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“The Pharisees Question Jesus”
by James Tissot, 1902 |
Readings for Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Romans 2:1-11
You, O man, are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment.
For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself,
since you, the judge, do the very same things.
We know that the judgment of God on those who do such things is true.
Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things
and yet do them yourself,
that you will escape the judgment of God?
Or do you hold his priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience
in low esteem, unaware that the kindness of God
would lead you to repentance?
By your stubbornness and impenitent heart,
you are storing up wrath for yourself
for the day of wrath and revelation
of the just judgment of God,
who will repay everyone according to his works,
eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality
through perseverance in good works,
but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth
and obey wickedness.
Yes, affliction and distress will come upon everyone
who does evil, Jew first and then Greek.
But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone
who does good, Jew first and then Greek.
There is no partiality with God.
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Commentary on Rom 2:1-11
St. Paul begins a rather long discourse on the impartiality of God toward Jew and Gentile alike. He begins by indicating that those who judge others have no moral superiority. The standard applied to others will be applied by God to them in the final judgment (see also Matthew 7:5ff). This judgment, St. Paul says, will be measured out to Jews and Gentiles, as will salvation for those who demonstrate their faithfulness through good works.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 62:2-3, 6-7, 9
R. (13b) Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works.
Only in God is my soul at rest;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all.
R. Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works.
Only in God be at rest, my soul,
for from him comes my hope.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed.
R. Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works.
Trust in him at all times, O my people!
Pour out your hearts before him;
God is our refuge!
R. Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works.
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Commentary on Ps 62:2-3, 6-7, 9
This hymn of praise strikes a tone of complete submission to the will of God and reflects the peace that comes from the trust that attitude requires.
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Gospel: Luke 11:42-46
The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
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Commentary on Lk 11:42-46
In this passage the Lord continues his criticism of those who believe that ritual practice is more important than the spirit of God’s law. He points at their contributions to the temple, and their neglect of the needy as symbolic of this lack of understanding. In teaching this type of faith, focused only on religious practice, they lead others astray, and in doing so they are doing the evil one’s work. (“You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” Touching human remains, according to Hebrew Law caused ritual impurity.)
Likewise, when questioned by the scholar of the law (probably referring to a scribe), the Lord points at his questioner and says that those who focus only on the minutiae of Hebraic Law are missing its intent.
CCC: Lk 11:39-54 579; Lk 11:41 2447
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Reflection:
Scripture today contains a great reminder for us. We get it with both barrels, so to speak. In the first reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, the apostle begins a discourse on God’s impartiality. His first argument in this apologetic is a theme the Lord himself provided both in St. Luke’s Gospel (Luke 6:27ff) and in St. Matthew’s (Matthew 7:1ff). St. Paul expands this prohibition against being judgmental to all peoples of all races and nations. All people, he tells us, will stand before the same God in the final analysis.
We couple St. Paul’s reminder with the Lord’s criticism of the Pharisees and scribes, two groups viewed by the Jews of his day as being the most faithful to God. The Lord accused these two groups of completely missing the point of God’s message in spite of their knowledge and practice of the Law. They were viewed by most Jews as being examples to be followed. They knew each jot and tittle of the Law of Moses and took it literally, practicing intricate rituals from memorized obscure passages in the Torah; very impressive.
Their mistake, the Lord tells them, is that while the letter of law is important, the spirit of the law is more important. When they expect others to do as they do with their sometimes-meaningless practices and accuse them of betraying God if they fail, they place burdens on the people they themselves cannot lift. They judge the people using a scale they will not be able to meet when their time comes.
Of all the Christians in the world, we Catholics with our Eastern Rite brothers and sisters have retained most of the ritual handed down by the early Church. Our celebrations are more complex and our rules more exacting. We have said before, following the discipline of the Catholic Church is a difficult thing to do. Many of us do it extremely well, some of us hold up our faithfulness as a source of pride. That is where the caution comes in. We think, for instance, “I not only attend Mass daily, I also do the Liturgy of the Hours, the Angelus, the Divine Mercy, and the Rosary.” And then we think, “Therefore I am a better Catholic than Joe who only makes Mass once a week if he’s lucky.” The Lord would look at us as he did the scribes and Pharisees and say; “you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.” St. Paul would probably blast us as well.
The reminders call us back to what is truly important in our faith, to love God and love one another. When this is at the heart of all we do in God’s name and for our own spiritual health, we have gotten the point. When our practice is a reflection of our life with others, we have come close to getting it right. This is a super tough reminder today and one that we will take to heart.
Pax
[1] The picture is “The Pharisees Question Jesus” by James Tissot, 1902.
[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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