Monday of the 11th week in ordinary time
1 Kings 21: 1-16 Mathew 5: 38-42
Theme: Man’s inhumanity to man
In the 1st reading of today from the 1st Book of Kings, we see how selfish and inhuman our selfish desires can drive us. Ahab the King was not content with the vineyards he had, he still wanted to possess the only vineyard that Naboth inherited from his fathers. Ordinarily one would have expected that he would have allowed Naboth to be, when he told him that he was not willing to sell the vineyard or exchange it for another one, as suggested by Ahab the king. We have a lot to learn from the incident presented to us in the 1st reading of today as children of God and Christians in our own time. It is important that we are content with whatever we have and thank God for what he has given us. We must guide against greed and selfishness that will push us into hurting another person for our selfish gain.
Reflecting on this 1st reading, I would like to point out something about Ahab the king, Jezebel the wife of Ahab and lastly the elders that carried out the wish of Jezebel. King Ahab from his action, comes across as a greedy and selfish man that is not content with what God has blessed him with, and still desire to acquire that which belongs to another in any way possible. It is known that as a king Ahab would have more than one vineyard at his disposal and should be happy with what he had, and not making attempts to collect the only vineyard that is owned by Naboth. It is important for us to reflect on the events of our lives, to find out whether there have been moments in our lives when we have acted like king Ahab, by using our position and power to oppress somebody else, for our selfish reasons and greed?
The saying that we must be mindful of those we have around us is very important. If the king’s wife was a good person, she would have dissuaded him from his selfish desires. But rather, Jezebel helped him to achieve his selfish desire, by going the extra mile of shedding the blood of an innocent man Naboth. He was killed because of the greed and selfishness of the king’s household. Have there been moments in your life when you contributed with somebody or some people to hurt an innocent person or group of people? This is evil and have a very bad repercussion, never get involved in such an evil plot. The third group of people involved in this evil plot are the elders who completed the evil plan of Jezebel by stoning Naboth to death. Never soil your hand with an innocent blood. As you do this, may almighty God bless you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.