were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. 21 You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. 22 If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. 23 My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. 24 "If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. 25 If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; 26 for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate.
The focus is on not oppressing the poor.
A simple outline!
Do not oppress The aliens (foreigners, powerless, strangers) The widow or orphan (fatherless, without defender) The punishment is severe: My wrath I will kill you with the sword I will make your wives widows and children orphans. Not acting like an extortionist Not demanding interest on a loan Will return the borrowed cloak (protection) before sundown.
The cry of the poor is powerful: God will listen to them. In his compassion, he will take heed.
and responsibilities. As Gods people, we are governed by his laws. His laws enjoin us to love the poor. His laws prohibit us to be oppressive to the poor. God listens to the prayer of the oppressed, the poor, the widows, the orphans and the strangers. Do not take advantage of the ignorant and the powerless.
Commentary The psalm exclaims God as his protector. In v.2, the psalmist expresses his love for God. He recognizes God as the source of his strength. In v.3, the psalmist considers God as his protection, his refuge and his salvation. In v.4, the psalmist praises God for his safety. V.47 affirms that God is alive and his protector, as in v.3 In v.51, the psalmist attributes to God the kings victory over his enemies. The psalmist considers Israels king as Gods anointed.
in danger? Or, do you want to prove yourself by endangering yourself? God wills our well-being and safety. He fights our own battles, when our enemies are too strong for us.
you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the holy Spirit, 7 so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and (in) Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. 9 For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 10 and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from (the) dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.
The focus is on the good deeds of the Christians in Thessalonica.
A simple outline!
Commentary The converts have become like Paul and his companions. They, too, received the word of God with affliction and with joy. V.5c. As a result, they have become a model community throughout the land of the Greeks (North Macedonia, South Achaia). V.7 The whole country has taken notice of the word of the Lord due to their preaching and their faith in God. V.8 They have made a good impression. People say good things about them. V.9
How they have been converted to the true God and to his Son.
become like the Thessalonians. We can gain prestige by showing interest in the word of God and in enduring afflictions that come along with it. It is not true that evil things are worth the news. Like the case of the Thessalonians, people can also talk well about us, when we welcome with warmth our missionaries and the word of God.
Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them (a scholar of the law) tested him by asking, 36 "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" 37 He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
The focus is on the greatest commandment.
that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them (a scholar of the law) tested him by asking, 36 "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" 37 He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
Commentary In v.34, the Pharisees (have no love) come next to test Jesus. In vv.35-36, one of them asks: What is the greatest commandment? In v.37, Jesus quotes the OT. V.38 affirms the first and the greatest commandment: Love of God with everything that you have. In v.39, Jesus gives the second greatest commandment: Love of neighbor, as yourself. In v.40, love is the foundation of everything else in the Old Testament.
dimensions. The vertical dimension points to loving God. The horizontal dimension points to loving ones fellow men and women. Both dimensions form the cross of our life. This is the desired cross that we carry on our shoulders. We suffer because we love God and we love our brethren.
protector and savior. The second reading talks about loving the word of God and spreading it through life. The gospel reading talks about the greatest commandment of love.
people. In the first reading, God demands that we show love to the poor, the alien, the stranger (foreigner). God threatens those who are oppressive to them. God threatens those who do not return what they have borrowed from the poor, like their means of protection (mantle) and livelihood (tool).
commandment on loving God and neighbor. Jesus quotes the Shema of Deut 6,4-6. Hear, O Israel, hear recited by the Jews twice a day. Jesus wants that we love God full blast, 100%, not halfhearted. He demands a total, animated, energetic and power-filled love. Our love must have a big impact. When you love the poor and other people and God, dont withhold anything. (Huwag silang tipirin).
the Thessalonians for Paul and the word of God they taught. The loving response of the community was infectious. It spread throughout the land of Greece. Our love must be outstanding and noticeable. To have a big impact on other people, our love must be shown communally. We must build a community of love.
ourselves if, first of all, we have love. Do our parish leaders (PPC) have love for their members and the people? Do the parishioners love their own parish? Are they proud of it? If they love, they must love their catechists, priests and missionaries and the word of God they proclaim. In many parishes, the parishioners do not give an impression that they love their priests and the missionaries.
with God and others. Without love, we cannot serve the church. Without love, we cannot accomplish anything: we cannot defend the poor and the oppressed. Without love, we can easily turn into an oppressor, victimizing the weak. Without love, there is no salvation.
The eucharist is the sacrament of love. Reception of the eucharist is a sign that we
love God and we take responsibility for our neighbor. The eucharist is only for those who love.