This is the seventh Sunday of ordinary time. The penitential season of Lent begins on this coming Wednesday with the distribution of ashes when we start our forty day journey through the desert with Christ, leading up to Holy week and Easter.
God came from heaven and became man to show us the Father’s love and to instruct us in the ways of holiness of life which are essential to our salvation.
The Scriptures today are about magnanimity – generosity of Spirit, the opposite of the spirit of unredeemed mankind and of the world, the spirit of God in which we grow to maturity. “the kingdom of heaven is here within you.” LK 17:21 The inner man, the immortal soul, must therefore, be disciplined by faith in the Son of God and led by sanctifying grace which is a sharing in God’s life.
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am you also may be.” In this we have the struggle between the demands of the world and of the kingdom of God.
The doctrine of original sin tells us that because of our first parents fall from grace we are unable to do the least thing meriting eternal life without grace being restored and given to us by some source. That source, that fountain of life is Christ the Lord.
There are two central themes for us to think about in the scriptures which are the word of God for us today. The first is that Christ is the new Adam. St. Paul tells us that “the first man, Adam became a living being and the last Adam a life giving spirit.” The second point is that the economy of salvation is opposite of and contradictory to that of the world. “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh profits nothing.” Jn 6:63 “for what does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul.” Mt 16:26.
In the first reading from the first book of Samuel, we see an interaction of Saul and David, David being the prefiguring of Christ as King. David latter on a king of the world and Christ the king of the world to come - The heavenly kingdom. King Saul was jealous of David and wanted to kill him. In the reading David and Abishal have come into Saul’s camp at night when all were asleep including the king. Abishal wanted to kill Saul and could have done so easily, but David said “No!” They took a water jar and the king’s spear as evidence of their presence and left. Magnanimity and generosity of spirit and also fear of the Lord.
“The Lord will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness” a prefiguring of the Economy of salvation.
The Gospel message in short is, “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hates you. Pray for those who curse you and mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on the one cheek turn to him the other. For the person who takes you cloak, give him also your tunic. Give and expect nothing back.”“For the measure with which you measure will in turn be measured out to you. Love your Enemies. Do good to those who hates you for your reward will be great in heaven.”
The two passages quoted earlier from John and Matthew were from Jesus teaching about the Holy Eucharist and the doctrine of the Cross. The heavenly kingdom and the
Way to it.
“The spirit gives life but the flesh profits nothing.” Christ is the New Adam, the life giving spirit.” For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul.” The holy sacrifice of the mass brings forth the holy Eucharist the kingdom of heaven with Jesus on the cross as its centerpiece.
Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of heaven is here within you. If one measures with the measure of Christ that measure will be measured out to him.” Behold I come quickly! And my reward is with me, to render to each one according to his works.” Rev 22:12
Jesus is speaking directly to each one of us who hears Him today. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” But we are inclined to not pay attention to these words just like we often dismiss the Sermon on the Mount and the Ten Commandments. We don’t want to accept that God is serious. “To the person who strikes you on one cheek turn to him the other” is a saying that was obeyed by Christ many times. When Peter denied his Lord three times Jesus never the less looked on him with love. To address the hard things and the contradictions that cross our path in life give us the opportunity to be Christ like and to grow in grace. Christ on the cross is an example of sacrificial love. The world is not our standard, but Christ is.
It will be helpful to think on Jesus words as we prepare for the start of the penitential season of Lent this week. Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John and to begin his public life. It did not seem like an auspices start because, he was driven out into the desert by the Holy Spirit where he was alone and had nothing to eat or drink and was sorely tempted by the devil three times. Over forty days, Jesus had said to Satan who tempted him to turn the stones into bread, “If you are the Son of God”. But Jesus replied, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Christ instructs us in the ways of holiness in the weeks ahead.
We are given a reminder by St. Paul, “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.” The transition from earth to heaven is by way of the cross. In these days of Lent Christ begins his journey to Calvary. And we begin again with Him. Satan will appear to us as he did to Christ, to deflect us if he can. But if we stay stride for stride with Jesus he will no more be successful with us than he was the Lord.
“Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Jesus in the Gospel tells us what to do and how to do it to be like Him. As the kingdom of heaven is within so are the trials of the cross within. We don’t make our journey alone for Jesus is with each of us as the life giving spirit.
