Some notes for Week beginning 19 June 2017
Ordinary week 11, Year 1 (lectionary vol. 2, p. 136 and following)
GeneralSundays have now caught up with weekdays, having returned to Ordinary Time. First readings this week continue to be taken from Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians, with passages from the Sermon on the Mount continuing through the ‘antitheses’ which began last week, leading to the heart of the Sermon: prayer, fasting and almsgiving, with the Lord’s Prayer as its highpoint. Friday: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, Saturday Birth of John the Baptist. Both have their own Proper readings.
Monday’s readings (19 June):
2 Corinthians 6:1-10In this passage, Paul insists that he and his companions are true servants of God. This is evident for all to see, because their lives in times of suffering, and in their holiness, are the signs that they serve God alone.
Matthew 5:38-42 Revenge was allowed in the Law of Moses, but only to the extent to which the original offence had occurred; thus, eye for eye and tooth for tooth. Jesus re-presents this law, saying that a slap on one cheek should be repaid by turning the other cheek. If someone is struck on the right cheek, the chances are the ‘striker’ is right handed (like 90% of the population), so the back of the hand is used – an insult rather than physical violence. So Jesus indicates that neither violence nor insult should provoke a violent response.
Tuesday’s readings (20 June):
2 Corinthians 8:1-9Paul is quite preoccupied in this letter about collections taken up in the various churches. Here, he exhorts the Corinthians to follow the example of generosity that the Macedonians showed. Note that Paul never expected support for himself from new churches.
Matthew 5:43-48 The call to higher virtue is now extended to praying for one’s enemies and doing good to those who hate you. Does this seem high? It should: the aim is to be as perfect as God our Father is perfect: nothing less will be sufficient for our moral goal!
Wednesday’s readings (21 June. Memorial; St. Aloysius Gonzaga):
2 Corinthians 9:6-11Paul continues in the role of fundraiser here. His intention is to remind the Corinthians of their duty to support other churches where people are less well off than they are, and who mighteven be in dire poverty.
Matthew 6:1-6. 16-18 This is the gospel we read on Ash Wednesday, on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Note how it omits a few verses here: tomorrow, we read the ‘missing bit’.
Thursday’s readings (22June):
2 Corinthians 11:1-11The subject has changed now. Paul is annoyed that Corinthians will run after whoever is the latest speaker to appear among them, forgetting the true gospel that Paul had preached. Paul preached the gospel, and charged nothing for it.
Matthew 6:7-15 These are the verses ‘missing’ from yesterday’s gospel. They tell us don’t babble in prayer: do use the words Jesus gives, which sum up the whole Sermon on the Mount.
Friday’s readings (23 June. Solemnity of the Sacred Heart A. Lect. Vol. 1, p. 628):
Note: for the Hebrews, the heart was not the seat of sentiment or feeling, but the centre of judgement and thought. Therefore the heart is the organ of practical decision
Deuteronomy 7:6-11 God has his people in his heart; this is another way of saying God has chosen them as his own. God has decided on their well-being
1 John 4:7-16 God’s love is so practical that he sent his Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.
Matthew 11:25-30 Jesus’ love for us is equally practical: his heart is humble, so he lays down his life so that we may rest in him, who is also gentle.
Saturday’s readings (24 June: Solemnity of Birth of John the Baptist):
Isaiah 49:1-6 This is one of the 4 Suffering Servant Songs, which are usually read by Christians to be fulfilled in Jesus. But we can see how this one also applies to John the Baptist, called to the Lord’s service from his mother’s womb.
Acts 13:22-26 It is quit unusual for Acts to give us a second reading, but in this passage Paul preaches that John, who proclaimed a baptism of repentance, was the one to prepare the way for Jesus. Paul insists that this message still holds good for those he now speaks to
Luke 1:57-66. 80 Not surprisingly, the gospel is the story of John’s birth, named against family wishes, because this was the name given by the angel. When John’s father, Zechariah, agrees to doing God’s bidding, his speech returns, and he can prise God again.