Reading 1
Ex 3:13-20
Moses, hearing the voice of the LORD from the burning bush, said to him,
“When I go to the children of Israel and say to them,
‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’
if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?”
God replied, “I am who am.”
Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:
I AM sent me to you.”
God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the children of Israel:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you.
“This is my name forever;
this my title for all generations.
“Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
has appeared to me and said:
I am concerned about you
and about the way you are being treated in Egypt;
so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt
into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,
a land flowing with milk and honey.
“Thus they will heed your message.
Then you and the elders of Israel
shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him:
“The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word.
Permit us, then, to go a three-days’ journey in the desert,
that we may offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God.
“Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go
unless he is forced.
I will stretch out my hand, therefore,
and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there.
After that he will send you away.”
105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27
Responsorial PsalmR. (8a)
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generationsB
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He greatly increased his people
and made them stronger than their foes,
Whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people,
and dealt deceitfully with his servants.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He sent Moses his servant;
Aaron, whom he had chosen.
They wrought his signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Mt 11:28-30
Jesus said:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Meditation: Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me.” (Matthew 11:28)
Come to me. Yes, you. You are exactly who I mean. Your sin isn’t an obstacle, for all have sinned, but all are justified by my sacrifice on the cross. If you feel far away, come. If you have given in to temptation, harbored bitterness, or lashed out in anger, come. If you have felt the sting of despair or feel cloaked in guilt or shame, come. Even if you don’t believe that I want to give you a taste of my mercy and love, come. Come and see how much I can do in your heart.
Come, you who labor and are burdened. I will give you rest: rest from the weight of responsibility, the load of sorrow, the burden of fear that you are carrying. I will give you rest from the uncertainty, doubt, and insecurity that slow your steps. I will give you rest from the constant activity, the exhausting demands of work and home, of caring for elderly parents or young children. I will give you rest from the faithful service that you give to me every day. Come and rest with me, and I will restore your energy.
Take my yoke upon you. Come, bind yourself to me in love. I promise it will be a joy, not a burden. Let me show you my love today. Let me surprise you with the weightlessness of it. Love, streaming from my Father’s heart, overflowing from the two of us, and pouring into your heart through my Holy Spirit. I have fashioned my yoke to fit you exactly. I have created you to wear it and learn under it in ways that are unique to you. I will not force it on you. Choose it, and let it bring you relief.
Come, my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. What makes it so easy? It’s my love and my life. You can carry it with you everywhere you go today, and it will give you strength and energy. I know what else you are carrying in your hands and in your heart. But come to me and let me show you how to carry it all. Don’t let anything hold you back. Come and embrace my meekness and humility. I promise that you will find rest for yourself!
“Here I am, Lord. I am yours.”
13 July 2011
13 Jul 2011, Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Ex 3:1-6, 9-12
Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian.
Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb,
the mountain of God.
There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in fire
flaming out of a bush.
As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush,
though on fire, was not consumed.
So Moses decided,
“I must go over to look at this remarkable sight,
and see why the bush is not burned.”
When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,
God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
He answered, “Here I am.”
God said, “Come no nearer!
Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy ground.
I am the God of your father,” he continued,
“the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.
The cry of the children of Israel has reached me,
and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them.
Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people,
the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
But Moses said to God,
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
He answered, “I will be with you;
and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you:
when you bring my people out of Egypt,
you will worship God on this very mountain.”
103:1b-2, 3-4, 6-7
Responsorial PsalmR. (8a)
The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Gospel
Mt 11:25-27
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Meditation: Exodus 3:1-6,9-12
“Moses! Moses!” (Exodus 3:4)
A burning bush brought Moses face-to-face with the Lord—and with a divine mission for his life: “I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). To Moses, it must have felt like he was being asked to do the impossible. Convincing Pharaoh to let his people go would be enough of a challenge. It only made matters worse that Moses was a wanted man. Going back to Egypt might mean being arrested and tried for murder. Surely God had the wrong man!
So Moses tried to maneuver his way out of the assignment. He questioned whether he was fit for the job. He questioned whether the people would listen to him. He questioned whether Pharaoh would take him seriously. “What if, what if, what if?” Finally, Moses stopped beating around the bush: Please send someone else!
