Thursday, July 31 2014; Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

Lectionary: 404

Reading 1 
Jeremiah 18:1-6

This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
Rise up, be off to the potter’s house;
there I will give you my message.
I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, 
working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand, 
he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.
Then the word of the LORD came to me:
Can I not do to you, house of Israel,
as this potter has done? says the LORD.
Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,
so are you in my hand, house of Israel.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.

R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Put not your trust in princes,
in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.
When his spirit departs he returns to his earth;
on that day his plans perish.

R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD, his God.
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.

R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel 
Matthew 13:47-53

Jesus said to the disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old.”
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: UNDERSTANDABLE?

"Have you understood all this?" –Matthew 13:51

Jesus asked His apostles if they had understood "all this." They answered "Yes," possibly assuming that Jesus was referring to the last parable or series of parables He had taught (Mt 13:51). Jesus, however, was probably referring to much more, for He next spoke of those learned in His kingdom as having a "storeroom" of knowledge (Mt 13:52).

Actually, the apostles did not understand "all this" (see Jn 16:29). "On the contrary, their minds were completely closed to the meaning" of many events in Jesus' life (Mk 6:52). So exasperated was Jesus with His followers that He questioned them: "Are your minds completely blinded? Have you eyes but no sight? Ears but no hearing?...Do you still not understand?" (Mk 8:17-18, 21) During the Last Supper, the apostles felt they did understand what Jesus was saying (Jn 16:29-30). However, Jesus immediately questioned this (Jn 16:31). A few hours later, the apostles proved that they really did not understand Jesus when they abandoned Him upon His arrest (Mk 14:50).

Do you understand Jesus? Will you at least admit your lack of understanding? This is the necessary first step toward understanding. On Judgment Day, will the Lord say to you: "This is not an understanding people; therefore their Maker shall not spare them, nor shall He Who formed them have mercy on them" (Is 27:11)? Or will He say: "Blest are your eyes because they see and blest are your ears because they hear" (Mt 13:16)? "Have you understood all this?" (Mt 13:51)

PRAYER: Father, may I understand what You mean by "understanding."

PROMISE: "Rise up, be off to the potter's house; there I will give you My message." –Jer 18:2

PRAISE: St. Ignatius, once a tough soldier trained in physical strength and warfare, had a deep conversion and became a priest. He is the patron of spiritual exercises and retreats.

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Wednesday, July 30 2014; Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 403

Reading 1 
Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21

Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!
a man of strife and contention to all the land!
I neither borrow nor lend,
yet all curse me.
When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
I did not sit celebrating
in the circle of merrymakers;
Under the weight of your hand I sat alone
because you filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain continuous,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook,
whose waters do not abide!
Thus the LORD answered me:
If you repent, so that I restore you,
in my presence you shall stand;
If you bring forth the precious without the vile,
you shall be my mouthpiece.
Then it shall be they who turn to you,
and you shall not turn to them;
And I will make you toward this people
a solid wall of brass.
Though they fight against you,
they shall not prevail,
For I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD.
I will free you from the hand of the wicked,
and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18

R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.

Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O LORD.

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold, 
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!

R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

Gospel 
Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE, ANDEND OF GOD'S WORD

"When I found Your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart." –Jeremiah 15:16

Many of you reading One Bread, One Body have found God's Word to be the joy and happiness of your hearts. Your initial experience of God's Word has been sweet (see Rv 10:10; Ez 3:3).

Later, you will find that God's Word is not only sweeter than honey (Ps 119:103) but also sharper than a two-edged sword (Heb 4:12). Many people will hate you because the Lord has given you His Word (Jn 17:14). You will feel alone and abandoned (Jer 15:17). You will be in continuous pain and seem incurably wounded (Jer 15:18). You will be tempted to turn away from the Lord and His Word. You may even fall into this temptation and actually turn away from the Lord. However, the Lord promises: "If you repent, so that I restore you, in My presence you shall stand; if you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be My mouthpiece" (Jer 15:19).

In the end, if you keep living and proclaiming God's Word, the Lord "will free you from the hand of the wicked, and rescue you from the grasp of the violent" (Jer 15:21). You will have victory through God's Word. "In all this we are more than conquerors because of Him Who has loved us" (Rm 8:37).

Live, love, and share God's Word in joy, suffering, and victory.

PRAYER: Father, may I be willing to die for You, Your truth, and Your love (see Sir 4:28).

PROMISE: "When he found one really valuable pearl, he went back and put up for sale all that he had and bought it." –Mt 13:46

PRAISE: St. Peter taught: "Christ's birth was not necessity, but an expression of omnipotence, a sacrament of piety for the redemption of man."

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Tuesday, July 29 2014; Memorial of Saint Martha

Lectionary: 402/607

Reading 1 
Jeremiah 14:17-22

Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
look! those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not.

Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name’s sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Among the nations’ idols is there any that gives rain?
Or can the mere heavens send showers?
Is it not you alone, O LORD,
our God, to whom we look?
You alone have done all these things.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13

R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Gospel 
John 11:19-27

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”

or 
Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village 
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. 
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? 
Tell her to help me.” 
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. 
There is need of only one thing. 
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: HOME ALONE?

