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From: Amos 3:1-8, 4:11-12
Election and punishment of Israel
The prophet, a messenger of the Lord
The Lords warnings have gone unheeded
[12] Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel!
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Commentary:
3:1-6:14. The second (and longest) part of the book contains denunciations of
Israel and predictions about how her sins will be punished. It consists of three
oracles, each beginning with Hear this word . . . (3:1; 4:1; 5:1), and three others
containing the words O you . . . or Woe to you (5:7, 18; 6:1). In terms of con-
tent, all these oracles are a development of the oracle against Israel that closed
the previous section (2:6-16).
This part begins with a new interpretation of the meaning of Gods choice of Israel.
The oracles are about that election. The Israelites think that their pilgrimages to
the popular shrines of Bethel and Gilgal (where they make voluntary offerings and
give tithes, 4:4-5, and assemble for festivals, 5:21-25) mean that they have ful-
filled their religious duties and are in a good standing before God. They are living
in prosperous times: what better proof that God is pleased with them. Material
prosperity was more marked in Israel than in Judah, but, still, life was reasonably
good under Uzziah. However, this material well-being went hand in hand with
social injustice — oppression of the poor and needy, and a contradiction between
formal religious acts and personal morality.
This is the context in which Amos preaches and utters his prophetic denounce-
ments: quite a lot of people are getting richer, but the ranks of the poor are being
swelled all the time; the rich and powerful are exploiting the poor, and are refusing
them justice; attendance at religious ceremonies in Bethel and Gilgal (schismatic
sanctuaries, for the temple of Jerusalem was the only proper place of worship) did
not affect peoples hearts; it did not provoke them to resolve to amend their lives;
they were deceiving themselves, trusting in God without having grounds for doing
so, and believed (wrongly) that they were absolved from their sins.
3:1-8. Gods choice of Israel is very vividly described here. Amos does not use the
term covenant or steadfast love to describe Gods attitude towards Israel (those
are terms often found in other prophetical texts); but he does make it clear that the
Lords commitment to his people is a single-minded one: You only have I known
of all the families of the earth (v. 2). This election means that Israel has special
duties towards God — and that God takes special care of Israel (cf. v. 3). And so
St Jerome comments on the verse as follows: You only I have known of all the
people of the earth; therefore I will visit your iniquities upon you (cf. Amos 3:2):
For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he
receives (Heb 12:6). God says that I will visit, not I will punish, for the coming of
the Lord is both punishment and cure; and, he says, I will visit all of their iniquities:
all shall be chastised and none shall remain uncured (Commentarii in Amos, 3,
1-2).
A little further on, this teaching is rounded off with a sapiential consideration (vv.
3-8). The Lord addresses Israel by means of his prophets. All events have a
cause that one cannot perceive, but they do point to their cause: when two peo-
ple go walking together it is a sign that they have previously arranged to do so
(v. 3); the roar of the lion shows that he has caught his prey or is about to do so
(v. 4), etc. So, the conclusion to be drawn is clear (cf. v. 8): if Amos is prophe-
sying, he is doing so because the Lord has spoken and man must take heed.
In a way, this verse is a kind of parallel to what Amos says to the priest of Bethel
(cf. 7:14-15): it is the Lord who has sent him to prophesy; God is the one who
has taken the initiative: The literal meaning of these words is as follows: If all
the animals of the earth are terrified and tremble at the sound of the lions roar,
how can we not prophesy when the Lord bids us speak and tell the people of the
torments that await them? (St Jerome, Commentarii in Amos, 3, 3-8).
4:6-12. This oracle has a regular rhythm to it — each of the Lords actions ends
with the sort of refrain you find in a poem: ... yet you did not return to me, says
the Lord (vv. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11). The actions taken by the Lord (withdrawing food,
drought, blight, destruction of cities) are reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt; but,
most of all, they demonstrate the Lords sovereignty over nature. This is the same
message as is contained in the doxologies: God, the Lord of Israel, is the only
one who has power over all creation: no Baal, no Canaanite god, has any such
power. The point is also made that the punishment sent by God is aimed at
bringing about the peoples conversion. When they saw all these awful things
happen, the Israelites should have had a change of heart. But they did not:
Israels sin is that of pride and self-sufficiency; therefore, it is time to get ready
for judgment and punishment (v. 12; cf. 3:1).
*********************************************************************************************
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: Matthew 8:23-27
The Calming of the Storm
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
23-27. This remarkable miracle left a deep impression on Jesus’ disciples, as
can be seen from the fact that the first three evangelists all report it. Christian
Tradition has applied this miracle in various ways to the life of the Church and
the experience of the individual soul. From earliest times Christian art and lite-
rature have seen the boat as representing the Church, which also has to make
its way around hazards which threaten to capsize it. Indeed, very early on,
Christians were persecuted in various ways by Jews of their time, and were
misunderstood by the public opinion of a pagan society—which also began to
persecute them. Jesus’ sleeping through the storm has been applied to the fact
that sometimes God seems not to come to the Church’s rescue during persecu-
tion. Following the example of the Apostles in the boat, Christians should seek
Jesus’ help, borrowing their words, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing”. Then,
when it seems we can bear it no longer, Jesus shows His power: “He rose and
rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm”—but first rebuking
us for being men of little faith. Quite often Gospel accounts are meant to serve
as examples to us: they epitomize the future history of the Church and of the
individual Christian soul.
