Posted on 07/18/2015 8:07:36 PM PDT by Salvation
The apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,
Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
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From: Jeremiah 23:1-6
[1] “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!”
says the LORD. [2] Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concer-
ning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock, and
have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend
to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. [3] Then I will gather the remnant of
my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them
back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. [4] I will set shepherds
over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed,
neither shall any be missing, says the LORD.
The future king
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
23:1-8. The previous chapters (21:1-22:30) announced the exile to come, and
come it did, on account of the kings’ failure to keep the Covenant. The kings, in
chronological order, were the subject of the various oracles. Now Jeremiah, loo-
king to the future, uses the image of shepherds to proclaim a new era in which
God himself will be the shepherd-ruler of his people (vv. 1-4); he will raise up a
new king who will govern justly (vv. 5-6); and the new situation that will develop
after the return from exile will be more glorious than that of the period after the
exodus from Egypt (vv. 7-8). Bl. John Paul II refers to this oracle to stress that
the new people of God, the Church, will always have pastors to guide it: “In
these words from the prophet Jeremiah, God promises his people that he will ne-
ver leave them without shepherds to father them together and guide them: ‘I will
set shepherds over them [my sheep] who will care for them, and they shall fear
no more, nor be dismayed’ (Jer 23:4). The Church, the people of God, constantly
experiences the reality of the prophetic message and continues joyfully to thank
God for it. She knows that Jesus Christ himself is the living, supreme and defini-
tive fulfillment of God’s promise: ‘I am the good shepherd’ (Jn 10:11). He, ‘the
great shepherd of the sheep’ (Heb 13:20), entrusted to the apostles and their
successors the ministry of shepherding God’s flock (cf. Jn 21:15ff; 1 Pet 5:2)”
(Pastores dabo vobis, 1).
23:5-6. The promise of the new king is the key to understanding Jeremiah’s
thought. The passage is repeated (with slight variations) in 33:15-16. “The days
are coming”, a phrase often found in oracles of salvation, is a reference to the
End time, but sometimes it can mean the return from exile. The “righteous
branch”, meaning the future king, will eventually become a technical term for the
Messiah, in both Zechariah (Zech 3:8; 6:12) and the New Testament (cf. Lk 1:78):
he is “righteous”, he shall “executeâ¦righteousness” and he will be called “the
Lord in our righteousness”. All this insistence on justice and right indicates, first-
ly, that Jeremiah wants to justify the accession of Zedekiah, whose name means
“justice of the Lord”; but he also wants to show that the future Messiah will be
David’s legal, legitimate descendant: the Lord guarantees this by calling him a
“righteous” that is “legitimate”, branch. And the main message, of course, is that
in the new era justice will reign and there will be peace and security; it will be the
time of definitive salvation.
Thus, Jeremiah is proclaiming the coming of a descendant of David who will bring
about a new era of prosperity and salvation. Jeremiah is the last prophet, in order
of time, to proclaim a Messiah King, an intermediary between God and his people.
At the same time, he is also promising direct intervention by God.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Ephesians 2:13-18
Reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles in Christ
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
11-22. What is the significance of the calling of the Gentiles to the Church?
Their previous situation, separated from Christ (vv. 11-12), has undergone radical
change as a result of the Redemption Christ achieved on the Cross: that action
has, on the one hand, brought the two peoples together (made peace between
them: vv. 13-15) and, on the other, it has reconciled them with God, whose ene-
my each was (w. 16-18). The Redemption has given rise to the Church, which St
Paul here describes as a holy temple built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets (vv. 19-22).
14-15. “He is our peace”: through his death on the cross Christ has abolished
the division of mankind into Jews and Gentiles. The Gentiles, who had been far
away from God, from his covenant and from his promises (cf. v. 12), are now on
a par with the Jews: they share in the New Covenant that has been sealed with
the blood of Christ. That is why he is “our peace”. In him all men find that soli-
darity they yearned for, because, through his obedient self-sacrifice unto death,
Christ has made up for the disobedience of Adam, which had been the cause of
human strife and division (cf. Gen 3-4). “Christ, the Word made flesh, the prince
of peace, reconciled all men to God by the cross, and, restoring the unity of all
in one people and one body, he abolished hatred in his own flesh (cf. Eph 2:16;
Col 1:20-22) and, having been lifted up through his resurrection, he poured forth
the Spirit of love into the hearts of men” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 78).
God’s plan to attract mankind to himself and to reestablish peace included the
election of the Jewish people, from whom the Messiah would be born; and in
that Messiah all the nations of the world would be blessed (cf. Gen 11:3). He
is in fact called “prince of peace” (Is 9:6; cf. Mic 5:4). However, many Jews had
come to regard their election in such a narrow-minded way that they saw it as
creating a permanent barrier between themselves and the Gentiles. Some rabbis
of our Lord’s time despised and even hated the Gentiles. The separation between
the two peoples was reflected in the temple wall which divided the court of the
Gentiles from the rest of the sacred precincts (cf. Acts 21:28). The real roots of
the separation lay in Jewish pride at being the only ones to have the Law of God
and keep it by scrupulous attention to countless legal niceties.