But God didn’t give up. He answered every objection with the same words of assurance: “I will be with you.” Finally, Moses agreed and we all know the rest of the story.
You may not see a burning bush today, but God is still calling you. He has a plan for you that involves serving him in your home, your church, or your community. And if you’re like most of us, you are probably pretty good at finding reasons why you’re the wrong person for the job. But God knows who you are— even better than you do! He knows your strengths and weaknesses, your fears and limitations. And still he calls you to be his ambassador.
Every day, we face a choice. We can choose to put off God’s call and plan or we can embrace it. And if we are struggling with his call, we can take Moses as our model. We can voice all of our objections to the Lord, and let him answer them one by one. At least then we will have gotten them out of the way so that we can get to work building his kingdom. Remember: God never sends you into a situation alone. If he could protect Moses, he can certainly protect you!
“Lord, I will go wherever you lead—so long as you are with me. Open my heart to sense your calling and presence today.”
Ex 3:1-6, 9-12
Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian.
Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb,
the mountain of God.
There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in fire
flaming out of a bush.
As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush,
though on fire, was not consumed.
So Moses decided,
“I must go over to look at this remarkable sight,
and see why the bush is not burned.”
When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,
God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
He answered, “Here I am.”
God said, “Come no nearer!
Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy ground.
I am the God of your father,” he continued,
“the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.
The cry of the children of Israel has reached me,
and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them.
Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people,
the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
But Moses said to God,
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
He answered, “I will be with you;
and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you:
when you bring my people out of Egypt,
you will worship God on this very mountain.”
103:1b-2, 3-4, 6-7
Responsorial PsalmR. (8a)
The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Gospel
Mt 11:25-27
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Meditation: Exodus 3:1-6,9-12
“Moses! Moses!” (Exodus 3:4)
A burning bush brought Moses face-to-face with the Lord—and with a divine mission for his life: “I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). To Moses, it must have felt like he was being asked to do the impossible. Convincing Pharaoh to let his people go would be enough of a challenge. It only made matters worse that Moses was a wanted man. Going back to Egypt might mean being arrested and tried for murder. Surely God had the wrong man!
So Moses tried to maneuver his way out of the assignment. He questioned whether he was fit for the job. He questioned whether the people would listen to him. He questioned whether Pharaoh would take him seriously. “What if, what if, what if?” Finally, Moses stopped beating around the bush: Please send someone else!
But God didn’t give up. He answered every objection with the same words of assurance: “I will be with you.” Finally, Moses agreed and we all know the rest of the story.
You may not see a burning bush today, but God is still calling you. He has a plan for you that involves serving him in your home, your church, or your community. And if you’re like most of us, you are probably pretty good at finding reasons why you’re the wrong person for the job. But God knows who you are— even better than you do! He knows your strengths and weaknesses, your fears and limitations. And still he calls you to be his ambassador.
Every day, we face a choice. We can choose to put off God’s call and plan or we can embrace it. And if we are struggling with his call, we can take Moses as our model. We can voice all of our objections to the Lord, and let him answer them one by one. At least then we will have gotten them out of the way so that we can get to work building his kingdom. Remember: God never sends you into a situation alone. If he could protect Moses, he can certainly protect you!
“Lord, I will go wherever you lead—so long as you are with me. Open my heart to sense your calling and presence today.”
12 Jul 2011, Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Ex 2:1-15a
A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,
who conceived and bore a son.
Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him for three months.
When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket,
daubed it with bitumen and pitch,
and putting the child in it,
placed it among the reeds on the river bank.
His sister stationed herself at a distance
to find out what would happen to him.
Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe,
while her maids walked along the river bank.
Noticing the basket among the reeds, she sent her handmaid to fetch it.
On opening it, she looked, and lo, there was a baby boy, crying!
She was moved with pity for him and said,
“It is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter,
“Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women
to nurse the child for you?”
“Yes, do so,” she answered.
So the maiden went and called the child’s own mother.
Pharaoh’s daughter said to her,
“Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will repay you.”
The woman therefore took the child and nursed it.
When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter,
who adopted him as her son and called him Moses;
for she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
On one occasion, after Moses had grown up,
when he visited his kinsmen and witnessed their forced labor,
he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own kinsmen.
Looking about and seeing no one,
he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
The next day he went out again, and now two Hebrews were fighting!
