Tuesday, June 30, 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 30TH 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 30TH 2020
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
JUNE 24TH: 38, 386 (+2371)
JUNE 25TH: 40, 184 (+1798)
JUNE 26TH: 47, 341 (+7157)
JUNE 27TH: 43, 581 (-3760)
JUNE 28TH: 40, 540 (-3041)
JUNE 29TH: 44, 744 (+4204)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) -6896 new cases/41 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging)6135 new cases/ 21 deaths
Florida (Surging)5266 new cases/28 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 101 new cases/ 35 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -2207 new cases/6 deaths
Arizona (Surging)-3079 new cases/0 deaths
Monday, June 29, 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 29TH 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 29TH 2020
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
JUNE 24TH: 38, 386 (+2371)
JUNE 25TH: 40, 184 (+1798)
JUNE 26TH: 47, 341 (+7157)
JUNE 27TH: 43, 581 (-3760)
JUNE 28TH: 40, 540 (-3041)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) -5240 new cases/31 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 4330 new cases/ 10 deaths
Florida (Surging)-8530 new cases/27 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 224 new cases/ 19 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -2225 new cases/2 deaths
Arizona (Surging)-3857 new cases/9 deaths
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
JUNE 24TH: 38, 386 (+2371)
JUNE 25TH: 40, 184 (+1798)
JUNE 26TH: 47, 341 (+7157)
JUNE 27TH: 43, 581 (-3760)
JUNE 28TH: 40, 540 (-3041)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) -5240 new cases/31 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 4330 new cases/ 10 deaths
Florida (Surging)-8530 new cases/27 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 224 new cases/ 19 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -2225 new cases/2 deaths
Arizona (Surging)-3857 new cases/9 deaths
Sunday, June 28, 2020
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
Today we are reminded afresh by Jesus in the Gospel just what the cost of discipleship truly is. When He tells us that those who love father or mother, son or daughter more than Him are not worthy of Him, He is not telling us not to love our parents or our children. Contrary to what some people may erroneously think, the Gospel does not negate the Ten Commandments or the other parts of God’s ancient Law, it truly does fulfill those things. Hence, we can honestly say that Jesus was not saying, for example, that children should simply ignore the wishes of their parents in the name of the Gospel. Jesus was making very clear, however, that if we are going to truly live out the message of the Gospel and we are going to truly live what is rightly called a Gospel life, then it is inevitable that this Gospel way of living is going to come into conflict with the world and the ways of the world, and for many of us that might include otherwise unwanted unpleasantness or tension between ourselves and family members or friends, even our own parents or siblings.
Why would the Gospel cause that kind of conflict? After all, the last three Popes have affirmed to us-each in his own different way-that to live a Gospel life is to live a joyful life. Why, then, would a joyful life be “such a big deal?” Because God’s way of cleansing us and bringing us new life in and through Jesus Christ is more than a mere lifestyle choice. If we are going to truly follow Jesus Christ, what is being asked of each and every disciple of Christ-and hopefully that includes everyone here-is nothing less than a total commitment to Jesus. Most traditional Catholic Biblical commentators are in agreement that when Jesus uses the phrase “he who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it,” He is literally telling the Apostles that those people who would choose to save their own mortal lives rather than sacrificing them for the sake of Christ will lose their soul for eternity, while those willing to see their lives sacrificed for the sake of Christ and the Gospel will gain eternal life.
What Jesus is telling His Apostles here, and what He tells us in this passage, is that he asks nothing less than total commitment from anyone who would be His disciple. He repeats it in more than one place in the Gospels, because in the Gospel of Luke Jesus goes so far as to say that we cannot be His disciple at all if we put our family or our own lives (and by this He means all of our worldly concerns) before Christ (Luke 14:26). In the time of Christ people were concerned with the labors of daily life which, by our modern standards today, would have truly been taxing to most people, and Jesus is telling His followers not to be as concerned with the things of this world, with the necessary drudgeries of life, as they are with being His disciple.
In our age of rapid communication and modern technology, our lives are supposed to be much easier, but we know that today’s way of living has its own drudgeries and its own concerns and traps, as it were, many of which can take our minds, hearts, and souls away from the things which are truly important. Christ’s call to discipleship, and to a life of complete submission to Him still rings just as true and just as real as it did when he said the words of the Gospel two millennia ago.
We hear a great deal of talk in modern American culture, and especially in our part of the United States, about people having a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” We absolutely believe that our God is real and He is personal, but that is not a phrase which appears anywhere in Sacred Scripture. Instead, this is the discussion we get from Jesus, one where He tells us that following Him could cause conflict even with those who are the dearest and closest to us. If you want an example of someone who is truly living out what Jesus has spoken of, try talking to or befriending a convert who is embracing the Catholic faith despite serious and heated opposition from close members of their own family, people they have to deal with every day. Such people want to honor their parents and other close family, but they know that they cannot give those closest to them what they want, which is to abandon their Catholic faith. The fidelity of such people should be an example to us of exactly what Jesus means in the Gospel today.
Many of the Christians of the Near East understand Jesus’ message all too well. They are often persecuted by people on both sides of the traditional Jewish/Arab divide in that part of the world, and so great is the pressure on the Faith there that in the part of the world where our faith began it is in great danger of being wiped out, but the Christians of the Near East continue to live out Christ’s call for total commitment.
“Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Jesus’ message of total commitment to Him is not exactly one we hear often in our modern culture. Far too many people are totally committed to their own advancement, their own enrichment, or their own pleasure. Even among many Catholics, there is often an attitude which says “I have been to Mass this week, I have done what I needed to do,” or “I’ve been to Confession, I can check that off my list.” Perhaps the worst example of this is the mentality that exists in some circles that “after Confirmation, you are ‘done.’” No one should ever be “done” with Jesus Christ.
In saying this, let me be very clear that I don’t diminish weekly Mass attendance in the least, nor do I mean to diminish anyone’s commitment to the Sacrament of Penance which, for the sake of our Souls, I pray is a regularity for each and every one of us, and not merely the Church’s yearly minimum. We are called to live a sacramental life…but that is really the entire point. Living a sacramental life is not merely about “going through the motions” of receiving the Sacraments. If we think that is what it means to live the Gospel through a sacramental life, we have missed the whole reason Christ gave us the Sacraments in the first place. The Church has consistently taught us that the Sacraments are outward and visible signs instituted by Christ to confer Grace upon those who receive them, but the Sacraments are a two-way proposition. When we receive the Sacraments, in order to receive the sanctifying Graces Christ has for us in them, we have to be open to receiving those Graces, and we can be open to sanctifying Grace by being committed to Jesus Christ in the way in which he is asking us according to the Gospel.
