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The Perspective of
Justice
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time A
July 20, 2014
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Matthew is very concerned in his Gospel with the unity of the Christian
community. He does not envision the Church as an exclusionary
organization, but rather as an inclusive community which is guided by the spirit of the parable of the weeds.
“Let them grow together until harvest”: since its earliest days, the Church has preferred to tolerate different levels
of commitment and holiness. Such an attitude is in line with the ‘wisdom’ of the Hebrew Scriptures, which informs
us that “those who are just must be kind and your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all and you judge with clemency.”
This attitude of acceptance is also in line with the revelation of God “as merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.”
An inclusive Church that is kind and lenient toward its own members and toward everyone else should be an inspiration to a divided world that has a tendency
to judge harshly, to be quick to anger, and to uproot weeds even at the cost of damage to the good plants.
“By virtue of her mission to shed on the whole world
the radiance of the gospel message, and to unify under one Spirit all men of whatever nation, race, or culture, the Church stands forth as a sign of
that brotherliness which allows honest dialogue and invigorates it.
Such a mission requires in the first place that we foster within the Church herself mutual
esteem, reverence, and harmony, through the full recognition of lawful diversity.”
Vatican II, Constitution on the Church
in the Modern World (1965) 92 |
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Now
published in book form,
To Love and Serve:
Lectionary Based Meditations, by
Gerald Darring
This entire three year cycle is available at
Amazon.com.
Copyright ©
1994, Gerald Darring.
All Rights Reserved.
Art by Martin Erspamer,
O.S.B.
from Religious Clip Art for the Liturgical
Year (A, B, and C).
Used by permission of Liturgy Training
Publications. This art may be reproduced only
by parishes who purchase the collection in book
or CD-ROM form. For more information go to:
http://www.ltp.org/
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