Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 07-08-15

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 07-08-15 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

July 8, 2015

Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gn 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a

When hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egypt
and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread,
Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph
and do whatever he told them.
When the famine had spread throughout the land,
Joseph opened all the cities that had grain
and rationed it to the Egyptians,
since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt.
In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain,
for famine had gripped the whole world.

The sons of Israel were among those
who came to procure rations.

It was Joseph, as governor of the country,
who dispensed the rations to all the people.
When Joseph’s brothers came and knelt down before him
with their faces to the ground,
he recognized them as soon as he saw them.
But Joseph concealed his own identity from them
and spoke sternly to them.

With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days.

On the third day Joseph said to his brothers:
“Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man.
If you have been honest,
only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison,
while the rest of you may go
and take home provisions for your starving families.
But you must come back to me with your youngest brother.
Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die.”
To this they agreed.
To one another, however, they said:
“Alas, we are being punished because of our brother.
We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us,
yet we paid no heed;
that is why this anguish has now come upon us.”
Reuben broke in,
“Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy?
But you would not listen!
Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”
The brothers did not know, of course,
that Joseph understood what they said,
since he spoke with them through an interpreter.
But turning away from them, he wept.

Responsorial Psalm PS 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19

R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Alleluia Mk 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, 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.’”

[Salvation]

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

[Salvation]

Alleluia Ping

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

[Salvation]

From: Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a

Joseph, the Pharaoh’s Administrator (Continuation)

---

[55] When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for
bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; what he says to
you, do.” [56] So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened
all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the
land of Egypt. [57] “Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy
grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

The Sons of Jacob Go Down to Egypt (Continuation)

---

[5] Thus the Sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the
famine was in the land of Canaan. [6] Now Joseph was governor over the land;
he it was who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came,
and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. [7a] Joseph
saw his brothers, and knew them, but he treated them like strangers and
spoke roughly to them.

Joseph Tests His Brothers by Keeping Simeon in Egypt (Continuation)

---

[17] And he put them all together in prison for three days. [18] 0n the third day
Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: [19] if you are ho-
nest men, let one of your brothers remain confined in your prison, and let the
rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, [20] and bring your
youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.”
And they did so. [21] Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty con-
cerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought
us and we would not listen; therefore is this distress come upon us.” [22] And
Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the lad? But you
would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” [23] They did
not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between
them. [24a] Then he turned away from them and wept.

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

41:53­57. Egypt had an elaborate irrigation system, which allowed it to protect its
food supply in periods of famine caused, no doubt, by periodic droughts in the
Middle East. Thanks to Joseph’s management at that time, the country was able
not only to relieve famine at home when the need arose but also to relieve “all the
earth” scourged by that plague. Here we see how divine providence came to the
rescue of all nations through a descendant of Abraham (cf. 12:3). Yet, despite all
the progress mankind has made, the plague of hunger continues to ravage areas
of the world even In our own time. And so, “faced with a world today where so
many people are suffering from want, the [Second Vatican] Council asks indivi-
duals and governments to remember the saying of the Fathers: ‘Feed the man
dying of hunger, because if you do not feed him you are killing him,’ and it urges
them according to their ability to share and dispose of their goods to help others,
above all by giving them aid which will enable them to help and develop them-
selves” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 69).

The pharaoh himself tells the Egyptians where to find food—by having recourse
to Joseph. He is the one providentially placed by God at that time not only to
save the Egyptians but also to help Jacob and his sons, the ancestors of the
chosen people of the Old Testament. There is a profound analogy between this
Joseph who provides nourishment to Egypt and Israel, and that other Joseph, the
husband of Mary, whom God chose to care for and nourish the Holy Family, who
also had to move to Egypt (cf. the note on 39:21-23). So the words spoken by the
pharaoh. “Go to Joseph.” can also be applied to recourse to St Joseph as an in-
tercessor to bring us to Jesus: “Who could be a better teacher for us? If you
want my advice, which I have never tired of repeating these many years, “Ite ad
Ioseph”: ‘Go to Joseph.’ He will show us definite ways, both human and divine,
to approach Jesus” (St. J. Escrivá, “Christ Is Passing By”, 38).

42:1-47:12. Here begins what we might call the second part of the history of Jo-
seph. This does not end with his own prosperity and happiness after his many
trials; it opens the way to the salvation of all his people, thereby giving effect to
God’s design. This part reaches its climax with the descent of Jacob and his
whole family into Egypt, and their settling there. The sons of Jacob travel into E-
gypt twice to buy grain (cf. chap. 42 and chaps 44-45). It may be that the writer
has drawn on two separate traditions, but still the narrative has an extraordinary
unity about it, evidencing the literary skill of the editor. It is a stirring account,
with events and emotions building up to a climax at the end, when all Jacob’s
Sons are gathered around him in Egypt.

As the story develops, we see come true the dreams Joseph had in Canaan
about his brothers and his father; initially some and eventually all of them bow
down before him. Meanwhile, due to the strategies Joseph uses, his brothers
(though not realizing what is happening) come to acknowledge and gradually
confess the sin they committed against him, to the point where they sincerely
repent it. We also see a sense of brotherhood and solidarity develop among
them all, to the point where they are all ready to become slaves rather than a-
bandon Benjamin (cf. 44:16); and one of them, Judah, is ready to give himself
up on Benjamin’s behalf. It is only then, at this point of brotherly union, that they
are able to find again their lost brother, Joseph, and reconstitute the family of
Jacob.

