Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 391

Reading 1

Is 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

Ps 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

Alleluia

Mt 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 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.”

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

Jesus Christ can be revealed to us every day if we just open our hearts to Him and be willing to listen to what He is saying to us. Yes, Jesus is speaking to us all of the time. Unfortunately, because of our arrogance and propensity to focus on the physical things in life instead of the spiritual, we find ourselves not listening. This tends to get us into trouble. When we do not take into account what God wants for us, things always go wrong. I can reflect back on my life to the times when I found myself in crisis and I can see that there was one constant: when I got myself into as bad situation, God was the furthest thing from my mind. When we are not thinking about God, we are usually thinking selfish and sinful thoughts which will then eventually lead to disaster.

 

We cannot live this life alone. It is a miserable existence. We were not created to be separated from our creator. We were created out of love to love and to be loved. When we have love in our lives, everything else tends to fall into place. As the Apostle Paul writes:

 

“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.”

 

Loves is truly the beginning and end of all things. When this is realized, then we can start to heal and enter into a transformative experience. This experience can then change our lives. Some may ask, “Is it too late?” “Did I waste all that time before?” The answer is a resounding NO! We all have lived productive lives and have done great things. We have also done very bad things. No of us are exempt from this, including myself. What we should be seeking as Christians is a constant renewal of ourselves. In other words, a BETTERMENT of ourselves each day. When we concentrate on this, only good things can result.

 

We cannot ignore the bad we do. We cannot try to forget the times when we made mistakes. Instead, we should confront these shortcomings, ask God for forgiveness, then make a genuine commitment to do better in the future. This is what God wants us to do. He is calling for us to approach Him through His only Son and to enter into a relationship with Him. We then become part of the Trinitarian Experience: We approach the Father through the Son, guided by the Love of God, which is the Holy Spirit. When we focus on this relationship, only good things can result regardless of where we find ourselves.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 104

Reading I

Am 7:12-15

Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos,
“Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! 
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.” 
Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. 
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14

R. (8)    Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
    the LORD —for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
    glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
    justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
    and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
    our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
    and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

Reading II

Eph 1:3-14 or 1:3-10

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him. 
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we have redemption by his blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. 
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ. 
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.

OR:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him. 
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of God’s grace
that he granted us in the beloved.

In him we have redemption by his blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. 
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

Alleluia

Cf. Eph 1:17-18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope that
belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mk 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts. 
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic. 
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. 
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.” 
So they went off and preached repentance. 
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

“I CHOOSE YOU.”

 

This is the resounding message from the Scripture Readings today. Amos took no delight in being a prophet. It wasn’t something he aspired to be. He was a simple shepherd breeding sheep in Judah when God called him to the prophetic office. Dutifully he responded and was lifted up to a position of greatness. He wasn’t perfect. He did not earn this title. It was through God that he achieved all the things that he achieved. When the priest of Bethel rebuked him and told him almost sarcastically to go back to Judah, “There earn your bread by prophesying,” Amos replied,

 

 “I was no prophet,

nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;

I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.”

 

He further explained that it was God who took him away from what he did previously and commanded him to prophesy in His name.

 

Amos might have thought that he would be a shepherd forever. That was what he knew best and, most likely, was what his father did and his father before him. It was his interaction with God that changed everything. God has that capability to impact us in the most profound ways. It is when we respond to His presence that this impact can be felt. He is always calling us, but we are not always responding. Many times, we find ourselves resisting His call and ignoring His presence. This usually leads to misery and disfunction in our lives. It is through God that our true potential and greatness can be realized.

 

Unbeknownst to us, we have had advantages in our lives far greater than we ever thought. Unfortunately, there are times when we choose not to use them. Paul describes how, through Christ, we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” We are receivers of all of God’s power and love through Jesus Christ. We were chosen from the beginning of time to be unblemished and to do great things with God. But, like many great people before us, things prevent us from acting to our full potential. Our free will compromises this advantage and sometimes even wipes it out. We even have the audacity to minimize the full impact of the spiritual world and all the things (angels, saints, Mary Mother of God) it contains. We are fully connected and intertwined with the spiritual realm but are always at risk of not recognizing this or even taking advantage of that fact. Instead, our brokenness brings us back to a reliance on ourselves which causes us to fall short all the time. In other words, we become our worst enemy.

 

In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus commissioned the Twelve to go out by twos. He instructed them not to take any money, any extra clothes or food. They were to have a complete reliance on God. All would be provided for them. The thing that they did have was the authority of God. We too have this same authority if we stay in right relationship with Him. We cannot be distracted by the allures of this world. These things constantly threaten to compromise our relationship with God. There needs to be constant adjustments made to keep our priorities straight. This can be accomplished through prayer, meditation, and worship. We also must act out our faith in our daily living. Just as Jesus’ disciples relied on each other, we too must rely on those in our community and interact with each other. Through these things, we will encounter a better way of living and a more joyous life. We will then become instruments of God and evangelizers of the faith. Through this process, we all become benefactors as well as those whom we interact with. This is the Christian Ideal and something we all can aspire to. Aspiring to what God wants for us instead of what we want ourselves will only lead to great things.

 

Deacon Tom