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| “St. Augustine in His Cell” by Sandro Botticelli, 1490-94. |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17
Commentary on 2 Thes 2:1-3a, 14-17
Scholars believe a major purpose for St. Paul’s writing of the second letter to the Thessalonians, apparently only a few months after the first, was that another letter had surfaced, supposedly from St. Paul, that told the community the apocalypse was at hand. In this passage he acknowledges the existence of that forgery and tells the community to disregard the false teaching and to remain firm in their faith in Jesus as taught by him when he was with them, and in his first letter.
CCC: 2 Thes 2:3-12 673
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96:10, 11-12, 13
R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Commentary on Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13
Psalm 96 is a hymn of praise to the one true God. The psalmist invites all people to come to faith and believe in God who created all things, and is above all things. He exhorts the people to praise the Lord for his wondrous works of creation. The reason for this exhortation is that God will come to rule the earth with his justice. In this passage we see the forerunner of the understanding of the New Jerusalem – the Heavenly Kingdom.
“What does this justice and fidelity mean? On the day of Judgment, he will gather his chosen ones to himself and send the rest away, he will place some to his right hand and others to his left. It is only right and fair that those who show no mercy before the coming of the judge should not then hope for mercy from him. Whereas those who struggle to be merciful towards others will be judged with mercy.” (St Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, 95, 15) [4]
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Gospel: Matthew 23:23-26
Commentary on Mt 23:23-26
This reading from Matthew continues the dialogue of the “seven woes.” In this selection we hear how the Pharisees have extended the law of tithing down to the smallest of crops, herbs. The implication is they are lost in the minutia of the Law, and have forgotten larger faith issues. The same reference is made when he says: “Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!”
The final part of this section is concerned with “a metaphor illustrating a concern for appearances while inner purity is ignored.” [5] (See also Mark 7:4.) There is a strong reference here to the lack of self-control shown by these leaders.
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Reflection:
“But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!”
Like so many little gems in scripture this one lesson is offered today. It is a reminder that we must not become so focused on one element of our faith that we lose sight of the need for a holistic view.
In 1984, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin published a document on “A Consistent Ethic of Life.” He referred to this ethic as a “seamless garment” in biblical reference to Jesus “seamless garment” for which the guards cast lots at his crucifixion (see Psalm 22:19 and Matthew 27:35). Putting it simply, the Cardinal stated that for us to authentically follow the teaching of the Church on the dignity of human life, we must support life’s dignity at all stages, and under all circumstances.
A short time later (almost 30 years now), at a fairly conservative parish, I delivered a pro-life homily, in which I summarized the Cardinal’s teaching. In that homily, I said that, if one is pro-life and opposed to abortion, one must also be pro-life and reject capital punishment.
To my great surprise I was almost physically accosted by members of the Respect Life Committee following one of the Masses. They asked me if I was trying to destroy their ministry by forcing people to link their objection to abortion with objection to capital punishment. When I tried to explain, they would have none of it. They had their ideas about the greatest evil in the world, and nothing anyone said was going to change their minds.
I use this anecdote to illustrate the point made today in the Gospel. These people were so focused on one narrow aspect of an issue that they had overlooked the bigger issue, and fundamental tenet of our faith, love one another. They were not willing to expand their respect for life to include those who had committed grave sins against society, and had resorted to straining gnats while swallowing camels.
The Lord calls us to view our faith lives holistically. We apply the fundamental principles to our lives in all circumstances, not just those that are convenient. While we all have special interests within the faith, we must never focus on them to the exclusion of all others. We should never focus on the minutia and ignore the huge issues confronting us.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “St. Augustine in His Cell” by Sandro Botticelli, 1490-94.
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Psalms”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 324.
[5] See NAB footnote on Matthew 23:25-26.
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