MONDAY OF THE 32ND WEEK YEAR I: A WORD ON THE READINGS

First Reading

 

Wis 1:1-7
Love justice, you who judge the earth;
think of the Lord in goodness,
and seek him in integrity of heart;
Because he is found by those who test him not,
and he manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him.
For perverse counsels separate a man from God,
and his power, put to the proof, rebukes the foolhardy;
Because into a soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not,
nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin.

For the holy Spirit of discipline flees deceit
and withdraws from senseless counsels;
and when injustice occurs it is rebuked.
For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips;
Because God is the witness of his inmost self
and the sure observer of his heart
and the listener to his tongue.
For the Spirit of the Lord fills the world,
is all-embracing, and knows what man says.
 

Responsorial Psalm

 

Ps 139:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-10
R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too lofty for me to attain.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

Gospel

 

Lk 17:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples,
"Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea
than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day
and returns to you seven times saying, "I am sorry,"
you should forgive him."
And the Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."


A THOUGHT ON THE READINGS

A latin adage says "corruptio optima pessima est" meaning "the corruption of the best is the worse". Today Jesus talks about scandal or corruption in the Gospel. He rebukes all those who are agents of scandal, who go about scandalizing others by their thoughts, words and actions.


But in the Gospel reading, Jesus talks about an aspect of the scandal we can give to others, and that is an unforgiving heart. Supposing Jesus after all he taught about forgiveness could not forgive his executioners. It would have been the height of hypocrisy. He forgave that we might forgive.


The readings bring to your consciousness the thought of that enemy you keep or that friend you have never forgiven. Perhaps you have forgiven him/her severally in the past but he/she keeps repeating the same mistake. Has anyone spoken ill of you? What is that wrong done to you that you find it difficult to forgive. Today, Jesus tell you that it is scandalous never to forgive. Maybe, the offender has approached you for forgiveness but you refused. Jesus says "It is better you have a stone tied round your neck and thrown into the river than to scandalize others" with your unforgiving heart. Find a place in your heart to forgive. Wisdom and faith in God will enable you do this because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and faith gives energy to our Christian lives.