Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 07-16-18, OM, Our Lady of Mount Carmel

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 07-16-18 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

July 16, 2018

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Is 1:10-17

Hear the word of the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah!
What care I for the number of your sacrifices?
says the LORD.
I have had enough of whole-burnt rams
and fat of fatlings;
In the blood of calves, lambs and goats
I find no pleasure.

When you come in to visit me,
who asks these things of you?
Trample my courts no more!
Bring no more worthless offerings;
your incense is loathsome to me.
New moon and sabbath, calling of assemblies,
octaves with wickedness: these I cannot bear.
Your new moons and festivals I detest;
they weigh me down, I tire of the load.
When you spread out your hands,
I close my eyes to you;
Though you pray the more,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood!
Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

Responsorial Psalm pS 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think you that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Alleluia Mt 5:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 10:34-11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

[Salvation]

July, 2018

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Evangelization – Priests and their Pastoral Ministry, That priests, who experience fatigue and loneliness in their pastoral work, may find help and comfort in their intimacy with the Lord and in their friendship with their brother priests.

[Salvation]

'If we do not feel within us a perfect patience, we have more reason to pity the grossness of our nature for being neither mortified nor dead to the things of this world, as we should be, than to blame those who load us with insults and ignominy.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

[Salvation]

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:  And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.  Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.  Hail Mary . . .  And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.  Hail Mary . . .  Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.  Let us pray:  Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.  "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)   "Blessed are you among women,  and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Lk 1:42).

[Salvation]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3671446/posts

Saint of the Day — Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

[Salvation]

Blind Mount Carmel student overcomes big challenges
Israel: Al Qaeda claims fire of Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel Monastery Approved! Good News for the Monks and for the Church
Mount Carmel for America: Carmelite Monks, Messengers of New Springtime
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Brown Scapular [Catholic Caucus]
The Brown Scapular (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel)
Our Lady Of Mount Carmel & "The Carmelites:An Historical Sketch"
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Novena To Our Lady of Mount Carmel

[Salvation]

Information: Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Feast Day: July 16

[Salvation]

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Feast Day: July 16

Mount Carmel is a mountain overlooking the plain of Galilee. It became famous when the prophet Elijah, who lived many years before Jesus, was born. Chapter 18 of the Bible's First Book of Kings tells how Elijah stood up to the 450 prophets of the false god Baal. Through his prayers, God gave Elijah the power to perform a miracle to prove that Elijah's God was the true God. This happened on Mount Carmel.

Hundreds of years later, a group of European monks who had a special devotion to Mother Mary began to live on Mount Carmel. They were called friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. This was the start of the Carmelite order which was approved by Pope Honorius III. Simon Stock, an Englishman, became the superior of the Carmelites. He helped the order to grow following the example of the Dominicans and Franciscans.

When they began to suffer harassment for their faith, they turned to Mary for help. On July 16, 1251, Mary appeared to St. Simon and gave him the brown scapular. She promised her protection to all those who would wear the blessed habit. Many miracles proved her words. St. Pope Pius X said that people could have the same blessings if they would wear the scapular medal. This medal has a picture of Our Lady of the Scapular on one side and the Sacred Heart on the other. Simon Stock died in Bordeaux, France, in 1265.

Reflection: "Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)

[Salvation]

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Monday, July 16

Liturgical Color: Green

Blessed Anicet Koplinski, one of the
108 Polish Martyrs of WWII, died on
this day in 1941. Mostly priests and
religious, they were killed in Nazi
death camps because of their
Catholic faith.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: July 16th

Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

MASS READINGS

July 16, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

May the venerable intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary come to our aid, we pray, O Lord, so that, fortified by her protection, we may reach the mountain which is Christ. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

---

O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honor.

show

Recipes (6)

• Brownies
• Caramel Sauce
• Carmelite Sundaes
• Coffee Cookie Bars with Caramel Icing
• Granita di Caffe
• Torrone

show

Activities (13)

