Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Catholic Caucus; Daily Mass Readings, 07-25-14, FEAST, St. James, Apostle
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 07-25-14 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 07/24/2014 8:59:46 PM PDT by Salvation

July 25, 2014

Feast of Saint James, Apostle

 

Reading 1 2 Cor 4:7-15

Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 126:1bc-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

R. (5) Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

Gospel Mt 20:20-28

The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her,
“What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”



TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; mt20; ordinarytime; prayer; saints
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041 next last
For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

1 posted on 07/24/2014 8:59:46 PM PDT by Salvation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ArrogantBustard; Catholicguy; RobbyS; marshmallow; ...
Alleluia Ping

Please FReepmail me to get on/off the Alleluia Ping List.


2 posted on 07/24/2014 9:02:27 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

From: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15

The Trials He Has Experienced


[7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent
power belongs to God and not to us. [8] We are afflicted in every way, but not
crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed; [10] always carrying in the body the death of
Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. [11] For
while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the
life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. [12] So death is at work in
us, but life in you.

He Is Sustained By Hope in Heaven


[13] Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, “I believed, and
so I spoke,” we too believe, and so we speak, [14] knowing that he who raised
the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his pre-
sence. [15] For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and
more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

7-12. In contrast to the greatness of the Gospel—the “treasure” entrusted to them
by God—St. Paul emphasizes the limitations of its ministers: they are “earthen
vessels” (v. 7). To illustrate this he describes the afflictions and persecution to
which he finds himself subjected and in which God’s grace always comes to his
aid.

In some way these sufferings of the Apostles and of all Christians reproduce in
their lives the sufferings of Christ in his passion and death. In his case his suf-
fering opened the way to his glorification after the Resurrection; similarly his ser-
vants, even in this life, are experiencing an anticipation of the life they will attain
in heaven; this helps them overcome every kind of affliction.

7. St. Paul again stresses that the effectiveness of all his apostolic activity
comes from God (cf., e.g., 1 Cor 1:26-31; 2 Cor 3:5); he it is who places his trea-
sures in poor earthenware vessels. The image the Apostle uses—which is remini-
scent of the clay which God used to make Adam (cf. Gen 2:7)—helps Christians
realize that through grace they bear in their souls a wonderful treasure, God him-
self; like earthen vessels they are very fragile and they need to be put together
again in the sacrament of Confession. As a gloss on these ideas St. Escriva
taught that Christians by bearing God in their souls are enabled to live at one
and the same time “in heaven and on earth, divinized: but knowing that we are
of the world and made of clay, with the frailty that is typical of clay — an earthen-
ware pot which our Lord has deigned to use in his service. And whenever it has
got broken, we have gone and riveted the bits together again, like the prodigal
son: ‘I have sinned against heaven and against you...’” (quoted in Bernal, “Mon-
signor Escriva de Balaguer”).

8-9. The Apostle’s words assure the Christian that he or she can always count
on God’s help: no matter what trials they have to undergo, victory can be attained
with the grace of God as happened in St. Paul’s case. “God is faithful, and he will
not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with temptation will also provide
you the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:13). More-
over, St. Paul’s example reminds us that more or less severe suffering and tribu-
lation will be a normal thing in the lives of Christ’s followers; theirs will never be a
comfortable, trouble-free life. “If it is your ambition to win the esteem of men, if
your desire to be well-regarded and seek only a life of ease, you have gone as-
tray [...]. In the city of the saints, entrance is given and rest and eternal rule with
the King, only to those who have made their way along the rough, narrow way of
tribulation” (Pseudo-Macarius, “Homilies”, XII, 5).

10-11. As happened in St. Paul’s case, in their daily lives Christians must relive
the sufferings of Christ through self-denial and penance: this is part of following
Christ and imitating him. “The Christian vocation is one of sacrifice, penance,
expiation. We must make reparation for our sins—for the many times we turned
our face aside so as to avoid the gaze of God—and all the sins of mankind. We
must try to imitate Christ, ‘always carrying in the body the death of Christ’, his
abnegation, his suffering on the cross, ‘so that the life of Jesus may be manifes-
ted in our bodies’ (2 Cor 4:10). Our way is one of immolation and, in this denial,
we find “gaudium cum pace”, both joy and peace” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is
Passing By”, 9).

