Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
June 21, 2021
Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
Lectionary: 371
Reading I
The LORD said to Abram:
“Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk
and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.
“I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.”
Abram went as the LORD directed him, and Lot went with him.
Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
Abram took his wife, Sarai, his brother’s son Lot,
all the possessions that they had accumulated,
and the persons they had acquired in Haran,
and they set out for the land of Canaan.
When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land
as far as the sacred place at Shechem,
by the terebinth of Moreh.
(The Canaanites were then in the land.)
The LORD appeared to Abram and said,
“To your descendants I will give this land.”
So Abram built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.
From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel,
pitching his tent with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east.
He built an altar there to the LORD and invoked the LORD by name.
Then Abram journeyed on by stages to the Negeb.
Responsorial Psalm
- (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
Reflection: HYPOCRITICAL JUDGEMENT
Jesus must have been quite a jovial preacher. Just imagine an audience of simple villagers whom he is trying to amuse and teach at the same time. He is drawing a cartoon with two guys, one fellow with a log of wood in his eyes, and the other with a hardly visible speck on his. And the first one is shouting at his companion, "Hey, there is a speck of dust in your eyes. Let me take it off.” People would have burst out laughing. Simple matter, but profound. Story telling is an art and Jesus had mastered it. Again, today there is a message from Jesus which is hard to practice. We are judging all the time, assessing people and situations. Should we do that? Of course, we should. Some of us may be called to do it by our own vocation, like parents, judges, priests, teachers, friends, etc. What is prohibited is hypocritical judgement, using one standard for yourself and another for others. Above all we must start by weighing ourselves using the scales that God gives us. Once we are able to do that, using the same scales, we can more effectively and lovingly weigh others too and help them to grow in their lives. Today many people shy away from mutual correction. "Why should I burn my fingers by correcting the other?" they say and keep quiet. We should be loving enough to correct others, knowing that it is important for them. There is a difference between judging people, which the Lord prohibits, and correcting an errant brother or sister out of love, which the Lord recommends.