Priest
Biographical Information about St. Pio (Padre Pio)[1]
Readings for Tuesday of the Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1: Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
This list of wisdom saying is part of the first collection of sayings of Solomon. These verses are a loose collection of sayings that support various elements of the Law of Moses. The underlying theme is that God’s will is expressed by the faithful through the Holy Spirit operating within them and that the development of this spirit of holiness is more desirable than material wealth.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Psalm 119 is a hymn in praise of the law and those who keep it. While at times within its structure it takes the form of an individual lament and at others a song of praise, the strophes presented in this reading emphasize its main theme – praise for the Law of Moses and those who follow it.
Gospel: Luke 8:19-21
In this passage from the Gospel of St. Luke Jesus identifies his family as the family of faith as opposed to just his blood relatives. St. Luke’s treatment of this topic is softer than that found in St. Mark’s Gospel (Mark 3:31-35), probably because Mary had already been introduced as the model of fidelity to the Lord.
Reflection:
“Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue is chasing a bubble over deadly snares.”
It is always difficult to pick a singe idea to reflect upon when confronted with a lengthy reading from the book of Proverbs. It is made more difficult because of the rather controversial reading from St. Luke’s Gospel (Controversial because many Protestant Scripture Scholars would point to this passage, along with its corollary from St. Mark’s Gospel, as proof that Jesus had siblings out of Mary whom we name “Ever Virgin” and hold to the belief that this reference was to Jesus’ extended family (cousins etc.)). But rather than focusing on the inclusive nature of Christ’s ministry implied by the Gospel, we focus today on an obvious ethical instruction plucked from the middle of the Proverbs reading.
It seems very obvious what this phrase means. The person who lies to achieve material wealth will ultimately fall (die the true death that awaits those condemned to the pit). This proverb has two moral imperatives. First it focuses on one's aims in life. The person who thinks the purpose in life is to achieve wealth will never have enough. If that pursuit dominates the person, wealth becomes the golden idol that violates God’s commandments on several levels. Single minded pursuit of wealth, greed, may be responsible for more death, destruction and misery than any other retreat from grace. We are not usually a huge fan of U-Tube but in this case the persuasive nature of greed is beautifully captured by this link to an interview with the popular economist Milton Friedman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A). We see in this interview how easily secular values equate greed with the industry even the faithful must exert to support themselves and their families. According to this popular figure, greed is not only OK, but necessary for survival.
The second axiom contained within our short parable is the exhortation against lying. Telling a mistruth, duping some poor soul out of his meager portion is perfectly acceptable to the greedy and exhorted by secular values. Is not “Buyer Beware” the by word of commerce?
For those of us trying to follow Christ in this world of greed, where taking advantage of the less fortunate, the powerless, and the poor is perfectly acceptable behavior in many circles, is a difficult thing. We must not be pressured into falling into the deadly snares so ignored by those who would lead us into spiritual destruction.
Pax
[1] The picture today is “Padre Pio” Photographer and Date unknown
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Biographical Information about St. Pio (Padre Pio)[1]
Readings for Tuesday of the Twenty Fifth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1: Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
This list of wisdom saying is part of the first collection of sayings of Solomon. These verses are a loose collection of sayings that support various elements of the Law of Moses. The underlying theme is that God’s will is expressed by the faithful through the Holy Spirit operating within them and that the development of this spirit of holiness is more desirable than material wealth.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Psalm 119 is a hymn in praise of the law and those who keep it. While at times within its structure it takes the form of an individual lament and at others a song of praise, the strophes presented in this reading emphasize its main theme – praise for the Law of Moses and those who follow it.
Gospel: Luke 8:19-21
In this passage from the Gospel of St. Luke Jesus identifies his family as the family of faith as opposed to just his blood relatives. St. Luke’s treatment of this topic is softer than that found in St. Mark’s Gospel (Mark 3:31-35), probably because Mary had already been introduced as the model of fidelity to the Lord.
Reflection:
“Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue is chasing a bubble over deadly snares.”
It is always difficult to pick a singe idea to reflect upon when confronted with a lengthy reading from the book of Proverbs. It is made more difficult because of the rather controversial reading from St. Luke’s Gospel (Controversial because many Protestant Scripture Scholars would point to this passage, along with its corollary from St. Mark’s Gospel, as proof that Jesus had siblings out of Mary whom we name “Ever Virgin” and hold to the belief that this reference was to Jesus’ extended family (cousins etc.)). But rather than focusing on the inclusive nature of Christ’s ministry implied by the Gospel, we focus today on an obvious ethical instruction plucked from the middle of the Proverbs reading.
It seems very obvious what this phrase means. The person who lies to achieve material wealth will ultimately fall (die the true death that awaits those condemned to the pit). This proverb has two moral imperatives. First it focuses on one's aims in life. The person who thinks the purpose in life is to achieve wealth will never have enough. If that pursuit dominates the person, wealth becomes the golden idol that violates God’s commandments on several levels. Single minded pursuit of wealth, greed, may be responsible for more death, destruction and misery than any other retreat from grace. We are not usually a huge fan of U-Tube but in this case the persuasive nature of greed is beautifully captured by this link to an interview with the popular economist Milton Friedman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A). We see in this interview how easily secular values equate greed with the industry even the faithful must exert to support themselves and their families. According to this popular figure, greed is not only OK, but necessary for survival.
The second axiom contained within our short parable is the exhortation against lying. Telling a mistruth, duping some poor soul out of his meager portion is perfectly acceptable to the greedy and exhorted by secular values. Is not “Buyer Beware” the by word of commerce?
For those of us trying to follow Christ in this world of greed, where taking advantage of the less fortunate, the powerless, and the poor is perfectly acceptable behavior in many circles, is a difficult thing. We must not be pressured into falling into the deadly snares so ignored by those who would lead us into spiritual destruction.
Pax
[1] The picture today is “Padre Pio” Photographer and Date unknown
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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