Today's readings: March 18, 2009
Reading One: Dt 4:1, 5-9;
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20 ;
Gospel: Mt 5:17-19; go to this page (for all three sections listed above on one page) And here's an audio file; & reflections (video)
In today's world, sometimes it feels like there are about a hundred million versions of the Gospel. But they all begin with, The Gospel according to me. haha. I remember on my way through Georgia last week, I saw a bumper sticker that read - Jesus is a liberal. But somehow, I do not think he would be very charitable toward abortions or stem cell research. But what do I know... in the Gospel according to me. The good news for Catholics, is that the church goes through a lot of effort to try and come up with cohesive policy decisions on current matters of controversy, like abortion, stem cell research, pre-marital sex - you know, all the topics that people have a hard time talking about, even among friends. If you think about that, we the people - can't even discuss a lot of these topics with any semblance of civil discourse. As I reflect upon that, it says a lot about our society, and also reminds me of Monday's Gospel reading, where Jesus said some things that made the people want to throw him over the cliff to his death. They wanted to kill this wonderful, gentle man - because he got them upset, and said something truthful using their own sacred writings. Human nature is quite extraordinary. If you examine the readings from the last few days, from Sunday through Wednesday - you will notice a pattern, and see how the readings tie together. It explains a lot about why people get so angry, and how we twist Jesus' words and manipulate them to our own liking. There is a lot to consider over the past few days. Hard words to listen to, and harder still if you point the words toward yourself, and see where Jesus is shining a bright light on where you could improve yourself.
