Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 395
Lectionary: 395
Hear what the LORD says:
Arise, present your plea before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice!
Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD,
pay attention, O foundations of the earth!
For the LORD has a plea against his people,
and he enters into trial with Israel.
O my people, what have I done to you,
or how have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
from the place of slavery I released you;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Arise, present your plea before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice!
Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD,
pay attention, O foundations of the earth!
For the LORD has a plea against his people,
and he enters into trial with Israel.
O my people, what have I done to you,
or how have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
from the place of slavery I released you;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 50:5-6, 8-9, 16BC-17,
21 AND 23
R. (23b) To the
upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
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 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.
“Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
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 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.
AlleluiaPS 95:8
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 12:38-42
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
Meditation: "An adulterous generation
seeks for a sign"
What would the Lord Jesus say about our generation?
Jesus gave a rather stern warning to his generation when they demanded a sign
from him. It was characteristic of the Jews that they demanded
"signs" from God's messengers to authenticate their claims. Jesus
faulted them for one thing: spiritual adultery. The image of
adultery was often used in the Scriptures for describing apostasy or infidelity
towards God.
Signs from God
When the religious leaders pressed Jesus to give proof for his claims to be the Messiah sent from God, he says in so many words that he is God's sign and that they need no further evidence from heaven than his own person. The Ninevites recognized God's warning when Jonah spoke to them, and they repented (Jonah 3:5). And the Queen of Sheba recognized God's wisdom in Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-9). Jonah was God's sign and his message was the message of God for the people of Nineveh. Unfortunately the religious leaders of Jesus' day were not content to accept the signs right before their eyes. They had rejected the message of John the Baptist and now they reject Jesus as God's Anointed One (Messiah) and they fail to heed his message.
When the religious leaders pressed Jesus to give proof for his claims to be the Messiah sent from God, he says in so many words that he is God's sign and that they need no further evidence from heaven than his own person. The Ninevites recognized God's warning when Jonah spoke to them, and they repented (Jonah 3:5). And the Queen of Sheba recognized God's wisdom in Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-9). Jonah was God's sign and his message was the message of God for the people of Nineveh. Unfortunately the religious leaders of Jesus' day were not content to accept the signs right before their eyes. They had rejected the message of John the Baptist and now they reject Jesus as God's Anointed One (Messiah) and they fail to heed his message.
Simeon had prophesied at Jesus' birth that he was
destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that
is spoken against... that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed (Luke
2:34-35). Jesus confirmed his message with many miracles in preparation for the
greatest sign of all - his resurrection on the third day.
The Holy Spirit's gift of wisdom and understanding
The Lord Jesus, through the gift of his Holy Spirit, offers us freedom from sin and ignorance, and he gives us wisdom and understanding so that we may grow in knowledge of God and his ways. Do you thirst for God and for the wisdom which comes from above? James the Apostle says that the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity (James 3:17). A double-minded person cannot receive this kind of wisdom. If we wish to be wise in God's ways, then we must humble ourselves before him, like attentive students who wish to learn, and submit our heart and mind to his will for our lives.
The Lord Jesus, through the gift of his Holy Spirit, offers us freedom from sin and ignorance, and he gives us wisdom and understanding so that we may grow in knowledge of God and his ways. Do you thirst for God and for the wisdom which comes from above? James the Apostle says that the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity (James 3:17). A double-minded person cannot receive this kind of wisdom. If we wish to be wise in God's ways, then we must humble ourselves before him, like attentive students who wish to learn, and submit our heart and mind to his will for our lives.
The single of heart and mind desire one thing alone -
God who is the source of all wisdom, goodness, truth, and knowledge. Do you
wish to be wise and loving as God is wise and loving? Ask the Holy Spirit to
fill you with the wisdom which comes from above and to free your heart from all
that would hinder God's loving action in your life.
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit that I
may grow in wisdom and knowledge of your love and truth. Free me from stubborn
pride and willfulness that I may wholly desire to do what is pleasing to
you."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The stumbling block of the cross, from
an anonymous early Christian teacher
"What is the sign of Jonah? The stumbling block
of the cross. So it is not the disputers of knowledge who will be saved but
those who believe true teaching. For the cross of Christ is indeed a stumbling
block to those who dispute knowledge but salvation to those who believe. Paul
testifies to this: 'But we, for our part, preach the crucified Christ - to the
Jews indeed a stumbling block and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to those who
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of
God' (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Why do the Jews seek signs and the Greeks seek wisdom?