The ultimate reward for this kind of complete embrace of Jesus Christ and His message is that we will spend eternity in Heaven sharing in the Divine Life with Him. Living a committed Gospel life may be a daily struggle for many of us, but one way that we can know that we are on the right path is that for all of the difficulties Jesus warned would come our way when we choose the Gospel, and when we choose Christ, He also said “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (cf. Matt. 11:30) Jesus wants us to follow Him most of all because we love Him…and if we love Him, living a Gospel life won’t seem very burdensome at all.
My sisters and brothers in the Lord,
“What is my relationship with my family of origin? How do I relate to my parents, my sisters, my brothers and to my extended family? How do I relate to friends? How do I relate to those in authority over me?” These are the challenges from the readings this week.
We begin with the first reading, from the Second Book of Kings. This is such a wonderful reading! We see the concern of the Prophet for this woman who has no son. The Prophet, like many religious leaders, is able to benefit from the love and care of those who are relatively well off. Now it is a question of how to thank such people. Most of us would not thinking of promising a baby! On the other hand, the Prophets have more resources than we do! We also know that later, when this baby is a young man, he dies unexpectedly and the woman turns again to the Prophet. The gifts of Prophets and of God Himself are not always without suffering!
The second reading is from the Letter to the Romans. Here we find a strong theology for ourselves. If we have died in Christ, then we must embrace that death so that we can live in Christ. We must become dead to sin. That is so easy to say or to state, yet the reality implies for us and for all who seek the Lord that we must enter the spiritual combat and remain in combat all the days of our lives. The life of Jesus is a wonderful gift and yet always comes with the condition of death to sin in ourselves. We are invited to embrace the struggle against sin each day so that we can live more and more in the Lord.
The Gospel, today from Saint Matthew, brings the first two readings together. We must love God more than anything or anyone. We must love Christ more than our parents, our sisters, our brothers, our children—more than anyone. This statement never implies not loving our parents, sisters, brothers, children, etc., but simply tells us that God is more important.
If we are looking for our own life, we shall lose that life. It we are seeking the life of Jesus, we shall have our own life. It is only in giving up our lives that we are given life. This is one of the great challenges of following Jesus. The more we deny ourselves, the more life of Jesus we have. Again the strong reminder: when we deny ourselves, we are doing this out of love and not out of any other motive. If we judge others, then we condemn ourselves. If we seek simply what the Lord asks of us today and every day, we are blessed—over and over and over.
May we seek the face of the Lord and respond to His love! May we accept the gifts of the Lord and know that in those gifts there is also hardship. May we die to ourselves in the very best way, but loving God first and always.
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip
From
the first book of Samuel
17:57-18:9, 20-30
Saul’s jealousy of David
17:57-18:9, 20-30
Saul’s jealousy of David
When David returned from slaying the
Philistine, Abner took him and presented him to Saul. David was still holding
the Philistine’s head. Saul then asked him, “Whose son are you, young man?”
David replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
[By the time David finished speaking
with Saul, Jonathan had become as fond of David as if his life depended on him;
he loved him as he loved himself. Saul laid claim to David that day and did not
allow him to return to his father’s house. And Jonathan entered into a bond
with David, because he loved him as himself. Jonathan divested himself of the
mantle he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his military dress, and
his sword, his bow and his belt. David then carried out successfully every mission
on which Saul sent him. So Saul put him in charge of his soldiers, and this was
agreeable to the whole army, even to Saul’s own officers.]
At the approach of Saul and David
(on David’s return after slaying the Philistine), women came out from each of
the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing, with tambourines,
joyful songs, and sistrums. The women played and sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
and David his ten thousands.”
Saul was very angry and resentful of
the song, for he thought: “They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to
me. All that remains for him is the kingship.” [And from that day on, Saul was
jealous of David.]
Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved
David, and it was reported to Saul, who was pleased at this, for he thought, “I
will offer her to him to become a snare for him, so that the Philistines may
strike him.” [Thus for the second time Saul said to David, “You shall become my
son-in-law today.”] Saul then ordered his servants to speak to David privately
and to say: “The king is fond of you, and all his officers love you. You should
become the king’s son-in-law.” But when Saul’s servants mentioned this to
David, he said: “Do you think it easy to become the king’s son-in-law? I am
poor and insignificant.”
When his servants reported to him
the nature of David’s answer, Saul commanded them to say this to David: “The
king desires no other price for the bride than the foreskins of one hundred
Philistines, that he may thus take vengeance on his enemies.” Saul intended in
this way to bring about David’s death through the Philistines. When the
servants reported this offer to David, he was pleased with the prospect of
becoming the king’s son-in-law. [Before the year was up,] David made
preparations and sallied forth with his men and slew two hundred Philistines.
He brought back their foreskins and counted them out before the king, that he
might thus become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him his daughter Michal
in marriage.
Saul thus came to recognize that the
Lord was with David; besides, his own daughter Michal loved David. Therefore
Saul feared David all the more [and was his enemy ever after].
[The Philistine chiefs continued to
make forays, but each time they took the field, David was more successful
against them than any other of Saul’s officers, and as a result acquired great
fame.]
RESPONSORY Psalm 56:2, 4, 14
Have pity on me, O God, for men
trample upon me; all day long they persecute me with their constant attacks.
— I place my trust in you.
— I place my trust in you.
For you have rescued my soul from
death and you have kept my feet from stumbling.
— I place my trust in you.
— I place my trust in you.
Second
reading
From a treatise on Christian Perfection by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, bishop.
Christ should be manifest in our whole life
From a treatise on Christian Perfection by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, bishop.
Christ should be manifest in our whole life
The life of the Christian has three distinguishing
aspects: deeds, words and thought. Thought comes first, then words, since our
words express openly the interior conclusions of the mind. Finally, after
thoughts and words, comes action, for our deeds carry out what the mind has
conceived. So when one of these results in our acting or speaking or thinking,
we must make sure that all our thoughts, words and deeds are controlled by the
divine ideal, the revelation of Christ. For then our thoughts, words and deeds
will not fall short of the nobility of their implications.
What then must we do, we who have
been found worthy of the name of Christ? Each of us must examine his thoughts,
words and deeds, to see whether they are directed toward Christ or are turned
away from him. This examination is carried out in various ways. Our deeds or
our thoughts or our words are not in harmony with Christ if they issue from
passion. They then bear the mark of the enemy who smears the pearl of the heart
with the slime of passion, dimming and even destroying the luster of the
precious stone.
On the other hand, if they are free
from and untainted by every passionate inclination, they are directed toward
Christ, the author and source of peace. He is like a pure, untainted stream. If
you draw from him the thoughts in your mind and the inclinations of your heart,
you will show a likeness to Christ, your source and origin, as the gleaming
water in a jar resembles the flowing water from which it was obtained.