"Lord, do You not care that my sister left me to serve alone!" –Luke 10:40, RSV-CE

Martha was serving alone. Many Christians also feel quite alone in their service to the Lord and His people. Martha complained to Jesus that He should get Mary to help her (Lk 10:40). We also pray to Jesus that He will get someone to help us. Many times, Jesus doesn't send anyone to help. This gives us the impression that Jesus doesn't care. In fact, Jesus may not be concerned at that particular time about others helping us to continue our work. Rather, His care is that we temporarily stop our work to listen to Him (Lk 10:39). When we are alone in service, we should give up our expectation of others helping us. Rather, we should meet Jesus' expectation that we stop and listen to Him. When we're all alone, we shouldn't just do something; we should sit there.

Jesus cares about our serving alone. He cares so much that He wants to be with us and speak to us. After being "alone" with Jesus, we have the wisdom and strength to serve alone, or we will see the Lord raise up others to help us. First and foremost, Jesus cares about our listening to Him. Do you care to listen to Him and to spend time with Him alone?

PRAYER: Father, may I not run from loneliness but run to You.

PROMISE: "When I found Your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart." –Jer 15:16

PRAISE: St. "Martha said to Jesus, '...I am sure that God will give You whatever You ask of Him' " (Jn 11:21-22).

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Monday, July 28 2014; Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 401

Reading 1 
Jeremiah 13:1-11

The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;
wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.
I bought the loincloth, as the LORD commanded, and put it on.
A second time the word of the LORD came to me thus:
Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing,
and go now to the Parath;
there hide it in a cleft of the rock.
Obedient to the LORD’s command, I went to the Parath
and buried the loincloth.
After a long interval, the LORD said to me: 
Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth
which I told you to hide there.
Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth
from the place where I had hid it.
But it was rotted, good for nothing!
Then the message came to me from the LORD: 
Thus says the LORD:
So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot,
the great pride of Jerusalem.
This wicked people who refuse to obey my words,
who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,
and follow strange gods to serve and adore them,
shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.
For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man’s loins,
so had I made the whole house of Israel
and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD;
to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty.
But they did not listen.

Responsorial Psalm 
Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21

R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you,
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.

R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

“I will hide my face from them,” he said,
“and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!”

R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

“Since they have provoked me with their ‘no-god’
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a ‘no-people’;
with a foolish nation I will anger them.”

R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

Gospel 
Matthew 13:31-35

Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”

He spoke to them another parable.
“The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened.”

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables, 
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:

I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation 
of the world.

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

"The reign of God is like a mustard seed which someone took and sowed in his field." –Matthew 13:31

The Lord is looking for someone to sow a mustard seed. Physically, this is light work, for thousands of mustard seeds weigh almost nothing. However, sowing a mustard seed is hard work spiritually. When someone sows a mustard seed, he appears to be doing nothing. Although he knows he is doing something, he himself feels as if he is doing something which amounts to nothing. He is strongly tempted to despise "small beginnings" (Zec 4:10).

Like Jesus, the Suffering Servant and the Messiah, the sower of a mustard seed feels he has "toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent" his strength (Is 49:4). The life of a mustard seed sower is hidden in Christ (Col 3:3) and appears useless and hopeless. Nevertheless, the Lord promises a mustard seed sower: "I will make you a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth" (Is 49:6).

Some of you reading this feel discouraged that we are still light-years away from the amazing justice and freedom which is part of the kingdom of God. However, put the drop of your life into the ocean of God's love. God will multiply it to transform the world.

PRAYER: Father, I will give You my best even when no one but You knows what I'm doing.

PROMISE: "I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to Me, says the Lord; to be My people, My renown, My praise, My beauty." –Jer 13:11

PRAISE: When his wife died John's friends and family expected him to drink again, but his faith in God kept him sober.

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Sunday, July 27 2014; Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 109

Reading 1
1 Kings 3:5, 7-12

The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. 
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” 
Solomon answered:
“O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king
to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act. 
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted. 
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. 
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”

The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request. 
So God said to him:
“Because you have asked for this—
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches, 
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right—
I do as you requested. 
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now, 
and after you there will come no one to equal you.”

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130

R/ (97a) Lord, I love your commands.

I have said, O LORD, that my part
is to keep your words.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

R/ Lord, I love your commands.

Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.

R/ Lord, I love your commands.

For I love your command
more than gold, however fine.
For in all your precepts I go forward;
every false way I hate.

R/ Lord, I love your commands.

Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple.

R/ Lord, I love your commands.

Reading 2 
Romans 8:28-30

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose. 
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Gospel 
Matthew 13:44-52

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls. 
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. 
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind. 
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets. 
What is bad they throw away. 
Thus it will be at the end of the age. 
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

“Do you understand all these things?” 
They answered, “Yes.” 
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household
who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” 

or 
Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls. 
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: GOD'S VOMITING

"When he found one really valuable pearl, he went back and put up for sale all that he had and bought it." –Matthew 13:46

Many people don't want to put all their eggs into one basket. So they become "Christians" but still keep one foot in the world. This way, if Jesus isn't real, at least they haven't wasted their whole lives for Him. However, if Jesus is the meaning of life, they're at least church members, without losing the "fun" of the world.

This is the most common approach to Christianity in America. It makes Jesus feel like throwing up (Rv 3:15-16). Jesus died on the cross for us. He poured out every drop of blood and breathed His last breath for us. As we kneel before the crucified Jesus, we realize that it is sacrilegious to give Him anything less than everything.

The kingdom of God is like a buried treasure or a precious pearl (Mt 13:44-46). The cost of discipleship is everything. We may not have much, but we each have an all – and that all is what we must give. The first commandment is: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Lk 10:27).

PRAYER: Father, "give Your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge Your people and to distinguish right from wrong" (1 Kgs 3:9).