• Celebrating the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin
• Feasts of Mary in the Family
• July 16: Commemoration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• Marian Hymn: ’Tis Said of Our Dear Lady
• Marian Hymn: Ave Maria Dear
• Marian Hymn: Beautiful, Glorious
• Marian Hymn: Lourdes Hymn or Immaculate Mary
• Marian Hymn: Salve Regina
• Marian Hymn: Stella Matutina
• Marian Hymn: Virgin Blessed, Thou Star the Fairest
• Mary Garden
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• St. Simon Stock, Traditional Feast May 16

show

Prayers (5)

• Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loretto)
• Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• Rite for the Blessing of and Enrolment in the Scapular of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
• Table Blessing for the Feasts of the Mother of God
• Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

show

Library (3)

• Scapular of Carmel, a Treasure For the Church | Pope John Paul II
• The Scapular Devotion | Christian P. Ceroke O. Carm.
• The Scapular Medal | Holy Office

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ; Other Titles: Our Lady of Carmine

Sacred Scripture celebrated the beauty of Carmel where the prophet Elijah defended the purity of Israel's faith in the living God. In the twelfth century, hermits withdrew to that mountain and later founded the Carmelite order devoted to the contemplative life under the patronage of Mary, the holy Mother of God.

Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is worldwide, and most Catholics are familiar with the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as the Brown Scapular. Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251, and gave him the scapular with the following words, which are preserved in a fourteenth century narrative: "This will be for you and for all Carmelites the privilege, that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire." The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was instituted for the Carmelites in 1332, and extended to the whole Church by Benedict XIII in 1726.

---

Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Today is the principal feast day of the Carmelite Order. Through the efforts of the crusader Berthold, a group of hermits living on Mount Carmel were organized into an Order after the traditional Western type about the year 1150. Oppressed by the Saracens, the monks slowly emigrated to Europe. During the night preceding the sixteenth of July, 1225, the Blessed Virgin is said to have commanded Pope Honorius III to approve the foundation. Since the Carmelites were still under constant harassment, the sixth General of the Order, St. Simon Stock, pleaded with the Blessed Virgin for some special sign of her protection. On July 16, 1251, she designated the scapular as the special mark of her maternal love. That is why the present feast is also known as the feast of the Scapular. The scapular, as part of the habit, is common to many religious Orders, but it is a special feature of the Carmelites. A smaller form of the scapular is given to lay persons in order that they may share in the great graces associated with it. Such a grace is the "Sabbatine privilege." In the so-called Bulla Sabbatina John XXII affirmed that wearers of the scapular are soon freed from the flames of purgatory, at least by the Saturday after death. The confirmation of the Bulla Sabbatina was promulgated by the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, July 4, 1908.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Things to Do:

• If you have not already done so, have a priest enroll you in the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or popularly known as the "Brown Scapular" and begin wearing it as a sign of your love for Our Lady. A priest enrolls people in the Brown Scapular only once. The Scapular can then be replaced afterwards by other scapulars or the scapular medal, which has on one side the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the other, the image of Mary. The medal needs to be blessed by a priest, but the cloth scapulars do not require a blessing (separate from enrollment).

• Wearing the Brown Scapular is not an automatic guarantee of salvation. It is not a magical charm, nor is it an excuse to live in a way contrary to the teachings of the Church. It is a sacramental which has been approved by the Church for over seven centuries and is a sign of one's decision to follow Jesus as did Mary, the perfect model of all the disciples of Christ. In addition to being an introduction into the Family of Carmel, the Brown Scapular is an expression of our belief that we will meet God in eternal life, aided by the intercession and prayer of Mary. While sacramentals prepare us to receive grace if we are in the right disposition, the Church emphasizes that only sacraments can confer sanctifying grace. (see Catechism, no. 1670.)

