7th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Massimo Palombella
In today’s Gospel (Mt 5:38-48) Jesus challenges each of us profoundly. In fact, Jesus’ words touch on what sensitively conditions our lives, our choices, our punctual evaluations: that which is encoded in the educational-cultural baggage we have received.
The Lord asks us to go “beyond”, which means to become persons who, not without effort, gain freedom, personalise their lives, become healthily autonomous, know themselves and make choices that conform to the truth within them.
This journey requires discernment, separation, ‘leaving behind’ small survival patterns in order to, precisely, go ‘beyond’ the education received, metabolised beliefs, a certain form of ethics assimilated perhaps imperceptibly. It is going beyond ‘certain and safe’ things, beyond the favour of those we consider important, beyond what is conventionally established.
When it is authentic, all this is fundamentally an inner journey that takes place in a true and personal relationship with the Lord, not exempt from demanding inner battles that, positively, lead day by day to a more and more intelligent and healthy distance from everything that is not essential.
Only by going ‘beyond’ do we access true knowledge of ourselves, in an ever more authentic and dialogic relationship with God, the true God, not the one invented so as to survive.
The Offertory Antiphon of today’s celebration is taken from Psalm 5 (Ps 5, 3. 4) with the following text:
“Intende voci orationis meae, Rex meus et Deus meus:
quoniam ad te orabo, Domine.”
(Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God,
for it is you, O Lord, whom I implore).
The attached music is by Edward Elgar (1857-1934), published in 1911 by ‘Novello & Co Ltd’ (https://www.wisemusicclassical.com), Opus 64. Interpretation OF ‘The Girls and Men of Sheffield Cathedral Choir’ conducted by Neil Taylor. The music track is featured on the CD ‘Dance, my heart. Music by Edward Elgar and Robert Walker’ published by Lammas in 2007 .
A blessed Sunday and heartfelt greetings.
