Readings for Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Ex 2:1-15a
In response to the Egyptians killing of all new born male babies, Moses mother places him in a basket and hides him in the river. There discovered by the daughter of Pharaoh, he is ultimately adopted by her.
It is clear from the beginning he knows of his birth right as he sides with the Hebrews against the Egyptians. We leave him hiding from Pharaoh in Midian.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
Psalm 69 is an individual lament. It echoes the fear of Moses as he hides in Midian from Pharaoh’s punishment.
Gospel Mt 11:20-24
This passage follows the parable of the “Children in the Marketplace” in which the Jesus accuses those who have heard the words of both John the Baptist and himself of not being willing to hear that they must turn away from sin and repent.
In this passage he goes further chastising the towns in which he has performed great signs. As in the parable that proceeded it, this selection speaks of the punishment reserved for those who refuse to hear the word he has spoken and continue to ignore the law and prophets. Their fate, he tells them will be worse than that of Sodom.
Reflection:
We can see in this Gospel passage the very human frustration Christ felt as he reflected upon the impact his ministry had made on the people of the towns he had visited. He has concluded a trip in which he has performed great signs which he has attributed to God and to the people’s faith in God and still they turn their backs on the Law of Moses. They have heard neither Jesus nor his cousin John the Baptist call them to turn away from their hatred, their greed, and their hedonism and embrace the path to the Kingdom of God. Yet they ignore their calls for conversion of heart.
Is it any wonder, as we hear Jesus today condemn those places to infamy on the last day, that he is frustrated? What more does he need to do to get them to understand that this is not just a simple request; it is their only hope of salvation? Perhaps, his human mind might be hoping, if they will listen to his words and turn away from what they are doing he will not have to go down to Jerusalem and offer the ultimate sacrifice to establish the new covenant. Alas, he must feel as he pleads, the Father’s plan is inevitable. Like the plan he had for Moses and Joseph before him, the servants and prophets of God must always suffer at the hands of those they serve. So it must be for God’s only Son as well.
We ask ourselves as we hear this frustrated outburst by the Lord, what message is there for us? Have we seen the works and wonders of God and continued to turn away from His call? Have we heard the voice of St. John the Baptist calling in the wilderness but kept our eyes focused on the delights of the flesh or the comfort of the body? Of course we have. No one is without sin except Jesus himself (and his mother). We have all fallen prey to the temptation of the Evil One at some time or another.
Today we hear the message once more – repent and turn from sin. Return to Jesus the Son and to God the Father with all your heart. It is never too late to come home.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Finding Moses” by Gioachino Assereto, 1640
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Ex 2:1-15a
In response to the Egyptians killing of all new born male babies, Moses mother places him in a basket and hides him in the river. There discovered by the daughter of Pharaoh, he is ultimately adopted by her.
It is clear from the beginning he knows of his birth right as he sides with the Hebrews against the Egyptians. We leave him hiding from Pharaoh in Midian.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
Psalm 69 is an individual lament. It echoes the fear of Moses as he hides in Midian from Pharaoh’s punishment.
Gospel Mt 11:20-24
This passage follows the parable of the “Children in the Marketplace” in which the Jesus accuses those who have heard the words of both John the Baptist and himself of not being willing to hear that they must turn away from sin and repent.
In this passage he goes further chastising the towns in which he has performed great signs. As in the parable that proceeded it, this selection speaks of the punishment reserved for those who refuse to hear the word he has spoken and continue to ignore the law and prophets. Their fate, he tells them will be worse than that of Sodom.
Reflection:
We can see in this Gospel passage the very human frustration Christ felt as he reflected upon the impact his ministry had made on the people of the towns he had visited. He has concluded a trip in which he has performed great signs which he has attributed to God and to the people’s faith in God and still they turn their backs on the Law of Moses. They have heard neither Jesus nor his cousin John the Baptist call them to turn away from their hatred, their greed, and their hedonism and embrace the path to the Kingdom of God. Yet they ignore their calls for conversion of heart.
Is it any wonder, as we hear Jesus today condemn those places to infamy on the last day, that he is frustrated? What more does he need to do to get them to understand that this is not just a simple request; it is their only hope of salvation? Perhaps, his human mind might be hoping, if they will listen to his words and turn away from what they are doing he will not have to go down to Jerusalem and offer the ultimate sacrifice to establish the new covenant. Alas, he must feel as he pleads, the Father’s plan is inevitable. Like the plan he had for Moses and Joseph before him, the servants and prophets of God must always suffer at the hands of those they serve. So it must be for God’s only Son as well.
We ask ourselves as we hear this frustrated outburst by the Lord, what message is there for us? Have we seen the works and wonders of God and continued to turn away from His call? Have we heard the voice of St. John the Baptist calling in the wilderness but kept our eyes focused on the delights of the flesh or the comfort of the body? Of course we have. No one is without sin except Jesus himself (and his mother). We have all fallen prey to the temptation of the Evil One at some time or another.
Today we hear the message once more – repent and turn from sin. Return to Jesus the Son and to God the Father with all your heart. It is never too late to come home.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Finding Moses” by Gioachino Assereto, 1640
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