14 - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings and Gospel

Lectionary for this day - This has all the readings and Gospel

Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 - Various Rules of Conduct

1 Corinthians 3:16-23 - The Role of God’s Ministers

Matthew 5:38-48 - Teaching About Retaliation and Love of Enemies

• See Leviticus 19:18. There is no Old Testament commandment demanding hatred of one’s enemy, but the “neighbor” of the love commandment was understood as one’s fellow countryman. Both in the Old Testament (Psalm 139:19–22) and at Qumran (1QS 9:21) hatred of evil persons is assumed to be right. Jesus extends the love commandment to the enemy and the persecutor. His disciples, as children of God, must imitate the example of their Father, who grants his gifts of sun and rain to both the good and the bad.

Who / What / Where is...?

Leviticus

• The name “Leviticus” was given to the third book of the Pentateuch by the ancient Greek translators because a good part of this book deals with concerns of the priests, who are of the tribe of Levi.

• More information about Leviticus

Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy

• In the writings commonly attributed to the Priestly collection, Israel is called to be holy through obeying God’s precepts

• Holy - belonging to God

Israelite community

• The chosen people

• The descendants of Jacob/Israel (that is, the "12 tribes of Israel")

Paul

• A Jew and a pharisee. He was educated by Gamaliel, a notable teacher of Jewish law.

• A Roman citizen.

• He first persecuted Christians. After Jesus appeared to him, he became a Christian and was responsible for the conversion of many Gentiles. More information.

Apollos

• One of the early Christians and a colleague of St Paul.

• More information here.

Cephas

• This means rock.

• This is the name that Jesus gave Peter, the apostle.

Matthew

• He was a tax collector. He was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.

  • • 12 Apostles - the first 12 people that Jesus called to follow Him.

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

• The Old Testament commandment was meant to moderate vengeance; the punishment should not exceed the injury done. Jesus forbids even this proportionate retaliation. Of the five examples that follow, only the first deals directly with retaliation for evil; the others speak of liberality.

Should anyone press you into service for one mile

• Roman garrisons in Palestine had the right to requisition the property and services of the native population.

Love your neighbor

St Catherine of Siena heard God speak to her:

“All the love which you have for Me you owe to Me, so that it is not of grace that you love Me, but because you ought to do so. While I love you of grace, and not because I owe you My love. Therefore to Me, in person, you cannot repay the love which I require of you, and I have placed you in the midst of your fellows, that you may do to them that which you cannot do to Me, that is to say, that you may love your neighbor of free grace, without expecting any return from him, and what you do to him, I count as done to Me.”

Dig deeper into this Sunday's Readings and Gospel with teachings from Brant Pitre.

Saints