Enthusiasm and Grammar
Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
“So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:31
There is a good reason that the writings of St. Paul don’t show up as examples in grammar textbooks. Today’s reading is a case in point. It begins with one of those long Pauline run on sentences that leave lectors gasping for breath. So what? Take a closer look at how Paul’s fervor for his subject matter derails the grammar. There is something admirable about being so caught up in his convictions that the words cannot come fast enough to express them, much less in an orderly fashion. Scripture scholars usually take this grammatical ineptness as a sign of a passage’s early importance in the Christian community, something they were so ardent about that their language never got refined.
What leaves us in this condition? Re-telling the plot line of an action movie or the play-by-play of a sporting event? When was the last time any of us was so excited by our faith in Christ that we were left grasping for words, stumbling over our own errors in speech? It may be bad grammar, but it is an excellent way to inspire others with the message of Christ!
Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.
Readings of the Week
Monday: 2 Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18; Ps 60:3-5, 12-13; Mt 7:1-5
Tuesday: 2 Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36; Ps 48:2-4, 10-11; Mt 7:6, 12– 14
Wednesday:
Vigil: Jer 1:4-10; Ps 71:1-6, 15, 17; 1 Pt 1:8-12; Lk 1:5-17
Day: Is 49:1-6; Ps 139:1-3, 13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Lk 1:57-66, 80
Thursday: 2 Kgs 24:8-17; Ps 79:1b-5, 8-9; Mt 7:21-29
Friday: 2 Kgs 25:1-12; Ps 137:1-6; Mt 8:1-4
Saturday: Lam 2:2, 10-14, 18-19; Ps 74:1b-7, 20-21; Mt 8:5-17
Sunday: 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a; Ps 89:2-3, 16-19; Rom 6:3-4, 8-11; Mt 10:37-42