Readings for Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
FIRST READING: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Brothers and sisters:
As God is faithful, our word to you is not "yes" and "no."
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us,
Silvanus and Timothy and me,
was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him.
For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him;
therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.
But the one who gives us security with you in Christ
and who anointed us is God;
he has also put his seal upon us
and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 1:18-22
St. Paul has been criticized by the people at Corinth. He is making it clear that there is no ambiguity in what they have been told regarding the Lord and the Kingdom of God. There is only truth and it is not variable. His critics have accused him of failing to deliver on promises he made. In this part of his response to that charge he recounts his singleness of purpose in confessing the absolute truth in Christ Jesus. God, says the Apostle, is always faithful (“For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him”). The point he intends is that as God is faithful so is his servant who proclaims his fidelity to Christ Jesus who is God’s Amen (using the Hebrew word for yes). This assent they give to Christ is an assent to God since God and Christ are one.
The last reference to being sealed with the Holy Spirit is a reference to the unity shared by the faithful in baptism and confirmation.
CCC: 2 Cor 1:20 1065; 2 Cor 1:21-22 1274; 2 Cor 1:21 695, 735; 2 Cor 1:22 698, 1107, 1296
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135
R. (135a) Lord, let your face shine on me.
Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
gives understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
I gasp with open mouth
in my yearning for your commands.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
Turn to me in pity
as you turn to those who love your name.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
Steady my footsteps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity rule over me.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
Let your countenance shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
R. Lord, let your face shine on me.
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Commentary on Ps 119:129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135
The reference to “light” in this section of Psalm 119 is the light of revelation. It supports the Gospel below. Those who travel in light find the right paths and rejoice in the light.
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GOSPEL: Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father."
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Commentary on Mt 5:13-16
In this selection from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus uses allegory to push the Word of God into the world. He tells his disciples they are an integral part of the faith of the people in God. Like seasoning is to food, so the Word of God is to faith. They must remain steadfast so they do not lose zeal for God, which is the taste of that seasoning. It is that which sets it apart.
He uses a second allegory, light, to provide still more direction. The light of faith will be seen by all because it is reflected in the actions of those who believe. That light serves to guide others to God, where they may otherwise become lost in darkness, and wander into paths of desolation. That light that pours from the disciples will be seen as a gift, not from them, but from the Father, and the Father will be glorified because of the light.
CCC: Mt 5:13-16 782, 2821; Mt 5:14 1243; Mt 5:16 326
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Reflection:
Those who do not believe in God, atheists, must believe that the universe and all creation is but some sort of cosmic chain of events with no purpose other than to follow the next logical step, dictated by physics or chemistry. They believe that life is mere chance and that, as preposterous as it seems, as improbable as has been statistically demonstrated (it makes the lottery look like a sure win), mankind evolved from this accidental chemical event that occurred in the earth’s primordial ooze.
Based upon their understanding of science and their rejection of the possibility of the existence of divinity, they see human life as meaningless, without purpose other than to satisfy some primitive instincts, a hedonistic satisfaction. How hopeless is their outlook; how bleak is their future; how futile their existence; how arrogant their mindset. We feel a profound sense of sorrow for their sense of self-worth which lacks any spiritual value and supposes that, just as the biological process that formed them started a chain of events that led to new life, when that inevitable chain leads back to biological death, they come to a complete and total end of their existence.
How dismal their outlook must be. We who believe have hope because we are convinced that there is a God, a Trinity of Persons who created all that is and remains with us as we walk this earth. It is a hope born out of the certain knowledge that this life, wrapped in flesh, is only a part of our journey. We believe that we have been restored to a state of grace made possible by God’s only Son, and that through his will and mercy, we will exist forever, out of time and space, in his heavenly kingdom.
Because of this vibrant and lively faith, we see our lives as having purpose. A mission has been passed on to us. It is a mission of hope and love: love of those who cannot understand God’s love; and with that love we give hope to the hopeless. It is this mission the Lord proposes in the Gospel of St. Matthew. He invites us to be salt for a tasteless world, light in the darkness of despair. Even if our invitations fall upon deaf ears, the act of inviting allows us to be drawn more deeply into God’s love. In being salt we taste his love more deeply, and in being light we are ourselves illuminated.
Pax
[1] The picture is “
Somewhere in Time" by Dcn. Robert Lackney.
[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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