(Optional Memorial for Saint Cyril of
Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)
 |
| “Josiah” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, c. 1850's. |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 2 Kings 22:8-13;
23:1-3
The high priest Hilkiah informed
the scribe Shaphan,
“I have found the book of the law
in the temple of the Lord.”
Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan,
who read it.
Then the scribe Shaphan went to the
king and reported,
“Your servants have smelted down
the metals available in the temple
and have consigned them to the
master workmen
in the temple of the Lord.”
The scribe Shaphan also informed
the king
that the priest Hilkiah had given
him a book,
and then read it aloud to the king.
When the king heard the contents of
the book of the law,
he tore his garments and issued
this command to Hilkiah the priest,
Ahikam, son of Shaphan,
Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe
Shaphan,
and the king’s servant Asaiah:
“Go, consult the Lord for me, for
the people, for all Judah,
about the stipulations of this book
that has been found,
for the anger of the Lord has been
set
furiously ablaze against us,
because our fathers did not obey
the stipulations of this book,
nor fulfill our written
obligations.”
The king then had all the elders of
Judah
and of Jerusalem summoned together
before him.
The king went up to the temple of
the Lord with all the men of Judah
and all the inhabitants of
Jerusalem:
priests, prophets, and all the
people, small and great.
He had the entire contents of the
book of the covenant
that had been found in the temple
of the Lord, read out to them.
Standing by the column, the king
made a covenant before the Lord
that they would follow him
and observe his ordinances,
statutes and decrees
with their whole hearts and souls,
thus reviving the terms of the
covenant
which were written in this book.
And all the people stood as
participants in the covenant.
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Commentary on 2 Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3
This passage chronicles the reign
of King Josiah, who followed King Manasseh, who had reigned for 55 years and
had done evil in the eyes of the Lord, following “abominable practices” (2 Kings 21:2ff). King
Josiah had ordered the gifts of precious metals given to the temple to be
melted down, and paid out to workmen who repaired the temple. During this
renovation, the book of the law was rediscovered, and the people were brought
back to the faith through the reaffirmation of the covenant. The
historical ebb and flow of faith in Israel continues.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:33,
34, 35, 36, 37, 40
R. (33a) Teach
me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of
your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
R. Teach me the way of your
decrees, O Lord.
Give me discernment, that I may
observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees,
O Lord.
Lead me in the path of your
commands,
for in it I delight.
R. Teach me the way of your
decrees, O Lord.
Incline my heart to your decrees
and not to gain.
R. Teach me the way of your
decrees, O Lord.
Turn away my eyes from seeing what
is vain:
by your way give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your
decrees, O Lord.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your
decrees, O Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40
The strophes selected from this
very long psalm focus on the fidelity of the singer to the “ordinances,
statutes and decrees” of the Law, in direct reference to the communal lament
offered in 2 Kings 22. Psalm 119 is an individual lament
asking for God’s support in times of difficulty.
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Gospel: Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come
to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from
thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good
fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good
fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good
fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know
them.”
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Commentary on Mt 7:15-20
In this section of the Sermon on
the Mount, Jesus warns against people claiming to be God’s messengers, but
whose message goes against God’s commands. Jesus uses an analogy of the fruit
produced by various plants as a way to test the authenticity of those who claim
to come in God’s name. He tells them that the product, or result, of the words
offered by a self-proclaimed messenger will identify them. In his time, this
was probably another warning about the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees,
who placed self-serving demands upon the people.
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Reflection:
Between February 28 and April 19,
1993, a great tragedy occurred in Waco Texas at the compound of a religious
group called the Branch Davidians. A charismatic leader named David Koresh was
able to convince a large group of people that he was from God and was leading
them to God. The fruits of his teaching tell us what he truly was. On November
18, 1978 in a place commonly known as Jonestown in Guyana, a charismatic
religious leader named Jimmy Jones lead 913 men women and children to mass
suicide claiming that he was leading them to God. The fruits of his teaching
identified him clearly.
If we believe that the warning from
the Lord repeated in sacred scripture regarding false teachers can be lightly
taken because we have two thousand years of history and understanding to
fortify us against those who might lead us down the wrong path, all we need to
do is look at recent history. If we believe that, because we have Saints like
those whom we memorialize this day, who fought the battles to defeat challenges
to Church teaching throughout history, we are free from those who would twist
the word of God to their own purposes, then look at the present day. Look at
the saga of Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda who died in 2013. He was building a
financial empire based in Miami predicated upon the idea that he himself was
the incarnation of God, and people believed him!
The words of Jesus come rushing
upon us today. We are reminded that we base our hope and trust on those whose
fruits are clearly seen. The Church, for all her faults, is an on-going force
for good in the world. Her message of the Risen Lord, justice for the poor and
love for all mankind is what we look at and see the fingerprints of God. Let us
take the time to inform ourselves and inform those we love about the truth, so
they too may avoid the many false prophets who come, seeming good, but whose
fruits proclaim them as messengers of darkness.
Pax
[1]
The picture used today is “Josiah” by Julius Schnorr
von Carolsfeld, c. 1850's.
[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.
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