Posted on 07/09/2006 6:12:27 AM PDT by Salvation
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Ez 2:2-5
As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me
and set me on my feet,
and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:
Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,
rebels who have rebelled against me;
they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart
are they to whom I am sending you.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!
And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—
they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 123:1-2, 2, 3-4
R. (2cd) Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven —
As the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
Have pity on us, O LORD, have pity on us,
for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
with the mockery of the arrogant,
with the contempt of the proud.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
Reading II
2 Cor 12:7-10
Brothers and sisters:
That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Gospel
Mk 6:1-6
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.
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From: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Visions and Revelations (Continuation)
From: Mark 6:1-6
No Prophet Is Honored In His Own Country
| First reading | Ezekiel 2:2 - 5 © |
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| As he said these words the spirit came into me and made me stand up, and I heard him speaking to me. He said, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebels who have turned against me. Till now they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me. The sons are defiant and obstinate; I am sending you to them, to say, “The Lord says this”. Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them.’ | |
| Psalm or canticle | Psalm 122 (123) |
|---|---|
| The Lord guards his people | |
| To you I lift up my eyes, to you who dwell in the heavens. Like the eyes of a servant watching his master, like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands, so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God, as we wait for his kindness. Take pity on us, Lord, take pity: we have had our fill of contempt. Our souls have had their fill of the laughter of the rich, of the contempt of the proud. |
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| Second reading | 2 Corinthians 12:7 - 10 © |
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| In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness’. So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong. | |
| Gospel | Mark 6:1 - 6 © |
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| Going from that district, Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. | |
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 103 (104) |
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| Hymn to God the Creator |
| Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord, my God, how great you are! You are robed in majesty and splendour; you are wrapped in light as in a cloak. You stretch out the sky like an awning, you build your palace upon the waters. You make the clouds your chariot, you walk upon the wings of the wind. You make the breezes your messengers, you make burning fire your minister. You set the earth upon its foundation: from age to age it will stand firm. Deep oceans covered it like a garment, and the waters stood high above the mountains; but you rebuked them and they fled; at the sound of your thunder they fled in terror. They rise to the mountains or sink to the valleys, to the places you have decreed for them. You have given them a boundary they must not cross; they will never come back to cover the earth. You make springs arise to feed the streams, that flow in the midst of the mountains. All the beasts of the field will drink from them and the wild asses will quench their thirst. Above them will nest the birds of the sky, from among the branches their voices will sound. 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. |
| Psalm 103 (104) |
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| From your palace you water the mountains, and thus you give plenty to the earth. You bring forth grass for the cattle, and plants for the service of man. You bring forth bread from the land, and wine to make man’s heart rejoice. Oil, to make the face shine; and bread to make man’s heart strong. The trees of the Lord have all that they need, and the cedars of Lebanon, that he planted. Small birds will nest there, and storks at the tops of the trees. For wild goats there are the high mountains; the crags are a refuge for the coneys. He made the moon so that time could be measured; the sun knows the hour of its setting. You send shadows, and night falls: then all the beasts of the woods come out, lion cubs roaring for their prey, asking God for their food. When the sun rises they come back together to lie in their lairs; man goes out to his labour, and works until evening. 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. |
| Psalm 103 (104) |
|---|
| How many are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in your wisdom, and the earth is full of your creatures. The sea is broad and immense: sea-creatures swim there, both small and large, too many to count. Ships sail across it; Leviathan lives there, the monster; you made him to play with. All of them look to you to give them their food when they need it. You give it to them, and they gather; you open your hand, they are filled with good things. But turn away, and they are dismayed; take away their breath, and they die, once more they will turn into dust. You will send forth your breath, they will come to life; you will renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Lord, for ever; let the Lord rejoice in his works. He turns his gaze to the earth, and it trembles; he touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; as long as I exist, I will sing songs to God. May my praises be pleasing to him; truly I will delight in the Lord. Let sinners perish from the earth, let the wicked vanish from existence. Bless the Lord, my soul! 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. |
| Reading | 2 Samuel 12:1 - 25 © |
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| The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. He came to him and said: ‘In the same town were two men, one rich, the other poor. The rich man had flocks and herds in great abundance; the poor man had nothing but a ewe lamb, one only, a small one he had bought. This he fed, and it grew up with him and his children, eating his bread, drinking from his cup, sleeping on his breast; it was like a daughter to him. When there came a traveller to stay, the rich man refused to take one of his own flock or herd to provide for the wayfarer who had come to him. Instead he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.’ David’s anger flared up against the man. ‘As the Lord lives,’ he said to Nathan ‘the man who did this deserves to die! He must make fourfold restitution for the lamb, for doing such a thing and showing no compassion.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man. The Lord the God of Israel says this, “I anointed you king over Israel; I delivered you from the hands of Saul; I gave your master’s house to you, his wives into your arms; I gave you the House of Israel and of Judah; and if this were not enough, I would add as much again for you. Why have you shown contempt for the Lord, doing what displeases him? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, taken his wife for your own, and killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. So now the sword will never be far from your House, since you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” ‘Thus the Lord speaks, “I will stir up evil for you out of your own House. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. You worked in secret, I will work this in the face of all Israel and in the face of the sun.”’ David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’. Then Nathan said to David, ‘the Lord, for his part, forgives your sin; you are not to die. Yet because you have outraged the Lord by doing this, the child that is born to you is to die.’ Then Nathan went home. The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David and it fell gravely ill. David pleaded with the Lord for the child; he kept a strict fast and went home and spent the night on the bare ground, covered with sacking. The officials of his household came and stood round him to get him to rise from the ground, but he refused, nor would he take food with them. On the seventh day the child died. David’s officers were afraid to tell him the child was dead. ‘Even when the child was alive’ they thought ‘we reasoned with him and he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He will do something desperate.’ David, however, noticed that his officers were whispering among themselves, and realised that the child was dead. ‘Is the child dead?’ he asked the officers. They answered, ‘He is dead’. David got up from the ground, bathed and anointed himself and put on fresh clothes. Then he went into the sanctuary of the Lord and prostrated himself. On returning to his house he asked for food to be set before him, and ate. His officers said, ‘Why are you acting like this? When the child was alive you fasted and wept; now the child is dead you get up and take food.’ ‘When the child was alive’ he answered ‘I fasted and wept because I kept thinking, “Who knows? Perhaps the Lord will take pity on me and the child will live.” But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him but he cannot come back to me.’ David consoled his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. She conceived and gave birth to a son whom she named Solomon. The Lord loved him and made this known through the prophet Nathan who named him Jedidiah in accordance with the word of the Lord. |
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| Reading | From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop |
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| A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit | |
| I acknowledge my transgression, says David. If I admit my fault, then you will pardon it. Let us never assume that if we live good lives we will be without sin; our lives should be praised only when we continue to beg for pardon. But men are hopeless creatures, and the less they concentrate on their own sins, the more interested they become in the sins of others. They seek to criticise, not to correct. Unable to excuse themselves, they are ready to accuse others. This was not the way that David showed us how to pray and make amends to God, when he said: I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is ever before me. He did not concentrate on others’ sins; he turned his thoughts on himself. He did not merely stroke the surface, but he plunged inside and went deep down within himself. He did not spare himself, and therefore was not impudent in asking to be spared. Do you want God to be appeased? Learn what you are to do that God may be pleased with you. Consider the psalm again: If you wanted sacrifice, I would indeed have given it; in burnt offerings you will take no delight. Are you then to be without sacrifice? Are you to offer nothing? Will you please God without an offering? Consider what you read in the same psalm: If you wanted sacrifice, I would indeed have given it; in burnt offerings you will take no delight. But continue to listen, and say with David: A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God does not despise a contrite and humble heart. Cast aside your former offerings, for now you have found out what you are to offer. In the days of your fathers you would have made offerings of cattle – these were the sacrifices. If you wanted sacrifice, I would indeed have given it. These then, Lord, you do not want, and yet you do want sacrifice. You will take no delight in burnt offerings, David says. If you will not take delight in burnt offerings, will you remain without sacrifice? Not at all. A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God does not despise a contrite and humble heart. You now have the offering you are to make. No need to examine the herd, no need to outfit ships and travel to the most remote provinces in search of incense. Search within your heart for what is pleasing to God. Your heart must be crushed. Are you afraid that it might perish so? You have the reply: Create a clean heart in me, O God. For a clean heart to be created, the unclean one must be crushed. We should be displeased with ourselves when we commit sin, for sin is displeasing to God. Sinful though we are, let us at least be like God in this, that we are displeased at what displeases him. In some measure then you will be in harmony with God’s will, because you find displeasing in yourself what is abhorrent to your Creator. |
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| Canticle | Te Deum |
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| God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you! You, the Father, the eternal – all the earth venerates you. All the angels, all the heavens, every power – The cherubim, the seraphim – unceasingly, they cry: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts: heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!” The glorious choir of Apostles – The noble ranks of prophets – The shining army of martyrs – all praise you. Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you. – Father of immeasurable majesty, – True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship, – Holy Spirit, our Advocate. You, Christ: – You are the king of glory. – You are the Father’s eternal Son. – You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb. – You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you. – You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father. – You will come, so we believe, as our Judge. And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood. Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory. Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance. Rule them and lift them high for ever. Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever. Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us. Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you. In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame. 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. |
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| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| Sunday, July 9, 2006 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary time |
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July 09, 2006    Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house (Mk 6:2-4)." The feast of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions (which would normally be celebrated today) is superceded by the Sunday Liturgy.
