11th Week: June 13-18:
June 13 Monday: (St. Anthony of Padua, Priest, Doctor
of the Church) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-anthony-of-padua/ and
https://www.atonementfriars.org/life-st-anthony-padua/):
The context: During their captivity in Egypt, the
Jews became familiar with the crude tribal law of retaliation called Lex
Talionis (=Tit-for-Tat) given by the ancient lawmaker Hammurabi during the
period 2285-2242 BC. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus rejects even the
concession of milder retaliation allowed by Moses. In its place, Jesus gives a
new law of love and grace — and no retaliation.
“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Moses
instructed the Israelites to follow tit-for-tat retaliation, rather than to
wreak total destruction upon their enemies. That is, instead of mutilating or
murdering all the members of the offender’s family or tribe, they should
discover, then punish by an equal mutilation or harm, only the offender. Later,
a milder version of this law was substituted. It demanded monetary
compensation, as decided by a judge, in place of physical punishment. Moses
also gave the Israelites several laws commanding merciful treatment for the
enemy if he also was a Jew (e.g., Lv 19:18).
The true Christian reaction: For Jesus, retaliation, or even
limited vengeance, has no place in the Christian life. Jesus illustrates the
Christian approach by giving three examples:
Turn to him the other cheek: Striking someone on the right
cheek (with the right hand), requires striking with the back of one’s hand,
and, according to Jewish concepts, the blow inflicts more insult than pain.
Jesus instructs his followers to forgive the insult gracefully and convert the
offender. 2) “Let him have your cloak as well.” Jesus instructs his followers
that they should show more responsibility and a greater sense of duty than to
fight over possessions. 3) Go with him two miles. A Christian has the duty of
responding, even to seemingly unjust demands by helping or serving gracefully
not grudgingly. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/
)
June 14 Tuesday: Mt 5:43-48: “You have heard that it
was said, `You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to
you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may
be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil
and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you
love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors
do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing
than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be
perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect Additional reflections (Click on
these links:
https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video;https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;
https://www.epriest.com/reflections
The context: Today’s Gospel passage is perhaps the central
and the most famous section of the Sermon on the Mount. It gives us the
Christian ethic of personal relationship: love one’s enemies as well as one’s
neighbours and show one’s love for one’s enemies by forgiving them and praying
for them. Above all, it tells us that what makes Christians different is the
grace with which we interact with others, treating them with loving kindness
and mercy, especially when those others seemingly don’t deserve it. The Old Law
never said to hate enemies, but that was the way some Jews understood it. Jesus
commands that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us in
order to demonstrate that we are children of a merciful Heavenly Father. From
the cross, Jesus, living what he preached, did as he commands us to do, and
prayed for Mercy to God His Father for all of those who were responsible for
the Crucifixion – which includes all fallen humankind, and so ourselves —
saying, ‘Father forgive them; they know not what they do.’” (Lk 23:34). A
Christian has no personal enemies. If we only love our friends, we are no
different from pagans or atheists.
We need to love our neighbors and our enemies, too: The
Greek word used for loving enemies is not storge (= affection or natural love
towards family members), or philia (= friendship, love of close friends), or
eros (= romance) (passionate love between a young man and woman), but agápe (=
unconditional love) which is the invincible benevolence, or good will, for
another’s highest good. Since agápe, or unconditional love, is not natural,
practicing it is possible only with God’s help. Agápe love is a choice more
than a feeling. We choose to love our enemies because Jesus loved them enough
to die for them, and they, too, are the children of our God. We have in the Acts
of the Apostles the example of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who,
like Jesus on the cross, prayed for those who were putting him to death.
