17th Week, Saturday, July 31
Leviticus 25:1, 8-17 / Matthew 14:1-12
God orders a jubilee; "Everyone shall return to his Property. "
This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants." The name that Israel gave the fiftieth year was the "year of jubilee" (NAB) or the "Year of Restoration" (TEV). The name jubilee derived from the “jubel”, or horn, which was blown throughout the land to announce the start of the year. With the blowing of the horn, all debts were wiped out and all debtors set free. (Leviticus 25:9-10). Jesus used the image of the jubilee year to describe the coming of the Messiah and the Messianic Age. (Luke 4:18-19) The Messiah's coming meant that Israel's spiritual debts were forgiven. The people were set free from sin's bondage.
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How forgiving are we to others? "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7
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When the Jews celebrated the jubilee year every fiftieth year, slaves were supposed to be set free, land alienated through debts to be returned to its original owner. The idea was to allow for a radically new beginning, with respect for human rights and dignity. It was an attempt to bring about a more equitable distribution of goods within the people of God. The Christian Holy Year takes its inspiration from the Jewish Jubilee Year. For us, then, should the jubilee year not mean to create more justice within the Church, with a new start to be made, new chances offered to start from scratch? Is this not the image of the Christian life? A clean slate to start with, new reconciliation?
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If we could ask each character in today's gospel passage, who was responsible for the death of John the Baptist, they may come out with rather strange answers. Herod would say that it was not him, because he must honour a public pledge. After all the girl could have asked for something else. Herodias might say that John the Baptist deserved what he got for opening his mouth and criticizing authorities. After all, criticizing authorities meant danger and he brought this danger onto himself.
The girl would say that she was only doing what she was told; how could she disobey her mother. And in all this deliberation, no one would obviously admit responsibility and would also point fingers at others. Yet the crux of the matter is that someone was harmed and eventually lost his life.
What we will come across every day is not as serious as people losing their lives. But what we will face every day is that we are indifferent to the good we can do because we think that there will be someone else who will do it. Maybe this story will help us understand this situation.
It's a story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when actually Nobody asked Anybody.
The story sounds funny but that may be the story of our lives. Let us take the responsibility to do good today so that tomorrow can be better.
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Would we welcome prophets better than the people in their time, even if they are right? It is so difficult to face the truth about ourselves. Because it is difficult to change, to be open to true conversion. Let us pray in this Eucharist for the courage to face this disturbing truth.
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Prayer
Lord our God, merciful Father, you always give new chances to the people you love. Again and again you want to make a new beginning with us. God, how good you are to us. Yes, Lord, we want to try again to live at peace with you and each other and to offer to each and everyone our willingness to accept all, to forget the mistakes of the past, and to become new in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
