12th Week in Ordinary Time
26th June 2023 (Monday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 4
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Genesis 12:1-9
In those days: The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there and altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the East. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going towards the Negeb.
Psalm 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22 (R. 12b)
R/. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen as his heritage
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. The word of God is living and active discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Matthew 7:1-5
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Highlight: Bless and not judge!
Indicative: A life that pleases God will be blessed by Him. Thereby the person himself becomes a blessing and a source of blessings for others{alertSuccess}
1. We are living in a world where humility and sincerity, fairness and goodness toward others are becoming rarities. That is why, when some people show these qualities, it becomes big news as if it is something out of the way. Instead, arrogance and duplicity, injustice and wickedness are aggressively prevalent. In other words, it is truly a culture of evil and curse.
2. It is in such a context, the Word of God shows us a surer way to foster a culture of blessing. In the first reading from Genesis, God blesses Abram and makes him a blessing himself and a source of blessing for others. God is pleased with his humility and sincerity, his piety and obedience to God’s ways, and his sense of fairness and kindness toward others.
3. In the gospel, Jesus addresses one big block against such a culture of blessing. It is the malaise of self-righteousness. This is accompanied by rash and uncharitable judgment of others. Jesus confronts the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisees and scribes.
4. This attitude refuses to do any self-check. It rates itself better than others. Consequently, it judges and condemns them. It is blind to the weakness of oneself or diminishes their faults. But on the other hand, it magnifies and exaggerates the wrongs of others. It is clearly applying double standards.
5. St Francis de Sales has something wise said about this. He says, many are eager to accuse others even for the slightest mistake, while they excuse themselves even for the greatest blunder. People clamour for justice in the neighbour’s house while they plead for mercy in their own house.
6. So, it is better to place oneself in the place of the other and see and feel from their perspective. Jesus too insists that it is better to "see the log in one's own eye instead of making noise about the speck in other's eye".
Practice: In a virulent atmosphere of judgement and condemnation, of which criticism and slander are the offshoots, we must cultivate a humble spirit of self-examination and self-realisation{alertSuccess}