Sunday, July 31 2016 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ecc 1:2; 2:21-23

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!

Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill,
and yet to another who has not labored over it,
he must leave property. 
This also is vanity and a great misfortune. 
For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
with which he has labored under the sun? 
All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation;
even at night his mind is not at rest. 
This also is vanity.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17

R. (1) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Reading 2 Col 3:1-5, 9-11

Brothers and sisters:
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 
For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:
immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire,
and the greed that is idolatry. 
Stop lying to one another,
since you have taken off the old self with its practices
and have put on the new self,
which is being renewed, for knowledge,
in the image of its creator. 
Here there is not Greek and Jew,
circumcision and uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;
but Christ is all and in all.

Alleluia Mt 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” 
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” 
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable. 
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. 
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. 
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”

REFLECTION

A BOMB

"Relax! Eat heartily, drink well. Enjoy yourself." –Luke 12:19

The late Fr. Rick Thomas said that the verse quoted above, Luke 12:19, is the most obeyed verse in the Bible. However, God's reaction to those who live out this verse is: "You fool! This very night your life shall be required of you. To whom will all this piled-up wealth of yours go?" (Lk 12:20) The Lord does not consider the "good life" of relaxation and enjoyment to be that good. This comes as a shock to us who have been taught to base our lives on, and save our money for, entertainment, relaxation, and enjoyment.

Today's Gospel reading is like a bomb which would destroy our whole lives if we let it explode by believing it. Yet, if we don't lose our lives now, they won't be saved for eternity (see Lk 9:24). "What profit does he show who gains the whole world and destroys himself in the process?" (Lk 9:25) We can believe God's Word now and let it be like a hammer shattering our lives (see Jer 23:29), or we can maintain the status quo, hoping today's Gospel reading doesn't mean what it seems to mean.

As we look to the future, we naturally have feelings of insecurity. We know that death awaits us, if Jesus doesn't return first. We know that suffering, sickness, and pain probably lie ahead. These prospects will leave us insecure unless our lives are built on the rock of obedience to God's Word (Mt 7:24). The best thing we can do is to obey God's Word, no matter what the immediate consequences.

PRAYER:	Father, may my life be based on Your Word, which will last forever (see Lk 21:33).
PROMISE:	"Since you have been raised up in company with Christ, set your heart on what pertains to higher realms where Christ is seated at God's right hand." –Col 3:1-2
PRAISE:	"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever" (Ps 118:1). Alleluia!

Saturday, July 30 2016 Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Jer 26:11-16, 24

The priests and prophets said to the princes and to all the people,
“This man deserves death;
he has prophesied against this city,
as you have heard with your own ears.”
Jeremiah gave this answer to the princes and all the people:
“It was the LORD who sent me to prophesy against this house and city
all that you have heard.
Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds;
listen to the voice of the LORD your God,
so that the LORD will repent of the evil with which he threatens you.
As for me, I am in your hands; 
do with me what you think good and right.
But mark well: if you put me to death,
it is innocent blood you bring on yourselves,
on this city and its citizens.
For in truth it was the LORD who sent me to you,
to speak all these things for you to hear.”

Thereupon the princes and all the people
said to the priests and the prophets,
“This man does not deserve death;
it is in the name of the LORD, our God, that he speaks to us.” 

So Ahikam, son of Shaphan, protected Jeremiah,
so that he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:15-16, 30-31, 33-34

R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Rescue me out of the mire; may I not sink!
may I be rescued from my foes,
and from the watery depths.
Let not the flood-waters overwhelm me,
nor the abyss swallow me up,
nor the pit close its mouth over me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Alleluia Mt 5:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness 
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 14:1-12

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus
and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist.
He has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”

Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison
on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,
for John had said to him,
“It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,
for they regarded him as a prophet.
But at a birthday celebration for Herod,
the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests
and delighted Herod so much
that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.
Prompted by her mother, she said,
“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was distressed, 
but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,
he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.
His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,
who took it to her mother.
His disciples came and took away the corpse
and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

REFLECTION

THE STANDARD FOR SEXUAL PURITY

"Recall that Herod had had John arrested, put in chains, and imprisoned on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. That was because John had told him, 'It is not right for you to live with her.' " –Matthew 14:3-4

Jesus commands us to be pure as He is pure (1 Jn 3:3). This means that our standards for purity are not those of the world; they are Jesus' standards. Jesus, of course, condemns adultery (Mt 14:4), fornication (Rv 21:8), sterilization (see Gn 1:28), contraception, homosexual acts (Rm 1:27), masturbation (see Gn 38:9), pornography, and all other sexual sins. However, Jesus' standards for sexual purity are focused primarily not on overcoming these temptations but on resisting sexual fantasies.