Self-denial, mortification, does not have to be something overt; it should be prac-
ticed in the ordinary circumstances of life—for example, by being punctual for ap-
pointments, carefully fulfilling one’s duties, treating everyone with as much chari-
ty as possible, accepting little setbacks in a good-humored way (cf. St. J. Escri-
va, “Friends of God”, 138).

10. “The death of Jesus”: more exactly, the “dying” of Christ: the Greek word re-
fers to the situation of someone who is dying.

12. In the Apostles, and also in other Christians, the paradox of Jesus’ life is ve-
rified: his death is the cause of life for all men. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into
the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24).
Afflictions and tribulations, physical and moral pain, daily self-denial and penance,
cause Christ’s disciple to die to himself and, if united to the sufferings of his Mas-
ter, they become a source of life for others through the communion of saints.

13-18. The Apostle explains where he gets the strength to bear all the tribula-
tions of life — from his hope in the resurrection and his expectation of being in
heaven with those to whom he is writing (v. 14). There is nothing selfish about this
desire for heaven: it helps us to stay true to the faith and it enables us to see all
the sufferings of this life as something transitory and slight (v. 17), a necessary
step to heaven and a way to obtain incomparably greater happiness. “If we wish
to enjoy the pleasures of eternity,” St. Alphonsus reminds us, “we must deprive
ourselves of the pleasures of time. ‘Whoever would save his life will lose it’ (Mt
16:25) [...]. If we wish to be saved, we must all be martyrs, either by the tyrant’s
sword or through our own mortification. Let us have this conviction — that every-
thing we suffer is nothing compared with the eternal glory that awaits us. ‘I consi-
der the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that
is to be revealed to us’ (Rom 8:18). These momentary afflictions will bring us e-
ternal happiness (cf. 2 Cor 4:17)” (”Treasury of Preaching Material”, II, 9).

13. The Apostle’s faith leads him to keep on preaching, despite all the difficulties
this may involve. There is nothing else he can do: he is convinced that his faith
is what can save the world and he cannot but strive to spread it. If he acted other-
wise it would mean his faith was asleep and he did not truly love others. “When
you find that something has done you good,” St. Gregory the Great explains,
“try to bring it to the attention of others. You should, therefore, desire others to
join you on the ways of the Lord. If you are going to the forum or the baths, and
you meet someone who is not doing anything, you invite him to go along with
you. Apply this earthly custom to the spiritual sphere, and as you make your
way to God, do not do so alone” (”In Evangelia Homiliae”, 6, 6).

14. What inspires St. Paul’s apostolic activity and enables him to bear all the dif-
ficulties it involves, is his firm belief in resurrection in glory, the basis and cause
of which is Christ’s resurrection. He also has the hope of sharing this happiness
in heaven, in the presence of God, with all the faithful for whose salvation he is
working on earth.

15. After reminding the Corinthians that all the sufferings he has been speaking
about he has borne for their sake (cf. 4:5), St. Paul tells them what motivates him
most—the greater glory of God, to whom the faithful should turn in deep gratitude
(cf. 1:11; 9:12). This should be man’s primary attitude to God—one of profound
adoration and thanksgiving for all his benefits, as we are daily reminded in the
Preface of the Mass.

“If life’s purpose were not to give glory to God, how contemptible, how hateful it
would be” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 783).

*********************************************************************************************
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.


3 posted on 07/24/2014 9:03:08 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: All

From: Matthew 20:20-28

The Mother of the Sons of Zebedee Makes Her Request


[20] Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to Him, with her sons,
and kneeling before Him she asked Him for something. [21] And He said to her,
“What do you want?” She said to Him, “Command that these two sons of mine
may sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your Kingdom.” [22] But
Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink
the cup that I am to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” [23] He said to
them, “You will drink My cup, but to sit at My right hand and at My left is not
Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”
[24] And when the ten heard it they were indignant at the two brothers. [25] But
Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles
lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. [26] It shall
not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your ser-
vant, [27] and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; [28] even
as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a
ransom for many.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

20. The sons of Zebedee are James the Greater and John. Their mother, Salo-
me, thinking that the earthly reign of the Messiah is about to be established,
asks that her sons be given the two foremost positions in it. Christ reproaches
them for not grasping the true—spiritual—nature of the Kingdom of Heaven and
not realizing that government of the Church He is going to found implies service
and martyrdom. “If you are working for Christ and imagine that a position of re-
sponsibility is anything but a burden, what disillusionment awaits you!” (St. J.
Escriva, “The Way”, 950).

