1st Reading – Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being;
and the creatures of the world are wholesome,
and there is not a destructive drug among them
nor any domain of the netherworld on earth,
for justice is undying.
For God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made him.
But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
and they who belong to his company experience it.

The Book of Wisdom was written about a hundred years before Christ, in Greek. Its author, whose name is not known, was a member of the Jewish community at Alexandria, Egypt, where the book is believed to have been composed. Until the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls, the Book of Wisdom was not known to have existed in Hebrew, but its discovery there shows that it was accepted and used by the Jews of Jesus’ time in the area of Palestine.

The Book of Wisdom is an example of wisdom literature, which uses reason to explore the mysteries of faith.

Today’s reading offers insights into human nature, death, and the afterlife. Using the Hellenistic understanding of the soul and immortality, the author reflects on the Genesis account of creation and sin. Continue reading “Jun 30, 2024: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)” →