First reading Ezekiel 28:1-10
Against the arrogance of the king of Tyre
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre, “The Lord says this:
Being swollen with pride,
you have said: I am a god;
I am sitting on the throne of God,
surrounded by the seas.
Though you are a man and not a god,
you consider yourself the equal of God.
You are wiser now than Danel;
there is no sage as wise as you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have amassed great wealth;
you have piles of gold and silver
inside your treasure-houses.
Such is your skill in trading,
your wealth has continued to increase,
and with this your heart has grown more arrogant.
And so, the Lord says this:
Since you consider yourself the equal of God,
very well, I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most barbarous of the nations.
They will draw sword against your fine wisdom,
they will defile your glory;
they will throw you down into the pit
and you will die a violent death
surrounded by the seas.
Are you still going to say: I am a god,
when your murderers confront you?
No, you are a man and not a god
in the clutches of your murderers!
You will die like the uncircumcised
at the hand of foreigners.
For I have spoken – it is the Lord who speaks.”’
Responsorial Psalm Deuteronomy 32:26-28,30,35-36
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
I should crush them to dust, said the Lord.
I should wipe out their memory among men,
did I not fear the boasting of the enemy.
But let not their foes be mistaken!
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
Let them not say: Our own power wins the victory,
the Lord plays no part in this.
What a nation of short sight it is;
in them there is no understanding.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
How else could one man rout a thousand,
how could two put ten thousand to flight,
were it not that their Rock has sold them,
that the Lord has delivered them up?
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
For it is close, the day of their ruin;
their doom comes at speed.
For the Lord will see his people righted,
he will take pity on his servants.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
Gospel Matthew 19:23-30
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.’
Then Peter spoke. ‘What about us?’ he said to him ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life.
‘Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’
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Solidarity
“In truth I tell you, it is hard for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven.” It is indeed difficult because possessions and wealth can easily possess us and make us feel that excessively accumulating more money and things can give us security. It also makes us desire more wealth for ourselves and have a selfish heart that prevents us from sharing what we have with those in need. There is nothing wrong with having material resources. The issue is when we put them as our absolute and become attached to them. Thus, we become blinded to the needs of others.
Jesus calls for a change in our lives so that we can break the chain that makes us slaves to riches or even to the desire to have more possessions and wealth. Let us set our hearts on God as our treasure and have a generous heart for others so that no one around us lacks anything.
Reflective question:
In concrete ways, how can I share what I have with those in need?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