Sunday Readings The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 2:2-5 and treats of the Exekiel's appointment as prophet among the exiles in Babylon. The second reading is from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians12:7-10. St Paul feels forced to prove that he was a true Apostle — who suffered much for Christ and his Gospel and who also had been given the privilege of special visions and revelations. He goes on to describe some weakness he had which troubled him very much. He concludes that he is content with weakness and sufferings because the power and strength of Christ, working through a weak instrument, will be all the more visible and convincing. The Gospel is from St. Mark 6:1-6. What happened in Nazareth was a foretaste of the later reaction of the scribes and Pharisees, the leaders of the people, to Christ's claim to be the promised Messiah. What the people of Nazareth tried to do (Lk. 4:29-30), the religious authorities in Jerusalem succeeded in doing, because they were able to threaten the Roman governor with blackmail. Even in their wickedness and unknown to themselves, they were putting into action God's plan for mankind. It was necessary that Christ should die so that all men could live forever with God. Christ's death, followed by his resurrection, was the key that opened the door of eternity for the human race. Unfortunately for the leaders of the Jews, the good end did not justify the evil intentions and evil means which they used. It is hard to understand the irrational opposition of the Nazarites on this occasion, and of the Pharisees of Jerusalem later. The people of Nazareth had heard nothing but marvelous reports of his wonderful preaching and outstanding miracles. One would therefore expect that if they were at all reasonable, they would rejoice on having one of their fellow-citizens admired by thousands and looked upon by so many as the long-promised Messiah. Instead, they turned against him in bitter hatred and there and then decided to put an end to his career (Lk. 4:29). Why? Because the demon of envy, a daughter of pride, laid hold of their hearts and minds. Why should a neighbor's son, and one of a lower status than many of them—a mere carpenter, be given this privilege while their sons were passed over? This could not be, their envy told them, and so they shut their minds against any proof to the contrary. It was the same later in the case of the Pharisees. The same vices, pride and envy, darkened their intellects and prevented them from seeing the truth. They were the religious leaders of the people, or so they thought themselves to be. If the Messiah had come they felt that he should have come through them and with their approval. This impostor Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah. Not only was he not keeping the law as strictly as they kept it, but he was friendly with sinners and tax-gatherers. Furthermore, he was talking of some faraway kingdom in heaven and not of the earthly empire which they decided the real Messiah would establish. They had not only heard of his extraordinary miracles but had seen some of those who were cured. In Bethany only a few miles from Jerusalem Lazarus had been raised to life after four days in the grave. They tried very hard to deny these miracles (see Jn. 9: the man born blind), and they even thought of killing Lazarus to make the people forget the miracle! (Jn. 12:11). Thus their pride and envy made them irrational. Nothing but the cruelest possible death of the one hated could satisfy their hatred. But that very death was Christ's road to glory. Lifted up on the cross he drew all men to himself as he had foretold (Jn. 12:32). Those on Calvary beheld the triumph of failure. Would that all the opposition to Christ and his teaching, caused by human pride and envy, had ended with the Nazarites and Pharisees! Far from it. Pride and envy are still rife among us. All through the twenty centuries of Christianity, there have been proud men, men high in their own esteem. Not only would they not have Christ to reign over them, but they have tried to prevent his reign over even those who are gladly and proudly his subjects. Not content with dethroning Christ in their own hearts and minds, they have devoted all their energies to abolishing him and his Church from the face of our earth. Such enemies of Christ are still among us. They are more numerous than ever today but just as their predecessors failed in the past, so will these fail today. Christ will continue to reign and his Church will continue its mission of leading to heaven all men whose minds are free from sinful pride and therefore open to the truth. Let us renew our loyalty to Christ today. He humbled himself so that we might be raised to the standing of sons of God. He shared our human nature with us so that we could share his divine nature. He died a cruel death on Calvary so that we could have an eternal life in heaven. We pray for light for those whose foolish pride has left them groping in darkness. Let us also ask the good God to keep us ever on the road of truth, the road of Christian humility which leads to the eternal home which Christ has won for us by his incarnation. Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
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July Devotion: The Precious Blood