42:1-7. Jacob acts as a responsible family man concerned about his children’s
welfare. He is not resigned to see his family die of hunger; he thinks hard about
the situation and decides to take a risky but necessary course of action—to send
his sons to Egypt in search of food. Jacob’s sons probably joined some caravan
travelling there for the same reason. The account starts with this action on Ja-
cob’s part to explain why the Israelites went down into Egypt, leaving the land
God had promised to Abraham. It rounds off this explanation when it tells how
Jacob himself and all his family travelled to Egypt at God’s bidding (cf. 46:1-5).
The dreams Joseph told his brothers about (cf. 37:5-9) now begin to come true.
Joseph’s harshness towards them does not stem from a spirit of vengeance, it
is designed to give more dramatic interest to the story and to prepare for the
eventual reunion, once all his brothers have admitted their fault.

42:8-24. Joseph’s accusation against his brothers looks like a ruse to get them
to identify what family they belong to. It is plain to see that for them Joseph
“does not exist”. It is possible that Joseph fears for what will happen to his mo-
ther’s son, his brother Benjamin, and that that is why he insists that they bring
him to him. Maybe Joseph is conscious of his father’s pain and for that reason
keeps Simeon rather than Reuben; or, now that he knows what Reuben did
when the others wanted to kill him (cf. 37:21), maybe his decision not to detain
Reuben is a form of recognition for that action. In any event, the whole story is
told in a masterly way, and the reader’s interest is unabated. When they see
one of their brothers being taken from them by force, they begin to reflect on
what they themselves did long before—consciously disposing of a brother (they
thought that he was dead). They admit their fault and that it merits this sort of
punishment from God. Their process of conversion has started: their conscience
is beginning to accuse them. “Just as a drunkard who once he has drunk a lot
of wine is not conscious of doing damage, but later on realizes how much evil
he has done, so, too, sin, when it is being committed, darkens the mind and is
like a dense cloud that corrupts it; but, later, one’s conscience beings to wake
up and it accuses one’s mind vigorously, showing it how stupidly one has acted”
(St John Chrysostom, “Homiliae in Genesim”, 54, 2).

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

[Salvation]

From: Matthew 10:1-7

The Calling and First Mission of the Apostles

---

[1] And He (Jesus) called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority
over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infir-
mity. [2] The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called
Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
[3] Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the
son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; [4] Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot,
who betrayed Him.

[5] These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go nowhere among the Gen-
tiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, [6] but go rather to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel. [7] And preach as you go, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven
is at hand.’”

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

1-4. Jesus calls His twelve Apostles after recommending to them to pray to the
Lord to send laborers into His harvest (cf. Matthew 9:38). Christians’ apostolic
action should always, then, be preceded and accompanied by a life of constant
prayer: apostolate is a divine affair, not a merely human one. Our Lord starts His
Church by calling twelve men to be, as it were, twelve patriarchs of the new peo-
ple of God, the Church. This new people is established not by physical but by
spiritual generation. The names of those Apostles are specifically mentioned
here. They were not scholarly, powerful or important people: they were average,
ordinary people who responded faithfully to the grace of their calling—all of them,
that is, except Judas Iscariot. Even before His death and resurrection Jesus con-
fers on them the power to cast out unclean spirits and cure illnesses—as an
earnest of and as training for the saving mission which He will entrust to them.

The Church reveres these first Christians in a very special way and is proud to
carry on their supernatural mission, and to be faithful to the witness they bore to
the teaching of Christ. The true Church is absent unless there is uninterrupted
apostolic succession and identification with the spirit which the Apostles made
their own.

“Apostle”: this word means “sent”; Jesus sent them out to preach His Kingdom
and pass on His teaching.

The Second Vatican Council, in line with Vatican I, “confesses” and “declares”
that the Church has a hierarchical structure: “The Lord Jesus, having prayed at
length to the Father, called to Himself those whom He willed and appointed
twelve to be with Him, whom He might send to preach the Kingdom of God (cf.
Mark 3:13-19: Matthew 10:1-10). These Apostles (cf. Luke 6:13) He constituted
in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which He placed
Peter, chosen from among them (cf. John 21:15-17). He sent them first of all to
the children of Israel and then to all peoples (cf. Romans 1:16), so that, sharing
in His power, they might make all peoples His disciples and sanctify and govern
them (cf. Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45-48; John 20:21-23) and thus
spread the Church and, administering it under the guidance of the Lord, shepherd
it all days until the end of the world (cf. Matthew 28:28)” (”Lumen Gentium”, 19).

1. In this chapter St. Matthew describes how Jesus, with a view to the spreading
of the Kingdom of God which He inaugurates, decides to establish a Church,
which He does by giving special powers and training to these twelve men who
are its seed.

5-15. After revealing His intention to found the Church by choosing the Twelve
(verses 1-4), in the present passage He shows that He intends to start training
these first Apostles. In other words, from early on in His public ministry He be-
gan to lay the foundations of His Church.

Everyone needs doctrinal and apostolic training to follow his Christian calling.
The Church has a duty to teach, and the faithful have a parallel duty to make
that teaching their own. Therefore, every Christian should avail of the facilities
for training which the Church offers him—which will vary according to each per-
son’s circumstances.

5-6. In His plan of salvation God gave certain promises (to Abraham and the pa-
triarchs), a Covenant and a Law (the Law of Moses), and sent the prophets. The
Messiah would be born into this chosen people, which explains why the Messiah
and the Kingdom of God were to be preached to the house of Israel before being
preached to the Gentiles. Therefore, in their early apprenticeship, Jesus restricts
the Apostles’ area of activity to the Jews, without this taking from the world-wide
scope of the Church’s mission. As we will see, much later on He charges them
to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19); “Go into all the world
and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:16). The Apostles also,
in the early days of the spread of the Church, usually sought out the Jewish com-
munity in any new city they entered, and preached first to them (cf. Acts 13:46).

