Saturday of the Thirteenth
Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 382
Lectionary: 382
When Isaac was so old that his eyesight had failed him,
he called his older son Esau and said to him, “Son!”
“Yes father!” he replied.
Isaac then said, “As you can see, I am so old
that I may now die at any time.
Take your gear, therefore–your quiver and bow–
and go out into the country to hunt some game for me.
With your catch prepare an appetizing dish for me, such as I like,
and bring it to me to eat,
so that I may give you my special blessing before I die.”
Rebekah had been listening
while Isaac was speaking to his son Esau.
So, when Esau went out into the country
to hunt some game for his father,
Rebekah [then] took the best clothes of her older son Esau
that she had in the house,
and gave them to her younger son Jacob to wear;
and with the skins of the kids she covered up his hands
and the hairless parts of his neck.
Then she handed her son Jacob the appetizing dish
and the bread she had prepared.
Bringing them to his father, Jacob said, “Father!”
“Yes?” replied Isaac. “Which of my sons are you?”
Jacob answered his father: “I am Esau, your first-born.
I did as you told me.
Please sit up and eat some of my game,
so that you may give me your special blessing.”
But Isaac asked, “How did you succeed so quickly, son?”
He answered,
“The LORD, your God, let things turn out well with me.”
Isaac then said to Jacob,
“Come closer, son, that I may feel you,
to learn whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
So Jacob moved up closer to his father.
When Isaac felt him, he said,
“Although the voice is Jacob’s, the hands are Esau’s.”
(He failed to identify him because his hands were hairy,
like those of his brother Esau;
so in the end he gave him his blessing.)
Again he asked Jacob, “Are you really my son Esau?”
“Certainly,” Jacob replied.
Then Isaac said, “Serve me your game, son, that I may eat of it
and then give you my blessing.”
Jacob served it to him, and Isaac ate;
he brought him wine, and he drank.
Finally his father Isaac said to Jacob,
“Come closer, son, and kiss me.”
As Jacob went up and kissed him,
Isaac smelled the fragrance of his clothes.
With that, he blessed him saying,
“Ah, the fragrance of my son
is like the fragrance of a field
that the LORD has blessed!
“May God give to you
of the dew of the heavens
And of the fertility of the earth
abundance of grain and wine.
“Let peoples serve you,
and nations pay you homage;
Be master of your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
and blessed be those who bless you.”
he called his older son Esau and said to him, “Son!”
“Yes father!” he replied.
Isaac then said, “As you can see, I am so old
that I may now die at any time.
Take your gear, therefore–your quiver and bow–
and go out into the country to hunt some game for me.
With your catch prepare an appetizing dish for me, such as I like,
and bring it to me to eat,
so that I may give you my special blessing before I die.”
Rebekah had been listening
while Isaac was speaking to his son Esau.
So, when Esau went out into the country
to hunt some game for his father,
Rebekah [then] took the best clothes of her older son Esau
that she had in the house,
and gave them to her younger son Jacob to wear;
and with the skins of the kids she covered up his hands
and the hairless parts of his neck.
Then she handed her son Jacob the appetizing dish
and the bread she had prepared.
Bringing them to his father, Jacob said, “Father!”
“Yes?” replied Isaac. “Which of my sons are you?”
Jacob answered his father: “I am Esau, your first-born.
I did as you told me.
Please sit up and eat some of my game,
so that you may give me your special blessing.”
But Isaac asked, “How did you succeed so quickly, son?”
He answered,
“The LORD, your God, let things turn out well with me.”
Isaac then said to Jacob,
“Come closer, son, that I may feel you,
to learn whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
So Jacob moved up closer to his father.
When Isaac felt him, he said,
“Although the voice is Jacob’s, the hands are Esau’s.”
(He failed to identify him because his hands were hairy,
like those of his brother Esau;
so in the end he gave him his blessing.)
Again he asked Jacob, “Are you really my son Esau?”
“Certainly,” Jacob replied.
Then Isaac said, “Serve me your game, son, that I may eat of it
and then give you my blessing.”
Jacob served it to him, and Isaac ate;
he brought him wine, and he drank.
