Your Boos Mean Nothing
Jun 19: Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings are all about ignoring what the world thinks.
Reading 1
2 Cor 6:1-10
Brothers and sisters: As your fellow workers, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.
Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We cause no one to stumble in anything, in order that no fault may be found with our ministry; on the contrary, in everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God, through much endurance, in afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech, in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness at the right and at the left; through glory and dishonor, insult and praise. We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful; as unrecognized and yet acknowledged; as dying and behold we live; as chastised and yet not put to death; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things.
What Paul’s getting at in this long, meandering ramble,1 is bragging about things we usually consider bad—beatings, imprisonments, riots, etc. That’s because the world doesn’t understand Jesus. Glory in the world’s eyes is actually dishonor, insults are praise.
So, don’t think that being rejected by the world is a bad thing; it doesn’t mean you’ve received God’s grace in vain. In fact, it’s the opposite!
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 98:1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd-4
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
In the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
It doesn’t matter that the rest of the world doubted God’s salvation. In the end, He will prove them all wrong.
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 we were interrupted, we heard Jesus say, “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.
In the original Greek, this is one sentence.