Friday
of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 369
Lectionary: 369
When
Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah,
saw that her son was dead,
she began to kill off the whole royal family.
But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah,
took Joash, his son, and spirited him away, along with his nurse,
from the bedroom where the princes were about to be slain.
She concealed him from Athaliah, and so he did not die.
For six years he remained hidden in the temple of the LORD,
while Athaliah ruled the land.
But in the seventh year,
Jehoiada summoned the captains of the Carians
and of the guards.
He had them come to him in the temple of the LORD,
exacted from them a sworn commitment,
and then showed them the king’s son.
The captains did just as Jehoiada the priest commanded.
Each one with his men, both those going on duty for the sabbath
and those going off duty that week,
came to Jehoiada the priest.
He gave the captains King David’s spears and shields,
which were in the temple of the LORD.
And the guards, with drawn weapons,
lined up from the southern to the northern limit of the enclosure,
surrounding the altar and the temple on the king’s behalf.
Then Jehoiada led out the king’s son
and put the crown and the insignia upon him.
They proclaimed him king and anointed him,
clapping their hands and shouting, “Long live the king!”
Athaliah heard the noise made by the people,
and appeared before them in the temple of the LORD.
When she saw the king standing by the pillar, as was the custom,
and the captains and trumpeters near him,
with all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets,
she tore her garments and cried out, “Treason, treason!”
Then Jehoiada the priest instructed the captains
in command of the force:
“Bring her outside through the ranks.
If anyone follows her,” he added, “let him die by the sword.”
He had given orders that she
should not be slain in the temple of the LORD.
She was led out forcibly to the horse gate of the royal palace,
where she was put to death.
Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD as one party
and the king and the people as the other,
by which they would be the LORD’s people;
and another covenant, between the king and the people.
Thereupon all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal
and demolished it.
They shattered its altars and images completely,
and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.
Jehoiada appointed a detachment for the temple of the LORD.
All the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet,
now that Athaliah had been slain with the sword
at the royal palace.
saw that her son was dead,
she began to kill off the whole royal family.
But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah,
took Joash, his son, and spirited him away, along with his nurse,
from the bedroom where the princes were about to be slain.
She concealed him from Athaliah, and so he did not die.
For six years he remained hidden in the temple of the LORD,
while Athaliah ruled the land.
But in the seventh year,
Jehoiada summoned the captains of the Carians
and of the guards.
He had them come to him in the temple of the LORD,
exacted from them a sworn commitment,
and then showed them the king’s son.
The captains did just as Jehoiada the priest commanded.
Each one with his men, both those going on duty for the sabbath
and those going off duty that week,
came to Jehoiada the priest.
He gave the captains King David’s spears and shields,
which were in the temple of the LORD.
And the guards, with drawn weapons,
lined up from the southern to the northern limit of the enclosure,
surrounding the altar and the temple on the king’s behalf.
Then Jehoiada led out the king’s son
and put the crown and the insignia upon him.
They proclaimed him king and anointed him,
clapping their hands and shouting, “Long live the king!”
Athaliah heard the noise made by the people,
and appeared before them in the temple of the LORD.
When she saw the king standing by the pillar, as was the custom,
and the captains and trumpeters near him,
with all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets,
she tore her garments and cried out, “Treason, treason!”
Then Jehoiada the priest instructed the captains
in command of the force:
“Bring her outside through the ranks.
If anyone follows her,” he added, “let him die by the sword.”
He had given orders that she
should not be slain in the temple of the LORD.
She was led out forcibly to the horse gate of the royal palace,
where she was put to death.
Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD as one party
and the king and the people as the other,
by which they would be the LORD’s people;
and another covenant, between the king and the people.
Thereupon all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal
and demolished it.
They shattered its altars and images completely,
and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.
Jehoiada appointed a detachment for the temple of the LORD.
All the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet,
now that Athaliah had been slain with the sword
at the royal palace.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 132:11, 12, 13-14,
17-18
R.
(13) The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
The LORD swore to David
a firm promise from which he will not withdraw:
“Your own offspring
I will set upon your throne.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
“If your sons keep my covenant
and the decrees which I shall teach them,
Their sons, too, forever
shall sit upon your throne.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he prefers her for his dwelling.
“Zion is my resting place forever;
in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
“In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David;
I will place a lamp for my anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but upon him my crown shall shine.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
The LORD swore to David
a firm promise from which he will not withdraw:
“Your own offspring
I will set upon your throne.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
“If your sons keep my covenant
and the decrees which I shall teach them,
Their sons, too, forever
shall sit upon your throne.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he prefers her for his dwelling.