By his death on the cross Jesus Christ has broken down the barriers dividing
Jews from Gentiles and also those which kept man and God apart. St Paul says
this metaphorically when he says that Christ “has broken down the dividing wall,”
referring to the wall in the temple. But he is not resorting to metaphor when he
says that Christ abolished “in his flesh the law of commandments and ordi-
nances”. Christ, through his obedience to the Father unto death (cf. Phil 2:8),
has brought the Law to fulfillment (cf. Mt 5:17 and note on Mt 5:17-19); he has
become, for all mankind, the way to the Father. The Law of the Old Testament,
although it was something good and holy, also created an unbridgeable gap be-
tween God and man, because man, on his own, was incapable of keeping the
Law (cf. notes on Gal 3:19-20; 3:21-25; and Acts 15:7-11). Christ, through grace,
has created a new man who can keep the very essence of the Law — obedience
and love.
The “new man” of whom St Paul speaks here is Jesus Christ himself, who
stands for both Jews and Gentiles, because he is the new Adam, the head of a
new mankind: the “new man”, St Thomas Aquinas explains, “refers to Christ him-
self, who is called ‘new man’ because of the new form his conception took, ...the
newness of the grace which he extends ..., and the new commandment which
he brings” (”Commentary on Eph, ad loc.”).
By taking human nature and bringing about our redemption, the Son of God has
become the cause of salvation for all, without any distinction between Jew and
Greek, slave and free, male and female (cf. Gal 3:28): only through Christ’s grace
can peace be achieved and all differences overcome. Bl. John XXIII explains this
in his encyclical “Pacem In Terris”: peace is “such a noble and elevated task
that human resources, even though inspired by the most praiseworthy goodwill,
cannot bring it to realization alone. In order that human society may reflect as
faithfully as possible the Kingdom of God, help from on high is necessary. For
this reason, during these sacred days our supplication is raised with greater fer-
vor towards him who by his painful passion and death overcame sin—the root of
discord and the source of sorrows and inequalities—and by his blood reconciled
mankind to the Eternal Father: ‘For he is our peace, who has made us both one’.”
16. Through his death on the cross, Jesus Christ reestablishes man’s friendship
with God, which sin had destroyed. Pope John Paul suggests that “With our
eyes fixed on the mystery of Golgotha we should be reminded always of that
‘vertical’ dimension of division and reconciliation concerning the relationship be-
tween man and God, a dimension which in the eyes of faith always prevails over
the ‘horizontal’ dimension, that is to say, over the reality of division between peo-
ple and the need for reconciliation between them. For we know that reconciliation
between people is and can only be the fruit of the redemptive act of Christ, who
died and rose again to conquer the kingdom of sin, to reestablish the covenant
with God and thus break down the dividing wall which sin had raised up between
people” (”Reconciliatio Et Paenitentia”, 7). Redemption therefore brings about
our reconciliation with God (cf. Rom 5:10-2 Cor 5:18) and it affects everyone,
Gentiles as well as Jews, and all creation (cf. Col 1:20). This reconciliation is
achieved in the physical body of Christ sacrificed on the cross (cf. Col 1:22) and
also in his mystical body, in which Christ convokes and assembles all whom he
has reconciled with God by his redemptive sacrifice (cf. 1 Cor 12:13ff). The words
“in one body” can be taken in two senses—as referring to Christ’s physical body
on the cross and to his mystical body, the Church.
The sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ, “the memorial of the death and
resurrection of the Lord, in which the Sacrifice of the cross is forever perpetuated,
is the summit and the source of all worship and Christian life. By means of it the
unity of the body of Christ is signified and brought about, and the building up of
the body of Christ is perfected” (Code of Canon Law, can. 897).
18. Prior to Christ’s coming, man was excluded from the Father’s house, living
like a slave rather than a son (cf. Gal 4:1-5). But in the fullness of time God sent
his Son to give us the spirit of sonship that enables us to call God our Father (cf.
note on Rom 8:15-17).
“The way that leads to the throne of grace would be closed to sinners had Christ
not opened the gate. That is what he does: he opens the gate, leads us to the
Father, and by the merits of his passion obtains from the Father forgiveness of
our sins and all those graces God bestows on us” (St Alphonsus, “Thoughts on
the Passion”, 10, 4).
Here we see the part played by the Holy Spirit in the work of salvation decreed
by the Father and carried out by the Son. The words “in one Spirit”, as well as
identifying the access route to the Father, also imply two basic facts: on the
one hand, that the mysterious union which binds Christians together is caused
by the action of the Holy Spirit who acts in them; on the other, that this same
Holy Spirit, inseparable from the Son (and from the Father) because they con-
stitute the same divine nature, is always present and continually active in the
Church, the mystical body of Christ. “When the work which the Father gave the
Son to do on earth (cf. In 17:4) was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on
the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church,
and that, consequently, those who believe might have access through Christ in
one Spirit to the Father (cf. Eph 2:18). [...] Hence the universal Church is seen
to be ‘a people brought into unity from the unity of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit’ (cf. St Cyprian, “De Oratione Dominica”, 23)” (Vatican II, “Lumen
Gentium”, 4).
