18. Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him He gave commandment to depart to the other side.
19. And a certain Scribe came, and said to him, Master, I will follow you wherever you go.
20. And Jesus says to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.
21. And another of his disciples said to him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22. But Jesus said to him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

CHRYS. Because Christ not only healed the body, but purified the soul also, He desired to show forth true wisdom, not only by curing diseases, but by doing nothing with ostentation; and therefore it is said, Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he commanded his disciples to cross over to the other side. This He did at once teaching us to be lowly, softening the ill-will of the Jews, and teaching us to do nothing with ostentation.

REMIG. Or; He did this as one desiring to shun the thronging of the multitude. But they hung upon Him in admiration, crowding to see Him. For who would depart from one who did such miracles? Who would not wish to look upon His open face, to see His mouth that spoke such things? For if Moses' countenance was made glorious, and Stephen's as that of an Angel, gather from this how it was to have been supposed that their common Lord must have then appeared; of whom the Prophet speaks, Your form is fair above the sons of men.

HILARY; The name disciples is not to be supposed to be confined to the twelve Apostles; for we read of many disciples besides the twelve.

AUG. It is clear that this day on which they went over the lake was another day, and not that which followed the one on which Peter's mother-in-law was healed, on which day Mark and Luke relate that He went out into the desert.

CHRYS. Observe that He does not dismiss the multitudes, that He may not offend them. He did say to them, Depart you, but bade His disciples go away from thence, thus the crowds might hope to he able to follow.

REMIG. What happened between the command of the Lord given, and their crossing over, the Evangelist purposes to relate in what follows; And one of the Scribes came to him and said, Master, I will follow you wherever you go.

JEROME; This Scribe of the Law who knew but the perishing letter, would not have been turned away had his address been, 'Lord, I will follow You.' But because He esteemed the Savior only as one of many masters, and was a man of the letter (which is better expressed in Greek,) not a spiritual hearer, therefore He had no place where Jesus might lay His head. It is suggested to us that He sought to follow the Lord, because of his great miracles, for the sake of the gain to be derived from them; and was therefore rejected; seeking the same thing as did Simon Magus when he would have given Peter money.

CHRYS. Observe also how great his pride; approaching and speaking as though he disdained to be considered as one of the multitude; desiring to show that he was above the rest.

HILARY; Otherwise; This Scribe being one of the doctors of the Law, asks if he shall follow Him, as though it were not contained in the Law that this is to whom it were gain to follow. Therefore He discovers a feeling of unbelief under the diffidence of his inquiry. For the taking up of the faith is not by question but by following.

CHRYS. So Christ answers him not so such to what He had said, but to the obvious purpose in his mind. Jesus says to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has not where to lay it is head?; as though He had said;

JEROME; Why do you seek to follow me for the sake of the riches and gain of this world, when my poverty is such that I have neither lodging nor home of my own?

CHRYS. This was not to send him away, but rather to convict him of evil intentions at the same time permitting him if he would to follow Christ with the expectation of poverty.

AUG. Otherwise The Son of man has not where to lay his head; that is, in your faith The foxes have holes, in your heart, because you are deceitful. The birds of the air have nests, in your heart, because you are proud. Deceitful and proud follows me not; for how should guile follow sincerity?

GREG. Otherwise; The fox is a crafty animal, lying hid in ditches and dens, and when it comes abroad never going in a straight path, but in crooked windings; birds raise themselves in the air. By the foxes then are meant the subtle and deceitful demons, by the birds the proud demons; as though He had said; Deceitful and proud demons have their abode in your heart; but my lowliness finds no rest in a proud spirit.

AUG. He was moved to follow Christ because of the miracles; this vain desire of glory is signified by the birds; but he assumed the submissiveness of a disciple, which deceit is signified by the foxes.

RABAN. Heretics confiding in their art are signified by the foxes, the evil spirits by the birds of the air, who have their holes and their nests, that is, their abodes in the heart of the Jewish people. Another of his disciples says to him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

JEROME; in what one thing is this disciple like the Scribe? The one called Him Master, the other confesses Him as his Lord. The one from filial piety asks permission to go and bury his father; the other offers to follow, not seeking a master, but by means of his master seeking gain for himself.