So he asked the culprit,
“Why are you striking your fellow Hebrew?”
But the culprit replied,
“Who has appointed you ruler and judge over us?
Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Then Moses became afraid and thought,
“The affair must certainly be known.”
Pharaoh, too, heard of the affair and sought to put Moses to death.
But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian.
69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34
Responsorial PsalmR. (see 33)
Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I am sunk in the abysmal swamp
where there is no foothold;
I have reached the watery depths;
the flood overwhelms me.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
But I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me;
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
Gospel
Mt 11:20-24
Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum:
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the nether world.
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Meditation: Matthew 11:20-24
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“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!” (Matthew 11:21)
Jesus spoke very candidly about these cities just north of the Sea of Galilee. He had performed many miracles in these places, and yet nothing seemed to be changing. People remained closed to Jesus’ message. And what was Jesus’ message? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
Jesus said that if the people of Sodom and Gomorrah—two notoriously wicked cities—had witnessed his miracles, they would have repented quickly. They would have seen his miracles as signs that God was visiting his people, and they would have repented, putting away all the obstacles that sin presents. But since Chorazin and Bethsaida didn’t repent, they faced dire consequences.
It may not be an attractive topic, but repentance is a vital part of our life in the Spirit. Without it, we would end up separated from God forever. We would remain subject to the pride and self-centeredness that trapped our first parents—and with dire consequences.
If we find repentance hard, it’s probably because we have a faulty impression of God. We imagine a thundering deity who is always ready to mete out justice with a firm, unflinching hand. We don’t think of a Father who longs to be reunited with his children. And so we avoid confessing our sins to him because we are afraid of his punishment. But this isn’t the God that Jesus revealed. This isn’t the shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep, the father who waits eagerly for his prodigal son to come home, or the God who sacrificed his only Son so that we could be cleansed and purified.
Jesus’ words against Chorazin and Bethsaida are not the words of an angry God eager to punish the wayward. They are the words of a mournful God lamenting the path of self-destruction that these cities had chosen. They are the words of a passionate God pleading with his children: “Come back to me so that I can save you from the consequences of your sin!”
In prayer today, fix your eyes on God, your heavenly Father. Let his love free you from fear. Open your heart to him, and let him take away your sin. He sees it already. He just wants to forgive you!
“Father, I want to be set free!”
Ex 2:1-15a
A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,
who conceived and bore a son.
Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him for three months.
When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket,
daubed it with bitumen and pitch,
and putting the child in it,
placed it among the reeds on the river bank.
His sister stationed herself at a distance
to find out what would happen to him.
Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe,
while her maids walked along the river bank.
Noticing the basket among the reeds, she sent her handmaid to fetch it.
On opening it, she looked, and lo, there was a baby boy, crying!
She was moved with pity for him and said,
“It is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter,
“Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women
to nurse the child for you?”
“Yes, do so,” she answered.
So the maiden went and called the child’s own mother.
Pharaoh’s daughter said to her,
“Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will repay you.”
The woman therefore took the child and nursed it.
When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter,
who adopted him as her son and called him Moses;
for she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
On one occasion, after Moses had grown up,
when he visited his kinsmen and witnessed their forced labor,
he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own kinsmen.
Looking about and seeing no one,
he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
The next day he went out again, and now two Hebrews were fighting!
So he asked the culprit,
“Why are you striking your fellow Hebrew?”
But the culprit replied,
“Who has appointed you ruler and judge over us?
Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Then Moses became afraid and thought,
“The affair must certainly be known.”
Pharaoh, too, heard of the affair and sought to put Moses to death.
But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian.
69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34
Responsorial PsalmR. (see 33)
Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I am sunk in the abysmal swamp
where there is no foothold;
I have reached the watery depths;
the flood overwhelms me.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
But I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me;
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
Gospel
Mt 11:20-24
Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum:
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the nether world.
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Meditation: Matthew 11:20-24
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“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!” (Matthew 11:21)
Jesus spoke very candidly about these cities just north of the Sea of Galilee. He had performed many miracles in these places, and yet nothing seemed to be changing. People remained closed to Jesus’ message. And what was Jesus’ message? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
Jesus said that if the people of Sodom and Gomorrah—two notoriously wicked cities—had witnessed his miracles, they would have repented quickly. They would have seen his miracles as signs that God was visiting his people, and they would have repented, putting away all the obstacles that sin presents. But since Chorazin and Bethsaida didn’t repent, they faced dire consequences.
