The essence of this day’s readings is the manifestation of the God of love, mercy and giving.

Therefore, Isaiah’s prophecy begins with the disappearance of enmity between peoples and nations through the law of the New Testament, and through the son of God, who proclaimed the Father’s love for all mankind.

” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2)

 

Joel’s prophecy reveals what God’s nature is and how rich His gifts and compensations are.

“So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the Lord has done marvelous things!

Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you– The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.

The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.” (Joel 2)

 

The Matins Psalm reassures the soul of the permanence and constancy of God’s nature in His love, compassion and mercy.

“Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old.” (Psalms 25)

 

And in the Matins gospel, He warns the rich to close their hearts about giving.

“But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.

Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.”

(Luke 6)

At the same time, he encourages believers to expand love for all and follow the commandment of the Second Mile with joy.

“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.

Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.” (Luke 6)

 

Pauline Epistle proclaims the source of love and mercy, the method and the new way of life in the Cross of Christ, glory be to Him, and in His acceptance of everything for the sake of our salvation.Therefore, He became our example and strength in the fulfillment of the commandment.

“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” (Romans 14- 15)

 

Catholic Epistle, on the other hand, gives the drawing of struggle and human diligence, as love for all and the richness of giving is a free grace given to hardworking and persistent people and those who keep their vocation and choice.

“having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;” (2 Peter 1)

 

In Praxis, the father’s economy of the peoples and the acceptance of the nations as a declaration of the richness of divine love and the overflow of Mercy in the fullness of time.

This was revealed by God to St. Peter in a vision of the great sheet in which all the animals of the Earth and the birds of the sky are, and God’s invitation to him to eat of everything as a sign of God’s acceptance of the nations who were previously unclean, and they became by divine grace pure and holy.

“and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

(Acts 10)

 

In the psalm of the liturgy, the soul begs for His mercy, so she throws all her dependence on Him. “Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me”(Psalms 25)

 

The gospel of the liturgy closes with the commandment of the Lord to love, forgive, give and be like the Heavenly Father in the boundlessness of His goodness and giving.

“But love your enemies, do good, Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. ” (Luke 6)

 

 

The summary of the readings

The elimination of enmity between peoples and nations by the law of the son of God. The prophecy of Isaiah

The nature of God and the extent of His rich gifts and compensations. The prophecy of Joel

The steadfastness of God’s mercy for the soul, therefore she declares all her dependence on Him and her hope in Him. Early Psalms and liturgy

The Cross of the Lord is the source of love and mercy, the church’s method and the mystery of her communion. Pauline Epistle

The diligence of man preserves the constancy of his vocation and choice and floods him with a flood of love. Catholic Epistle

The economy of God in the peoples and the acceptance of the nations in the vision of the Apostle Peter. Praxis

The commandment is a call to be like the Heavenly Father in His mercy, goodness and giving. The Gospel of the liturgy