The Catholic Calendar for Monday, June 19, 2006
Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
St. Romuald, abbot

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Kings 21:1-16
Psalm 5:2-3, 5-7
Matthew 5:38-42

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

The first reading from 1 Kings reminds us always to stay steadfast to the commandments of the Lord. For it is not to humans that we are called to be faithful, but to the Lord. When Naboth was asked by King Ahab to give up his ancestral land which had been a gift from God, he refused the king. Because of the greed and deceitfulness of Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, and at the cost of Naboth's life, Ahab was able to claim Naboth's vineyard for himself.

The gospel too, continues this theme with Jesus calling all of us to stand firm in His commandments. We are called to love our neighbour as ourselves. Therefore it is not within the law to go out and seek revenge but to live one's life through love. The English saint, Thomas More, did just this. He was one of King Henry the 8th's trusted advisors, his chancellor, to be exact. He had a very high position and was respected by most in the king's court. When King Henry asked St. Thomas More to validate his divorce and marriage to another woman, St. Thomas refused because the pope stated that this was not within the laws of the Catholic Church. He was then subjected to many different trials and hardships before being executed for not going along with the king's actions.

In this scene, St. Thomas did turn the other cheek, and he did so with purpose, standing firm and defending the teachings of the Catholic Church until his death. He did this knowing that the teachings of the Catholic Church are there for our salvation and by standing firm for them, even at the cost of his life, he obeyed God's commandments and received his just reward in Heaven.

- Danielle