Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 100

Reading 1

Zechariah 9:9-10

Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior's bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14

R. (cf. 1) I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R.  Alleluia.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 

Reading 2

Romans 8:9, 11-13

Brothers and sisters:
You are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. 
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh. 
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
 

Alleluia

Cf. Matthew 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

Matthew 11:25-30

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 little ones.
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."

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves. 
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

There are three parts of a human being: the mind, body, and spirit. For us to function properly, a proper balance must be maintained between all three. If there is too much focus on the physical, one may find themselves thinking too much about earthly things and things rooted in the flesh. The mind and spirit will then follow what the physical has initiated. If the mind leads, then there is no action behind the thoughts and no true meaning without the involvement of the spirit. Pertaining to the spiritual: if our relationship with God does not influence our thoughts and actions, then our faith (in the words of James) is dead. All parts of us, much like the Holy Trinity, must work together if we are to experience a joyful and fulfilling life.

It is very common for the spirit to be ignored or not treated as important as the other two parts. The reason is simple: the spirit, by its nature, is not bound by physical laws. It has no physical properties. We cannot touch, smell, hear, or see it. To experience it, it has to be recognized and focused on. This is considered the spirit leading, whereupon the mind and body will follow. This can be defined as us journeying towards God or actively engaging with Him. Created in God’s image, we have a spark of divinity within us, which is our soul. Our soul, our very essence, is drawn to God because He is our Father and He created us. As a child responds to the touch of a parent, so too do we to the presence of our creator, who dwells within us and throughout His creation. Surrendering to this constant feeling will then bring us into balance, where our thought follow the soul and the presence of God, and the physical puts everything into action.

 

Even though the spirit is leading, it does not mean it has the primary role in our joy and satisfaction with our life. It serves as a focal point and a gateway into right relationship with God. Through this relationship, good conduct and proper decision making will be the byproduct. These things we will want to do. Even though they should be expected, we should not be operating that way out of fear, but instead because of a wantonness to do so, it being the right thing to do. The Apostle Paul speaks of this in his letter today:

 

“You are not in the flesh;

on the contrary, you are in the spirit,

if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.”

 

That spirit is the Holy Spirit and through recognizing its presence, we can then be guided by the Spirit where the things that we do and say are in communion with what God wants us to do. Putting God first in our lives ensures that the three parts of us that make up the whole are balanced and in right relationship with our God. Our spiritual well-being, thoughts, and actions will be cohesive in nature and will work towards a common goal with God as their guidance force. 

 

Paul further urges us to live by the spirit, that is, through the guidance and direction of Jesus Christ, another indication why we must let the spirit lead us. With the spirit there is no error. God is perfect and everything that comes from Him is also perfect. It is we who corrupt and have been corrupted. Our body and mind might be fallible, but our soul (spirit) remains pure. Shouldn’t it be that which is pure that should be the guiding light in our lives where we focus our energies and efforts? Our soul should be free to pursue a relationship with God and we should not restrain it from doing so. If we focus our energies on God first, nothing bad will come as a result. In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus gives us all an invitation to do just this:

 

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am meek and humble of heart;

and you will find rest for yourselves.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”

Jesus gives us a guarantee that following Him will result in rest and comfort. He is willing to share our burdens that we carry, guiding us and giving us an opportunity to  learn from He who created us. This is where our entire nature can align itself with our Creator and enjoy perfect balance inside, outside, and throughout God’s creation.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 97

Reading 1 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a

One day Elisha came to Shunem,
where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her.
Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine.
So she said to her husband, “I know that Elisha is a holy man of God.
Since he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof
and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp,
so that when he comes to us he can stay there.”
Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.
Later Elisha asked, “Can something be done for her?”
His servant Gehazi answered, “Yes!
She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years.”
Elisha said, “Call her.”
When the woman had been called and stood at the door,
Elisha promised, “This time next year
you will be fondling a baby son.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19

R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever;”
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
You are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and the Holy One of Israel, our king.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 Rom 6:3-4, 8-11

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
As to his death, he died to sin once and for all;
as to his life, he lives for God.
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin
and living for God in Christ Jesus.

