Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

“Demolition of the Sacred Stone of Baal”
by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1511

 
Readings for Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Judges 2:11-19
 
The children of Israel offended the Lord by serving the Baals.
Abandoning the LORD, the God of their fathers,
who led them out of the land of Egypt,
they followed the other gods of the various nations around them,
and by their worship of these gods provoked the LORD.
 
Because they had thus abandoned him and served Baal and the Ashtaroth,
the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel,
and he delivered them over to plunderers who despoiled them.
He allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies round about
whom they were no longer able to withstand.
Whatever they undertook, the LORD turned into disaster for them,
as in his warning he had sworn he would do,
till they were in great distress.
Even when the LORD raised up judges to deliver them
from the power of their despoilers,
they did not listen to their judges,
but abandoned themselves to the worship of other gods.
They were quick to stray from the way their fathers had taken,
and did not follow their example of obedience
to the commandments of the LORD.
Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge
and save them from the power of their enemies
as long as the judge lived;
it was thus the LORD took pity on their distressful cries
of affliction under their oppressors.
But when the judge died,
they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors,
following other gods in service and worship,
relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct.
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Commentary on Jgs 2:11-19
 
In this passage from the Book of Judges, the chronicler recounts how the children of Israel fell away from God and began to follow the secular worship of Baal and Ashtaroth. This led them to destruction; all they attempted turned to disaster. Even when judges (leaders of the faith) were appointed who were faithful to God and the law, the people ignored them. Even those who followed the judges who were steadfast would fall away once that particular judge died. That nothing was possible without God’s help and support is the clear teaching point of the selection.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 43ab and 44
 
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
They did not exterminate the peoples,
as the LORD had commanded them,
But mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
They became defiled by their works,
and wanton in their crimes.
And the LORD grew angry with his people,
and abhorred his inheritance.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
 
Many times did he rescue them,
but they embittered him with their counsels.
Yet he had regard for their affliction
when he heard their cry.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
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Commentary on Ps 106:34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 43ab and 44
 
Psalm 104 is a historical psalm. Here it laments the failure of the people to follow God’s instruction to remain faithful and apart from the secular society into which they had come (in actuality they were to have destroyed those societies but did not).
 
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Gospel: Matthew 19:16-22
 
A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
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Commentary on Mt 19:16-22
Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man is also captured in Mark 10:17-31. In St. Matthew’s account the young man asks Jesus what “good” he must do to attain “eternal life” (equivalent to entering into life or being saved as used in other parts of St. Matthew’s Gospel – see Matthew 19:17 and Matthew 16:25). Following the Lord’s grammatical clarification (“There is only One who is good” a statement implying only God possesses the ability to act without sin – completely good), the young man asks which commandments he must follow.
 
“The first five commandments cited are from the Decalogue (see Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20). Matthew omits Mark's "you shall not defraud" (Matthew 10:19; see Deuteronomy 24:14) and adds Leviticus 19:18. This combination of commandments of the Decalogue with Leviticus 19:18 is partially the same as Paul's enumeration of the demands of Christian morality in Romans 13:9.” [4]
 
The Lord’s concluding remarks tell the Christian community that wealth can be a barrier to achieving eternal life. This thought is continued in verses 23-30.
 
CCC: Mt 19:16-19 2052; Mt 19:16-17 2075; Mt 19:18 2400; Mt 19:21 2053
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Reflection:
 
Here is that nagging question again: “What good must I do to gain eternal life?”  It is a question, judging from history, the answer to which people and societies have not wanted.  We see that clearly in the account from the Book of Judges.  The Chronicler, as the author is called, reflects upon the weakness of the descendants of Isaac and Jacob, who were brought to the land they occupied.  God instructed them to destroy the secular cultures that were thriving in the region so future generations would not be tempted to fall away from the commandments contained in the Covenants of Sinai.  When they came to do so, they could not.  The lifestyles were seductive and the riches they encountered could not be thrown away.
 
We can imagine, on a compressed time scale what took place.  The original settlers, faithful to all God had commanded, occupied the land God had promised (except for this little thing: we can conquer this land with God’s help, but we don’t need to destroy all this good stuff, we can just ignore it).  The first generation was probably pretty faithful to the covenants and laws, but riches and all that they can buy are tempting.  Parents always want better for their children than they themselves had so they indulge their children.  The strict adherence to the Law of Moses is not what it might have been, and many second-generation Israelites did not even make a pretense of trying to follow Mosaic Law. In fact, they violated one of the cardinal commandments of the Decalogue; they participated in idol worship (Baal and Ashtaroth). 
 
Having lost sight of the precepts of their faith, adopting secular values and customs, they fell from grace and were overthrown.  Leaders, faithful to the old traditions and laws (the judges) would arise and call many back to the faith but once that leadership passed, they would revert.  It was much easier to go with the flow, as they say.  If this series of events sounds familiar, all we need to do is look around at what is happening in the world today.
 
Jesus called the young man to place his faith before material goods and the comfort that goes along with it in the story about the young man who begged: “what good must I do to gain eternal life?”  He knew that with possessions came responsibility.  One cannot own something, even an inanimate object, without it commanding responsibility from the owner.  Anything that detracts from one’s responsibility to God places a barrier between that person and eternal life.
 
The parallels between this situation and what has happened historically to people of faith is obvious.  It goes in cycles seemingly.  When the Holy See in Rome gained ascendancy and the Latin church gained so many members that it was seen (by secular sources) as a political power, some of those at the very top of the structure were tempted beyond their ability to refrain from the abuses of power, and the Holy Mother Church, for a time, was thrown into disarray.  Great lions of the faith appeared: St. Francis of Assisi, St. Gregory, and St. Benedict; and the age of monasticism brought a return to fundamental values.
 
The religious orders grew, became wealthy and were themselves in need of reform.  Always it is the same.  With wealth and power, there is overwhelming temptation to be dominated by the power that comes with material wealth.
 
In more recent years the Church has seen the effect power has had in some of the most fervent of the faithful.  Speaking for the United States, we see vividly a system that has departed more and more from traditional Christian values, first with the judiciary, betraying its humanist values by striking down laws the democratic forum had enacted (e.g., codifying the definition of marriage).  Then we see the administration abrogating the long sacred “freedom of religion” precepts, forcing religious institutions to adopt practices that go against the beliefs they hold.
 
We wonder how history will judge this generation as it appears to follow the evolution of Roman and Greek cultures down the spiral of decadence?
 
While it is tempting, we had best not pass judgment on those who have apparently fallen into the same trap as the young man who “went away sad, for he had many possessions.”  We must look to ourselves and see our own temptations, our own failings.  As always, we have faith that if we truly seek Christ, we will find him beckoning us to him.  His forgiveness and love are always available to those who recognize their own sin and ask for his forgiveness.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Demolition of the Sacred Stone of Baal” by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1511.
[2] S.S Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, except for 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] NAB note on Matthew 18-19.