Jesus says clearly and bluntly: "You have heard the commandment, 'You shall not commit adultery.' What I say to you is: anyone who looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his thoughts. If your right eye is your trouble, gouge it out and throw it away!" (Mt 5:27-29) Because of TV and the Internet, we, more than any people in history, are repeatedly tempted to sin through sexual fantasies. In the summertime, we have even more temptations. We must do whatever it takes to resist sexual fantasies, even if we have to gouge out our TVs and avoid the Internet. Be pure as Jesus is pure (1 Jn 3:3).

PRAYER:	Father, by Your grace I will meet Your standards. Immaculate Mary, pray for me.
PROMISE:	"The Lord hears the poor, and His own who are in bonds He spurns not." –Ps 69:34
PRAISE:	St. Peter Chrysologus earned the name ("golden-tongue") for his brief yet concise homilies.

Friday, July 29 2016 Memorial of Saint Martha

Reading 1 Jer 26:1-9

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim,
son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this message came from the LORD: 
Thus says the LORD:
Stand in the court of the house of the LORD
and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the LORD;
whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.
Perhaps they will listen and turn back, 
each from his evil way,
so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them
for their evil deeds.
Say to them: Thus says the LORD: 
If you disobey me,
not living according to the law I placed before you
and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,
whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,
I will treat this house like Shiloh,
and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth
shall refer when cursing another.

Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people
heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD.
When Jeremiah finished speaking
all that the LORD bade him speak to all the people,
the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,
“You must be put to death! 
Why do you prophesy in the name of the LORD:
‘This house shall be like Shiloh,’ and
‘This city shall be desolate and deserted’?”
And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:5, 8-10, 14

R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Those outnumber the hairs of my head
who hate me without cause.
Too many for my strength
are they who wrongfully are my enemies.
Must I restore what I did not steal?
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother’s sons,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Alleluia Jn 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 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 Lk 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 

THE HOME FRONT

"Jesus said to them, 'No prophet is without honor except in his native place, indeed in his own house.' " –Matthew 13:57

We as Christians expect Herod (Mt 14:1ff), Hitler, and Planned Parenthood to be our enemies. We may be surprised when our own religious leaders attack and reject us (see Mt 12:1ff). And we are usually shocked when our hometown folk, even our own family, reject and persecute us (see Mt 13:57). We understand the lament of the psalmist: "If an enemy had reviled me, I could have borne it; if he who hates me had vaunted himself against me, I might have hidden from him. But you, my other self, my companion and my bosom friend! You, whose comradeship I enjoyed; at whose side I walked in procession in the house of God!" (Ps 55:13-15)

We Christians are often our own worst enemies. When we Christians are "hit close to home," we are hit hard. Therefore, we must arm ourselves with the mentality that we will suffer in the flesh (1 Pt 4:1), even from those closest to us. Jesus made it clear that "a man's enemies" would be "those of his own household" (Mt 10:36). Jesus said: "You will be delivered up even by your parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. All will hate you because of Me" (Lk 21:16-17). All who even want "to live a godly life in Christ Jesus" will be persecuted (2 Tm 3:12), possibly by their families.

When we hear this sobering news of persecution on the home front, we should rejoice that we have been chosen to be like Jesus by sharing in His sufferings.

PRAYER:	Father, send the Holy Spirit to teach me how to share in Christ's sufferings by being formed into the pattern of His death (Phil 3:10).
PROMISE:	"I am the Resurrection and the Life."–Jn 11:19
PRAISE:	St. Martha believed in Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life. She exercised both her gift of hospitality and her ability to trust in the Lord.

Thursday, July 28 2016 Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Jer 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 Ps 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.

Alleluia See Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 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.

Wednesday, July 27 2016 Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Jer 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 Ps 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.

Alleluia Jn 15:15b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 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 

HOW TO BURN-OUT

"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." –Jeremiah 15:10

Jeremiah wished he had never been born. He sat alone while others were partying (Jer 15:17). His pain was "continuous" and his "wound incurable" (Jer 15:18). According to the terminology of "pop-psychology," Jeremiah was experiencing "burn-out" in his prophetic ministry.