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

[annalex]

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 10
1.	AND having called his twelve disciples together, he gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of diseases, and all manner of infirmities.	Et convocatis duodecim discipulis suis, dedit illis potestatem spirituum immundorum, ut ejicerent eos, et curarent omnem languorem, et omnem infirmitatem.	και προσκαλεσαμενος τους δωδεκα μαθητας αυτου εδωκεν αυτοις εξουσιαν πνευματων ακαθαρτων ωστε εκβαλλειν αυτα και θεραπευειν πασαν νοσον και πασαν μαλακιαν
2.	And the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother,	Duodecim autem Apostolorum nomina sunt hæc. Primus, Simon, qui dicitur Petrus : et Andreas frater ejus,	των δε δωδεκα αποστολων τα ονοματα εστιν ταυτα πρωτος σιμων ο λεγομενος πετρος και ανδρεας ο αδελφος αυτου ιακωβος ο του ζεβεδαιου και ιωαννης ο αδελφος αυτου
3.	James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus,	Jacobus Zebedæi, et Joannes frater ejus, Philippus, et Bartholomæus, Thomas, et Matthæus publicanus, Jacobus Alphæi, et Thaddæus,	φιλιππος και βαρθολομαιος θωμας και ματθαιος ο τελωνης ιακωβος ο του αλφαιου και λεββαιος ο επικληθεις θαδδαιος
4.	Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.	Simon Chananæus, et Judas Iscariotes, qui et tradidit eum.	σιμων ο κανανιτης και ιουδας ισκαριωτης ο και παραδους αυτον
5.	These twelve Jesus sent: commanding them, saying: Go ye not into the way of the Gentiles, and into the city of the Samaritans enter ye not.	Hos duodecim misit Jesus, præcipiens eis, dicens : In viam gentium ne abieritis, et in civitates Samaritanorum ne intraveritis :	τουτους τους δωδεκα απεστειλεν ο ιησους παραγγειλας αυτοις λεγων εις οδον εθνων μη απελθητε και εις πολιν σαμαρειτων μη εισελθητε
6.	But go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.	sed potius ite ad oves quæ perierunt domus Israël.	πορευεσθε δε μαλλον προς τα προβατα τα απολωλοτα οικου ισραηλ
7.	And going, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand.	Euntes autem prædicate, dicentes : Quia appropinquavit regnum cælorum.	πορευομενοι δε κηρυσσετε λεγοντες οτι ηγγικεν η βασιλεια των ουρανων

(*) "ιακωβος ο του ζεβεδαιου και ιωαννης ο αδελφος αυτου" begins verse 3 in the translations

[annalex]

1. And when he had called to him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
2. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3. Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the Publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus;
4. Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

GLOSS; From the healing of Peter's wife's mother to this place there has been a continued succession of miracles; and they were done before the Sermon upon the Mount, as we know for certain from Matthew's call, which is placed among them; for he was one of the twelve chosen to the Apostleship upon the mount. He here returns to the order of events, taking it up again at the healing of the centurion's Servant; saying, And calling to him his twelve disciples.

REMIG; The Evangelist had related above that the Lord exhorted His disciples to pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His vineyard; and He now seems to be fulfilling what He had exhorted them to. For the number twelve is a perfect number, being made up of the number six, which has perfection because it is formed of its own parts, one, two, three, multiplied into one another; and the number six when doubled amounts to twelve.

GLOSS; And this doubling seems to have some reference to the two precepts of charity, or to the two Testaments.

BEDE; For the number twelve , which is made up of thrice into four, denotes that through the four quarters of the world they were to preach the faith of the Holy Trinity.

RABAN; This number 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 to Jerusalem which John saw, and her twelve gates.

CHRYS; He makes them confident not only by calling their ministry a sending forth to the harvest, but by giving then' strength cure for the ministry; whence it follows, He gave them power over all unclean spirits to cast fluent out, and to heal every sickness and every disease.

REMIG; Wherein is openly showed that the multitude were troubled not with one single kind of affliction, but with many, and this was His pity for the multitude, to give His disciples power to heal and cleanse them.

JEROME; A kind and merciful Lord and Master does not envy His servants and disciples a share in His powers. As Himself had cured every sickness and disease, He imparted the same power to His Apostles. But there is a wide difference between having and imparting, between giving and receiving. Whatever He does He does with the power of a master, whatever they do it is with confession of their own weakness, as they speak, In the name of Jesus rise and walk. A catalogue of the names of the Apostles is given, that all false Apostles might be excluded. The names of the twelve Apostles are these; First, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother. To arrange then in order according to their merit is His alone who searches the secrets of all hearts. But Simon is placed first, having the surname of Peter given to distinguish him from the other Simon surnamed Chananeus, from the village of Chana in Galilee where the Lord turned the water into wine.

RABAN; The Greek or Latin 'Petrus' is the same as the Syriac Cephas, in both tongues the word is derived from a rock; undoubtedly that of which Paul speaks, And that rock was Christ.