For the purity of Christ and the
purity that is manifest in our hearts are identical. Christ’s purity, however,
is the fountainhead; ours has its source in him and flows out of him. Our life
is stamped with the beauty of his thought. The inner and the outer man are
harmonized in a kind of music. The mind of Christ is the controlling influence
that inspires us to moderation and goodness in our behavior. As I see it,
Christian perfection consists in this: sharing the titles which express the
meaning of Christ’s name, we bring out this meaning in our minds, our prayers and
our way of life.
From the book of the prophet Jeremiah
1:4-10, 17-19
The call of the prophet
The word of the Lord came to me thus:1:4-10, 17-19
The call of the prophet
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
“Ah, Lord God!” I said,
“I know not how to speak; I am too young.”
But the Lord answered me,
Say not, “I am too young.”
To whomever I send you, you shall go;
whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Have no fear before them,
because I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.
Then the Lord extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying,
See, I place my words in your mouth!
This day I set you
over nations and over kingdoms,
To root up and to tear down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.
But do you gird your loins;
stand up and tell them
all that I command you.
Be not crushed on their account,
as though I would leave you crushed before them;
For it is I this day
who have made you a fortified city,
A pillar of iron, a wall of brass,
against the whole land:
Against Judah’s kings and princes,
against its priests and people.
They will fight against you, but not prevail over you,
for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.
RESPONSORY Jeremiah 1:5, 9, 10
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I consecrated you,
— and I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
I have placed my words in your mouth; I have set you over nations and over kingdoms.
— And I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Second reading
From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
The voice of one crying in the wilderness
The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event. We have no such
commemoration for any other fathers; but it is significant that we celebrate
the birthdays of John and Jesus. This day cannot be passed by. And even if my
explanation does not match the dignity of the feast, you may still meditate on
it with great depth and profit.From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
The voice of one crying in the wilderness
John was born of a woman too old for childbirth; Christ was born of a youthful virgin. The news of John’s birth was met with incredulity, and his father was struck dumb. Christ’s birth was believed, and he was conceived through faith.
Such is the topic, as I have presented it, for our inquiry and discussion. But as I said before, if I lack either the time or the ability to study the implications of so profound a mystery, he who speaks within you even when I am not here will teach you better; it is he whom you contemplate with devotion, whom you have welcomed into your hearts, whose temples you have become.
John, then, appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary, the Lord himself bears witness, when he speaks of the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist. Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents; as a herald of the new era, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother’s womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother’s womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that womb he had already been designated a prophet, even before he was born; it was revealed that he was to be Christ’s precursor, before they saw one another. These are divine happenings, going beyond the limits of our human frailty. Eventually he is born, he receives his name, his father’s tongue is loosened. See how these events reflect reality.
Zechariah is silent and loses his voice until John, the precursor of the Lord, is born and restores his voice. The silence of Zechariah is nothing but the age of prophecy lying hidden, obscured, as it were, and concealed before the preaching of Christ. At John’s arrival Zechariah’s voice is released, and it becomes clear at the coming of the one who was foretold. The release of Zechariah’s voice at the birth of John is a parallel to the rending of the veil at Christ’s crucifixion. If John were announcing his own coming, Zechariah’s lips would not have been opened. The tongue is loosened because a voice is born. For when John was preaching the Lord’s coming he was asked: Who are you? And he replied: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The voice is John, but the Lord in the beginning was the Word. John was a voice that lasted only for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.
From the first book of Samuel
21:2-10; 22:1-5
The flight of David
David went to Ahimelech, the priest of Nob, who came trembling to meet him
and asked, “Why are you alone? Is there no one with you?” David answered the
priest: “The king gave me a commission and told me to let no one know anything
about the business on which he sent me or the commission he gave me. For that
reason I have arranged a meeting place with my men. Now what have you on hand?
Give me five loaves, or whatever you can find.” But the priest replied to
David, “I have no ordinary bread on hand, only holy bread; if the men have
abstained from women, you may eat some of that.” David answered the priest: “We
have indeed been segregated from women as on previous occasions. Whenever I go
on a journey, all the young men are consecrated — even for a secular journey.
All the more so today, when they are consecrated at arms!” So the priest gave
him holy bread, for no other bread was on hand except the showbread which had
been removed from the Lord’S presence and replaced by fresh bread when it was
taken away. One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the
Lord; his name was Doeg the Edomite, and he was Saul’s chief henchman.21:2-10; 22:1-5
The flight of David
David then asked Ahimelech: “Do you have a spear or a sword on hand? I brought along neither my sword nor my weapons, because the king’s business was urgent.” The priest replied: “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Vale of the Terebinth, is here wrapped in a mantle behind an ephod. If you wish to take that, take it; there is no sword here except that one.” David said: “There is none to match it. Give it to me!”
David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his family heard about it, they came down to him there. He was joined by all those who were in difficulties or in debt, or who were embittered, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Let my father and mother stay with you, until I learn what God will do for me.” He left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David remained in the refuge.
But the prophet Gad said to David: “Do not remain in the refuge. Leave, and go to the land of Judah.” And so David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
RESPONSORY Romans 7:6; Mark 2:25,26
We have been set free from the law; we are dead to that which held us bound.
— Now we serve in the new way of the spirit and not under the old bondage of the written law.
Have you not read what David did when he was hungry? How he went into the house of God and ate the consecrated bread?
— Now we serve in the new way of the spirit and not under the old bondage of the written law.
Second reading
From a homily by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, bishop
God is like an inaccessible rock
Consider the feelings of a man who looks down into the depths of the sea
from the top of a mountain. This is similar to my own experience when the voice
of the Lord from on high, as from a mountaintop, reached the unfathomable
depths of my intellect. Along the seacoast, you may often see mountains facing
the sea. It is as though they had been sliced in two, with a sheer drop from
top to bottom. At the top a projection forms a ledge overhanging the depths
below. If a man were to look down from that ledge, he would be overcome by
dizziness. In this same way my soul grows dizzy when it hears the great voice
of the Lord saying: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.
From a homily by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, bishop
God is like an inaccessible rock
The vision of God is offered to those who have purified their hearts. Yet, no man has seen God at any time. These are the words of the great Saint John and they are confirmed by Saint Paul’s lofty thought, in the words: God is he whom no one has seen or can see. He is that smooth, steep and sheer rock, on which the mind can find no secure resting place to get a grip or lift ourselves up. In the view of Moses, he is inaccessible. In spite of every effort, our minds cannot approach him. We are cut off by the words: No man can see God and live. And yet, to see God is eternal life. But John, Paul and Moses, pillars of our faith, all testify that it is impossible to see God. Look at the dizziness that affects the soul drawn to contemplating the depths of these statements. If God is life, then he who does not see God does not see life. Yet God cannot be seen; the apostles and prophets, inspired by the Holy Spirit, have testified to this. Into what straits is man’s hope driven!
