Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

“Jezebel”
by John Byam Liston Shaw, 1896

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: 1 Kings 21:17-29
 
After the death of Naboth the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite:
“Start down to meet Ahab, king of Israel,
who rules in Samaria.
He will be in the vineyard of Naboth,
of which he has come to take possession.
This is what you shall tell him,
‘The Lord says: After murdering, do you also take possession?
For this, the Lord says:
In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth,
the dogs shall lick up your blood, too.’”
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me out, my enemy?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the Lord’s sight,
I am bringing evil upon you: I will destroy you
and will cut off every male in Ahab’s line,
whether slave or freeman, in Israel.
I will make your house like that of Jeroboam, son of Nebat,
and like that of Baasha, son of Ahijah,
because of how you have provoked me by leading Israel into sin.”
(Against Jezebel, too, the Lord declared,
“The dogs shall devour Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.”
“When one of Ahab’s line dies in the city,
dogs will devour him;
when one of them dies in the field,
the birds of the sky will devour him.” Indeed, no one gave himself up to the doing of evil
in the sight of the Lord as did Ahab,
urged on by his wife Jezebel.
He became completely abominable by following idols,
just as the Amorites had done,
whom the Lord drove out before the children of Israel.
 
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments
and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh.
He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued.
Then the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite,
“Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me?
Since he has humbled himself before me,
I will not bring the evil in his time.
I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his son.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 21:17-29
 
Following Jezebel’s successful plot to murder Naboth and seize his vineyard, Elijah is sent by God to pronounce judgment. He comes to Ahab who is found taking possession of the spoils of the plot, and Elijah, speaking for God, promises him the same punishment as that given to the families of Jeroboam I (1 Kings 14:9-11) and Baasha (1 Kings 16:2-4).
 
It appears that the punishment promised includes that given for the sin of Idolatry (“He became completely abominable by following idols”). The punishment for Ahab may also have had its roots earlier in 1 Kings 20:35-42. Jezebel for her part does not escape God’s notice, although the fulfillment of this sentence does not take place until 2 Kings 9:30-37. It is also clear that following stoning, the bodies of those killed are left for the animals. There will be no posterity for those so shunned.
 
When Ahab demonstrates true repentance, the Lord relents, postponing the judgment and leveling it against his sons. This too finds fulfillment later in 2 Kings 9:7-10.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 11 and 16
 
R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
 
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
 
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
 
Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my guilt.
Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God;
then my tongue shall revel in your justice.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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Commentary on Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 11 and 16
 
Psalm 51 is an individual lament imploring God for mercy and forgiveness. We note the request is coupled with an explicit understanding that the singer has sinned in the eyes of God, and complete dependence on his mercy for the expiation of those offenses.
 
CCC: Ps 51:6 431, 1850
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Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
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Commentary on Mt 5:43-48
 
This passage is the second of six examples in St. Matthew’s Gospel of conduct demanded of the Christian disciple. The Lord extends the understanding of Mosaic Law. He first quotes Leviticus 19:18. Jesus tells the disciples once more that their behavior must be reflected in how they treat others, and must go beyond what was customarily understood. He tells his friends directly to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (not curse them as was customary, also echoed in Romans 12:17-21). This exhortation differentiates Christians, who love even their enemies based upon requirements of their faith.
 
Jesus continues to reinterpret Mosaic Law.  Here, he goes after the closed community.  He tells the disciples, consistent with the instruction to “turn the other cheek,” to love not just those who love us but those who are our enemies as well.
 
He goes on to contrast the response expected from his disciples to the response customarily given (e.g. loving those who love you, greeting only one’s friends), asking: “Do not the pagans do the same?” The passage concludes with “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” He points out that to do less than that is human nature, but the Christian calling is to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. Only in St. Matthew’s Gospel is the word “perfect” used. In St. Luke’s Gospel the word is “merciful.”
 
CCC:  Mt 5:43-44 1933, 2844; Mt 5:44-45 2303, 2608; Mt 5:44 1825, 1968, 2262; Mt 5:45 2828; Mt 5:46-47 2054; Mt 5:47 1693; Mt 5:48 443, 1693, 1968, 2013, 2842
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Reflection:
 
Perhaps one of the most difficult paradoxes of our faith is to master the attitude of Christ when he asks us to love those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us. We have a very difficult time rejecting the natural tendency (likely rooted in a primitive survival instinct) to react in kind to those who hurt us and avoid those who wish us harm.
 
Within us is the capacity to adopt this attitude of love of others to varying degrees. Our arch-example is Jesus who loved most perfectly all whom he met, even forgiving his tormentors as he hung upon the cross. His apostles followed his example very closely, with all but one being killed by the people to whom they brought the word of God. Similarly, many of the saints adopted this complete mindset exhibiting the heroic virtue of love, denying themselves health and sustenance in the cause of faith.
 
We face the challenge to love others daily as well. Yet to operate effectively in our society, we must also recognize there is a difference between accepting persecution and challenging the evil of the world, standing up for our own rights, and resisting unjust attacks. There are some of us who trust completely in God’s mercy and submit to all sorts of humiliation at the hands of evil people who care only for their own gratification. But most of us will defend ourselves and our families against unjust persecution, understanding that for our faith to prosper, evil must not be allowed to wreak its havoc unhindered.
 
We struggle with this intersection between resistance and acceptance. When is it necessary to resist injustice and when is it necessary to “turn the other cheek?” Ultimately the answer must come from our faith, enlightened by prayer, and strengthened by the sacraments. Even the Lord drove out the money changers from the temple when his Father’s house was being desecrated; even Peter was ready to fight when the Lord was taken in the garden.
 
Today, however, we are reminded that our call is not to hate but to love our fellow man. We are allowed to find the actions of others and the consequences of systems despicable, and we are encouraged to fight injustice, but always love the individual persons. Ultimately, we must trust in God to deal out justice, hoping in his mercy that we may avoid being judged too harshly for our own failures.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used today is “Jezebel” by John Byam Liston Shaw, 1896.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible except for 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.