Thursday, August 14 2014; Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

Lectionary: 416

Reading 1
Ezekiel 12:1-12

The word of the LORD came to me: 
Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house;
they have eyes to see but do not see,
and ears to hear but do not hear,
for they are a rebellious house.
Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on,
prepare your baggage as though for exile, 
and again while they are looking on,
migrate from where you live to another place;
perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house.
You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime 
while they are looking on;
in the evening, again while they are looking on,
you shall go out like one of those driven into exile;
while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it;
while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness;
cover your face that you may not see the land,
for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.

I did as I was told.
During the day I brought out my baggage
as though it were that of an exile,
and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand
and, while they looked on, set out in the darkness,
shouldering my burden.

Then, in the morning, the word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house,
ask you what you were doing?
Tell them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
This oracle concerns Jerusalem
and the whole house of Israel within it.
I am a sign for you: 
as I have done, so shall it be done to them;
as captives they shall go into exile.
The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden
and set out in darkness,
going through a hole he has dug out in the wall,
and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 78:56-57, 58-59, 61-62

R. (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!

They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High,
and kept not his decrees.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers;
they recoiled like a treacherous bow.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

They angered him with their high places
and with their idols roused his jealousy.
God heard and was enraged
and utterly rejected Israel.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

And he surrendered his strength into captivity,
his glory in the hands of the foe.
He abandoned his people to the sword
and was enraged against his inheritance.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Gospel
Matthew 18:21-19:1

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed,
and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee
and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE MIRACLES OF FORGIVENESS

"My heavenly Father will treat you in exactly the same way unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." –Matthew 18:35

We must forgive:

• everyone for every sin (see Mt 6:12),
• 70 x 7 (Mt 18:22),
• immediately (Mt 5:23-25),
• enemies (see Mt 5:39ff),
• those who apologize (Lk 17:4) and those who don't,
• those who keep sinning against us (Lk 23:34), and
• from our hearts (Mt 18:35).

Obviously, it is humanly impossible to forgive by God's standards. "To err is human; to forgive is divine." Yet we must forgive, or we will not be forgiven (Mt 6:14-15). We are in an impossible situation. We need the Savior. We need Jesus. He is divine, and He will immediately give us His divine power to forgive.

By Jesus' grace, decide to forgive all for every sin committed against you. Verbally state your decision. Say: "By the power of Jesus, I decide to forgive (name) for (sin)." Now, like the father of the prodigal son, show love and mercy to those whom you are forgiving (see Lk 15:20ff). Receive the miracle of forgiveness immediately.

PRAYER: Father, make me a minister of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18). Show me what You mean by this.

PROMISE: "I canceled your entire debt when you pleaded with me. Should you not have dealt mercifully with your fellow servant, as I dealt with you?" –Mt 18:32-33

PRAISE: Suffering a nearly fatal illness only deepened St. Maximilian's efforts in spreading God's truth and defending the faith.

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Wednesday, August 13 2014; Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 415

Reading 1
Ezekiel 9:1-7; 10:18-22

The LORD cried loud for me to hear: Come, you scourges of the city!
With that I saw six men coming from the direction
of the upper gate which faces the north,
each with a destroying weapon in his hand.
In their midst was a man dressed in linen,
with a writer’s case at his waist.
They entered and stood beside the bronze altar.
Then he called to the man dressed in linen
with the writer’s case at his waist, saying to him:
Pass through the city, through Jerusalem,
and mark a “Thau” on the foreheads of those who moan and groan
over all the abominations that are practiced within it.
To the others I heard the LORD say:
Pass through the city after him and strike!
Do not look on them with pity nor show any mercy!
Old men, youths and maidens, women and children–wipe them out!
But do not touch any marked with the “Thau”; begin at my sanctuary.
So they began with the men, the elders, who were in front of the temple.
Defile the temple, he said to them, and fill the courts with the slain;
then go out and strike in the city.

Then the glory of the LORD left the threshold of the temple
and rested upon the cherubim.
These lifted their wings, and I saw them rise from the earth,
the wheels rising along with them.
They stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the LORD’s house,
and the glory of the God of Israel was up above them.
Then the cherubim lifted their wings, and the wheels went along with them,
while up above them was the glory of the God of Israel.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (4b) The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.

R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.

From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.

R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high,
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?

R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel 
Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen, 
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, APOSTOLIC CHURCH

"Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in their midst." –Matthew 18:20

The body of Christ has been split between Orthodox and Catholic for almost 1000 years. Protestants separated from Catholics about 500 years ago. Then Protestants splintered into thousands of denominations within which are many other divisions. We've always lived in a severely divided Church, in Christ's terribly broken body. No one living has ever seen the Church united.

