Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 385
Lectionary: 385
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.
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
PsalmPS 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.
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.
AlleluiaMK 1:15
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 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.'"
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.'"
Meditation: Jesus
gives his disciples authority to heal and set free
Do
you believe in the life-changing power of the Gospel and experience its
transforming effect in your life? The core of the Gospel message is quite
simple: the kingdom (or reign) of God is very near! What is
the kingdom of God? It is that society of men and women who know God's love and
mercy, and who willingly obey and honor God as their Lord and King. In the
prayer which Jesus gave to his disciples (the Lord's Prayer or Our
Father), he taught them to pray for God to reign in their daily lives and
in the world around them: May your kingdom come and your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
The
power of the Gospel to heal and set free
When Jesus proclaimed the good news of God's kingdom he also demonstrated the power of the Gospel with supernatural signs and wonders. Jesus healed people who suffered physical, emotional, and mental illnesses. He freed people from spiritual bondage to sin and demonic powers. Jesus gave his disciples the same authority he had to heal and set people free from spiritual bondage.
When Jesus proclaimed the good news of God's kingdom he also demonstrated the power of the Gospel with supernatural signs and wonders. Jesus healed people who suffered physical, emotional, and mental illnesses. He freed people from spiritual bondage to sin and demonic powers. Jesus gave his disciples the same authority he had to heal and set people free from spiritual bondage.
The
Gospel (which literally means "good news") which Jesus proclaimed is
just as relevant and real today, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
If we believe in the Lord Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, and in the power
of the Gospel, we will know and experience the freedom, joy, and power he gives
us that enables us to live and witness as his disciples. No one can buy heaven;
but if we know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, then we already possess
heaven in our hearts! Do you believe that Jesus can change and transform your
life and share with you the power and authority of God's kingdom?
Jesus
chose ordinary people to do extraordinary work
Jesus commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which he did - to speak God's word and to bring his healing power to the weary and oppressed. In the choice of the twelve apostles we see a characteristic feature of God's work - Jesus chose very ordinary people. They were non-professionals, had no wealth or privileged position. They were chosen from the common people who did ordinary things, had no special education, and no social advantages.
Jesus commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which he did - to speak God's word and to bring his healing power to the weary and oppressed. In the choice of the twelve apostles we see a characteristic feature of God's work - Jesus chose very ordinary people. They were non-professionals, had no wealth or privileged position. They were chosen from the common people who did ordinary things, had no special education, and no social advantages.
Jesus
wanted ordinary people who could take an assignment and do it extraordinarily
well. He chose these men, not for what they were, but for what they would be
capable of becoming under his direction and power. When the Lord calls us to
serve, we must not think we have nothing or very little to offer. The Lord
takes what ordinary people, like us, can offer and uses it for greatness in his
kingdom. Do you believe that God wants to work in and through you for his
glory?
"Lord
Jesus, you have chosen me to be your disciple. Take and use what I can offer,
however meager it may seem, for the greater glory of your name."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Jesus empowers his disciples to act in
his name, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)
"
If the Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified,
how then did the disciples cast out the unclean spirits? They did this by his
own command, by the Son’s authority.2 Note the careful timing of their mission.
They were not sent out at the beginning of their walk with him. They were not
sent out until they had sufficiently benefited by following him daily. It was
only after they had seen the dead raised, the sea rebuked, devils expelled, the
legs of a paralytic brought to life, sins remitted, lepers cleansed, and had
received a sufficient proof of his power both by deeds and words - only then
did he send them out. And he did not send them out unprepared to do dangerous
deeds, for as yet there was no danger in Palestine. They had only to stand
against verbal abuse. However, Jesus still warned them of larger perils to
come, preparing them for what was future." (excerpt from THE
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 32.3)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, MATTHEW 10:1-7
Weekday
(Genesis 41:55-57, 42:5-7a, 17-24a; Psalm 33)
Weekday
(Genesis 41:55-57, 42:5-7a, 17-24a; Psalm 33)
KEY VERSE: "As you go, make this proclamation: `The kingdom of God is at hand'" (v. 7).
TO KNOW: By his words and deeds, Jesus demonstrated that God's reign had arrived. Jesus did not choose to bring about the kingdom on his own. It would take the co-operation of his followers to bring it to completion. Jesus appointed twelve men to share his ministry and mission (Greek: apostolos, meaning "sent forth with a message"). The number twelve recalled the twelve founding tribes of Israel. These tribes had been scattered and dispersed all over the world (Greek: diaspora). At the time of Jesus, only the tribe of Judah remained intact (Jesus was a descendant of Judah's tribe). Jesus' understood that his mission was to draw the chosen people of Israel together again. But his ministry did not stop there. When Jesus was raised from the dead, he gave his followers the knowledge of the love of God, and then told them to go and proclaim the good news to all peoples (Mt 28:19). These apostles are mirrors of ourselves, flawed but graced human beings, called to participate in God’s reign.
