Tuesday, June 7 2016 Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 1 Kgs 17:7-16

The brook near where Elijah was hiding ran dry,
because no rain had fallen in the land.
So the LORD said to Elijah: 
“Move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there.
I have designated a widow there to provide for you.”
He left and went to Zarephath.
As he arrived at the entrance of the city,
a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,
“Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.”
She left to get it, and he called out after her,
“Please bring along a bit of bread.”
She answered, “As the LORD, your God, lives, 
I have nothing baked;
there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die.”
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. 
Go and do as you propose.
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
‘The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’”
She left and did as Elijah had said.
She was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and her son as well;
the jar of flour did not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 4:2-3, 4-5, 7b-8

R. (7a) Lord, let your face shine on us.
When I call, answer me, O my just God,
you who relieve me when I am in distress;
Have pity on me, and hear my prayer!
Men of rank, how long will you be dull of heart?
Why do you love what is vain and seek after falsehood?
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one;
the LORD will hear me when I call upon him.
Tremble, and sin not;
reflect, upon your beds, in silence.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put gladness into my heart,
more than when grain and wine abound.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.

Alleluia Mt 5:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your light shine before others
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

REFLECTION

"YOU CAN'T OUT-GIVE GOD"

"I have designated a widow there to provide for you." –1 Kings 17:9

The Lord designated a widow to provide for Elijah during a famine. The Lord chose someone to provide for Elijah who was so poor that she and her son were about to die of starvation (1 Kgs 17:12). The Lord continues to designate people to provide for His Church, His poor, and all of His other ministries. Also, the Lord continues to designate not only rich people to fund His Church but also very poor people.

These poor people don't see how they can support the Church because they have almost nothing. However, if they give their "almost nothing" – all that they have "to live on" (Lk 21:4) – the Lord will miraculously multiply their flour, oil (see 1 Kgs 17:14), pennies and dollars, and loaves and fish to provide not only for the Church but for themselves. Consequently, the poor are fed not just by receiving but by giving.

We all are poor in various ways. To get help, we may need to give help to those the Lord has designated as our responsibility. "Give, and it shall be given to you" (Lk 6:38).

PRAYER:	Father, You gave Your Son to save us. May I live and give accordingly.
PROMISE:	"Your light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father." –Mt 5:16
PRAISE:	Robert gave gloves to a neighbor without any and the neighbor asked Robert if he could come to church with him.

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The Lord be with you...

Monday, June 6 2016 Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 1 Kgs 17:1-6

Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab:
“As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,
during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.”
The LORD then said to Elijah:
“Leave here, go east
and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
You shall drink of the stream,
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.”
So he left and did as the LORD had commanded.
He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 121:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (see 2) Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
Indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Alleluia Mt 5:12a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
for your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 
He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

REFLECTION

NEW LEADERS FOR A NEW WORLD

"Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream." –1 Kings 17:6

The Lord is raising up new Elijahs to conquer the false prophets (see 1 Kgs 18:19ff) and call our society to repent. To strengthen these new Elijahs, the Lord is calling them aside where they will drink daily from the life-giving waters of the Spirit (see Rv 22:17). The words the psalmist applied to the Messiah will be true for these new Elijahs: "From the brook by the wayside he will drink; therefore will he lift up his head" (Ps 110:7). Moreover, the new leaders of God's kingdom will be brought the bread and meat of God's Word each morning and evening (see 1 Kgs 17:6). They will no longer be conformed to the world, but will be transformed through the power of God's Word (see Rm 12:2).

In this way, the Lord raises up new leaders for a new world. Moses spent forty days in communion with God (Ex 24:18). When Jeremiah found God's words, he devoured them and they became the joy and happiness of his heart (Jer 15:16). For three years, the apostles heard God's Word from Jesus, the incarnate Word. The church of Antioch was the first group to be called Christian after they received the Holy Spirit and spent a year in God's Word (Acts 11:26).

Are you letting the Lord prepare you to be a new Elijah? Are you in the Spirit? Are you in the Word?

PRAYER:	Father, may I not lose my appetite for Your Word by indulging in the things of the world.
PROMISE:	"How blest are the poor in spirit; the reign of God is theirs." –Mt 5:3
PRAISE:	St. Norbert converted to a deep faith in Jesus after a fall from his horse, then accepted the call to the priesthood.

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The Lord be with you...