REMIG; There have been some who in this name Peter, which is Greek and Latin, have sought a Hebrew interpretation, and would have it to signify, 'Taking off; the shoe,' 'or unloosing,' or 'acknowledging.' But those that say this are contradicted by two facts. First, that the Hebrew has no letter P, but uses Ph instead. Thus Pilate they call Philate. Secondly, that one of the Evangelists has used the word as an interpretation of Cephas; The Lord said, You shalt be called Cephas, on which the Evangelist adds, which being interpreted is Petrus. Simon is interpreted ' obedient,' for he obeyed the words of Andrew, and with him came to Christ, or because he obeyed the divine commands, and at one word of bidding followed the Lord. Or as some will have it, it is to he interpreted, ' Laying aside grief,' and, ' hearing painful things;' for that on the Lord's resurrection he laid aside the grief he had for His death; and he heard sorrowful things, when the Lord said to him, Another shall gird you, and shall carry you where you would not. And Andrew his brother.

CHRYS; This is no small honor (done to Peter), he places Peter from his merit, Andrew from the nobility he had in being the brother of Peter. Mark names Andrew next after the two heads, namely, Peter and John; but this one not so; for Mark has arranged them in order of dignity.

REMIG; Andrew is interpreted ' manly;' for as in Latin 'virilis' is derived from 'vir,' so in Greek Andrew is derived from rightly is he called manly, who left all and followed Christ, and manfully persevered in His commands.

JEROME; The Evangelist couples the names throughout in pairs. So he puts together Peter and Andrew, brothers not so much according to the flesh as in spirit; James and John who left their father after the flesh to follow their true Father; James the son of Zebedee and John his brother. He calls him the son of Zebedee, to distinguish him from the other James the son of Alphaeus.

CHRYS; Observe that he does not place them according to their dignity; for to me John would seem to be greater not than others only, but even than his brother.

REMIG; James is interpreted 'The supplanter,' or 'that supplants;' for he not only supplanted the vices of the flesh, but even contemned the same flesh when Herod put him to death. John is interpreted 'The grace of God,' because he deserved before all to be loved by the Lord; whence also in the favor of His especial love, he leaned at supper in the Lord's bosom.

Philip and Bartholomew. Philip is interpreted, 'The mouth of a lamp' or 'of lamps,' because when he had been enlightened by the Lord, he straightway sought to communicate that light to his brother by the means of his mouth. Bartholomew is a Syriac, not a Hebrew, name, and is interpreted 'The son of him that raises water that. is, of Christ, who raises the hearts of His preachers from earthly to heavenly things, and hangs them there, that the more they penetrate heavenly things, the more they should steep and inebriate the hearts of their hearers with the droppings of holy preaching.

Thomas, and Matthew the Publican.

JEROME; The other Evangelists in this pair of names put Matthew before Thomas; and do not add, the Publican, that they should not seen to throw scorn upon the Evangelist by bringing to mind his former life. But writing of himself he both puts Thomas first in the pair, and styles himself the Publican; because where sin has abounded there grace shall much more abound.

REMIG; Thomas is interpreted 'an abyss,' or 'a twin,' which in Greek is Didymus. Rightly is Didymus interpreted an abyss, for the longer he doubted that more deeply did he believe the effect of the Lord's passion, and the mystery of His Divinity, which forced him to cry, My Lord and my God. Matthew is interpreted ' given,' because by the Lord's bounty he was made an Evangelist of a Publican.

James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus.

RABAN; This James is he who in the Gospels, and also in time Epistle to the Galatians, is called time Lord's brother. For Mary the wife of Alphmeus was the sister of Mary the mother of the Lord; John the Evangelist calls her Mary the wife of Cleophas, probably because Cleophas and Alphaeus were the same person. Or Mary herself on the death of Alphaeus after the birth of James married Cleophas.

REMIG; it is well said, the son of Alphaeus, that is, 'of the just,' or 'the learned;' for he not only overthrew the vices of the flesh, but also despised all care of the same. And of what he was worthy the Apostles are witness, who ordained him Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem. And ecclesiastical history among other things tells of him, that he never ate flesh, drunk neither wine nor strong drink, abstained from the bath and linen garments, and night and day prayed on his bended knees. And so great was his merit, that he was called by all men, 'the just.' Thaddaeus is the same whom Luke calls Jude of James, (that is, the brother of James,) whose Epistle is read in the Church, in which he calls himself the brother of James.

AUG; Some copies have Lebbaeus; but whoever prevented the same man from having two, or even three different names?

REMIG; Jude is interpreted 'having confessed,' because he confessed the Son of God.

RABAN; Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus is interpreted 'a little heart,' that is, a heart-worshipper.

Simon Chananaeus, and Judas Scarioth, who also betrayed him.

JEROME; Simon Chananaeus is the same who in the other Evangelist is called Zelotes. Chana signifies 'Zeal.' Judas is named Scarioth, either from the town in which he was born, or from the tribe of Issachar, a prophetic omen of his sin; for Issachar means 'a booty,' thus signifying the reward of the betrayer.

REMIG; Scarioth is interpreted 'The memory of the Lord,' because he followed the Lord; or 'The memorial of death,' because he plotted in his heart bow he might betray the Lord to death; or 'strangling,' because he went and hanged himself. It should be known that there are two disciples of this name, who are types of all Christians; Jude the brother of James, of such as persevere in the confession of the faith; Jude Scarioth of such as leave the faith; and turn back again.

GLOSS; They are named Apostles, humbly born without honor, without learning, that whatever they should do that was great, it was He that should be in them and should do it. He had among them one that was evil, whom He should use in the accomplishment of His Passion, and who should be an example to His Church of suffering evil men.

AMBROSE; He was not chosen among the Apostles unwittingly; for that truth is great, which cannot be harmed even by having an adversary in one of its own ministers.