God pointed to the sign of the stumbling block of the cross to both the Jews
and the Greeks. Thus those who wish to find Christ not through faith but
through wisdom will perish on the stumbling block of foolishness. Those who
wish to know the Son of God not through faith but through a demonstration of
signs will remain trapped in their disbelief, falling on the stumbling block of
his death. It is no small wonder that the Jews, considering the death of
Christ, thought he was merely a man, when even Christians - as they purport to
be but really are not - because of his death are reluctant to declare the only
begotten, the crucified, as incomparable majesty. (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW,
HOMILY 30)
MONDAY, JULY
23, MATTHEW 12:38-42
Weekday
(Micah 6:1-4, 6-8; Psalm 50)
Weekday
(Micah 6:1-4, 6-8; Psalm 50)
KEY VERSE: "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign" (v. 39).
TO KNOW: The scribes and Pharisees demanded evidence from Jesus that his works came from God and not from the evil one (Beelzebul, v 27, the pagan god Baal of Syria). Jesus said that it was the religious leaders who were sinful, since they preferred a religion of legalism over one that made moral demands of them. Jesus told them that the people of Nineveh repented because of Jonah's preaching, not because of signs and wonders (Jon 3:10). The Queen of Sheba sought Solomon's wisdom, not his magic (1 Kgs 10:1-10). Jesus was greater than either Jonah or Solomon, yet the people refused to believe in him. The only sign he would give those faithless ones was the "Sign of Jonah," the three days the prophet spent in the belly of the whale (Jon 2), a symbol of Jesus' impending death and resurrection.
TO LOVE: Do I need to see evidence in order to have faith in Jesus?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to see you in the everyday circumstances of my life.
Optional Memorial of Saint
Bridget of Sweden, religious
Bridget began receiving visions, mostly of Jesus’ crucifixion, at age seven. In 1316, at age thirteen, she wed Prince Ulfo of Nercia in an arranged marriage. She was the mother of eight children including Saint Catherine of Sweden. After her husband’s death in 1344 Bridget pursued a religious life, for which she was harassed by others at the court. She eventually renounced her title of princess, and founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior (Bridgettines) at Vadstena in 1346. The order received confirmation by Pope Urban V in 1370, and survives today. She chastened and counseled kings and urged Popes Clement VI, Urban VI, and Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon. She encouraged all to meditate on Jesus Crucified. Bridget recorded the revelations given in her visions, and these became hugely popular in the Middle Ages.
Monday 23 July
2018
Micah 6:1–4, 6–8. Psalm 49(50):5–6, 8–9, 16–17, 21, 23. Matthew
12:38–42.
To the upright I will show the saving power of God—Psalm
49(50):5–6, 8–9, 16–17, 21, 23.
‘This is what the Lord asks of you—to act justly, to love
tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.’
As with the Prophet Micah, Jesus had been paving a path into
authentic living.
So how frustrating it must have been to be faced with the
arrogant blindness of his critics! ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’
They failed to see all he was already doing among the people.
Jesus’ personality and teaching were powerful signs. Yet some
were not satisfied and demanded more.
He promised them another iteration of the sign of Jonah:
his resurrection from the dead.
Saint Bridget of Sweden
Saint of the Day for July 23
(c. 1303 – July 23, 1373)
Saint Bridget of Sweden’s Story
From age 7 on, Bridget had visions of Christ crucified. Her
visions formed the basis for her activity—always with the emphasis on charity
rather than spiritual favors.
She lived her married life in the court of the Swedish king
Magnus II. Mother of eight children—the second eldest was Saint Catherine of
Sweden—Bridget lived the strict life of a penitent after her husband’s death.
Bridget constantly strove to exert her good influence over
Magnus; while never fully reforming, he did give her land and buildings to
found a monastery for men and women. This group eventually expanded into an
Order known as the Bridgetines.
In 1350, a year of jubilee, Bridget braved a plague-stricken
Europe to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Although she never returned to Sweden, her
years in Rome were far from happy, being hounded by debts and by opposition to
her work against Church abuses.
A final pilgrimage to the Holy Land, marred by shipwreck and the
death of her son, Charles, eventually led to her death in 1373. In 1999,
Bridget, Saints Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, were
named co-patronesses of Europe.
Reflection
Bridget’s visions, rather than isolating her from the affairs of
the world, involved her in many contemporary issues, whether they be royal
policy or the years that the legitimate Bishop of Rome lived in Avignon,
France. She saw no contradiction between mystical experience and secular
activity, and her life is a testimony to the possibility of a holy life in the
marketplace.
Saint Bridget of Sweden is the Patron Saint of:
Europe
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW
12:38-42
Lectio Divina:
Monday, July 23, 2018
Ordinary
Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord,
be
merciful to Your people.
Fill
us with Your gifts
and
make us always eager to serve You
in
faith, hope and love.