22. “Drinking the cup” means suffering persecution and martyrdom for following
Christ. “We are able”: the sons of Zebedee boldly reply that they can drink the
cup; their generous expression evokes what St. Paul will write years later: “I
can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13).

23. “You will drink My cup”: James the Greater will die a martyr’s death in Jeru-
salem around the year 44 (cf. Acts 12:2); and John, after suffering imprisonment
and the lash in Jerusalem (cf. Acts 4:3; 5:40-41), will spend a long period of
exile on the island of Patmos (cf. Revelation 1:9).

From what our Lord says here we can take it that positions of authority in the
Church should not be the goal of ambition or the subject of human intrigue, but
the outcome of a divine calling. Intent on doing the will of His Heavenly Father,
Christ was not going to allocate positions of authority on the basis of human
considerations but, rather, in line with God’s plans.

26. Vatican II puts a marked emphasis on this “service” which the Church offers
to the world and which Christians should show as proof of their Christian identity:
“In proclaiming the noble destiny of man and affirming an element of the divine
in him, this sacred Synod offers to cooperate unreservedly with mankind in fos-
tering a sense of brotherhood to correspond to this destiny of theirs. The Church
is not motivated by an earthly ambition but is interested in one thing only—to car-
ry on the work of Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for He came into
the world to bear witness to the truth, to save and not to judge, to serve and not
to be served” (”Gaudium Et Spes”, 3 cf. “Lumen Gentium”, 32: “Ad Gentes”, 12;
“Unitatis Redintegratio”, 7).

27-28. Jesus sets Himself as an example to be imitated by those who hold au-
thority in the Church. He who is God and Judge of all men (cf. Philippians 2:5-
11; John 5:22-27; Acts 10:42; Matthew 28:18) does not impose Himself on us:
He renders us loving service to the point of giving His life for us (cf. John 15:13);
that is His way of being the first. St. Peter understood Him right; he later exhor-
ted priests to tend the flock of God entrusted to them, not domineering over them
but being exemplary in their behavior (cf. 1 Peter 5:1-3); and St. Paul also was
clear on this “service”: though He was “free from all men”, He became the ser-
vant of all in order to win all (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:19 ff; 2 Corinthians 4:5).

Christ’s “service” of mankind aims at salvation. The phrase “to give His life as a
ransom for many” is in line with the terminology of liturgical sacrificial language.
These words were used prophetically in Chapter 53 of Isaiah.

Verse 28 also underlines the fact that Christ is a priest, who offers Himself as
priest and victim on the altar of the cross. The expression “as a ransom for ma-
ny” should not be interpreted as implying that God does not will the salvation of
all men. “Many”, here, is used to contrast with “one” rather than “all”: there is
only one Savior, and salvation is offered to all.

*********************************************************************************************
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


4 posted on 07/24/2014 9:04:07 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: All
Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass


First reading

2 Corinthians 4:7-15 ©

We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed; always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are consigned to our death every day, for the sake of Jesus, so that in our mortal flesh the life of Jesus, too, may be openly shown. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

  But as we have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.


Psalm

Psalm 125:1-6 ©

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,

  it seemed like a dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter,

  on our lips there were songs.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels

  the Lord worked for them!’

What marvels the Lord worked for us!

  Indeed we were glad.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage

  as streams in dry land.

Those who are sowing in tears

  will sing when they reap.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

They go out, they go out, full of tears,

  carrying seed for the sowing:

they come back, they come back, full of song,

  carrying their sheaves.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.


Gospel Acclamation

cf.Jn15:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

I chose you from the world

to go out and bear fruit,

fruit that will last,

says the Lord.

Alleluia!