PROMISE: "We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His decree." –Rm 8:28

PRAISE: Praise Jesus, the Good Shepherd, risen Lord, and true God! Alleluia!

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Saturday, July 26 2014; Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Lectionary: 400

Reading 1 
Jeremiah 7:1-11

The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
Stand at the gate of the house of the LORD,
and there proclaim this message:
Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah
who enter these gates to worship the LORD!
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
Reform your ways and your deeds,
so that I may remain with you in this place.
Put not your trust in the deceitful words:
“This is the temple of the LORD!
The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!”
Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds;
if each of you deals justly with his neighbor;
if you no longer oppress the resident alien,
the orphan, and the widow;
if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place,
or follow strange gods to your own harm,
will I remain with you in this place,
in the land I gave your fathers long ago and forever.

But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss!
Are you to steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury,
burn incense to Baal,
go after strange gods that you know not,
and yet come to stand before me
in this house which bears my name, and say:
“We are safe; we can commit all these abominations again”?
Has this house which bears my name
become in your eyes a den of thieves?
I too see what is being done, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11

R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

My soul yearns and pines 
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.

R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young—
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!

R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength.

R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

Gospel 
Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man
who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?’
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’
His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: FIELD OF DREAMS?

"When the crop began to mature and yield grain, the weeds made their appearance as well." –Matthew 13:26

Some of you who are reading this have been serving the Lord in ministry for years. You have prayed and worked long and hard, toiling with all your heart in your desire to bear fruit for your Lord and Master. Perhaps you are beginning to see the good fruits of your efforts as those to whom you have ministered are progressing as disciples, making their own commitments to Jesus, or sharing their faith with others. The crop you have sowed is beginning "to mature and yield grain" (Mt 13:26).

This is the time when people Jesus describes as "the weeds" begin to make their appearance (Mt 13:26). Just when it looks like your efforts will result in a fruitful harvest and in glory to God, people appear within your ministry or community and begin to wantonly consume energy you intended to use to nourish "the wheat," that is, those bearing fruit as a result of your loving service. Now your "wheat" are not getting "fed" properly because your "weeds" are siphoning off their spiritual food.

Now it looks as if the entire ministry may be shelved under the threat of the weeds. Naturally you want to uproot the weeds. Yet Jesus says to let the weeds grow (Mt 13:30). This seems to make no sense, but God is the Vinegrower (Jn 15:1), and He knows how to produce fruit. Jesus prunes you and the wheat (Jn 15:2), and allows the weeds to consume nourishment meant to sustain you! Yet God has an even higher priority, and it is conversion. He wants the weeds to become wheat. Conversion is costly, inconvenient, and strength-sapping. It also brings great joy in heaven (Lk 15:7).

PRAYER: Master, give me Your heart and mind (1 Cor 2:16).

PROMISE: "Happy the men whose strength You are." –Ps 84:6

PRAISE: Walt prayed to St. Ann daily to reconcile a relationship between two of his loved ones that Walt considered irreconcilable. Several years later, Walt rejoiced as the reconciliation was more complete than he could have imagined (see Eph 3:20).

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Friday, July 25 2014; Feast of Saint James, Apostle

Lectionary: 605

Reading 1 
2 Corinthians 4:7-15

Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore speak, 
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

R. (5) Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing. 

R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.

R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.

R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves. 

R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

Gospel 
Matthew 20:20-28

The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her,
“What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE HEAD OF THE CLASS

"We believe and so we speak, knowing that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up along with Jesus." –2 Corinthians 4:13-14

James must have been one powerful apostle! When "King Herod started to harass" the Church, his first move was to cut off James' head (Acts 12:1, 2). "This pleased certain of the Jews" (Acts 12:3). Only after James was killed did Herod turn his attention to arresting Peter (Acts 12:3). James, who was the first apostle to die for love of Jesus, was obviously one giant headache for Herod and the Jews. James had the courage and the faith to speak out in the name of Jesus, knowing that he would share in the resurrection of Jesus (2 Cor 4:13-14).

Earlier, James was a headache for the other apostles (Mt 20:24). He sought to be elevated above them. Jesus patiently explained to James and the others that the way to aspire to greatness is to humbly descend into service (Mt 20:26-27). James eventually took Jesus' admonition to heart. After Pentecost, James did not try to preserve his own life. He was constantly teaching the people about the good news of Jesus the Messiah (Acts 5:42), working signs and wonders among the people (Acts 5:12). With great faith, James gave his own life for love of God and His people (Mt 20:28). Like James, may our lives be so powerful in Jesus that we are a headache to those who oppose Jesus and His kingdom.

PRAYER: Father, may I be fearless in the Holy Spirit as was St. James.

PROMISE: "This treasure we possess in earthen vessels to make it clear that its surpassing power comes from God and not from us." –2 Cor 4:7

PRAISE: St. James, "Son of Thunder," was the first apostle to give his life in martyrdom for Jesus.

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Thursday, July 24 2014; Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 398

Reading 1 
Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13

This word of the LORD came to me:
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!

I remember the devotion of your youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the LORD was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the LORD.

When I brought you into the garden land 
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the LORD?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.

Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11

R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.

O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.

R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.

How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.

R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.

For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.

R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.

Gospel 
Matthew 13:10-17

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Why do you speak to the crowd 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.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: ARE YOU LEAKING?

