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"Leaven of the Pharisees"
artist and date are unknown. |
Readings for Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Romans 4:1-8
Brothers and sisters:
What can we say that Abraham found,
our ancestor according to the flesh?
Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works,
he has reason to boast;
but this was not so in the sight of God.
For what does the Scripture say?
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
But when one does not work,
yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is credited as righteousness.
So also David declares the blessedness of the person
to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.
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Commentary on Rom 4:1-8
In this passage, St. Paul addresses the gift of salvation through faith in the One True God. It is a gift given to Abraham and David who worked to follow God’s command but did not “earn” faith through these actions. Rather, it was a gift as was the salvation that flowed through it.
This selection may seem to contradict St. James' statement that our justification or salvation comes only through faith supported by actions. However he (St. James) was speaking of extremists who used St. Paul’s argument to support moral self-determination.
CCC: Rom 4:3 146
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 32:1b-2, 5, 11
R. (see 7) I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
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Commentary on Ps 32:1b-2, 5, 11
Psalm 32 is an individual song of thanksgiving, rejoicing for the one whose sins are forgiven. The psalmist gives thanks for God’s saving work, emphasizing that only he can deliver man from sin. Placed here following the Mosaic instruction to cast out the unclean, and the understanding that this condition was caused by falling into sin, the song takes on a deeper meaning for those who were healed through God’s mercy.
CCC: Ps 32 304; Ps 32:5 1502
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Gospel: Luke 12:1-7
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
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Commentary on Lk 12:1-7
St. Luke continues to present us with a collection of sayings of Jesus passed on to his disciples. In this passage, he first warns them about adopting the style and attitude of the Pharisees, whose “holier than thou” attitude was a veneer for their internal sin. The Lord tells them that there is nothing that can be hidden from God, and that all will be made clear in the final judgment.
The Lord goes on to encourage his friends, telling them that God will watch over them. He uses the analogy of the sacrificial animals (“five sparrows sold for two small coins”) as a metaphor for the attacks they will encounter from the Jewish leadership, and how God will uphold them.
CCC: Lk 12:1-3 678; Lk 12:6-7 342
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Reflection:
Eddie Haskell was a character on the 1950’s TV Series “Leave it to Beaver.” Eddie was the kid everyone knew. He was the model of propriety when adults were present, but as soon as those in authority left, he became the devil’s advocate, encouraging “the Beaver” and his brother Wally to ignore common sense, parental authority, and even the law in some cases. Eddie is the archetype of what Jesus lays at the feet of the Pharisees in St. Luke’s Gospel.
Jesus sees clearly into the hearts of these supposedly pious men. He sees their condescending attitudes and twisted values laid bare and he mourns them for they have fallen. They have fallen and the perch they have placed themselves upon is high up in the moral air. It is the same claim about which St. Paul speaks as he addresses the Romans. He explains that the Jews claim a place in God’s kingdom based merely upon their ancestry. Their relation to Abraham and David give them no rights whatsoever if not supported by faith.
The message passed on to us today is cautionary. Just because we call ourselves Christian or Catholic does not secure God’s grace for us. The Lord sees clearly into our hearts, just as he saw the sin in the Pharisees. The greater our authority, the higher our perceived rank among the faithful, the higher the bar is set for our interior spirit and the actions that flow from it.
We see this evidence so clearly in the saints; the humility and holiness they possess that quite literally overflows the bounds of flesh and cascades as light into the world around them. We contrast this bounty of grace with our own station in life and see the paradox to which we aspire. If we wish to lead, we must serve; if we would pour out the riches of faith upon others, we must empty ourselves.
Today our prayer must be simple: let Eddie Haskell be no part of us. Today we ask the Lord to give us a heart that is so pure and simple that we might offer that purity to others and bring them to his Most Sacred Heart.
Pax
[1] The picture is
"Leaven of the Pharisees" artist and date are unknown.[2] S.S. Commemoratio[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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