Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Daily Missal January-February 2023

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) 
3rd week, alternate

FIRST READING

From the Book of Leviticus (Lv 19:1-2, 17-18)
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the whole community of the Israelites and tell them: ‘Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy. You shall not harbor hatred for your brother in your heart; you shall openly reprove your neighbor, and thus you will not incur guilt because of him. You shall not take revenge or cherish resentment against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.’” – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the first reading

When Jesus speaks of love of neighbor, he refers precisely to this passage from the Book of Leviticus. The Lord says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He therefore invents nothing, since the first part of the commandment comes from the Book of Exodus and the second precisely from Leviticus. In the Old Testament, love of neighbor is placed on the level of justice: just as you desire your own good (you love yourself), so in the same way you must desire the good of your neighbor; that is, you must give him what is his due: honor, patience, kindness, help in times of need, and so on. But this is only the starting point. Jesus completes love of neighbor in his discourse at the Last Supper: “Love one another as I have loved you” (cf. Jn 15:12, 17). And Jesus loved his neighbor (that is, us human beings) to the point of giving his life, sacrificing himself completely, exhausting himself entirely, offering the sacrifice of the cross for our good. Just as we must give everything for God, so we must give everything for our brothers and sisters, because the two loves are no longer separable.

SECOND READING

From the First Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1 Cor 3:16-23)
Brothers and sisters, do you not know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Let no one deceive themselves. If any of you considers yourselves wise in this world, become a fool so as to become wise, because the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” And again: “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” Therefore, let no one boast about human beings, because everything is yours: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, the present, the future: everything is yours! But you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the second reading

Man is a mystery to himself. Man in God’s grace is even more so. We have received the Holy Spirit, so the life of God flows within us and becomes the principle guiding our actions. Yet we must know this and yield to the movements of grace that inspire us from within, because the Spirit does not act automatically. We are not neutral machines: we can say yes to God, and then we will be wise, or we can deny him entry, and then we will be true fools. But how is it possible to live without God? With him we have everything, since everything was made for us. Saint Francis is called “the poor man,” but from a Christian perspective no one is richer than he. Saint John of the Cross, a Carmelite mystic, would sing three centuries after the saint of Assisi: “The heavens are mine and the earth is mine, human beings are mine, the righteous are mine, sinners are mine. The angels are mine and the Mother of God, all things are mine. God himself is mine and for me, since Christ is mine and everything is for me. What then do you ask for, and what do you seek, my soul? All this is yours and all this is for you.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:38-48)
At that time, 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 tell you, do not resist the evildoer; rather, if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well, and to anyone who wants to take you to court and take your tunic, leave your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to accompany him for one mile, go with him for two. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on anyone who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said: ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Do not the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

Love of neighbor, in Christ, surpasses every human expectation and prudence. Since God loved humanity to the point of giving his life, freely, out of love, so those who possess God in their hearts feel that they must place no limit on their love for their neighbor. To love the ungrateful and those who slander us, harming us in every way, surpasses human abilities; at most we can endure patiently, but to sacrifice ourselves and do good to the wicked makes our blood boil: we cannot succeed. And it is good to experience this inability, because it shows whether we love in a merely human way or whether the fire of the Spirit is within us. Showing kindness to those who hate us is truly the signature of God’s presence in us. Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, killed in concentration camps, demonstrated such love toward their executioners that they left everyone amazed. They looked upon the ferocious guards with love and kindness, blessing them and pouring the light of Christ into their darkness. This is God’s victory: love over hatred, forgiveness over killing. This is God’s “science,” which gave these martyrs an indescribable sense of inner peace.