendations to choose the sure way.
Matthew 7:15-20: Final recommendations, the prophet is known by his fruits.
Matthew 7:21-23: Final recommendations to not only speak but also practice.
Matthew 7:24-27: Final recommendations to construct the house on rock.
The community-lived experience of the
Gospel (Mt 7:1-12) is the touchstone. It is where the seriousness of the
commitment is defined. The new proposal of life in community embraces many
aspects: do not observe the splinter in your brother’s eye (Mt 7:1-5), do not
throw your pearls in front of pigs (Mt 7:6), do not be afraid to ask God for
things (Mt 7:7-11). This advice reaches the summit in the Golden Rule: Always
treat others as you would like them to treat you (Mt 7:12). The Gospel of today
presents the first part: Matthew 7:1-5.
• Matthew 7:1-2: Do not judge and you
will not be judged. The first condition for a good life together in community
is not to judge brother or sister. That is, to eliminate the preconceptions
which prevent a transparent community life. What does this mean concretely? John’s
Gospel gives an example of how Jesus lived in community with the disciples.
Jesus says: “I shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not
know the master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to
you everything I have learned from My Father” (Jn 15:15). Jesus is an open book
for His companions. This transparency comes from His total trust in the
brothers and sisters and has its origin in His intimacy with the Father who
gives Him the force of opening himself up totally to others. Anyone who lives
in this way with his brothers and sisters accepts others as they are, without
any preconceptions, without previously imposing any conditions, without
judging. Mutual acceptance without any pretension and with total transparency!
This is the ideal of the new community life, which has come from the Good News
which Jesus has brought to us: God is our Father, and therefore, we are all
brothers and sisters. It is a difficult ideal, but as beautiful and attractive
as the other one: “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.
• Matthew 7:3-5: You observe the
splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the great log in your own.
Immediately Jesus gives an example: Why do you observe the splinter in your
brother’s eye, and never notice the great log in your own? And how dare you say
to your brother, “Let me take that splinter out of your eye, when look, there
is a great log in your own? Hypocrite! Take the log out of your own eye first,
and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother’s
eye”. When hearing this phrase we usually think of the Pharisees who despised
the common people, considering them ignorant and they considered themselves
better than others (cf. Jn 7:49; 9:34). In reality, this statement of Jesus
serves for all of us. For example, it is often the case that we criticize the
very thing in others that we do ourselves. We observe the splinter in the eye
of our brothers and we do not see the big log in our own eyes. These logs can
cause many people today to have difficulty in believing in the Good News of
Jesus.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Think about the things I criticize
other for. Does it reveal the same behavior, in some way, in me?
• Does this show that we all have more
in common than in differences, and that it is only the log in the eye that is
the problem in understanding this?
• Splinters and logs share a similar
nature: both are wood. What faults do I share with others in my community or
family which I seem to be blind to in myself?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Your kindnesses to me are countless,
Yahweh;
true to Your judgments,
give me life. (Ps 119:156)
true to Your judgments,
give me life. (Ps 119:156)
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