It may not be an attractive topic, but repentance is a vital part of our life in the Spirit. Without it, we would end up separated from God forever. We would remain subject to the pride and self-centeredness that trapped our first parents—and with dire consequences.
If we find repentance hard, it’s probably because we have a faulty impression of God. We imagine a thundering deity who is always ready to mete out justice with a firm, unflinching hand. We don’t think of a Father who longs to be reunited with his children. And so we avoid confessing our sins to him because we are afraid of his punishment. But this isn’t the God that Jesus revealed. This isn’t the shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep, the father who waits eagerly for his prodigal son to come home, or the God who sacrificed his only Son so that we could be cleansed and purified.
Jesus’ words against Chorazin and Bethsaida are not the words of an angry God eager to punish the wayward. They are the words of a mournful God lamenting the path of self-destruction that these cities had chosen. They are the words of a passionate God pleading with his children: “Come back to me so that I can save you from the consequences of your sin!”
In prayer today, fix your eyes on God, your heavenly Father. Let his love free you from fear. Open your heart to him, and let him take away your sin. He sees it already. He just wants to forgive you!
“Father, I want to be set free!”
11 July 2011
11 Jul 2011, Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot
Reading 1
Ex 1:8-14, 22
A new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
He said to his subjects, “Look how numerous and powerful
the people of the children of Israel are growing, more so than we ourselves!
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase;
otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies
to fight against us, and so leave our country.”
Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the children of Israel
to oppress them with forced labor.
Thus they had to build for Pharaoh
the supply cities of Pithom and Raamses.
Yet the more they were oppressed,
the more they multiplied and spread.
The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel
and reduced them to cruel slavery,
making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick
and all kinds of field work—the whole cruel fate of slaves.
Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects,
“Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews,
but you may let all the girls live.”
124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8
Responsorial PsalmR. (8a)
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us–
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept
the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
a prey to their teeth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers’ snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 10:34-11:1
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward."
When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Meditation: Psalm 124:1-8
“Our help is the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:8)
There’s nothing like experiencing God’s power in delivering us from serious trouble. It can be so breathtaking at times that we can’t help but join the psalmist in proclaiming that our help lies in the Lord, the creator of all. But the real challenge is to be able to proclaim God’s praises a few weeks later, when the next challenge comes our way!
In many ways, our lives are an ongoing progression. Our education starts when we are young, but we keep on building on what we have learned until the day we die. Similarly, the training we receive early on in our jobs can continue over our whole career. And as you might expect, God wants our faith to grow and progress as well. He wants us to keep building our “database” of faith throughout our lives, based on all the times he has worked powerfully in us. He wants us to expand our knowledge of his ways based on the lessons that come from trusting him through a difficult trial and seeing him work victoriously.
This is what the psalmist experienced.
He and his fellow Israelites
were under a threat from their enemies. So great was the danger that it felt as if a torrent of raging water were about to sweep over them. In this dire situation, they cried out to the Lord and were saved. Surely these people had been told that God was faithful. They probably had some experience of his faithfulness beforehand. But now they had experienced it in an extreme way! Now it was permanently logged into their brains as uncontested evidence of God’s power, his love, and his steadfastness.
Today, take a look at your own database of faith. Call to mind—and write down in your prayer journal— all the ways God has blessed you, healed you, and rescued you over the years. Take the time to put these events in writing. That way, you can turn to them for encouragement when the next challenge comes along.
“Father of heaven and earth, thank you for your faithfulness over all these years. Thank you for all the times you have rescued me, taught me, and loved me. Help me to use this knowledge to walk with you today.”
Ex 1:8-14, 22
A new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
He said to his subjects, “Look how numerous and powerful
the people of the children of Israel are growing, more so than we ourselves!
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase;
otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies
to fight against us, and so leave our country.”
Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the children of Israel
to oppress them with forced labor.
Thus they had to build for Pharaoh
the supply cities of Pithom and Raamses.
