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From: Ezekiel 28:1-10

Oracle against the king of Tyre

[1] The word of the Lord came to me:
[2] “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God:

“Because your heart is proud,
and you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,’
yet you are but a man, and no god.
though you consider yourself as wise as a god â€“
[3] you are indeed wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you;
[4] by your wisdom and your understanding
you have gotten wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries;
[5] by your great wisdom in trade
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become proud in your wealth â€“
[6] therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Because you consider yourself
as wise as a god,
[7] therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you,
the most terrible of the nations;
and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
and defile your splendour.
[8] They shall thrust you down into the Pit,
and you shall die the death of the slain
in the heart of the seas.
[9] Will you still say, ‘I am a god.’
in the presence of those who slay you,
though you are but a man, and no god,
in the hands of those who wound you?
[10]You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, says the Lord God.”
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Commentary:

28:1-10. The oracle here is addressed to the king of Tyre (”the prince” in Eze-
kiel’s language) but he stands for the whole country. The nation is denounced
for its pride — most clearly to be seen in its king, who was rich and clever and
so influential in the region that he came to see himself as a god. He is given a
severe sentence: he will die like any other man (v. 9); worse still, “he will die the
death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners” (v. 10). The prophet clearly
regards pride as being almost as sinful as idolatry, for the gravity of every sin lies
in desiring to be like a god. “Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns
our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God
through the will to become ‘like Gods’ (Gen 3:5), knowing and determining good
and evil. Sin is thus ‘love of oneself even to contempt of God’ (St Augustine, De
civ. Dei, 14, 28). In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the
obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation (cf. Phil 2:6-9)” (Catechism of
the Catholic Church 1850).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 19:23-30

Christian Poverty and Renunciation

[23] Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man
to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. [24] Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”
[25] When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who
then can be saved?” [26] But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men
this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” [27] Then Peter said in
reply, “Lo, we have left everything and followed You. What then shall we have?”
[28] Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of
Man shall sit on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [29] And every one who has
left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My
name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. [30] But many
that are first will be last, and the last first.”

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Commentary:

24-26. By drawing this comparison Jesus shows that it is simply not possible for
people who put their hearts on worldly things to obtain a share in the Kingdom of
God.

“With God all things are possible”: that is, with God’s grace man can be brave
and generous enough to use wealth to promote the service of God and man. This
is why St. Matthew, in Chapter 5, specifies that the poor “in spirit” are blessed
(Matthew 5:3).

28. “In the new world”, in the “regeneration”: a reference to the renewal of all
things which will take place when Jesus Christ comes to judge the living and the
dead. The resurrection of the body will be an integral part of this renewal.

The ancient people of God, Israel, was made up of twelve tribes. The new people
of God, the Church, to which all men are called, is founded by Jesus Christ on
the Twelve Apostles under the primacy of Peter.

29. These graphic remarks should not be explained away. They mean that love
or Jesus Christ and His Gospel should come before everything else. What our
Lord says here should not be interpreted as conflicting with the will of God Him-
self, the creator and sanctifier of family bonds.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.