Tag: commandments

“No other commandment greater than these.” | Friday of the Third Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, I would feed them with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 12:28-34, today’s readings)

Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

There was nothing new in Jesus’ response to the scribe’s question, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” In reciting part of the Shema, still a part of daily Jewish prayer, Jesus focuses on worship of the Lord alone and the command to love him. Alongside this, Jesus brings the love of the first commandment into the second: love of neighbor as oneself. The two go together, extending God’s love of his people and making it central as the foundation of all human relationships. Jesus makes clear that willing the good of the other comes through knowledge of the Father’s love for us—he loved us first—which allows us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

God, let me take in and live out the very same words Jesus spoke to the scribe. To love you with all my heart and soul and mind and strength seems an unattainable commandment, even more so to love others as I love myself. Yet, let me see the wisdom in the scribe’s response. You alone are the Lord, and to follow these two commandments “is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices”; that is, worth more—infinitely more—than any other thing or person or ideal that I might make into an idol. Lord, you say through Hosea, to say no more to the work of my hands, “Our god.” Give me the grace to receive your gift of love and give it away for the sake of your glory. “I have humbled him,” you say, “but I will prosper him.” Feed me, Lord, in my shortcomings; feed me with the best of your gifts, and fill me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” | Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:17-19, today’s readings)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.”

Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that to break the commandments is to step away from God’s love but to keep the commandments and teach others to keep them is to remain in his love. This same source of love came from God, when he gave the commandments to Moses for the sake of the Israelites “so that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. . . . to [teach] your children and to your children’s children.” Jesus, the Word of God, points to God’s commandments and is the giver of all that is just and good.

God, broaden my understanding of who Jesus is in relation to the law, to the commandments. He did not come to overturn or destroy but to bring them to fulfillment. The commandments are your gift given to humanity and at the same time spoken into the hearts of each person you call by name. Give me the grace, Lord, to know in my heart that Jesus is the ultimate Word spoken and that he calls us to everlasting life with you. The Gospel acclamation is “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.” Jesus, living Word of God, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Let your “Yes” mean “Yes,” and your “No” mean “No.” | Saturday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. You are my inheritance, O Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:33-37)

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.”

Jesus continues instructing the disciples in the ways of God and not man. The teachings extend and transcend Old Testament laws. The law that refers to making a false oath then says “but make good to the Lord all that you vow.” All that we would swear by, whether heaven or earth, is God’s and God’s alone. Jesus suggests that the words of God are as far apart from human words as heaven is from earth. While we are able to talk of heads and the black or white hair on top of them, our words do nothing to change that. While we are able to say the word heaven, it is God’s throne and not ours to swear by. By letting our yes mean yes and our no mean no, we follow Jesus’ teachings as responsible people who recognize our limits and place our intentions parallel to God’s will, grounding them in his truth.

God, with you at the center I have no need of any other vow to support my intentions; there is only your will to be recognized and accomplished. Free from obstructive conditions I am able to follow your Son, free from sin and safe from all distress I am able to participate fully in the sacraments of the Church. Committed to your will, give me the grace to live without fear of how things will turn out. Grant me the fortitude to say yes or no courageously and desire to have you at my right hand. Mary said it first: “Let it be done to me according to your word.” Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“. . . and the last will be first.” | Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:28-31)

Peter began to say to Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.”

Picking up from where yesterday’s Gospel left off, today’s passage begins as Peter responds to Jesus’ teaching about selling material possessions, giving to the poor, and only then following him to enter the kingdom of God here and now, and to be a partaker of eternal life. Peter affirms that he has given up everything for the sake of the Gospel and for Jesus, who then reveals something of the reward awaiting him in heaven: “there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters . . . who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.” In teaching that “many that are first will be last, and the last will be first,” Jesus encourages us to trust in God’s fidelity and promises and emphasizes the ultimate reward of eternal life in the age to come.

God, help me keep in mind Peter’s response to Jesus and to his encounter with the rich man: “We have given up everything and followed you,” Peter said. Having followed Jesus for the rest of his life, Peter trusted and hoped in the Lord. This is the same man who would later write these words of encouragement as our first pope: “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“You are lacking in one thing.” | Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:17-27)

Jesus, looking at [the man], loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

While Jesus is on a journey with the disciples, a man approaches him and wishes to know what he needs to do to gain eternal life. He tells the man to follow the commandments and lists them. The man responds, saying that he has done all these things since he was young. Sell everything you own, Jesus tells him, and give the money to the poor, and then come follow me so that you will have treasure in heaven. At this, the man goes away. After seeing the sadness in the man’s face as he walks away, Jesus tells the disciples how hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples are astonished by this. “Who then can be saved?” they ask Jesus. He looks around at them and says, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” What are the things we hold onto that keep us from storing up treasure in heaven?

God, help me be attentive in obedience to your will, and give me the wisdom to know the limits of material wealth and the depth and breadth of my complete dependence on you for holiness. Jesus, as you said to the man who approached you, tell me also in what way I am lacking. Help me see this. You alone are the Lord; you alone make possible what is impossible for me. “Then who can be saved?” the disciples ask Jesus. Direct me, Lord, with your gifts of the Holy Spirit so that I know the path to my salvation and have the fortitude to follow it. Saint Augustine of Canterbury, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“The Lord our God is Lord alone!” | Friday of the Third Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “‘If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, I would feed them with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them.’ I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 12:28-34)

Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

In response to the scribe’s question, “Which is the first of all the commandments”? Jesus replies with the Shema Yisrael, a prayer read aloud in Jesus’ time and still recited by Jewish people today. The second, Jesus tells the scribe, is love of neighbor. When the scribe agreed with Jesus, saying, “Well said, teacher,” Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” Today’s Communion antiphon summarizes the Gospel passage, where the scribe’s words complement those of Jesus perfectly: “To love God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself is worth more than any sacrifice.”

God, help me stop for just a moment to anticipate all that I will encounter today in light of two commandments: to love you with all my heart, understanding, and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. These two commandments encompass every decision I will make today. Give me the grace to remember these commandments and to hold myself accountable to them. As I move throughout the day, choosing the way that I should go, let me call to mind the words of Hosea: “Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“The Kingdom of God has come upon you.” | Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

From the verse before the Gospel: “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, for I am gracious and merciful.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:14-23)

“But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

The language Jesus uses to describe exorcism clearly shows his divine identity and connection with the Father. Even more, by giving evil a name, Beelzebul, he leaves no doubt about the reality of demonic powers at large throughout the world. Although strong, Beelzebul does not have power over the undivided authority of God to cast him out. Jesus is the stronger one who overcomes him, eliminates his armor, and distributes the spoils of victory. In Christ’s initiative to unite himself to us with our free consent of the will, the Evil One’s power to divide falls to dust. Like the mute man Jesus exorcises, when we align ourselves with Christ, the stronger man, we proclaim his holy name: “Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Father in heaven, by your finger Jesus drove out demons and restored people to wholeness. Let me ponder for a minute the areas of my life where I am mute, unable to speak of you in gratitude and praise. The spoils I have, Lord, I would count as meager, yet you attack and overcome anything in me that guards the possessions that belong to you—joy, freedom from sin, my desire to know and do your will. Give me the grace to open the door to your mercy so you can enter and cast out from me what does not belong.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” | Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

From the verse before the Gospel: “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; You have the words of everlasting life.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:17-19)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”

“Until heaven and earth pass away,” Jesus goes on to say, “not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” The law Jesus speaks of refers to his present day and to the time of the new heaven a new earth after his resurrection. In fulfilling the law and the prophets, Jesus brings to completion what is already present during his life and fulfilled through his death and resurrection—perfect obedience to the will of the Father. Therefore, Jesus teaches, “whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

God, help me understand that Jesus Christ your Son is the capstone. Through his life, death, and resurrection, he fulfilled the law and the prophets—all of salvation history—as the Messiah, the incarnate Word. With Christ comes a new heaven and a new earth, salvation for all and the hope of the resurrection. Lord, just as Moses spoke to the Israelites about your statues and decrees, urging them to observe your commandments, help me keep these words in mind today, which find their fulfilment in Christ: “However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“You are set free of your infirmity.” | Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 13:10-17)

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.

Today’s Gospel could end as the woman stands up straight and glorifies God. It’s a joyful moment that captures the imagination and could stand on its own apart from the rest of the passage. Yet, Luke goes on to convey even more to take to heart, showing us Jesus’ act of mercy in the right place at the right time. Despite witnessing a miracle, the leader of the synagogue criticizes Jesus for healing the woman on the sabbath when there are six other days to cure her. Calling out his hypocrisy, Jesus says to him: “This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” In his Father’s house and on the sabbath, in his mercy Jesus desires to free her from her illness, from bondage to the flesh. As Saint Paul says in the first reading, “Brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.”

Father in heaven, help me live with a spirit of adoption as your child, a joint heir with Christ your Son. On my own, a sinner, I fall into the bondage of sin. That’s no way to live. Let me be led to you again and again, calling you to mind. Give me the grace to recognize how your will moves throughout the day so that I can live according to it, free from fear to worship you and give you glory. Just as Jesus acted freely in the right place at the right time, help me today see where your mercy is needed and be a means of freeing others.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth.” Abba, Father, let me live in your truth!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Which commandment in the law is the greatest?” | Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 22:34-40)

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus responds to a Pharisee, who comes to test him. Having heard that Jesus silenced the Sadducees, he comes to Jesus to contend with him, to measure Jesus’ knowledge of the law against his own overinflated view of himself. In what way did Jesus silence the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection? One can only imagine that Jesus’ reply to the Pharisee silences him as well when he says: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” In what particular way does Jesus, the same Lord who hears the cry of the poor, invite us to imitate his love and compassion?

Father in heaven, as I consider the words “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” I am overwhelmed with this high calling to love you. Without that kind of love, it is impossible to turn to others and love them as myself. Give me the grace to be compassionate to others as a way to dwell in the freeing love you command me to follow. In turn, help me love you completely so that I know in word and deed what it is to love my neighbor as myself. Here is where trust is vital. As in the responsorial psalm, I ask you to be my strength: “I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.”

From the Gospel acclamation: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.