Yet the more they were oppressed,
the more they multiplied and spread.
The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel
and reduced them to cruel slavery,
making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick
and all kinds of field work—the whole cruel fate of slaves.
Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects,
“Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews,
but you may let all the girls live.”
124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8
Responsorial PsalmR. (8a)
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us–
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept
the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
a prey to their teeth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers’ snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 10:34-11:1
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward."
When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
Meditation: Psalm 124:1-8
“Our help is the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:8)
There’s nothing like experiencing God’s power in delivering us from serious trouble. It can be so breathtaking at times that we can’t help but join the psalmist in proclaiming that our help lies in the Lord, the creator of all. But the real challenge is to be able to proclaim God’s praises a few weeks later, when the next challenge comes our way!
In many ways, our lives are an ongoing progression. Our education starts when we are young, but we keep on building on what we have learned until the day we die. Similarly, the training we receive early on in our jobs can continue over our whole career. And as you might expect, God wants our faith to grow and progress as well. He wants us to keep building our “database” of faith throughout our lives, based on all the times he has worked powerfully in us. He wants us to expand our knowledge of his ways based on the lessons that come from trusting him through a difficult trial and seeing him work victoriously.
This is what the psalmist experienced.
He and his fellow Israelites
were under a threat from their enemies. So great was the danger that it felt as if a torrent of raging water were about to sweep over them. In this dire situation, they cried out to the Lord and were saved. Surely these people had been told that God was faithful. They probably had some experience of his faithfulness beforehand. But now they had experienced it in an extreme way! Now it was permanently logged into their brains as uncontested evidence of God’s power, his love, and his steadfastness.
Today, take a look at your own database of faith. Call to mind—and write down in your prayer journal— all the ways God has blessed you, healed you, and rescued you over the years. Take the time to put these events in writing. That way, you can turn to them for encouragement when the next challenge comes along.
“Father of heaven and earth, thank you for your faithfulness over all these years. Thank you for all the times you have rescued me, taught me, and loved me. Help me to use this knowledge to walk with you today.”
10 July 2011
10 July 2011, Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Is 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
Responsorial PsalmR. (Lk 8:8)
The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God’s watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows,
breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
The fields are garmented with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Reading II
Rom 8:18-23
Brothers and sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Gospel
Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
The disciples approached him and said,
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
“Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
or
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Meditation: Matthew 13:1-23
“He spoke to them … in parables.” (Matthew 13:3)
You’ve probably heard many homilies. Which ones have stuck with you? Close your eyes for a minute, and try to recall one.
If you’re like most people, you remembered this one because it featured a compelling, memorable story. And this, as the title of a recent business book puts it, produced a message that is Made to Stick.
Jesus was a master of “sticky” messages, parables like today’s Gospel reading of the sower and the seed. They are not short stories like the kind you would find in an anthology or tell as a bedtime tale. Usually quite short, Jesus’ parables might be a simple image or description from ordinary life; if they’re stories, they often take a surprising twist. But always, they offer a comparison between something we know (a seed, a banquet, a lost sheep) and something that Jesus wants us to understand (the kingdom of God, the Father’s love).
Jesus’ parables stick with us because they open our minds and invite us into the story, which, if we have ears to hear, is endlessly deep. Each parable is like the seed in today’s Gospel—alive, good in every season, and capable of yielding an abundant harvest year after year, if the soil is receptive.
In a way, Jesus himself is the most wondrous parable of all. His life, to quote another book title, is truly The Greatest Story Ever Told. The whole gospel story presents the gripping drama of a Father who longs to save his children; about his Son, whose love moves him to carry out the ultimate rescue mission; about the Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus and now fills and transforms us into the likeness of Christ.
And now that greatest of stories continues on in each of us. Will its message stick? It’s up to us.
“Welcome, Master of the harvest! Sow your word in every part of me. Grow whatever crop you desire. I want to know you and love you more each day.”
Is 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
Responsorial PsalmR. (Lk 8:8)
The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have visited the land and watered it;
greatly have you enriched it.
God’s watercourses are filled;
you have prepared the grain.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows,
breaking up its clods,
Softening it with showers,
blessing its yield.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have crowned the year with your bounty,
and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it,
and rejoicing clothes the hills.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
The fields are garmented with flocks
and the valleys blanketed with grain.
