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From: Judges 2:11-19

Israel lapses into infidelity, but the Lord keeps coming to its rescue

[11] And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and
served the Baals; [12] and they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who
had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they went after other gods, from
among the gods of the peoples who were round about them, and bowed down
to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. [13] They forsook the Lord, and
served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. [14] So the anger of the Lord was kindled
against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them; and
he sold them into the power of their enemies. [15] Whenever they marched out,
the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had warned, and as
the Lord had sworn to them; and they were in sore straits.

[16] Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the power of those
who plundered them. [17] And yet they did not listen to their judges; for they
played the harlot after other gods and bowed down to them; they soon turned
aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the com-
mandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. [18] Whenever the Lord raised
up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the
hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity
by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. [19] But
whenever the judge died, they turned back and behaved worse than their fathers,
going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them; they did not drop
any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

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Commentary:

2:1-3:6. The sacred writer explains why they did not manage to dominate the
land; they did not keep the Covenant, so God did not allow them to defeat the
Canaanites (2:1-5).

After repeating almost word for word the short account of Joshua’s death and
burial found at the end of the book that bears his name (2:2-9; cf. Josh 24:28-31),
the writer goes on at some length to give a theological interpretation of events in
those distant days (2:11-23). The tribes of Canaan worshipped Baal, the god of
the rains and the harvest, and Ashtoreth (Greek: Astarte; pl. Ashtaroth), the
goddess of fertility; they made little idols, figurines, and worshipped them. The
Israelites were often attracted to these idolatrous customs, forgetting about the
Lord; he was the one who had given them this country, and now he allowed them
to be plundered. But in his kindness and mercy, seeing their plight, he took pity
on his people even before they turned back to him, and sent them judges to be
their deliverers. But once everything was peaceful again, the people fell back in-
to idolatry. Because this pattern continued, God did not totally drive away those
who were harassing his people (2:20-23); this meant that he was able to test the
Israelites’ fidelity – only to find that there were continuously unfaithful. That was
the pattern right down as far as the exile. So, the sacred author does not dis-
guise the gravity of the people’s sins but he also shows God’s mercy, which is
more effective and always prevails. “I once heard someone say very rashly,” St.
J. Escriva preached, “that the experience of one’s lapses serves to make one fall
a further hundred times in the same error. I tell you, instead, that a prudent per-
son makes use of these setbacks to be more careful in the future, to learn to do
good and to renew his decision to seek greater holiness. From your failures and
successes in God’s service, seek always to draw, together with an increase in
love, a stronger determination to carry on fulfilling your rights and duties as Chris-
tian citizens, no matter what the cost. And do this manfully, without fleeing from
honours or responsibilities, without being afraid of the reactions we produce in
those around us, perhaps originating from false brethren, when we nobly and
loyally try to seek God’s glory and the good of our neighbour” (Friends of God,
164).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 19:16-22

The Rich Young Man

[16] And behold, one man came up to Him (Jesus), saying, “Teacher, what good
deed must I do, to have eternal life?” [17] And He said to him, “Why do you ask
Me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep
the commandments.” [18] He said to Him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall
not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear
false witness, [19] Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neigh-
bor as yourself.” [20] The young man said to Him, “All these I have observed;
what do I still lack?” [21] Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell
what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven;
and come, follow Me.” [22] When the young man heard this he went away sor-
rowful; for he had great possessions.

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Commentary:

17. The Vulgate and other translations, supported by a good many Greek codi-
ces, fill this verse out by saying, “One alone is good, God.”

20-22. “What do I still lack?” The young man kept the commandments that were
necessary for salvation. But there is more. This is why our Lord replies, “if you
would be perfect...” that is to say, if you want to acquire what is still lacking to
you. Jesus is giving him an additional calling, “Come, follow Me”: He is showing
that He wants him to follow Him more closely, and therefore He requires, as He
does others (cf. Matthew 4:19-22), to give up anything that might hinder his full
dedication to the Kingdom of God.

The scene ends rather pathetically: the young man goes away sad. His attach-
ment to his property prevails over Jesus’ affectionate invitation. Here is sadness
of the kind that stems from cowardice, from failure to respond to God’s calling
with personal commitment.

In reporting this episode, the evangelists are actually giving us a case study
which describes a situation and formulates a law, a case study of specific divine
vocation to devote oneself to God’s service and the service of all men.

This young man has become a symbol of the kind of Christian whose mediocrity
and shortsightedness prevent him from turning his life into a generous, fruitful
self-giving to the service of God and neighbor.

What would this young man have become, had he been generous enough to res-
pond to God’s call? A great apostle, surely.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading	Proverbs 9:1-6 ©

Wisdom has built herself a house,

she has erected her seven pillars,

she has slaughtered her beasts, prepared her wine,

she has laid her table.

She has despatched her maidservants

and proclaimed from the city’s heights:

‘Who is ignorant? Let him step this way.’

To the fool she says,

‘Come and eat my bread,

drink the wine I have prepared!

Leave your folly and you will live,

walk in the ways of perception.’

Psalm
Psalm 33:2-3,10-15 ©