Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 363
Reading 1
1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave, where he took shelter.
But the word of the LORD came to him,
"Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by."
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A voice said to him, "Elijah, why are you here?"
He replied, "I have been most zealous for the LORD,
the God of hosts.
But the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant,
torn down your altars,
and put your prophets to the sword.
I alone am left, and they seek to take my life."
The LORD said to him,
"Go, take the road back to the desert near Damascus.
When you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king of Aram.
Then you shall anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel,
and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah,
as prophet to succeed you."
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14
R. (8b) I long to see your face, O Lord.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. I long to see your face, O Lord.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. I long to see your face, O Lord.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I long to see your face, O Lord.
Alleluia
Philippians 2:15d, 16a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 5:27-32
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.
"It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
The Love of Friendship
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. Matthew 5:29–30
This imagery of tearing out your eye and cutting off your hand is clearly meant to get our attention. Though we can be certain that Jesus is not actually suggesting we mutilate our bodies, we should not hesitate to prayerfully ponder this imagery so as to understand the truths Jesus is speaking.
Saint Augustine, in reflecting upon this passage, states: “By the eye we must understand our most cherished friend…” Augustine further points out that Jesus specifically mentions the “right eye” as a way of denoting those friendships that have a “higher degree of affection” (Serm. in Mont. i. 13.). Thus, although friendship—especially very close friendship—is a gift, sometimes those close to us can become a source of sin or an occasion of sin. In that case, they are not truly friends, and it might be better to limit or even end that relationship rather than to allow it to lead us into sin.
Think about the people in your own life. Though we must love all people with the love of God, friendship is more than love. Friendship establishes a special bond with another and opens you up to their presence and influence in your life. When you establish a friendship, you allow another a certain influence in your life. When that influence is good, then the friendship produces much good fruit. But when that influence is evil, then that friendship becomes a danger to the good of your soul. In that case, it may need to be torn out or cut off so that you are not drawn into serious sin or even the occasion of sin.
When a friend in your life becomes an occasion of sin to you, your love for them must remain, but it must also change. Love, in this case, may take on the form of a loving rebuke, a withdrawal of your own heart, or a limiting of your interactions. But this is love. By analogy, when a person sins against God, their relationship with God also changes. God withdraws His friendship. He is less present to the person, and their internal communion diminishes or even ends when the sin is serious. This is not a lack of love on God’s part; it is simply the effect of sin. So also in our relations with another, when the grace of God is not mutually given and received between two people, then friendship in the truest sense is not possible. True friendship is always centered in God’s grace and dependent upon it. Therefore, when God is excluded from a relationship, that relationship must change from a true friendship to a relationship that imitates God’s love for a sinner. Mercy, compassion and forgiveness must continually be offered, but interior communion and unity will end. But this is love.
Reflect, today, upon those in your life whom God has given you to love. First, reflect upon those relationships that do have God at the center. These relationships will become true friendships and will produce an abundance of good fruit in your life. Rejoice in these friendships and give thanks to God for them. Second, reflect upon any relationship that does not bear good fruit. As you do, prayerfully consider how you approach that relationship. Do you attempt to maintain a “friendship” even though God is not able to be the center of that relationship? If so, ponder how God is calling you to change that relationship so that it more fully reflects the love God has for you and for that other person in your life.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
THE WHISPERING WIND
“After the earthquake there was fire — but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.” —1 Kings 19:12
Less than one month ago, we had a new Pentecost. The Lord now sends us to give Pentecost to a desperate world. The Holy Spirit is whispering to us. He is telling us to anoint and make disciples of certain people (see 1 Kgs 19:15-16), who will anoint and make disciples of others. In this way, we will obey the Lord’s command to make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19). Through these disciples, the Holy Spirit will cover the earth with new Pentecosts and thereby renew the face of the earth (Ps 104:30).
You have the Holy Spirit because you are baptized and confirmed. You have been renewed in the Spirit because you have had a new Pentecost. After the fire of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is whispering to you. Satan is trying to submerge the Spirit’s whispers by sending storms of sin, pride, selfishness, unforgiveness, confusion, and fear. However, you can still hear the Spirit whisper if you repent, love, and stir into flame the gift of the Spirit (2 Tm 1:6-7). Darkness is covering the abyss of this culture of death, but the Spirit is whispering over the waters (see Gn 1:2). Let the Spirit whisper into your ear.
Prayer: Father, open my ear.
Promise: “I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.” —Ps 27:13
Praise: Joan read the Bible regularly and came to understand God’s teaching on forgiveness. She put the word into practice (Jn 13:17) by giving food and drink to the person who slandered her.
Reflection 3
By Fr. Martin Hogan
This morning’s gospel reading has a sharp edge to it. The language Jesus uses is strange to our ears, ‘If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away…’ Jesus is speaking in a exaggerated way to get our attention; he clearly does not intend to be taken literally. This image of tearing out our right eye links back to his understanding of adultery not just as a physical act but as an intention or a desire, ‘whoever looks at a woman lustfully… ‘. Jesus goes behind the actions that the Ten Commandments prohibit to the roots of those actions in the human heart. This is the deeper virtue that he referred to a few verses earlier. Jesus calls for not just a change of behaviour but a change of heart, a purifying of desire and intention. This interior transformation is understood elsewhere in the Scriptures to be the work of the Spirit. It is the Spirit of God who renews the human heart. It is above all in prayer that we open ourselves to the Spirit of God. As Elijah in the first reading sought out the mountain of God, we need to seek out the mountain of prayer. On the mountain, Elijah experienced the presence of the Lord in ‘the sound of a gentle breeze’, as another translation expresses it ‘in the sound of sheer silence’. It is above all in silence that we seek the Lord’s face, in the words of today’s responsorial psalm, and open ourselves to the coming of the Lord’s Spirit, who works within us to create in us a heart that reflects the heart of Jesus.
Prayers
My Lord and true Friend, I thank You for loving me with a perfect love. I pray that I will always be open to that love so that my unity with You will ever deepen. I also pray that I will be an instrument of Your love to others. Please give me the grace to love everyone in my life in the way that You love them, nothing less and nothing more. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, begin a new work of love within me. Instill in me a greater love and respect for your commandments. Give me a burning desire to live a life of holiness and righteousness. Purify my thoughts, desires, and intentions that I may only desire what is pleasing to you and in accord with your will.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 165: The Perfect Contrition
When we become aware of our sins we may have various reactions. We may remain indifferent, or repent out of fear of God’s justice. But the ideal response is to turn to God with love and to have true sorrow as a result of that love. If we have a burning love for God, we will become attentive to even the smallest sin we carry. And every sin we see, we will desire to be rid of. This burning love brings us to an act of perfect contrition by which our love of God purifies the smallest speck of sin on our souls (See Diary #852).
Do you see your sin? If so, how do you react to it? The way you react to your sin is a good measure of your love of God and Your trust in His Divine Mercy. If you react with indifference, your love is lacking. If you react in guilt and fear of punishment, your love is lacking. But if you react with trust in God and a total abandonment to His Divine Mercy, then the love you have in your life will become the source of even more Mercy poured upon you. Think honestly about your reaction to your sin and pray that the Lord will bless you with such an abundance of love for Him that you will be overjoyed at seeing that of which you need to repent.
Lord, give me such a perfect love for You that I become aware of every sin in my soul that displeases You. As I see my sins, even the smallest of sins, give me the grace to run to You in trust so that Your Mercy will purify me and make me holy. I love You my dear Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You.
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