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| “The Kiss of Judas” by an UNKNOWN Italian Master, 1300-50 |
Reading 1: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Brothers and sisters:
As your fellow workers, we
appeal to you
not to receive the grace of
God in vain.
For he says:
In an acceptable time I heard
you,
and on the day of salvation I
helped you.
Behold, now is a very
acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of
salvation.
We cause no one to stumble in
anything,
in order that no fault may be
found with our ministry;
on the contrary, in
everything we commend ourselves
as ministers of God, through
much endurance,
in afflictions, hardships,
constraints,
beatings, imprisonments, riots,
labors, vigils, fasts;
by purity, knowledge,
patience, kindness,
in the Holy Spirit, in
unfeigned love, in truthful speech,
in the power of God;
with weapons of righteousness
at the right and at the left;
through glory and dishonor,
insult and praise.
We are treated as deceivers
and yet are truthful;
as unrecognized and yet
acknowledged;
as dying and behold we live;
as chastised and yet not put
to death;
as sorrowful yet always
rejoicing;
as poor yet enriching many;
as having nothing and yet
possessing all things.
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Commentary on 2 Cor 6:1-10
St. Paul’s main
message in this passage is to encourage Christians to remain steadfast as he
and his companions have done. He describes nine different trials they have
encountered (“afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings, imprisonments,
riots, labors, vigils, fasts) and provides a litany of seven contrasting
negative external perceptions with positive internal spiritual realities
(virtues). The passage concludes (v. 8-10) with the first of seven accusations
the Apostle makes against his detractors, essentially refuting any challenge to
his authority as an authentic teacher of the Gospel.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 98:1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd-4
R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous
deeds;
His right hand has won
victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known
his salvation.
In the sight of the nations
he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his
kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel
R. The Lord has made known
his salvation.
All the ends of the earth
have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD,
all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known
his salvation.
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Commentary on Ps 98:1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd-4
Psalm 98 is a
song of praise and thanksgiving. We sing
a hymn of thanksgiving for God’s saving presence. In this selection God is
praised for the strength he lends his people and the salvation he brings to
those who are faithful. It is also a song of victory that is attributed to the
Lord, and one of awe for the deeds he has done on behalf of his people. The
final strophes invite all the earth to join in praising God for his mercy and
justice.
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Gospel: Matthew 5:38-42
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it
was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth
for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no
resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on
your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as
well.
If anyone wants to go to law
with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into
service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of
you,
and do not turn your back on
one who wants to borrow."
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Commentary on Mt 5:38-42
Jesus quotes
Mosaic Law from Leviticus 24:20. The Old Testament commandment was meant
to moderate vengeance. The punishment was not to exceed the injury done. Jesus
forbids even this proportionate retaliation, rejecting physical revenge
completely: “turn the other one to him as well.” He goes further with
four additional examples, saying that the Christian is not to resist litigation
but to offer more than is asked, offer more service than what is asked, and
loan to others who wish to borrow. With these examples, the Lord shows how it
must be between those who follow him to the Kingdom of God. The Lord redefines
the term “neighbor” who was traditionally held to be one’s countryman. Jesus
extends his commandment, to “love your neighbor,” even to enemies and those who
persecute. In doing so, Jesus once more broadens the invitation to follow him
to include not just the Jewish people, but all peoples.
CCC: Mt 5:42 2443
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Reflection:
We marvel at the ancient
wisdom passed down to us as Jesus reinterprets the Law of Moses. So many times, he tells us that the only way
to have communion with him and his Father is to love him first and then to love
others who are also his adopted children.
It all comes together in a very consistent way.
If we love another, not just
for something they can give us, but for what we can share, then we must forgive
them when they violate that mutual covenant of love. If we do not, if we hold on to the hurt, the
betrayal, or the insult, we are not hurting the other person nearly as much as
we are hurting ourselves. There is a
direct relationship between the depth of love and trust we have shared and the
amount of forgiveness we must be willing to extend to the other person. There is also a direct correlation between
the amount of love and trust in which the other person was held and the
difficulty we find in extending forgiveness.
But the Lord knows; he tells
us that we must forgive. When we hold
onto those hurts, we do intense harm to ourselves. If we cannot let it go, we will not be able
to accept the peace of Christ. We have
placed a huge barrier between ourselves and the Lord, who is love itself. In many cases we must hold this injury up to
the light of Christ and ask ourselves what it is that is causing us such
pain. Is it that the person has truly
sought to hurt us? Or is it perhaps that
they are merely inconsiderate; they did not realize the depth of the betrayal
we perceived.
Regardless of reasons, our
God commands that we forgive. He
commands that we offer up our hurts, betrayals and insults to him; who was
betrayed by his closest friend, insulted by the people he came to save, and
murdered for the love he bore.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “The Kiss of Judas” by an UNKNOWN Italian Master, 1300-50.
[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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