TO LOVE: In what ways have I announced the good news today?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to share your Gospel to all I meet.
Wednesday 10 July 2019
Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24. Psalm 32(33):2-3, 10-11, 18-19.
Matthew 10:1-7.
Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you – Psalm 32(33):2-3, 10-11, 18-19
‘As you go, proclaim the good news.’
Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you – Psalm 32(33):2-3, 10-11, 18-19
‘As you go, proclaim the good news.’
Jesus commissions his disciples to go out and carry on the work
he has begun. He chose ordinary people with no special education or social
advantages to work among their own kind. He entrusted these people with his
word and empowered them with his Spirit. He chose them knowing they could work
with and rise above their limitations, sent out as disciples on mission.
The disciples worked among oppressed peoples, bringing healing
of body and spirit. In today’s world there are countless reasons for ordinary
people to enter into solidarity with the poor. We see everyday examples of
people who feel the Spirit moving within empowering them to empower others, to
enter into kinship with our brothers and sisters on the peripheries of society.
Can we join them in announcing through word and deed that ‘the kingdom of
heaven has come near’?
Saint Veronica Giuliani
Saint of the Day for July 10
(December 27, 1660 – July 9, 1727)
 |
| Statue of Saint Veronica Giuliani | Mercatello sul Metauro, Marches, Italie | photo by Adri08 |
Saint Veronica Giuliani’s Story
Veronica’s desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with
the stigmata.
Veronica was born in Mercatelli, Italy. It is said that when her
mother Benedetta was dying she called her five daughters to her bedside and
entrusted each of them to one of the five wounds of Jesus. Veronica was
entrusted to the wound below Christ’s heart.
At the age of 17, Veronica joined the Poor Clares directed by
the Capuchins. Her father had wanted her to marry, but she convinced him to
allow her to become a nun. In her first years in the monastery, she worked in
the kitchen, infirmary, sacristy, and also served as portress. At the age of
34, she was made novice mistress, a position she held for 22 years. When she
was 37, Veronica received the stigmata. Life was not the same after that.
Church authorities in Rome wanted to test Veronica’s
authenticity and so conducted an investigation. She lost the office of novice
mistress temporarily and was not allowed to attend Mass except on Sundays or
holy days. Through all of this Veronica did not become bitter, and the
investigation eventually restored her as novice mistress.
Though she protested against it, at the age of 56 she was
elected abbess, an office she held for 11 years until her death. Veronica was
very devoted to the Eucharist and to the Sacred Heart. She offered her
sufferings for the missions, died in 1727, and was canonized in 1839.
Her Liturgical Feast Day is July 9.
Reflection
Why did God grant the stigmata to Francis of Assisi and to
Veronica Giuliani? God alone knows the deepest reasons, but as Celano points
out, the external sign of the cross is a confirmation of these saints’
commitment to the cross in their lives. The stigmata that appeared in
Veronica’s flesh had taken root in her heart many years before. It was a
fitting conclusion for her love of God and her charity toward her sisters.
Lectio Divina: Matthew 10:1-7
Lectio Divina
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
through the obedience of Jesus,
Your servant and Your Son,
You raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
through the obedience of Jesus,
Your servant and Your Son,
You raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - 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 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.’”
3) Reflection
• The second great Discourse: The Discourse of the Mission
begins in chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew organizes his
Gospel as a new edition of the Law of God or like a new “Pentateuch” with its
five books. For this reason his Gospel presents five great discourses or
teachings of Jesus followed by a narrative part, in which he describes the way
in which Jesus puts into practice what He had taught in the discourses.
The following is the outline:
Introduction: the birth and preparation of the Messiah (Mt 1 to
4)
a) Sermon on the Mount: the entrance door into the Kingdom (Mt 5
to 7)
Narrative Mt 8 and 9
b) Discourse on the Mission: how to proclaim and spread the Kingdom (Mt 10)
Narrative Mt 11 and 12
c) Discourse on the Parables: The mystery of the Kingdom present in life (Mt 13)
Narrative Mt 14 to 17
d) Discourse on the Community: the new way of living together in the Kingdom (Mt 18)
Narrative 19 to 23
e) Discourse on the future coming of the Kingdom: the utopia which sustains hope (Mt 24 and 25)
Narrative Mt 8 and 9
b) Discourse on the Mission: how to proclaim and spread the Kingdom (Mt 10)
Narrative Mt 11 and 12
c) Discourse on the Parables: The mystery of the Kingdom present in life (Mt 13)
Narrative Mt 14 to 17
d) Discourse on the Community: the new way of living together in the Kingdom (Mt 18)
Narrative 19 to 23
e) Discourse on the future coming of the Kingdom: the utopia which sustains hope (Mt 24 and 25)
Conclusion: Passion, death and Resurrection (Mt 26 to 28)
• Today’s Gospel presents to us the beginning of the Discourse
on the Mission in which the accent is placed on three aspects: (a) the call of
the disciples (Mt 10:1); (b) the list of the names of the twelve Apostles who
will be the recipients of the Discourse on the Mission (Mt 10:2-4); (c) the
sending out of the twelve (Mt 10:5-7).