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. Like the Sacred Wounds of Jesus, His Precious Blood deserves special honor because of its close relation to the Sacred Passion. That honor was given to it from the beginning by the Apostles who praised its redeeming power. (Rom. 5:9 "we are justified by His blood"; Heb. 13:12 "and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate"; 1 John 1:7 "and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.") In recent times the devotion has been encouraged by Blessed Gaspar Buffalo, founder of the Congregation of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. When Pope Pius IX was in exile from Rome in 1849, he had as his companion Don Giovanni Merlini, the third general of that Congregation. This saintly priest suggested to the pope that he make a vow to give the feast of the Precious Blood to the entire church, if he should regain the papal territory. Without binding himself by the vow, the pope immediately extended the feast to the whole Church. On the old calendar it was celebrated on July 1, but Catholics may still continue this tradition by increasing their devotion to the most precious Blood throughout the entire month of July. See this article from the Catholic Culture library, Apostle of Devotion to His Most Precious Blood: St. Gaspar del Bufalo. |
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
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
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. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 117 (118) |
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| A cry of rejoicing and triumph |
| Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is for ever. Now let Israel say, he is good and his kindness is for ever. Now let the house of Aaron say it too: that his kindness is for ever. Now let all who fear the Lord say it too: that his kindness is for ever. In my time of trial I called out to the Lord: he listened, and led me to freedom. The Lord is with me, I will fear nothing that man can do. The Lord, my help, is with me, and I shall look down upon my enemies. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in men. It is good to seek shelter in the Lord, better than to trust in the leaders of men. All the nations surrounded me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They crowded in and besieged me, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They surrounded me like swarms of bees, they burned like a fire of dry thorns, and in the Lord’s name I slew them. They chased and pursued me, to make me fall, and the Lord came to my help. The Lord is my strength and my rejoicing: he has become my saviour. A cry of joy and salvation in the dwellings of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has triumphed! The Lord’s right hand has raised me up; the Lord’s right hand has triumphed”. I shall not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord. The Lord chastised me severely but did not let me die. Open the gates of righteousness: I will go in, and thank the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; it is the upright who enter here. I will thank you, for you listened to me, and became my saviour. The stone that the builders rejected has become the corner-stone. It was the Lord who did this – it is marvellous to behold. This is the day that was made by the Lord: let us rejoice today, and be glad. Lord, keep me safe; O Lord, let me prosper! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, he shines upon us! Arrange the procession, with close-packed branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, I will give thanks to you; my God, I will give you praise. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his kindness is for ever. 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. |
| Canticle | Daniel 3 |
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| Let every creature praise the Lord | |
| Blessed are you, Lord God of our fathers, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed is the holy name of your glory praised above all things and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory praised and glorious above all things for ever. Blessed are you who gaze on the depths, seated on the cherubim, praised and exalted for ever. Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven praised and glorious for ever. Bless the Lord, all his works, praise and exalt him for ever. 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. |
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| Psalm 150 |
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| Praise the Lord |
| Praise the Lord in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty firmament. Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for all his greatness. Praise him with trumpet-blasts, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipes, praise him with cymbals resounding, praise him with cymbals of jubilation. All that breathes, praise the Lord! 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. |
| A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here. |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
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| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. 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. |
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| Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God. |