RABAN; Also He willed to be betrayed by a disciple, that you when betrayed by your intimate might bear patiently that. your judgment has erred, that your favors have been thrown away.

5. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter not:
6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

GLOSS; Because the manifestation of the Spirit, as the Apostle speaks, is given for the profit of the Church, after bestowing His power on the Apostles, He sends them that they may exercise this power for the good of others; These twelve Jesus sent forth.

CHRYS; Observe the propriety of the time in which they are sent. After they had seen the dead raised, the sea rebuked, and other like wonders, and had had both in word and deed sufficient proof of His excellent power, then He sends them.

GLOSS; When He sends them, He teaches them whither they should go, what they shout and preach, and what they should do. And first, whither they should go; Giving them commandment, and saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter not; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

JEROME; This passage does not contradict the command which He gave afterwards, Go and teach all nations; for this was before His resurrection , that was after. And it was necessary the coming of Christ to be preached to the Jews first, that they might not have any just plea, or say that they were rejected of the Lord, who sent the Apostles to the Gentiles and Samaritans.

CHRYS; Also they were sent to the Jews first, in order that being trained in Judea, as in a palaestra, they might enter on the arena of the world to contend; thus He taught them like weak nestlings to fly.

GREG; Or He would be first preached to Judea and afterwards to the Gentiles, in order that the preaching of the Redeemer should seem to seek out foreign lands only because it had been rejected in His own. There were also at that time some among the Jews who should be called, and among the Gentiles some who were not to be called, as being unworthy of being renewed to life, and yet not deserving of the aggravated punishment which would ensue upon their rejection of the Apostles' preaching.

HILARY; The promulgation of the Law deserved also the first preaching of the Gospel; and Israel was to have less excuse for its crime, as it had experienced more care in being warned.

CHRYS; Also that they should not suppose that they were hated of Christ because they bad reviled Him, and branded Him as demoniac, lie sought first their cure, and withholding His disciples from all other nations, lie sent this people physicians and teachers; and not only forbid them to preach to any others before the Jews, but would not. that they should so much as approach the way that led to the Gentiles; Go not into the way of the Gentiles. And because the Samaritans, though more readily disposed to be converted to the faith, were yet at. enmity with the Jews, He would not suffer the Samaritans to be preached to before the Jews.

GLOSS; The Samaritans were Gentiles who had been settled in the hand of Israel by the king of Assyria after the captivity which he made. They had been driven by many terrors to turn to Judaism, and had received circumcision and the five books of Moses, but renouncing every thing else; hence there was no communication between the Jews and the Samaritans.

CHRYS; From these then He diverts his disciples, and sends them to the children of Israel, whom he calls perishing sheep, not straying; in every way contriving an apology for them, and drawing them to Himself.

HILARY; Though they are here called sheep, yet, they raged against Christ with the tongues of wolves and vipers.

JEROME; Figuratively herein we who bear the name of Christ are commanded not to walk in the way of the Gentiles, or the error of the heretics, but as we are separate in religion, we be also separate in our life.

GLOSS; Having told them to whom they should go, He now introduces what they should preach; Go and preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

RABAN; The kingdom of heaven is here said to draw nigh by the faith in the unseen Creator which is bestowed upon us, not by any movement of the visible elements. The saints are rightly denoted by the heavens, because they contain God by faith, and love Him with affection.

CHRYS; Behold the greatness of their ministry, behold the dignity of the Apostles. They are not to preach of any thing that can be an object of sense, as Moses and the Prophets did; but things new and unhooked for; those preached earthly goods, but these the kingdom of heaven and all the goods that are there.

GREG; Miracles also were granted to the that the power they should show might be a pledge of the truth of their words, and they who preached new things should also do new things; wherefore it follows, Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

JEROME; Lest peasants untaught and illiterate, without the graces of speech, should obtain credit with none when they announced the kingdom of Heaven, He gives them power to do the things above mentioned, that the greatness of the miracles might approve the greatness of their promises.

HILARY; The exercise of the Lord's power is wholly entrusted to the Apostles, that they who were formed in the image of Adam, and the likeness of God, should now obtain the perfect image of Christ; and whatever evil Satan had introduced into the body of Adam, this they should now repair by Communion with the Lord's power.

Catena Aurea Matthew 10

[annalex]

St Paul Healing the Cripple at Lystra

Karel Dujardin

1663
Oil on canvas, 179 x 139 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

[Salvation]

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible are published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd

Readings at Mass

---

First reading

Genesis 41:55-57,42:5-7,17-24 ©

When the whole country of Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread. But Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.’ There was famine all over the world. Then Joseph opened all the granaries and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine grew worse in the land of Egypt. People came to Egypt from all over the world to buy grain from Joseph, for the famine had grown severe throughout the world.

  Israel’s sons with others making the same journey went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan. It was Joseph, as the man in authority over the country, who sold the grain to all comers. So Joseph’s brothers went and bowed down before him, their faces touching the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers he recognised them. But he did not make himself known to them, and he spoke harshly to them. Then he kept them all in custody for three days.

  On the third day Joseph said to them, ‘Do this and you shall keep your lives, for I am a man who fears God. If you are honest men let one of your brothers be kept in the place of your detention; as for you, go and take grain to relieve the famine of your families. You shall bring me your youngest brother; this way your words will be proved true, and you will not have to die!’ This they did. They said to one another, ‘Truly we are being called to account for our brother. We saw his misery of soul when he begged our mercy, but we did not listen to him and now this misery has come home to us.’ Reuben answered them, ‘Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you did not listen, and now we are brought to account for his blood.’ They did not know that Joseph understood, because there was an interpreter between them. He left them and wept.

---

Psalm

Psalm 32:2-3,10-11,18-19 ©

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,

  with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.

O sing him a song that is new,

  play loudly, with all your skill.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

He frustrates the designs of the nations,

  he defeats the plans of the peoples.

His own designs shall stand for ever,

  the plans of his heart from age to age.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

The Lord looks on those who revere him,

  on those who hope in his love,

to rescue their souls from death,

  to keep them alive in famine.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

---

Gospel Acclamation	James1:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

By his own choice the Father made us his children

by the message of the truth,

so that we should be a sort of first-fruits

of all that he created.

Alleluia!

Or	Mk1:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

The kingdom of God is close at hand:

repent and believe the Good News.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel	Matthew 10:1-7 ©

Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.

  These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is 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 Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:

  ‘Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’

[Salvation]

Information: St. Raymond of Toulouse

Feast Day: July 8

Born: Toulouse, France

Died: 3 July 1118

[Salvation]

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

Blessed Eugene III

Feast Day: July 08
Died: 1153

Peter dei Paganelli di Montemagno was born near Pisa in Italy. When Peter grew up, he became a priest and worked in Pisa for a few years. Later, he felt the need to get closer to God and joined the Cistercian monks in Clairvaux in France.

St. Bernard was the superior at the monastery of Clairvaux. His feast day is August 20. Peter respected Bernard and the two soon became good friends. Peter too chose "Bernard" for his religious name and tried to live like the saint.

St. Bernard sent his namesake, Bernard, to become the superior of a monastery in Rome called Tre Fontaine. Then in 1145, Pope Lucius II died and a most unusual thing happened. When the cardinals met at the funeral of the pope, they decided to elect the new pope as quickly as possible. And together they elected Abbot Bernard to be pope. The abbot, who was not a cardinal, did not attend the meeting.

He was shocked when he was told. St. Bernard of Clairvaux was surprised too. He felt sorry for Bernard. He wrote an open letter to the cardinals: "May God forgive you for what you have done," he said. "You have involved in responsibilities and placed among many people a man who fled them both."

Accepting God's will, Bernard chose to be called Pope Eugene III. His time as pope brought him many difficulties. The Roman senate threatened to oppose him if he did not let them keep stolen property.

A man who was earlier sent away from the country went to Pope Eugene and asked forgiveness. But he soon fell back into his old ways. He even joined a group that was directly against the pope. Pope Eugene had to leave Rome a few times because of the dangers surrounding him. One of his fellow monks wrote to St. Bernard of Clairvaux about Pope Eugene: "There is no arrogance or domineering way in him." St. Antoninus, called Pope Eugene "a great pope with great sufferings." Pope Eugene died on July 8, 1153 at Tivoli in Italy.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24

14th Week in Ordinary Time

All the world came to Joseph. (Genesis 41:57)

If anyone had reason to break ties with his family and his God, Joseph did. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, Joseph found himself in a foreign country. Yet look at his faithfulness! In each new position—slave, prison inmate, then administrator—Joseph looked to God for wisdom and for strength to serve. He resisted temptations that cropped up at every turn. In the end, Joseph proved himself to his brothers by lavishing mercy on them. It’s a pretty safe guess that God delighted in Joseph’s faithfulness!

But at its heart, the story of Joseph is really a story of God’s faithfulness. After all, it was God who blessed all that Joseph did and gave him the remarkable spiritual insights that caught Pharaoh’s eye. In his own timing, God raised Joseph to the world’s stage, as we see in today’s first reading. And you could say that God was even faithful to his miscreant brothers who sold him into slavery. He saved them from famine and brought them into fertile Goshen.

So what does this mean for you today? Well, for one, it means that God honors your faithfulness too. He sees your devotion in praying and serving and loving. He hears your prayers. He remembers you. He considers your sacrifices, even the small ones that you think go unnoticed. Even when you’re not faithful to him, because we all make mistakes, he remains true to you.

It also means that today, he is working behind the scenes. He’s using your faithfulness to do more than you can probably imagine. When you feel imprisoned by guilt, fear, or resentment, he is at work, forging a way out for you. When you feel unable to forgive someone who has wronged you, he is at work, finding ways to help you soften your heart. Just as he worked through Joseph’s challenging situations, even when it seemed hopeless, your faithful Father is working in you. So hang in there! Try your best to be faithful, and trust that he will raise you up in his own time and in his own way. Always remember that God loves writing long tales of faithfulness.

“Lord, your faithfulness stretches to the heavens! Thank you that your gaze of love is on me today.”

Psalm 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19
Matthew 10:1-7

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

July 8, 2015

In today’s Gospel reading we see Jesus missioning the twelve apostles and empowering them to subdue evil spirits and to heal physical sickness and diseases. The names of the chosen Twelve are given, starting with Simon Peter.

We see that Jesus’ choice and selection of the Twelve are so different from our common and established criteria for choosing leaders and followers as we have today.  We had seen how Jesus called his close followers: fishermen, a tax collector, common folk. The gospels do not tell us what formal schooling they had nor did Jesus ask about their formal schooling. He called them and they generously answered his call.

Their schooling was being with Jesus, listening and hearing him, seeing him and watching him work miracles and cures, teach and talk with the people.

Their mission: to proclaim that “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  At the end of his earthly life, at his return to his Father in heaven, Jesus missioned his disciples to “go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation,” to “go and make disciples from all nations and to baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teach them to fulfill all that I have commanded.”

Pope Francis has declared 2014 as the Year of the Laity. The same mandate given to the Twelve as given in today’s Gospel reading and at his ascension to heaven is also given to all his followers, to each and every one of us: “to proclaim the Good News to all creation.”

Do we see and understand this mission given to each one of us? How have we lived out the Gospel message? How have we shared with others our understanding and living out of the Good News?

[Salvation]

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Wednesday, July 8

Liturgical Color: Green

The Council of Chalcedon opened on this
day in 451 A.D. Its primary purpose was
to refute Monophysitism which taught that
Jesus had only one nature, contrary to the
Church's teaching that he possesses
a Divine and human nature.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: July 8th

Monday of the Fourteenth Week of Ordinary Time; Bl. Peter Vigne, priest (GRC)

Daily Readings for: July 08, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world, fill your faithful with holy joy, for on those you have rescued from slavery to sin you bestow eternal gladness. 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.

RECIPES

• French Tea Cakes

ACTIVITIES

• Art in the Christian Home

PRAYERS

• Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

LIBRARY

• None

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: St. Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal, widow

Bl. Peter Vigne, a French priest, was beatified on October 3, 2004 by Pope John Paul II and proposed to the universal Church as an example of a tireless missionary and apostle of the Most Holy Sacrament.

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Elizabeth of Portugal. Her optional memorial in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on July 5.

Historically today is the feast of St. Edgar the peacemaker, king of England in 975.

---

Bl. Peter Vigne
Peter Vigne was born August 20, 1670 in Privas (France), a small town still feeling the effects of the Wars of Religion from the previous century. His father (Peter Vigne), an honest textile merchant, and his mother (Frances Gautier) married in the Catholic Church, and had their five children baptised in the Catholic parish of Saint Thomas, Privas. Two daughters died in infancy. Peter and his two older siblings, John-Francis and Eleonore, lived with their parents in relative comfort.

When he was 11 years of age, Peter was chosen by the Parish Priest to act as a witness, signing the parish register for Baptisms, Marriages or Deaths.

After receiving a good level of education and instruction, towards the end of his teenage years, his life was suddenly transformed by a new awareness of the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This experience led him to centre his life on Jesus, who offered himself on the Cross for love of us, and in the Eucharist, never ceases to give himself to all men. In 1690, he entered the Sulpician Seminary in Viviers. He was ordained a priest on September 18, 1694 in Bourg Saint Andeol by the Bishop of Viviers. He was sent as curate to Saint-Agreve where, for six years he exercised his priestly ministry, in friendship with his Parish Priest and beloved by his parishioners.

He was always attentive to discern in life's events what the Lord was asking of him, and he felt called elsewhere. With understandable hesitancy in the beginning and then with increasing certitude, he pursued his spiritual itinerary along new paths. His desire to work as a missionary among the poor was central to his decision to join the Vincentians in Lyon, in 1700. There, he received a solid formation in poverty and in conducting "popular missions" and with his fellow priests began visiting towns and villages in the work of evangelisation. In 1706, he left the Vincentians of "his own free will." Now more than ever he was passionate for the salvation of souls, especially for the poor people living in the countryside. After a period of searching, his vocation took shape with increasing clarity. He became an "itinerant missionary" applying his own pastoral methods, whilst submitting his ministry to the authorization of his hierarchical superiors.

For more than thirty years he tirelessly travelled on foot or on horseback the ways of Vivarais and Dauphiné, and even further ahead. He faced the fatigue of being constantly on the move, as well as severe weather conditions, in order to make Jesus known, loved and served. He preached, visited the sick, catechised the children, administered the sacraments, even going as far as carrying “his” confessional on his back, ready at all times to celebrate and bestow the Mercy of God. He celebrated Mass, exposed the Blessed Sacrament, and taught the faithful the prayer of Adoration. Mary, "Beautiful Tabernacle of God among men" was also given a place of honour in his prayer and his teaching.

In 1712, he came to Boucieu-le-Roi, where the terrain favoured the erection of a Way of the Cross. With the help of parishioners he constructed 39 stations throughout the village and countryside, teaching the faithful to follow Jesus from the Upper Room to Easter and Pentecost. Boucieu became his place of residence. There, he gathered together a few women, charging them to "accompany the pilgrims" on the Way of the Cross and help them to pray and meditate.

It was there that he founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. On November 30, 1715, in the church at Boucieu, he gave them the cross and the religious habit. He invited them to assure continuous adoration of Jesus present in the Eucharist and to live together in fellowship. Anxious to give the youth access to instruction, thus helping them grow in their faith and Christian values, Peter Vigne opened schools and also established a "Training School" for teachers.

Such a challenging and busy lifestyle needed some support. For that reason, whenever Peter Vigne was in Lyon on business, he never failed to call on his former seminary tutors, the priests of Saint Sulpice, to meet his confessor and spiritual director. Drawn by the eucharistic spirituality of the Priests of the Blessed Sacrament, founded by Monsignor d'Authier de Sisgaud, he was accepted as an associate member of this society of priests, January 25, 1724, in Valence, and benefited by their spiritual and temporal help.

Whilst continuing to accompany his young Congregation, Peter Vigne persisted with his apostolic works, and to make the fruits of his missions more available, he found time to write books: rules to live by, works of spirituality, especially the one entitled, "meditations on the most beautiful book, Jesus Christ suffering and dying on the Cross".

The physical strength of our pilgrim for God, the demands of his apostolic activities, the long hours he spent in adoration and his life of poverty, bear witness not only to a fairly robust physique, but above all to a passionate love of Jesus Christ who loved his own to the end (cf. John 13:1).

At the age of 70, the effects of exhaustion began to show. During a mission at Rencurel, in the Vercors mountains, he was taken ill and had to interrupt his preaching. Despite all his efforts to celebrate the Eucharist one more time and encourage the faithful to love Jesus, feeling his end was near, he expressed once again his missionary zeal, then withdrew in quiet prayer and reflection. A priest and two Sisters came in haste to accompany him in his final moments. On July 8, 1740, he went to join the One he had so loved, adored and served. His body was taken back to its final resting place in the little church in Boucieu where it remains to this day.

Taken from the Vatican Website

---

St. Edgar
Although few people have heard of him, King Edgar is regarded as the first ruler of a consolidated England.

Father of Saint Edward the Martyr and great-grandson of Alfred the Great, Edgar was born to king Edmund the Magnificent and St Elfgiva.

He was efficient, peaceful, and unusually tolerant of local customs. He supported his friend Saint Dunstan, who served as his counselor.

England underwent a religious revival in his reign, and he is venerated at Glastonbury.

Excerpted from Daily Gospel

[Salvation]

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

Daily Marriage Tip for July 8, 2015:/b>

Check out the ads in the paper today. List five things you don’t need. Bingo! You’ve reduced your consumer quotient. Free your family of unnecessary clutter and stuff. Hopefully, it will open some time for a walk, a game, or just being with your beloved and kids.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

July 8, 2015 - Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 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 him. 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.’”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I bring myself into your presence knowing the zeal of your heart for souls. The glory of your heavenly Father can shape my own heart. I am confident that, just as the Twelve lit the flame of their love for their mission from the furnace of your divine love, I can ignite all that is lukewarm and tepid in my own soul today. I desire to fulfill more perfectly the mission you have given me.

Petition: Lord, grant me the grace to be generous and trustful concerning your plan for me.

1. Jesus Needs Apostles: A condition for the Kingdom to grow is that it have protagonists. Christ refuses to be a one-man show. We honor and bow before the divine choice expressed in Christ’s desire to let his victory be realized through others, beginning with the Twelve. In the Twelve we find the model of every call of Christ to build his Kingdom, to spread the faith by word and deed. If there is no response to his call, there is no Kingdom. Have I meditated on my call often? Do I see it linked to my family and to my workplace? Have I responded to it?

2. The Calling: Many were on the mountain that day. Many were drawn to him and longed to be close to him, but only 12 received the explicit call to be Apostles. The sense of predilection is in every vocation and every mission from God. What we are chosen for in life, no one else can fulfill it. We are called by name, meaning that Christ knows us well when he calls, including all our defects and weaknesses. He did not ask the Twelve for their preferences, look at their SAT scores, or scrutinize their résumés. The choice of God, revealed in prayer, is sovereign and omnipotent in action. The Twelve cannot think there has been some mistake or some miscalculation. The voice of God, who neither deceives nor can be deceived, is speaking.

3. A Free Response: Christ called freely, and in freedom the Twelve responded. He did not bring down angels from heaven to overwhelm them to cooperate, he merely prayed to the Father. As Lord of the harvest, he has called each one of us. Our vocation as an apostle, is not a question of our wanting to be one. It is not a question of our talents or compelling feelings for this or that, but of our faith-driven awareness of God asking and our responding. Why are we where we are now in our vocation in life? In our particular marriage? In a particular lay movement? We can never know fully, for only God knows the depths of his own wisdom. This is the first mystery of the Kingdom that touches each one of us personally: God called, he willed it, and we said “yes.” This is the only answer an apostle must seek. Anything else slows down the mission and interrupts the dialogue of love and service to the mission.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I want to affirm that all my work today is going to be my response to your call to be your disciple and a light to others in this world. I resolve never to doubt the special and perfect nature of your plan for me. May my heart always be confident and generous in responding to your voice.

Resolution: I will take the hardest part of my day and embrace it with greater joy out of love for the one who has called me.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 31, Issue 4

<< Wednesday, July 8, 2015 >>

Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24
View Readings

Psalm 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19

Matthew 10:1-7
Similar Reflections

HELL ON EARTH

Jesus "summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority to expel unclean spirits and to cure sickness and disease of every kind." —Matthew 10:1

In our secularized times, many Christians are so confused they deny or question the existence or activity of the devil. Their confusion permits the devil to get away with murder, lust, greed, perversion, etc. He has also been able to mass-produce his perversities through mass media, especially TV. The combination of these factors results in a dramatic increase in demonic activity not only in pagan lands but even in Christian areas. We have let the devil become very active in almost every aspect of life. We've given him opportunities he may not have had for centuries.

Before the devil even further develops his hell on earth, we must reclaim our society for Jesus by attacking the gates of hell (Mt 16:18), commanding Satan to leave (Mk 16:17), disarming and despoiling him (Lk 11:22), and bringing down all his strongholds (2 Cor 10:4). We should make a public spectacle of Satan (Col 2:15) and quickly crush him under our feet (Rm 16:20). If we are under Jesus' authority, we are in authority over the evil one. Use your God-given authority. In Jesus' name, say: "Away with you, Satan!" (Mt 4:10)

Prayer: Father, in Your name I "destroy the devil's works" (1 Jn 3:8) and will change the culture of death into a civilization of love.

Promise: "The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him, upon those who hope for His kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine." —Ps 33:18-19

Praise: Neighborhood churches gathered together to hold prayer meetings in the streets of their neighborhood.

[Salvation]

[Salvation]

It's time to kneel down and pray for our nation

[Salvation]

Perpetual Novena for the Nation (Ecumenical)