Give To The One Who Asks Of You
Introduction
The Portuguese saint Anthony of Padua is one of the most venerated saints and possibly the most misused. In his ten years with the Augustinians, he applied himself to the Scriptures, but was then attracted to the radical evangelical life-style of the young Franciscan order. In Italy he became a very effective popular preacher and dedicated himself to his work with so much ardour that he died at the age of 36 at Padua. He did not only preach the gospel but lived it totally.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
St. Anthony was so filled
with your Son and his gospel
that he could not but make people enthusiastic
about the good news of Jesus Christ.
Let your Son and his word
spring to life in us, we pray you,
that we may live the life of Jesus
and proclaim him to all those around,
for he is our Lord for ever. Amen.
1 Reading: 1 KINGS 21:1-16
Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden, since it is close by, next to my house. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or, if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.” Naboth answered him, “The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage.” Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him: “I will not give you my ancestral heritage.” Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat. His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so angry that you will not eat?” He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’ But he refused to let me have his vineyard.” His wife Jezebel said to him, “A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed! Get up. Eat and be cheerful. I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.” So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and, having sealed them with his seal, sent them to the elders and to the nobles who lived in the same city with Naboth. This is what she wrote in the letters: “Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. Next, get two scoundrels to face him and accuse him of having cursed God and king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” His fellow citizens—the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city—did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing, through the letters she had sent them. They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people. Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation, “Naboth has cursed God and king.” And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death. Then they sent the information to Jezebel that Naboth had been stoned to death. When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Go on, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you, because Naboth is not alive, but dead.” On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
Responsorial PSALM 5:2-3AB, 4B-6A, 6B-7
R. (2b) Lord, listen to my groaning.
Hearken to my words, O LORD,
attend to my sighing.
Heed my call for help,
my king and my God! R.
At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight. R.
You hate all evildoers.
You destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the LORD abhors. R.
Alleluia PSALM 119:105
Alleluia, alleluia.
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MATTHEW 5:38-42
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”
Commentary
Regulating Desire
What is the secret to happiness? Perhaps there are many. But one sure secret is to learn to be content with what one has. The poor think that they will be happy when they get rich. The rich think that they will be happy when they get richer! This is a vicious cycle. King Ahab is a classic case. Being a King, he does not lack any material or human resource. But the sight of poor Naboth’s little vineyard so sickens him with longing and leaves him miserable and depressed until he gets it! Buddha was right when he observed that desire is the root of all human miseries. Though the solution is not to eliminate desire (for, our very being is constituted by desire), but to regulate our desire in such a way that it does not violate the rights of others or leads to reciprocal violence that Jesus speaks of in today’s gospel.
Intercessions
– That in our world people may learn not to repay violence with more violence, but as much as possible resist evil in a nonviolent way, we pray:
– That reconciliation may be the mark of Christians when they have suffered from personal enmity and hurt, we pray:
– That we may have the courage to stand up for the injustice done to the poor and those exploited, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these gifts of bread and wine
we bring before you our readiness
to follow your Son Jesus Christ.
May he grow in us day after day
that we may live for one another
and that the gospel may become credible
in our world and in our times.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you have spoken to us your word
and given us our food for the road
in your Son Jesus Christ.
Let his gospel be no empty word among us,
but a call and a challenge
to lead his life
and to spread his love among people.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
Break the spiral of evil! Each of us, in her or his own place, has to do away with evil, in oneself, and as much as one can in one’s family, occupation and employment and community. May God give you the strength and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!