Christ has brought about salvation, and, to enable all to appropriate that salva-
tions he calls them to form part of his body, which is the Church. The Holy Spirit
is, as it were, the soul of this mystical body; it is he who gives it life and unites
all its members. “If Christ is the head of the Church, the Holy Spirit is its soul:
‘As the soul is in our body, so the Holy Spirit is in the body of Christ, that is, the
Church’ (St Augustine, “Sermon 187”)” (Leo XIII, “Divinum Illud Munus”, 8). The
Holy Spirit is inseparably united to the Church, for St Irenaeus says, “where the
Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God is, there is the
Church and the fullness of grace” (”Against Heresies”, III, 24).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Mark 6:30-34
The Apostles Return
First Miracles of the Loaves
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
30-31. We can see here the intensity of Jesus’ public ministry. Such was His
dedication to souls that St. Mark twice mentions that the disciples did not even
have time to eat (cf. Mark 3:20). A Christian should be ready to sacrifice his
time and even his rest in the service of the Gospel. This attitude of availability
will lead us to change our plans whenever the good of souls so requires.
But Jesus also teaches us here to have common sense and not to go to such
extremes that we physically cannot cope: “The Lord makes His disciples rest,
to show those in charge that people who work or preach cannot do so without
breaks” (St. Bede, “In Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc.”). “He who pledges
himself to work for Christ should never have a free moment, because to rest is
not to do nothing: it is to relax in activities which demand less effort” (St. J.
Escriva, “The Way”, 357).
34. Our Lord had planned a period of rest, for Himself and His disciples, from the
pressures of the apostolate (Mark 6:31-32). And He has to change His plans be-
cause so many people come, eager to hear Him speak. Not only is He not an-
noyed with them: He feels compassion on seeing their spiritual need. “My peo-
ple are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). They need instruction and
our Lord wants to meet this need by preaching to them. “Jesus is moved by
hunger and sorrow, but what moves Him most is ignorance” (St. J. Escriva,
“Christ Is Passing By”, 109).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
First reading | Jeremiah 23:1-6 © |
---|
Psalm | Psalm 22:1-6 © |
---|
Second reading |
---|
Ephesians 2:13-18 © |
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:27 |
---|
Gospel | Mark 6:30-34 © |
---|
Why Boko Haram and ISIS Target Women
Report reveals scale of Boko Haram violence inflicted on Nigerian Catholics
Military evacuating girls, women rescued from Boko Haram
Echos of Lepanto Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Harm
After vision of Christ, Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Haram (Catholic Caucus)
Nigerian Bishop Says Christ Showed Him How to Beat Islamic Terror Group
Beautiful readings; so much scripture embedded in the Mass.
Even more than just the Liturgy of the Word. Most people don’t realize how much of the Mass is Scripture.
We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.
The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: 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. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.
The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]
St. Michael the Archangel
~ PRAYER ~
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+
PLEASE JOIN US - Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?
There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Please forward this to your praying friends.
A Prayer for PriestsO my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful; to those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may grasp it as their support. In the great ocean of Your mercy, lift those poor unfortunate ones who have fallen, that being engulfed therein they may receive the grace to return to Your Great Loving Heart. Amen. Precious Blood of Jesus, protect them!
The Most Precious Blood of Jesus
July is traditionally associated with the Precious Blood of Our Lord. It may be customary to celebrate the votive Mass of the Precious Blood on July 1.
The extraordinary importance of the saving Blood of Christ has ensured a central place for its memorial in the celebration of this cultic mystery: at the centre of the Eucharistic assembly, in which the Church raises up to God in thanksgiving "the cup of blessing" (1 Cor 10, 16; cf Ps 115-116, 13) and offers it to the faithful as a "real communion with the Blood of Christ" (1 Cor 10, 16); and throughout the Liturgical Year. The Church celebrates the saving Blood of Christ not only on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, but also on many other occasions, such that the cultic remembrance of the Blood of our redemption (cf 1 Pt 1, 18) pervades the entire Liturgical Year. Hence, at Vespers during Christmastide, the Church, addressing Christ, sings: "Nos quoque, qui sancto tuo redempti sumus sanguine, ob diem natalis tui hymnum novum concinimus." In the Paschal Triduum, the redemptive significance and efficacy of the Blood of Christ is continuously recalled in adoration. During the adoration of the Cross on Good Friday the Church sings the hymn: "Mite corpus perforatur, sanguis unde profluit; terra, pontus, astra, mundus quo lavanturflumine", and again on Easter Sunday, "Cuius corpus sanctissimum in ara crucis torridum, sed et cruorem roesum gustando, Deo vivimus (194).
Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, 09-25-12
ST. GASPAR: Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood
Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (London, 9/18)
Devotion to the Drops of Blood Lost by our Lord Jesus Christ on His Way to Calvary (Prayer/Devotion)
Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
Catholic Word of the Day: PRECIOUS BLOOD, 12-03-11
The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Catholic Caucus)
Devotion to the Precious Blood
DOCTRINE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And More on the Precious Blood
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
NOTHING IS MORE POTENT AGAINST EVIL THAN PLEADING THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
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