Monday, January 15, 2024

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

(I Samuel 15:16-23; Mark 2:18-22)

The first reading sounds more than cruel.  It sounds blasphemous.  Reading it, one asks, “Could God really have commanded Saul to exterminate the Amalekites?” In other words, did God order a genocide?  One will ask again, “What kind of ‘loving God’ is this?”

There should be no doubt that God really did command Saul to exterminate the Amalekite nation.  It must be remembered, however, that God has the power to give the Amalekites eternal life.  His providence would have provided for the innocent and the good members of that nation.  Furthermore, God’s plan is to make Israel a holy nation so that it might teach the world God’s justice.  Always pitting themselves against Israel, the Amalekites were frustrating God’s plan.

Of course, the purpose of telling this story is to emphasize the need to obey God.  With Jesus, God has revealed his ultimate will for the world.  He wants us to live in peace with all.  This is Martin Luther King’s dream whom we remember especially today. 

Monday, July 17, 2017

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 1:8-14.22; Matthew 10:34-11:1)

The word genocide catches people attention. Since the Nazis killed over six millions Jews in an attempted genocide during World War II, nations react with concern when the claim is made.  Three years ago, for example, spokespersons for Christians in Iraq were able to win U.S. support for the beleaguered group by showing how ISIS was attempting genocide against it.  In the first reading today the Egyptians have genocide in mind as they deal with the Israelites.

The conditions for genocide are rife.  The Israelites, once no more than an extended family, have become a numerous and prosperous nation.  The ruling Egyptian kingdom views them as a potential threat to their rule.  The overlords try to wear the Israelites down with increased work, but added labor seems to make the Israelites more industrious.  As a final solution to the threat, the Egyptian pharaoh orders the death of all Israelite boys.  The girls would be married to Egyptians and their offspring assimilated in the dominant culture. 

Pharaoh’s plan, of course, fails and the Israelites are led out of Egypt to the desert where they are formed as God’s chosen people.  The saga clues us on how to deal with oppression.  We are not to give into evil but to maintain our noblest values.  As Jesus shows in today’s gospel, we are to honor those who bear the word of God and cherish that word as the source of our hope in trial.is own goodness.hi

Monday, July 12, 2015

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Exodus 1:8-14.22; Matthew 10:34-11:1)

The word genocide is bantered about today.  People attach it to every mass murder.  It means the extermination of a nation or kind of people.  The Nazis attempted genocide against the Jews at the end of World War II.  More recently, the Hutu tribe in Rwanda tried to exterminate its rival Tutsi tribe, and the Serbs of Serbia attempted to eliminate the Bosnian minority.  In the first reading today the Egyptians have genocide in mind as they deal with the Israelites.

The conditions for genocide are rife.  The Israelites, once no more than a small clan, have grown both numerous and prosperous.  The ruling Egyptian nation resents the Israelites’ success and views them as a potential threat to their hegemony.  The overlords multiply the Israelite workload, but the added labor seems to make the Israelites more ingenious.  As a final solution to the threat, the Egyptian pharaoh orders the death of all Israelite boys.  The girls would be married to Egyptians and their offspring assimilated in the dominant culture. 

Pharaoh’s plan, of course, fails and the Israelites are led out of Egypt to the desert where they are formed as God’s chosen people.  The saga clues us on how to deal with oppression.  We are not to give into evil but to maintain our noblest values.  God will see us past the threat of genocide and mold us into a people reflecting His own goodness.is own goodness.hi