They shout and sing for joy.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Reading II
Rom 8:18-23
Brothers and sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Gospel
Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
The disciples approached him and said,
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
“Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
or
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Meditation: Matthew 13:1-23
“He spoke to them … in parables.” (Matthew 13:3)
You’ve probably heard many homilies. Which ones have stuck with you? Close your eyes for a minute, and try to recall one.
If you’re like most people, you remembered this one because it featured a compelling, memorable story. And this, as the title of a recent business book puts it, produced a message that is Made to Stick.
Jesus was a master of “sticky” messages, parables like today’s Gospel reading of the sower and the seed. They are not short stories like the kind you would find in an anthology or tell as a bedtime tale. Usually quite short, Jesus’ parables might be a simple image or description from ordinary life; if they’re stories, they often take a surprising twist. But always, they offer a comparison between something we know (a seed, a banquet, a lost sheep) and something that Jesus wants us to understand (the kingdom of God, the Father’s love).
Jesus’ parables stick with us because they open our minds and invite us into the story, which, if we have ears to hear, is endlessly deep. Each parable is like the seed in today’s Gospel—alive, good in every season, and capable of yielding an abundant harvest year after year, if the soil is receptive.
In a way, Jesus himself is the most wondrous parable of all. His life, to quote another book title, is truly The Greatest Story Ever Told. The whole gospel story presents the gripping drama of a Father who longs to save his children; about his Son, whose love moves him to carry out the ultimate rescue mission; about the Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus and now fills and transforms us into the likeness of Christ.
And now that greatest of stories continues on in each of us. Will its message stick? It’s up to us.
“Welcome, Master of the harvest! Sow your word in every part of me. Grow whatever crop you desire. I want to know you and love you more each day.”
09 July 2011
09 July 2011, Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Gn 49:29-32; 50:15-26a
Jacob gave his sons this charge:
“Since I am about to be taken to my people,
bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies
in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
the cave in the field of Machpelah,
facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan,
the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite
for a burial ground.
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried,
and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah,
and there, too, I buried Leah–
the field and the cave in it
that had been purchased from the Hittites.”
Now that their father was dead,
Joseph’s brothers became fearful and thought,
“Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us
and now plans to pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!”
So they approached Joseph and said:
“Before your father died, he gave us these instructions:
‘You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you
to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers,
who treated you so cruelly.’
Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we,
the servants of your father’s God, committed.”
When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.
Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him
and said, “Let us be your slaves!”
But Joseph replied to them:
“Have no fear. Can I take the place of God?
Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good,
to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.
Therefore have no fear.
I will provide for you and for your children.”
By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.
Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father’s family.
He lived a hundred and ten years.
He saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation,
and the children of Manasseh’s son Machir
were also born on Joseph’s knees.
Joseph said to his brothers: “I am about to die.
God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land
that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued,
“When God thus takes care of you,
you must bring my bones up with you from this place.”
Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten.
105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7
Responsorial PsalmR. (see Psalm 69:33)
Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Gospel
Mt 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Meditation: Matthew 10:24-33
“What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops… . You are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:27,31)
Do you know that God really likes you? It’s easy to say, “God loves me.” But he likes you too. He appreciates your unique personality, even the little quirks that help make up who you are. Excited over the gifts and talents he has given you, he fashioned a plan for your life, paying the utmost attention to every detail. You are not a mistake or an afterthought. No, you are worth “more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31).
God likes you so much, in fact, that he loves to share his secrets with you. He likes speaking to your innermost heart, giving you words of wisdom, insight, and love. Jesus is so close to you, and you are so precious in his sight, that he can’t help but share with you the treasures of his gospel message. He can’t help but show you new aspects of his love, his perfect plan, and the life that he wants to pour out on everyone who comes to him.
As you pray and ponder Scripture today, try to picture Jesus sitting next to you and speaking to you confidentially. Imagine him opening his heart to you, as he would to a trusted friend. Let his words sink in. Accept them as a gift, as the privilege that he gives only to those who love him and believe in him. Accept them, too, as wisdom that he wants you to share with your friends, insights that he wants you to “proclaim on the housetops” as you go through your everyday life (Matthew 10:27). They are not meant to be guarded jealously but to be shared, poured out as generously as he gives them to you.
