 |
| “Moses Smashing the Tablets of the Law” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1659 |
Reading 1: Leviticus
19:1-2, 11-18
The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole assembly
of the children of Israel
Be holy, for I, the Lord,
your God, am holy.
“You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak
falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely
by my name,
thus profaning the name of
your God.
I am the Lord.
“You shall not defraud or rob
your neighbor.
You shall not withhold
overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in
front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the Lord.
“You shall not act
dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to
the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men
justly.
You shall not go about
spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly
when your neighbor’s life is at stake.
I am the Lord.
“You shall not bear hatred
for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to
reprove him,
do not incur sin because of
him.
Take no revenge and cherish
no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.
I am the Lord.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lv
19:1-2, 11-18
This passage
describes the rules of conduct from Leviticus, the third book of the Torah or
Pentateuch. The book was so named because its contents are almost entirely
legislative probably written by and for the priestly tribe of Levi.
This selection is
part of what is known as the “Code of Legal Holiness.” Echoed here are statues that incorporate and
expand the “Ten Commandments”, the Decalogue. These verses establish the rules
for relationships with others. They begin with a phrase that is repeated many
times in Leviticus; “Be holy, for
I, the Lord, your God am holy.”
The “code”
continues with the ban against stealing, lying defrauding, having unfair
business relationships. Perhaps most
significant in this passage is v. 18b; “You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Christ uses this section
of the law as the in tandem with the first commandment in the Decalogue as the
“Great Commandment”. While it is defined by Mosaic Law as applying only to
interactions with one’s countrymen, Jesus defines it to include even our
enemies.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
19:8, 9, 10, 15
R. (John 6:63b) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is
perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is
trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are
Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are
right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is
clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are
Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD
are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are
Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and
the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my
redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are
Spirit and life.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps
19:8, 9, 10, 15
Psalm 19 is a
song of praise. It rejoices in the laws and precepts set down by God and asks
the Lord to find favor in those who follow them. This part of Psalm 19 is a
formula profession of faith. It begins with the Law of God then the rules based
upon the Law, and finally on faith in God. Essentially this litany says if you
follow God’s law in all its fullness salvation is yours.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew
25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in
his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious
throne,
and all the nations will be
assembled before him.
And he will separate them one
from another,
as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on
his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to
those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by
my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave
me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me
drink,
a stranger and you welcomed
me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited
me.’
Then the righteous will
answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you
drink?
When did we see you a
stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in
prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them
in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever
you did
for one of these least
brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on
his left,
‘Depart from me, you
accursed,
into the eternal fire
prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave
me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me
no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no
welcome,
naked and you gave me no
clothing,
ill and in prison, and you
did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and
say,
‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill
or in prison,
and not minister to your
needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I
say to you,
what you did not do for one
of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to
eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal
life.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt
25:31-46
Jesus, in this
reading, is telling his disciples what will be judged at the end times, the
eschaton. The reading provides a vision of what will be asked of those seeking
admittance to the Kingdom
of God
The concluding
answer “‘Amen, I say to you, what you
did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’” links this reading to the one from
Leviticus from above as St. Matthew defines “neighbor” in a more inclusive sense
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
One of the things we notice
as we grow in faith is that the definitions of Christian or Catholic virtue we
apply to ourselves change. We see this
most clearly when scripture like the selections given today are proclaimed. We have heard these passages before both
directly and in paraphrase. For the
faithful Mass-goer they have been heard at least once a year yet they continue
to challenge us. The reason for this is,
even if we believe we have been very good; if we have carefully observed the
commandments over the past year, we still hear the words once more and can see
how far we still need to go to get to the high standard the Lord sets for us.
Let’s look at just one
statement from the readings. In
Leviticus the Law of Moses States "You
shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to
reprove him, do not incur sin because of him.” On the surface this is very straight forward
and although the language is not inclusive, it clearly applies to men and women
alike. We are forbidden to hate. That means if we feel an intense disliking
for another person, we must somehow overcome it. Depending upon the relationship the other
person has to us, removing hatred can be truly challenging. Generally the closer (more deeply loving) the
relationship has been greater the risk that if some dispute arises between the
parties the deep the hatred that can result.
The Lenten Season is the
perfect time to review our relationships. We should make sure we have done all
we can to reconcile with anyone with whom we have had a falling out or breaking
up the feelings from which would indicate we have fallen into sin.
While the code from Leviticus
addresses our personal and family relationships, Jesus expands this by
redefining the relationships we have with the human race at large. It turns out we need not only resolve
ourselves to loving (that would be the inverse of hatred) the people in our
family and immediate community of friends, but even those with whom we would
choose not to associate – the marginalized, the criminals, the diseased. These
forgotten and despised members of society become our direct concern if we
choose to follow Jesus. The bar is
raised.
Each year we can look back
and see if we have done well with following Christ’s law of loving others. Each year we can see that we have grown some,
but still have a long way to go. Today
we are reminded once more that the rhetorical question asked by Cain; “Am I my
brother’s keeper?” has been answered by God and the answer is “Yes!” We pray for the strength to follow these
simple laws and to become more like the saints who have gone before us.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture used is “Moses Smashing the Tablets of the Law” by Rembrandt
Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1659
[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 re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
No comments:
Post a Comment