Life Messages: We are to try to be perfect, to be
like God: 1) We become perfect when we fulfill God’s purpose in creating us:
with His help, to become God-like. 2) We become perfect when, with His ongoing
help, we try to love as God loves, to forgive as God forgives and to show
unconditional good will and universal benevolence as God does. Perfection means
we are striving to live each and every moment doing God’s will, using or
cooperating with the grace of God. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 15 Wednesday: Mt 6:1-6, 16-18: “Beware of
practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will
have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give alms,
sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the
streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have
received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your
Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not
be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and
at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they
have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the
door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you. 16 “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the
hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by
men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you
fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen
by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you. Additional reflections
The context: In today’s passage from the Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus takes three cardinal works of religious life in Judaism, namely,
almsgiving, fasting, and prayer, and instructs the apostles, the crowd of
disciples, and us on the principles underlying these acts of personal piety.
Life Messages: 1) Almsgiving becomes a noble and meritorious
religious act when we give alms to others in order to bring glory to God. a) We
are to help the poor as an expression of our sharing love, in thanksgiving for
the blessings we have received from God. b) But Almsgiving becomes solely an
act of self-glorification when we do it as the Pharisees did, to demonstrate
our generosity in public and to get popular acclaim.
2) Fasting becomes a noble act pleasing to God when we do
it: a) to experience what the real hunger of the poor is, b) to help the poor
better by giving the price of what we do not eat to feed them, c) to discipline
ourselves in eating and drinking and d) to appreciate better God’s blessings of
good health, good appetite, and generous provisions. e) Fasting solely for
show, as the Pharisees did, is wrong and sinful.
3) Prayer: Prayer is opening our connection to Godby talking
to Him and listening to Him, convinced of His all-pervading holy presence
within us and all around us. a) By prayer we acknowledge our total dependence
on God, draw from Him our daily spiritual strength, and recharge our spiritual batteries
from God’s infinite power. b) Long, noisy, repetitious prayer performed in
public solely for show as the Pharisees did is no prayer at all. It is
hypocrisy. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/22
June 16 Thursday: Mt 6: 7-15:7 “And when you are
praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose
that they will be heard for their 10many words. 8 “So do not be like them; for
11your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 “12Pray, then, in this
way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ’13Your kingdom
come. 14Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 ’15Give us this day
our daily bread. 12 ‘And 16forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but 17deliver us from 18evil.
[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] 14
“19For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you. 15 “But 20if you do not forgive others, then your Father
will not forgive your transgressions. Additional reflections (Click on these
links:
https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video;https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;
https://www.epriest.com/reflections
The context: In today’s passage from the Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus instructs the crowd that they should not pray like the Gentiles,
repeating empty phrases. He means that true prayer is not so much a matter of
the number of words as of the frequency and the love with which one turns
towards God, raising one’s mind and heart to God. So, Jesus teaches them a
model prayer. Jesus’ prayer, “Our Father,” consists of two parts. In the first
part, we praise and worship God, addressing Him as our loving, caring, and
providing Heavenly Father and promising Him that we will do His holy will in
our lives, thus remaining in His kingdom. In the second part, we present our
petitions before the Triune God. First, we ask God for our present needs, food
clothing and shelter, (“give us this day our daily bread”), then for our past
needs, especially for forgiveness of our sins (“forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us”), and finally, for our future needs,
protection against the tempter and his temptations (“and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil”). In this part, we also bring the
Trinitarian God into our lives. We bring in: 1) God the Father, the Provider,
by asking for daily bread; 2) God the Son, our Savior, by asking forgiveness
for our sins; and 3) God the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, Who is our Guide,
Advocate, Comforter, and Illuminator, by asking for protection and deliverance
from evil. Special stress on the spirit of forgiveness: We are told to ask for
forgiveness from others for our offenses against them, and to offer
unconditional forgiveness to others for their offenses against us as a
condition for receiving God’s forgiveness. Jesus clarifies, “If you forgive
others their wrongs, your Father in Heaven will also forgive yours. If you do
not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either” (Mt 6:14-15).
