 |
“Hell”
by Hans Memling, c. 1485 |
Readings
for Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings
from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and
Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Sirach 5:1-8 [4]
Rely
not on your wealth;
say
not: “I have the power.”
Rely
not on your strength
in
following the desires of your heart.
Say
not: “Who can prevail against me?”
or,
“Who will subdue me for my deeds?”
for
God will surely exact the punishment.
Say
not: “I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?”
for
the Most High bides his time.
Of
forgiveness be not overconfident,
adding
sin upon sin.
Say
not: “Great is his mercy;
my
many sins he will forgive.”
For
mercy and anger alike are with him;
upon
the wicked alights his wrath.
Delay
not your conversion to the LORD,
put
it not off from day to day.
For
suddenly his wrath flames forth;
at
the time of vengeance you will be destroyed.
Rely
not upon deceitful wrath,
for
it will be no help on the day of wrath.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Sir
5:1-8
Sirach condemns those who presume upon the Lord’s mercy and
forgiveness. He points out that wealth in itself is not evil, but the sense of
self-reliance and power that comes with wealth is the real danger. Those who
presume that, because they are wealthy and powerful, they do not need to follow
God’s laws are doomed to reap the punishment of the God of Justice. They must
repent and turn away from their conceit, or find it is too late. Here “on
the day of wrath” refers to reversals in fortune or even death.
CCC: Sir 5:2 1809
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed
the man who follows not
the
counsel of the wicked
Nor
walks in the way of sinners,
nor
sits in the company of the insolent,
But
delights in the law of the LORD
and
meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope
in the Lord.
He
is like a tree
planted
near running water,
That
yields its fruit in due season,
and
whose leaves never fade.
Whatever
he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who
hope in the Lord.
Not
so the wicked, not so;
they
are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For
the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but
the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who
hope in the Lord.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Ps
1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Psalm 1 serves as a preface to the whole book of the psalms. The
psalmist here exalts those who follow the Lord’s commands and reflects upon the
blessings they will receive. As in Romans 6:19ff, this
selection emphasizes the contrast between the salvation of the just and the
punishment of the wicked.
This wisdom psalm begins by extolling the virtue of those who
follow the law. The focus is to look to God for guidance, and not to trust only
in the counsel of men. Those who reject the law will be blown away like
“chaff,” an image used in the Gospel as well (Matthew 3:12).
This portion of the psalm is later echoed in Isaiah 48:17-19, like an
overlapped formula of covenant. Blessed is the man who “delights in the
law day and night,” but “the way of the wicked vanishes.” It also takes up the
theme of following right paths and staying true to the teachings of God: “Blessed
the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of
sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of
the Lord and meditates on his law day and night.”
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 9:41-50
Jesus
said to his disciples:
“Anyone
who gives you a cup of water to drink
because
you belong to Christ,
amen,
I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
“Whoever
causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it
would be better for him if a great millstone
were
put around his neck
and
he were thrown into the sea.
If
your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It
is better for you to enter into life maimed
than
with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into
the unquenchable fire.
And
if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It
is better for you to enter into life crippled
than
with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And
if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better
for you to enter into the Kingdom
of God with one eye
than
with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where
their worm does not die, and the fire is
not quenched.
“Everyone
will be salted with fire.
Salt
is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with
what will you restore its flavor?
Keep
salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Mk
9:41-50
In
this passage, Jesus finishes his warning to the disciples against jealousy and
intolerance toward others. Having said that, he warns that those who call
people to faith in him, even if they do not walk with the disciples, are
friends. He speaks of those who would lead the people away from him, again
using the “little child” as a symbol of the weak in spirit and the poor. Those
that mislead, or who are tempted to do so, should resist such temptation at any
price, or they will find an eternal punishment waiting for them. The Lord makes
this warning using a paraphrase from Isaiah 66:24.
“The Fathers see, in these references to hands and eyes and so
forth [vv. 43-48], people who are persistent in evil and ever-ready to entice
others to evil behavior and erroneous beliefs. These are the people we should
distance ourselves from, so as to enter life, rather than accompany them to
hell (St Augustine, "De Consensu Evangelistarum", IV, 16; St John
Chrysostom, "Hom. on St Matthew", 60).” [5]
The final verse speaks of salt, using the analogy of purifying and
preserving food. The word of Christ will have the same effect, that is,
purifying and preserving the believer.
CCC: Mk 9:43-48 1034
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The
words of Sirach and the Psalm are certainly in synch with each other, pointing
out that the values of the faithful must be placed on spiritual things rather
than material wealth. Even the Gospel chimes in, speaking about the
consequences of getting it wrong, as the Lord talks about avoiding temptation
(“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it
off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go
into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire”).
There
are those who would say that Holy Scripture, properly used should always be
“uplifting.” Today instead, we get a reality check. When we hear that God will
deal harshly with the unjust rich, those who covet their wealth and ignore the
plight of those less fortunate, we are forced to examine our own circumstances.
We, who live in the richest nation on earth, must constantly be vigilant not to
allow wealth to become the motive for what we do. As Scripture points out,
there are unpleasant consequences.
It
is easy to fall into that trap of serving wealth instead of God. Our society
praises those who are able to gain great wealth. Likewise, society tends to
turn a blind eye on those who abuse that wealth and the power that comes with
it. Our children are exposed to these misguided values (“whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it
would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he
were thrown into the sea”).and it is sometimes tempting to rationalize that,
by focusing on the accumulation of wealth, we can do more good with the money
we hoard.
Look
at the transcripts from the recent exchange between corporate executives of the
oil companies and the Senate Energy Committee. When asked how they could
continue to justify huge profits while the people are suffering because of high
gas prices, their responses were that they are forcing the country to become
better at conserving energy resources. Even a firm believer in the free
enterprise system would agree that sometimes greed gets out of hand.
The
Gospel mandate is clear. While we are called to use the gifts God gives us to
provide for ourselves and our families, we must constantly be on guard against
allowing our search for prosperity override the need to express God’s love to
those with less. Our prayer today is a simple one: God help the prosperity of
the work of our hands for your greater glory and may what we do help those less
fortunate, that they too might know their loving Father and His Son, Jesus
Pax
[1]
The icon is “Hell” by Hans Memling, c. 1485.
[2]
S.S. Commemoratio[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.
[4]
Note: The citation for this reading is incorrect in the published index of the
Lectionary for Mass.
[5]
The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, ©
2002, p. 274.
No comments:
Post a Comment