HILARY; The disciple does not ask whether he shall follow Him; for he already believed that he ought to follow, but prays to be suffered first to bury. his father

AUG. The Lord when He prepares men for the Gospel will not have any excuse of this fleshly and temporal attachment to interfere, therefore it follows; Jesus said to him, Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.

CHRYS. This saying does not condemn natural affection to our parents, but shows that nothing ought to be more binding on us than the business of heaven; that to this we ought to will apply ourselves with all our endeavors, and not to be slack, however necessary or urgent are the things that draw us aside. For what could be more necessary than to bury a father? What more easy? For it could not need much time. But in this the Lord rescued him from much evil, Weeping, and mourning, and from the pains of expectation. For after the funeral there must come examination of the will, division of the inheritance, and other things of the same sort; and thus trouble following trouble, like the waves, would have borne him far from the port of truth. But if you are not yet satisfied, reflect further that oftentimes the weak are not permitted to know the time, or to follow to the grave; even though the dead be father, mother, or son; yet are they not charged with cruelty that hinder them; it is rather the reverse of cruelty. And it is a much greater evil to draw! One away from spiritual discourse; especially when there were who should perform the rites; as here, Leave the dead to bury their dead.

AUG. As much as to say; Your father is dead; but there are also other dead who shall bury their dead, because they are in unbelief

CHRYS This moreover shows that this dead man was not his; for, I suppose, he that was dead was of the unbelieving. If you wonder at the young man, that in a matter so necessary he should have asked Jesus, and not have gone away of his own accord, for much more that he abode with Jesus after he was bidden to depart; which was not from lack of affection, that he might not interrupt a business yet more necessary.

HILARY; Also, because we are taught in the beginning of the Lord's prayer, first to say, Our Father, who art in heaven; and since this disciple represents the believing people; he is here reminded that he has one only Father in heaven, and that between a believing son and an unbelieving. father the filial relation does not hold good. We are also astonished that the unbelieving dead are not to be mingled with the memories of the saints, and that they are also dead who live out of God; and the dead are buried by the dead, because by the faith of God it behoves the living to cleave to the living (God.)

JEROME; But if the dead shall bury the dead, we ought not to be careful for the dead but for the living, lest while we are anxious for the dead, we ourselves should be counted dead.

GREG. The dead also bury the dead, when sinners protect sinners. They who exalt sinners with their praises, hide the dead under a pile of words.

RABAN. From this we may also take occasion to observe, lesser goods are to be sometimes forfeited for the sake of things greater.

AUG. Matthew relates that this was done when He gave them commandment that they should go over the lake, Luke, that it happened as they walked by the way; etch is no contradiction, for they must have walked by the way that they might come to the lake.

Catena Aurea Matthew 8

Jesus Christ Extreme Humility

Fr. William McNichols, iconographer

I always loved this prayer, it’s too bad I forget to say it at the proper times.

Say it anyway. Our Blessed Mother understands.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3588428/posts?page=3

Saint of the Day — Saint Oliver Plunkett

Information: St. Bernardino Realino

Feast Day: July 2

Born: Modena, Italy, in 1530

Died: 1616

Canonized: 1947 by Pope Pius XII

Patron of: Lecce, Italy

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Otto

Feast Day: July 02
Born: 1060 :: Died: 1139

Otto was born in Swabia, present-day Bavaria which is in southern Germany and came from a rich family. He became a priest and entered the service of Emperor Henry IV. About then years later, Father Otto became Henry's chancellor.

Otto tried to convince the emperor to act fairly and to be reasonable when faced with decisions. But Henry did many wrong things, causing trouble and tried to split the Church into two groups. He even appointed his own pope. Otto felt very bad and did his best to help Henry change.

Henry IV then appointed Otto as bishop but Otto refused saying that only the true pope in Rome, Pope Paschal II had the power to do this. Henry was forced to agree and Otto traveled to Rome where he was consecrated a Bishop.

Bishop Otto became a great help to the people of Swabia, especially under Emperor Henry V. This emperor followed his father, Henry IV's bad habits. But although he was unkind and very strict, he respected Otto and often listened to his advice.

When King Boleslaus III of Poland conquered part of Pomerania in Prussia, he asked Otto to go there. The people there were pagans and believed in false gods. Bishop Otto welcomed the chance to tell them about Jesus and God's great love for people. A couple of years later, the bishop led a group of priests and catechists into Pomerania.

More people were taught the faith and more than twenty thousand people were baptized. Bishop Otto appointed priests to minister to the new Christians. He returned to his own country and then a few years later the people of Pomerania began to return to their old pagan ways.

When he heard this, Bishop Otto went back to Pomerania helping the people become fervent Christians again. He started more than twenty monastries, built churches and worked hard to heal the problems between the king and the pope. He died on June 30, 1139.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Monday, July 2

Liturgical Color: White

Today the Church honors the Guardian
Angels. Each person is assigned an angel
to help protect and guide them through life.
Pope Clement X extended this feast day to
the Church in the 17th century.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: July 2nd

Monday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

July 02, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who through the grace of adoption chose us to be children of light, grant, we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth. 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.

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Weather Saints

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Collect for the Feast of Sts. Processus and Martinian

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» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: Visitation; Sts. Processus and Martinian, martyrs; St. Swithin (Hist); St. Otto, bishop (Hist); St. Bernardino Realino, priest (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which in the Ordinary Form is celebrated on May 31.

It is also the commemoration of Sts. Processus and Martinian whose bodies lie in a chapel at St. Peter's in Rome. During the time when Sts. Peter and Paul were prisoners in the Mamertine, legend says that these two jailors together with forty others were converted through the prayers and miracles of the holy apostles. They were baptized with water that suddenly sprang out from a rock. The jailors then wished to help the apostles make their escape. Both died as martyrs for the faith (about 67 A.D.).

The Roman Martyrology also includes St. Swithin, bishop, from England on this day. The Anglican Church celebrates his feast on July 15, known as "St. Swithin's Day."

Sts. Processus & Marinian
The Holy Martyrs Processus and Martinian were pagans and they served as guards at the Mamertine prison in Rome.

State criminals were held in this prison, among them some Christians. Watching the Christian prisoners and listening to their preaching, Processus and Martinian gradually came to the knowledge of the Savior. When the holy Apostle Peter was locked up at the Mamertine prison, Processus and Martinian came to believe in Christ. They accepted holy Baptism from the apostle and released him from prison.

The jailer Paulinus learned about this, and he demanded that Sts Processus and Martinian renounce Christ. But they fearlessly confessed Christ, and they spat at the golden statue of Jupiter. Paulinus ordered that they be slapped on the face, and then seeing the resolute stance of the holy martyrs, he subjected them to torture. The martyrs were beaten with iron rods, scorched with fire, and finally, thrown into prison.

A certain illustrious and pious woman, by the name of Lucina, visited them in prison and gave them help and encouragement. The torturer Paulinus was soon punished by God. He fell blind and died three days later. The son of Paulinus went to the city ruler demanding that the martyrs be put to death. Sts Processus and Martinian were beheaded by the sword (+ ca. 67).

Lucina buried the bodies of the martyrs. Today their tomb is in the south transept of St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Excerpted from the Orthodox Church in America

St. Swithin (also known as St. Swithun)
St Swithun died in 862 as bishop of Winchester. It is not known when he was born, but he was a secular clerk with something of a reputation for virtue and learning. He was attached to the West Saxon court and was one of King Egbert's principal advisers. He was given the king's son, Ethelwulf, the father of Alfred the Great, to educate; and to him must go some of the credit for the strongly religious tone of the West Saxon court under Ethelwulf and his sons.

He was consecrated bishop of Winchester in 852, and as bishop was something of a builder. He may also have been one of the first contributors to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. A number of agreeably humble miracles were attributed to him - he was said to have restored a basket of eggs dropped by an old market woman when crossing a bridge. His great reputation for sanctity is, however, largely owing to the cult which sprang up at Winchester a hundred years after his death, in the time of St Ethelwold and the monastic reformation, when his body was translated. His shrine was splendid, but when it was looted by Henry VIII in 1538 its gold and jewels were found to be false.

When he died he was buried at his own request in the churchyard, in order that the passers-by would walk over his grave and the rain fall upon it. It is always said that if it rains on his feast day, it will rain for forty days after, but it is not known how St. Swithun came to be associated with the weather. Similar stories are told of SS Medard, Gervase and Protase in France.

—The Saints, edited by John Coulson

The Roman Martyrology mentions St. Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, England. His holiness was made known by miracles. He died on July 2, but "St. Swithin's Day" is held on July 15 in England, the day his relics were transferred. He is another of the "weather saints" — if it rains on July 15, it will rain forty more days. If no rain, it will be fair for forty more days, as the old rhyme says:

St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days ‘twill rain nae mair.

This weather patronage traces back to July 15, 871 when the monks were translating his body (relics) from the outdoor grave to an indoor shrine in the Cathedral. The saint apparently did not approve, as it rained for 40 days afterward.

Patron: drought relief; Stavenger, England; Winchester, England.

Symbols: cross; rain cloud and rain; crosier and closed book.

Things to Do:

Read more about St. Swithin here and here.
Read about the miracles of St. Swithin here.

St. Otto
On July 2, the Church celebrates the life and work of St. Otto. He was born in 1060 in Swabia, and died on June 30, 1139. He was the Bishop of Bamberg, an indefatigable evangelizer, and the apostle of the Pomeranians.

He was born of noble rank and ordained a priest sometime before the age of 30. He joined the service of Emperor Henry IV in 1090 and became his chancellor in 1101. He served Henry IV and his successor, Henry V, loyally, but he disapproved of the latter’s disgraceful treatment of Pope Paschal.

Otto was consecrated a bishop on May 13, 1106, and set to work founding new monasteries, reforming existing ones, building schools and churches, and completing the construction of the cathedral. He lived a poor and simple life, and was called the “Father of the monks” for the concern he showed toward religious orders.

In 1122 Otto was commissioned by the Polish Duke Boleslaw III to convert Pomerania to Christianity, and he set about this mission in 1124. He traveled across Pomerania twice, and won over the people with his holiness, quiet generosity, and gentle, inspiring sermons.

The conversion of Pomerania was his greatest apostolic work. He baptized over 22,000 people and established 11 churches. Many miracles were attributed to him throughout his two journeys, and many more after his death.

Excerpted from Catholic News Agency

St. Bernardino Realino
Bernardino Realino was born into a noble family of Capri, Italy, in 1530. After an excellent Christian education received at home from his mother, he went on to study medicine and law at the University of Bologna, receiving his doctorate in law in 1556.

A brilliant young man, Bernardino was soon on the road to success: at the tender age of 26, he was elected mayor as well as judge of the town of Felizzano.

From there he became head tax collector in Alessandria, then elected mayor of Cassine, followed by his election as mayor of Castellone.

Word of his learning, dedication, and legal brilliance spread throughout Italy, and the marquis of Naples named him superintendent of all his fiefs.

While in Naples, Bernardino, now 34 years old, met some priests of the relatively new Society of Jesus and made an eight-day retreat with them.

During this retreat he felt a strong call to the religious life and asked the Jesuits for admittance into their Society. He was accepted and ordained a priest in 1567.

From that time on Bernardino devoted his life to the care of the poor and sick, to teaching the Faith to young people, and to ministering to galley slaves.

He was appointed novice master while in Naples and remained in that city for ten years until he was sent to the south of Italy to the town of Lecci where he had been requested to found a college.

He spent the rest of his life in Lecci where he was hailed as a saint during his lifetime, not only because of his powerful example as a preacher, confessor, and teacher, but also because of the many miracles he performed by the power of God.

One of the miracles attributed to Bernardino was in regard to a small pitcher of wine which did not give out until everyone present had had their fill.

Six years before his death at the age of 86, Bernardino fell and sustained two wounds which never healed.

During his final illness, blood was taken from one of the leg wounds and placed in glass vials.

After his death, the blood appeared to boil and foam and retained its liquid state until well into the mid-nineteenth century.

So devoted were the people of Lecci to their saint, the magistrates of the town visited Bernardino on his deathbed and formally requested that he take the city under his patronage after his death.

Unable to speak, Bernardino nodded his head, dying soon afterwards with the names of Jesus and Mary on his lips.

He was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947 and is to this day considered the Patron of Lecci.