Yet God does raise and sustain our flagging hopes. He rescued Peter from drowning and made the sea into a firm surface beneath his feet. He does the same for us; the hands of the Word of God are stretched out to us when we are out of our depth, buffeted and lost in speculation. Grasped firmly in his hands, we shall be without fear: Blessed are the pure of heart, he says, for they shall see God.
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 28TH 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 28TH 2020
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
JUNE 24TH: 38, 386 (+2371)
JUNE 25TH: 40, 184 (+1798)
JUNE 26TH: 47, 341 (+7157)
JUNE 27TH: 43, 581 (-3760)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) -4226 new cases/32 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 6079 new cases/ 39 deaths
Florida (Surging)-9585 new cases/26 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 373 new cases/ 28 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -1990 new cases/6 deaths
Arizona (Surging)- 3593 new cases/34 deaths
California (Surging) -4226 new cases/32 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 6079 new cases/ 39 deaths
Florida (Surging)-9585 new cases/26 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 373 new cases/ 28 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -1990 new cases/6 deaths
Arizona (Surging)- 3593 new cases/34 deaths
Saturday, June 27, 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 27TH 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 27TH 2020
JUNE 13TH 25, 302: (-1919)
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
JUNE 24TH: 38, 386 (+2371)
JUNE 25TH: 40, 184 (+1798)
JUNE 26TH: 47, 341 (+7157)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) -5619 new cases/63 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 5614 new cases/ 33 deaths
Florida (Surging)-8942 new cases/37 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 233 new cases/ 50 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -1900 new cases/25 death
Michigan (declining)
California (Surging) -5619 new cases/63 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 5614 new cases/ 33 deaths
Florida (Surging)-8942 new cases/37 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 233 new cases/ 50 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -1900 new cases/25 death
Michigan (declining)
Friday, June 26, 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 26TH 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 20TH 2020
JUNE 12TH: 27, 221 (+3921)
JUNE 13TH 25, 302: (-1919)
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
JUNE 24TH: 38, 386 (+2371)
JUNE 25TH: 40, 184 (+1798)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) -5440 new cases/80 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 5960 new cases/ 41 deaths
Florida (Surging)-5004 new cases/40 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 226 new cases/ 25 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -1714 new cases/47 death
Michigan (declining)
JUNE 13TH 25, 302: (-1919)
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
JUNE 24TH: 38, 386 (+2371)
JUNE 25TH: 40, 184 (+1798)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) -5440 new cases/80 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 5960 new cases/ 41 deaths
Florida (Surging)-5004 new cases/40 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 226 new cases/ 25 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -1714 new cases/47 death
Michigan (declining)
Thursday, June 25, 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 25TH 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 20TH
JUNE 11TH: 23, 300 (+2448)
JUNE 12TH: 27, 221 (+3921)
JUNE 13TH 25, 302: (-1919)
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
JUNE 24TH: 38, 386 (+2371)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) -4966 new cases/96 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 6177 new cases/ 42 deaths
Florida (Surging)-5511 new cases/45 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 172 new cases/ 48 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -1703 new cases/10 death
Michigan (declining)
JUNE 12TH: 27, 221 (+3921)
JUNE 13TH 25, 302: (-1919)
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
JUNE 24TH: 38, 386 (+2371)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) -4966 new cases/96 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 6177 new cases/ 42 deaths
Florida (Surging)-5511 new cases/45 new deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 172 new cases/ 48 deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Georgia (Surging) -1703 new cases/10 death
Michigan (declining)
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 24TH 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 24TH 2020
JUNE 10TH: 20,852 (+1796)
JUNE 11TH: 23, 300 (+2448)
JUNE 12TH: 27, 221 (+3921)
JUNE 13TH 25, 302: (-1919)
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
JUNE 23RD: 36015 (+4519)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) - 6503 new cases/68 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 5370 new cases/ 33 deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 229 new cases/ 16 deaths
Florida (Surging)-3286 new cases/642 new deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Michigan (declining)
Georgia (Surging) -1750 new cases/40 death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 5370 new cases/ 33 deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 229 new cases/ 16 deaths
Florida (Surging)-3286 new cases/642 new deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Michigan (declining)
Georgia (Surging) -1750 new cases/40 death
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 23RD 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 23RD 2020
JUNE 09TH 19, 056 (+12)
JUNE 10TH: 20,852 (+1796)
JUNE 11TH: 23, 300 (+2448)
JUNE 12TH: 27, 221 (+3921)
JUNE 13TH 25, 302: (-1919)
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
JUNE 22ND: 31,496 (+5417)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) - 5528 new cases/47 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 5112 new cases/ 16 deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 149 new cases/ 16 deaths
Florida (Surging)- 2926 new cases/ 12 new deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Michigan (declining)
Georgia (Surging) -1227 new cases/5 death
California (Surging) - 5528 new cases/47 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)-
Texas (Surging) 5112 new cases/ 16 deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 149 new cases/ 16 deaths
Florida (Surging)- 2926 new cases/ 12 new deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Michigan (declining)
Georgia (Surging) -1227 new cases/5 death
Monday, June 22, 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 22ND 2020
CORONA VIRUS UPDATE JUNE 22ND 2020
JUNE 08TH 19, 044 (+139)
JUNE 09TH 19, 056 (+12)
JUNE 10TH: 20,852 (+1796)
JUNE 11TH: 23, 300 (+2448)
JUNE 12TH: 27, 221 (+3921)
JUNE 13TH 25, 302: (-1919)
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) - 3589 new cases/24 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)- 658 new cases/22 new deaths
Texas (Surging) 3125 new cases/ 9 deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 125 new cases/ 30 deaths
Florida (Surging)- 3494 new cases/ 17 new deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Michigan (declining)
Georgia (Surging) -892 new cases/1 death
JUNE 09TH 19, 056 (+12)
JUNE 10TH: 20,852 (+1796)
JUNE 11TH: 23, 300 (+2448)
JUNE 12TH: 27, 221 (+3921)
JUNE 13TH 25, 302: (-1919)
JUNE 14TH: 20, 044 (-5258)
JUNE 15TH: 20,722 (+678)
JUNE 16TH 25, 450 (+4728)
JUNE 17TH 26, 0871 (+671)
JUNE 18TH 27, 924 (+2631)
JUNE 19TH: 33, 539 (+5613)
JUNE 20TH: 33, 388 (-151)
JUNE 21ST 26.079 (-7309)
NEW YORK Declining)
California (Surging) - 3589 new cases/24 new death
New Jersey (Declining)
Illinois Declining)- 658 new cases/22 new deaths
Texas (Surging) 3125 new cases/ 9 deaths
Massachusetts ( Declining ))- 125 new cases/ 30 deaths
Florida (Surging)- 3494 new cases/ 17 new deaths
Pennsylvania-Declining
Michigan (declining)
Georgia (Surging) -892 new cases/1 death
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 94
Reading 1 Jer 20:10-13
Jeremiah said:“I hear the whisperings of many:
‘Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!’
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him.’
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
for he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my children,
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.
I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness;
in your great mercy turn toward me.
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.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!’‘
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Reading 2 Rom 5:12-15
Brothers and sisters:Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—
for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world,
though sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who did not sin
after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,
who is the type of the one who was to come.
But the gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression of the one the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
Alleluia Jn 15:26b, 27a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord;
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 10:26-33
Jesus said to the Twelve:“Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Through the Scripture Readings this week we are
encouraged to ask ourselves this question:
How
strong is our faith?”
When times are good or when our lives are not
threatened is our faith as strong as it should be? When we are facing some sort
of crisis or when we seemingly have no other options then a reliance on God, it
is somewhat easier to rely on our faith and maybe use it as a resource of last
resort to get us through what we are confronting. Even then that faith can be
weaker than it appears to be because we might find ourselves in a position where
we don’t truly know God. It is as if we are going through the motions without
truly understanding what we are asking for and not truly believing we will
receive what we need from a God that we don’t even know personally. This is not
to say that God will not answer but at times like this we just might not be
starting from a point of strength but of weakness. Our faith needs to be
important to us. Our faith needs to be strengthened constantly in good times
and in bad times.
The Prophet Jeremiah offers us an example to strive
for. Jeremiah was born to a priestly family close to Jerusalem. This indicates
that he was close to the Ruling Class in Judah and was introduced to a life of
privilege and authority. Instead, he was called to his prophetic office at the
age of 32. He found himself opposing the idolatry and the turning away of the
ruling class and priests from the direction and worship of God. He also opposed
the decisions of the ruling class that went directly against the advice,
counsel, and desires of God that he put forth. He faced imprisonment, torture,
and threats of death constantly. He was also alienated from family and friends.
In the face of all this he made the following statement:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
for he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!”
Facing all of this, Jeremiah chose to have reliance on God. Even more encouraging to us should be the thought process that Jeremiah worked through to come to this decision. Even though he was a prophet and communicated directly with God in a very intimate relationship, he had his doubts. There were times when he struggled with what God wanted him to do. He doubted, he feared, and he was frightened of the future. Yet, when confronted with all the adversity, abandonment, and threats his faith prevailed. There will be many who just might find themselves in the same situation as Jeremiah but the vast majority of us as Christians will be facing much less but still daunting circumstances. In times like these, to strengthen our faith, we might turn to the story of Jeremiah and see this man, nothing special in his own right, that rose above the oppositions that he faced with a strong faith that propelled him through the situation where he was able to accomplish what God wanted him to accomplish.
We are the same way. In the eyes of society and the world we may be seen as nothing special but that is exactly why God loves us so much. Through His actions God continuously lifts up all those who would be considered castaways by society and exalts them through an intimate relationship with them. To be rejected by the world means to be accepted by God. God asks us to choose Him before society and what is being offered there. When we do this then we can experience Him to the fullest. Jeremiah had a choice. His life would have been a life of privilege and, regardless what happened to the Jewish people, he would have been protected and shielded from any negative things that would have happened. Even though this was the case, Jeremiah chose a relationship with God and speaking out against the princely powers regardless of the repercussions. As the Apostle Paul says,
“It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand aquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord.”
We should not be concerned either. Jesus Christ is Our Lord and God is Our Father. We should try to model our lives with this in mind. There will be forces that rally against us. There will be those who ridicule us. There will be those who will indeed try to destroy us. There will be times when we face religious intolerance and attempts to hurt our livelihood and family. We all fall short and we all struggle with things; especially with our own humanity but we do have an advocate and protector in Jesus Christ. Through prayer and a healthy relationship with Jesus we can slowly gain trust in Jesus and know that regardless of the circumstances that we face we will be alright in the end; for we are with our God.
In the Gospel Reading today Jesus tells us to speak out about our faith and His teachings without fear. He reminds us not to be afraid of those who can destroy the body but not the soul. God knows all things and is aware of what we are facing. Going forward with a complete trust in our God will develop a new-found confidence both in our relationship with him and will insure that we when we do things in His name there is nothing to fear. Yes, this can be difficult at times but usually things that are worthwhile are not easy. The Christian Way is not easy nor was it meant to be. What Christ had to face was not easy and by extension to be unified with Him we have to endure all things like Him. Forged like gold in the furnace we are strengthened by trials and tribulations and not overcome by them when Jesus is with us.
Our relationship with Jesus Christ and by extension God needs to be the most important relationship in our lives. We are referring to our God whose presence should be recognized and realized constantly. When we do not do this then we are more subject to sin and corruption. Sin and corruption leads to degradation and death. The importance of this cannot be understated. Our spiritual, mental, and physical health is at stake here. All things through Jesus Christ cannot lead us in the wrong direction but insures that we will be going in the right direction. The right directions mean a joyful, fruitful life where we can face all obstacles and issues with confidence and an understanding that we will be okay. There also must be a realization that when there is no opposition or conflict to confront that in itself is an obstacle because there is temptation not to realize God in our lives because of the lack of crisis. This is when the temptations of Satan can easily creep in and take control of us. Keeping a constant and growing relationship with God prevents this from happening.
Our faith is like a garden and requires constant attention so that it might grow. Ignoring it means that it will not bear a harvest and that instead it will die through lack of nurturing; choked by the weeds of the world. Ignoring it also means that it is indeed not important to us. Our actions and attention are evidence enough just how important or unimportant it is. God wants it to be important. Do we?
Deacon Tom
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
As Christians and Children of God, we need to remind ourselves that we are indeed walking with Jesus Christ. I feel that we can all remember times in our lives when we have felt abandoned by those who we thought were closest to us or trusted the most. We were disappointed and betrayed by the actions of another person that we expected more from. The emotional scars left by such actions take a very long time to heal. Unfortunately, what has been described happens far too often. We are all broken and not perfect. Whatever burdens and challenges we face are brought into every relationship and interaction that we participate in. What results is a mixture of positive and negative experiences which will influence how we look and interpret events. This reality tends to frustrate us as our expectations commonly are set higher than the results that we witness. In our humanness, we can approach our relationship the same way with Jesus Christ. We limit Him and ourselves in the interactions we have. The hurt and pain we have experienced in our human relationships are automatically applied to our relationship with Jesus. What we quickly forget is that Jesus Christ is perfect and that if we only accept Him for who He is there will be no disappointments or pain.
