Reading I Responsorial Psalm GospelPosted on 07/10/2002 8:51:39 AM PDT by Salvation
Reading I Responsorial Psalm GospelReading I
Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
Israel is a luxuriant vine
whose fruit matches its growth.
The more abundant his fruit,
the more altars he built;
The more productive his land,
the more sacred pillars he set up.
Their heart is false,
now they pay for their guilt;
God shall break down their altars
and destroy their sacred pillars.
If they would say,
"We have no king"—
Since they do not fear the Lord,
what can the king do for them?
The king of Samaria shall disappear,
like foam upon the waters.
The high places of Aven shall be destroyed,
the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles shall overgrow their altars.
Then they shall cry out to the mountains, "Cover us!"
and to the hills, "Fall upon us!"
"Sow for yourselves justice,
reap the fruit of piety;
break up for yourselves a new field,
for it is time to seek the Lord,
till he come and rain down justice upon you."
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (4b) Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord!
R. Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to the Lord in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the Lord, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Mt 10:1-7
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"
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Wise words for the erring priests and Bishops of today.
It seems to me that Hosea speaks of Israel, his child, almost as if he were a proud parent. But then he utters multiple lamentations about this state of affairs of this erring child. [Think about us, son or daughter not doing their homework, invovled with the wrong kids, wearing the stylish -translation: indecent- clothes of today, refusing to attend his or her church Youth Group.]
And in the last verse Hosea calls his children back to a new way of life and plowing a new field so that they can seek and find justice in the Lord.
Anyone else have any thoughts here?
I thought that The Word Among Us had good thoughts on this one today...
Have you ever noticed how parents try to give their children a way out of punishment? A parent who grounds a child for a month for getting into trouble might add: “But if you get good marks in school, I’ll let you go out again.”
It’s good to know that our Father in heaven is the same way. There are many cases in the Old Testament in which God chastises the Israelites for turning away from him—only to end with something like: “But if you turn back to me, then I will open the heavens and shower down blessings upon you.”
In situations like this, God was usually looking for some specific type of change; for example, protecting widows, caring for orphans, clothing the poor, or helping the oppressed. In Hosea’s time, it appears that the Israelites had become complacent during a time of prosperity. The more they prospered, the more they worshiped false gods. God vowed to smash their altars and bring destruction on the sanctuaries where they performed their pagan rites. But then came his parental appeal: “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you” (Hosea 10:12).
What might our Father want to say to us through Hosea’s words? How might we sow righteousness in our lives? The change God is looking for goes deeper than just praying more—although this is a very good thing. God is looking for action. He’s looking for us to sow good deeds that bear fruit in our lives and the lives of those we help. Is there a sick neighbor who needs a visit? Is there a retirement home nearby where you could sow love? What about a soup kitchen where your family could volunteer on a regular basis? There are so many ways we can show practical proof of our desire to turn from sin and turn back to the Lord. He is our loving Father, who corrects us only because he wants what is best for his children.
"This number [12] is typified by many things in the Old Testament; by the twelve sons of Jacob, by the twelve princes of the children of Israel, by the twelve running springs in Helim, by the twelve stones in Aaron's breastplate, by the twelve loaves of the show-bread, by the twelve spies sent by Moses, by the twelve stones of which the altar was made, by the twelve stones taken out of Jordan, by the twelve oxen which bare the brazen sea. Also in the New Testament, by the twelve stars in the bride's crown, by the twelve foundations of Jerusalem which John saw, and her twelve gates."
Thank you so much for the link to the Daily Mass Readings. My wife is a daily Mass attendee and I have always given her a subscription to Magnificat. As far as myself, I use a Sunday Missal that is over eight or ten years old. What I am reading at Mass during the lector's reading is, at times, incomparable.
I thank you for the link as I can now print out readings for any date and stick it in my Missal.
If they change the Euchristic Prayers I'm in deep doodoo.
Always enjoy your posts. May Our Most Blessed Mother shine her many graces on you and lighten the cross you carry.
Jim
You are most welcome. We all have some kind of intepretation of the Readings, and I believe soundly that we all learn by sharing. So feel free to share. We are all learning.
Pray for priestly vocations!
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