Lectionary: 365
Reading 1
1 Kings 21:1-16
Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel
next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria.
Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden,
since it is close by, next to my house.
I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or,
if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.”
Naboth answered him, “The LORD forbid
that I should give you my ancestral heritage.”
Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer
Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him:
“I will not give you my ancestral heritage.”
Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat.
His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him,
“Why are you so angry that you will not eat?”
He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite
and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or,
if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’
But he refused to let me have his vineyard.”
His wife Jezebel said to him,
“A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed!
Get up.
Eat and be cheerful.
I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and,
having sealed them with his seal,
sent them to the elders and to the nobles
who lived in the same city with Naboth.
This is what she wrote in the letters:
“Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.
Next, get two scoundrels to face him
and accuse him of having cursed God and king.
Then take him out and stone him to death.”
His fellow citizens—the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city—
did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing,
through the letters she had sent them.
They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people.
Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation,
“Naboth has cursed God and king.”
And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death.
Then they sent the information to Jezebel
that Naboth had been stoned to death.
When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death,
she said to Ahab,
“Go on, take possession of the vineyard
of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you,
because Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way
down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite,
to take possession of it.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 5:2-3ab, 4b-6a, 6b-7
R. (2b) Lord, listen to my groaning.
Hearken to my words, O LORD,
attend to my sighing.
Heed my call for help,
my king and my God!
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the LORD abhors.
R. Lord, listen to my groaning.
Gospel
Matthew 5:38-42
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: "CONQUER EVIL WITH GOOD" (Rm 12:21)
"Do not resist one who is evil." –Matthew 5:39, RSV-CE
We disciples of Jesus no longer want to get even with our enemies and persecutors. Instead, our battle is against the kingdom of evil (Eph 6:12) and our goal is to reclaim souls stolen from the Lord and restore them to His kingdom. Our aim is to conquer souls for Jesus, by using good means and not evil ones (Rm 12:21).
Because this is our overriding goal, "why not put up with injustice, and let [ourselves] be cheated?" (1 Cor 6:7) What does it matter if we have to walk an extra mile or do without some things? Did someone take our shirt? (Mt 5:40) Jesus told us not to bring an extra shirt when we serve Him (Mt 10:10), so He is responsible to provide another shirt that we might continue to serve Him (Mt 6:30; 10:9ff). "He Who calls us is trustworthy, therefore He will do it" (1 Thes 5:24).
"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves; leave that to God's wrath, for it is written: 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' says the Lord" (Rm 12:19). Getting even with our enemies is contrary to God's mercy. Only because Jesus led the way in trusting the Father and living without vengeance can we hope to follow in His footsteps.
"Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good" (Rm 12:21). By following Jesus in loving evildoers, "we are more than conquerors" (Rm 8:37). We conquer the world when we express our belief in Jesus (1 Jn 5:5) by obeying His difficult teachings.
PRAYER: Father, give me the grace to deny myself, take up my cross, love my enemies, do good to those who hate me, and fix my eyes on Jesus so I can follow You in perfect love.
PROMISE: "You, O God, delight not in wickedness; no evil man remains with You." –Ps 5:5
PRAISE: Linda found that praying a "Hail Mary" whenever she thought of a person with whom she had difficulty kept her heart open and loving toward that person.
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