Thursday, August 24, 2023

Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial for Saint Louis of France
“Boaz Casting Barley into Ruth's Veil”
by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn c. 1645
 
Readings for Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22
 
Once in the time of the judges there was a famine in the land;
so a man from Bethlehem of Judah
departed with his wife and two sons
to reside on the plateau of Moab.
Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died,
and she was left with her two sons, who married Moabite women,
one named Orpah, the other Ruth.
When they had lived there about ten years,
both Mahlon and Chilion died also,
and the woman was left with neither her two sons nor her husband.
She then made ready to go back from the plateau of Moab
because word reached her there
that the LORD had visited his people and given them food.
 
Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, but Ruth stayed with her.
 
Naomi said, “See now!
Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her god.
Go back after your sister-in-law!”
But Ruth said, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you!
For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
 
Thus it was that Naomi returned
with the Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth,
who accompanied her back from the plateau of Moab.
They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
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Commentary on Ru 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22
 
The Old Testament readings continue to trace God’s relationship with the Hebrew people. We are given a selection from the Book of Ruth that occurred around the same time as the Book of Judges (just concluded). These verses from the beginning of the book establish the geography of the story. The Bethlehem identified specifically (of Judah) distinguishes it from the Bethlehem of Zebulun (Joshua 19:15). The Bethlehem spoken of in this passage is also the birthplace of Jesus a thousand years in their future.
 
The loyalty of Ruth is also established in this passage as Ruth commits to stay with her mother-in-law despite the hardships and the fact that she is of a different faith. She commits herself to the God of Isaac and Jacob (“and your God my God”).
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:5-6ab, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10
 
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
 
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD, his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
 
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
 
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
The LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
 
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
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Commentary on Ps 146:5-6ab, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10
 
Psalm 146 is a hymn of praise. The psalmist provides a litany of attributes showing how God provides salvation. This psalm is often quoted, and the litany it contains is assigned also to the Messiah who comes, fulfilling the Prophets and the Law. Used in that sense the psalm itself is prophetic, establishing the divine relationship between Christ and the God of Isaac and Jacob.
 
"The psalm is a vigorous reaffirmation of traditions intimately connected with the temple. It proclaims old truths to a new generation of God’s people who stand in need of them. In a period of low morale, they are urged to rededicate themselves to the God who has been their help in ages past, in fact to 'entrust themselves to a faithful creator' (1 Pet 4:19)." [4]
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Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40
 
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
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Commentary on Mt 22:34-40
 
The story of Jesus delivering the Great Commandment is the fourth of the “Controversy Stories” in St. Matthew’s Gospel (stories in which Jesus argues with the Jewish leadership). Jesus has just refuted those Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection (v. 23-33) and now is challenged by the Pharisees. The question posed by the “scholar of the law” (probably a scribe; see also Luke 10:25-28) “which commandment in the law is the greatest?” is asked in a rabbinical sense, meaning which of the 613 distinct statutes was considered greatest. Within this body of law, 248 of these precepts were positive and 365 were prohibitions. In addition, these precepts were further divided into “light” and “heavy.” This was a fairly typical exchange for a rabbinical debate.
 
“’Test him’: the text has πειοαξων, a word that may also be translated as ‘to tempt’ and ‘to submit to trial’. Matthew uses the term six times altogether from one end of his Gospel to the other (4:1,3; 16:1; 19:3; 22:18; 22:35), and two things are significant about this use. The first time the term appears the tempter is Satan himself, and this fact lends to every other occasion a satanic whiff; and secondly, the object of the tempting or testing in every case is Jesus himself.” [5]
 
In answering, Jesus quotes two texts of the law that now form the foundation for a new morality in the Gospel. He first quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 “Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” This text forms part of the Shema, the Jewish profession of faith. This first quote would not be surprising. What makes this exchange novel and important is that Jesus adds the quote from Leviticus 19:18b “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This juxtaposition of quotes makes them equally “heavy” and there is no parallel In Jewish literature.
 
 
CCC: Mat 22:23-34 575; Mat 22:34-36 581; Mat 22:36 2055; Mat 22:37-40 2055; Mat 22:37 2083; Mat 22:40 1824
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Reflection:
 
The Great Commandment, as Jesus tells us, provides a foundational morality by which we can evaluate all of our thoughts and actions. We are given two absolutes with which we can conduct our self-evaluation.
 
Let’s think of an example to see how we might apply this foundational belief. Let’s say we are at work and we have just completed a difficult task. As is customary, the entire team gets together and celebrates that event. Your boss calls you up and congratulates you specifically for your hard work and you notice that one of your co-workers is obviously not thrilled with the attention you are getting (probably thinking they worked as hard as you did).
 
In this situation how do we live the Great Commandment? First, on the inside, we must hold our success up to God. It was only through his gifts that we accomplish anything worthwhile. If we do this sincerely, our attitude in success must necessarily be one of humility. After all, it was not through our effort alone that this task was accomplished and certainly not in our control to make it successful. In addition to being constantly thankful to God, our praise at times of joy is the hallmark of the Christian living the Great Commandment.
 
Next we must deal with our disgruntled co-worker. We are called to “love our neighbor as our self.” How do we do that in this situation? If we are quick, we might ask to share the accolade in the moment. Perhaps, in keeping with our humility before the Lord, we invite that person to join us “up front” or at least acknowledge, in sincerity, that what was done was a team effort, pointing out other members of the team. Praising our neighbor is on the same level of need as praising God. Jesus made it so with his pronouncement.
 
We see from this example how difficult and complex living the Great Commandment can be. We must constantly keep God (and Christ) in the fore as we go about our daily lives. When we encounter others, the Lord invites us to see in them the God-given spirit they have been given and pay them the same respect.
 
Love the Lord – that is so hard for our selfish hearts. It is so easy to forget him completely and focus only on our own petty needs and problems. Today our prayer must be that we find in our hearts the love of God and are able to live that love, along with love of neighbor, well and fully.
 
Pax
[1] The picture is “Boaz Casting Barley into Ruth's Veil” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn c. 1645.
[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.
[4] Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101–150 (Revised), vol. 21, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002), 379.
[5] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume III, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2012 p. 576.

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