You are important to the Lord! He values you! Let this truth penetrate your mind and set you free from worry and anxiety. He treasures you and is committed to giving you everything you need to live in this world. He has so much to tell you. So listen carefully, then go and proclaim the good news to everyone who will hear.
“Jesus, I don’t want to miss a word you have to say to me. You are my strength, my hope, and my love. I want to tell everyone about the treasure I have found in you.”
Gn 49:29-32; 50:15-26a
Jacob gave his sons this charge:
“Since I am about to be taken to my people,
bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies
in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
the cave in the field of Machpelah,
facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan,
the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite
for a burial ground.
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried,
and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah,
and there, too, I buried Leah–
the field and the cave in it
that had been purchased from the Hittites.”
Now that their father was dead,
Joseph’s brothers became fearful and thought,
“Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us
and now plans to pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!”
So they approached Joseph and said:
“Before your father died, he gave us these instructions:
‘You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you
to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers,
who treated you so cruelly.’
Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we,
the servants of your father’s God, committed.”
When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.
Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him
and said, “Let us be your slaves!”
But Joseph replied to them:
“Have no fear. Can I take the place of God?
Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good,
to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.
Therefore have no fear.
I will provide for you and for your children.”
By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.
Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father’s family.
He lived a hundred and ten years.
He saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation,
and the children of Manasseh’s son Machir
were also born on Joseph’s knees.
Joseph said to his brothers: “I am about to die.
God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land
that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued,
“When God thus takes care of you,
you must bring my bones up with you from this place.”
Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten.
105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7
Responsorial PsalmR. (see Psalm 69:33)
Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Gospel
Mt 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Meditation: Matthew 10:24-33
“What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops… . You are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:27,31)
Do you know that God really likes you? It’s easy to say, “God loves me.” But he likes you too. He appreciates your unique personality, even the little quirks that help make up who you are. Excited over the gifts and talents he has given you, he fashioned a plan for your life, paying the utmost attention to every detail. You are not a mistake or an afterthought. No, you are worth “more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31).
God likes you so much, in fact, that he loves to share his secrets with you. He likes speaking to your innermost heart, giving you words of wisdom, insight, and love. Jesus is so close to you, and you are so precious in his sight, that he can’t help but share with you the treasures of his gospel message. He can’t help but show you new aspects of his love, his perfect plan, and the life that he wants to pour out on everyone who comes to him.
As you pray and ponder Scripture today, try to picture Jesus sitting next to you and speaking to you confidentially. Imagine him opening his heart to you, as he would to a trusted friend. Let his words sink in. Accept them as a gift, as the privilege that he gives only to those who love him and believe in him. Accept them, too, as wisdom that he wants you to share with your friends, insights that he wants you to “proclaim on the housetops” as you go through your everyday life (Matthew 10:27). They are not meant to be guarded jealously but to be shared, poured out as generously as he gives them to you.
You are important to the Lord! He values you! Let this truth penetrate your mind and set you free from worry and anxiety. He treasures you and is committed to giving you everything you need to live in this world. He has so much to tell you. So listen carefully, then go and proclaim the good news to everyone who will hear.
“Jesus, I don’t want to miss a word you have to say to me. You are my strength, my hope, and my love. I want to tell everyone about the treasure I have found in you.”
08 July 2011
08 July 2011, Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Gn 46:1-7, 28-30
Israel set out with all that was his.
When he arrived at Beer-sheba,
he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called,
“Jacob! Jacob!”
He answered, “Here I am.”
Then he said: “I am God, the God of your father.
Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
for there I will make you a great nation.
Not only will I go down to Egypt with you;
I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes.”
So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba,
and the sons of Israel
put their father and their wives and children
on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport.
They took with them their livestock
and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan.
Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt.
His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters—
all his descendants—he took with him to Egypt.
Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph,
so that he might meet him in Goshen.
On his arrival in the region of Goshen,
Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot
and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen.
As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck
and wept a long time in his arms.
And Israel said to Joseph, “At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive.”
37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
Responsorial PsalmR. (39a)
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time;
in days of famine they have plenty.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 10:16-23
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.”