“For the measure with which you measure will in turn be measured out to you.”
God came from heaven and became man to show us the Father’s love and to instruct us in the ways of holiness of life which are essential to our salvation.
The Scriptures today are about magnanimity – generosity of Spirit, the opposite of the spirit of unredeemed mankind and of the world, the spirit of God in which we grow to maturity. “the kingdom of heaven is here within you.” LK 17:21 The inner man, the immortal soul, must therefore, be disciplined by faith in the Son of God and led by sanctifying grace which is a sharing in God’s life.
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am you also may be.” In this we have the struggle between the demands of the world and of the kingdom of God.
The doctrine of original sin tells us that because of our first parents fall from grace we are unable to do the least thing meriting eternal life without grace being restored and given to us by some source. That source, that fountain of life is Christ the Lord.
There are two central themes for us to think about in the scriptures which are the word of God for us today. The first is that Christ is the new Adam. St. Paul tells us that “the first man, Adam became a living being and the last Adam a life giving spirit.” The second point is that the economy of salvation is opposite of and contradictory to that of the world. “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh profits nothing.” Jn 6:63 “for what does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul.” Mt 16:26.
In the first reading from the first book of Samuel, we see an interaction of Saul and David, David being the prefiguring of Christ as King. David latter on a king of the world and Christ the king of the world to come - The heavenly kingdom. King Saul was jealous of David and wanted to kill him. In the reading David and Abishal have come into Saul’s camp at night when all were asleep including the king. Abishal wanted to kill Saul and could have done so easily, but David said “No!” They took a water jar and the king’s spear as evidence of their presence and left. Magnanimity and generosity of spirit and also fear of the Lord.
“The Lord will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness” a prefiguring of the Economy of salvation.
The Gospel message in short is, “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hates you. Pray for those who curse you and mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on the one cheek turn to him the other. For the person who takes you cloak, give him also your tunic. Give and expect nothing back.”“For the measure with which you measure will in turn be measured out to you. Love your Enemies. Do good to those who hates you for your reward will be great in heaven.”
The two passages quoted earlier from John and Matthew were from Jesus teaching about the Holy Eucharist and the doctrine of the Cross. The heavenly kingdom and the
Way to it.
“The spirit gives life but the flesh profits nothing.” Christ is the New Adam, the life giving spirit.” For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul.” The holy sacrifice of the mass brings forth the holy Eucharist the kingdom of heaven with Jesus on the cross as its centerpiece.
Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of heaven is here within you. If one measures with the measure of Christ that measure will be measured out to him.” Behold I come quickly! And my reward is with me, to render to each one according to his works.” Rev 22:12
Jesus is speaking directly to each one of us who hears Him today. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” But we are inclined to not pay attention to these words just like we often dismiss the Sermon on the Mount and the Ten Commandments. We don’t want to accept that God is serious. “To the person who strikes you on one cheek turn to him the other” is a saying that was obeyed by Christ many times. When Peter denied his Lord three times Jesus never the less looked on him with love. To address the hard things and the contradictions that cross our path in life give us the opportunity to be Christ like and to grow in grace. Christ on the cross is an example of sacrificial love. The world is not our standard, but Christ is.
It will be helpful to think on Jesus words as we prepare for the start of the penitential season of Lent this week. Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John and to begin his public life. It did not seem like an auspices start because, he was driven out into the desert by the Holy Spirit where he was alone and had nothing to eat or drink and was sorely tempted by the devil three times. Over forty days, Jesus had said to Satan who tempted him to turn the stones into bread, “If you are the Son of God”. But Jesus replied, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Christ instructs us in the ways of holiness in the weeks ahead.
We are given a reminder by St. Paul, “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.” The transition from earth to heaven is by way of the cross. In these days of Lent Christ begins his journey to Calvary. And we begin again with Him. Satan will appear to us as he did to Christ, to deflect us if he can. But if we stay stride for stride with Jesus he will no more be successful with us than he was the Lord.
“Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Jesus in the Gospel tells us what to do and how to do it to be like Him. As the kingdom of heaven is within so are the trials of the cross within. We don’t make our journey alone for Jesus is with each of us as the life giving spirit.
“For the measure with which you measure will in turn be measured out to you.”
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