Friday of the First Week of Lent

Optional Memorial for Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
 
Proper readings for the Memorial for St. Gregory of Narek
 
Biographical information for St. Gregory of Narek

“Saint Peter Penitent” (detail)
by Gerard van Honthorst (1592–1656)

Readings for Friday of the First Week of Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: Ezekiel 18:21-28
 
Thus says the Lord GOD:
If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,
if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him;
he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?
says the Lord GOD.
Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way
that he may live?
 
And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil,
the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does,
can he do this and still live?
None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered,
because he has broken faith and committed sin;
because of this, he shall die.
You say, “The LORD’s way is not fair!”
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if the wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed,
does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
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Commentary on Ez 18:21-28
 
The prophet Ezekiel expounds upon the concept of individual responsibility (see also 2 Kings 14:6, Jeremiah 31:29ff, and Deuteronomy 24:16). He begins this passage by saying that if an evil person turns away from their sins they will receive redemption. Speaking for God, he says that the Lord does not enjoy punishing those who disobey; rather he rejoices when repentance leads to redemption. The reading continues saying that if a virtuous person falls into sin and turns from the righteous path, that person will die because of their sin. It has been postulated that this may have been part of a liturgical rite that was an act of contrition prior to entering the temple in that it brings into consideration the code of the law and the code of holiness.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8
 
R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
 
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
 
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
 
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
Let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
 
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
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Commentary on Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8
 
Psalm 130 is a song of lament. The psalmist cries out to God to hear the voice of the one who calls, and to forgive the sins they have committed. The second verse, which is also the refrain, sums up the lament, saying that if there is no forgiveness all will fall because all have sinned.
 
CCC: Ps 130:3 370
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Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you,
unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
 
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
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Commentary on Mt 5:20-26
 
This passage is the first of six examples in St. Matthew’s Gospel of conduct demanded of the Christian disciple. The first three, including this one, take a commandment of Mosaic Law and deepen the meaning. Here the Lord takes the commandment “You shall not kill” (quoted from Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17), to a new level. He traces the logic from thought to vulgar or abusive words, to violent action. In this translation, the Greek word "raqa" is used to indicate deep insult. In this context "raqa" (Greek: ῥάκα; Aramaic: רְקָא) refers to an Aramaic term, used as a derogatory insult, signifying "empty-headed" or "worthless person." Where the Jewish law forbids the action, Christian law forbids the antecedents as well. The passage continues with the remedy for this action, and a foundation for the sacrament of reconciliation. He instructs us to be reconciled with a person with whom we have bad feelings, before coming to the altar. The consequences of failing to do so, he warns, are judgment and punishment.
 
CCC: Mt 5:20 2054; Mt 5:21-22 2054, 2257; Mt 5:21 2262, 2302; Mt 5:22-39 2262; Mt 5:22 678, 1034, 2302; Mt 5:23-24 2608, 2792, 2841, 2845; Mt 5:24 1424
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Reflection:
 
As we listen to Sacred Scripture, we can easily recall Ash Wednesday and the beginning of this Lenten season. We remember the words used when the ashes were applied: “Turn away from sin [repent] and believe in the Gospel!” Those words are repeated by Ezekiel and amplified by Christ in Matthew’s Gospel.
 
The words of repentance have, from the very earliest times, resulted in forgiveness. It is one of God’s great gifts to us. He forgives. After love, forgiveness (which is a characteristic or element of love if we really think about it) is the most obvious characteristic of the Father (who is love).
 
God’s forgiveness is not like our forgiveness. Let’s say a salesman at a store purposely overcharged us, and we discover the mistake and confront him. He says, “I’m sorry.” And we forgive him, right? But we probably don’t like him and will probably never do business with him again. In fact, we may never trade with the firm where he works again. God, on the other hand, forgives like a loving parent. He not only forgives the deed but accepts the flaw in us that allowed us to commit such an act, no matter how heinous. We hear the understanding predicted by the prophet Ezekiel:
 
If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,
if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him;
he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
 
We hear the forgiveness. We also hear that the key to forgiveness on our part is repentance (“If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed”). What Ezekiel tells us is that if we sin (we define sin as a conscious failure to love), and knowingly continue, unrepentant (this means we will probably repeat the act), we are not in a state of grace or forgiveness. We have not turned away from our sin, but away from God.
 
Jesus tells us in the Gospel that it goes even further. If we sin in our thoughts, we have committed that sin in the eyes of God. This statement binds us to vigilance and prohibits us from the hypocritical path of the Pharisees who, because of their rigid adherence to the letter of rabbinic law, felt they were somehow better than those who were not so outwardly scrupulous. We are called to a higher standard (some might say an impossible standard) of spirituality. Our thoughts and actions must coincide. What is seen must be genuine.
 
The call to repentance and the pledge of God’s forgiveness for true contrition are the connected messages we take with us today. As always, the doing is much more difficult than the saying. We pray today that we may come to true contrition through our repentance, and by doing so, come into the peace of Christ.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Saint Peter Penitent” (detail) by Gerard van Honthorst (1592–1656).
[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.