Alleluia 1 Pt 2:9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation;
announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

 

 

Gospel Mt 10:37-42

Jesus said to his apostles:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
"Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is a righteous man
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because the little one is a disciple—
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

Proper conduct does have its rewards. This is one of the benefits of living with Jesus Christ and making Him central in our lives. When we do good things then, as a direct result, good things will happen to us spiritually, mentally, and physically. Our spirituality and relationship with Jesus Christ will be enriched. Our wisdom will be increased. Our body will be treated like the temple that it should be. These statements are not being made as an incentive but more as a fact that displays the virtues of the Christian Life and what happens when these things are instituted. There is a transformative experience that happen which changes one’s perspective of everything. This experience has the potential to be so powerful that even obstacles and challenges in our lives can be changed into a positive experience.

 

Even though these things are mentioned as a direct result as our proper conduct the reason for doing them cannot be because of the expectation of being rewarded with this good things. We should not conduct ourselves for the reason of reward but because there is an understanding that it is the right thing to do. If we truly believe that Sacred Scripture is the Word of God and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God then what is said should be listened to attentively and an attempt of adherence should be made out of love and reverence. Those believing this also should be ecstatic with the opportunity to develop a relationship with the one who created them. Whatever stems from this conduct becomes a state of being that is strived for with the hope of achieving it because, as our God has pointed out, it is good to do this and whatever is good produces more good which makes us experience good. The word reward then takes on a different meaning than what society has defined it as previously.

 

The interaction between the Prophet Elisha and a woman of influence in Shunem demonstrates this proper conduct. She welcomed Elisha into her home and actually prepared a permanent room for him whenever he came through the area. She and her husband became benefactors for Elisha and assisted him so that he could concentrate on his prophetic office. There was no expectation of reward. There was no expectation of receiving something in return. It was something that they wanted to do out of proper conduct and what they had learned through the practice of their faith and their relationship with God. It was Elisha who wanted to do something for the woman and her husband in return for their kindness. If he had done nothing there would have been no disappointment because their intentions were pure and they were no seeking anything in return. Elisha, acting in much the same way, sought to give them something out of love and not out of reward, It was a mutual exchange of kindness grounded in a beautiful relationship with God. The words of Jesus Christ are emphasized through these actions:

 

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Putting the words of Sacred Scripture and the Words of God into action causes the relationship between God and us to be expanded outward to other people where it becomes a shared experience. There is a wonderful feeling that becomes present within us when we do these things. That is the presence of the Holy Spirit unrestricted by our own selfish thoughts or motives. That is why doing good and doing the right thing feels so good: it is the presence of God’s Love. We don’t have to want that feeling or seek to have it. It just comes when we are on the right track and are doing the right thing. Doing the right thing allows us to clear away the clutter between us and God that has forced a great divide. God didn’t want it that way. It was us who did it. When we focus on the words of God these things are then removed and it is only us and God. That is our reward but a reward that shouldn’t be expected in return for our actions.
The Apostle Paul speaks of looking at ourselves being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. Living for God means listening to God. It also means basing the way we live our lives and our decision-making process on what  God wants us to do and putting it ahead of what we want.. Helping us on the way is Jesus Christ. Living in Christ Jesus means He is in us and we are in Him. As Jesus reminds us,

“Remain in me and I will in you.”

This is outlining a process and serves also as counsel. Staying with Jesus by listening to what He says about relationship as well as our conduct will produce a particular result. We will be with Him and He will be with us. What a beautiful guarantee we receive from Jesus Christ. When we concentrate on our own self-improvement and our own conduct based on what Jesus wants, because He is our God, good things will abound. These good things are just a product of us doing good. In the end, as Christians, do we want to do good and be good?  The obvious answer to that question would be yes. Jesus Christ wants us to do good and be good for our own benefit and for our own salvation. He tells us how to be good and how to be achieve our maximum potential. We have a blueprint ready-made to bring us to our highest potential in our lives. Coming from our God is reason enough to want to follow it.

Deacon Tom Anthony