Lectionary: 369
Reading 1
2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20
When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah,
saw that her son was dead,
she began to kill off the whole royal family.
But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah,
took Joash, his son, and spirited him away, along with his nurse,
from the bedroom where the princes were about to be slain.
She concealed him from Athaliah, and so he did not die.
For six years he remained hidden in the temple of the LORD,
while Athaliah ruled the land.
But in the seventh year,
Jehoiada summoned the captains of the Carians
and of the guards.
He had them come to him in the temple of the LORD,
exacted from them a sworn commitment,
and then showed them the king’s son.
The captains did just as Jehoiada the priest commanded.
Each one with his men, both those going on duty for the sabbath
and those going off duty that week,
came to Jehoiada the priest.
He gave the captains King David’s spears and shields,
which were in the temple of the LORD.
And the guards, with drawn weapons,
lined up from the southern to the northern limit of the enclosure,
surrounding the altar and the temple on the king’s behalf.
Then Jehoiada led out the king’s son
and put the crown and the insignia upon him.
They proclaimed him king and anointed him,
clapping their hands and shouting, “Long live the king!”
Athaliah heard the noise made by the people,
and appeared before them in the temple of the LORD.
When she saw the king standing by the pillar, as was the custom,
and the captains and trumpeters near him,
with all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets,
she tore her garments and cried out, “Treason, treason!”
Then Jehoiada the priest instructed the captains
in command of the force:
“Bring her outside through the ranks.
If anyone follows her,” he added, “let him die by the sword.”
He had given orders that she
should not be slain in the temple of the LORD.
She was led out forcibly to the horse gate of the royal palace,
where she was put to death.
Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD as one party
and the king and the people as the other,
by which they would be the LORD’s people;
and another covenant, between the king and the people.
Thereupon all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal
and demolished it.
They shattered its altars and images completely,
and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.
Jehoiada appointed a detachment for the temple of the LORD.
All the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet,
now that Athaliah had been slain with the sword
at the royal palace.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 132:11, 12, 13-14, 17-18
R. (13) The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
The LORD swore to David
a firm promise from which he will not withdraw:
“Your own offspring
I will set upon your throne.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
“If your sons keep my covenant
and the decrees which I shall teach them,
Their sons, too, forever
shall sit upon your throne.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he prefers her for his dwelling.
“Zion is my resting place forever;
in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
“In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David;
I will place a lamp for my anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but upon him my crown shall shine.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
Gospel
Matthew 6:19-23
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: TREASURY BONDS
"Make it your practice instead to store up heavenly treasure, which neither moths nor rust corrode nor thieves break in and steal." –Matthew 6:20
Athaliah, the wicked queen of Israel, stored up earthly treasure. She built up her treasury by killing off the whole royal family (2 Kgs 11:1). However, wealth gained out of wickedness is like a flash flood: it rises quickly, flourishes for a short time, and then "suddenly, once and for all, comes to an end" (Sir 40:13-14). This proved true for Athaliah, as she suddenly lost not only her wealth, but also her life. The point is that earthly treasure can quickly vanish (Mt 6:19; Lk 12:16ff). Anyone who lived through the Great Depression in the U.S. in 1929 can testify to that.
Jehosheba's courageous act of hiding the baby king, Joash, in the temple (2 Kgs 11:3) prefigures Jesus' admonition to store up heavenly treasure (Mt 6:20). Heavenly treasure, such as acts of charity, almsgiving, and prayer, is also "hidden in the temple of the Lord" (2 Kgs 11:3) and cannot be destroyed (Mt 6:20). Just as a United States savings bond reaches full financial maturity after a period of time, so did Jehosheba's treasure mature as the boy-king Joash grew up in the safety of the temple (2 Kgs 11:4).
Our heavenly treasure will always yield a return. It will never be lost or stolen. It is like seed a farmer sowed in a field. Day after day, it slowly matures without our knowing how it happens (Mk 4:26ff). When the time is ready, our heavenly treasure yields a sure, indestructible return.
PRAYER: Father, may I use my finances to bring many into Your kingdom.
PROMISE: "Remember, where your treasure is, there your heart is also." –Mt 6:21
PRAISE: Julie put aside her plans for a career as a pharmacist in order to raise and home-school her eight children.
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