Celebración de la palabra

Monday June 15

Monday of 11th Week of Ordinary Time

BREAK THE SPIRAL OF EVIL

Introduction

It is the continuous temptation of people to get what we want, if necessary by unjust means and by exploiting others, like Ahab expropriating the vineyard of Naboth.
Jesus tells us not to repay the unjust by revenge. “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is not Christian. We must rather suffer injustice and let people take advantage of us, at least when the injustice is done against us. But other parts of the scriptures tell us to defend others if they are wronged, like the poor, and to fight injustice through goodness and forgiveness. That is how we must break the spiral of evil.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
the injustice found in the world upsets us.
Forgive us the wrongs we have committed
and do not allow us to add
to the evil in the world
by exploiting our brothers and sisters
and using them for our own purposes.
Rather teach and help us
to stand up for integrity and truth,
not to take revenge
but out of the goodness of our hearts.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Reading 1 1 KGS 21:1-16

Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel
next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria.
Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden,
since it is close by, next to my house.
I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or,
if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.”
Naboth answered him, “The LORD forbid
that I should give you my ancestral heritage.”
Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer
Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him:
“I will not give you my ancestral heritage.”
Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat.
His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him,
“Why are you so angry that you will not eat?”
He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite
and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or,
if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’
But he refused to let me have his vineyard.”
His wife Jezebel said to him,
“A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed!
Get up.
Eat and be cheerful.
I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and,
having sealed them with his seal,
sent them to the elders and to the nobles
who lived in the same city with Naboth.
This is what she wrote in the letters:
“Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.
Next, get two scoundrels to face him
and accuse him of having cursed God and king.
Then take him out and stone him to death.”
His fellow citizens—the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city—
did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing,
through the letters she had sent them.
They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people.
Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation,
“Naboth has cursed God and king.”
And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death.
Then they sent the information to Jezebel
that Naboth had been stoned to death.
When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death,
she said to Ahab,
“Go on, take possession of the vineyard
of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you,
because Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way
down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite,
to take possession of it.

Responsorial Psalm 5:2-3AB, 4B-6A, 6B-7

R. (2b) Lord, listen to my groaning.
Hearken to my words, O LORD,
attend to my sighing.
Heed my call for help,
my king and my God!
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the LORD abhors.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.

Alleluia PS 119:105

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 5:38-42

Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said,
9An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.)
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."

Commentary

Nothing but malice can explain the vicious tactic of Jezebel to obtain Naboth’s vineyard. It is hard to explain Ahab’s extreme anger over his failure to purchase Naboth’s ancestral property, but there is no doubt about Ahab’s single-mindedness. With his consent, his scheming wife Jezebel arranges for Naboth’s death, with the sole intent of expanding the royal holdings.
Perhaps the only difference between Jezebel’s cunning and cases of modern dishonesty is the open shamelessness of her actions. She does everything she can to possess Naboth’s land. She succeeds in her ploy. Ahab gets the vineyard, and Naboth is killed.
How different is the teaching of today’s Gospel. Every Christian response is marked by charity and forgiveness. In this case, the rights of Naboth would have been recognized, and the king would have looked elsewhere for ways to increase his holdings.
Greed characterizes many human transactions today. People will set upon a course of action and leave no stone unturned in obtaining their objective. Yet nothing is more important in life than personal integrity. All material things, regardless of their worth, are fleeting. What profit have we if we gain the whole world and lose our own soul?

Points to Ponder

Greed and its destructive character
The unjust taking of human life
The value of personal integrity.

Intercessions

– That in our world people may learn not to repay violence with more violence, but as much as possible resist evil in a nonviolent way, we pray:
– That reconciliation may be the mark of Christians when they have suffered from personal enmity and hurt, we pray:
– That we may have the courage to stand up for the injustice done to the poor and those exploited, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God, our Father
in these signs of bread and wine
we bring before you our willingness
to be just and fair to every person.
But we ask you even for more.
Give us the dispositions of your Son,
that we may forgive wholeheartedly
those who have wronged us,
and repay evil with kindness.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
you have shown your goodness to us
by giving us your own Son.
With him, we want to be on the side
of the poor and the disinherited.
Do not allow us to remain silent
when people are trampled upon,
but give us the courage and the patience
to make this cold world
a place of justice and respect for people
and warm it with the love
of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

Break the spiral of evil! Each of us, in her or his own place, has to do away with evil, in oneself, and as much as one can in one’s family, occupation and employment and community. May God give you the strength and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.