"They have forsaken Me, the Source of living waters; they have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water." –Jeremiah 2:13

Does your life hold water – the living waters of God's grace, baptism, and the Holy Spirit? The patterns that we develop in our lives can be likened to digging cisterns (see Jer 2:13). These patterns will either help us retain and grow in our faith or contribute to an erosion and loss of our faith. For instance, a cistern, or way of life, in which God's Word is not taken authoritatively will usually not hold water for long. A cistern in which the Pope is not obeyed will not hold water amid divisive or confusing circumstances. A cistern permissive toward TV is like a sieve. A cistern which emphasizes celebrating daily Mass and Holy Communion usually holds water even under the worst conditions. A cistern in which Christians live in Biblical community holds water better than any other type of cistern. Those in Christian community are very likely to keep the faith.

Christians are leaking badly. Although we have received rivers of living water (see Jn 7:38), we may be bone-dry. Sometimes we deal with this situation by pumping more living water into our lives. We have spurts of prayer, go to special conferences, or have revivals and renewals. However, the living water soon leaks out of our lives. We need more than additional water; we must fix the leaks, that is, dig an unbroken cistern, by repenting and significantly changing the patterns of our lives.

PRAYER: Father, may I be filled with the Spirit (see Acts 2:4) and stay filled.

PROMISE: "O Lord, Your kindness reaches to heaven; Your faithfulness, to the clouds." –Ps 36:6

PRAISE: St. Sharbel Makhluf was a Lebanese monk who lived as a hermit in poverty, self-sacrifice, and prayer. He traded his previous life for a lifetime of serving Jesus, and thereby discovered who he was (Mt 10:39).

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Wednesday, July 23 2014; Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 397

Reading 1 
Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10

The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah,
of a priestly family in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin.

The word of the LORD came to me thus:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
“Ah, Lord GOD!” I said,
AI know not how to speak; I am too young.”

But the LORD answered me,
Say not, “I am too young.”
To whomever I send you, you shall go;
whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Have no fear before them,
because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

Then the LORD extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying,

See, I place my words in your mouth!
This day I set you
over nations and over kingdoms,
To root up and to tear down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15 and 17

R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

R. I will sing of your salvation.

Gospel 
Matthew 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.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: RIGHT IN THE MOUTH

"My mouth shall declare Your justice, day by day Your salvation." –Psalm 71:15

The Lord has promised to place His words in your mouth, as He did for Jeremiah (Jer 1:9; see also Mt 10:20). From that day, He will "set you over nations and over kingdoms, to root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant" (Jer 1:10). With God's Word in your mouth, you will be a world force. In fact, the Lord will not only occasionally place a word in your mouth; He will fill it (see Ps 81:11) with His words of spirit and life (Jn 6:63). You will be like Samuel in that God will not permit any word of yours to be without effect (1 Sm 3:19; see also Is 55:11).

The Lord will make your mouth a powerful, glorious instrument of His righteousness (Rm 6:13), if you repent. You must cry out as Isaiah did: "Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips" (Is 6:5). The Lord will send an angel to touch your mouth with a burning ember (Is 6:6) and then He will say: "Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged" (Is 6:7). The Lord has promised you: "If you repent, so that I restore you, in My presence you shall stand; if you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be My mouthpiece" (Jer 15:19). You can be the mouthpiece of God.

PRAYER: Father, use every part of my body for Your glory. Control every part of my body through my purified mouth (see Jas 3:2-3).

PROMISE: "Part of it, finally, landed on good soil and yielded grain a hundred- or sixty- or thirtyfold. Let everyone heed what he hears!" –Mt 13:8-9

PRAISE: St. Bridget dwelt more on practicing charity rather than receiving spiritual favors.

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Tuesday, July 22 2014; Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

Lectionary: 396/603

Reading 1 
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20

Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.

Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea
all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (8a) Lord, show us your mercy and love.

You have favored, O LORD, your land;
you have brought back the captives of Jacob.
You have forgiven the guilt of your people;
you have covered all their sins.
You have withdrawn all your wrath;
you have revoked your burning anger. 

R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.

Restore us, O God our savior,
and abandon your displeasure against us.
Will you be ever angry with us,
prolonging your anger to all generations?

R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.

Will you not instead give us life;
and shall not your people rejoice in you?
Show us, O LORD, your kindness,
and grant us your salvation. 

R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.

Gospel 
John 20:1-2, 11-18

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.” 

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: DOING YOUR OWN THING?

"He died for all so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for Him Who for their sakes died and was raised up." –2 Corinthians 5:15

Many people think that living for themselves, doing their own thing, getting their way is the goal of life. However, after they try this for a while, they feel empty. At first, they think that the cause of their emptiness is failing to get their own way in everything. So they try to do their own thing even more, but this makes matters even worse. Finally, they begin to suspect that the constant, self-centering brainwashing they've received over the years was a big lie. Then these people hear about or remember when they heard about Jesus, the cross, dying to self (Lk 9:23), and following Jesus. Could it be that Jesus crucified is the Truth, the Way to happiness, and the Meaning of life? (see Jn 14:6)

Mary Magdalene found out that there's no such thing as doing your own thing. When she thought she was doing her own thing, she was being manipulated and enslaved into doing the devil's things. She was possessed by seven devils (Lk 8:2). Finally, she met Jesus and decided to do His thing – even if it meant weeping at the foot of His cross (Jn 19:25) and at His grave (Jn 20:11). Through, with, and in Jesus, she discovered the meaning of life. She met Jesus, Who is Life (Jn 14:6), when He rose from the dead.

PRAYER: Father, may I live a life of love, not of self.

