Daily Bible Reflections
for June 18, 2012;

Dear Friend,

Carry the Lord in your heart this Monday!

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez

18
 June
Monday
TODAY'S READINGS:

DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE

 

FIGHT INJUSTICE WITH LOVE
 
“If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.” – Matthew 5:40
 
In Jesus’ time, when a man loaned something from his neighbor, he would have to give his tunic as collateral. But the tunic would have to be given back to him at night so that he wouldn’t freeze in the cold. Oftentimes, the tunic was not returned. In order to fight this injustice, Jesus suggests that the borrower give his cloak as well in order to shame the lender into realizing his unjust act. Jesus was teaching the people to fight injustice with loving acts.
Nelson Mandela, an opposition leader in South Africa in the 1960s, was imprisoned and persecuted by the majority white government for his fight against apartheid — the political and economic separation of blacks and whites. But when he was released 27 years later, he was the first to reach out his hand to reconcile with his persecutors and actively worked for a coalition government between blacks and whites. He eventually became the first black president of South Africa.
The love we show in the midst of our persecutions can bring about the change we need in our society. Jay Catral (jaycatral@yahoo.com)
 
REFLECTION:
Are you being persecuted? What act of love can you do in order to point out the injustice?
 
Lord, we pray for the wisdom to show Your love and justice. Amen.
 
Venerable Matt Talbot, pray for us.
 

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COMPANION

 

1ST READING
 
What makes the rich want to get even richer? There is only so much money a person can use and, let me warn you now, the more you have, the greater the responsibility to use it not for yourself but for others. It may not be explicitly stated in the Gospel but love demands that if you have excess for your needs then you cannot really consider such wealth truly your own.
 
1 Kings 21:1-16
1 Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria, 2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden, since it is close by, next to my house. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or, if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.” Naboth answered him, 3 “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage.” 4 Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him: “I will not give you my ancestral heritage.” Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat. 5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so angry that you will not eat?” 6 He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’ But he refused to let me have his vineyard.” 7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed! Get up. Eat and be cheerful. I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and, having sealed them with his seal, sent them to the elders and to the nobles who lived in the same city with Naboth. 9 This is what she wrote in the letters: “Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 Next, get two scoundrels to face him and accuse him of having cursed God and king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 His fellow citizens — the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city — did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing, through the letters she had sent them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people. 13 Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation, “Naboth has cursed God and king.” And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent the information to Jezebel that Naboth had been stoned to death. 15 When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Go on, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you, because Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 On hearing that Naboth was death, Ahab started off on his way down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
 
P S A L M
 
Psalm 5:2-3, 4-6, 6-7
R: Lord, listen to my groaning.
1 [2] Hearken to my words, O Lord, attend to my sighing. 2 [3] Heed my call for help, my king and my God! (R) 3 [4] At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you. 4 [5] For you, O God, delight not in wickedness; no evil man remains with you; 5 [6] the arrogant may not stand in  your sight. (R) You hate all evildoers. You destroy all who speak falsehood; 6 [7] The bloodthirsty and the deceitful the Lord abhors. (R)
 
GOSPEL
 
Vengeance is not Christian. Neither is it really Jewish. The interpreters of the law made it impossible for the state to sanction the killing of people for their crimes. The option of locking people up in order to protect society from criminal acts is the only moral road to take. If this is impossible to do, then perhaps there is room to consider capital punishment. Let us seek to avoid taking lives as we can never be sure that the guilty one is the one we are punishing.
 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path.
 
Matthew 5:38-42
38 Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 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. 40 If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. 41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
 
READING 2nd READING
think: The more you have, the greater the responsibility to use it not for yourself, but for others.
 
 
T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________
 
_______________________________________________________
 
God’s special verse/thought for me today________________
_________________________________________________________
 
READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Kings 13-15    

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SABBATH

 

A RADICAL CALLING
 
There is no doubt that to follow Jesus faithfully requires us to make many radical decisions in our lives. The Sermon on the Mount, of which today’s Gospel is a part, is Matthew’s presentation of the New Law. The Old Law, the Ten Commandments, was received by Moses atop Mount Sinai. Matthew has Jesus climbing a mountain in order to proclaim the Beatitudes and these new understandings of how people are supposed to relate to one another.
In the text we read today, Jesus reminds us that seeking revenge is not an option for Christians. Forgiveness is the way to deal with disagreements and hurts. This teaching is merely an example where we see Jesus shift the focus from one’s self to the other person. It is too easy for morality to reduce itself to a self-focused reality when, if we want to live in the Spirit of the Gospel, we should be teaching ourselves how to live for others and not just ourselves. Generosity is a key foundation stone of the Gospel that Jesus proclaims. This truth is nowhere more evident in His choice to lay down His life on the cross.
To be a disciple of Jesus means that we have to embrace all sorts of painful experiences as we learn to follow His footsteps. Even Jesus is repulsed by this idea and has to struggle to accept that He will endure the cross in obedience to His Father’s will. The reason Jesus has to endure suffering is so that we who suffer would find both comfort and credibility in the promise of eternal life. If God just sat in heaven and told us not to worry about the struggles of life because all will be well in the end, there would be little credibility to His words. However, having endured suffering Himself, the words of Jesus are far more convincing in this respect. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
 
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How do you understand suffering in you life? Can you see its redemptive value?
 
Holy Spirit, help me to see the redemptive value of suffering. Strengthen me to endure the trials in my life in order to follow Jesus more faithfully.
 

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