Word to the Wise
Saturday, July 16, 2022 - Saturday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Mic 2:1-5 and Matt 12:14-21]The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Manypeople followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.....[Matthew]
JULY 16 [Our Lady of Mount Carmel]
This is a turning point in the Gospel According to Matthew. The lines of opposition to Jesus and his ministry of compassion are drawn between him and the religious leadership - mainly the scribes and Pharisees. The evangelist Matthew portrays Jesus according to one of the "Songs of the Suffering Servant" in the prophecy of Isaiah. In chapter 23, Jesus in Jerusalem will pronounce a terrible denunciation of the religious leadership and "cleanse the temple." That leadership will engineer Jesus' death, over which he will triumph in resurrection.
This is not simply something that happened 2,000 years ago. Opposition to faith can be lethal. In the Gospel According to John, we read: " [I]n fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God!" [John 16:2]. Christianity has been on both sides of that equation. The crusades and the inquisition are two examples of our own persecution against others. The martyrs we celebrate in the Eucharist are examples of suffering inflicted on Christians.
Jesus' ministry of compassion is being reflected to us in the ministry of Pope Francis who has upset certain currents in the Church. Their vehement opposition is reflected in the internet and in publications. Local pastors can experience the same form of Pharisaism. The story of Jesus did not end with the gospels. AMEN