Finally his father Isaac said to Jacob,
“Come closer, son, and kiss me.”
As Jacob went up and kissed him,
Isaac smelled the fragrance of his clothes.
With that, he blessed him saying,
“Ah, the fragrance of my son
is like the fragrance of a field
that the LORD has blessed!
“May God give to you
of the dew of the heavens
And of the fertility of the earth
abundance of grain and wine.
“Let peoples serve you,
and nations pay you homage;
Be master of your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
and blessed be those who bless you.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 135:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (3a) Praise
the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD;
Praise, you servants of the LORD
Who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, which we love;
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel for his own possession.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
For I know that the LORD is great;
our LORD is greater than all gods.
All that the LORD wills he does
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and in all the deeps.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD;
Praise, you servants of the LORD
Who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, which we love;
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel for his own possession.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
For I know that the LORD is great;
our LORD is greater than all gods.
All that the LORD wills he does
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and in all the deeps.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
GospelMT 9:14-17
The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,
for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.
People do not put new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.
Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,
for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.
People do not put new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.
Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Meditation:
"The day will come when they will fast"
Which
comes first, fasting or feasting? The disciples of John the Baptist were upset
with Jesus’ disciples because they did not fast. Fasting was one of the three
most important religious duties, along with prayer and almsgiving. Jesus gave a
simple explanation. There’s a time for fasting and a time for feasting (or
celebrating). To walk as a disciple with Jesus is to experience a whole new joy
of relationship akin to the joy of the wedding party in celebrating with the groom
and bride their wedding bliss. But there also comes a time when the Lord's
disciples must bear the cross of affliction and purification. For the disciple
there is both a time for rejoicing in the Lord's presence and celebrating his
goodness and a time for seeking the Lord with humility and fasting and for
mourning over sin. Do you take joy in the Lord’s presence with you and do
you express sorrow and contrition for your sins?Jesus goes on to warn his disciples about the problem of the “closed mind” that refuses to learn new things. Jesus used an image familiar to his audience – new and old wineskins. In Jesus’ times, wine was stored in wineskins, not bottles. New wine poured into skins was still fermenting. The gases exerted gave pressure. New wine skins were elastic enough to take the pressure, but old wine skins easily burst because they were hard. What did Jesus mean by this comparison? Are we to reject the old in place of the new? Just as there is a right place and a right time for fasting and for feasting, so there is a right place for the old as well as the new. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old (Matthew 13:52). How impoverished we would be if we only had the Old Testament or the New Testament, rather than both. The Lord gives us wisdom so we can make the best use of both the old and the new. He doesn't want us to hold rigidly to the past and to be resistant to the new work of his Holy Spirit in our lives. He wants our minds and hearts to be like new wine skins – open and ready to receive the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Are you eager to grow in the knowledge and understanding of God’s word and plan for your life?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I may grow in the knowledge of your great love and truth. Help me to seek you earnestly in prayer and fasting that I may turn away from sin and wilfulness and conform my life more fully to your will. May I always find joy in knowing, loving, and serving you.”
www.dailyscripture.net
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Fasting and Feasting |
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Saturday of the
Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
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Matthew 9:14-17
The disciples of
John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but
your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "The wedding
guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The
days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they
will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the
patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new
wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is
spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh
wineskins, and so both are preserved."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to you in this meditation ready to do whatever it
is you ask. Left to myself, I often take the easy and convenient path; yet I
know the way of a Christian is through the narrow gate. In you I find the
reason to abandon the easy path for a more perfect mission of love. I’m ready
to learn the meaning of your command: “Follow me.”
Petition: Lord, help me to value the place of fasting in my life.
1. Creating Hunger
for God: Fasting has its
place in the life of holiness. Like the precept of poverty, fasting is the
purposeful privation of a natural good to make the soul more sensitive to the
supernatural goods of the Spirit. It is the silencing of the flesh in order
to feel more intensely a spiritual hunger for God. Just as the Israelites had
to grow hungry in the desert before they could worthily receive the bread
from heaven in the gift of manna, so in our life there is place to put aside
the distractions of what is good for that which is holy. In the practice of
self-denial, we will find the spiritual receptivity of a new wineskin that
will not burst when, through prayer, God pours in the new wine of the Kingdom.