In contrast to "pop-psychology," the Lord in the Scriptures means something very different by the term "burn-out." "Burn-out" is a good thing. In fact, it is the meaning of life, "for our God is a consuming Fire," Who wants to totally consume us in His love (Heb 12:29). Thus, Jesus came "to light a fire on the earth" (Lk 12:49). By the fire of His Word (see Jer 23:29; 20:9), He will burn away the impurities of our hearts (see Lk 24:32) to make us unblemished offerings to be consumed by His love.

We have no choice but to be "burned out," but we can choose whether to be "burned out" in selfishness and self-destruction or to be "burned out" in total self-giving and everlasting love.

"Burn-out" in the bad sense is not caused by total commitment to Jesus but by anything less than total commitment. Sell all that you have (Mt 13:44, 46) and follow Jesus (Mt 19:21). "Burn out" for love of Him so you don't "burn-out."

PRAYER:	Father, fire-try my faith (1 Pt 1:7). May I not be so reluctant to "burn-out" that I never catch fire.
PROMISE:	"When I found Your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart." –Jer 15:16
PRAISE:	Thomas found that going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist during the week was the fuel he needed to keep the fire burning bright.

Tuesday, July 26 2016 Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1 Jer 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 Ps 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.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 13:36-43

Jesus dismissed the crowds and 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.”

REFLECTION 

"JESUS WEPT" (see Lk 19:41)

"Let my eyes stream with tears day and night." –Jeremiah 14:17

Many people couldn't care less about the condition of the world, the state of the Church, the destruction of human lives, the breakdown of marriage and family, etc. They just stare at the TV and try to escape from reality through constant indulgence in petty pleasures. We should love the Lord and other people enough to pray: "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" (Jer 14:17).

When Jesus saw people weakened and lost, His heart was moved with pity (Mt 9:36). Jesus cared enough to die on the cross to change this world. As His followers, we should care, too. Because Jesus is Lord and is Love (see 1 Jn 4:16), we should not be depressed. However, we should care enough to cry and live lives of love. If done in love, every act of our lives is precious and powerful. We must not "spend what remains" of our earthly lives "on human desires but on the will of God" (1 Pt 4:2). If we care enough to cry, we will be spared on Judgment Day (see Ez 9:4), and we may hasten the time for the Lord to have pity on us and set us free (see Ps 102:14-15).

When Jesus saw Jerusalem, He wept (Lk 19:41). When we see our world today, should we do anything less? There is hope. There is always hope, for Jesus is Lord. However, hope will be fulfilled only for those who care enough to cry. Love, cry, live, die, and live forever in Jesus.

PRAYER:	Father, "love never fails" (1 Cor 13:8). I accept Your grace to live a life of love for and in You. May I live, weep, rejoice, die, and rise in love.
PROMISE:	"Then the saints will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let everyone heed what he hears!" –Mt 13:43
PRAISE:	Sts. Joachim & Ann taught their daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the love of the Lord.

Monday, July 25 2016 Feast of Saint James, Apostle

Reading 1 2 Cor 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 Ps 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.

Alleluia See Jn 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 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

"LIFT HIGH THE CROSS!"

"Death is at work in us, but life in you." –2 Corinthians 4:12

Peter, James, and John were the three major apostles chosen by Jesus. Only they were chosen by Jesus to be present when He raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Mk 5:37), when He was transfigured (Mt 17:1-2), and when He suffered His agony in the garden of Gethsemani (Mt 26:37). Consequently, when James was beheaded (Acts 12:2) and Peter on death row, it seemed that the Church was being quickly destroyed by the systematic extermination of its leaders.

However, the very opposite was true, for in dying we are born to new life, and so is the Church. When we continually "carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus" (2 Cor 4:10) and are "being delivered to death for Jesus' sake," then the life of Jesus is revealed (2 Cor 4:11). In our weakness, God's power reaches perfection (2 Cor 12:9). "It is true He was crucified out of weakness, but He lives by the power of God. We too are weak in Him, but we live with Him by God's power in us" (2 Cor 13:4).

Jesus' death on the cross and our share in His death are our glory, not our shame (see Gal 6:14; Rm 1:16). "The message of the cross is complete absurdity to those who are headed for ruin, but to us who are experiencing salvation it is the power of God" (1 Cor 1:18). "Indeed, everything is ordered to [our] benefit, so that the grace bestowed in abundance may bring greater glory to God" (2 Cor 4:15). "Lift high the cross!"

PRAYER:	"We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world" (St. Francis of Assisi).
PROMISE:	"Such is the case with the Son of Man Who has come, not to be served by others, but to serve, to give His own life as a ransom for the many." –Mt 20:28
PRAISE:	St. James was honored by King Afonso of Kongo, the country's second Christian king.