• Periodically the Church reexamines devotions and popular piety to make sure they are "not at odds with the centrality of the Sacred Liturgy. Rather, in promoting the faith of the people, who regard popular piety as a natural religious expression, they predispose the people for the celebration of the Sacred Mysteries" ( John Paul II, September 2001). In accordance with Vatican II, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued the Directory on Popular Piety in 2001 to reevaluate different devotions and popular piety. Though the Brown Scapular is included in the document as a wonderful pious practice, the Directory does not mention the Sabbatine Privilege, which continues to present historical difficulties. The Directory rather emphasizes the beautiful sign of the "filial relationship" with the faithful and Mary:

  205. The history of Marian piety also includes "devotion" to various scapulars, the most common of which is devotion to the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Its use is truly universal and, undoubtedly, it is one of those pious practices which the Council described as "recommended by the Magisterium throughout the centuries."

  The Scapular of Mount Carmel is a reduced form of the religious habit of the Order of the Friars of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel. Its use is very diffuse and often independent of the life and spirituality of the Carmelite family.

  The Scapular is an external sign of the filial relationship established between the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen of Mount Carmel, and the faithful who entrust themselves totally to her protection, who have recourse to her maternal intercession, who are mindful of the primacy of the spiritual life and the need for prayer.

  The Scapular is imposed by a special rite of the Church which describes it as "a reminder that in Baptism we have been clothed in Christ, with the assistance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, solicitous for our conformation to the Word Incarnate, to the praise of the Trinity, we may come to our heavenly home wearing our nuptial garb."

  The imposition of the Scapular should be celebrated with "the seriousness of its origins. It should not be improvised. The Scapular should be imposed following a period of preparation during which the faithful are made aware of the nature and ends of the association they are about to join and of the obligations they assume."

• Pope John Paul II has worn the scapular for a long time. The Holy Father's talk on the Scapular of Carmel, A Treasure for the Church mentions:

  Therefore two truths are evoked by the sign of the Scapular: on the one hand, the constant protection of the Blessed Virgin, not only on life's journey, but also at the moment of passing into the fullness of eternal glory; on the other, the awareness that devotion to her cannot be limited to prayers and tributes in her honor on certain occasions, but must become a "habit", that is, a permanent orientation of one's own Christian conduct, woven of prayer and interior life, through frequent reception of the sacraments and the concrete practice of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. In this way the Scapular becomes a sign of the "covenant" and reciprocal communion between Mary and the faithful: indeed, it concretely translates the gift of his Mother, which Jesus gave on the Cross to John and, through him, to all of us, and the entrustment of the beloved Apostle and of us to her, who became our spiritual Mother.

• For the definitive treatment on the brown scapular, read The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Catechesis and Ritual.

• The Blessed Virgin's scapular should remind us that Christians have an apostolate against current extremes and extravagances in modes of dress. Clothes are a symbol of the person. Like the Christian heart, dress must be chaste and simple, for one judges the interior from the exterior. It should not be necessary to add that special attention be given this matter when preparing for church attendance. Examine yourself on how well you reflect Christian modesty in your dress and if you are a parent, how well you ensure that your children are modestly dressed.

• In New York City in East Harlem is one of the oldest festivals in America for Our Lady of Mount Carmel. See Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine of East Harlem – since 1881. Also Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY annually holds the Festival of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. Paulinus of Nola (Festa Del Giglio). It is unique to see a scene that one would expect in Europe unfolding on the street of a major East coast city. You can view a You Tube clip right here. Also look around your area for Italian parishes, maybe one named after Our Lady of Mount Carmel? Many times the parish will host wonderful festivals in her honor.

• Watch this You Tube video to learn more about devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

• From the Catholic Culture library, the Scapular Devotion, a description of Different Kinds of Scapulars, The Brown Scapular and information on the Scapular Medal.

• Learn more about St. Simon Stock and the Brown Scapular.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Optional Memorial)

To him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God. (Psalm 50:23)

If you went to a doctor and discovered that you had a dangerous but curable illness, would you ignore your diagnosis and presume that you are fine? It’s hard to imagine yourself just shrugging your shoulders and walking out the door. Most of us would gladly take our medicine or undergo whatever surgery was necessary so that we could live a long and healthy life. It would be foolish not to!

As illogical as this sounds, this is the approach we often take in our spiritual lives. Our spiritual sickness is sin, Jesus is our doctor, and faith and repentance are our remedy. Through his psalmist, God promises that he will not only forgive us, but he will also show us salvation. Yet we shy away from it. Why?