“Zion is my resting place forever;
in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
“In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David;
I will place a lamp for my anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but upon him my crown shall shine.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
AlleluiaMT 5:3
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 6:19-23
Jesus
said to his disciples:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”
Meditation: "Lay
up treasure in heaven"
What do you treasure and seek after the most? What do
you value above all else? Jesus offers a treasure of incomparable value and
worth, but we need healthy eyes - good spiritual vision - to recognize what is
the greatest treasure we can possess. What Jesus said about seeking treasure
made perfect sense to his audience: keep what lasts! Aren't we
all trying to find something we treasure in this life in the hope that it will
bring us happiness, peace, and security?
Jesus contrasts two very different kinds of wealth -
material wealth and spiritual wealth. Jesus urges his disciples to get rich by
investing in wealth and treasure which truly lasts - not just for a life-time -
but for all eternity as well. Jesus offers heavenly treasures which cannot lose
their value by changing circumstances, such as diminishing currency, damage or
destruction, loss or theft. The treasure which Jesus offers is kept safe and
uncorrupted by God himself.
What is this treasure which Jesus offers so freely and
graciously? It is the treasure of God himself - the source and giver of every
good gift and blessing in this life - and a kingdom that will endure forever.
The treasure of God's kingdom produces unspeakable joy because it unites us
with the source of all joy and blessings which is God himself. God offers us
the treasure of unending joy and friendship with himself and with all who are
united with him in his heavenly kingdom. In Jesus Christ we receive an
inheritance which the Apostle Peter describes as imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4).
Paul the Apostle describes it as a kingdom of everlasting peace, joy, and
righteousness in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
How realistic and attainable is this heavenly
treasure? Can we enjoy it now, or must we wait for it in the after-life? The
treasure of God's kingdom is both a present and a future reality - like an
investment which grows and matures, ever increasing and multiplying in value,
and producing an endless supply of rich rewards and benefits.
Seekers of great treasure will go to any length to
receive their reward. They direct all their energies and resources to obtain
the treasure. We instinctively direct our energies and resources - an even our
whole lives - towards that which we most value. To set one's heart on heavenly
treasure is to enter into a deeper and richer life with God himself. It is only
by letting go of false treasure that one can enter into the joy of a heavenly
treasure that is immeasurable and worth more than we can give in exchange. Do
you seek the treasure which lasts for eternity?
Jesus also used the image of eyesight or human vision
to convey an important principle of God's kingdom. Blurred vision and bad
eyesight serve as a metaphor for moral stupidity and spiritual blindness. (For
examples, see Matthew 15:14, 23:16 ff.; John 9:39-41; Romans 2 2:19; 2 Peter 1:9;
and Revelations 3:17.) The eye is the window of the heart,
mind, and "inner being" of a person. How one views their life and
reality reflects not only their personal vision - how they see themselves and
the world around them, it also reflects their inner being and soul - the kind
of moral person and character they choose for themselves. If the window through
which we view life, truth, and reality is clouded, soiled, or marred in any
way, then the light of God's truth will be deflected, diminished, and distorted.
Only Jesus Christ can free us from the spiritual
darkness of sin, unbelief, and ignorance. That is why Jesus called himself the
light of the world - the one true source of light that can overcome the
darkness of sin and the lies and deception of Satan.
What can blind or distort our "vision" of
what is true, good, lovely, pure, and eternal (Philippians 4:8)? Certainly
prejudice, jealousy, and self-conceit can distort true and clear judgment of
ourselves and others and lead to moral blindness. Prejudice and self-conceit
also destroys good judgment and blinds us to the facts and to their
significance for us. Jealousy and envy make us despise others and mistrust them
as enemies rather than friends. We need to fearlessly examine ourselves to see
if we are living according to right judgment and sound principles or if we
might be misguided by blind prejudice or some other conceit. Love is
not jealous ...but rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:4-6). Do
you live your life in the light of God's truth?
"Lord Jesus, you have the words of everlasting
life. May the light of your truth free me from the error of sin and deception.
Take my heart and fill it with your love that I may desire you alone as my
Treasure and my All."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Seeking the right intention, by
Augustine of Hippo, 430-543 A.D.
