Tuesday, August 21st 2018

Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

LECTIONARY
420

FIRST READING
EZ 28:1-10

The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man,
say to the prince of Tyre:
Thus says the Lord GOD:

Because you are haughty of heart,
you say, "A god am I!
I occupy a godly throne
in the heart of the sea!"—
And yet you are a man, and not a god,
however you may think yourself like a god.
Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel,
there is no secret that is beyond you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have made riches for yourself;
You have put gold and silver
into your treasuries.
By your great wisdom applied to your trading
you have heaped up your riches;
your heart has grown haughty from your riches–
therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
Because you have thought yourself
to have the mind of a god,
Therefore I will bring against you
foreigners, the most barbarous of nations.
They shall draw their swords
against your beauteous wisdom,
they shall run them through your splendid apparel.
They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die
a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.
Will you then say, "I am a god!"
when you face your murderers?
No, you are man, not a god,
handed over to those who will slay you.
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of foreigners,
for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.

PSALM
DT 32:26-27AB, 27CD-28, 30, 35CD-36AB

Response: It is I who deal death and give life.

"I would have said, 'I will make an end of them
and blot out their name from men's memories,'
Had I not feared the insolence of their enemies,
feared that these foes would mistakenly boast."

"'Our own hand won the victory;
the LORD had nothing to do with it.'"
For they are a people devoid of reason,
having no understanding.

"How could one man rout a thousand,
or two men put ten thousand to flight,
Unless it was because their Rock sold them
and the LORD delivered them up?"

Close at hand is the day of their disaster,
and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.

GOSPEL
MT 19:23-30

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
"Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible."
Then Peter said to him in reply,
"We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

Daily Reflection

21st August 2018

St Pius X

Tyre, being the best natural harbour in the eastern Mediterranean, had grown fabulously wealthy and powerful. Attributing this success to himself, the haughty ruler of Tyre begin to believe himself to be a ‘god’. As he gloated over the fall of Jerusalem, the prophet Ezekiel cautions the prince of Tyre that his arrogance and pride would be his downfall. This prophecy came true when, not long after attacking Jerusalem, king Nebuchadnezzar turned against Tyre.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is not condemning the wealthy, but their attachment to their possessions, and consequently the deprivation of those in genuine need. If we understand (unlike the prince of Tyre) that our wealth, though the fruit of our labour, is eventually thanks to God’s providence, then we will also understand that we must use what we have been blessed with in the service of others.

At times, amidst our achievements, when we leave the providence of God completely out of the equation, life gives us an occasional nudge – a stumble or a failing – reminders that we are human and we do need God after all.