Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 122

Reading I

Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b

Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,
summoning their elders, their leaders,
their judges, and their officers. 
When they stood in ranks before God,
Joshua addressed all the people:
“If it does not please you to serve the LORD,
decide today whom you will serve,
the gods your fathers served beyond the River
or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling. 
As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

But the people answered,
“Far be it from us to forsake the LORD
for the service of other gods. 
For it was the LORD, our God,
who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt,
out of a state of slavery. 
He performed those great miracles before our very eyes
and protected us along our entire journey
and among the peoples through whom we passed. 
Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”

 

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

R. (9a)  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
       his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
       the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The LORD has eyes for the just,
       and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
       to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
       and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
       and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Many are the troubles of the just one,
       but out of them all the LORD delivers him;
he watches over all his bones;
      not one of them shall be broken.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading II

Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32

Brothers and sisters:
Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. 
Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of his wife
just as Christ is head of the church,
he himself the savior of the body. 
As the church is subordinate to Christ,
so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the church
and handed himself over for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the church in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish. 
So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. 
He who loves his wife loves himself. 
For no one hates his own flesh
but rather nourishes and cherishes it, 
even as Christ does the church,
because we are members of his body.
    For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother
        and be joined to his wife,
    and the two shall become one flesh.
This is a great mystery,
but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.

 

Alleluia

Jn 6:63c, 68c

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

 

 

Gospel

Jn 6:60-69

Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending
to where he was before? 
It is the spirit that gives life,
while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him. 
And he said,
“For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” 
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? 
You have the words of eternal life. 
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

Just as Joshua presented the Israelites with a choice regarding whom they were to serve, we have also been presented with the same choice. It can be viewed as a sort of challenge; a test regarding how important our relationship with God actually is. It is formulated in a way to make us think about the relationship and how we as Christians are to approach God in our daily lives. How much time do we spend thinking about Him? How much time do we spend in conversation with Him? How much importance is given to Him when we are making decisions? These questions should be asked daily and should make up what is known as an examination of conscious. Where we find ourselves lacking is where we can then concentrate a greater effort until these areas are strengthened. Constant maintenance is the key to a more fulfilling life and one that is guided by God and not by us. The Israelites answered in the affirmative when they were asked if they would follow God. Even though this was the case it was not long after the death of Joshua that they disobeyed Him and started to drift away. With that they suffered. We too must always be aware of the consequences if we too follow suite and drift away from God.

There is good in everyone. It is impossible not to be in possession of good because we were all created out of love by God. It is what we do with that good which will be the key indicator of how it will benefit us or not. All of us are in constant danger of it being buried under a pile of dirt and debris as a result of us choosing bad things instead of things that originated from God. Every day will be filled with choices which will impact our experiences and our relationship with Him. The more we choose God then the easier the choices will be to make with the positive results becoming more evident. Old habits that brought us bad results can be broken and replaced with good ones that will benefit us throughout our lives.

Putting God first means that we have surrendered our will back to Him. We are no longer in control. This action takes strength and courage yet provides almost immediate relief. These characteristics are hallmarks of being a Christian. They also go directly against the expectations of society. When we put God first we put ourselves last regarding not only Him but also the needs and wants of all of our brothers and sisters. Acting on earthly desires is replaced with a selflessness that enables us to be free from the control of the temptation. When all those within the community conduct themselves in such a way then there is harmony and joy. The Apostle Paul presents this in His letter today. Being subordinate to one another puts Jesus Christ above everyone and everything. With no ulterior motives there becomes a shared existence with Jesus as the predominant force. Those who struggle against this manner of living immediately become noticed and either their actions are corrected as a result or they slowly detach themselves from the community thus also from God. It is a voluntary action of dismissal that involves an independent choice revealed through actions. The consequences are self-created and must be corrected if one is to remain. At the center of this is always love and it is through love that the right choice are realized. There is no need to lord over one another or force any action.

In the Gospel Reading today Jesus just challenged His followers, revealing that in order to receive eternal life they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood; a foreshadowing of the Eucharist. There were many who could not accept what He said and walked away. There were no miracles and no divine revelation that could bring them back. They were presented with a truth that they could not understand nor accept. In reaction to this they abandoned Him. This is a struggle that epitomizes the war between the flesh and the spirit. There are truths that are grounded in spirituality and go against everything that we have seen and heard in the physical world. God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. When doubt creeps in it usually has its roots in the physical where, possibly unbeknownst to us at the time, we just might be trying to seize back our will. Who are we to deny something that is coming from God? The evidence of God is around us. He has been at work in our lives and we ourselves are the most powerful evidence of this yet we can so readily step forward to deny ourselves and the work He has done. Just like His followers before, no miracles or revelation will be enough to change our minds. We have seized our will back; attempting to be gods ourselves instead of His children.

Jesus presents us with a choice that we will always have. We can accept Him and journey towards the Father guided by The Love of God or we can deny Him and just walk away. The reality is there nothing forcing us to accept what He is offering. He really has nothing to prove and really doesn’t benefit depending on what choice we make. He is kind of in the ultimate position where the choice we make either benefits us completely or destroys us completely. What He is doing is making an offer to us: He has the truth and He wants to give it to us because He loves us completely. This truth is for us. To take it means that we have joined ourselves to Him and we have the ability to be completely transformed as a result. The only struggle present is the one we might encounter because there is always the allure of not putting Him first. I can safely say that most, if not all of us, have experienced a time in our lives where He wasn’t first. With that in mind, the choice really isn’t a struggle at all….Is it?