"We know that all our works are pure and pleasing
in the sight of God if they are performed with a single heart. This means that
they are performed out of charity and with an intention that is fixed on
heaven. For 'love is the fulfillment of the law'(Romans 13:10). Therefore in
this passage we ought to understand the eye as the intention with which we
perform all our actions. If this intention is pure and upright and directing
its gaze where it ought to be directed, then unfailingly all our works are good
works, because they are performed in accordance with that intention. And by the
expression 'whole body,' Christ designated all those works that he reproves and
that he commands us to put to death. For the apostle also designates certain
works as our 'members.' 'Therefore,' Paul writes, 'mortify your members which
are on earth: fornication, uncleanness, covetousness' (Colossians 3:5), and all
other such things." (excerpt from SERMON
ON THE MOUNT 2.13.45)
FRIDAY, JUNE 17, MATTHEW 6:19-23
Weekday
(2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20; Psalm 132)
Weekday
(2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20; Psalm 132)
KEY VERSE: "For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be" (v 21).
TO KNOW: When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he instructed them to trust God for their daily needs (Mt.6:11). In his sayings on divine providence, Jesus reminded his followers to find their security in God, not in possessions. Material goods were subject to rot and decay, whereas God was their lasting treasure. Jesus equated the human eye to a window into one's heart. If a person focused on the world and its wealth, it would be the object of their heart's desire. That person was spiritually blind because his or her vision was clouded by greed and selfishness. The one who has healthy sight is the person whose inner being is illuminated by the truth that Jesus came to reveal.
TO LOVE: Is prayer one of my spiritual treasures?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, fill my heart with the light of your word.
Friday 17 June, 2016
Fri 17th. Day of penance. 2
Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling—Ps
131(132):11-14, 17-18. Matthew 6:19‑23.
When God’s
presence is our treasure, we become a source of light.
The reign of
God’s presence is a gift beyond any quantifiable measure. We search for it
using the map of the Gospels, our true North for the landscapes of our lives.
Sometimes we
become aware of God as present in our day. Other times we need to take time to
intentionally place ourselves in that presence, in trust and faith. As we walk
along the path of our search, our lives begin to incarnate our treasure.
This treasure
becomes a source of light. Our eyes become a lamp, setting the world alight. We
notice others searching too. What do you treasure?
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Love Makes the Difference
|
Patience is the virtue of a person of faith. It does not matter
how many things you do; it is the love you bring to them that makes the
difference.
June 17
St. Joseph Cafasso
(1811-1860)
St. Joseph Cafasso
(1811-1860)
Even
as a young man, Joseph loved to attend Mass and was known for his humility and
fervor in prayer. After his ordination he was assigned to a seminary in Turin.
There he worked especially against the spirit of Jansenism, an excessive
preoccupation with sin and damnation. Joseph used the works of St. Francis de
Sales and St. Alphonsus Liguori to moderate the rigorism popular at the
seminary.
Joseph
recommended membership in the Secular Franciscan Order to priests. He urged
devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and encouraged daily Communion. In addition
to his teaching duties, Joseph was an excellent preacher, confessor and retreat
master. Noted for his work with condemned prisoners, Joseph helped many of them
die at peace with God.
St.
John Bosco was one of Joseph’s pupils. Joseph urged John Bosco to establish the
Salesians to work with the youth of Turin. Joseph was canonized in 1947.
Comment:
Devotion to the Eucharist gave energy to all Joseph's other activities. Long prayer before the Blessed Sacrament has been characteristic of many Catholics who have lived out the gospel well, St. Francis, Bishop Sheen, Cardinal Bernardin and Blessed Mother Teresa among them.
Devotion to the Eucharist gave energy to all Joseph's other activities. Long prayer before the Blessed Sacrament has been characteristic of many Catholics who have lived out the gospel well, St. Francis, Bishop Sheen, Cardinal Bernardin and Blessed Mother Teresa among them.
Quote:
“O admirable heights and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under the little form of bread! Look, brothers, at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him! Humble yourselves, as well, that you may be exalted by Him. Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves so that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally” (Saint Francis, Letter to the Entire Order).
“O admirable heights and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under the little form of bread! Look, brothers, at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him! Humble yourselves, as well, that you may be exalted by Him. Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves so that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally” (Saint Francis, Letter to the Entire Order).
Patron
Saint of:
Prisoners
Prussia
Prisoners
Prussia
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW 6,19-23
Lectio
Divina:
Friday,
June 17, 2016
Ordinary
Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Almighty
God,
our hope and our strength,
without you we falter.
Help us to follow Christ
and to live according to your will.
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
our hope and our strength,
without you we falter.
Help us to follow Christ
and to live according to your will.