You
live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) GOSPEL READING - MATTHEW
12:38-42
Some
of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign
from you.” He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a
sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just
as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the
Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the
judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it,
because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater
than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this
generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear
the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
3) REFLECTION
•
Today’s Gospel presents to us a discussion between Jesus and the religious
authority of the time. This time, the doctors of the law and the Pharisees are
those who ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus had given many signs: He had cured the
leper (Mt 8:1-4), the servant of the centurion (Mt 8:5-13), Peter’s
mother-in-law (Mt 8:14-15), the sick and the possessed of the city (Mt 8:16),
He had calmed down the storm (Mt 8:23-27), had cast out devils (Mt 8:28-34) and
had worked many other miracles. The people seeing all these signs recognize in
Jesus the Servant of Yahweh (Mt 8:17; 12:17-21). But the doctors and the
Pharisees are not able to perceive the significance of so many signs which
Jesus had given. They wanted something different.
•
Matthew 12:38: The request for a sign made by the Pharisees and the doctors.
The Pharisees arrived and said to Jesus, “Master, we should like to see a sign
from You.” They want Jesus to make a sign for them, a miracle, and thus they
will be able to verify and examine if Jesus is or is not the one who is sent by
God according to what they imagined and expected. They wanted to be sure. They
wanted to submit Jesus to their own criteria in such a way as to be able to
place Him into their own Messianic frame. There is no openness in them for a
possible conversation. They had understood nothing of all that Jesus had done.
•
Mathew 12:39: Jesus’ response: the sign of Jonah. Jesus does not submit Himself
to the request of the religious authority, because it is not sincere: “An evil
and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign that will be
given them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” These words constitute a very
strong judgment regarding the doctors and the Pharisees. They evoke the oracle
of Hosea who denounced the people, accusing them of being an unfaithful and
adulterous spouse (Hos 2:4). The Gospel of Mark says that Jesus, upon hearing
the request of the Pharisees, sighed profoundly (Mk 8:12), probably out of
indignation and of sadness before such a great blindness: because it is not
worthwhile to place a beautiful picture before people who do not want to
open their eyes. Anyone who closes his eyes cannot see! The only sign
which will be given to them is the sign of Jonah.
•
Matthew 12:41: There is something greater than Jonah here. Jesus looks toward
the future: “For as Jonah remained in the belly of the sea monster for three
days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for
three days and three nights.” Therefore, the only sign will be Jesus’
resurrection, which will be prolonged in the resurrection of His followers.
This is the sign which will be given to the doctors and the Pharisees in the
future. They will be placed before the fact that Jesus, condemned to death by
them and to death on the cross, will be raised from the dead, and He will
continue, in many ways, to raise those who believe in Him. For example, He will
raise them in the witness of the apostles, “persons without instruction” who
will have had the courage to face authority announcing the resurrection of
Jesus (Acts 4:13). What converts is witness, not miracles: “On Judgment day the
men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and they will be its
condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented.” The people of Nineveh
converted because of the witness of the preaching of Jonah, and they denounced
the unbelief of the doctors and the Pharisees, because “Look, there is
something greater than Jonah here.”
•
Matthew 12:42: There is something greater than Solomon here. The reference to
the conversion of the people of Nineveh is associated and makes one recall the
episode of the Queen of the South. “On Judgment Day the Queen of the South will
appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because she came from
the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and look, there is
something greater than Solomon here!” This reminder of the episode of the Queen
of the South, who recognizes the wisdom of Solomon, indicates how the Bible was
used at that time. By association, the principal rule of interpretation was the
following: “The Bible is explained through the Bible.” Even now, this is one of
the more important norms for the interpretation of the Bible, especially for
the prayerful reading of the Word of God.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
•
To be converted means to be completely changed morally, but also to change
one’s ideas and way of thinking. A moralist is one who changes behavior but
keeps his way of thinking unaltered. Which one am I?
•
In the on-going renewal of the Church today, am I a Pharisee who asks for a
sign or am I like the people who recognize that this is the way wanted by God?
•
Certain religions today see God in a different light and use it to justify
killing and other injustices. Still others re-envision God and His Church as
anything they want. In what ways can we discern the truth in terms of on-going
renewal?
•
Today, we use several types of analysis to interpret the bible, such as
literary analysis, historical-criticism, contextual analysis, etc. How familiar
are you with these methods and how do you feel they add to understanding the
bible?
FOR FURTHER STUDY
The
encyclical of Pope Pius XII, Divino Afflante Spiritu, talks about methods of
biblical interpretation in modern times and promotes biblical studies. Take
time to read this to begin an exploration of the diverse ways we can learn from
the bible. Papal documents are available at www.vatican.va
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Better
Your faithful love than life itself;
my
lips will praise You.
Thus
I will bless You all my life,
in
Your name lift up my hands. (Ps 63:3-4)
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