PROMISE: "I had hardly left them when I found Him Whom my heart loves." –Sg 3:4

PRAISE: St. Mary Magdalene evangelized the first pope (Jn 20:18).

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Monday, July 21 2014; Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 395

Reading 1
Micah 6:1-4, 6-8

Hear what the LORD says:
Arise, present your plea before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice!
Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD,
pay attention, O foundations of the earth!
For the LORD has a plea against his people,
and he enters into trial with Israel.

O my people, what have I done to you,
or how have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
from the place of slavery I released you;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.

With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Gospel
Matthew 12:38-42

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, 
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE GREATEST

"At the judgment, the citizens of Nineveh will rise with the present generation and be the ones to condemn it." –Matthew 12:41

At the Judgment Day, people who have made great commitments to mere human beings and activities will take the stand to testify against us, because they have shown more commitment in doing their thing than we have in serving Christ.

For example, the Ninevites listened to Jonah more than we may listen to Christ (Mt 12:41). The queen of Sheba came farther to see Solomon than we may come to see Jesus (Mt 12:42). Jehovah's Witnesses have been more committed to witnessing for falsehood than we have been to witnessing for Jesus, the Truth. Corporate executives are more committed to their work than we are to God's kingdom. Athletes try harder to win games than we try to win souls.

Jesus is greater than Jonah and Solomon, denominations and corporations. Jesus is greater than the U.S.A., psychology and technology, money, and sex. Jesus is Savior, Lord, and God (see Jn 20:28). Serve Jesus.

PRAYER: Jesus, at Your name may my knee bow and my tongue proclaim: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! (Phil 2:11)

PROMISE: "You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God." –Mi 6:8

PRAISE: St. Lawrence spread the seed of truth as he traveled as emissary, missionary, and peacemaker from country to country.

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Sunday, July 20 2014; Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 106

Reading 1 
Wisdom 12:13, 16-19

There is no god besides you who have the care of all,
that you need show you have not unjustly condemned.
For your might is the source of justice;
your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.
For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved;
and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.
But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,
and with much lenience you govern us;
for power, whenever you will, attends you.
And you taught your people, by these deeds,
that those who are just must be kind;
and you gave your children good ground for hope
that you would permit repentance for their sins.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16

R/ (5a) Lord, you are good and forgiving.

You, O LORD, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.

R/ Lord, you are good and forgiving.

All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O LORD,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.

R/ Lord, you are good and forgiving.

You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity.
Turn toward me, and have pity on me;
give your strength to your servant.

R/ Lord, you are good and forgiving.

Reading 2 
Romans 8:26-27

Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. 
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God’s will.

Gospel 
Matthew 13:24-43

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? 
Where have the weeds come from?’
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’
His slaves said to him,
‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them. 
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

He proposed another parable to them. 
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field. 
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. 
It becomes a large bush,
and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”

He spoke to them another parable. 
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened.”

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. 
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation
of the world.

Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. 
His disciples approached him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 
He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age. 
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. 
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. 
Then the righteous will shine like the sun 
in the kingdom of their Father. 
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

or 
Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? 
Where have the weeds come from?’
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’
His slaves said to him,
‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them. 
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: "PRAYING WRONG"

"We do not know how to pray as we ought." –Romans 8:26

Many Christians have the feeling that they're praying wrong (Jas 4:3), that they're not praying as they ought. They think they're saying the wrong words or that they need to pray more or say a certain series of prayers, but they are wrong about praying wrong. They may be praying wrong, but it's not because of their words, methods, or even time commitment. We pray wrong when we pray "with a view to squandering what" we receive on our pleasures (Jas 4:3). We pray wrong not because of a faulty memory, halting speech, or confused mind, but because of a selfish heart.

Prayer is not our getting God to give us what we want. It is God getting us to give Him what He wants. The essence of the Christian life and of prayer is denying ourselves (Lk 9:23). So we can definitely pray wrong, and most Christians may pray wrong most of the time.

The solution to this problem is not learning techniques of prayer, praying prayers out of a book, or praying spontaneously. The way to stop praying wrong is to repent of selfishness, disobedience, and doing our own thing. Then even our groans will be powerful prayers pleasing to the Lord (see Rm 8:26).

PRAYER: Sacred Heart of Jesus, make my heart like Yours so I will "pray right."

PROMISE: "The saints will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let everyone heed what he hears!" –Mt 13:43

PRAISE: "Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He Who in His great mercy gave us new birth; a birth unto hope which draws its life from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pt 1:3).

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Saturday, July 19 2014; Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 394

Reading 1
Micah 2:1-5
Woe to those who plan iniquity,
and work out evil on their couches;
In the morning light they accomplish it
when it lies within their power.
They covet fields, and seize them;
houses, and they take them;
They cheat an owner of his house,
a man of his inheritance.
Therefore thus says the LORD:
Behold, I am planning against this race an evil
from which you shall not withdraw your necks;
Nor shall you walk with head high,
for it will be a time of evil.

On that day a satire shall be sung over you,
and there shall be a plaintive chant:
“Our ruin is complete,
our fields are portioned out among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!”
Thus you shall have no one
to mark out boundaries by lot
in the assembly of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 10:1-2, 3-4, 7-8, 14

R. (12b) Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

Why, O LORD, do you stand aloof?
Why hide in times of distress?
Proudly the wicked harass the afflicted,
who are caught in the devices the wicked have contrived.

R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

For the wicked man glories in his greed,
and the covetous blasphemes, sets the LORD at nought.
The wicked man boasts, “He will not avenge it”;
“There is no God,” sums up his thoughts.