 

Deacon Tom

Woman, child dead after incident at North Andover home, I-Team sources say

 

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 119

Reading 1 Prv 9:1-6

Wisdom has built her house,
she has set up her seven columns;
she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine,
yes, she has spread her table.
She has sent out her maidens; she calls
from the heights out over the city:
"Let whoever is simple turn in here;
To the one who lacks understanding, she says,
Come, eat of my food,
and drink of the wine I have mixed!
Forsake foolishness that you may live;
advance in the way of understanding."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 Eph 5:15-20

Brothers and sisters:
Watch carefully how you live,
not as foolish persons but as wise,
making the most of the opportunity,
because the days are evil.
Therefore, do not continue in ignorance,
but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.
And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit,
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts,
giving thanks always and for everything
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

Alleluia Jn 6:56

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowds:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

 From the moment that we were conceived in our mother’s womb God has offered us everything without conditions or price. As the reading from the Book of Wisdom indicates, all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding is spread out before us like a banquet feast. We are invited to feast and enjoy on what is given. In contrast to the physical world, when we do eat, we will not become satisfied but only yearn for more of the pure things that are offered. The more we partake in what is provided, the more joy and wantonness we will encounter. This is a promise from God and a vision of all of the good things to come in a right relationship with Him. He does not only invite but pleads for us to go to Him and surrender everything to Him. He truly does have all the answers if only we dedicate our lives to search for them. Is there really a choice in the matter when things are put into perspective: A life in a relationship with Our Father who created us with pure love or a life separated from Him?

 

Jesus Christ reveals that an even deeper, intimate relationship is possible through the Eucharist. He explains how we can be nurtured mentally and spiritually through His Word and His Body and Blood by listening to what He says and partaking in the Eucharist which is truly His Body and Blood. When we come forward and are open to this reception we are then fully united with Him physically, mentally, and spiritually. The experience of Him inside us brings our relationship and union with Him to a perfect level. In that moment, everything that is imperfect within us is transformed into perfection. It becomes a moment in time where everything is as it should be. It also provides a window into our future state of being when the physical no longer matters and the spiritual becomes who we are in unison with our Creator for eternity.

 

God loves us so much that we are asked to call Him Father. It is through Jesus Christ that we enter into the experience of the Holy Trinity: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. The relationship of the three consumes us and molds us into a perfect creation. Through the Eucharist, this can be seen and felt. Living this experience in the present then allows us to witness God’s Creation in a way that He wanted us to live it in the first place. We can then be partakers in His Will instead of our own thoughts and desires that are defective in the first place; leading us into imperfection and disordered desires.

 

Paul urges us to be filled with the spirit instead of that which is offered in the world and tempts us to focus on physical satisfaction. That which is spiritual has no limitations while the temptations of the flesh limit us in every possible way and dull our relationship with God. In our brokenness there is always the danger of settling for less which encompasses everything that we see, feel, touch, smell, and taste. When we immerse ourselves in our spiritual side then all of these things take on a higher dimension because God is fully engaged and involved. It is then that we can become godlike because we are His children.

 

All that Jesus has revealed through His Word and the Eucharist is a revelation to what He wants for us. It offers a map to joy and contentment with us and His creation. Submission to Him and uniting ourselves to Him raises us up to new heights. What we experience there is much viewing the world from the highest mountain: everything is displayed in all of its perfection and majesty.

 

Deacon Tom

 

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mass during the Day

Lectionary: 622

Reading 1

Rv 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB

God’s temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One.”

Responsorial Psalm

PS 45:10, 11, 12, 16

R. (10bc)  The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

Reading II

1 Cor 15:20-27

Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for “he subjected everything under his feet.”

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Mary is taken up to heaven;
a chorus of angels exults.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

LK 1:39-56

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

Today we celebrate a very special Feast Day within the Church. A Feast Day is a time when a particular saint or event is recognized. A Solemnity is a very high feast day. Today, Thursday August 15^th, happens to be The Assumption of Mary. Today we celebrate the fact that The Blessed Virgin Mary was assumed into Heaven with full body and soul, just as Jesus ascended into Heaven. This story has been spoken about for over two thousand years and documented in many historical writings throughout the world. It is there that Mary remains with her beloved Son and our savior Jesus Christ.

 

We are given a vision of Mary’s majesty in the Book of Revelation where she is

 

“clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”

 

Behind her is Heaven while under her is all of God’s creation. The twelve stars of her crown can represent many things including the Twelve Apostles and The Twelve Tribes of Israel. Them being in the form of a crown gives her a special place in Heaven as well as in our Salvation Story, her being The Mother of God. She thus becomes the mother of us all, since we are indeed Children of God.

 

We are reminded in the Gospel Reading today that Mary is blessed among women, being put above anyone in God’s creation that came before and that will come afterwards. The words of the Angel Gabriel in his greeting to her, “Hail favored one, the Lord is with you,”  elevates Mary even higher This type of greeting is only given from someone who is of a lesser state to a person of a greater title, thus Mary is further raised to a position above the angels. She is also without sin, for she is already with God and has been prepared to be the vessel for The Incarnation, the Word becoming Flesh.

 

So, what does this all mean in relation to us? To have our faith have an impact on our lives, we must understand our faith. It is through this understanding that our relationship with God can deepen. Then we can be open to His love for us and for the influence He can have in our lives. One of the ways of getting to Know God is through the relationship He has with His Son, and Jesus’s Mother. This is the type of relationship God wants with us: pure love and pure knowing. Neither can be achieved without the other.

 

Recognizing Mary as our mother and asking for her help and prayers, gives us a powerful intercessor. She can speak to her Son on our behalf, and it is through the love that Jesus has for her that our love for Him can be strengthened. Just like in life, strength in numbers is a good thing. When it comes to spirituality, the more prayers the better. We need to use all of our relationships if we are to live a joyous life. This includes our spiritual ones. Asking the Mother of God to pray for us can lead only to good things. She is there with Jesus, loving us and watching over us.

 

Deacon Tom