Readings for Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Kings 18:41-46
Elijah the Prophet tells the king Ahab that the three year drought is about to end (“Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”). He positions himself upon the top of Mt. Carmel in order to see the first signs of rain and then assumes a position of humble prayer. In the fullness of time (symbolized by the servant’s “seventh” report) his prophecy is fulfilled and under the impulse of God he runs ahead of the king’s chariot as a sign of his prophetic prowess.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13
R. It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
Psalm 65 is a hymn of thanksgiving from an unworthy community. These strophes sing of the goodness of the Lord in providing a bountiful harvest as the agricultural year is described. This imagery links nicely back to the ending of the drought in 1 Kings.
Gospel Mt 5:20-26
Jesus takes the law “You shall not kill” and moves it to the next level. He tells us that even anger brings a judgment from God. Here he traces the logic from thought to vulgar or abusive words to violent action. Where the Jewish Law forbids the action, Christian law forbids the antecedents as well. The passage continues with the remedy for this action and a foundation for the sacrament of reconciliation. He instructs us to be reconciled with a person with whom we have bad feelings before coming to the altar. The consequences of failing to do so, he warns, are judgment and punishment.
Homily:
There was once a person who was given a dog. We’ll call the person Doris, and the dog Skippy for the sake of this story. Doris was kind hearted and accepted the animal even though she did not want it. Skippy was house trained but once in a while had an accident. At these times Doris would get very upset and discipline the animal. Skippy also had the habit of chewing on things, especially Doris’ shoes when she left them lying around. When this happened Doris also would get very upset and yell at Skippy.
Skippy, however, proved to be a very loving animal and Doris could not long resist the dog’s obvious affection for her. When Doris sat down, Skippy would always lie down next to her chair. Skippy slept next to the Doris’ bed. And when Doris was gone for any period of time and returned the dog went into a frenzy of joy at her return.
Over time, Doris grew to love Skippy. She accepted that once in a while, Skippy had an accident in the house. She also accepted that when there was no chew toy around and she had left her shoes out, Skippy might chew them. With her love grew tolerance, acceptance of even the faults of the dog. And when Skippy grew old and finally died, Doris wept for her loss. She missed even Skippy’s faults.
We bring you this story only to illustrate the graduated shades of love we find in our own relationships. When we do not know a person well, we can be very intolerant. The things they do and the mistakes they make will be irritating to us and we may very well respond in an uncharitable way. The better we know someone the more tolerant we become until finally, as is usually the case with parents and their children, the faults and failings of the child are accepted as part of that child’s character.
In the Gospel we can see that Jesus recognized this in his disciples. His love for them and us is absolute. He accepts even the most undesirable of our traits as part of who we are and loves us even though we are undeserving. He takes the Law of Moses which is social law that facilitates community living and moves it to a deeper level. His love for the whole human family is to be shared by his followers. The spirit of love must be what drives our actions and when we fail; we are called to ask for forgiveness, knowing that the one who loves us most intensely, died so that forgiveness might take place. And in response to our need, the sacramental grace of Reconciliation flows as his love to us.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Reconciliation” by Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Kings 18:41-46
Elijah the Prophet tells the king Ahab that the three year drought is about to end (“Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”). He positions himself upon the top of Mt. Carmel in order to see the first signs of rain and then assumes a position of humble prayer. In the fullness of time (symbolized by the servant’s “seventh” report) his prophecy is fulfilled and under the impulse of God he runs ahead of the king’s chariot as a sign of his prophetic prowess.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13
R. It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
Psalm 65 is a hymn of thanksgiving from an unworthy community. These strophes sing of the goodness of the Lord in providing a bountiful harvest as the agricultural year is described. This imagery links nicely back to the ending of the drought in 1 Kings.
Gospel Mt 5:20-26
Jesus takes the law “You shall not kill” and moves it to the next level. He tells us that even anger brings a judgment from God. Here he traces the logic from thought to vulgar or abusive words to violent action. Where the Jewish Law forbids the action, Christian law forbids the antecedents as well. The passage continues with the remedy for this action and a foundation for the sacrament of reconciliation. He instructs us to be reconciled with a person with whom we have bad feelings before coming to the altar. The consequences of failing to do so, he warns, are judgment and punishment.
Homily:
There was once a person who was given a dog. We’ll call the person Doris, and the dog Skippy for the sake of this story. Doris was kind hearted and accepted the animal even though she did not want it. Skippy was house trained but once in a while had an accident. At these times Doris would get very upset and discipline the animal. Skippy also had the habit of chewing on things, especially Doris’ shoes when she left them lying around. When this happened Doris also would get very upset and yell at Skippy.
Skippy, however, proved to be a very loving animal and Doris could not long resist the dog’s obvious affection for her. When Doris sat down, Skippy would always lie down next to her chair. Skippy slept next to the Doris’ bed. And when Doris was gone for any period of time and returned the dog went into a frenzy of joy at her return.
Over time, Doris grew to love Skippy. She accepted that once in a while, Skippy had an accident in the house. She also accepted that when there was no chew toy around and she had left her shoes out, Skippy might chew them. With her love grew tolerance, acceptance of even the faults of the dog. And when Skippy grew old and finally died, Doris wept for her loss. She missed even Skippy’s faults.
We bring you this story only to illustrate the graduated shades of love we find in our own relationships. When we do not know a person well, we can be very intolerant. The things they do and the mistakes they make will be irritating to us and we may very well respond in an uncharitable way. The better we know someone the more tolerant we become until finally, as is usually the case with parents and their children, the faults and failings of the child are accepted as part of that child’s character.
In the Gospel we can see that Jesus recognized this in his disciples. His love for them and us is absolute. He accepts even the most undesirable of our traits as part of who we are and loves us even though we are undeserving. He takes the Law of Moses which is social law that facilitates community living and moves it to a deeper level. His love for the whole human family is to be shared by his followers. The spirit of love must be what drives our actions and when we fail; we are called to ask for forgiveness, knowing that the one who loves us most intensely, died so that forgiveness might take place. And in response to our need, the sacramental grace of Reconciliation flows as his love to us.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Reconciliation” by Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695
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