We have learned to live with disunity. It's difficult for us to fathom Jesus' high-priestly prayer that we become one as He and the Father are one (Jn 17:21). However, the Lord is calling us to "make every effort to preserve the unity" we have and restore the unity we've lost (Eph 4:3). We must leave our gift at the altar and go to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters (Mt 5:23ff). We have the responsibility to correct those who have wronged us and also be open to correction if we have wronged others (see Mt 18:15). Moreover, we must be peacemakers (Mt 5:9), ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18), and witnesses (Mt 18:16) in order to help others resolve their disagreements. If necessary, we should call on our pastors to bring about unity in problem situations (Mt 18:17). The Church may even have to acknowledge that those in disunity have in effect excommunicated themselves (Mt 18:17). A person's decision to be excommunicated is officially accepted by the Church primarily to encourage that person to decide to return to communion with the Church.

These means for restoring unity may seem extreme, but not if we have Jesus' heart for His broken body, the Church.

PRAYER: Father, may I be willing to pray daily and even die to re-unite Your Church (see Pope John Paul II's encyclical, That They Be One, 102).

PROMISE: "From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the Lord to be praised." –Ps 113:3

PRAISE: Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus forgave their bitter enemies – each other.

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Tuesday, August 12 2014; Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 414

Reading 1 
Ezekiel 2:8-3:4

The Lord GOD said to me:
As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you:
be not rebellious like this house of rebellion,
but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you.

It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me,
in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me.
It was covered with writing front and back,
and written on it was: 
Lamentation and wailing and woe!

He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you;
eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat.
Son of man, he then said to me,
feed your belly and fill your stomach
with this scroll I am giving you.
I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel,
and speak my words to them.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131

R. (103a) How sweet to my taste is your promise!

In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.

R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!

Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.

R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!

The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!

How sweet to my palate are your promises,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!

Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.

R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!

I gasp with open mouth,
in my yearning for your commands.

R. How sweet to my taste is your promise!

Gospel 
Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: "TASTE AND SEE" (Ps 34:9)

"Be not rebellious like this house of rebellion, but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you." –Ezekiel 2:8

Picture a baby in a high chair. No matter what the parents do, the baby refuses to eat, shutting its mouth. That is the picture of many Christians today. We Christians are spiritually anorexic. We refuse to eat what God gives us because we are stuffed with the things the world has brainwashed us into eating (see Prv 13:19). The food of the "feel-good culture," materialism and consumerism, is much more appetizing to us than God's scroll with "lamentation and wailing and woe" written all over it (Ez 2:10).

However, the Lord is commanding us to repent of our eating habits and of anorexia. He commands: "Be as eager for milk as newborn babies – pure milk of the Spirit to make you grow unto salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Pt 2:2-3). The Lord warns us: "Not on bread alone is man to live but on every utterance that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt 4:4; Dt 8:3). He commands: "Take this and eat it...this is My body" (Mt 26:26).

Eat what God puts before you, and don't take candy from strangers. "Taste and see how good the Lord is; happy the man who takes refuge in Him" (Ps 34:9).

PRAYER: Father, may I eat right.

PROMISE: "How sweet to my palate are Your promises, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" –Ps 119:103

PRAISE: St. Jane Frances served faithfully as wife, mother, religious, and foundress, serving God and her neighbor.

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Monday, August 11 2014; Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin

Lectionary: 413

Reading 1 
Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28c

On the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year,
that is, of King Jehoiachin’s exile,
The word of the LORD came to the priest Ezekiel,
the son of Buzi,
in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar.—
There the hand of the LORD came upon me.

As I looked, a stormwind came from the North,
a huge cloud with flashing fire enveloped in brightness,
from the midst of which (the midst of the fire)
something gleamed like electrum.
Within it were figures resembling four living creatures
that looked like this: their form was human.

Then I heard the sound of their wings,
like the roaring of mighty waters, 
like the voice of the Almighty.
When they moved, the sound of the tumult was like the din of an army.
And when they stood still, they lowered their wings.

Above the firmament over their heads
something like a throne could be seen, 
looking like sapphire.
Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man.
Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum;
downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire;
he was surrounded with splendor.
Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day
was the splendor that surrounded him.
Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights;
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens, 
old men and boys,

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted; 
His majesty is above earth and heaven.

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

And he has lifted up the horn of his people.
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him. 
Alleluia.

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel 
Matthew 17:22-27

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee,
Jesus said to them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,
and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”
And they were overwhelmed with grief.

When they came to Capernaum,
the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,
“Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes,” he said. 
When he came into the house, before he had time to speak,
Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon?
From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax?
From their subjects or from foreigners?”
When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him,
“Then the subjects are exempt.
But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up. 
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.
Give that to them for me and for you.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: LIVING IS BELIEVING

"Be this His praise from all His faithful ones, from the children of Israel, the people close to Him." –Psalm 148:14

Peter made a great profession of faith when he acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, "the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16). However, in ensuing events, Peter showed that he did not fully understand or mean what he professed about Jesus. He refused to accept Jesus' words about the cross (Mt 16:22). How could he have done that if he had truly believed Jesus was the Son of the living God? Also, Peter said that Jesus was responsible to pay the temple tax, although Jesus certainly was exempt as the Son of God (Mt 17:26).

