Reading I Responsorial Psalm GospelPosted on 06/19/2002 12:00:44 PM PDT by Salvation
Reading I Responsorial Psalm GospelReading I
2 Kgs 2:1, 6-14
When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,
he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here;
the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan."
"As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you," Elisha replied.
And so the two went on together.
Fifty of the guild prophets followed and
when the two stopped at the Jordan,
they stood facing them at a distance.
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up
and struck the water, which divided,
and both crossed over on dry ground.
When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha,
"Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you."
Elisha answered, "May I receive a double portion of your spirit."
"You have asked something that is not easy," Elijah replied.
"Still, if you see me taken up from you,
your wish will be granted; otherwise not."
As they walked on conversing,
a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them,
and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
When Elisha saw it happen he cried out,
"My father! my father! Israel's chariots and drivers!"
But when he could no longer see him,
Elisha gripped his own garment and tore it in two.
Then he picked up Elijah's mantle that had fallen from him,
and went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan.
Wielding the mantle that had fallen from Elijah,
Elisha struck the water in his turn and said,
"Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?"
When Elisha struck the water it divided and he crossed over.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 31:20, 21, 24
R. (25) Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
How great is the goodness, O Lord,
which you have in store for those who fear you,
And which, toward those who take refuge in you,
you show in the sight of the children of men.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men;
You screen them within your abode
from the strife of tongues.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the Lord, all you his faithful ones!
The Lord keeps those who are constant,
but more than requites those who act proudly.
R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
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At Mass this morning, this was very consoling!!
Mt 6:1-6.
Our Lord is indicating the kind of spirit in which we should do acts of personal piety. Almsgiving, fasting and prayer were the basic forms taken by personal piety among the chosen people--which is why Jesus refers to these three subjects. With complete authority he teaches that true piety must be practiced with an upright intention, in the presence of God and without any ostentation. Piety practiced in this way implies exercising our faith in God who sees us--and also in the safe knowledge that he will reward those who are sincerely devout.
Following the teaching of Jesus, the Church has always taught us to pray even when we were infants. By saying "you"(singular) our Lord is stating quite unequivocally the need for personal prayer--relating as child to Father, alone with God.
Public prayer, for which Christ's faithful assemble together, is something necessary and holy; but it should never displace obedience to this clear commandment of our Lord: "When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father." …A soul who really puts his Christian faith into practice realizes that he needs frequently to get away and pray alone to his Father, God. Jesus, who gives us this teaching about prayer, practiced it during his own life on earth: the holy Gospel reports that he often went apart to pray on his own: "At times he spent the whole night in an intimate conversation with his Father. The Apostles were filled with love when they saw Christ pray" (Bl. J. Escriva, Christ is passing by, 119).
The Apostles followed the Master's example, and so we see Peter going up to the rooftop of the house to pray in private, and receiving a revelation (cf. Acts 10:9-16)." "Our live of prayer should also be based on some moments that are dedicated exclusively to our conversation with God, moments of silent dialogue" (ibid., 119)
"There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit."
Sadly "getting the credit" seems to be the motivating factor in volunteer circles these days, especially politics. It often seems that everyone is in it for a bullet point on their resume.
I think I'm going to print this Gospel out and pin it on my wall. We are all human and we often need reminding.
Whenever I read this Gospel I think it must have inspired the saying that Ronald Reagan was so fond of,
"There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit."
The main wall of the Chapter Room of the Convent of San Marco, Florence, is occupied by a large fresco showing the Crucifixion and saints, by Fra Angelico. On the right there are eleven saints, one of them St Romuald.
| St. Romuald | |
b.956 d.1027 Feastday: June 19 |
St. Romuald was born at Ravenna about the year 956. In spite of an infinite desire for virtue and sanctity, his early life was wasted in the service of the world and its pleasures. Then one day, obliged by his father, Sergius, to be present at a duel fought by him, he beheld him slay his adversary. The crime made such an impression upon him that he determined to expiate it for forty days, as though it were entirely his own. For this purpose he retired to a Benedictine monastery of St. Apollinare, near Ravenna, where he became Abbot. After founding several monasteries, he laid the foundations of the austere Order of Camaldoli in Tuscany. Like all the saints, he fought a lifelong battle against the assaults of devils and men. In the beginning of his spiritual life he was strongly assailed by numerous temptations, which he conquered by vigilance and prayer. More than one attempt was made on his life, but Divine Providence enabled him to escape from the danger. Like many servants of God, he also became the victim of calumny, which he bore in patience and silence. In his old age, he increased his austerities instead of diminishing them. After a long life of merit, he died in the monastery of Castro, which he founded in Marquisate of Ancona. His death occurred on June 19, about the year 1027. His feast day is June 19th.
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