11th Week in Ordinary Time
23th June 2023 (Friday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 3
Reading of the Day
First Reading: 2 Corinthians 11:18, 21b-30
Brethren: Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 (R. see 18b)
R/. The Lord rescues them in all their distress
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Matthew 6:19-23
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Highlight: Treasure to store up!
Indicative: The eye is the lamp of the body. It directs the body. In the same way, the perspective or inner vision is that eye that directs one’s life. Wisdom is that sight that helps one to discern between what is worth-seeking and what is worth-discarding and to follow what is worth {alertSuccess}
1. In the gospel, Jesus directs our attention to one greatest temptation that strikes many. That is, seeking and accumulating treasures on earth. It is foolish because they are temporary and transient.
2. The earthly treasures are unreliable and unstable and liable to loss and ruin. If not careful, they will easily distort one’s clarity of vision and deviate from his way of life. Those who place their trust in them are like those whose eyesight is blurred and who stumble in darkness.
3. Therefore, we need the light of wisdom that gives us sound eyesight. Wisdom is that sound eye that makes us see and realise that the treasures of heaven are far more worth than the treasures on earth, and they alone are worth-seeking. They are imperishable and permanent.
4. Wisdom not only gives us clarity of priorities but also enables us to pursue the treasures of heaven with perseverance to the end. It is this wisdom that overwhelmed St Paul so that he was maddened and possessed with a passion for Christ.
5. Nothing could stop his undaunted spirit. No labours, no imprisonments, no beatings, no lashes, no stoning, no shipwreck, no dangers of all sorts, no sleepless nights, no toil and hardship, no hunger and thirst, no exposure to cold, no pressures, no anxiety for the churches, no weaknesses – nothing of these would discourage him or decrease his spirit of determination and dedication, conviction and commitment.
Practice: One who is wise will know clearly that the treasures of heaven are the greatest priority in life. It is very sad the inner sight of many is blurred because they are not rooted in God. Consequently, they are misled by the pursuit of the impermanent earthly riches{alertSuccess}