| 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 that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
Year B- 14th Sunday in ordinary time
A prophet is despised in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred. Mark 6:1-6 1 And going out from there, he went into his own country; and his disciples followed him. |
It was very disconcerting for me to see how many people would marvel temporarily about my miracles, about the words of wisdom they listened to and how even then they would not realize that God was doing wonders among them. All the prophets demonstrated that they were bringing a divine message and they deserved to be listened to, however they all perished because of the hypocrisy of those who heard them with doubts and contempt, they sinned by underestimating the gift of God, together with those who didn’t listen to me and don’t even listen now but reject my Word. Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary
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| A Lack of Faith |
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| 07/08/06 |
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The Gospel presents a sad story. Our Lord returns to His native place. He teaches in the synagogue, only to receive a rather chilly reception from His own kinsmen. In fact, they “take offense at Him.” |
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Ez 2:2-5 / 2 Cor 12:7-10 / Mk 6:1-6 Today's Gospel tells us that when Jesus went to Nazareth "he was not able to perform any mighty deed there…He was amazed at their lack of faith" (Mk 6:5-6). This causes great confusion for some who think it means Jesus was powerless to perform miracles for people who didn’t believe in Him. But the Gospels clearly teach that there were no limits to Jesus’ power (see Mt. 28:18; Jn. 17:2). So, while St. Mark does imply a connection between the "lack of faith" and the lack of "mighty deeds," he in no way implies that faith controls Jesus’ power. In fact, the parallel text in St. Matthew’s Gospel says "he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith" (Mt. 13:58), implying that Jesus reacted to their faithlessness by choosing not to perform miracles. We should remember that Jesus’ miracles were usually prompted by one of two motives: 1) His infinite mercy, or 2) His desire to reveal His divine power. So when St. Mark writes that Jesus performed no miracles in Nazareth "apart from curing a few sick people" he’s pointing out that Jesus did choose to perform miracles of mercy in Nazareth, but chose not to use miracles to reveal His divine power. Still, why did Jesus choose not to show His power? The first thing that the Gospels tell us about this visit is that Jesus "began to teach in the synagogue." It’s in response to His teaching that His neighbors "were astonished" and "took offense at him." Perhaps they expected the Messiah to be a great warrior king, and they knew very well that Jesus was not that. Perhaps their pride kept them from submitting to a mere carpenter, or from admitting that for all these years they had failed to recognize this man for who He truly was. Or perhaps they simply didn’t want to believe His message and repent their sins, and so they rationalized by saying, "what does he know, he’s just a carpenter." They knew Him so well — even if He’d kept His wisdom to Himself as He was growing up, surely He hadn’t kept His goodness and holiness to Himself. So if they couldn’t believe what He preached even though they knew Him and loved Him so well, what good would a show of His "mighty deeds" do? Others had attributed His power to Satan (Mk 3:22) — wouldn’t their pride lead the Nazareans to a similar response? Jesus knew that nothing would change their hardened hearts. This may seem unreasonable to some, and yet it is a common reaction from those who know Jesus. St. Mark was speaking of the Nazareans when he wrote that Jesus "marveled because of their unbelief," but don’t these words echo in Jesus’ words to His apostles at the Last Supper: "Have I been with you so long, and still you do not know me?" (Jn 14:9). The reality is that most of us have known Jesus longer than the apostles did, and even longer than His neighbors in Nazareth. He’s come to us in Scripture and the Church, and we’ve seen not only His goodness and love, but also His power. How many miracles has He done for us, how many prayers has He answered? And yet has all that made us any better than the Nazareans: truly faithful and repentant? Lack of faith does not render God powerless. It merely renders the faithless unworthy of His power. Fr. De Celles is parochial vicar at St. Michael Parish in Annandale, Virginia. |
EWTN NEWS: Father Pavone is going to be on EWTN all this upcoming week.
Thanks Our Lady of the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart and St. Joseph for favors granted!
For the first time since December, I was able to go to church and sit through mass without a respirator mask on, without a cough, and unaffected by anybody's perfume.
What I thought was asthma cleared up after I was treated for a sore thoat.
Can't technically call it a miracle, but it has made a miraculous difference in my life, and I am very, very thankful.
Praised be Jesus Christ! Can't go wrong asking the Holy Family for help.
You are so right.
Faith-sharing bump.
Here's wishing a blessed Sunday to all FReepers.
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