Thursday of 19th Week in Ordinary Time
CLARE, Virgin
Though of noble birth and well-educated, Clare (1193-1253) was attracted by the ideals of poverty of St. Francis of Assisi. Against the pressure of her family, she distributed her possessions to the poor and founded the second Franciscan Order of Poor Clares, who dedicate themselves to a life of poverty and prayer. Claire understood that poverty makes a person free for love: to love God undividedly and to be available to our people. Her motto was: “God, I am happy that you created me.” Isn’t that true riches?
First Reading: Ezekiel 12:1-15
God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, you’re living with a bunch of rebellious people. They have eyes but don’t see a thing, they have ears but don’t hear a thing. They’re rebels all. So, son of man, pack up your exile duffel bags. Leave in broad daylight with everyone watching and go off, as if into exile. Maybe then they’ll understand what’s going on, rebels though they are. You’ll take up your baggage while they watch, a bundle of the bare necessities of someone going into exile, and toward evening leave, just like a person going off into exile. As they watch, dig through the wall of the house and carry your bundle through it. In full sight of the people, put the bundle on your shoulder and walk out into the night. Cover your face so you won’t have to look at what you’ll never see again. I’m using you as a sign for the family of Israel.”
I did exactly as he commanded me. I got my stuff together and brought it out in the street where everyone could see me, bundled it up the way someone being taken off into exile would, and then, as the sun went down, made a hole in the wall of the house with my hands. As it grew dark and as they watched, I left, throwing my bundle across my shoulders.
The next morning God spoke to me: “Son of man, when anyone in Israel, that bunch of rebels, asks you, ‘What are you doing?’ Tell them, ‘God, the Master, says that this Message especially concerns the prince in Jerusalem—Zedekiah—but includes all the people of Israel.’
“Also tell them, ‘I am drawing a picture for you. As I am now doing, it will be done to all the
“The prince will put his bundle on his shoulders in the dark and leave. He’ll dig through the wall of the house, covering his face so he won’t have to look at the land he’ll never see again. But I’ll make sure he gets caught and is taken to Babylon. Blinded, he’ll never see that land in which he’ll die. I’ll scatter to the four winds those who helped him escape, along with his troops, and many will die in battle. They’ll realize that I am God when I scatter them among foreign countries.
Gospel: Matthew 18:21-19:2
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?”
Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
“The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
“The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
“The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’
“The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
“The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”
When Jesus had completed these teachings, he left Galilee and crossed the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. Great crowds followed him there, and he healed them.
Prayer
Lord our God,
we thank you today
for the example of St. Clare.
She understood that to possess you,
one has to be free
from things that distract from you.
Grant us too, the riches
of retaining our inner freedom
as regards possessions and attachments
and open us to all the riches
of giving ourselves to you and to people.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Reflection:
11 AUGUST 2022
Matthew 18: 21 – 19:1
“You will pay for it”!
Jesus gives us a catechesis about the unity of brothers and sisters and ends it with a promise: “I assure you that if two of you, on earth will agree and ask for a grace, it will be granted to you.” Unity, friendship and peace among brothers and sisters attracts the kindness and providence of God. But it is not always easy to be in unity with people around us. There are disagreements and quarrels. And Peter asks the question: “What should we do with the people that offend us? If my brother offends me, how many times will I have to forgive him? Seven times?” And Jesus answered with an idiom, “Seventy times seven,” which meant, “always.” You must always forgive.
Our selfish heart is always attached to hatred, revenge, resentment. We have all seen families destroyed by hate. Hatred is passed on from one generation to the next. We have seen siblings who, in front of the coffin of their parents, refuse to greet each other because they carry on old grudges.
The devil succeeds in making us believe that nurturing hatred is a symbol of being strong and to love and forgive is an act of weakness. The devil always occupies himself among our grudges and destroys everything. It succeeds in keeping us away from the Lord who celebrates our repentance and forgets all our wrong-doings.
When God forgives us, he forgets all the evil we have done. God loses the memory of the awful stories of so many of our sins. He asks of us only one thing: “Do the same: learn to forgive.”
Have you ever said to anyone: “You will pay for it”. This word is neither Christian nor human. The generosity of Jesus teaches us that in order to enter heaven we must forgive. Remember the Lord raising this question: “When you go to Mass and you remember that your brother has something against you, reconcile first; don’t come to me with love for me in one hand and hate for your brother in the other.”
May the Lord teach us this wisdom of forgiveness that is not easy. And let us do one thing: when we go to confession, to receive the sacrament of reconciliation, let us first ask ourselves, “Do I forgive?” If I feel that I do not forgive, do not pretend to ask forgiveness, because I will not be forgiven. Asking for forgiveness is forgiving. They both go together. They can’t be separated.