Reading 1 Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
whose fruit matches its growth.
The more abundant his fruit,
the more altars he built;
The more productive his land,
the more sacred pillars he set up.
Their heart is false,
now they pay for their guilt;
God shall break down their altars
and destroy their sacred pillars.
If they would say,
“We have no king”—
Since they do not fear the LORD,
what can the king do for them?
The king of Samaria shall disappear,
like foam upon the waters.
The high places of Aven shall be destroyed,
the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles shall overgrow their altars.
Then they shall cry out to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall upon us!”
“Sow for yourselves justice,
reap the fruit of piety;
break up for yourselves a new field,
for it is time to seek the LORD,
till he come and rain down justice upon you.”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
R. Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Mk 1:15
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 10:1-7
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciplesand gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
SELF-"IMPROVEMENT"
"Their heart is false." –Hosea 10:2
The more the Israelites prospered, the more they slipped into idolatrous worship, setting up altars and pillars dedicated to false gods (Hos 10:1). Isn't that like us? We delude ourselves into thinking that once we strike it rich, we'll give God His share of our attention. However, this is self-deception. We've inherited a fallen nature, warped by original sin. Our flesh is never satisfied; it always wants more. The more we have, the more we want for ourselves, and the less time we have for God. "If you live according to the flesh, you will die" (Rm 8:13).
Our fallen nature cannot be tamed. The flesh always rebels against the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:17). Thus we can never accommodate the flesh, for its tendency is at enmity with God and cannot please Him (Rm 8:7-8). If the flesh could be tamed and improved, wouldn't Jesus have simply taught us how to do that? Jesus is the Way (Jn 14:6), and His way is to crucify the flesh. Jesus "suffered in the flesh" (1 Pt 4:1), was crucified, rose from the dead, and defeated the flesh forever.
Through Baptism, Jesus has crucified our fallen nature and shares His divine nature with us (2 Pt 1:4). When we live our Baptism, we live in the Spirit, Who fights against our flesh (Gal 5:17). Each day, take up your cross (Lk 9:23) and live your Baptism. Crucify your "flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal 5:24). With St. Paul, proclaim: "I have been crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:19).
| PRAYER: | Father, I will know and live nothing but Christ crucified (1 Cor 2:2, RNAB). |
| PROMISE: | "The reign of God is at hand!" –Mt 10:7 |
| PRAISE: | St. Maria let the Holy Spirit win a victory over the flesh. By St. Maria's example, may we always defend purity with innocence. |
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