Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11;4:13-17 / Ps 128:1-2,3,4,5 / Mt 23:1-12
In today's gospel, Jesus preaches the contradiction of Christianity. To be greatest, you must be the least. To be exulted, you must humble yourself. What the world tells us is wonderful, God tells us is nothing. To be first, you must be the last.
This incongruity is found clearly in the first reading as well. Ruth is a Moabite, a foreigner. In ancient Israel, foreigners were the bottom of the totem pole. There really wasn't any further down you could go in that society. But it is from the bottom of society comes David, the greatest king of Israel. Ruth is the mother of Obed who is the father of Jesse who is the father of David.
Into the dust before Boaz, Ruth throws herself. She is an example of Jesus' teachings. Boaz pulls Ruth out of the dust, marries her, and together they have a son. It is from these humble beginnings that God will raise up David, Israel's greatest king. And since Jesus' lineage is traced to David and from David to Ruth, Jesus, like Adam, will come ultimately from the dust. It is from the bottom of society that God will raise up a savior for the whole world.
