Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - Tuesday in the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36 and Matt 7:6, 12-14]"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets." [Matthew]
JUNE 21 ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA
Jesus' version of the "Golden Rule" is not stated in the Old Testament in the way he says it, but it can be found in the Old Testament in the Book of Tobit 4:15 where it is said, "Do to no one what you yourself hate." It is found in a number of ancient wisdom sources, which Wikipedia will gladly supply. I think it is certainly implied in the commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Common sense wisdom like the Golden Rule is a reminder of our common humanity and the value of the human person. It is also a reminder of just how mean we can be when we don't think of the Golden Rule before acting. Jesus places his version of the Golden Rule alongside the fundamental books of the Old Testament as a summation of them. When we "examine our conscience" the Golden Rule can be a reliable tool to use. AMEN