We are like Peter in that we have made great professions of faith. However, we may have spoken the truth about Jesus, all the while denying our words by our actions and lives. If we believe Jesus is God, wouldn't we obey Him and be His witnesses at every opportunity? (see Acts 1:8) Wouldn't we want to receive God Himself daily in Holy Communion? Wouldn't we spend more time with God's Word in the Bible than with man's words on TV or in the newspaper?

Yes, we have said that Jesus is the Messiah, Savior, Lord, and God. Now, we must put our lives where our mouths are.

PRAYER: Father, may my life speak the same message as my words – only louder.

PROMISE: "Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day was the splendor that surrounded Him." –Ez 1:28

PRAISE: St. Clare expressed her love for God by patiently bearing illness, doing penance, offering prayers, and remaining devoted to her sisters and town.

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Sunday, August 10 2014; Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 115

Reading 1
1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a

At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter. 
Then the LORD said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.” 
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind. 
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire. 
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. 
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14

R/ (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD — for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.

R/ Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.

R/ Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.

R/ Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

Reading 2 
Romans 9:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. 
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh. 
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Gospel 
Matthew 14:22-33

After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds. 
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. 
When it was evening he was there alone. 
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. 
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea. 
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. 
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 
He said, “Come.” 
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 
After they got into the boat, the wind died down. 
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: GOD IS WHISPERING TO YOU

"After the earthquake there was fire – but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound." –1 Kings 19:12

The Lord is whispering to you. For years, He has been preparing you to hear this whisper. In this whisper, the Lord will reveal to you the greatest work of your life. Thousands of people will be transformed by the Lord, if you hear and act on His whisper. You must hear God's whisper.

The Lord whispered to Elijah that he should anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha (1 Kgs 19:15-16). Elijah was also to make Elisha his disciple (1 Kgs 19:16). So Elijah anointed and discipled Elisha (1 Kgs 19:19), who anointed Hazael (2 Kgs 8:7ff). Moreover, one of Elisha's disciples anointed Jehu (2 Kgs 9:1ff). These three anointings and the discipling of Elisha transformed the nation of Israel by purging it of the abominations resulting from the reign of Ahab.

The Lord is also whispering to you to make disciples of your children, godchildren, and friends. Jesus spent all of His public ministry making disciples. He commissioned us to do the same (Mt 28:19). In making disciples, we let ourselves and our disciples be "transformed from glory to glory into His very image by the Lord Who is the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:18). As transformed Christians, we in turn transform the world. We are empowered by the Spirit to renew the face of the earth (Ps 104:30).

The Lord is whispering to you: "Disciple, disciple." Do it.

PRAYER: Father, clean out my ears by cleaning my heart.

PROMISE: "So Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water, moving toward Jesus." –Mt 14:29

PRAISE: Alleluia! We have been baptized into Jesus' death and resurrection (Rm 6:3ff). Alleluia!

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Saturday, August 9 2014; Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 412

Reading 1 
Habakuk 1:12-2:4

Are you not from eternity, O LORD,
my holy God, immortal?
O LORD, you have marked him for judgment,
O Rock, you have readied him punishment!
Too pure are your eyes to look upon evil,
and the sight of misery you cannot endure.
Why, then, do you gaze on the faithless in silence
while the wicked man devours
one more just than himself?
You have made man like the fish of the sea,
like creeping things without a ruler.
He brings them all up with his hook,
he hauls them away with his net,
He gathers them in his seine;
and so he rejoices and exults.
Therefore he sacrifices to his net,
and burns incense to his seine;
for thanks to them his portion is generous,
and his repast sumptuous.
Shall he, then, keep on brandishing his sword
to slay peoples without mercy?

I will stand at my guard post,
and station myself upon the rampart,
And keep watch to see what he will say to me,
and what answer he will give to my complaint.

Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision
Clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
If it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash man has no integrity;
but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 9:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

R. (11b) You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.

The LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with justice;
he governs the peoples with equity.

R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of distress.
They trust in you who cherish your name,
for you forsake not those who seek you, O LORD.

R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.

Sing praise to the LORD enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations his deeds;
For the avenger of blood has remembered;
he has not forgotten the cry of the poor.