2. Respecting the
End: The practice of
piety is not an end in itself. Rather, it is oriented to the ultimate end of
the spiritual life: union with Christ. Christ must unweave John’s
disciples from an excessive rigor in their spiritual life, one that has lost
God as its proper object. Spiritual pride can grow subtly in persons who take
upon themselves forms of devotion or asceticism for their own sakes. In all
things, even in the spiritual, we have to look at the end. If some spiritual
practice does not lead us to live God’s will and his presence in a more
loving manner, then it is of no use to us.
3. Fasting and the
Passion Lead to Spiritual Feasting: The moment of the Passion will come; the days of mourning will
arrive. The fasting that the disciples lived and that the Church lives is one
of uniting ourselves to the suffering Christ. Self-denial in order to do
God’s will becomes a participation in Christ’s Redemption. Christ’s closest
friends will want to share his sorrow, suffer his privations and make his
holocaust visible to others through their sacrificial way of life. May I be
ready to live union with Christ, embracing periodic acts of self-denial and
the ongoing crosses of my duty for love of souls and his Kingdom.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, help me
practice true devotion and sacrifice. Renew in me a holy desire to seek you
above all things, so that all I possess in my life is ordered to serving you
better and glorifying your name.
Resolution: I will make a special sacrifice to fulfill a
duty of my state in life, uniting myself more to the suffering Christ.
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SATURDAY, JULY 6
MATTHEW 9:14-17
(Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29; Psalm 135)
KEY VERSE: "People do not put new wine into old wine skins" (v 17).
READING: The followers of John the Baptist were curious to know why the disciples of Jesus did not fast as they and the Pharisees did. Jesus compared himself to a bridegroom at a marriage feast. This sign anticipated the Messianic banquet in which he would be united with his bride, the Church (Rv 19:7). Fasting and mourning were inappropriate at a wedding banquet as this was a time for rejoicing. When the "bridegroom was taken away" (v 15, Jesus passion, resurrection and ascension), then the people would fast. Jesus said that the old ways were incompatible with the new. Just as a worn out garment could not be patched and must be discarded, an old wine skin (symbolizing the old religion) was not flexible enough to contain the new and fermenting wine, and would burst. Likewise, the new ideas that Jesus came to offer required fresh and elastic minds.
REFLECTING: How can I help others open their minds and hearts to Jesus?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to thirst for you.
Optional Memorial of Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr
Maria Goretti was a beautiful, pious farm girl. In 1902 at age twelve, Maria was attacked by a 19-year-old farm-hand Alessandro Serenelli. He tried to rape the girl who fought back, yelled that it was a sin and that he would go to Hell. He tried to choke her into submission, then stabbed her fourteen times. She survived in hospital for two days, forgave her attacker, asked God's forgiveness of him, and died holding a crucifix and medal of Our Lady. While in prison for his crime, Allessandro had a vision of Maria, dressed in white, gathering lilies. This vision led to Alessandro's conversion, and he later testified at her cause for beatification. She was canonized in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The ceremony was attended by 250,000 including her mother, the only time a parent witnessed her child's canonization.
www.daily-word-of-life.com
Praise the Lord for he is good
'New wine, fresh skins'
The gospel today has a deep meaning. John's disciples are questioning Jesus for his attitude to fasting. They are presuming the customs of the Old Law are to be practised still, and they seem reluctant to change. How often do we hear: 'We have always done it this way!'
Then Jesus talks about the new wine being put into new wineskins and shows the fallacy of putting the new wine into the old skins and losing it all. Jesus' message is the new wine, and that needs a new approach. This is a lesson for us today. Our faith needs to be expressed in a way relevant to our time. Lord Jesus, we hear your voice. Help us to meet this big challenge we face.
www.churchresources.info
July 6
St. Maria Goretti
(1890-1902)
One of the largest crowds ever assembled for a
canonization—250,000—symbolized the reaction of millions touched by the simple
story of Maria Goretti.
She was the daughter of a poor Italian tenant farmer, had no
chance to go to school, never learned to read or write. When she made her First
Communion not long before her death at age 12, she was one of the larger and
somewhat backward members of the class.
On a hot afternoon in July, Maria was sitting at the top of the
stairs of her house, mending a shirt. She was not quite 12 years old, but
physically mature. A cart stopped outside, and a neighbor, Alessandro, 18 years
old, ran up the stairs. He seized her and pulled her into a bedroom. She
struggled and tried to call for help. “No, God does not wish it," she
cried out. "It is a sin. You would go to hell for it.” Alessandro
began striking at her blindly with a long dagger.
She was taken to a hospital. Her last hours were marked by the
usual simple compassion of the good—concern about where her mother would sleep,
forgiveness of her murderer (she had been in fear of him, but did not say
anything lest she cause trouble to his family) and her devout welcoming of
Viaticum, her last Holy Communion. She died about 24 hours after the
attack.
Her murderer was sentenced to 30 years in prison. For a long time
he was unrepentant and surly. One night he had a dream or vision of Maria,
gathering flowers and offering them to him. His life changed. When he was
released after 27 years, his first act was to go to beg the forgiveness of
Maria’s mother.
Devotion to the young martyr grew, miracles were worked, and in
less than half a century she was canonized. At her beatification in 1947, her
mother (then 82), two sisters and a brother appeared with Pope Pius XII on the
balcony of St. Peter’s. Three years later, at her canonization, a 66-year-old
Alessandro Serenelli knelt among the quarter-million people and cried tears of
joy.
Comment:
Maria may have had trouble with catechism, but she had no trouble with faith. God's will was holiness, decency, respect for one's body, absolute obedience, total trust. In a complex world, her faith was simple: It is a privilege to be loved by God, and to love him—at any cost.
Maria may have had trouble with catechism, but she had no trouble with faith. God's will was holiness, decency, respect for one's body, absolute obedience, total trust. In a complex world, her faith was simple: It is a privilege to be loved by God, and to love him—at any cost.
Quote:
"Even if she had not been a martyr, she would still have been a saint, so holy was her everyday life" (Cardinal Salotti).
"Even if she had not been a martyr, she would still have been a saint, so holy was her everyday life" (Cardinal Salotti).
Patron Saint of:
Catholic youth
Girls
Teenagers
Youth
www.americancatholic.orgCatholic youth
Girls
Teenagers
Youth
LECTIO: MATTHEW 9,14-17
Lectio:
Saturday, July
6, 2013
Ordinary
Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
you call your children
to walk in the light of Christ.
Free us from darkness
and keep us in the radiance of your truth.
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.
you call your children
to walk in the light of Christ.
Free us from darkness
and keep us in the radiance of your truth.
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 9,14-17
Then John's disciples
came to Jesus and said, 'Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your
disciples do not?'
Jesus replied, 'Surely the bridegroom's attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth onto an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine in fresh skins and both are preserved.'
Jesus replied, 'Surely the bridegroom's attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth onto an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine in fresh skins and both are preserved.'
3) Reflection
• Matthew 9, 14: The
question of the disciples of John concerning the practice of fasting. Fasting
is quite an ancient use, practiced by almost all religions. Jesus himself
practiced it during forty days (Mt 4, 2). But he does not insist with the
disciples so that they do the same thing. He leaves them free. Because of this,
the disciples of John the Baptist and of the Pharisees, who were obliged to
fast, want to know why Jesus does not insist on fasting “Why is it that we
and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?”
• Matthew 9, 15: The answer of Jesus. Jesus answers with a comparison in the form of a question: “Surely the bridegroom’s attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them?” Jesus associates fasting to mourning, and he considers himself the bridegroom. When the bridegroom is with his friends, that is, during the wedding feast, they have no need to fast. When Jesus is with them, with his disciples, it is a feast, the wedding feast. Therefore, they should not fast. But one day the bridegroom will go away. It will be a day of mourning. Then, if they want they can fast. Jesus refers to his death. He knows and feels that if he continues on this way of liberty, the authority will want to kill him.
