11th Week: June 17-22:
June 17 Monday: 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:
1)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 18 Tuesday: Mt 5:43-48: 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 neighbors, 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 us 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, praying to God His Father for
Mercy 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 selfless 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
June 19 Wednesday: [Saint Romuald, Abbot]:
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) But fasting solely for
show, as the Pharisees did, is wrong and sinful.
3) Prayer: Prayer is opening our connection to
God by 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) But long, noisy,
repetitious prayer performed in public solely for show as the Pharisees did is
no prayer at all. It is hypocrisy. Tony
June 20 Thursday: Mt 6:7-15: Mt 6: 7-15:
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 asking Him to help us
to do His Holy Will in our lives as obediently and lovingly as His Will is done
in Heaven and, thus, to remain 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 Bible keep 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.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 21 Friday: 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, and 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 22 Saturday: [Saint Paulinus of Nola,
Bishop; Saints John Fisher, Bishop: and Thomas
More, Martyrs] 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 other ills 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/)