R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

His mouth is full of cursing, guile and deceit;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
He lurks in ambush near the villages;
in hiding he murders the innocent;
his eyes spy upon the unfortunate.

R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow,
taking them in your hands.
On you the unfortunate man depends;
of the fatherless you are the helper.

R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!



Gospel
Matthew 12:14-21
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus
to put him to death.

When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.


REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread, One Body
THEME: WILL YOU BE GENTLE OR WICK-ED?
 
"The smoldering wick He will not quench." —Matthew 12:20

A man with a shriveled hand comes to the synagogue (Mt 12:10). This man is like a smoldering wick. One of his hands is almost useless. There's still a little life left in his hand, but it's just smoldering, barely alive.

How did the Pharisees react when they saw a smoldering wick? They reacted with wickedness by exploiting this man in hopes of accusing Jesus (see Mk 3:2). When confronted with healing and life, they wickedly plotted death (Mt 12:14).

How does Jesus react when a wick is smoldering? He responds with gentleness and compassion, bringing life, healing, and hope (Mt 12:13). The Pharisees were supposedly devoted to the prophecies of the Old Testament, but even while Jesus fulfilled these prophecies in their very midst (e.g. Is 35:6; 58:8; Ez 34:16), their determined choice to act in wickedness blinded them to the truth being revealed in front of their eyes.

Despite our wickedness, God still treats us gently (see Mt 11:29). Jesus won't even snuff out a smoldering wick, that is, a person in whom the light of God has just about died, such as the Pharisees. Though He could act in justice and severity toward those who, like the Pharisees, have allowed their hope in Him to diminish almost to extinction, He instead covers them with gentleness in trying to lead them to faith.

Who are the smoldering wicks in your life? Work with Jesus to set them aflame with the light of Christ.

PRAYER: Jesus, You came to light a fire for the smoldering wicks in my life. Use me to ignite the blaze in their lives (Lk 12:49).

PROMISE: "Many people followed Him and He cured them all." —Mt 12:16

PRAISE: Suffering from pain in her hip, Brenda had scheduled hip replacement surgery. She attended a healing service and Jesus healed her hip.

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Friday, July 18 2014; Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 393

Reading 1
Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8

When Hezekiah was mortally ill,
the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him:
“Thus says the LORD: Put your house in order,
for you are about to die; you shall not recover.”
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD:

“O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly
I conducted myself in your presence,
doing what was pleasing to you!”
And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go, tell Hezekiah:
Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David:
I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.
I will heal you: in three days you shall go up to the LORD’s temple;
I will add fifteen years to your life.
I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria;
I will be a shield to this city.”

Isaiah then ordered a poultice of figs to be taken
and applied to the boil, that he might recover.
Then Hezekiah asked,
“What is the sign that I shall go up to the temple of the LORD?”

Isaiah answered:
“This will be the sign for you from the LORD
that he will do what he has promised:
See, I will make the shadow cast by the sun
on the stairway to the terrace of Ahaz
go back the ten steps it has advanced.”
So the sun came back the ten steps it had advanced.

Responsorial Psalm
Isaiah 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16

R. (see 17b) You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.

Once I said,
“In the noontime of life I must depart!
To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned
for the rest of my years.” 

R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.

I said, “I shall see the LORD no more
in the land of the living.
No longer shall I behold my fellow men
among those who dwell in the world.”

R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.

My dwelling, like a shepherd’s tent,
is struck down and borne away from me;
You have folded up my life, like a weaver
who severs the last thread.

R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.

Those live whom the LORD protects;
yours is the life of my spirit.
You have given me health and life.

R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.

Gospel 
Matthew 12:1-8

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
“See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.”
He said to the them, “Have you not read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry,
how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,
which neither he nor his companions
but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: HOUSE WORK

"Thus says the Lord: Put your house in order." –Isaiah 38:1

When King Hezekiah was terminally ill, Isaiah prophesied to him: "Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you shall not recover" (Is 38:1). Hezekiah ignored the first part of this message and prayed for the Lord to spare his life (Is 38:2). The Lord gave him fifteen more years to live (Is 38:5), but Hezekiah still didn't put his house in order.

Hezekiah used his fifteen extra years to do two terrible things. He carelessly and selfishly let messengers from Babylon obtain important information that eventually resulted in the conquest of the chosen people by the Babylonians (Is 39:2, 5-8). Then Hezekiah fathered a son, Manasseh, three years into his extra fifteen years. However, Hezekiah failed to raise his son in godliness. Manasseh reversed the good work of his father (2 Kgs 21:3). "He immolated his son by fire. He practiced soothsaying and divination, and reintroduced the consulting of ghosts and spirits. He did much evil in the Lord's sight" (2 Kgs 21:6), "shedding so much innocent blood as to fill the length and breadth of Jerusalem" (2 Kgs 21:16). Although Manasseh eventually converted to the Lord (2 Chr 33:13), his reign was a catastrophe. This wasn't all Hezekiah's fault, but surely doesn't indicate that Hezekiah ever put his house in order.

Put your house in order, or you may set the stage for the destruction of yourself, your family, and your nation.

PRAYER: Father, by Your grace, may I put in order my house, relationships, work, finances, entertainment, sexuality, and conversation.

PROMISE: "The Son of Man is indeed Lord of the sabbath." –Mt 12:8

PRAISE: St. Camillus was addicted to gambling until Jesus set him free of his addiction and led him to conversion and faith at the age of twenty-five.

