ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Monday

Year II

Readings

First Reading
1 Kgs 21:1–16

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 5:2–3ab, 4b–6a, 6b–7

Gospel
Mt 5:38–42

Meditation on Today’s Readings

Taken from the Vatican II Sunday and Weekday Missal
Written by Celia Sirois

At first glance, Naboth’s refusal of King Ahab’s offer seems to contradict the spirit that Jesus urges upon his hearers in today’s Gospel. But it is only a seeming contradiction. The teaching of Jesus did not oppose the law of Israel, but sought only to fulfill it. The “law of retaliation” which he cites in today’s reading, for example, can be found in Exodus 21, Leviticus 24 and Deuteronomy 19. The purpose of the law was to prevent the escalation of violence. Far from abolishing the law, Jesus proposes another way of accomplishing the same goal. Ahab’s offer to purchase Naboth’s vineyard, however, was a violation of Israel’s law. Leviticus 25 prohibited the sale of ancestral lands, “for the land is mine,” says God, “and you are but aliens who have become my tenants.”

On the other hand, Paul exemplifies Jesus’ teaching by always acting with patient endurance in the face of violence. Armed only with the “weapons of righteousness,” he not only endures but enriches many.

The copyright for the Sunday Missal Introductions is:
Copyright (c) 2001, Daughters of St. Paul
The copyright for the Weekday Missal Introduction is:
Copyright (c) 2002, Daughters of St. Paul