Excerpted from Friar Jeff's Quiet Spot

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 8:18-22

13th Week in Ordinary Time

He gave orders to cross to the other shore. (Matthew 8:18)

Doesn’t it seem, at first, that Jesus is annoyed with everyone in today’s Gospel? First, he tries to get away from the crowds, then when a scribe and a disciple declare their desire to follow him, he seems to pour a bucket of ice water over their enthusiasm. But Jesus is not responding out of exhaustion or moodiness. He’s saying something that can be difficult to hear: following him can be hard. He’s inviting them—and us—to follow him more wholeheartedly even though the cost is high. Let’s look closer at each one:

The Crowd. When Jesus crossed to the other shore, he was asking everyone in the crowd, “Will you follow me wherever I go?” The people had to ask themselves how far they were willing to go when following him. Would they cross this lake too, in order to receive his healing or hear more of his teaching?

The Scribe. This man was fascinated by Jesus; he wanted to follow. But he needed to know there was a cost. He would not always be treated with the welcome and respect usually given to experts in the Law of Moses. He might not even have a place to lay his head. Was he willing to risk becoming a social outsider?

The Disciple. He had been following Jesus and may have already given up home or comfort. But Jesus offers an extreme response: don’t bury your father. It’s unlikely that Jesus meant this literally, but one thing is clear. Jesus wanted this man to know that the call to discipleship can be demanding at times. He wanted to show that he was serious, and that there are times when sacrifices may be called for.

No matter which of these examples you identify with, Jesus is calling you to take the next step. If that idea makes you uneasy, remember today’s psalm. It reminds us that “to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:23). The goal that we’re working toward is to see God’s salvation, and God will bless any step forward along the “right way” that we take. Jesus is asking you to take that one small step today. What does it look like for you?

“Lord, help me to follow you more closely.”

Amos 2:6-10, 13-16
Psalm 50:16-23

The Word Among Us

Daily Marriage Tip for July 2, 2018:

Does your spouse accuse you of being irresponsible? Sometimes it might just be a different personality style, but don’t ignore the criticism. It may hurt, but not addressing any truth that might be behind the charge can build resentment.

Homily of the Day

July 2, 2018

In the Gospel reading Jesus tells us that following him means putting God and God’s wishes above all others, as the cause and end of all our choices and actions.

We make choices and decisions every day of our lives: large and life changing, small and insignificant. What will I do for life? Whom will I marry? How much time do I waste at work today? What clothes will I wear today?

How do we make these choices and decisions?

To follow Jesus does not mean to be an ordained minister in the Church or to be truly active in the parish. To follow Jesus means to do the best I can in living out his Gospel message in my life, whatever my life may be.

What is God’s will for me in my life? What is God’s will for me today? How do I show love of God today? How do I show love for neighbor today?

One Bread, One Body

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<< Monday, July 2, 2018 >>

Amos 2:6-10, 13-16
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Psalm 50:16-23

Matthew 8:18-22
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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

"Son and father go to the same prostitute." �Amos 2:7

My adult son and I are attending early morning Mass on vacation at the beautiful diocesan Cathedral in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Bishop of the diocese is saying a Mass devoted to Mary, Help of Christians. This is a father-son camping vacation. My son and I are doing our best to put God first in our vacation, and the Lord in turn is blessing us abundantly by giving the two of us a Mass said by a bishop.

Fathers have been blessed by God to have such a primary influence on forming their children. Fathers are a living representative to their children of the heavenly Father. "For whatever the father does, the son does likewise" applies to both Jesus' relationship to His heavenly Father and earthly fathers' relationship with their sons (Jn 5:19). "For the father loves the son and everything the father does he shows him" (Jn 5:20).

God has created the father-child relationship in a special way. His plan is to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers (Mal 3:24). In sending St. John the Baptist to earth, God even specifically mentioned that one of the effects of John's ministry was to turn the hearts of fathers to their children (Lk 1:17).

When fathers live for the Lord and the Church, the children are likely to follow the example of their fathers. Alternatively, if we fathers live a sinful lifestyle, our sons are likely to imitate that same lifestyle (see Am 2:7). Fathers, lead your children to the Lord and His Church.

Prayer: Lord, may every family be a living imitation of the Holy Family.

Promise: "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead." —Mt 8:22

Praise: Rob and his son John drove three-hundred miles to rescue a friend whose car had broken-down out of state.

July 2, 2018

Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Am 2:6-10, 13-16

Responsorial Psalm Ps 50:16bc-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23

Alleluia Ps 95:8

Gospel Mt 8:18-22

St. Otto

Ordinary Time: July 2nd

Monday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

COLLECT PRAYER

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Meditation: Matthew 8:18-22

One Bread, One Body

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON