Today’s Readings – Monday of Week 20 of Ordinary Time - First Reading

Commentary on Ezekiel 24:15-24

In today’s reading, the death of the prophet’s wife becomes a symbol of how the people are to respond to the loss of their Temple. God warns Ezekiel that he is going to lose his wife, the “delight of [his] eyes”, through sudden illness and death. She would be taken away in “one blow”, some swiftly fatal disease, perhaps some form of plague.

However, when it happens, Ezekiel is to display none of the traditional forms of mourning, but is to suffer his loss privately. He is not to mourn or weep. He is to “groan quietly” in the silence of his own heart, not to lament the dead. He is to keep his turban fastened (it was normal for the mourner to uncover his head and put dust on it). He is to keep his sandals on and not to cover … Continue

Yesterday’s Readings – Sunday of Week 20 of Ordinary Time (Year A)

Commentary on Isaiah 56:1,6-7; Romans 11:13-15,29-32; Matthew 15:21-28

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus entering non-Jewish territory, something he very seldom does. We find him in the district of Tyre and Sidon, two coastal cities on the Mediterranean coast (now in present-day Leb … Continue