“For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, now and
forever. Amen.”The manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew do not contain this
phrase, nor do any of the Catholic translations. Martin Luther added this
doxology to the Our Father in his translation of Matthew’s Gospel, and the King
James editions of the Biblekeep it. The doxology is actually taken from the
Divine Liturgy or Catholic Mass. Known as the final doxology, it takes up the
first three petitions to our Father. By the final “Amen,” which means, “So be
it”, we ratify what is contained in the prayer that God has taught us. Tony
(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 17 Friday: Mt 6:19-23: 19 “Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves
break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 “The eye is the
lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of
light; 23 but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of
darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
The context: Today’s Gospel passage from the Sermon on the
Mount instructs us to amass secure and lasting treasures in Heaven by a life of
righteousness on earth, doing the will of God and sharing our blessings with
the needy. Jesus uses two metaphors, one explaining the folly of keeping
perishable treasures on earth and the other of loving the darkness caused by
pride and prejudice.
The image of earthly & heavenly treasures: Man’s heart
yearns for a treasure which will give him security and lasting happiness. But
treasure in the form of riches very often gives him constant worry because
riches can be lost, destroyed or stolen, or his life may be terminated
abruptly. The only treasure which will last beyond this life is treasure stored
in Heaven. Obtaining and keeping such a treasure is possible only by lovingly
and sacrificially sharing God’s blessings with others and leading an upright
life doing the will of God with His grace.
The image of a sound eye and clear vision: Jesus compares
the human eye to a lamp which provides the body with light. St. Thomas Aquinas
in his commentary on Mathew gives the following explanation: “The eye refers to
motive. When a person wants to do something, he first forms an intention: thus,
if your intention is sound – simple and clear—that is to say, if it is directed
towards God, your whole body (that is, all your actions), will be sound,
sincerely directed towards good.” Bad eyesight is also a Biblical metaphor for
stupidity and spiritual blindness. Such blindness is caused by pride,
prejudice, jealousy, hatred, etc., which would destroy our fair judgment.
Life message: 1)Let us spend our lives here on earth doing
good for others without being blinded by pride and prejudice. Thus, we will
store up everlasting treasures in Heaven. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 18 Saturday: Mt 6. 24-34: the other, or he will
be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat
or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not
life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of
the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by
being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious
about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither
toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today
is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe
you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall
we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles
seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall
be yours as well. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the
day. !Additional reflections (Click on these links:
https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video;https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;
https://www.epriest.com/reflections The context: Today’s passage from the
Sermon on the Mount instructs us to serve God alone as our Master and to avoid
worries and anxiety by placing our trusting Faith in the providence and care of
a loving God and by living one day at a time in God’s presence, doing His will
and praying for and deriving strength from Him.
Impossibility of serving two opposed masters: Man’s ultimate
goal and Master is God and not material possessions. We cannot serve both at
the same time. Material possessions should not replace God and become gods.
They are given to us to be used as means to reach our ultimate goal, especially
by sharing them with the needy.
Jesus’ arguments against unnecessary worries: 1) Unnecessary
worries and anxiety cause spiritual, physical, and mental damages. a) Worries
and anxiety cause the spiritual disease of sin when, like pagans and atheists,
we do not trust in the goodness and providential care of a loving heavenly
Father. b) Worries and anxieties cause physical diseases like hypertension,
heart problems, respiratory diseases, insomnia, and rheumatic diseases. c) They
also cause mental diseases like depression, phobias, obsessive-compulsive
disorders and many others. 2) In nature, other creatures (like birds), work
hard for their daily food, but they do not worry about tomorrow’s food. 3)
Worry is useless because we cannot increase even an inch of our height or a day
of our lives by hours of worrying.
Life Messages: How to avoid worry: 1) Trust in the
providence of a loving God. 2) Acquire the art of living one day at a time
without worrying over the dead past, the living present, or the unknown future.
3) Seek God’s kingdom by doing His will every day and live a righteous life
obeying God’s law. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