In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus reminds us just how much God loves us. Each one of our hairs on our head are counted. Take a moment to contemplate this: God loves us so much that He knows everything about us. Even the most unimportant thing about us, such as how many hairs are on our head, does not escape His knowledge of us. Even more, He feels what we feel and understands the struggles that we face. In the face of these challenges, we are reminded that He will never abandon us. There should be no fear of what is to come for God is with us. The prophet Jeremiah describes God as a mighty champion standing at his side knowing that the threats of death and imprisonment would not come to fruit because God was with Him. As Christians, we are all protected and valued in the same way. We all have a champion in God and He is ready disrupt all who oppose us. It is up to us to embrace this relationship and treat it with the importance and trust that it deserves. The only disappointments and failures that will result from this relationship will be from us. It is our responsibility to keep our focus and determination, modeling our love for God by the example He set by first loving us.
Jesus Christ challenges us to love Him and build up His kingdom. He tells us to shout out from the rooftops what we know and what we believe. We need to have full confidence in what has been revealed to us and what we know is true. When we start to proclaim our faith and live our faith, good things will start to happen. We will develop the capability to force out all the negative elements of our life and it will be replaced fully with the love of Christ. It will be like the removal of a dam that has been forcing back the natural flow of water. In this case, our dam has been preventing the free flow of Living Water from Jesus Christ.
Jesus has told us: “Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened.” The structure of the relationship is already in place. Jesus has offered everything. He is now waiting for us to accept His offer. When we do accept this offer our relationship with Him will affect all other relationships we are involved in. We will see things through Jesus and will act accordingly. Our brokenness will be healed and in turn we will be able to heal all those broken, disappointing relationships we have been involved in. In the end, it must be asked: “What are we waiting for?”
Morning Prayer for Sunday in Ordinary Time
God, come to my assistance.
— Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
HYMN
From all that dwell below the skies,
let the Creator’s praise arise;
let the Redeemer’s name be sung,
through every land by every tongue.
Eternal are thy mercies, Lord;
eternal truth attends thy word.
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
till suns shall rise and set no more.
Your lofty themes, ye mortals, bring,
in songs of praise divinely sing;
the great salvation loud proclaim,
and shout for joy the Savior’s name.
In every land begin the song;
to every land the strains belong;
in cheerful sounds all voices raise,
and fill the world with loudest praise.
Text: Sts. 1-2, Isaac Watts; Sts. 3-4, Anonymous; Music: Attr. to John Hatton; Tune: DUKE STREET, Meter: LM
“From All That Dwell Below The Skys” performed by St. Michael’s Singers is available from Amazon.com.
PSALMODY
Ant. 1 Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
Psalm 118
Song of joy for salvation
This Jesus is the stone which, rejected by you builders, has become the chief stone supporting all the rest (Acts 4:11).
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,Song of joy for salvation
This Jesus is the stone which, rejected by you builders, has become the chief stone supporting all the rest (Acts 4:11).
for his love endures for ever.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
Let the sons of Israel say:
“His love endures for ever.”
Let the sons of Aaron say:
“His love endures for ever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say:
“His love endures for ever.”
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
I called to the Lord in my distress;
he answered and freed me.
The Lord is at my side; I do not fear.
What can man do against me?
The Lord is at my side as my helper:
I shall look down on my foes.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in men:
it is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
The nations all encompassed me;
in the Lord’s name I crushed them.
They compassed me, compassed me about;
in the Lord’s name I crushed them.
They compassed me about like bees;
they blazed like a fire among thorns.
In the Lord’s name I crushed them.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
I was hard-pressed and was falling
but the Lord came to help me.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he is my savior.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the just.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
his right hand raised me.
The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
I shall not die, I shall live
and recount his deeds.
I was punished, I was punished by the Lord,
but not doomed to die.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
Open to me the gates of holiness:
I will enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord’s own gate
where the just may enter.
I will thank you for you have answered
and you are my savior.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.
This day was made by the Lord;
we rejoice and are glad.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
O Lord, grant us salvation;
O Lord, grant success.
Blessed in the name of the Lord
is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is our light.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
Go forward in procession with branches
even to the altar.
You are my God, I thank you.
My God, I praise you.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, you have given us the great day of rejoicing: Jesus Christ, the stone rejected by the builders, has become the cornerstone of the Church, our spiritual home. Shed upon your Church the rays of your glory, that it may be seen as the gate of salvation open to all nations. Let cries of joy and exultation ring out from its tents, to celebrate the wonder of Christ’s resurrection.
Ant. Praise the Lord, for his loving kindness will never fail, alleluia.
Ant. 2 Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!
Canticle — Daniel 3:52-57
Let all creatures praise the Lord
The Creator… is blessed for ever (Romans 1:25).
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,Let all creatures praise the Lord
The Creator… is blessed for ever (Romans 1:25).
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Ant. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
Ant. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!
Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
Ant. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Ant. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!
Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
Ant. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.
Ant. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever.
Ant. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Ant. Alleluia! Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, alleluia!
Ant. 3 Let everything that breathes give praise to the Lord, alleluia.
Psalm 150
Praise the Lord
Let mind and heart be in your song: this is to glorify God with your whole self (Hesychius).
Praise God in his holy place,Praise the Lord
Let mind and heart be in your song: this is to glorify God with your whole self (Hesychius).
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his powerful deeds,
praise his surpassing greatness.
Ant. Let everything that breathes give praise to the Lord, alleluia.
O praise him with sound of trumpet,
praise him with lute and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.
Ant. Let everything that breathes give praise to the Lord, alleluia.
O praise him with resounding cymbals,
praise him with clashing of cymbals.
Let everything that lives and that breathes
give praise to the Lord.
Ant. Let everything that breathes give praise to the Lord, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm-prayer
Lord God, maker of heaven and earth and of all created things, you make your just ones holy and you justify sinners who confess your name. Hear us as we humbly pray to you: give us eternal joy with your saints.
Ant. Let everything that breathes give praise to the Lord, alleluia.
READING 2 Timothy 2:8, 11-13
Remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, was raised from the dead. You can depend on this:
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.
But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he will still remain faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.
RESPONSORY
We give thanks to you, O God, as we call upon your name.
— We give thanks to you, O God, as we call upon your name.
We cry aloud how marvelous you are,
— as we call upon your name.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
— We give thanks to you, O God, as we call upon your name.
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
Ant. Help us, O Lord, for we are troubled; give the command, O God, and bring us peace.
Luke 1:68-79
The Messiah and his forerunner
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet
of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is no
w,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Ant. Help us, O Lord, for we are troubled; give the command, O God, and bring us peace.
INTERCESSIONS
Open your hearts to praise the God of power and goodness, for he loves us and knows our needs:
We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.
We bless you, almighty God, King of the universe, because you called us while we were yet sinners,
— to acknowledge your truth and to serve your majesty.
We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.
