Reading 1 Mic 6:1-4, 6-8
Arise, present your plea before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice!
Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD,
pay attention, O foundations of the earth!
For the LORD has a plea against his people,
and he enters into trial with Israel.
O my people, what have I done to you,
or how have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
from the place of slavery I released you;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 50:5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
“Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Alleluia Ps 95:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 12:38-42
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
WHO IS REALLY ON TRIAL?
"God Himself is the Judge." –Psalm 50:6
In all three eucharistic readings today, a type of courtroom scene is portrayed. The prophet Micah announces a cosmic court session. "The Lord has a plea against His people, and He enters into trial with" them (Mi 6:2). He demands to know why His people have turned away from Him, despite all the marvelous deeds and loving provisions He has bestowed on them. God says to His people: "Answer Me!" (Mi 6:3) The psalm response continues the cosmic trial scene. God "summons the heavens from above, and the earth, to the trial of His people" (Ps 50:4).
In the Gospel reading, the "scribes and Pharisees," who would have known Micah 6 and Psalm 50, decide to switch seats with Jesus, attempting to become judge instead of defendant. They heard His preaching, saw His miracles, and were still not satisfied. As self-appointed judges, they want a sign all their own. In effect, the scribes and Pharisees say to Jesus: "Answer Me!" (see Mi 6:3) Jesus doesn't grant their answer in the way they wish, and so they eventually pronounce Him guilty.
The queen of Sheba shows the best way to get an answer from the Lord. She was a queen, but instead of standing on her authority, she sought the truth with openness. She spent a long time with Solomon to gain some of his wisdom. The truth is found by those who seek it. Jesus, the Truth (Jn 14:6), and the Spirit of Truth (Jn 16:13) are likewise found by those who seek with openness and honesty. Therefore, "seek the Lord while He may be found" (Is 55:6).
| PRAYER: | Father, I will seek You "ten times the more" (Bar 4:28). |
| PROMISE: | "To him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God." –Ps 50:23 |
| PRAISE: | St. Camillus devoted himself to the sick because of his own diseased leg. |
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