Meditation: Matthew 10:16-23
“Do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say.” (Matthew 10:19)
The moment is perfect. You’ve had a nice conversation with someone and you think you might have an opening to share Jesus with them. You feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit. But something unexpected happens—you freeze up! Unsure of what to say, and worried that saying the wrong thing is worse than saying nothing, you let the perfect moment slip by.
Has this ever happened to you? If so, don’t worry; it’s happened to even the best evangelists. And God understands. Maybe the experience can help you appreciate the advice Jesus gave to his disciples: Do not worry about what you are to say. He wasn’t telling them to say whatever popped into their heads or that they didn’t need any preparation beforehand. He just told them not to worry about it. They could trust in the Holy Spirit and his ability to give them the right words and capture that perfect moment.
How can we stop worrying? By trusting that the Spirit will help us evangelize just as he helped the apostles. By remembering that we don’t need a degree in theology or years of deep prayer to evangelize effectively. What we really need is the Holy Spirit—and we all have him!
Of course, it helps if we do some preparation, like reading and studying about our faith. It’s a good idea to review our own faith journey to figure out how we can best share it with people. But the point of preparation is to dispel our fears, not to heighten them. It’s to make us comfortable and confident so that, when the right moment presents itself, we are calm enough to ask the Spirit to bless the words we share. We won’t be devoting all of our mental energy to coming up with the right words. Instead, we’ll have the words ready, and be more prayerful and open to the Spirit’s promptings.
So look for opportunities today to share with someone how Jesus has touched your life. Pray that your words resonate with that person. Expect the impossible. If nothing else, it will be one of the most exciting moments of the day!
“Holy Spirit, free me from anxiety. Give me confidence in your grace as I share the good news.”
Gn 46:1-7, 28-30
Israel set out with all that was his.
When he arrived at Beer-sheba,
he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called,
“Jacob! Jacob!”
He answered, “Here I am.”
Then he said: “I am God, the God of your father.
Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
for there I will make you a great nation.
Not only will I go down to Egypt with you;
I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes.”
So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba,
and the sons of Israel
put their father and their wives and children
on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport.
They took with them their livestock
and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan.
Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt.
His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters—
all his descendants—he took with him to Egypt.
Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph,
so that he might meet him in Goshen.
On his arrival in the region of Goshen,
Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot
and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen.
As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck
and wept a long time in his arms.
And Israel said to Joseph, “At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive.”
37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
Responsorial PsalmR. (39a)
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time;
in days of famine they have plenty.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right,
and forsakes not his faithful ones.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 10:16-23
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.”
Meditation: Matthew 10:16-23
“Do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say.” (Matthew 10:19)
The moment is perfect. You’ve had a nice conversation with someone and you think you might have an opening to share Jesus with them. You feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit. But something unexpected happens—you freeze up! Unsure of what to say, and worried that saying the wrong thing is worse than saying nothing, you let the perfect moment slip by.
Has this ever happened to you? If so, don’t worry; it’s happened to even the best evangelists. And God understands. Maybe the experience can help you appreciate the advice Jesus gave to his disciples: Do not worry about what you are to say. He wasn’t telling them to say whatever popped into their heads or that they didn’t need any preparation beforehand. He just told them not to worry about it. They could trust in the Holy Spirit and his ability to give them the right words and capture that perfect moment.
How can we stop worrying? By trusting that the Spirit will help us evangelize just as he helped the apostles. By remembering that we don’t need a degree in theology or years of deep prayer to evangelize effectively. What we really need is the Holy Spirit—and we all have him!
Of course, it helps if we do some preparation, like reading and studying about our faith. It’s a good idea to review our own faith journey to figure out how we can best share it with people. But the point of preparation is to dispel our fears, not to heighten them. It’s to make us comfortable and confident so that, when the right moment presents itself, we are calm enough to ask the Spirit to bless the words we share. We won’t be devoting all of our mental energy to coming up with the right words. Instead, we’ll have the words ready, and be more prayerful and open to the Spirit’s promptings.
So look for opportunities today to share with someone how Jesus has touched your life. Pray that your words resonate with that person. Expect the impossible. If nothing else, it will be one of the most exciting moments of the day!
“Holy Spirit, free me from anxiety. Give me confidence in your grace as I share the good news.”
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