Sometimes it may feel as if God is nagging us to change or give up a bad habit. When we feel him putting his finger on an area of sin, we might think, “It’s not that big a deal; don’t overblow it, Lord.” But God isn’t trying to pound us. Quite the opposite! He is pleading with us to remove the sin that blocks us from receiving his love.

Sometimes we avoid repentance because we don’t want to admit that we have sinned. We might feel ashamed or afraid that God won’t love us if we admit our true state. But God is never surprised by our sin—he sees it far more clearly than we do. Still, he loves us too much to allow us to stay in that place of brokenness.

Sometimes we’ve ignored the Spirit’s nudges for so long that we don’t even notice them anymore. We are not even aware of our sins. That’s why the Spirit sometimes mercifully makes us aware of our sins by “drawing them up” right before our eyes (Psalm 50:21).

Your divine Doctor is reaching out to you all the time. He is constantly pointing you toward salvation. So welcome those moments when the you feel a sense of godly guilt or conviction of sin. Behind every call to repentance lies God’s tender love. Those moments are special times of grace as we allow Jesus to heal us and set us free.

“Holy Spirit, thank you for the gift of repentance!”

Isaiah 1:10-17
Matthew 10:34–11:1

[Salvation]

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
priest, founder of religious communities
Conferences to the Daughters of Charity (Volume IX. Conference of 31 July 1634)

God takes care of those who care for the poor

A further means of staying faithful, Daughters, is perfect detachment from father, mother, relations and friends in such a way that you are God’s alone. And to possess this great good you have to strip yourself of everything and have nothing of your own. The apostles had just such a detachment. For one cent you will have a hundred: as many women, as many mothers which Providence, Daughters, will never fail you. Don’t you have any courage at all to give yourselves to the God who is so mindful of you? Never claim you are saving something for your own livelihood; always put your trust in Providence. Rich people can fall into need through the accidents that often happen, but they will never be in want who intend to rely solely on God

Isn’t it good, Daughters, to live like this? What is there to fear? For God has promised that people who care for the poor will never lack anything. O my Daughters, would you not love God’s promises better than the world’s deceits? God is obliged to provide for all our needs.

[Salvation]

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for July 16, 2018:

Some spouses need to bite their tongues more; others need to loosen their tongues and share more. Which are you? With time, hopefully you can find the middle ground that is “just right.”

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

July 16th, 2018 – Love is Demanding

15 Jul 2018

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Father Shawn Aaron, LC [Matthew 10: 34-11:1]

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

Introductory Prayer: Almighty and ever-living God,I seek new strength from the courage of Christ our shepherd. I believe in you, I hope in you, and I seek to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength.I want to be led one day to join the saints in heaven, where your Son Jesus Christ lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Petition: Jesus, I want to love as you have loved me.

1. Not Peace but the Sword:Complacency can be defined as “self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies”. This is a false peace, even a harmful peace. It is a self-satisfied peace that lulls us to sleep and can result in the loss of those things that are truly most valuable in life: God, faith, family, etc…. Jesus comes to interrupt that false peace by upending the tables of our lives (cf. John 2:15) in an effort to awaken us to the dangers that our false peace has blinded us to. As he drove out the sheep and oxen from the temple, so, too, he will use circumstances, trials and difficulties as his “sword” to drive out from our lives whatever is opposed to God’s goodness and our own dignity.

2. Nothing Before God:With this phrase we start getting an inkling of the type of sword our Lord is wielding. He is giving us a criterion that starts from heaven downward because he is trying to lift us from the earth upward. What natural relationship is closer than the one between a parent and child, especially a mother and child? Yet even this bond must be subordinate to the love we have for God. Why? Well, no creature, not even our parents, can bring us to the fullness of life and happiness that comes only from God. God wants us to love him, not because he needs our love but because we need him. He is objective reality, and we must always move from the subjective to the objective if we are to possess the truth. Jesus invites us to adapt our standards from the merely natural and passing to the supernatural and everlasting.