Sunday, June 5 2016 Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 1 Kgs 17:17-24

Elijah went to Zarephath of Sidon to the house of a widow.
The son of the mistress of the house fell sick,
and his sickness grew more severe until he stopped breathing.
So she said to Elijah,
“Why have you done this to me, O man of God?
Have you come to me to call attention to my guilt
and to kill my son?”
Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”
Taking him from her lap, he carried the son to the upper room
where he was staying, and put him on his bed.
Elijah called out to the LORD:
“O LORD, my God,
will you afflict even the widow with whom I am staying
by killing her son?”
Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times
and called out to the LORD:
“O LORD, my God,
let the life breath return to the body of this child.”
The LORD heard the prayer of Elijah;
the life breath returned to the child’s body and he revived.
Taking the child, Elijah brought him down into the house
from the upper room and gave him to his mother.
Elijah said to her, “See! Your son is alive.”
The woman replied to Elijah, 
“Now indeed I know that you are a man of God.
The word of the LORD comes truly from your mouth.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Reading 2 Gal 1:11-14a, 15ac, 16a, 17, 19

I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.
For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,
but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism,
how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure
and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism
beyond many of my contemporaries among my race.
But when God, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart
was pleased to reveal his Son to me,
so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,
I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem
to talk with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days.
But I did not see any other of the Apostles,
only James the brother of the Lord.

Alleluia Lk 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has risen in our midst
God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 7:11-17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
“Do not weep.”
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, crying out
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst, “
and “God has visited his people.”
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region.

REFLECTION 

FIRSTHAND

"I assure you, brothers, the gospel I proclaimed to you is no mere human invention. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I schooled in it." –Galatians 1:11-12

Unlike St. Paul, we have received the gospel from other men and women. Most of us have been schooled in it, possibly having gone to Catholic school eight, twelve, or more years. Like Paul, however, we must base our personal relationship with Jesus not on what others have said, but on who we say He is (Mt 16:15). We must not just know about Jesus; we must know Jesus. Many of our Catholic school graduates know hundreds of facts about Jesus. (And it's good they do.) Nonetheless, those facts do not come alive until they know Jesus personally. We may know hundreds of things about a celebrity, politician, or superstar. Yet that completely differs from knowing them personally.

A famous evangelist once visited a church that was sick, had stopped breathing, and died (1 Kgs 17:7). He remarked: "What this church needs is someone who has a first-hand experience of God." They were singing and praying from their prayer books, but not from their hearts or personal experience. The Lord has pity on the neediest of all, those who do not know Him personally. He wills to touch the coffins of their lives and bid them get up (Lk 7:14).

PRAYER:	Jesus, may I seek a deep personal relationship with You. May You be more real to me than my very self.
PROMISE:	"God has visited His people." –Lk 7:16
PRAISE:	Praise You, risen Jesus, our Brother, for raising us to new life in You. Thanks be to God!

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The Lord be with you...

Saturday, June 4 2016 Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1 2 Tm 4:1-8

Beloved:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth
and will be diverted to myths.
But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances;
put up with hardship;
perform the work of an evangelist;
fulfill your ministry.

For I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well;
I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 71:8-9, 14-15ab, 16-17, 22

R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your glory day by day.
Cast me not off in my old age;
as my strength fails, forsake me not.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
But I will always hope
and praise you ever more and more.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation. 
R. I will sing of your salvation.
I will treat of the mighty works of the Lord;
O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.
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.
So will I give you thanks with music on the lyre,
for your faithfulness, O my God!
I will sing your praises with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel!
R. I will sing of your salvation.

Alleluia See Lk 2:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God
and pondered it in her heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 2:41-51

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

REFLECTION

"STAY WITH THIS TASK" (2 Tm 4:2)

"I will always hope." –Psalm 71:14

"The time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but, following their own desires, will surround themselves with teachers who tickle their ears. They will stop listening to the truth and will wander off to fables" (2 Tm 4:3-4). Some of them will even gain positions of power in the Church and redirect the glory and money that rightfully belongs to God to themselves (Mk 12:38-40).

To such a people, "stubborn of brow and obstinate in heart" (Ez 3:7), God sends His disciples to proclaim and teach His "word, to stay with this task whether convenient or inconvenient – correcting, reproving, appealing – constantly teaching and never losing patience" (2 Tm 4:2). It seems like a no-win situation. The all-pervasive, anti-Christian ideology of the culture of death is so unyielding.

Yet God commands us: "Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks" (Ez 3:9). God will make His disciples who carry His Word more formidable than they are (Jer 15:20; Ez 3:8). "It shall be they who turn to you and you shall not turn to them" (Jer 15:19).

Therefore, "be steady and self-possessed; put up with hardship, perform your work as an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tm 4:5). "Thus we may say with confidence: 'The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid; What can man do to me?' " (Heb 13:6)

PRAYER:	Father, "with the strength which comes from" You (2 Tm 1:8), I will fight the good fight of a Bible teacher (2 Tm 4:7).
PROMISE:	"My mouth shall be filled with Your praise, with Your glory day by day." –Ps 71:8
PRAISE:	Sam, a Doctor, did not believe in Mary's role in God's plan. Yet he prayed a rosary, asking for a seemingly impossible favor. His request came to pass, and he converted to Catholicism.

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The Lord be with you... 

Friday, June 3 2016 Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Reading 1 Ez 34:11-16

Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I will lead them out from among the peoples
and gather them from the foreign lands;
I will bring them back to their own country
and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel
in the land's ravines and all its inhabited places.
In good pastures will I pasture them,
and on the mountain heights of Israel
shall be their grazing ground.
There they shall lie down on good grazing ground,
and in rich pastures shall they be pastured
on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. 
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Reading 2 Rom 5:5b-11

Brothers and sisters:
The love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Alleluia Mt 11:29ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord,
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Or: Jn 10:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord,
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 15:3-7

Jesus addressed this parable to the Pharisees and scribes:
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance."

REFLECTION 

LOVED ONE

"Who among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wasteland and follow the lost one until he finds it?" –Luke 15:4

One of the most beautiful – and disappointing – verses of the Bible is: "God is Love" (1 Jn 4:16). We all want to be loved, but we don't necessarily value being loved by Someone Who by His nature loves everyone. We want to be loved exclusively, individually, and specially. If someone told you "I love you," you would probably be impressed. If that same person repeated this to everyone, you may not be so impressed.

However, God loves everyone – not generically, but individually and specially. This is impossible for us to do or even conceive. Yet "nothing is impossible with God" (Lk 1:37). God created us as unique individuals. He knows everything about us. He remembers every word, thought, and action we have ever said, had, or done. He has numbered the hairs of our head (Mt 10:30) and even counted every tear we've ever shed (Ps 56:9). God's individualized knowledge of each of us indicates His individualized love for each of us.

The Lord would leave ninety-nine sheep in the desert to focus His attention on you (Lk 15:4). If you were the only person in the world, Jesus would have died just for you. The Heart of Jesus doesn't love you because He loves everyone; rather, He loves everyone, because He loves each of you individually and specially.

PRAYER:	Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me!
PROMISE:	"The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us." –Rm 5:5
PRAISE:	Praise the burning, bleeding, merciful heart of Jesus! Alleluia!

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The Lord be with you...

Thursday, June 2 2016 Thursday in the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time

Reading 1 2 Tm 2:8-15

Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:

If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

Remind people of these things
and charge them before God to stop disputing about words.
This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who listen.
Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God,
a workman who causes no disgrace,
imparting the word of truth without deviation.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14

R. (4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way. 
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Alleluia See 2 Tm 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death 
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel! 
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind, 
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

REFLECTION

"STOP, IN THE NAME OF LOVE"

"You shall love the Lord your God with all..." –Mark 12:30

Think about your relationship with the person you love the most. It's one thing to say: "I love you." It's quite another thing to put everything aside and demonstrate your love for them by devoting your full attention to them for a long period of time.

Married couples are often so busy that they are relegated to sharing a quick "I love you" as they pass each other in the garage. Occasionally, one of the spouses may say: "Time out! Stop! Enough is enough. We're canceling soccer and spending the night together for once." Time spent together enables love to grow.

Does this busy-ness also describe your relationship with God? Jesus tells us in today's Gospel that nothing is more important than loving God with your all (Mk 12:30). It's less important to spend five minutes reading this teaching than it is to spend those five minutes loving God. So, talk to Him; share your worries and joys with Him. Stop right now and start loving God with your all.

PRAYER:	Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I love You totally. I love You to the end of my days. I love You with all my life.
PROMISE:	"If we have died with Him we shall also live with Him; if we hold out to the end we shall also reign with Him." –2 Tm 2:11-12
PRAISE:	The story of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter's martyrdoms comes from their executioner, who became Christian after seeing their courage in dying for Jesus.

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The Lord be with you...

Wednesday, June 1 2016 Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

Reading 1 2 Tm 1:1-3, 6-12

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. 
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel,
for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.
On this account I am suffering these things;
but I am not ashamed,
for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 123:1b-2ab, 2cdef

R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven.
Behold, as the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us. 
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.

Alleluia Jn 11:25a, 26

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 12:18-27

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, 
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled.”

REFLECTION

LATE, GREAT PENTECOSTS

"Mary set out, proceeding in haste into the hill country to a town of Judah, where she entered Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." –Luke 1:39-41

About two weeks ago, the Lord gave you the Holy Spirit in a new Pentecost. Did you receive the gift of the Spirit? If so, you are acting as Mary did. You're probably visiting people to share with them Jesus in you. As you do this, they too are filled with the Spirit.

Pentecost is contagious. It is catalytic. One Pentecost leads to another. 120 people received the Holy Spirit the morning of the first Christian Pentecost, and by evening 3,000 had received the Spirit (Acts 1:15; 2:41). Pentecost is a movement with momentum. This is how the Spirit renews the face of the earth (Ps 104:30).

If you are out of the upper room, moving in the Spirit, and visiting, don't stop. Witness for Jesus right where you are and eventually to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

If you are still in the upper room, ask Mary to visit you so that you can get into the Acts of the Apostles. Consider this feast day a visitation and an opportunity for late, great Pentecosts. Come, Holy Spirit, again and again!

PRAYER:	"My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior" (Lk 1:46-47).
PROMISE:	"Do not grow slack but be fervent in spirit; He Whom you serve is the Lord." –Rm 12:11
PRAISE:	Mary's "Magnificat" has been prayed in the liturgy daily since before the year 502.

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The Lord be with you...