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Thursday, July 17 2014; Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 392

Reading 1
Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19

The way of the just is smooth;
the path of the just you make level.
Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD,
we look to you;
Your name and your title
are the desire of our souls.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you;
When your judgment dawns upon the earth,
the world’s inhabitants learn justice.
O LORD, you mete out peace to us,
for it is you who have accomplished all we have done.

O LORD, oppressed by your punishment,
we cried out in anguish under your chastising.
As a woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,
so were we in your presence, O LORD.
We conceived and writhed in pain,
giving birth to wind;
Salvation we have not achieved for the earth,
the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.
But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise;
awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the land of shades gives birth.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 102:13-14ab and 15, 16-18, 19-21

R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.

You, O LORD, abide forever,
and your name through all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion,
for it is time to pity her.
For her stones are dear to your servants,
and her dust moves them to pity. 

R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.

The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.

R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.

Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
“The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.”

R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.

Gospel 
Matthew 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.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: UNEQUALLY YOKED?

"Take My yoke upon your shoulders." –Matthew 11:29

A yoke is a strong wooden beam with curved wooden circles that fit over the necks of two oxen so they will pull a plow in the same direction. We are yoked with Jesus, willingly or unwillingly. When we refuse to accept Jesus as Lord of our lives, we decide that we will go in a different direction than that which Jesus knows is best for our lives and His kingdom.

There's not much of a future in pulling against Jesus, for He is God (Jn 1:1), "I Am Who Am" (Ex 3:14). We find Jesus to be a literal "pain in the neck." We become "stiff-necked people" (Ex 33:3), bitter, frustrated, and perpetually angry with God.

When we decide to walk where Jesus walks, our necks no longer hurt. We no longer pull against Jesus; instead, we let it be done to us (Lk 1:38) as He shoulders our load, doing most of the work Himself. In addition, Jesus is gentle (Mt 11:29) and considerate. He gives us rest (Mt 11:29). He leads us beside restful waters and makes us lie down (Ps 23:2-3). He will take us to Calvary and pull us through the cross to risen life. When we pull with Jesus, we are working for Him, and His justice compels Him to be sure that we are nourished and sustained well (cf 1 Tm 5:18; 1 Cor 9:7-10).

When we are bound to Jesus' yoke, we may seem like slaves in the eyes of the world. However, a slave yoked to Jesus is truly free (Jn 8:36). His "yoke is easy" (Mt 11:30). "Submit your necks to the yoke of" Jesus (see Jer 27:12). Accept Jesus as Lord of your life.

PRAYER: Jesus, beginning today, I'll stick my neck out for You every day of the rest of my life. I am all Yours.

PROMISE: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you." –Mt 11:28

PRAISE: Obeying the Lord in regard to fasting, Carol saw a new outpouring of the Spirit in her life.

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Wednesday, July 16 2014; Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 391

Reading 1
Isaiah 10:5-7, 13b-16

Thus says the LORD:
Woe to Assyria! My rod in anger,
my staff in wrath.
Against an impious nation I send him,
and against a people under my wrath I order him
To seize plunder, carry off loot,
and tread them down like the mud of the streets.
But this is not what he intends,
nor does he have this in mind;
Rather, it is in his heart to destroy,
to make an end of nations not a few.

For he says:
“By my own power I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd.
I have moved the boundaries of peoples,
their treasures I have pillaged,
and, like a giant, I have put down the enthroned.
My hand has seized like a nest
the riches of nations;
As one takes eggs left alone,
so I took in all the earth;
No one fluttered a wing,
or opened a mouth, or chirped!”

Will the axe boast against him who hews with it?
Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it?
As if a rod could sway him who lifts it,
or a staff him who is not wood!
Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
will send among his fat ones leanness,
And instead of his glory there will be kindling
like the kindling of fire.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 94:5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15

R. (14a) The Lord will not abandon his people.

Your people, O LORD, they trample down,
your inheritance they afflict.
Widow and stranger they slay,
the fatherless they murder. 

R. The Lord will not abandon his people.

And they say, “The LORD sees not;
the God of Jacob perceives not.”
Understand, you senseless ones among the people;
and, you fools, when will you be wise?

R. The Lord will not abandon his people.

Shall he who shaped the ear not hear?
or he who formed the eye not see?
Shall he who instructs nations not chastise,
he who teaches men knowledge?

R. The Lord will not abandon his people.

For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it. 

R. The Lord will not abandon his people.

Gospel 
Matthew 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.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THANKS-LIVING

"By my own power I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd." –Isaiah 10:13

The Lord let Assyria do a little work for Him. He let Assyria be His rod, staff (Is 10:5), axe, and saw (Is 10:15). However, the Assyrians claimed that they were doing their own thing by their own power rather than being used by God. It was like a rod or staff claiming to wield the person who holds it (Is 10:15).

We too fall into the "Assyrian heresy." We say such things as: "I made this money," "I worked hard to become a success," "I'm a self-made man," "God helped me because I helped myself," or "I'm in control of the situation." The truth is that, without Jesus, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). If not for Jesus, we wouldn't even exist or remain in existence. Of ourselves, we have no right to exist, hear, see, walk, think, or breathe. We owe everything to the Lord.

St. Paul challenges us: "Name something you have that you have not received. If, then, you have received it, why are you boasting as if it were your own?" (1 Cor 4:7) The writer of James also challenges us: "Instead of saying, 'If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that,' all you can do is make arrogant and pretentious claims. All such boasting is reprehensible" (Jas 4:15-16). We must say to the Lord: "It is You Who have accomplished all we have done" (Is 26:12).

