Tuesday
of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Micah 7:
14-15.18-20; Matthew 12:46-50)
People
still try to make a distinction between the “God of the Old Testament” and the
“God of the New…” They see the God of
Abraham and Moses as angry and vindictive, and the one of Jesus as loving and
compassionate. Today’s first reading
belies such a wrong-minded interpretation of the Scriptures.
The prophet
Micah (or possibly another whose works are included with his) utters a
prayer. He extols the Lord for His mercy
and looks forward to the revelation of His justice. According to the prophet, God “pardons sins”
and “delights in clemency.” Jesus will manifest these divine attributes in his very
being. For this reason the gospel today pictures him saying that his disciples are only his mother, sisters, and brothers but not his father. His father is God alone.
God is
merciful and loving as some say, “all the time.” This affirmation does not mean we are exempt
from obeying His will. But it does mean
that we can count on Him when we approach Him with repentant hearts.
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