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) GOSPEL READING - MATTHEW
6,19-23
Jesus
said to his disciples: 'Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth,
where moth and woodworm destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But
store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworm
destroys them and thieves cannot break in and steal. For wherever your treasure
is, there will your heart be too.
'The
lamp of the body is the eye. It follows that if your eye is clear, your whole
body will be filled with light. But if your eye is diseased, your whole body
will be darkness. If then, the light inside you is darkened, what darkness that
will be!'
3) REFLECTION
•
In today’s Gospel we continue our reflection on the Sermon on the Mountain. Two
days ago and yesterday we have reflected on the practice of the three works of
piety: alms giving (Mt 6, 1-4), prayer (Mt 6, 5-15) and fasting (Mt 6, 16-18).
Today’s and tomorrow’s Gospel presents four recommendations on the relationship
with material goods, explaining clearly how to live the poverty of the first
Beatitude: (a) not to accumulate (Mt 6, 19-21); (b) to have a correct idea of
material goods (Mt 6,22-23); (c) not serve two masters (Mt 6,24); (d) to
abandon oneself to Divine Providence (Mt 6,25-34). Today’s Gospel presents the
first two recommendations: not to accumulate goods 19-21) and not to look at
the world with diseased eyes (6, 22-23).
•
Matthew 6, 19-21: Do not accumulate treasures on earth. If,
for example today on TV it is announced that next month sugar and coffee will
be lacking in the market, we all will buy the maximum possible of coffee and
sugar. We accumulate because we lack trust. During the forty years in the
desert, the people were tested to see if they were capable to observe God’s Law
(Ex 16, 4). The test consisted in this: to see if they were capable to gather
only the necessary manna for a single day, and not accumulate for the following
day. Jesus says: “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth,
where moth and woodworm destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But
store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworm
destroys them and thieves cannot break in and steal. What does it mean
to store up treasures in heaven? It is a question of knowing where I place the
basis of my existence. If I place it on material goods of this earth, I always
run the danger of losing what I have stored up. If I place the basis one God,
nobody will be able to destroy it and I will have interior freedom to share
with others what I possess. In order that this may be possible and feasible it
is important to reach a community life together which will favour sharing and
reciprocal help, and in which the greatest richness or the treasure is not
material riches, but rather the richness or the treasure of fraternal living
together born from the certainty brought by Jesus: God is Father and Mother of
all. Because there where your treasure is, there is your heart.
•
Matthew 6, 22-23: The light of your body is the eye. To
understand what Jesus asks it is necessary to have new eyes. Jesus is demanding
and asks very much; do not store up (6, 19-21), do not serve God and money
together (6, 24), do not worry about what you are to eat or drink (6, 25-34).
These demanding recommendations have something to do with that part of human
life where persons are more anguished and worried. It also forms part of the
Sermon on the Mountain, that it is more difficult to understand and to
practice. And this is why Jesus says: “If your eye is diseased ....".
Some translate this as diseased eye and healthy eye. Others translate as mean
or poor eye and generous eye. It is the same, in
reality, the worse sickness that one can imagine is a person closed up in
herself and in her goods and who trusts only these. It is the sickness of being
stingy! Anyone who looks at life with this eye lives in sadness and in
darkness. The medicine to cure this sickness is conversion, the change of
mentality and of ideology. To place the basis of life on God and in this way
our look becomes generous and the whole life becomes luminous, because it makes
sharing and fraternity emerge.
•Jesus
wants a radical change. He wants the observance of the Law of the sabbatical
year, where it is said that in the community of believers there cannot be poor
(Dt 15,4). Human living together should be organized in such a way that a
person should not have to worry about food and drink, about dress and house,
about health and education (Mt 6, 25-34). But this is possible if we all seek
the Kingdom of God and his justice first (Mt 6, 33). The Kingdom of God means
to permit God to reign: it is to imitate God (Mt 5, 48). The imitation of God
leads to a just sharing of goods and of creative love, which brings about a
true fraternity. Divine Providence should be mediated by the fraternal
organization. It is only in this way that it will be possible to eliminate any
worry or concern for tomorrow (Mt 6, 34).
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
•
Jesus says: “There where your treasure is, your heart is also”. Where is my
richness found: in money or in fraternity?
•
Which is the light which I have in my eyes to look at life, at events?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
For
Yahweh has chosen Zion,
he has desired it as a home.
'Here shall I rest for evermore,
here shall I make my home as I have wished. (Ps 132,13-14)
he has desired it as a home.
'Here shall I rest for evermore,
here shall I make my home as I have wished. (Ps 132,13-14)
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