July 1, 2013

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Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time 
Lectionary: 377

Reading 1GN 18:16-33

You might want to read this from the beginning as it is one of the proof texts of the Holy Trinity.  Three persons appeared to Abraham and he called them, "Lord".

Abraham and the men who had visited him by the Terebinth of Mamre
set out from there and looked down toward Sodom;
Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way.
The LORD reflected: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
now that he is to become a great and populous nation,
and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?

This is a great mystery.  God has only now promised Abraham that he will have many children, but God says that Abraham has already become a great nation.  In a certain, mysterious manner, what we would call a sacramental manner, God has already made Abraham the father of many nations.

Indeed, I have singled him out
that he may direct his children and his household after him
to keep the way of the LORD
by doing what is right and just,

Again, because of his faith, God has judged Abraham a just man.  

so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham
the promises he made about him.”

And because of his faith, we, his spiritual descendants are blessed in Abraham (Galatians 3:14).

Then the LORD said:
“The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out.”

Again, this a proof text for the Holy Trinity, since the Lord who is speaking to Abraham does not go down.  But the two other persons who are with Him.  They go down and see for themselves the sin of Sodom.

While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom,
the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said:
“Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty,
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?”

In his love for Lot, Abraham stands on the breech before God almighty.  Abraham is here proven not just righteous, but courageous.  I suppose the two go hand in hand.

The LORD replied,
“If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Abraham spoke up again:
“See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
But Abraham persisted, saying, “What if only forty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it for the sake of forty.”
Then Abraham said, “Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?”
He replied, “I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there.”
Still Abraham went on,
“Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
But he still persisted:
“Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?”
He replied, “For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.”

The LORD departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham,
and Abraham returned home.

Because of his courage, righteousness, faith and trust in God, Abraham feels free to withstand God on behalf of his brethren.  And he succeeds in obtaining from God assurance that any righteous person remaining in Sodom will be spared.

Responsorial PsalmPS 103:1B-2, 3-4, 8-9, 10-11

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

God is kind and merciful.  Even God's harshness is kindness towards us.  Because when He appears to be harsh it is to save us from eternal punishment.  If we would only turn to God and show mercy to our brethren, we would also experience his mercy towards us.

GospelMT 8:18-22

When Jesus saw a crowd around him,

he gave orders to cross to the other shore.

A scribe approached and said to him,

“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,

but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

Another of his disciples said to him,

“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,

and let the dead bury their dead.”

Put Jesus first, always, and everything else will be given unto you:

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.