First Reading: Exodus 22:20-26
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10
Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40
These readings can be viewed at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102311.cfm.
Reflection Questions
1. Describe the evil that motivated the Pharisees to constantly try to trap Jesus. Why were they so persistent in trying to trap and eventually kill Jesus? Of what are they afraid?
2. Scripture Search: Find the Old Testament reference to Jesus’ answer (‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all you mind’). Use a concordance or a Bible software program if you have one. (Hint: Moses was traditionally understood as the author of this verse’s book.)
Gospel Reflection
Ever wonder what it took the religious leaders to get so worked up that they wanted to kill Jesus, the only Son of God? It was obviously more than just a couple of ‘bad days’. This Sunday’s Gospel shows us the persistence of the Pharisees, a group of those leaders, in trying to trap Jesus. Not only do they fail in their attempts, but ironically they gave rise to some of the greatest teachings of the Lord. This time the Pharisees get one of their ‘prized fighters’, a scholar of the law, to trap Jesus. They are obviously thinking, ‘let’s bring in the big guns’ by having one of their most educated men test Jesus. (Incidentally, St. Paul, then known as Saul, was one of the best educated and brightest of all Pharisees. Would that not have been ironic if it was Saul who was asking Jesus this question?) Jesus is asked which commandment is the greatest. The Ten Commandments are the ‘commandments’ to which this scholar refers. Our Faith teaches us today that all Ten are important, each essential for living a proper Christian life. The trap that the scholars are laying for Jesus is to get Him to imply that there are some commandments that are not important. Of course, if He says that the First commandment is the greatest, the Pharisees could say that Jesus is ignoring the Fifth Commandment (or any of the other commandments). So how does Jesus respond? He quotes the Old Testament’s own language about the heart of the commandments. He goes right past the question of the Pharisees and does what He does best, getting to the heart of the matter. The purpose of the Ten Commandments is to help learn how to love God and love each other. This is the heart of what they are talking about, and therefore each commandment is equally important. While Jesus’ answer is essential for us to realize, and while it is always necessary to understand why we are to obey the commandments (as well as know what those commandments are), the primary point of this Gospel is not the content of Christ’s teaching: St. Matthew is getting across to us the insidious plan of the Pharisees to trap Jesus and eventually condemned Him to death. While they continually focus on ways to snare Him, Jesus always comes through with the Truth. The Pharisees show that they are against the Truth: If they were really for it, then they would stop questioning Him and would start living His teachings. You and I are called to be disciples of the Truth, not letting the attacks of the world get us down, but calmly relying on God’s help, even when we are tested in our faith. Let us ask God in prayer for the grace to respond to the Truth with conviction, without fear or apologies.
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