 |
| “Virgin and Angels Imploring Christ not to Punish Lust, Avarice, and Pride” by Scarsellino, 1580’s. |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Commentary on Prv 21:1-6, 10-13
This list of wisdom sayings is part of the first collection of the 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.
CCC: Prv 21:1 269
----------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44
R. (35) Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Commentary on Ps 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44
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.
CCC: Ps119:30 2465
----------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 8:19-21
Commentary on Lk 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. There are several connotations of the language used that are treated in the parallel story in Matthew 12:46-50 relating to the broader meaning of the language from the Aramaic, and also the apocryphal documentation regarding St. Joseph’s unnamed widow (prior to his betrothal to St. Mary). St. Luke’s treatment of this topic is softer than that found in St. Mark’s Gospel (Mark 3:31-35), probably because St. Mary had already been introduced as the model of fidelity to the Lord.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The Book of Proverbs tells us:
“Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue is chasing a bubble over deadly snares.”
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 a person’s aims in life. The person who thinks their 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 you-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 effort or work (that is work and greed are equivalent). The logic is insidious since even the faithful must work 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 praised by secular values. Is not “Buyer Beware” the byword 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, following Christ 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 is “Virgin and Angels Imploring Christ not to Punish Lust, Avarice, and Pride” by Scarsellino, 1580’s.
No comments:
Post a Comment