Sunday, July 24 2016 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gn 18:20-32

In those days, the LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. 
I mean to find out."

While Abraham's visitors walked on farther toward Sodom,
the LORD remained standing before Abraham. 
Then Abraham drew nearer and said:
"Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? 
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? 
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! 
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?" 
The LORD replied,
"If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake." 
Abraham spoke up again:
"See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes! 
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? 
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?" 
He answered, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."
But Abraham persisted, saying "What if only forty are found there?" 
He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty." 
Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. 
What if only thirty are found there?" 
He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there." 
Still Abraham went on,
"Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?" 
The LORD answered, "I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty."
But he still persisted:
"Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. 
What if there are at least ten there?" 
He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8

R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;
against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Reading 2 Col 2:12-14

Brothers and sisters:
You were buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead. 
And even when you were dead
in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
he brought you to life along with him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,
which was opposed to us,
he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

Alleluia Rom 8:15bc

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have received a Spirit of adoption, 
through which we cry, “Abba, Father.”
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 11:1-13

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." 
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within,
'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed. 
I cannot get up to give you anything.'
I tell you,
if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. 
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish? 
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

REFLECTION 

PRAYER CHANGES ?

"One of His disciples asked Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray.' " –Luke 11:1

Sometimes our prayer is a projection of our own self-hatred rather than a communication with God. For instance, Abraham began interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah by saying: "See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes!" (Gn 18:27) Later in his prayer, Abraham begged God not to become impatient (Gn 18:30) or angry (Gn 18:32) with him, as if God could be impatient or angry. Abraham projected his own problems onto God. Eventually, Abraham quit interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah. He may have thought these cities didn't deserve to be saved or that God wouldn't save them, although God had repeatedly said He would. Abraham was impatient with God's timing.

When we pray, may we not project our self-hatred, problems, and limitations onto God. Rather, may we let God project His love, holiness, and power onto us. We pray not in order to change God but to allow Him to change us. Praying is not God-changing; rather, it is "us-changing," which makes it life-changing. "Lord, teach us to pray" (Lk 11:1).

PRAYER:	Father, change me, then my prayer, and then change me more.
PROMISE:	"He pardoned all our sins. He canceled the bond that stood against us with all its claims, snatching it up and nailing it to the cross." –Col 2:13-14
PRAISE:	Mighty, omnipotent Lord, we lay our lives before You in homage. All glory be to You, Alleluia!

Saturday, July 23 2016 Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Jer 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 Ps 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!

Alleluia Jas 1:21bc

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you 
and is able to save your souls.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 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 

WEED LOVERS

"Do you want us to go out and pull them up?" –Matthew 13:28

The farmer in Jesus' parable of the wheat and weeds says something I've never heard a farmer or gardener say before. He says that you shouldn't pull up the weeds because "you might take the wheat along with them" (Mt 13:29). It seems that Jesus' wheat and weeds are much more intertwined than those of other people. This is a scary thought. It's bad enough to put up with the weeds much less having to be closely connected to them.

Jesus doesn't want us intertwined with the values, priorities, morality, idolatry, and selfishness of the weeds. Jesus has chosen us out of the world (Jn 15:19). However, Jesus does want us intertwined with the weeds through love, forgiveness, evangelization, service, and mercy. Our hearts go out to the weeds, and in this way we are intertwined with them. It should be the desire of our hearts that the weeds turn to Jesus in repentance and faith. Then Jesus will transform the weeds into wheat. We are even willing to suffer [for the weeds and] because of the weeds to motivate them to let Jesus make them wheat. We will accept a lifetime of suffering if only the weeds turn into wheat before the ultimate weeding, the end of the world (see Mt 13:30).

PRAYER:	Father, give me the grace so that the more I love the sinner, the more I hate the sin.
PROMISE:	"I too see what is being done, says the Lord." –Jer 7:11
PRAISE:	St. Bridget's piety and charity blessed many. She was blessed to mother eight natural children, one of whom became a canonized saint.

Friday, July 22 2016 Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

Reading 1 SGS 3:1-4b

The Bride says:
On my bed at night I sought him
whom my heart loves–
I sought him but I did not find him.
I will rise then and go about the city;
in the streets and crossings I will seek
Him whom my heart loves.
I sought him but I did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me,
as they made their rounds of the city:
Have you seen him whom my heart loves?
I had hardly left them
when I found him whom my heart loves.

OR 2 cor 5:14-17

Brothers and sisters:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh;
even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh,
yet now we know him so no longer.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (2) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way?
I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 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.