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| “Padre Pio” Photographer and Date are Unknown |
[Saint Padre Pio]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the Lord;
wherever it pleases him, he directs it.
All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,
but it is the Lord who proves hearts.
To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eyes and a proud heart–
the tillage of the wicked is sin.
The plans of the diligent are sure of profit,
but all rash haste leads certainly to poverty.
Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue
is chasing a bubble over deadly snares.
The soul of the wicked man desires evil;
his neighbor finds no pity in his eyes.
When the arrogant man is punished, the simple are the wiser;
when the wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
The just man appraises the house of the wicked:
there is one who brings down the wicked to ruin.
He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself also call and not be heard.
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Commentary on Prv 21:1-6, 10-13
This list of wisdom saying is part of the first collection of
sayings of Solomon. These verses are a
loose collection of sayings that support various elements of the Law of
Moses. The underlying theme is that
God’s will is expressed by the faithful through the Holy Spirit operating
within them and that the development of this spirit of holiness is more
desirable than material wealth.
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Responsorial
Psalm: Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44
R. (35) Guide me, Lord, in the way of your
commands.
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
R. Guide me,
Lord, in the way of your commands.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Guide me,
Lord, in the way of your commands.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Guide me,
Lord, in the way of your commands.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Guide me,
Lord, in the way of your commands.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.
R. Guide me,
Lord, in the way of your commands.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Guide me, Lord,
in the way of your commands.
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Commentary on Ps 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44
Psalm 119 is a hymn in praise of the law and those who keep
it. While at times within its structure
it takes the form of an individual lament and at others a song of praise, the
strophes presented in this reading emphasize its main theme – praise for the
Law of Moses and those who follow it.
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Gospel: Luke 8:19-21
The
mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but
were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He
was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and
they wish to see you.”
He
said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers
are
those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
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Commentary on Lk 8:19-21
In this passage from the Gospel of
St. Luke Jesus identifies his family as the family of faith as opposed to just
his blood relatives. St. Luke’s treatment of this topic is softer than that
found in St. Mark’s Gospel (Mark 3:31-35), probably because Mary had already
been introduced as the model of fidelity to the Lord.
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Reflection:
It
is always difficult to pick a single idea to reflect upon when confronted with
a lengthy reading from the book of Proverbs.
It is made more difficult because of the rather controversial reading
from St. Luke’s Gospel (Controversial because many Protestant Scripture
Scholars would point to this passage, along with its corollary from St. Mark’s
Gospel, as proof that Jesus had siblings out of Mary whom we name “Ever Virgin”
and hold to the belief that this reference was to Jesus’ extended family
(cousins etc.)). But rather than
focusing on the inclusive nature of Christ’s ministry implied by the Gospel, we
focus today on an obvious ethical instruction plucked from the middle of the
Proverbs reading:
“Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue is
chasing a bubble over deadly snares.”
It
seems very obvious what this phrase means.
The person who lies to achieve material wealth will ultimately fall (die
the true death that awaits those condemned to the pit). This proverb has two moral imperatives. First it focuses on ones aims in life. The person who thinks their purpose in life
is to achieve wealth will never have enough.
If that pursuit dominates the person, wealth becomes the golden idol
that violates God’s commandments on several levels. Single minded pursuit of wealth, greed, may
be responsible for more death, destruction and misery than any other retreat
from grace. We are not usually a huge
fan of U-Tube but in this case the persuasive nature of greed is beautifully
captured by this link to an interview with the popular economist Milton
Friedman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A). We see in this interview how easily secular
values equate greed with the effort or work even the faithful must exert to
support themselves and their families.
According to this popular figure, greed is not only OK, but necessary
for survival.
The
second axiom contained within our short parable is the exhortation against
lying. Telling a mistruth, duping some
poor soul out of his meager portion is perfectly acceptable to the greedy and
exhorted by secular values. Is not
“Buyer Beware” the by word of commerce.
For
those of us trying to follow Christ in this world of greed, where taking
advantage of the less fortunate, the powerless, and the poor is perfectly
acceptable behavior in many circles, is a difficult thing. We must not be pressured into falling into
the deadly snares so ignored by those who would lead us into spiritual
destruction.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture is “Padre Pio” Photographer and Date are Unknown
[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.
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