Readings for Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18
In these verses from 2 Kings we see the history faith revealed as much of modern day Israel falls to Assyria. The root cause of this tragedy in the eyes of the chronicler is the people’s failure to be faithful to God’s statures given to them in the form of Mosaic Law. Weakened by this lack of fidelity, they were conquered and enslaved, “Only the tribe of Judah was left.”
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 60:3, 4-5, 12-13
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Psalm 60 is a community lament. In these strophes we hear the psalmist complain that the armies of Israel have failed in battle and implore the Lord for his assistance. The consequences of this failure are the people have fallen into distress. The concluding strophe gives witness to their dependence upon the Lord’s aid; “Give us aid against the foe, for worthless is the help of men.”
Gospel Matthew 7:1-5
The beginning of the seventh chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel finds Jesus teaching his disciples about being judgmental. They are told to first look at their own transgressions before judging others. “This is not a prohibition against recognizing the faults of others, which would be hardly compatible with Matthew 7:5, 6 but against passing judgment in a spirit of arrogance, forgetful of one's own faults.”[3]
Reflection:
Once again we see the contrast in understanding God’s intent brought to us in Christ’s revelation. In the first reading from 2 Kings supported by Psalm 60’s lament, we are told how, as a consequence of failing to follow God’s law faithfully, God “…till, in his great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of his sight.” The psalmist expresses the same idea “O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses”.
Given the fact that “God so loved the world that he sent his Only Son…” we see clearly how the experience of our Jewish predecessors missed the intent of the Law and the God’s hope for them (and us). It is amazing that such thoughts persist in the face of Jesus great sacrifice for us. Just as those ancient Jews looked at the great trials that feel upon them and cried out “ God why did you do this to us?”; we hear people today ask the same question.
How many times have we heard; “Why did God allow (cause) this to happen to a good person?” It is as if they think God had a personal grudge against an individual or community. At least in scripture, they reflected and said it must be because we abandoned God first. In our day there is not even an attempt to look at the actions of the one who feels they are wronged to attempt to find an alternate reason for the bad thing that has happened.
Forgive me for relating a personal experience. I was once taken seriously ill and required to undergo some tests at a major research hospital. One of the doctors doing the procedure was a parishioner and we chatted about churchy stuff while the procedure took place. As I was being wheeled back to the recovery area by a nurse she asked if I was a member of the Clergy to which I responded, yes. She asked if she could get my opinion on something and I said “sure.” She said that she had recently meet and fallen in love with a young man. It had only taken a few weeks but she was smitten. After only three weeks, however, the young man took his own life. Her question was, why had God put this young man in her life and then taken him from her in such a tragic manner.
Understand I was on a gurney (mostly naked – too much information?) and pretty stunned by her accusatory tone toward God whom she clearly blamed. I proceeded to explain that God was a loving Father and had created her boyfriend with free will, like the Father, in his image. I told her that all of us make choices and his was the worst one. It was not God who had chosen to put the gun in his hand. It was not God who had caused his depression. He had made a very bad choice, possibly because he had either not been introduced to God or because he had earlier rejected that hand that brings salvation. I don’t know if that go through to her, I hope so.
In scripture today we are told not to judge others because that same measure will be placed against us. It is clear also that we must never try to judge God, but rather look to our own choices and be constantly guided by Christ who set the bar for us, that by his example of love for us, we might express the non-judgmental love for others.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria” by Charles Joseph Staniland, c. 1900
[3] NAB footnote on Mt 7:1-12
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18
In these verses from 2 Kings we see the history faith revealed as much of modern day Israel falls to Assyria. The root cause of this tragedy in the eyes of the chronicler is the people’s failure to be faithful to God’s statures given to them in the form of Mosaic Law. Weakened by this lack of fidelity, they were conquered and enslaved, “Only the tribe of Judah was left.”
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 60:3, 4-5, 12-13
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Psalm 60 is a community lament. In these strophes we hear the psalmist complain that the armies of Israel have failed in battle and implore the Lord for his assistance. The consequences of this failure are the people have fallen into distress. The concluding strophe gives witness to their dependence upon the Lord’s aid; “Give us aid against the foe, for worthless is the help of men.”
Gospel Matthew 7:1-5
The beginning of the seventh chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel finds Jesus teaching his disciples about being judgmental. They are told to first look at their own transgressions before judging others. “This is not a prohibition against recognizing the faults of others, which would be hardly compatible with Matthew 7:5, 6 but against passing judgment in a spirit of arrogance, forgetful of one's own faults.”[3]
Reflection:
Once again we see the contrast in understanding God’s intent brought to us in Christ’s revelation. In the first reading from 2 Kings supported by Psalm 60’s lament, we are told how, as a consequence of failing to follow God’s law faithfully, God “…till, in his great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of his sight.” The psalmist expresses the same idea “O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses”.
Given the fact that “God so loved the world that he sent his Only Son…” we see clearly how the experience of our Jewish predecessors missed the intent of the Law and the God’s hope for them (and us). It is amazing that such thoughts persist in the face of Jesus great sacrifice for us. Just as those ancient Jews looked at the great trials that feel upon them and cried out “ God why did you do this to us?”; we hear people today ask the same question.
How many times have we heard; “Why did God allow (cause) this to happen to a good person?” It is as if they think God had a personal grudge against an individual or community. At least in scripture, they reflected and said it must be because we abandoned God first. In our day there is not even an attempt to look at the actions of the one who feels they are wronged to attempt to find an alternate reason for the bad thing that has happened.
Forgive me for relating a personal experience. I was once taken seriously ill and required to undergo some tests at a major research hospital. One of the doctors doing the procedure was a parishioner and we chatted about churchy stuff while the procedure took place. As I was being wheeled back to the recovery area by a nurse she asked if I was a member of the Clergy to which I responded, yes. She asked if she could get my opinion on something and I said “sure.” She said that she had recently meet and fallen in love with a young man. It had only taken a few weeks but she was smitten. After only three weeks, however, the young man took his own life. Her question was, why had God put this young man in her life and then taken him from her in such a tragic manner.
Understand I was on a gurney (mostly naked – too much information?) and pretty stunned by her accusatory tone toward God whom she clearly blamed. I proceeded to explain that God was a loving Father and had created her boyfriend with free will, like the Father, in his image. I told her that all of us make choices and his was the worst one. It was not God who had chosen to put the gun in his hand. It was not God who had caused his depression. He had made a very bad choice, possibly because he had either not been introduced to God or because he had earlier rejected that hand that brings salvation. I don’t know if that go through to her, I hope so.
In scripture today we are told not to judge others because that same measure will be placed against us. It is clear also that we must never try to judge God, but rather look to our own choices and be constantly guided by Christ who set the bar for us, that by his example of love for us, we might express the non-judgmental love for others.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria” by Charles Joseph Staniland, c. 1900
[3] NAB footnote on Mt 7:1-12
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