Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial of the First Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of the First Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church
 
Additional information about the First Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church

“Abraham and the Three Angles”
by Giambattista Tiepolo, 1770

 
Readings for Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 18:16-33
 
Abraham and the men who had visited him by the Terebinth of Mamre
set out from there and looked down toward Sodom;
Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way.
The Lord reflected: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
now that he is to become a great and populous nation,
and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?
Indeed, I have singled him out
that he may direct his children and his household after him
to keep the way of the Lord
by doing what is right and just,
so that the Lord may carry into effect for Abraham
the promises he made about him.”
Then the Lord said:
“The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out.”
 
While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom,
the Lord remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said:
“Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty,
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?”
The Lord replied,
“If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Abraham spoke up again:
“See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
But Abraham persisted, saying, “What if only forty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it for the sake of forty.”
Then Abraham said, “Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there.”
Still Abraham went on,
“Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?”
 
He answered, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
But he still persisted:
 
“Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?”
He replied, “For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.”
 
The Lord departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham,
and Abraham returned home.
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Commentary on Gn 18:16-33
 
Following the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and Sarah ("I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son." Genesis 18:10), the messengers of the Lord leave the hospitality of his tent. Led by Abraham, they travel together to where Lot and his household had gone (Genesis 13:12) and prepare to punish the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their sinfulness. Abraham, for his part, attempts to negotiate for the cities asking for mercy for the innocent. He is successful, demonstrating the mercy of God to the innocent.
 
CCC: Gn 18:16-33 2571; Gn 18:20 1867
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1b-2, 3-4, 8-9, 10-11
 
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
 
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
 
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
 
Merciful and gracious is the Lord
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
 
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
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Commentary on Ps 103:1b-2, 3-4, 8-9, 10-11
 
Psalm 103 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. Remembering God’s promise of mercy for the innocent, the psalmist praises God for his compassion and gives thanks for his salvation. It is not by human merit that God judges, but out of compassion and mercy.
 
CCC: Ps 103 304
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Gospel: Matthew 8:18-22
 
When Jesus saw a crowd around him,
he gave orders to cross to the other shore.
A scribe approached and said to him,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Another of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead.”
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Commentary on Mt 8:18-22
 
This is an interlude between the miracle stories in St. Matthew’s Gospel. In this passage we find two sayings dealing with discipleship, and what that means. The first of these is in the form of a reply to a scribe who wished to travel with the Lord. The Savior’s response indicated that he must be prepared to have no permanent home if he was going to do so. The scribe must give up material wealth, and embrace Christ's consistently stated love of the poor.
 
In the second situation, the would-be disciple asks to be allowed to bury his father. This does not mean his father had already died, but that he wished to wait for that to happen so he could carry out his family responsibilities. The Lord’s response makes it clear that ties to the family would be secondary to the disciples' call to follow him (see also commentary on Luke 9:51-62).
 
CCC: Mt 8:20 2444
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Reflection:
 
The whole idea of spiritual leadership is presented in broad brush strokes in today’s Scripture.  In the first reading God is intending to punish the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham, the patriarch who knows his kinsman Lot has taken up residence there, pleads with God for mercy for the innocent.  In this same way we are called not to judge in the name of God but to pray for God’s mercy for those who live in sin.
 
Just as Abraham did not judge those who lived in the accursed cities, we are not to judge those whose actions proclaim them to be godless.  Ours, as our Savior taught us, is a role of intercession even for our enemies. 
 
The second part of the lesson plan for discipleship comes from the Gospel of Matthew.  Jesus responds first to the scribe telling him that if he wishes to follow the Way he must have as his first priority the kingdom of God.  The scribe’s possessions must take a distant second place.  That message comes to us as well.  We too are called to focus our efforts on living a life worthy of the name “disciple of Christ.”
 
The final lesson on spiritual leadership takes the focus on the Lord further, eclipsing even our ties to family.  If our efforts are first for God all else will fall into place.  If we place anything else first in our lives, this emphasis will be clearly visible to others as well.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture today is “Abraham and the Three Angles” by Giambattista Tiepolo, 1770.
[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.