3. Love of God Is Inclusive Not Exclusive:Giving a cup of water to one of the least of our brothers and sisters will not go unrewarded, and therefore, unnoticed. In this way, Jesus shows that he is not calling us to a love of God that excludes others. The standard of placing God first does not exclude love for mother or father, sister or brother. Once we love God as he deserves, we will learn to love others as they truly deserve. In fact, we merit the vision of the God we cannot see by loving the neighbor we do see.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, following you demands my all, and at times it seems that I do not have the strength to give what you ask. Help me to stay close to you in prayer and in the sacraments so as to have the grace to live the standard of love and generosity that you ask. Mother Most Pure, make my heart only for Jesus.

Resolution: Today I will make three acts of self-denial and offer them for someone in need of prayers.

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

July 16, 2018

When Jesus appointed the apostles, he gave them the power to heal and to drive out evil spirits. They had left all they had to follow Jesus.

Yet, Jesus does something which most of us will hesitate to do when we try to influence people to do something. He warns them of the difficulties of discipleship. Jesus speaks of carrying our cross, which in his time, meant the worst possible torture and humiliation. What made the apostles persist in following Jesus? Was it due to the miracles he had done? It is possible that they didn’t quite understand what Jesus meant. But most likely, they felt the love of Jesus and were inspired by his words and deeds.

Do we put Jesus at the center of our life? Do we make decisions based on our discernment of the will of God? Oftentimes, following Jesus means going against worldly standards, and facing uncertainty. For instance when we experience being insulted or put down, do we try to seek revenge, or remain indifferent to the person who offended us? Or do we try to see what we can improve in ourselves and choose to love?

We are called to stand up for what is the more loving thing to do. The difficult people in our lives are often the ones who help us see our shortcomings. Jesus has already shown us His mercy by forgiving us first.

The cross in our lives can be anything which causes us to feel anxious, hurt, angry, or unsettled. Jesus promises to be with us in every situation of our lives. It is only when we choose to accept and embrace our cross that we find peace, because Jesus helps us to see our cross as a means to love God more, and to be more like Jesus.

Hopefully, we will all continue to praise and thank God even in the midst of trials and even suffering.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 34, Issue 4

<< Monday, July 16, 2018 >>

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Isaiah 1:10-17
View Readings

Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23

Matthew 10:34�11:1
Similar Reflections

NOTHING BUT THE CROSS

"He who will not take up his cross and come after Me is not worthy of Me." �Matthew 10:38

We are Christians, disciples of Christ. We follow Jesus, Who saved us not so much through His power or wisdom, but through His ministry of suffering. Jesus came to earth to die on the cross to atone for our sins, pay the price for our salvation (1 Cor 6:20), and reconcile us to God (Col 1:20).

We must never over-spiritualize our faith and forget that Jesus suffered horribly in the flesh (Heb 5:8). Jesus died a disgraceful death. He was publicly humiliated, scorned as a condemned criminal. He Who was holy and innocent bore a cross meant for a murderer (Lk 23:25).

We Christians imitate Jesus. We take up our cross each day, deny our very selves, and follow in His footsteps (Lk 9:23). This is impossible in our human nature. Through our baptism into Jesus' cross and death, however, we become sharers in the divine nature (Rm 6:4; 2 Pt 1:4). Now we can embrace the cross as Jesus embraced His cross. In the mystery of the cross, by taking up our cross, we discover who we are (Mt 10:39).

If you falter carrying your cross, remember that Jesus understands. He fell several times carrying His cross. He knows the cross is heavy but He also wants you to know the joy in sharing in His sufferings (1 Pt 4:13). So cross off your list anything that leads you away from Jesus' cross. Take up your cross.

Prayer: Jesus, may I know nothing but Your cross (1 Cor 2:2). May I be crucified to the world and the world to me (Gal 6:14).

Promise: "He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies Me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God." —Ps 50:23

Praise: A group of lay Carmelite families spread the Word of God by composing music, giving concerts at Catholic churches, and sharing God's Word as they travel.

[Salvation]