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“The Last Judgment”
by Lucas van Leyden, 1526 |
Readings for Friday of the
Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem
Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Romans 7:18-25a
Brothers and sisters:
I know that good does not
dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.
The willing is ready at hand,
but doing the good is not.
For I do not do the good I
want,
but I do the evil I do not
want.
Now if I do what I do not
want, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me.
So, then, I discover the
principle
that when I want to do right,
evil is at hand.
For I take delight in the law
of God, in my inner self,
but I see in my members
another principle
at war with the law of my
mind,
taking me captive to the law
of sin that dwells in my members.
Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this
mortal body?
Thanks be to God through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Commentary on Rom 7:18-25a
This passage
outlines the internal struggle between our physical instincts and our spiritual
discipline. Our body’s desires are for
things which are, in some cases, morally evil.
These impulses are held in check through the grace given to us by Christ
Jesus and the indwelling Holy Spirit. St. Paul continues his existential
apologia about over-dependence on the letter of the law: “Persons who do not
experience the justifying grace of God, and Christians who revert to dependence
on law as the criterion for their relationship with God, will recognize a rift
between their reasoned desire for the goodness of the law and their actual
performance that is contrary to the law. Unable to free themselves from the
slavery of sin and the power of death, they can only be rescued from defeat in
the conflict by the power of God's grace working through Jesus Christ.” [4]
CCC: Rom 7 1963; Rom 7:16 1963; Rom 7:22 1995; Rom 7:23 2542
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94
R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me wisdom and
knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.
R. Lord, teach me your
statutes.
You are good and bountiful;
teach me your statutes.
R. Lord, teach me your
statutes.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to
your servants.
R. Lord, teach me your
statutes.
Let your compassion come to
me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, teach me your
statutes.
Never will I forget your precepts,
for through them you give me
life.
R. Lord, teach me your
statutes.
I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your
precepts.
R. Lord, teach me your
statutes.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94
In ironic
counterpoint to St. Paul’s discourse about the need to be dependent upon the
spirit rather than the letter of the law (Romans 7:18-25a), this passage from Psalm 119 give thanks for the law and
rejoices in its structure as a saving grace.
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Gospel: Luke 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowds,
“When you see a cloud rising
in the west
you say immediately that it
is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the
wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to
be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the
appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to
interpret the present time?
“Why do you not judge for
yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent
before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the
matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will
turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over
to the constable,
and the constable throw you
into prison.
I say to you, you will not be
released
until you have paid the last
penny.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on:Lk 12:54-59
The
Lord continues his reflection on the end times (the Parousia) and
using the analogy of seeing what weather will come based upon the direction of
the wind, he asks the people if they cannot see the signs of the coming of the kingdom
of God. Applying the image of an impending court date, at which time a judge
will pass a sentence, he urges the people to reconcile themselves with the
Lord. Using the urgency generated by the uncertainty of the hour of that call
to judgment, he exhorts the crowd to order their lives now, and do not delay.
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
St. Paul sets the tone for us
today. In his Letter to the Romans, he
gets into a very deep apologia about how the Law of Moses actually defines
right and wrong, and therefore opens the door to sin by so defining it. Those who study Aristotelian syllogistic
logic and modern symbolic logic would have loved that argument postulated in
classical Greek forms.
For us, however, we look at a
much more practical application of that same kind of logic. As Christians we are defined by the language
and logic of Christ. The concepts he
taught go against modern norms surrounding some important concepts. Let’s take the Lord’s definition of
leadership for example. In his day,
political leaders ruled with an iron fist.
There was no democracy, no benevolent governance. There were rules and armies to enforce those
rules, and the leaders lived in lavish comfort, usually having attained their
posts through ruthless dealings with their competitors.
Christ taught his disciples
to lead through service, telling them that the greatest among them would be the
servant of the rest. This is a complete
inversion of the view of leadership in his day (and to a large degree, ours).
Let’s also look at how the
Lord defines victory or success. It is
not as the world counts success. His
victory was the baptism of his passion.
It is his great suffering, sacrifice, and ultimate crucifixion that
marked his victory. By the standards of
his day (and ours) that would have seemed a defeat, but in dying he destroyed
death for those who love him, and fulfilled the plan God had set in motion from
the beginning of time.
St. Paul drives a good
argument as he twists the logic of his opponents. As he so eloquently points out: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our
Lord.” In Jesus we have found the
hope and reality of salvation through the forgiveness of our sins and new life
in his resurrection.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “The Last Judgment” by Lucas van Leyden, 1526.
[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]
NAB footnote on Romans 7:18ff.
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