R. You forsake not those who seek you, O Lord.

Gospel 
Matthew 17:14-20

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said,
“Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely;
often he falls into fire, and often into water.
I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
Jesus said in reply,
“O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? 
Bring the boy here to me.”
Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him,
and from that hour the boy was cured.
Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said,
“Why could we not drive it out?”
He said to them, “Because of your little faith.
Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: "HOW LONG, O LORD?" (Ps 13:2)

It "will not disappoint." –Habakkuk 2:3

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Prv 13:12). It is so difficult to sometimes have to wait so long for God's plan to unfold. Did you ever feel that you might die before the situation improves? Yet "the Lord does not delay in keeping His promise – though some consider it 'delay' " (2 Pt 3:9). "If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late" (Hab 2:3).

How do we wait for something we need so badly, something we know for certain is God's will, and something that we just can't live another day without? We must wait patiently and confidently, not complaining. To do otherwise would be to insult God by displaying a lack of faith in His ability to deliver. We renew our strength by 'waiting' upon the Lord (Is 40:31, KJV).

The Hebrew word translated as 'wait' or 'hope' in Isaiah 40:31 can mean to twist together, as cords of a rope are intertwined. In our waiting, then, we wrap ourselves around the Lord and He wraps Himself around us. When discouraging forces pull at us, we are not pulled apart. Instead, like strands of a rope, we and the Lord are pulled more tightly together and grow in strength. We never "come to the end of our rope" because the Lord has roped us tightly into His presence.

"Hence do not grow despondent or abandon the struggle" (Heb 12:3). Stay focused on Jesus (Heb 12:2) and confident in Him. Don't even move an inch out of your position of hope. "Look out that you yourselves do not lose what you have worked for; you must receive your reward in full" (2 Jn 8).

PRAYER: Father, I will be still and know that You are God (Ps 46:11). I will hope in silence for Your saving help (Lam 3:26).

PROMISE: "Jesus reprimanded him, and the demon came out of him. That very moment the boy was cured." –Mt 17:18

PRAISE: St. Teresa Benedicta, a woman of extraordinary intelligence, converted to the Catholic Church, gave up a flourishing academic career, served Him as a nun, and was martyred

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Friday, August 8 2014; Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest

Lectionary: 411

Reading 1
Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7

See, upon the mountains there advances
the bearer of good news, 
announcing peace!
Celebrate your feasts, O Judah,
fulfill your vows!
For nevermore shall you be invaded
by the scoundrel; he is completely destroyed.
The LORD will restore the vine of Jacob,
the pride of Israel,
Though ravagers have ravaged them 
and ruined the tendrils.

Woe to the bloody city, all lies,
full of plunder, whose looting never stops!
The crack of the whip, the rumbling sounds of wheels;
horses a-gallop, chariots bounding, 
Cavalry charging, the flame of the sword, the flash of the spear,
the many slain, the heaping corpses,
the endless bodies to stumble upon!
I will cast filth upon you,
disgrace you and put you to shame;
Till everyone who sees you runs from you, saying,
“Nineveh is destroyed; who can pity her?
Where can one find any to console her?”

Responsorial Psalm
Deuteronomy 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41

R. (39c) It is I who deal death and give life.

Close at hand is the day of their disaster,
and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.

R. It is I who deal death and give life.

“Learn then that I, I alone, am God,
and there is no god besides me.
It is I who bring both death and life,
I who inflict wounds and heal them.”

R. It is I who deal death and give life.

I will sharpen my flashing sword,
and my hand shall lay hold of my quiver,
“With vengeance I will repay my foes
and requite those who hate me.”

R. It is I who deal death and give life.

Gospel
Matthew 16:24-28

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: PEACE TALKS

"See, upon the mountains there advances the Bearer of good news, announcing peace!" –Nahum 2:1

Nahum prophesied that the Messiah would be "the Bearer of good news, announcing peace." He would completely destroy the enemy (Na 2:1), cast filth upon it, disgrace it, and put it to shame (Na 3:6).

Jesus was the Fulfillment of Nahum's prophecy. However, the enemy to be destroyed was not the Ninevites or even the Romans, but Satan (Eph 6:12; 1 Jn 3:8). Jesus destroyed (see Lk 11:22) and disgraced Satan (Col 2:15) by taking on Himself the punishment due us all. He made peace not by shedding the enemy's blood but by shedding His own precious blood on the cross (Col 1:20).

Therefore, we make peace not by exerting ourselves but by denying ourselves (Mt 16:24), not by crucifying the enemy but by taking up our daily cross (Lk 9:23) and being crucified to the world (Gal 6:14).

Jesus' peace is much different from that of the world (Jn 14:27). The world cannot give it, nor can the world take it away. It is a peace "beyond all understanding" (Phil 4:7). Blest are the peacemakers (see Mt 5:9).

PRAYER: "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace."

PROMISE: "What profit would a man show if he were to gain the whole world and destroy himself in the process?" –Mt 16:26

PRAISE: St. Dominic brought many back into the Church by preaching the truth and praying the rosary.

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