Lectionary: 423
Reading 1
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the LORD came upon me,
and led me out in the Spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the plain,
which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among the bones in every direction
so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain.
How dry they were!
He asked me:
Son of man, can these bones come to life?
I answered, “Lord GOD, you alone know that.”
Then he said to me:
Prophesy over these bones, and say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put spirit in you
so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD.
I prophesied as I had been told,
and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise;
it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them,
and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them.
Then the LORD said to me:
Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD:
From the four winds come, O spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then he said to me:
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
They have been saying,
“Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we are cut off.”
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 107:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say,
those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the foe
And gathered from the lands,
from the east and the west, from the north and the south.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
They went astray in the desert wilderness;
the way to an inhabited city they did not find.
Hungry and thirsty,
their life was wasting away within them.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
They cried to the LORD in their distress;
from their straits he rescued them.
And he led them by a direct way
to reach an inhabited city.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy
and his wondrous deeds to the children of men,
Because he satisfied the longing soul
and filled the hungry soul with good things.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Alleluia
Psalm 25:4b, 5a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Teach me your paths, my God,
guide me in your truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 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?”
He said to him,
“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 neighbour as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Loving in Difficult Situations
“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 neighbour as yourself.” Matthew 22:37–39
We are very familiar with this passage above. It is Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees who came to test Jesus. Prior to this, a group of Sadducees tried to trap Jesus and failed. So now it was the Pharisees who gave it their best shot to trap our Lord. Of course, Jesus’ answer was perfect. And upon the conclusion of this answer, Jesus returned the favor by asking the Pharisees some questions that they could not answer, and they dared not ask Him any further questions at that time.
Sometimes, being challenged by another in matters of faith helps us, in that it allows us to clarify what we actually believe. Though Jesus did not need clarity for His own sake, He did offer this clarity in the face of trickery so as to help both the Pharisees as well as His followers who were listening attentively.
Have you ever been challenged by another about matters of faith? If so, what was your response? Were you able to respond by the inspiration and clarity given by the Holy Spirit? Or did you walk away confused and unable to respond? Having our faith challenged by another will either result in our own confusion or in our deeper understanding.
By answering this question in the way that Jesus did, He presented the entire Law given by Moses in the Ten Commandments in a new and summarised way. The first three of the Ten Commandments have to do with love of God, and the last seven have to do with love of neighbour. The second commandment Jesus gives, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” is a consequence of the first commandment. How do you “love yourself?” You do so by fulfilling the first commandment Jesus gave: “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” When God is loved above all, then loving your neighbour simply means that you love God Who dwells within your neighbour in accord with the way God loves them.
It is also helpful to note that it is possible to “love” our neighbour in such a way that is contrary to the love of God. For example, if our love of neighbour is expressed in such a way that is contrary to the Love of God, then this is not true love. Let’s say that your neighbour has chosen a gravely immoral lifestyle. How do you love them with the love of God? You don’t say to them “I support you in your immoral living.” Doing so is not love of God; it’s a selfish form of love that cares more about how the person will respond back to you than caring for their eternal soul. The right form of love for one who has gone astray in an objectively immoral way is to let them know you love them but do not support the choices they are making. And though they may respond negatively to this, caring for their eternal salvation must supersede every desire to simply get along with them.
Love of neighbour, at times, especially when the “neighbour” is a family member who has turned from God, can be challenging. But when it is, think about the way that the Sadducees and Pharisees tried to constantly trap Jesus. He always gave the perfect response of love and never allowed their misguided conversation to leave confusion. So with us, we must rely upon the wisdom and love of God when loving another is difficult. God must guide our every conversation in that case so that the other knows they are loved and so that our love does not deviate from the pure love of God.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling you have been given to love God above all and to love your neighbour with that same love that you have for God. If you find loving someone is difficult, pray for the wisdom you need to remain faithful to them in God’s love alone. And if you find your love challenged, rely upon our Lord to lead you and to give you the words you need when you need them the most.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
how dry i am
“How dry they were!” —Ezekiel 37:2
Are you feeling spiritually dry? Do you feel that God is looking at your life and saying, “How dry you are!”? At one time in my life I was constantly surrounded by spirit-filled people, but I felt so dry and far from the Holy Spirit that I received in Baptism and Confirmation. I had given up hope of ever receiving His fullness. I was spiritually dry and I desperately needed living water (Jn 4:14). However, my life was fulfilling the expression: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” I wanted the Spirit and a few of His gifts, but I didn’t want the Spirit to run my life.
