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| “Moses Smashing the Tablets of the Law” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1659 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Leviticus19:1-2, 11-18
The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole assembly
of the children of Israel and tell them:
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.”
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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 statutes 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, or 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 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.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm19:8, 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.
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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
formulaic 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.
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Gospel: Matthew25:31-46
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.”
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Commentary on Mt 25:31-46
Jesus, in this reading, is
telling his disciples and us what will be judged at the end times, the
Eschaton. The reading gives us a vision of what will be asked and how judgment
will be passed. This image is used as a teaching tool, to focus those who wish
to follow Jesus on loving those who are in need of help: the hungry, the
stranger, the naked, the ill, the imprisoned.
This reading provides yet one
more example of how Christ intends the Great Commandment to be lived. Loving
God and loving neighbor would be judged by: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you
did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” We note that while
the general theme is broadly applied to all people, there is special emphasis
placed upon the poor and marginalized. The concluding answer expands upon the
Hebrew definition in Leviticus (Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18) as St.
Matthew defines "neighbor" in a more inclusive sense.
CCC: Mt 25:31-46 544, 1033, 1373,2447, 2831; Mt 25:31-36 2443; Mt
25:31 331, 671, 679, 1038; Mt
25:32 1038; Mt
25:36 1503; Mt
25:40 678, 1397, 1825,1932, 2449; Mt 25:41 1034; Mt
25:45 598, 1825, 2463; Mt 25:46 1038
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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, is
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 straightforward
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 dislike 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, the
greater the risk that if some dispute arises between the parties, the deeper
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 that arise from these situations can 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 that we need to resolve to love
(the inverse of hatred) the people in our family and immediate community of
friends, and also those with whom we would choose not to associate: the
marginalized, the criminals, the diseased. These forgotten or despised members
of society become our direct concern if we choose to follow Jesus. The bar for us has been raised. (If we wanted
to be even more to the point, although somewhat premature, we could say it has risen.)
Each year we can look back
and see if we have done well in 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]
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.
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