Gospel

Matthew 20:20-28 ©

The mother of Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’

  When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’


5 posted on 07/24/2014 9:12:31 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: All
Perpetual Novena for the Nation (Ecumenical)
6 posted on 07/24/2014 9:14:41 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: All
Prayers for The Religion Forum (Ecumenical)
7 posted on 07/24/2014 9:15:12 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: All
Nun: The Sign of Genocide (Please join Aug 1 Day of Solidarity and Prayer)
8 posted on 07/24/2014 9:15:39 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: All

 
Jesus, High Priest
 

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.

9 posted on 07/24/2014 9:17:16 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: All
Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

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:  II 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.

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]

10 posted on 07/24/2014 9:18:04 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: All



~ 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
+

11 posted on 07/24/2014 9:18:57 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: All

A Prayer for our Free Nation Under God
God Save Our Country web site (prayer warriors)
Prayer Chain Request for the United States of America
Pray for Nancy Pelosi
Prayer and fasting will help defeat health care reform (Freeper Prayer Thread)
Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life
[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries
Non-stop Rosary vigil to defeat ObamaCare

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:

"Pray for Obama.  Psalm 109:8"

   

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.


12 posted on 07/24/2014 9:19:39 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: All
Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
 

 
July Devotion: The Precious Blood

July Devotion: The Precious Blood 
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.") 
The Church has always held devotion to the Precious Blood in high esteem. We continue to recognize and publicly acknowledge the profound indebtedness of the whole human race to Christ, Priest and Victim. 
Standing at the foot of the cross, we see Jesus' head, hands, feet, and side pouring out streams of precious blood. It is precious because it: 
•      Redeems us and atones for our sins. Through His precious blood we are reconciled to God, made one with Him. Death ceases to be death and heaven's gates are opened to us.  
•      Cleanses us from all sin.  
•      Preserves us and keeps us safe from the grasp of evil.  When the Father sees us washed in the Blood of the Lamb we are spared.  
•      Comforts us. It is the constant reminder that Jesus - true God and true man suffered and died to save us and to open heaven to us because He loves us.  
•      Sanctifies us.  The same blood that justifies by taking away sin, continues to work within us.  Its action gives us the grace to continue on the path toward the Kingdom of God.  It assists us in achieving our new nature, leading us onward in subduing sin and in following the commands of God.  
Jesus shed His precious blood seven times during His life on earth.  They events were: 
•      Jesus shed His Blood in the Circumcision  
•      Jesus shed His Blood whilst praying in the Garden of Olives  
•      Jesus shed His Blood in the scourging  
•      Jesus shed His Blood in the crowning with thorns  
•      Jesus shed His Blood while carrying His cross  
•      Jesus shed His Blood in the crucifixion  
•      Jesus shed His Blood and water when His side was pierced 
 
The Power of the Precious Blood 
"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God." (St. Albert the Great)
 

At their recent meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had continuous Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for "healing and peace."   They encouraged parishes and communities to have ongoing Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  In these dark months of woundedness, pain and violence we need to turn to the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, for healing, peace, and light.  
"What power we have in the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist!  He is there to protect us, to be our refuge and our redemption.  (In Exodus 12, God told Moses to have His chosen people mark their door posts with the blood of an unblemished lamb, during the first Passover. Those who did this were spared when the Angel of the death passed by). This is why Archbishop Sheen said that we must call down the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  For, he warned, when we stop calling down the Blood of the Lamb, we start calling down the blood of each other."  (From our book Bread of Life)      
"And the Lamb on the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water" (Rev 7:17). 
"In the tumultuous events of our time, it is important to look to the Eucharist: it must be at the heart of the life of priests and consecrated people; the light and strength of spouses in putting into practice their commitment to fidelity, chastity and the apostolate; the ideal in education and in training children, adolescents and young people; the comfort and support of those who are troubled, of the sick and all who are weeping in the Gethsemane of life."  (Pope John Paul II)  
Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! 
"The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night when He went into His agony.  But as often in the history of the church since that time, evil was awake, but the disciples were asleep.  That is why there came out of His anguished and lonely Heart a sigh: 'Could you not watch one hour with Me?'" (Mt 26:40).  Not for an hour of activity did he plead, but for an hour of friendship (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).  
 