Our lives should be dedicated to thanksgiving (Col 3:15). We have the awesome privilege to live and move, even to suffer and die. Let us thank the Lord forever for using us for anything. We owe Him everything.

PRAYER: "Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to You I offer praise; for what You have hidden from the learned and the clever You have revealed to the merest children" (Mt 11:25).

PROMISE: "No one knows the Father but the Son – and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him." –Mt 11:27

PRAISE: Mary, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, has made disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19). This is the meaning of the scapular.

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Tuesday, July 15 2014; Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 390

Reading 1
Isaiah 7:1-9

In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,
Rezin, king of Aram,
and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah,
went up to attack Jerusalem,
but they were not able to conquer it.
When word came to the house of David that Aram
was encamped in Ephraim,
the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,
as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz,
you and your son Shear-jashub,
at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,
on the highway of the fuller’s field, and say to him:
Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear;
let not your courage fail
before these two stumps of smoldering brands
the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans,
and of the son Remaliah,
because of the mischief that
Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah,
plots against you, saying,
“Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force,
and appoint the son of Tabeel king there.”

Thus says the LORD:
This shall not stand, it shall not be!
Damascus is the capital of Aram,
and Rezin is the head of Damascus;
Samaria is the capital of Ephraim,
and Remaliah’s son the head of Samaria.

But within sixty years and five,
Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation.
Unless your faith is firm
you shall not be firm!

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 48:2-3a, 3b-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (see 9d) God upholds his city for ever.

Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.

R. God upholds his city for ever.

Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,”
is the city of the great King.
God is with her castles;
renowned is he as a stronghold. 

R. God upholds his city for ever.

For lo! the kings assemble,
they come on together;
They also see, and at once are stunned,
terrified, routed.

R. God upholds his city for ever.

Quaking seizes them there;
anguish, like a woman’s in labor,
As though a wind from the east
were shattering ships of Tarshish. 

R. God upholds his city for ever.

Gospel 
Matthew 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.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: UNREAL

"Thus says the Lord: This shall not stand, it shall not be!" –Isaiah 7:7

Are you like King Ahaz? Are you unable to break out of the cycle of fretting and trembling over possibilities that never wind up taking place? Are you like the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida? Do you fail to break out of the comfort of mediocrity when Jesus is performing His wonders right in front of your face?

Jesus the Prophet is constantly working to spur us to conversion and greater faith. How frequently are we unmoved by His powerful prophetic word but totally dismayed by a rumor which might disrupt our health insurance, retirement, favorite TV program, or sports team? We spend days or weeks in turmoil before discovering that the rumored event didn't actually happen. Meanwhile, we missed out on the miracles of the Eucharist, God's prophetic messages, countless signs of His love, and other clear signs of God's grace. What a waste of the precious time God has given to us!

"Is the Lord to be thus repaid by you, O stupid and foolish people?" (Dt 32:6) People of God, let's stop living in a make-believe world. Let's "keep our eyes fixed on Jesus" (Heb 12:2) and "avoid worldly, idle talk" (2 Tm 2:16).

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for trembling instead of trusting, and focusing on rumors rather than reforming.

PROMISE: "Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!" –Is 7:9

PRAISE: St. Bonaventure, being yoked to his loving Savior, brought to many a deeper love for the way of life of his beloved St. Francis.

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Monday, July 14 2014; Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin

Lectionary: 389

Reading 1 
Isaiah 1:10-17

Hear the word of the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah!
What care I for the number of your sacrifices?
says the LORD.
I have had enough of whole-burnt rams
and fat of fatlings;
In the blood of calves, lambs and goats
I find no pleasure.

When you come in to visit me,
who asks these things of you?
Trample my courts no more!
Bring no more worthless offerings;
your incense is loathsome to me.
New moon and sabbath, calling of assemblies,
octaves with wickedness: these I cannot bear.
Your new moons and festivals I detest;
they weigh me down, I tire of the load.
When you spread out your hands,
I close my eyes to you;
Though you pray the more,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood!
Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think you that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Gospel 
Matthew 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.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his 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.

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: MAKE THE CUT

"My mission is to spread, not peace, but division." –Matthew 10:34

One church marquee proclaims, "Jesus adds and multiplies; Satan subtracts and divides." That being so, how do we understand today's Gospel? Jesus is the "Prince of Peace" (Is 9:5), so how can He say he won't bring peace?

Satan divides and conquers to just leave us broken, bitter, and alone. Jesus, on the other hand, divides and separates us from all that keeps us from a close, intimate, personal relationship with Him. He wants full communion with us and nothing less. He has come to divide us – to tear us from relationships with people and things that are keeping us from being closer to Him.

Take a few moments to examine your relationships. Are you spending time with certain people who are pulling you away from Christ? Are you spending too much time in front of the TV or wasting too much time with electronic devices or other inanimate objects that keep you from prayer time? Cut those out of your life. Be in full communion with the Prince of Peace.

Jesus wants to mean everything to you. Let Him into your life today in a bigger, more profound way. Make the cut.

PRAYER: Jesus, give me the grace to remove from my life those things that keep me from being close to You.

PROMISE: "He who will not take up his cross and come after Me is not worthy of Me." –Mt 10:38

PRAISE: St. Kateri retained the heart of a child as she grew in the grace and knowledge of her Lord and Savior. Though her decision to be a Christian placed her future status in great risk, she accepted the good news of Jesus with childlike trust.

Be an inspiration, kindly Share.