Who Has the Right?

Jun 19: Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

Today's first reading is all about the evils of eminent domain.

And also about the importance of preserving our heritage.¹ It also raises the question of who actually has rights in society.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus reverses the question, and asks if we should invoke our right to revenge, even when we’re entitled to.

Reading 1

1 Kgs 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.

At the start of the story, King Ahab is greedy and envious in his heart, but he doesn't actually do anything evil. He offers Naboth a seemingly fair deal. He's angry when Naboth doesn't take it, but otherwise, Ahab doesn't seem to have any intentions of taking the dispute further.

His wife, however, does. Jezebel has an innocent man killed just so her husband can have a vegetable garden. And it's at this point where Ahab shows his true colors. There's no way he doesn't know she's responsible for Naboth's death, and yet he accepts the vineyard anyway. He's complicit in the evil, because it suits him in the moment.

No one person is responsible for Naboth's death: Ahab's greed motivated Jezebel. The Elders went along with her plan. The people believed "two scoundrels" that Naboth had cursed God and king, and hurled stones at him because of this questionable testimony.

Nobody comes out of this story looking good.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 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.

This is a psalm Naboth could have sung, after being wrongly convicted. He is still killed unjustly, but God's plan doesn't end in death. Naboth will receive justice.

Alleluia

Ps 119:105

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

We need a light in this world.

Gospel

Mt 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."

Before this, Jesus said, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Jesus didn’t say you should leave the altar if you were angry with your brother; it was if your brother was angry at you.

By not resisting evil, Jesus wants to cut off the cycle of violence. Being attacked by this world probably means you’re doing the right thing. So be ready to put up with it until the Lord makes known his salvation.

1. But seriously, eminent domain has been abused by the rich and powerful since Biblical times.