August 20

Friday

20th Week in Ordinary Time
Bernard

►1st Reading: Ezk 37:1–14

The hand of Yahweh was upon me. He brought me out and led me in spirit to the middle of the valley which was full of bones. He made me walk to and fro among them and I could see there was a great number of them on the ground all along the valley and that they were very dry.

Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live again?” I said, “Lord Yahweh, only you know that.” He then said, “Speak on my behalf concerning these bones; say to them:

Dry bones, hear the word of Yahweh! Yahweh says: I am going to put spirit in you and make you live. I shall put sinews on you and make flesh grow on you; I shall cover you with skin and give you my spirit, that you may live. And you will know that I am Yahweh.”

I prophesied as I had been commanded and then there was a noise and commotion; the bones joined together. I looked and saw that they had sinews, that flesh was growing on them and that he was covering them with skin. But there was no spirit in them.

So Yahweh said to me, “Speak on my behalf and call on the Spirit, son of man! Say to the Spirit: This is the word of Yahweh: Spirit, come from the four winds. Breathe into these dead bones and let them live!”

I prophesied as he had commanded me and breath entered them; they came alive, standing on their feet – a‑great, immense army!

He then said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all Israel. They keep saying: ‘Our bones are dry, hope has gone, it is the end of us.’ So prophesy! Say to them: This is what Yahweh says: I am going to open your tombs, I shall bring you out of your tombs, my people, and lead you back to the land of Israel. You will know that I am Yahweh, O my people! when I open your graves and bring you out of your graves, when I put my spirit in you and you live. I shall settle you in your land and you will know that I, Yahweh, have done what I said I would do.”

►Gospel: Mt 22:34–40

When the Pharisees heard how Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. One of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to test him with this question, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law?”

Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the most important of the commandments. But after this there is another one very similar to it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole Law and the Prophets are founded on these two commandments.”

REFLECTION

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Spiritual practices of prayer and fasting
prepare the spiritual heart
to be open to the will of God.
But the only real Christian practice is love:
love of God and love of others.
It is a startling–and overwhelming–insight.