St. Maria Goretti,  Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Feast-July 6 St. Maria of Italy (1890-1902), couldn't wait to make her First Communion.  She wanted to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that she could become more beautiful and pure like Him; she wanted Him to live in her, close to her heart.  After she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, she stayed in Church for a long time after Mass to talk to Him. Maria's family lived with and worked for a farmer. His son Alessandro kept trying to make Maria sin against purity.  One day, when everyone else was working, Alessandro grabbed Maria and tried to make her sin.  Maria kept crying out for him to stop, and each time she did, he stabbed her. Courageously,   Maria resisted him and was stabbed fourteen times. St. Maria died the next day.  
"Look at Maria Goretti....  Like her, be capable of defending your purity of heart and body.  Be committed to the struggle against evil and sin.  Always esteem and love, purity and virginity." (Pope John Paul II, 1990)      
 
A Prayer for Priests 
O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful; to those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may grasp it as their support.  In the great ocean of Your mercy, lift those poor unfortunate ones who have fallen, that being engulfed therein they may receive the grace to return to Your Great Loving Heart.  Amen.  Precious Blood of Jesus, protect them!
 
The Eucharist is the fruit of our Lords Passion. Jesus gave up His Body on the cross so that He may give you His Body in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus poured out His very last drop of Blood on the cross so that He may fill you with His Divine Love each time that you receive Him in Holy Communion and visit Him in Eucharistic Adoration! 
"The Eucharist, in the Mass and outside of the Mass, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and is therefore deserving of the worship that is given to the living God, and to Him alone" (Pope John Paul II, September 29, 1979, Phoenix Park, Ireland) 
"The bread and wine, fruit of human hands, transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Christ, become a pledge of the 'new heaven and new earth,' announced by the Church in her daily mission." "In Christ, whom we adore present in the mystery of the Eucharist, the father uttered his final word with regard to humanity and human history." "To live the Eucharist, it is necessary, as well, to spend much time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, something which I myself experience every day drawing from it strength, consolation and assistance."  "How could the Church fulfill her vocation without cultivating a constant relationship with the Eucharist, without nourishing herself with this food which sanctifies, without founding her missionary activity on this indispensable support?" "To evangelize the world there is need of apostles who are 'experts' in the celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist" (Pope John Paul II, World Mission Message 2004).
 
The Power of the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist  
 
"The Precious Blood belongs in an especial manner to men. Much more, therefore, does God invite them to come to its heavenly baths, and receive therein, not only the cleansing of their souls, but the power of a new and amazing life. Every doctrine in theology is a call to the Precious Blood.  Every ceremony in the Church tells of it . . . .  Every supernatural act is a growth of it. Everything that is holy on earth is either a leaf, bud, blossom or fruit of the Blood of Jesus. To its fountains God calls the sinner, that he may be lightened of his burdens. There is no remission of him in anything else.  Only there is his lost sonship to be found. The saints are no less called by God to these invigorating streams. It is out of the Precious Blood that men draw martyrdoms, vocations, celebacies, austerities, heroic charities, and all the magnificent graces of high sanctity.  The secret nourishment of prayer is from those fountains" (Father Faber, The Precious Blood).  
 

The Most Precious Blood of Jesus
July is traditionally associated with the Precious Blood of Our Lord. It may be customary to celebrate the votive Mass of the Precious Blood on July 1.

The extraordinary importance of the saving Blood of Christ has ensured a central place for its memorial in the celebration of this cultic mystery: at the centre of the Eucharistic assembly, in which the Church raises up to God in thanksgiving "the cup of blessing" (1 Cor 10, 16; cf Ps 115-116, 13) and offers it to the faithful as a "real communion with the Blood of Christ" (1 Cor 10, 16); and throughout the Liturgical Year. The Church celebrates the saving Blood of Christ not only on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, but also on many other occasions, such that the cultic remembrance of the Blood of our redemption (cf 1 Pt 1, 18) pervades the entire Liturgical Year. Hence, at Vespers during Christmastide, the Church, addressing Christ, sings: "Nos quoque, qui sancto tuo redempti sumus sanguine, ob diem natalis tui hymnum novum concinimus." In the Paschal Triduum, the redemptive significance and efficacy of the Blood of Christ is continuously recalled in adoration. During the adoration of the Cross on Good Friday the Church sings the hymn: "Mite corpus perforatur, sanguis unde profluit; terra, pontus, astra, mundus quo lavanturflumine", and again on Easter Sunday, "Cuius corpus sanctissimum in ara crucis torridum, sed et cruorem roesum gustando, Deo vivimus (194).

Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, 09-25-12
ST. GASPAR: Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood
Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (London, 9/18)

Devotion to the Drops of Blood Lost by our Lord Jesus Christ on His Way to Calvary (Prayer/Devotion)
Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
Catholic Word of the Day: PRECIOUS BLOOD, 12-03-11
The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Catholic Caucus)
Devotion to the Precious Blood
DOCTRINE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And More on the Precious Blood
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
NOTHING IS MORE POTENT AGAINST EVIL THAN PLEADING THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus


"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you"  (Jn 6:53).  

13 posted on 07/24/2014 9:23:24 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
July 2014

Pope's Intentions

Universal: That sports may always be occasions of human fraternity and growth.

For Evangelization: That the Holy Spirit may support the work of the laity who proclaim the Gospel in the poorest countries.

14 posted on 07/24/2014 9:25:37 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: All
Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint James, apostle - Feast

Commentary of the day
Saint Basil (c.330-379), monk and Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Doctor of the Church
Homily on Psalm 115[116B], §4

" Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?"

« What shall I repay the Lord ? » (Ps 115[116B],12). Not holocausts or sacrifices or the observances of the legal cult, but my whole life itself. And this is why, says the psalmist, “The cup of salvation I will take up” (v.13). The labor he underwent in the struggles of his filial devotion to God and the constancy with which he resisted sin even to death : this is what the psalmist calls his cup.

It was concerning this cup that our Lord himself expressed himself in the Gospels : “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Mt 26,39). And again, to his disciples: “Can you drink the cup that I shall drink?” He intended to speak of that death he desired to suffer for the salvation of the world. Therefore, he says: “The cup of salvation I will take up”, namely, my whole being is reaching out, parched, towards the consummation of martyrdom, even to the point of holding the torments endured in the struggles of filial love as rest, and not as suffering for soul and body. I too, he says, will offer myself to the Lord as a sacrifice and oblation… And I am ready to pay these vows before all the people, for “My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people!” (v.14).


15 posted on 07/24/2014 9:31:49 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: All
The sons of Zebedee press Christ: Promise that one may sit at your right side and the other at your left. What does he do? He wants to show them that it is not a spiritual gift for which they are asking, and that if they knew what their request involved, they would never dare make it. So he says: You do not know what you are asking, that is, what a great and splendid thing it is and how much beyond the reach even of the heavenly powers. Then he continues: Can you drink the cup which I must drink and be baptised with the baptism which I must undergo? He is saying: “You talk of sharing honours and rewards with me, but I must talk of struggle and toil. Now is not the time for rewards or the time for my glory to be revealed. Earthly life is the time for bloodshed, war and danger”. Consider how by his manner of questioning he exhorts and draws them. He does not say: “Can you face being slaughtered? Can you shed your blood?” How does he put his question? Can you drink the cup? Then he makes it attractive by adding: which I must drink, so that the prospect of sharing it with him may make them more eager. He also calls his suffering a baptism, to show that it will effect a great cleansing of the entire world. The disciples answer him: We can! Fervour makes them answer promptly, though they really do not know what they are saying but still think they will receive what they ask for. How does Christ reply? You will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with my baptism. He is really prophesying a great blessing for them, since he is telling them: “You will be found worthy of martyrdom; you will suffer what I suffer and end your life with a violent death, thus sharing all with me. But seats at my right and left are not mine to give; they belong to those for whom the Father has prepared them.” Thus, after lifting their minds to higher goals and preparing them to meet and overcome all that will make them desolate, he sets them straight on their request. Then the other ten became angry at the two brothers. See how imperfect they all are: the two who tried to get ahead of the other ten, and the ten who were jealous of the two! But, as I said before, show them to me at a later date in their lives, and you will see that all these impulses and feelings have disappeared. Read how John, the very man who here asks for the first place, will always yield to Peter when it comes to preaching and performing miracles in the Acts of the Apostles. James, for his part, was not to live very much longer; for from the beginning he was inspired by great fervour and, setting aside all purely human goals, rose to such splendid heights that he straightway suffered martyrdom.

-- Saint John Chrysostom from a homily on the Gospel of Matthew

16 posted on 07/24/2014 9:34:56 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: All
Just A Minute Just A Minute (Listen)
Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click.

17 posted on 07/24/2014 9:37:57 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: All



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. 


18 posted on 07/24/2014 9:38:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: All
Saint James the Greater, Apostle

Saint James the Greater, Apostle
Feast Day
July 25th

http://wf-f.org/WFFResource/StJamesGreater.jpg

Apostle Saint James the Greater
Domenikos Theotocopoulos ("El Greco")
1606
Museo del Greco, Toledo

Collect:
Almighty ever-living God,
who consecrated the first fruits of your Apostles
by the blood of Saint James,
grant, we pray,
that your Church may be strengthened by his confession of faith
and constantly sustained by his protection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: 2 Corinthians 4: 7-15
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke," we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 20:20-28
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

***

Family Activity - from A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz, originally published by Harper & Row in 1995, now available in paperback from Ignatius Press.

Saint James is known to have died around A.D. 42, by he sword, at the command of Herod Agrippa. According to legend, he first spent seven years in Spain, traveling throughout the land and preaching Christianity. After he was put to death, his followers are said to have brought his body back to Spain for burial. In the ninth century, a star miraculously revealed what was claimed to be his tomb. A great shrine was build at Compostela ("Star of the Sea"), and by the eleventh century great flocks of pilgrims were visiting it. From then on, only Jerusalem and Rome attracted more pilgrims than "Santiago" (Iago is Spanish for James).

The festival in his honor in Compostela is a week-long affair, celebrated with dramatic liturgy and with beautiful local costumes, Galician bagpipe music, dancing, and of course wonderful, special food.

One of the traditional dishes is a scallop-filled empanada, or little pie. Nothing could be more appropriate, for the scallop shell has been, for hundreds of years, the symbol of Santiago. This shell was worn as an emblem by all pilgrims to the shrine at Compostella. (In French, scallops are called "St. James cockles": coquilles St. Jacques.)

Let's put these tasty little creatures back on their symbolic shells. This dish is lovely with rice and a green vegetable, and a good white wine.

Scallops on the "pilgrim" shell

1 teaspoon each: Finely chopped chervil, chives, parsley, tarragon
1 cup white wine
2 pounds of scallops
Flour for dredging
Salt
White pepper
3 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil or peanut oil
A little lemon (optional)
6 large (4-5 inch) scallop shells
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
For garnish: Chopped parsley and lemon wedges

A few minutes (better yet, an hour) before beginning to cook, put the herbs to steep in the wine.

Rinse the scallops, and dry them. If using large sea scallops, cut them into halves or quarters. Coat them with flour that has been seasoned with salt and white pepper. Shake off excess flour before cooking.

Heat 3 tablespoons of butter and the oil in a large frying pan. When the butter and oil are bubbling, add the scallops to the pan. It is important that the scallops not be crowded, and that the pan be hot. (You may need to cook the scallops in several batches.) Sauté the scallops, adding butter and oil as necessary, until they are nicely browned on all sides. Remove to a warm dish.

Pour the herb-steeped wine into the frying pan, boiling the liquid down slightly, and stirring in all the delicious little bits left in the pan.

Stir the wine into the scallops. Taste for seasoning.

Optional: squeeze in a little lemon juice.

Fill the scallop shells with the mixture. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and moisten the tops with a little melted butter. Run briefly under a preheated broiler to brown the crumbs.

Garnish with chopped parsley, and lemon wedges.

Yield: 6 servings


19 posted on 07/25/2014 7:04:57 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: All
Information: St. James the Greater

Feast Day: July 25

Born: 1st century

Died: 44, Judea

Major Shrine: Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia (Spain)

Patron of: Veterinarians, equestrians, furriers, tanners, pharmacists

20 posted on 07/25/2014 7:13:20 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson