Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 9, 2022
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
As an undergrad, I was delighted to learn an assignment for my second theology course at Notre Dame was a reading that we had reviewed extensively in my first theology course. I turned in my work confident in the knowledge I had gained from my previous professor, only to be challenged.
The reading translation was the same, the message remained faithful, but this professor focused on a different context. It was a great lesson in the many layers present in Scripture—how they reflect history yet remain the living Word that continues to guide our faith.
Today’s gospel passage is another lesson in context as it follows Christ’s declaration, “I have come not to abolish [the law and the prophets] but to fulfill them.” The Pharisees at that time represented a sect that espoused strict adherence to the written law and the oral traditions that had evolved within Jewish culture.
They could trace the roots of their Sanhedrin back to the 70 elders established by Moses to adjudicate and apply the Jewish law. (Nm.11:16) Headed by a High Priest, it had religious, civil, and criminal jurisdiction for the Jewish people during Jesus’ time, submitting only to the authority of the Roman occupation.
Jesus frequently condemned the Pharisees for their inability to reexamine the law in the context of God’s love. More concerned about the outward appearance of righteousness, they neglected the judgment, anger, and jealousy that ruled their hearts.
This gospel also presents a stark foreshadowing of Jesus’ appearance before the Sanhedrin. From the cross, in the very midst of his suffering, Christ emptied himself and forgave those responsible for his crucifixion.
May we reflect on this mystery today and free our hearts of all judgment, anger, and jealousy and, in so doing, allow Christ to fill our emptied hearts with his mercy and love.
Prayer
Lord, you know all too well that it is so easy for us to hold on to resentments, to live with anger even at the slightest of offenses. Help us to forgive and reconcile with each other, so that we may come to know and accept your mercy in our lives and extend that same mercy to others. Amen.
Saint of the Day
We can thank St. Ephrem for the hymns we sing at Mass—he introduced the idea of sacred hymnody to the liturgy in the fourth century.
Ephrem was born in 306 in a town in modern-day Turkey. His parents were not Christian, and when Ephrem found the faith and converted with his baptism at the age of 18, they turned him out of the house. He joined the ministry of the local bishop by leading a school and following him as an aide to the Council of Nicea in 325.
When his hometown was occupied by the Persians, Ephrem went to Edessa of ancient Syria, where he lived in a cave as an ascetic. He was not a hermit, however—he regularly interacted with the people of the city, and even preached regularly there.
He was ordained a deacon and worked to cultivate the Christian community in Edessa. He saw that false teachings were growing in popularity, especially through well-known songs that adapted false doctrines to easy-to-sing tunes.
He decided to use the same trick, and composed orthodox songs to replace them in people’s imaginations. He formed a women’s choir, and had them lead song in the city’s liturgies, which stopped the influence of the heresies. The practice of sacred song in liturgy can be traced to Ephrem’s strategy—liturgical hymns spread throughout the eastern Church and then to the west.
Ephrem wrote volumes of theological works in the forms of hymns, letters, tracts, arguments, and commentaries—almost all in metrical verse. His words were directed at ordinary people and assisted in their development of faith, and were immensely popular and passed on long after his death. Many communities during his age read his works after the Scriptures at Mass.
For his work in teaching the faith through his preaching and writing, the Church honors him as one of her doctors—a title given to 37 saints who illuminate the faith with their words or example. Ephrem is one of the most beloved saints of the eastern Church—they call him the Harp of the Holy Spirit.
The last great work of his life was to relieve the city of Edessa during a famine in the winter of 372-373. The wealthy refused give from their money or grain reserves because they did not trust anyone to distribute them fairly. Ephrem volunteered, and successfully distributed the resources to all who needed help, and even organized a special relief effort to assist the sick. He retired to his cave after that effort and within a month, he died—possibly from illness he contracted from helping the sick.
St. Ephrem, you introduced sacred hymns to the liturgy to fight heresy—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Ephrem is in the public domain. Last accessed March 18, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
