Equipped for Every Good Work

June 6, 2008

Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, "How do the scribes claim that the Messiah is the son of David? Mark 12:35

Piety

Jesus, help us learn from your inspired words that are passed down to us through the work of your apostles. Help us to practice listening to your word and putting it into action, not testing your knowledge. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/060608.shtml

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in...No, not kindergarten. The Bible.

The letter to Timothy reminds us that scripture is useful for a lot of reasons. Teaching. Refuting opponents. Corrections. Training. Jesus makes sure that the Pharisees learn that lesson the hard way.

The scribes and Pharisees had been trying to trip up Jesus. Question after question tries to back him into a corner that will get Jesus in trouble with the leaders of the church or Roman officials. Yet nothing seems to work. So Jesus decides to serve the Pharisees a question which will give them a taste of their own humble pie: If David calls the Lord, "my lord," then how can the Messiah be the son of David?

In Biblical times, this would be the equivalent of "What came first – the chicken or the egg?"

The question leaves the Pharisees speechless…and the people around the Lord are amazed.

Even though this forensic victory will not last, it paves the way for the events that will eventually lead to the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord.

Action

Now that the Memorial Day recess is over, the House and Senate are back in town to vote on the final passage of the corrected Farm Bill. (President Bush vetoed an earlier version that had not included key passages.) Please urge your members of Congress to continue to support this bill and to vote to override any veto from the President.

As the U.S. Bishops stated in For I
Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food: Catholic Reflections on Food, Farmers and Farmworkers, "The primary goals of agricultural policies should be providing food for all people and reducing poverty among farmers and farm workers in this country and abroad." Access to adequate nutrition is a basic human right. The economic downturn and recent spike in food prices have resulted in increasing numbers of people turning to food banks for assistance; an additional 1.3 million people on food stamps as compared to last year; and unrest and growing emergency food aid needs in some of the poorest nations of the world. Hunger is a fundamental issue of human life and dignity.

Although the bill does not go far enough to resolve the conflicts the bishops feel about the existing inequitable farm support, they urge passage nonetheless for the good provisions in this bill. Even though it is not the complete victory sought, it paves the way for greater equity in the growing and distribution of food.