O God, you opened the gates of mercy for us,
— let us never turn aside from the path of life.
We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.
As we celebrate the resurrection of your beloved Son,
— help us to spend this day in the spirit of joy.
We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.
Give to your faithful, O Lord, a prayerful spirit of gratitude,
— that we may thank you for all your gifts.
We praise you, Lord, and trust in you.
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Concluding Prayer
Grant, O Lord,
that we may always revere and love your holy name
for you never deprive of your guidance
those you set firm on the foundation of your love.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.
DISMISSAL
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
— Amen.
From the book of Judges
The call of Gideon
The Israelites offended the Lord, who therefore delivered them into the
power of Midian for seven years, so that Midian held Israel subject. For fear
of Midian the Israelites established the fire signals on the mountains, the
caves for refuge, and the strongholds.The call of Gideon
And it used to be that when the Israelites had completed their sowing, Midian, Amalek and the Kedemites would come up, encamp opposite them, and destroy the produce of the land as far as the outskirts of Gaza, leaving no sustenance in Israel, nor sheep, oxen or asses. For they would come up with their livestock, and their tents would become as numerous as locusts; and neither they nor their camels could be numbered, when they came into the land to lay it waste. Thus was Israel reduced to misery by Midian.
Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. While his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press to save it from the Midianites, the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, O champion!” “My Lord,” Gideon said to him, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are his wondrous deeds of which our fathers told us when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ For now the Lord has abandoned us and has delivered us into the power of Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have and save Israel from the power of Midian. It is I who send you.” But he answered him, “Please, my lord, how can I save Israel? My family is the meanest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.” “I shall be with you,” the Lord said to him, “and you will cut down Midian to the last man.” He answered him, “If I find favor with you, give me a sign that you are speaking with me. Do not depart from here, I pray you, until I come back to you and bring out my offering and set it before you.” He answered, “I will await your return.”
So Gideon went off and prepared a kid and an ephah of flour in the form of unleavened cakes. Putting the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, he brought them out to him under the terebinth and presented them. The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and unleavened cakes and lay them on this rock; then pour out the broth.” When he had done so, the angel of the Lord stretched out the tip of the staff he held, and touched the meat and unleavened cakes. Thereupon a fire came up from the rock which consumed the meat and unleavened cakes, and the angel of the Lord disappeared from sight.
Gideon, now aware that it had been the angel of the Lord, said, “Alas, Lord God, that I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” The Lord answered him, “Be calm, do not fear. You shall not die.”
So Gideon built there an altar to the Lord and called it Yahweh-shalom.
.
Second reading
From a treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr
May your name be hallowed
How merciful the Lord is to us, how kind and richly compassionate! He wished
us to repeat this prayer in God’s sight, to call the Lord our Father and, as
Christ is God’s Son, be called in turn sons of God! None of us would ever have
dared to utter this name unless he himself had allowed us to pray in this way.
And therefore, dear friends, we should bear in mind and realize that when we
call God our Father we ought also to act like sons. If we are pleased to call
him Father, let him in turn be pleased to call us sons.From a treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr
May your name be hallowed
We should live like the temples of God we are, so that it can be seen that God lives in us. No act of ours should be unworthy of the spirit. Now that we have begun to live in heaven and in spirit, all our thoughts and actions should be heavenly and spiritual; for, as the Lord God himself has said: Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be despised. And the blessed Apostle wrote in his letter: You are not your own; you were bought with a great price. So glorify and bear God in your body.
We go on to say, May your name be hallowed. It is not that we think to make God holy by our prayers; rather we are asking God that his name may be made holy in us. Indeed, how could God be made holy, he who is the source of holiness? Still, because he himself said: Be holy, for I am holy, we pray and beseech him that we who have been hallowed in baptism may persevere in what we have begun. And we pray for this every day, for we have need of daily sanctification; sinning every day, we cleanse our faults again and again by constant sanctification.
The apostle Paul instructs us in these words concerning the sanctification which God’s loving kindness confers on us: Neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such indeed you were. But you have been washed, you have been sanctified, you have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. We were sanctified, he says, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. Hence we make our prayer that this sanctification may remain in us. But further, our Lord who is also our judge warns those who have been cured and brought back to life by him to sin no more lest something worse happen to them. Thus we offer constant prayers and beg night and day that this sanctification and new life which is ours by God’s favor may be preserved by his protection.
First reading
From the book of Judges
6:33-40; 7:1-8, 16-22a
Gideon conquers with a smaller army
All Midian and Amalek and the Kedemites mustered and crossed over into the
valley of Jezreel, where they encamped. The spirit of the Lord enveloped
Gideon; he blew the horn that summoned Abiezer to follow him. He sent
messengers, too, throughout Manasseh, which also obeyed his summons; through
Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, likewise, he sent messengers and these tribes
advanced to meet the others.From the book of Judges
6:33-40; 7:1-8, 16-22a
Gideon conquers with a smaller army
Gideon said to God, “If indeed you are going to save Israel through me, as you promised, I am putting this woolen fleece on the threshing floor. If dew comes on the fleece alone, while all the ground is dry, I shall know that you will save Israel through me, as you promised.” That is what took place. Early the next morning he wrung the dew from the fleece, squeezing out of it a bowlful of water. Gideon then said to God, “Do not be angry with me if I speak once more. Let me make just one more test with the fleece. Let the fleece alone be dry, but let there be dew on all the ground.” That night God did so; the fleece alone was dry, but there was dew on all the ground.
Early the next morning Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) encamped by En-harod with all his soldiers. The camp of Midian was in the valley north of Gibeath-hammoreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many soldiers with you for me to deliver Midian into their power, lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, ‘My own power brought me the victory.’ Now proclaim to all the soldiers, ‘If anyone is afraid or fearful, let him leave.’” When Gideon put them to this test on the mountain, twenty-two thousand of the soldiers left, but ten thousand remained. The Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many soldiers. Lead them down to the water and I will test them for you there. If I tell you that a certain man is to go with you, he must go with you. But no one is to go if I tell you he must not.” When Gideon led the soldiers down to the water, the Lord said to him, “You shall set to one side everyone who laps up the water as a dog does with its tongue; to the other, everyone who kneels down to drink.” Those who lapped up the water raised to their mouths by hand numbered three hundred, but all the rest of the soldiers knelt down to drink the water.
The Lord said to Gideon, “By means of the three hundred who lapped up the water I will save you and will deliver Midian into your power. So let all the other soldiers go home.” Their horns, and such supplies as the soldiers had with them, were taken up, and Gideon ordered the rest of the Israelites to their tents, but kept the three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
He divided the three hundred men into three companies, and provided them all with horns and with empty jars and torches inside the jars. “Watch me and follow my lead,” he told them. “I shall go to the edge of the camp, and as I do, you must do also. When I and those with me blow horns, you too must blow horns all around the camp and cry out, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the posting of the guards. They blew the horns and broke the jars they were holding. All three companies blew horns and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hands, and in their right the horns they were blowing, and cried out, “A sword for the Lord and Gideon!” They all remained standing in place around the camp, while the whole camp fell to running and shouting and fleeing. But the three hundred men kept blowing the horns, and throughout the camp the Lord set the sword of one against another.