*********************************************************************************************
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.
Liturgical Colour: Red.
First reading |
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Amos 3:1-8,4:11-12 © |
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 5:5-8 © |
---|
Gospel Acclamation | Ps147:12,15 |
---|
Or | Ps129:5 |
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Gospel | Matthew 8:23-27 © |
---|
Pray for Pope Francis.
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
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.
Jubilee of Mercy: A Final Gift, Prophecies, End Times
Sharing God's Mercy with Our Children
Mercy Heals Fear to Trust
Jubilee of Mercy, But With the Confessionals Empty
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Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis According to which an Indulgence is Granted...[Catholic Caucus]
POPE FRANCIS FOR YEAR OF MERCY GRANTS THAT SSPX PRIESTS CAN VALIDLY ABSOLVE!
MISERICORDIAE VULTUS: BULL OF INDICTION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY
Pope: Church Must Be 'Oasis of Mercy,' Not Severe Fortress
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 Sorrowful Mysteries
(Tuesdays and Fridays)
1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]
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.
The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.
INVOCATION
O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
Devotion to the Sacred Heart was the characteristic note of the piety of Saint Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), Benedictine nun and renowned mystic. She was, in fact, the first great exponent of devotion to the Sacred Heart. In our efforts to honor the Heart of Jesus we have this prayer as a model for our own:
Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, 0 my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.
Saint Gertrude
FOR THE CHURCH
O most holy Heart of Jesus, shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff and upon all the clergy; to the just grant perseverance; convert sinners; enlighten unbelievers; bless our relations, friends and benefactors; assist the dying; deliver the holy souls in purgatory; and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love. Amen.
A PRAYER OF TRUST
O God, who didst in wondrous manner reveal to the virgin, Margaret Mary, the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart, grant that loving Thee, after her example, in all things and above all things, we may in Thy Heart find our abiding home.
Roman Missal
ACT OF LOVE
Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus, and show me Its attractions. Unite me to It for ever. Grant that all my aspirations and all the beats of my heart, which cease not even while I sleep, may be a testimonial to Thee of my love for Thee and may say to Thee: Yes, Lord, I am all Thine;
pledge of my allegiance to Thee rests ever in my heart will never cease to be there. Do Thou accept the slight amount of good that I do and be graciously pleased to repair all m] wrong-doing; so that I may be able to bless Thee in time and in eternity. Amen.
Cardinal Merry del Val
MEMORARE TO THE SACRED HEART
Remember, O most sweet Jesus, that no one who has had recourse to Thy Sacred Heart, implored its help, or sought its mercy was ever abandoned. Encouraged with confidence, O tenderest of hearts, we present ourselves before Thee, crushed beneath the weight of our sins. In our misery, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, despise not our simple prayers, but mercifully grant our requests. Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
Only for Love: The Sacred Heart and the Priesthood [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART, 10-19-09
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart Today
The Biblical Foundation of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Heart to Heart (Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion) [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
(June) The Month of the Sacred Heart {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
The Heart of the World (On the Sacred Heart of Jesus) (Catholic Caucus)
The Sacred Heart Is The Holy Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Origin of the Sacred Heart Badge
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An Awesome Homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Father Edmond Kline
Catholic Prayer and Devotion: June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Devotions: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pope Urges Jesuits to Spread Sacred Heart Devotion
Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Meditation and Devotion: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Daily Recomendation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus powerful prayer!
The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist
The Love of the Sacred Heart
On the Sacred Heart - "We Adore God's Love of Humanity"
HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) - Encyclical by Pope Pius XII
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sacred Heart a Feast of God's Love, Says John Paul II
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: Symbol of Combativity and the Restoration of Christendom
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-The Early Church, Middle Ages up to St. Margaret Mary
See this Heart
God Will Act and Will Reign
About Devotion To The Sacred Heart:The Story Of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Rediscover Feast of Sacred Heart, John Paul II Tells Youth
"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."
- Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary
Our Lord also made 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary for those that are devoted to His Sacred Heart.
"What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?"
The tradition of the Christians is no mere earthly discovery that was committed to them, nor is it a mortal idea that they think fit to guard so carefully, nor have they been entrusted with merely human secrets. But in reality the omnipotent, all-creating, invisible God from heaven introduced among men the truth and the holy and incomprehensible word and has established it in their hearts.
He did not send, as one might imagine, some servant or angel or ruler, or one of those who manage things on earth, or one of those who have been entrusted with the administration of affairs in heaven (cf. Eph 1,21), but the designer and creator of the universe himself (Heb 11,10). It was by him that God created the heavens, by him he enclosed the sea in its own limits, whose secrets all the elements faithfully keep, from whom the sun has received the measures of the courses of the day to keep, whom the moon obeys when he commands her to shine at night, whom the stars obey, as they follow the course of the moon; by whom all things have been constituted and had their limits set and made subject, the heavens and the things in the heavens, the earth and the things on the earth, the sea and the things in the sea, fire, air, abyss, the things in the heights, the things in the deeps, the things between. It was he God sent to them.
Did he though do it as a man might suppose, like a tyrant with fear and terror? Not at all. But with gentleness and meekness, like a king sending his son, he sent him as king, he sent him as God, he sent him as man to men; he sent as seeking to save, as persuading, not compelling, for compulsion is not the way of God.
St. John Cassian
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