• Matthew 10:1: The call of the twelve disciples. Matthew had
already spoken about the call of the disciples (Mt 4:18-22; 9:9). Here,
at the beginning of the Discourse on the Mission, he presents a summary: “He
summoned His twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits
with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and all kinds of
illness.” The task, or the mission, of the disciple is to follow Jesus, the
Master, forming community with Him and carrying out the same mission of Jesus:
to drive out unclean spirits, to cure all sorts of diseases and all sorts of
illness. In Mark’s Gospel they receive the same two-fold mission,
formulated with other words: Jesus constituted the group of twelve to remain
with Him and to send them out to preach and cast out devils” (Mk 3:14-15). 1)
To be with Him, that is to form a community, in which Jesus is the
center. 2)To preach and to be able to cast out devils, that is, to
announce the Good News and to conquer the force of evil which destroys the life
of the people and alienates people. Luke says that Jesus prayed the whole
night, and the following day He called the disciples. He prayed to God so
as to know whom to choose (Lk 6:12-13).
• Matthew 10:2-4: The list of the names of the Twelve Apostles.
A good number of these names come from the Old Testament. For example,
Simon is the name of one of the sons of the Patriarch Jacob (Gen 29:33). James
is the same as Jacob (Gen 25:26). Judas is the name of another son of Jacob
(Gen 35:23). Matthew also had the name of Levi (Mk 2:14), who was another son
of Jacob (Gen 35:23). Of the Twelve Apostles seven have a name which comes from
the time of the Patriarchs. Two are called Simon; two are called James;
two are called Judas; one Levi! Only one has a Greek name: Philip. This
reveals the people’s desire to start history again from the beginning! Perhaps
it is good to think about the names which are given today to children
when they are born, because each one of us is called by God by his/her
name.
• Matthew 10:5-7: The sending out or the mission of the twelve
apostles to the lost sheep of Israel. After having given the list of the
names of the twelve, Jesus sends them out with the following command: “Do not
make your way to gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town. Go
instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that
the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.” In this one command there is a
three-fold insistence on showing that the preference of the mission is for the
house of Israel: (1) Do not go among the gentiles, (2) do not enter into the
towns of the Samaritans, (3) rather go to the lost sheep of Israel. Here
appears a response to the doubt of the first Christians concerning opening up
to pagans. Paul, who strongly affirmed the openness to the gentiles, agrees in
saying that the Good News of Jesus should first be announced to the Jews and
then to the gentiles (Rm 9:1-11, 36; cf. Acts 1:8; 11:3; 13:46; 15:1, 5,
23-29). But then, in the same Gospel of Matthew, in the conversation of Jesus
with the Canaanite woman, openness to the gentiles will occur (Mt
15:21-29).
• The sending out of the Apostles to all peoples. After the
Resurrection of Jesus, there are several episodes on the sending out of the
Apostles not only to the Jews, but to all peoples. In Matthew: “Go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe everything which I have
commanded. And I will be with you until the end of time” (Mt 28:19-20).
In Mark: “Go to the entire world, proclaim the Good News to all creatures.
Those who will believe and will be baptized will be saved; those who will not
believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:15). In Luke: "So it is written that the
Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that in His
name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations,
beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this” (Lk 24:46-48; Acts 1:8)
John summarizes all in one sentence: “As the Father has sent Me, so I also send
you!” (Jn 20:21).
4) Personal questions
• Have you ever thought about the meaning of your name? Have you
asked your parents why they gave you the name that you have? Do you like your
name?
• How has your name influenced who you have become and how your life was formed?
• Jesus calls the disciples. His call has a two-fold purpose: to form a community and to go on mission. How do I live this two-fold purpose in my life?
• How has your name influenced who you have become and how your life was formed?
• Jesus calls the disciples. His call has a two-fold purpose: to form a community and to go on mission. How do I live this two-fold purpose in my life?
5) Concluding Prayer
Seek Yahweh and His strength,
tirelessly seek His presence!
Remember the marvels He has done, His wonders,
the judgments He has spoken. (Ps 105:4-5)
tirelessly seek His presence!
Remember the marvels He has done, His wonders,
the judgments He has spoken. (Ps 105:4-5)
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