Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 372
Lectionary: 372
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent
envoys to Hezekiah
with this message:
“Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah:
‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you
by saying that Jerusalem will not be handed over
to the king of Assyria.
You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done
to all other countries: they doomed them!
Will you, then, be saved?’”
with this message:
“Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah:
‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you
by saying that Jerusalem will not be handed over
to the king of Assyria.
You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done
to all other countries: they doomed them!
Will you, then, be saved?’”
Hezekiah took the letter from the
hand of the messengers and read it;
then he went up to the temple of the LORD,
and spreading it out before him,
he prayed in the LORD’s presence:
“O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim!
You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made the heavens and the earth.
Incline your ear, O LORD, and listen!
Open your eyes, O LORD, and see!
Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.
Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations
and their lands, and cast their gods into the fire;
they destroyed them because they were not gods,
but the work of human hands, wood and stone.
Therefore, O LORD, our God, save us from the power of this man,
that all the kingdoms of the earth may know
that you alone, O LORD, are God.”
then he went up to the temple of the LORD,
and spreading it out before him,
he prayed in the LORD’s presence:
“O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim!
You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made the heavens and the earth.
Incline your ear, O LORD, and listen!
Open your eyes, O LORD, and see!
Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.
Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations
and their lands, and cast their gods into the fire;
they destroyed them because they were not gods,
but the work of human hands, wood and stone.
Therefore, O LORD, our God, save us from the power of this man,
that all the kingdoms of the earth may know
that you alone, O LORD, are God.”
Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent
this message to Hezekiah:
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
in answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib, king of Assyria:
I have listened!
This is the word the LORD has spoken concerning him:
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
in answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib, king of Assyria:
I have listened!
This is the word the LORD has spoken concerning him:
“‘She despises you, laughs you to
scorn,
the virgin daughter Zion!
Behind you she wags her head,
daughter Jerusalem.
the virgin daughter Zion!
Behind you she wags her head,
daughter Jerusalem.
“‘For out of Jerusalem shall come
a remnant,
and from Mount Zion, survivors.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.’
and from Mount Zion, survivors.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.’
“Therefore, thus says the LORD
concerning the king of Assyria:
‘He shall not reach this city, nor shoot an arrow at it,
nor come before it with a shield,
nor cast up siege-works against it.
He shall return by the same way he came,
without entering the city, says the LORD.
I will shield and save this city for my own sake,
and for the sake of my servant David.’”
‘He shall not reach this city, nor shoot an arrow at it,
nor come before it with a shield,
nor cast up siege-works against it.
He shall return by the same way he came,
without entering the city, says the LORD.
I will shield and save this city for my own sake,
and for the sake of my servant David.’”
That night the angel of the LORD
went forth and struck down
one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp.
So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp,
and went back home to Nineveh.
one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp.
So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp,
and went back home to Nineveh.
Responsorial
Psalm48:2-3AB, 3CD-4, 10-11
R. (see 9d) God upholds his city
for ever.
Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,”
is the city of the great King.
God is with her castles;
renowned is he as a stronghold.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
O God, we ponder your mercy
within your temple.
As your name, O God, so also your praise
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Of justice your right hand is full.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,”
is the city of the great King.
God is with her castles;
renowned is he as a stronghold.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
O God, we ponder your mercy
within your temple.
As your name, O God, so also your praise
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Of justice your right hand is full.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
AlleluiaJN 8:12
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 7:6, 12-14
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.
“Do to others whatever you would
have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.
This is the Law and the Prophets.
“Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”
Meditation: "Do
not throw your pearls before swine"
What
can pearls and narrow gates teach us about God's truth and holiness? In
the ancient world pearls were of very great value and were even considered
priceless. They were worn as prized jewels to make a person appear more
beautiful and magnificent to behold. Holiness, likewise, is a very precious
jewel that radiates the beauty of God's truth, goodness, and glory. God offers
us the precious gift of his holiness so that we may radiate the splendor of his
truth and goodness in the way we think, speak, act, and treat others. We can
reject or ignore this great gift, or worse yet, we can drag it through the mud
of sinful behavior or throw it away completely.
Pearls
before dogs and swine
Why does Jesus contrast holiness and pearls with dogs and swine (Matthew 7:6)? Some things don't seem to mix or go together, like fire and water, heat and ice, sweat and perfume, pure air and poisonous vapors, freshly cleaned clothes and filthy waste. The Talmud, a rabbinic commentary on the Jewish Scriptures, uses a proverbial saying for something which appears incongruous or out of place: an ear-ring in a swine's snout. Jesus' expression about "pearls before swine" and "not giving dogs what is holy" is very similar in thought (Matthew 7:6). Jewish law regarded swine as unclean. Wild dogs were also treated as unfit for close human contact, very likely because they were dirty, unkept, lice-infested, and prone to attack or cause trouble.
Why does Jesus contrast holiness and pearls with dogs and swine (Matthew 7:6)? Some things don't seem to mix or go together, like fire and water, heat and ice, sweat and perfume, pure air and poisonous vapors, freshly cleaned clothes and filthy waste. The Talmud, a rabbinic commentary on the Jewish Scriptures, uses a proverbial saying for something which appears incongruous or out of place: an ear-ring in a swine's snout. Jesus' expression about "pearls before swine" and "not giving dogs what is holy" is very similar in thought (Matthew 7:6). Jewish law regarded swine as unclean. Wild dogs were also treated as unfit for close human contact, very likely because they were dirty, unkept, lice-infested, and prone to attack or cause trouble.
What
is the point of avoiding what is considered unclean? Jesus’ concern here is not
with exclusivity or the shunning of others (excluding people from our love,
care, and concern for them). His concern is with keeping spiritual and moral
purity - the purity of the faith and way of life which has been entrusted to us
by an all-holy, all-loving, and all-wise God. The early church referenced this
expression with the Eucharist or the Lord's Table. In the liturgy of the early
church, a proclamation was given shortly before communion: Holy things
to the holy. The Didache, a first century church manual stated: Let
no one eat or drink of your Eucharist except those baptised into the name of
the Lord; for, as regards this, the Lord has said, 'Do not give what is holy to
dogs.' The Lord Jesus invites us to feast at his banquet table, but we
must approach worthily.
The
law of perfect love seeks the highest good and best interests of one another
Jesus summed up the teaching of the Old Testament law and prophets with the expression, So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them (Matthew 7:12) - and in the same breath he raised the moral law to a new level of fulfillment and perfection. God's law of love requires more than simply avoiding injury or harm to one's neighbor. Perfect love - a love which is unconditional and which reaches out to all - always seeks the good of others for their sake and gives the best we can offer for their welfare. When we love our neighbors and treat them in the same way we wish to be treated by God, then we fulfill the law and the prophets, namely what God requires of us - loving God with all that we have and are and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Jesus summed up the teaching of the Old Testament law and prophets with the expression, So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them (Matthew 7:12) - and in the same breath he raised the moral law to a new level of fulfillment and perfection. God's law of love requires more than simply avoiding injury or harm to one's neighbor. Perfect love - a love which is unconditional and which reaches out to all - always seeks the good of others for their sake and gives the best we can offer for their welfare. When we love our neighbors and treat them in the same way we wish to be treated by God, then we fulfill the law and the prophets, namely what God requires of us - loving God with all that we have and are and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
How
can we love our neighbor selflessly, with kindness, and genuine concern for
their welfare? If we empty our hearts of all that is unkind, unloving, and
unforgiving, then there will only be room for kindness, goodness, mercy, and
charity. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "God's love has been poured into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Romans
5:5). It is the love of God that fuels our unconditional love for others. Are
you ready to let the Holy Spirit transform your life with the purifying fire of
God's love?
The
narrow gate and way of life
Jesus used a second illustration of a narrow gate which opens the way that leads to a life of security and happiness (Matthew 7:13-14) to reinforce his lesson about choosing the one true way which leads to peace with God rather than separation and destruction. The Book of Psalms begins with an image of a person who has chosen to follow the way of those who are wise and obedient to God's word and who refuse to follow the way of those who think and act contrary to God's law : Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1-2). When a path diverges, such as a fork in the road, each way leads to a different destination. This is especially true when we encounter life's crossroads where we must make a choice that will affect how we will live our lives. Do the choices you make help you move towards the goal of loving God and obeying his will?
Jesus used a second illustration of a narrow gate which opens the way that leads to a life of security and happiness (Matthew 7:13-14) to reinforce his lesson about choosing the one true way which leads to peace with God rather than separation and destruction. The Book of Psalms begins with an image of a person who has chosen to follow the way of those who are wise and obedient to God's word and who refuse to follow the way of those who think and act contrary to God's law : Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1-2). When a path diverges, such as a fork in the road, each way leads to a different destination. This is especially true when we encounter life's crossroads where we must make a choice that will affect how we will live our lives. Do the choices you make help you move towards the goal of loving God and obeying his will?
The
Lord Jesus gives us freedom to choose which way we will go. Ask him for the
wisdom to know which way will lead to life rather than to harm and
destruction. See, I have set before you this day life and good, death
and evil... Therefore choose life that you and your descendants may live (Deuteronomy
3:15-20). Choose this day whom you will serve (Joshua
24:15). Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death (Jeremiah
21:8). If we allow God's love and wisdom to rule our hearts, then we can trust
in his guidance and help to follow his path of love, truth, and holiness.
"Let
me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am - a pilgrim in
this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch,
those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my
enemies. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy
by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out towards others." (Prayer
attributed to Clement XI of Rome)
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Unreadiness to receive Godly teaching,
by Augustine of Hippo, 430-543 A.D.
"Now
in this precept we are forbidden to give a holy thing to dogs or to cast pearls
before swine. We must diligently seek to determine the gravity of these words:
holy, pearls, dogs and swine. A holy thing is whatever it would be impious to
profane or tear apart. Even a fruitless attempt to do so makes one already
guilty of such impiety, though the holy thing may by its very nature remain
inviolable and indestructible. Pearls signify all spiritual things that are
worthy of being highly prized. Because these things lie hidden in secret, it is
as though they were being drawn up from the deep. Because they are found in the
wrappings of allegories, it is as though they were contained within shells that
have been opened.(1) It is clear therefore that one and the same
thing can be called both a holy thing and a pearl. It can be called a holy
thing because it ought not to be destroyed and a pearl because it ought not to
be despised. One tries to destroy what one does not wish to leave intact. One despises
what is deemed worthless, as if beneath him. Hence, whatever is despised is
said to be trampled under foot... Thus we may rightly understand that these
words (dogs and swine) are now used to designate respectively those who assail
the truth and those who resist it." (excerpt from SERMON ON
THE MOUNT 2.20.68–69)
(1)
The interpretive task is to crack through the shell of the language to its
inner spiritual meaning.
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, MATTHEW 7:6, 12-14
Weekday
(2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36; Psalm 48)
Weekday
(2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36; Psalm 48)
KEY VERSE: "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you" (v. 12).
TO KNOW: Matthew combined various sayings of Jesus that were related to righteous Christian living. Jesus summed up the entire law in a simple maxim, which, since the 18th Century, has been called the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have others do to unto you." Jesus said that discernment was required when preaching to those who were opposed to the gospel. The adage prohibiting throwing sacred things to "dogs" or "swine" (v. 6) was a term of contempt for unclean Gentiles, and might have been intended for impenitent Christians who persisted in disobeying the teachings of Christ. Although Jesus' teachings were difficult, his narrow path was the way to eternal life. Those who chose the broad and easy road were in danger of following it to damnation.
TO LOVE: How do my actions measure up to the Golden Rule?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to treat others the same way you treated sinners, with mercy and compassion.
Tuesday 23 June 2020
St Paulinus of Nola
2 Kings 19:9-11, 14-21, 31-36. God upholds his city for ever –
Psalm 47(48):2-4, 10-11. Matthew 7:6, 12-14.
‘Always treat others as you would like them to treat you’
By phrasing this rule positively rather than negatively, Jesus
adds a requirement for positive action instead of merely refraining from
hurtful behaviour. It’s not just about not doing to others what you wouldn’t
like to have done to you, but about actively choosing to love and to reach out
to others.
Sometimes I get frustrated with what I perceive to be the lack
of hospitality and welcome in my parish, both to newcomers and to ‘oldcomers’
who are not naturally as gregarious or outgoing as others and can therefore
struggle a bit more with feeling connected to the parish.
The ‘Golden Rule’ reminds me that I am invited to do something
about that, and if I wish to be welcomed more in my own parish, then I need to
be welcoming of others myself.
Saint John Fisher
Saint of the Day for June 23
(1469 – June 22, 1535)
 |
| from a book entitled The Life and Death of Cardinal Wolsey | Authors: George Cavendish, Hans Holbein, and Bruce Rogers |
Saint John Fisher’s Story
John Fisher is usually associated with Erasmus, Thomas More, and
other Renaissance humanists. His life therefore, did not have the external
simplicity found in the lives of some saints. Rather, he was a man of learning,
associated with the intellectuals and political leaders of his day. He was
interested in the contemporary culture and eventually became chancellor at
Cambridge. He had been made a bishop at 35, and one of his interests was
raising the standard of preaching in England. Fisher himself was an
accomplished preacher and writer. His sermons on the penitential psalms were
reprinted seven times before his death. With the coming of Lutheranism, he was
drawn into controversy. His eight books against heresy gave him a leading position
among European theologians.
In 1521, Fisher was asked to study the question of King Henry
VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, his brother’s widow. He incurred
Henry’s anger by defending the validity of the king’s marriage with Catherine,
and later by rejecting Henry’s claim to be the supreme head of the Church of
England.
In an attempt to be rid of him, Henry first had Fisher accused
of not reporting all the “revelations” of the nun of Kent, Elizabeth Barton. In
feeble health, Fisher was summoned to take the oath to the new Act of
Succession. He and Thomas More refused to do so because the Act presumed the
legality of Henry’s divorce and his claim to be head of the English Church.
They were sent to the Tower of London, where Fisher remained 14 months without
trial. Finally both men were sentenced to life imprisonment and loss of goods.
When the two were called to further interrogations, they
remained silent. On the supposition that he was speaking privately as a priest,
Fisher was tricked into declaring again that the king was not supreme head of
the church in England. The king, further angered that the pope had made John
Fisher a cardinal, had him brought to trial on the charge of high treason. He
was condemned and executed, his body left to lie all day on the scaffold and
his head hung on London Bridge. More was executed two weeks later.
His Liturgical Feast Day is June 22.
Reflection
Today many questions are raised about Christians’ and priests’
active involvement in social issues. John Fisher remained faithful to his
calling as a priest and bishop. He strongly upheld the teachings of the Church;
the very cause of his martyrdom was his loyalty to Rome. He was involved in the
cultural enrichment circles as well as in the political struggles of his time.
This involvement caused him to question the moral conduct of the leadership of
his country.
“The Church has the right, indeed the duty, to proclaim justice
on the social, national and international level, and to denounce instances of
injustice, when the fundamental rights of man and his very salvation demand it”
(Justice in the World, 1971 Synod of Bishops).
Lectio Divina: Matthew 7:6,12-14
Lectio Divina
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
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 7:6,12-14
Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not give what is holy to
dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and
turn and tear you to pieces. "Do to others whatever you would have them do
to you. This is the Law and the Prophets. "Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those
who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road
that leads to life. And those who find it are few."
3) Reflection
• Discernment and prudence in offering things of value. In
relationships with others Jesus, warns about certain dangerous attitudes. The
first one of these is to not judge (7:1-5): it is a true and proper
prohibition, “do not judge”. It is an action that influences and drives
contempt or condemnation of others. The last judgment is the exclusive
competence of God. Our figures of measure and our criteria are relative and
they are conditioned by our subjectivity. Any condemnation of others becomes a
condemnation of oneself, in so far as it places us under the judgment of God
and we exclude ourselves from pardon. If your eye is pure, that is to say, is
free from every judgment of the brothers, then you can relate with them in a
true way before God. Now we consider the words of Jesus offered to us by the
liturgical text: “Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls
in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to
pieces” (Mt 7:6). At first sight, this “saying” of Jesus sounds strange to the
sensibility of today’s reader. It may represent a true enigma. But it is a way
of saying in a Semitic language that has to be interpreted. At the time of
Jesus, just as in ancient culture, dogs were not greatly appreciated because they
were considered somewhat savage and wild. But let us now consider the positive
and didactic-wisdom aspect of the words of Jesus: do not profane holy things.
In the last instance, it is an invitation to use prudence and discernment. In
the Old Testament, the holy things are the meat for the sacrifice (Lv 22:14; Ex
29:33 ff; Nb 18:8-19). The act of throwing pearls to the pigs is
incomprehensible. For the Hebrews, the pigs are impure animals, the
quintessence of repugnance. On the contrary, the pearls are the most precious
things that can exist. The warning of Jesus refers to those who feed the stray
dogs with consecrated meat destined to the sacrifice. Such behavior is evil and
imprudent because those dogs were usually not fed and therefore, because of their
insatiable hunger, they could turn back and attack their “benefactors”.
The pearls at the metaphoric level could indicate the teachings of the wise or the interpretation of the Torah. In Matthew’s Gospel the pearl is the image of the kingdom of God (Mt 13:45ff). The interpretation which the evangelist gives is above all theological. Surely, this is the interpretation which seems to be more in harmony with the text and with the ecclesial reading of the words of Jesus: a warning to the Christian missionaries not to preach the Gospel to just anybody.
• To follow a path. In the final part of the discourse (7:13-27), Matthew includes, among the others, an admonition of Jesus who invites us to make a choice in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven: through the narrow door (7:13-14). The word of Jesus is not only something to be understood and to interpret, but above all, it should become life. Now, to enter into the kingdom of Heaven it is necessary to follow a path and to enter into the fullness of life through a “door”. The theme of the “path, the way” is very dear to the Old Testament (Dt 11:26-28; 30, 15-20; Jr 21:8; Ps 1:6; Ps 118:29-30; Ps 138:4; Ws 5:6-7 etc.). The road represented by two doors leads to different goals. A significance that is consistent with the admonishments of Jesus would be that the wide door is joined to the wide path which leads to perdition or damnation, that is to say, to walk on a wide road is something pleasant, and capable of handling a great many travelers, but this is not said in our text. Rather it seems that Matthew agrees with the Jewish conception of the “road”; on the trail of Dt 30:19 and Jr 21:8 there are two roads that are in counter-position, that of death and that of life. To know how to choose among the many ways of life is decisive for entering into the kingdom of Heaven. Anyone who chooses the narrow road, that of life, should know that it is full of afflictions; narrow means tried by suffering for the sake of faith. Narrow paths, especially with a cart, are tricky and tough to travel. It is also less traveled. Matthew is telling his readers that most may not choose this path, so don’t expect it to be the way of the majority. Christianity was a new way, a new path, and many of the people of that time may not want to travel that path.
The pearls at the metaphoric level could indicate the teachings of the wise or the interpretation of the Torah. In Matthew’s Gospel the pearl is the image of the kingdom of God (Mt 13:45ff). The interpretation which the evangelist gives is above all theological. Surely, this is the interpretation which seems to be more in harmony with the text and with the ecclesial reading of the words of Jesus: a warning to the Christian missionaries not to preach the Gospel to just anybody.
• To follow a path. In the final part of the discourse (7:13-27), Matthew includes, among the others, an admonition of Jesus who invites us to make a choice in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven: through the narrow door (7:13-14). The word of Jesus is not only something to be understood and to interpret, but above all, it should become life. Now, to enter into the kingdom of Heaven it is necessary to follow a path and to enter into the fullness of life through a “door”. The theme of the “path, the way” is very dear to the Old Testament (Dt 11:26-28; 30, 15-20; Jr 21:8; Ps 1:6; Ps 118:29-30; Ps 138:4; Ws 5:6-7 etc.). The road represented by two doors leads to different goals. A significance that is consistent with the admonishments of Jesus would be that the wide door is joined to the wide path which leads to perdition or damnation, that is to say, to walk on a wide road is something pleasant, and capable of handling a great many travelers, but this is not said in our text. Rather it seems that Matthew agrees with the Jewish conception of the “road”; on the trail of Dt 30:19 and Jr 21:8 there are two roads that are in counter-position, that of death and that of life. To know how to choose among the many ways of life is decisive for entering into the kingdom of Heaven. Anyone who chooses the narrow road, that of life, should know that it is full of afflictions; narrow means tried by suffering for the sake of faith. Narrow paths, especially with a cart, are tricky and tough to travel. It is also less traveled. Matthew is telling his readers that most may not choose this path, so don’t expect it to be the way of the majority. Christianity was a new way, a new path, and many of the people of that time may not want to travel that path.
4) Personal questions
• Examine your day today. Are there instances where you
did not treat a brother or sister as you would want to be treated? Do you make
excuses as you ask yourself, saying “oh, it wouldn’t matter to me if he did
that” rather than taking responsibility?
• The word of Jesus, or rather, Jesus Himself, is the door who makes us enter into the filial and fraternal life. Do you allow yourself to be guided and attracted by the narrow and demanding path of the Gospel? Or do you follow the wide and easy road that consists in doing what pleases or that leads you to satisfy all your desires, neglecting the needs of others?
• The word of Jesus, or rather, Jesus Himself, is the door who makes us enter into the filial and fraternal life. Do you allow yourself to be guided and attracted by the narrow and demanding path of the Gospel? Or do you follow the wide and easy road that consists in doing what pleases or that leads you to satisfy all your desires, neglecting the needs of others?
5) Concluding Prayer
We reflect on Your faithful love, God,
in Your temple!
Both Your name and Your praise, God,
are over the whole wide world.
Your right hand is full of saving justice. (Ps 48:9-10)
in Your temple!
Both Your name and Your praise, God,
are over the whole wide world.
Your right hand is full of saving justice. (Ps 48:9-10)
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