Second reading
From a treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr
Your kingdom come. Your will be done
The prayer continues: Your kingdom come. We pray that God’s kingdom
will become present for us in the same way that we ask for his name to be
hallowed among us. For when does God not reign, when could there be in him a
beginning of what always was and what will never cease to be? What we pray for
is that the kingdom promised to us by God will come, the kingdom won by
Christ’s blood and passion. Then we who formerly were slaves in this world will
reign from now on under the dominion of Christ, in accordance with his promise:
Come, O blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom which was prepared for
you from the foundation of the world.From a treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr
Your kingdom come. Your will be done
However, my dear friends, it could also be that the kingdom of God whose coming we daily wish for is Christ himself, since it is his coming that we long for. He is our resurrection, since we rise again in him; so too he can be thought of as the kingdom of God because we are to reign in him. And it is good that we pray for God’s kingdom; for though it is a heavenly kingdom, it is also an earthly one. But those who have already renounced the world are made greater by holding positions of authority in that kingdom.
After this we add: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven; we pray not that God should do his will, but that we may carry out his will. How could anyone prevent the Lord from doing what he wills? But in our prayer we ask that God’s will be done in us, because the devil throws up obstacles to prevent our mind and our conduct from obeying God in all things. So if his will is to be done in us we have need of his will, that is, his help and protection. No one can be strong by his own strength or secure save by God’s mercy and forgiveness. Even the Lord, to show the weakness of the human nature which he bore, said: Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, and then, by way of giving example to his disciples that they should do God’s will and not their own, he added: Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.
All Christ did, all he taught, was the will of God. Humility in our daily lives, an unwavering faith, a moral sense of modesty in conversation, justice in acts, mercy in deed, discipline, refusal to harm others, a readiness to suffer harm, peaceableness with our brothers, a wholehearted love of the Lord, loving in him what is of the Father, fearing him because he is God, preferring nothing to him who preferred nothing to us, clinging tenaciously to his love, standing by his cross with loyalty and courage whenever there is any conflict involving his honor and his name, manifesting in our speech the constancy of our profession and under torture confidence for the fight, and in dying the endurance for which we will be crowned—this is what it means to wish to be a coheir with Christ, to keep God’s command; this is what it means to do the will of the Father.
First reading
From the book of Judges
The Israelites then said to Gideon, “Rule over us — you, your son, and your
son’s son — for you rescued us from the power of Midian.” But Gideon answered
them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you. The Lord must
rule over you.”From the book of Judges
Now Gideon had seventy sons, his direct descendants, for he had many wives. His concubine who lived in Shechem also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech. At a good old age Gideon, son of Joash, died and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Abimelech, son of Jerubbaal, went to his mother’s kinsmen in Shechem, and said to them and to the whole clan to which his mother’s family belonged, “Put this question to all the citizens of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you: that seventy men, or all Jerubbaal’s sons, rule over you, or that one man rule over you?’ You must remember that I am your own flesh and bone.” When his mother’s kin repeated these words to them on his behalf, all the citizens of Shechem sympathized with Abimelech, thinking, “He is our kinsman.” They also gave him seventy silver shekels from the temple of Baal of Berith, with which Abimelech hired shiftless men and ruffians as his followers.
He then went to his ancestral house in Ophrah, and slew his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. Only the youngest son of Jerubbaal, Jotham, escaped, for he was hidden. Then all the citizens of Shechem and all Beth-millo came together and proceeded to make Abimelech king by the terebinth at the memorial pillar in Shechem.
When this was reported to him, Jotham went to the top of Mount Gerizim, and standing there, cried out to them in a loud voice: “Hear me, citizens of Shechem, that God may then hear you! Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves. So they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ But the olive tree answered them, ‘Must I give up my rich oil, whereby men and gods are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’ “Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come; you reign over us!’ But the fig tree answered them, ‘Must I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees?’
“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come you, and reign over us.’ But the vine answered them, ‘Must I give up my wine that cheers gods and men, and go to wave over the trees?’
“Then all the trees said to the buckthorn, ‘Come; you reign over us!’ But the buckthorn replied to the trees, ‘If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith, come and take refuge in my shadow. Otherwise, let fire come from the buckthorn and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
“If, then, you have acted in good faith and with honor toward Jerubbaal and his family this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he in turn rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come forth from Abimelech to devour the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and let fire come forth from the citizens and from Beth-millo to devour Abimelech.”
Second reading
From a treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr
After the gift of bread we ask pardon for our sins
As the Lord’s Prayer continues, we ask: Give us this day our daily bread.
We can understand this petition in a spiritual and in a literal sense. For in
the divine plan both senses may help toward our salvation. For Christ is the
bread of life; this bread does not belong to everyone, but is ours alone. When
we say, our Father, we understand that he is the father of those who know him
and believe in him. In the same way we speak of our daily bread, because Christ
is the bread of those who touch his body.From a treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr
After the gift of bread we ask pardon for our sins
Now, we who live in Christ and receive his eucharist, the food of salvation, ask for this bread to be given us every day. Otherwise we may be forced to abstain from this communion because of some serious sin. In this way we shall be separated from the body of Christ, as he taught us in the words: I am the bread of life which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats my bread will live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. Christ is saying, then, that anyone who eats his bread will live for ever. Clearly they possess life who approach his body and share in the Eucharistic communion. For this reason we should be apprehensive and pray that no one has to abstain from this communion, lest he be separated from the body of Christ and be far from salvation. Christ has warned of this: If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood you will have no life in you. We pray for our daily bread, Christ, to be given to us. With his help, we who live and abide in him will never be separated from his body and his grace.
After this we ask pardon for our sins, in the words: and forgive us our trespasses. The gift of bread is followed by a prayer for forgiveness. To be reminded that we are sinners and forced to ask forgiveness for our faults is prudent and sound. Even while we are asking God’s forgiveness, our hearts are aware of our state! This command to pray daily for our sins reminds us that we commit sin every day. No one should complacently think himself innocent, lest his pride lead to further sin. Such is the warning that John gives us in his letter: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, the Lord is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins. His letter includes both points, that we should beg for forgiveness for our sins, and that we receive pardon when we do. He calls the Lord faithful, because he remains loyal to his promise, by forgiving us our sins. He both taught us to pray for our sins and our faults, and also promised to show us a father’s mercy and forgiveness.
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