Daily Readings August 16, 2012

Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 416

Reading 1
Ez 12:1-12

The word of the LORD came to me:Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house;they have eyes to see but do not see,and ears to hear but do not hear,for they are a rebellious house.

God spoke to Ezekiel again.  God used the designation, Son of man, which Jesus took for Himself also.  God tells Ezekiel that the Jews are rebellious and disobedient.  The statement, "they have eyes to see but do not see" is strange.  But I think it means that they refuse to understand.  Similarly, "they have ears to hear but do not hear".  I think it means that they refuse to listen.

Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on,prepare your baggage as though for exile,and again while they are looking on,migrate from where you live to another place;perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house.

God instructs Ezekiel to perform a skit before the eyes of the Judaeans.  He wants him to pretend he has been exiled and is leaving his home to live elsewhere.

You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytimewhile they are looking on;in the evening, again while they are looking on,you shall go out like one of those driven into exile;while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it;while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness;cover your face that you may not see the land,for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.

He wants him to pretend to be escaping through the wall of the city.  And to do this in the darkness.  At the same time, God wants him to make sure that the people see him doing this.  Because God made Ezekiel a sign for all of Israel.

I did as I was told.During the day I brought out my baggageas though it were that of an exile,and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my handand, while they looked on, set out in the darkness,shouldering my burden.

Ezekiel did as he was told and set out in the darkness carrying all of his possessions.

Then, in the morning, the word of the LORD came to me:Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house,ask you what you were doing?

God said, "Son of man, didn't the Israelites ask you what you were doing?"

Tell them: Thus says the Lord GOD:This oracle concerns Jerusalemand the whole house of Israel within it.I am a sign for you:as I have done, so shall it be done to them;as captives they shall go into exile.

God continues, "Tell them, God has made me a sign for you.  As you have seen me do, you shall do when you are taken as captives and exiled from your homeland."

The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burdenand set out in darkness,going through a hole he has dug out in the wall,and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone.

God continues, "The prince of your people will leave, carrying his possessions on his shoulder, in the dark, through a hole in the wall and covering his face so that no one may see him."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 78:56-57, 58-59, 61-62

Response. (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!

They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High,
and kept not his decrees.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers;
they recoiled like a treacherous bow.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

They angered him with their high places
and with their idols roused his jealousy.
God heard and was enraged
and utterly rejected Israel.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

And he surrendered his strength into captivity,
his glory in the hands of the foe.
He abandoned his people to the sword
and was enraged against his inheritance.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

The Psalm is telling us to always make certain we know that God is a consuming fire.  St. Paul put it like this:

2 Corinthians 5:11
King James Version (KJV)
¹¹ Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

He also said this:

Hebrews 10:31
King James Version (KJV)
³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Folks, don't take God lightly, it is not for nothing that Scripture repeats this injunction:

Psalm 111:10
King James Version (KJV)
¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: ....

Gospel
Mt 18:21-19:1

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,"Lord, if my brother sins against me,how often must I forgive him?

St. Peter wanted to understand something about forgiveness, so he asked Jesus a question, "how many times must we forgive our brethren who sin against us?"

As many as seven times?"Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

Jesus answered, "As many times as it takes." And he explains with a parable.

That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a kingwho decided to settle accounts with his servants.When he began the accounting,a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.Since he had no way of paying it back,his master ordered him to be sold,along with his wife, his children, and all his property,in payment of the debt.

He said, "A King was settling accounts with his debtors.  One of his debtors could not pay his debts, so the King ordered that he and his entire family and property be sold in order to pay the debt."

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,"Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full."Moved with compassion the master of that servantlet him go and forgave him the loan.

But the debtor begged forgiveness and the King, moved with compassion, let him go and forgave all the debt.

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servantswho owed him a much smaller amount.He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,"Pay back what you owe."Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,"Be patient with me, and I will pay you back."But he refused.Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prisonuntil he paid back the debt.

When that debtor left the King's presence, he immediately went to seek those who owed him money.  When he found one, he was not compassionate at all, but had the fellow thrown in prison until he could pay back the debt.

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,they were deeply disturbed,and went to their master and reported the whole affair.

The King's servants saw the whole affair and reported it to the King.

His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,as I had pity on you?'Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturersuntil he should pay back the whole debt.

The King was very angry and summoned the debtor back to him.  He then said, "What did you do?!  After I showed you compassion, you could not be compassionate with your fellow man?"  And the King had the evil fellow tortured until he should pay the whole debt.

So will my heavenly Father do to you,unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

Jesus said, "this is the moral of the story.  My Father will do to you the same thing, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

 When Jesus finished these words, he left Galileeand went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

When Jesus finished speaking, He left Galilee and went across the Jordan to the district of Judea.

Sincerely,

De Maria