12th Week, Thursday, June 23
2 Kings 24:8-17 / Matthew 7:21-29
Babylon attacks Judah the first time: Many Jews were led into exile.
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Do we sometimes become complacent because we are God’s
people? How ready are we to reform when we see that things in our lives stand
in need of reform? “When we lay our sins at the feet of God, it feels as if we
have taken wings.” Eugenie de Guerin (adapted)
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The word "rebellion" means an act of violent or
open resistance to an established government or ruler. In the Old Testament, we
see this happening countless of times and the price that was paid for it. The people of God rebelled against God
insistently despite God sending prophet after prophet to call them to
repentance. Because of that, the
Northern Kingdom of Israel was annihilated in 721BC, and yet the kingdom of
Judah thought it would never happen to them.
But in the 1st reading, we heard how the Babylonians finally took Jerusalem
and sent the king and the nobles and the skilled workers into exile to Babylon. Yet the lesson was not learnt and later the
Temple of Solomon was eventually razed to the ground, with not even one stone
on another. So are we learning anything from this lesson? We have to be aware
that rebellion lurks in our hearts and we want to be independent and free from
any obligations to God. Listening to the Word of God and acting on it means to
be obedient to the will of God. We will
certainly remember what Samuel told Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22-23 Is the pleasure
of the Lord God in holocausts and sacrifices or in obedience to the Lord
God? Yes, obedience is better than sacrifice, submissiveness better than the
fat of rams. Rebellion is the sin of sorcery, presumption a crime of
teraphim. Let us pray that we will build our lives on the rock of God's
love and follow His ways and do His will.
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Thursday of 12th Week of Ordinary Time
DOING THE FATHER’S WILL
Introduction The last kings of Judah did not seek
God’s kingdom and lost their earthly kingdom. “Not those who say, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the kingdom, but one who does the will of my Father.” We are
familiar with Jesus’ words, but do we follow them? Do we build on rock, that
is, follow Jesus, or do we follow ourselves and our whims and so build on sand?
Opening Prayer Lord our God, your Son Jesus Christ
challenges us to honor you not only with our lips but also in our hearts and
with our deeds. Help us to respond to his word with all that is in us and with
him to seek your will in all we do. Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
Commentary In today’s reading from Kings, one of the
saddest chapters in the history of God’s people is recounted. The previous
invasion of the Assyrians had taught Israel a sad lesson, but with the coming
of the Babylonians a century or so later, every shade of past glory vanished.
The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, attacked and destroyed Jerusalem, deported
its citizens, including the king, his mother, and the royal entourage. The
temple and palace treasuries were pillaged and thousands of Jews deported.
Imperial power may explain some of this; religious infidelity, much more. The
lesson of today’s Gospel is well illustrated in the sixth- century fall of
Jerusalem. It is not sufficient to invoke the Lord’s name with the idea of
manipulating his will. Nor is it sufficient to go through the motions of
religious cult. It is only the house built on solid rock that survives. This
had been the message of the prophets for centuries, but the warning had not
been heeded. Nothing in life that is valuable lasts without attention. No
lasting goal is attained without effort. The Israelites learned the hard way
that there is no sure and easy way to survive. There is a lesson here for all
of us. We ignore it to our own grief.
Points to Ponder The biblical reason for Jerusalem’s
fall
Those who say “Lord, Lord”
The house was built on rock.
Intercessions
– That we may not just hear and know the word of God but act
accordingly and enthusiastically, we pray:
– That the Lord may be the rock in whom we put our trust and
on whom we build our lives, that our faith may be rich and meaningful, we pray:
– That our friendships may be firm and reliable, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, this bread and this wine are signs that we
want to do your will. Give us your Son to go with us the loyal road to you and
to people. For you are our God for ever and ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, our rock, we want to build our lives on you by the
power of Jesus your Son. Through him, make us strong enough to keep on our feet
when the rains of sorrow come, and the floods of trials rise, and when the
storm winds of doubt and fear blow in us, for you are our firm rock for ever.
Blessing
We want our life to be meaningful, to give direction to it.
Let it be the direction given to it by God, by Jesus and his gospel. Let us
with Jesus seek God’s will in all we do, for then we are sure our life is built
on rock, solid and consistent. May God fill you with his blessing: the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
