So here it goes...
Today (or yesterday, depending on how you count your days.. I count a day over when I go to sleep, so February 19 1AM is still the 18th to me) I decided to read the daily Mass readings that pulled from this lovely website. The readings were:
Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Psalm 19:8-10, 15
Matthew 25:31-46
And of course I ended up reading Leviticus 19:3-10 and Psalm 19:11-14 too. So some of the verses I'm reflecting on are included in there too. I'm just going to put the verses that stood out to me and what I thought about them.
The first verse was right at the beginning: Leviticus 19:3 "Revere your mother and father, and keep My Sabbaths. I, the Lord, am your God"
This one stood out to me because throughout this chapter, all of the Ten Commandments are mentioned at some point or the other, but these two came first. Also, I think that whenever certain points of the Bible that I am familiar with come up again in other parts, it just pops out to me, kind of like a friendly face in a crowd of strangers. Also, I had a little bit of Catholic guilt in there, because I've been bad about making it to Mass every Sunday over the past couple of months. I think I've probably missed as many as I've gone to and I feel pretty bad about it ): I think I'm back in the groove though; I'm working on it at least/
Verse number two was: Leviticus 19:16 "You shall not go about spreading slander among your kinsmen; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake. I am the Lord"
The first part didn't really strike out to me, it was the second. "Nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake." I interpreted this in both the literal and the figurative state. Earlier today I was doing some stuff and looking a pro-life things, even had a conversation about it with a pro-choice person. Reading this verse really just brought all that back. I can't stand idly when my neighbor's life is at stake. And who is my neighbor? My roommate is. So is the kid down the hall or down the street. So is someone in a neighboring county, city, or state. So are people in Mexico and Canada and Brasil and even Europe and Asia and Africa. Everyone is my neighbor as far as Christ is concerned, because everyone is my brother or sister in Him, even the figurative "Samaritans" that aren't considered to be like me or even have the same beliefs. But that's a really cutesie thing to say, until you realize that the unborn child is also your neighbor. "Nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake." I can't stand by idly while children are being mass murdered every day, by their own parents.
The second way was a lot less drastic. But still, how much does it cost you to help someone else? Make their life a little better? My neighbor is the homeless man who sits at the intersection holding up a sign, and I can't stand by idly while his life is at stake, even if all I can do for him is give him a Chick-fil-A coupon or a dollar. My neighbor is the single mom with 5 kids whom she's struggling to feed. How can I stand by idly while there's legislation popping up to reduce financial aid for these families and take away her children's only means to healthcare, when I'm 18 and able to vote for someone who will help her? That weird kid in class is also my neighbor, and how can I stand by idly when his life is at stake with people making fun of him?
That's just a glimpse into all the thoughts bouncing around in my head about this verse.
Which ties right in with the next verse: Leviticus 19:18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. That's the pinnacle of the Christian faith. It ties right in with everything I said above, but it also surprised me. When I think about God in the Old Testament, I think of a strict Dad with lots of rules and full of fire and brimstone. He's the strict Daddy teaching His kids how to live their lives right, and once we enter the New Testament, He's still the same strict Daddy with the same rules, but now He also shows His loving and compassionate side. But here it is, the number one theme of the New Testament sitting in the third Book of the Old Testament. I didn't even know that was part of OT Doctrine, and I consider myself well-versed in Scripture. I guess it's true when they say you learn something new everyday.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge. Again with the kindness and compassion. What happened to an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth? Well, that make the whole world blind and in need of dentures. I think it just goes to show that there is no two Gods, or two different view of God from OT to NT. It's the same God with the same teachings all throughout, it's just us that don't pay attention to all the details, only the ones we want to. God had been teaching these things long before He sent Jesus down to drill it into our heads.
I am the Lord. This phrase is repeated tons of times throughout this chapter and I'm not sure why. Just some food for thought for later...
Those are my thoughts on the first reading for today (the 18th). Maybe I'll do the other two readings tomorrow, or I'll just skip over to tomorrow's readings, but now... It's 2am and I have an 8am class tomorrow.
Good night and God bless
The first part didn't really strike out to me, it was the second. "Nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake." I interpreted this in both the literal and the figurative state. Earlier today I was doing some stuff and looking a pro-life things, even had a conversation about it with a pro-choice person. Reading this verse really just brought all that back. I can't stand idly when my neighbor's life is at stake. And who is my neighbor? My roommate is. So is the kid down the hall or down the street. So is someone in a neighboring county, city, or state. So are people in Mexico and Canada and Brasil and even Europe and Asia and Africa. Everyone is my neighbor as far as Christ is concerned, because everyone is my brother or sister in Him, even the figurative "Samaritans" that aren't considered to be like me or even have the same beliefs. But that's a really cutesie thing to say, until you realize that the unborn child is also your neighbor. "Nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake." I can't stand by idly while children are being mass murdered every day, by their own parents.
The second way was a lot less drastic. But still, how much does it cost you to help someone else? Make their life a little better? My neighbor is the homeless man who sits at the intersection holding up a sign, and I can't stand by idly while his life is at stake, even if all I can do for him is give him a Chick-fil-A coupon or a dollar. My neighbor is the single mom with 5 kids whom she's struggling to feed. How can I stand by idly while there's legislation popping up to reduce financial aid for these families and take away her children's only means to healthcare, when I'm 18 and able to vote for someone who will help her? That weird kid in class is also my neighbor, and how can I stand by idly when his life is at stake with people making fun of him?
That's just a glimpse into all the thoughts bouncing around in my head about this verse.
Which ties right in with the next verse: Leviticus 19:18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. That's the pinnacle of the Christian faith. It ties right in with everything I said above, but it also surprised me. When I think about God in the Old Testament, I think of a strict Dad with lots of rules and full of fire and brimstone. He's the strict Daddy teaching His kids how to live their lives right, and once we enter the New Testament, He's still the same strict Daddy with the same rules, but now He also shows His loving and compassionate side. But here it is, the number one theme of the New Testament sitting in the third Book of the Old Testament. I didn't even know that was part of OT Doctrine, and I consider myself well-versed in Scripture. I guess it's true when they say you learn something new everyday.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge. Again with the kindness and compassion. What happened to an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth? Well, that make the whole world blind and in need of dentures. I think it just goes to show that there is no two Gods, or two different view of God from OT to NT. It's the same God with the same teachings all throughout, it's just us that don't pay attention to all the details, only the ones we want to. God had been teaching these things long before He sent Jesus down to drill it into our heads.
I am the Lord. This phrase is repeated tons of times throughout this chapter and I'm not sure why. Just some food for thought for later...
Those are my thoughts on the first reading for today (the 18th). Maybe I'll do the other two readings tomorrow, or I'll just skip over to tomorrow's readings, but now... It's 2am and I have an 8am class tomorrow.
Good night and God bless
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