• Matthew 9, 16-17: New wine in new skins! In these two verses, the Gospel of Matthew gives two separate phrases of Jesus on the patch of new cloth on an old cloak and of the new wine in new skins. These words throw light on the discussions and the conflicts of Jesus with religious authority of the time. A patch of new cloth is not put on an old cloak; because when washing it, the new piece of cloth shrinks and pulls on the old cloak and tears it and the tear becomes bigger. Nobody puts new wine in old skins, because when the new wine ferments, it tears the old skins. New wine in new skins! The religion defended by the religious authority was like a piece of old cloth, like an old skin. Both the disciples of John and the Pharisees, tried to renew the religion. In reality, they hardly put some patches and because of this, they ran the risk of compromising and harming both the novelty as well as the old uses. It is not necessary to want to change the novelty which Jesus brings to us for the old uses. Either one or the other! The new wine which Jesus brings to us tears the old skins. It is necessary to know how to separate things. Most probably, Matthew presents these words of Jesus to orientate the communities of the years 80’s. There was a group of Jew-Christians who wanted to reduce the novelty of Jesus to the Judaism of the time before the coming of Jesus. Jesus is not against what is “old”. He does not want that what is old be imposed on that which is new and, that it prevents it from manifesting itself. Vatican II cannot be reread with the mentality before the Council, like some try to do today.
• Matthew 9, 15: The answer of Jesus. Jesus answers with a comparison in the form of a question: “Surely the bridegroom’s attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them?” Jesus associates fasting to mourning, and he considers himself the bridegroom. When the bridegroom is with his friends, that is, during the wedding feast, they have no need to fast. When Jesus is with them, with his disciples, it is a feast, the wedding feast. Therefore, they should not fast. But one day the bridegroom will go away. It will be a day of mourning. Then, if they want they can fast. Jesus refers to his death. He knows and feels that if he continues on this way of liberty, the authority will want to kill him.
• Matthew 9, 16-17: New wine in new skins! In these two verses, the Gospel of Matthew gives two separate phrases of Jesus on the patch of new cloth on an old cloak and of the new wine in new skins. These words throw light on the discussions and the conflicts of Jesus with religious authority of the time. A patch of new cloth is not put on an old cloak; because when washing it, the new piece of cloth shrinks and pulls on the old cloak and tears it and the tear becomes bigger. Nobody puts new wine in old skins, because when the new wine ferments, it tears the old skins. New wine in new skins! The religion defended by the religious authority was like a piece of old cloth, like an old skin. Both the disciples of John and the Pharisees, tried to renew the religion. In reality, they hardly put some patches and because of this, they ran the risk of compromising and harming both the novelty as well as the old uses. It is not necessary to want to change the novelty which Jesus brings to us for the old uses. Either one or the other! The new wine which Jesus brings to us tears the old skins. It is necessary to know how to separate things. Most probably, Matthew presents these words of Jesus to orientate the communities of the years 80’s. There was a group of Jew-Christians who wanted to reduce the novelty of Jesus to the Judaism of the time before the coming of Jesus. Jesus is not against what is “old”. He does not want that what is old be imposed on that which is new and, that it prevents it from manifesting itself. Vatican II cannot be reread with the mentality before the Council, like some try to do today.
4) Personal
questions
• Which are the
conflicts around the religious practices which today make many persons suffer
and are a reason for heated discussions and polemics? Which is the image of God
which is behind all these preconceptions, these norms and these prohibitions?
• How is this phrase of Jesus to be understood: “Nobody puts a piece of new cloth on an old cloak? Which is the message which we can draw from all this for your community today?
• How is this phrase of Jesus to be understood: “Nobody puts a piece of new cloth on an old cloak? Which is the message which we can draw from all this for your community today?
5) Concluding Prayer
I am listening. What
is God's message?
Yahweh's message is peace for his people,
for his faithful, if only they renounce their folly. (Ps 85,8)
www.ocarm.orgYahweh's message is peace for his people,
for his faithful, if only they renounce their folly. (Ps 85,8)
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