“It is the Spirit that gives life” (Jn 6:63; Ez 37:5). It’s the Holy Spirit that gives the ability to love God and neighbor with our all (Mt 22:37). I knew these truths, but I only wanted the Spirit to give me a half-life, not life to the full (Jn 10:10). I wanted new life, but didn’t want a new lifestyle (see Mk 2:21-22).
For years, God soaked me with His sweet love through the Mass and the Holy Bible. Eventually, I came to Jesus and begged Him to immerse me in the Holy Spirit (Jn 7:37-38; Mk 1:8), even if I had to change my entire life (see Mt 13:44). I received the Holy Spirit in a deeper, life-changing way and was stunned to discover that I loved this new lifestyle.
Repent of stifling or saddening the Spirit, whether intentionally or unknowingly (1 Thes 5:19; Eph 4:30). Let God pour out His love in your heart through the Holy Spirit (Rm 5:5). “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22).
Prayer: Jesus, You lavish the Church with unrationed outpourings of the Spirit (Ti 3:6; Jn 3:34). May we seek the Holy Spirit in a manner worthy of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Promise: “I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.”—Ez 37:14
Praise: St. Rose of Lima, fortified by years of prayer and penance, reached out to care for the needy, both young and old.
Reflection 3
By Fr. Martin Hogan
At the time of Jesus there were considered to be 613 commandments in the Jewish Law. In theory all the commandments were to be observed with equal diligence but, in practice, it was recognized that some commandments were more important than others. According to today’s gospel reading, the question that the Pharisees put to Jesus, ‘Which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ was intended to put Jesus to the test. It was asked in the hope that Jesus would make some damaging statement. However, Jesus’ reply could hardly be faulted. He gave not just the greatest commandment but what he considered to be the first and the second commandment. He brought together two commandments which had not rarely been brought together in this way before. He declared that the heart of all 613 commandments was the commandment to love. Our love is to be directed in the first place to God; it is only God who is to be loved with all our being, all our heart, soul and mind. No one else is worthy of such all embracing love. Yet, Jesus declares that such total love of God is inseparable from the love of our neighbour who is to be loved as we love ourselves. Our love of neighbour and of ourselves is to be a reflection of God’s love of our neighbour and of ourselves. In loving God with all our being we are caught up into God’s love of us all. In going towards God in love, we go from God in love towards others and ourselves. Jesus declares that everything in the Scriptures, in the Law and the Prophets, hangs on those two great and inseparable commandments.
Prayers
My loving Lord, You love all people with a perfect love, and You call us all to love You with our whole heart, soul and mind. And You call us to love others with the love You have for them. Fill my heart with love of You and all people, especially those who are most difficult to love. Give me wisdom, dear Lord, to know how to love others in You so that they will experience Your perfect love in their lives. Jesus, I trust in You!
Lord Jesus, your love surpasses all. Flood my heart with your love and increase my faith and hope in your promises. Help me to give myself in generous service to others as you have so generously given yourself to me.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 235: The Simple Call to Mercy
As we grow deeper in our faith, it’s easy to presume that life will become more complex. For example, when one begins to study mathematics, each course that is taken builds upon the previous, and the lessons become more challenging and difficult as time goes on. But in a certain sense the opposite is true with our life of faith. The deeper we plunge into the Ocean of Mercy, the more we realize the simplicity of our God. Though God is infinite and fully beyond our comprehension, He is also profoundly simple. In fact, the deeper we enter into His Mercy, the more we realize that the mysteries of life are not as complex as we once thought. We begin to realize that the mysteries of God bring us continually back to the simple truth that we are called to rest in the humble Heart of our Divine Lord (See Diary #1211).
Reflect upon the call you have been given to enter into the Mercy of God. Do you find life difficult, confusing or overwhelming? If so, it may be time to step back and reexamine your thinking. The call of God is exceptionally simple. To answer that call you may need to set aside the apparent complexity of life and plunge into the simplicity of His Will. It does not require a doctorate degree to comprehend this profound simplicity. But when you do embrace its simplicity, you will also discover its depth and beauty in a new way. Reflect, today, upon this simple call and dive in with the innocence and trust of a child and you will discover the deep wisdom of God.
Lord, I love You and desire to know You and Your holy Will. Give me the grace to plunge into the Ocean of Your Mercy and, in the simplicity of this act, to be fully committed to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
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