Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and
Martyr
Lectionary: 374
Lectionary: 374
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign,
and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
His mother's name was Nehushta,
daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
He did evil in the sight of the LORD,
just as his forebears had done.
At that time the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
attacked Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
himself arrived at the city
while his servants were besieging it.
Then Jehoiachin, king of Judah, together with his mother,
his ministers, officers, and functionaries,
surrendered to the king of Babylon, who,
in the eighth year of his reign, took him captive.
And he carried off all the treasures
of the temple of the LORD and those of the palace,
and broke up all the gold utensils that Solomon, king of Israel,
had provided in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had foretold.
He deported all Jerusalem:
all the officers and men of the army, ten thousand in number,
and all the craftsmen and smiths.
None were left among the people of the land except the poor.
He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon,
and also led captive from Jerusalem to Babylon
the king's mother and wives,
his functionaries, and the chief men of the land.
The king of Babylon also led captive to Babylon
all seven thousand men of the army,
and a thousand craftsmen and smiths,
all of them trained soldiers.
In place of Jehoiachin,
the king of Babylon appointed his uncle Mattaniah king,
and changed his name to Zedekiah.
and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
His mother's name was Nehushta,
daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
He did evil in the sight of the LORD,
just as his forebears had done.
At that time the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
attacked Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
himself arrived at the city
while his servants were besieging it.
Then Jehoiachin, king of Judah, together with his mother,
his ministers, officers, and functionaries,
surrendered to the king of Babylon, who,
in the eighth year of his reign, took him captive.
And he carried off all the treasures
of the temple of the LORD and those of the palace,
and broke up all the gold utensils that Solomon, king of Israel,
had provided in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had foretold.
He deported all Jerusalem:
all the officers and men of the army, ten thousand in number,
and all the craftsmen and smiths.
None were left among the people of the land except the poor.
He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon,
and also led captive from Jerusalem to Babylon
the king's mother and wives,
his functionaries, and the chief men of the land.
The king of Babylon also led captive to Babylon
all seven thousand men of the army,
and a thousand craftsmen and smiths,
all of them trained soldiers.
In place of Jehoiachin,
the king of Babylon appointed his uncle Mattaniah king,
and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 79:1B-2, 3-5, 8, 9
R. (9) For the
glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
as food to the birds of heaven,
the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
They have poured out their blood like water
round about Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
as food to the birds of heaven,
the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
They have poured out their blood like water
round about Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
AlleluiaJN 14:23
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 7:21-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
Meditation: "The wise who built their house
upon the rock"
If you could foresee a threat to your life and the
lose of your home and goods, wouldn't you take the necessary precautions to
avoid such a disaster? Jesus' story of being swept away by flood waters and
wind storms must have caught the attention of his audience who knew that
terrific storms did occasionally sweep through their dry arid land without any
warning signs. When Jesus described the builders who were unprepared for such a
life-threatening storm, he likely had the following proverb in mind: When
the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm for
ever (Proverbs 10:25).
The only foundation that can keep us safe
What's the significance of the story for us? The kind of foundation we build our lives upon will determine whether we can survive the storms and trials of life that are sure to come. Builders usually lay their foundations when the weather and soil conditions are at their best. It takes foresight to know how a foundation will stand up against adverse conditions. Building a house on a flood plain, such as a dry river-bed, is a sure bet for disaster! Jesus prefaced his story with a warning: We may fool one another with our words, but God cannot be deceived. He sees the heart as it truly is - with its motives, intentions, desires, and choices (Psalm 139:2).
What's the significance of the story for us? The kind of foundation we build our lives upon will determine whether we can survive the storms and trials of life that are sure to come. Builders usually lay their foundations when the weather and soil conditions are at their best. It takes foresight to know how a foundation will stand up against adverse conditions. Building a house on a flood plain, such as a dry river-bed, is a sure bet for disaster! Jesus prefaced his story with a warning: We may fool one another with our words, but God cannot be deceived. He sees the heart as it truly is - with its motives, intentions, desires, and choices (Psalm 139:2).
There is only one way in which a person's sincerity
can be proved, and that is by one's practice. Fine words can never replace good
deeds. Our character is revealed in the choices we make, especially when we
must choose between what is true and false, good and evil. Do you cheat on an
exam or on your income taxes, especially when it will cost you? Do you lie, or
cover-up, when disclosing the truth will cause you pain or embarrassment? A
true person is honest and reliable before God, neighbor, and oneself. Such a
person's word can be taken as trustworthy.
Christ is the only rock that can save us
What can keep us from falsehood and spiritual disaster? If we make the Lord Jesus and his word the rock and foundation of our lives, then nothing can shake us nor keep us from God's presence and protection. Is the Lord Jesus and his word the one sure foundation of your life?
What can keep us from falsehood and spiritual disaster? If we make the Lord Jesus and his word the rock and foundation of our lives, then nothing can shake us nor keep us from God's presence and protection. Is the Lord Jesus and his word the one sure foundation of your life?
"Lord Jesus, you are the only foundation that can
hold us up when trials and disaster threaten us. Give me the wisdom, foresight,
and strength of character I need to do what is right and good and to reject
whatever is false and contrary to your will. May I be a doer of your word and
not a hearer only."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The house falls if Christ is not the rock
and foundation, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254
AD)
"'For neither death nor life nor angels nor other
things can separate us from the love of Christ' (Romans 8:38-39). Neither can
the flooding of rivers, as in the lands of Egypt and Assyria [symbolize worldly
wisdom opposed to God], do harm. Only those are harmed who build on sand, who
practice the wisdom of the world. The winds that blow are like the false
prophets. All these, coming together in one place, 'beat upon' the house. If it
is founded on rock, they do no harm. 'The way of a snake upon a rock' is not to
be found (Proverbs 30:19). But in the form of temptations and persecutions,
which may mount into a flood, they beat upon even the one who seems to be
well-founded. The house falls if it does not have Christ as its basis and
foundation. But the truly wise person builds one's house 'upon a rock.' This is
the way the Lord builds his church - upon the rock, with steadfastness and
strength. This is why 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' (Matthew
16:18). All the persecutions that fall upon that house accomplish nothing. The
house is founded upon the rock. (excerpt
from FRAGMENT 153)
THURSDAY, JUNE 28, MATTHEW 7:21-29
(2 Kings 24:8-17; Psalm 79)
(2 Kings 24:8-17; Psalm 79)
KEY VERSE: "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who builds his house on rock" (v. 24).
TO KNOW: Jesus concluded his Sermon on the Mount by telling his disciples that it was not enough to perform works of healing and miracles if they lived contrary to his teachings. The true disciple was one who followed his example of devotion to God's will. Jesus used the illustration of the construction practice of his time in which houses were built on a solid rock foundation. Houses built on the sand of a dry gully were in danger of being destroyed by the floods that followed the winter rains. Christians who obeyed Christ's teachings were building on a stable foundation. Those who ignored his words were building upon superficial footing. They were at risk of being swept away by the difficulties that beset them in their daily lives.
TO LOVE: Do I obey Jesus in his Word and in his Church?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to strengthen the weak places in my spiritual house.
Memorial of Saint Irenaeus,
bishop and martyr
Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons was a disciple of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. It was the spread of Gnosticism in Gaul, and the ravages it was making among the Christians of his diocese, that inspired him to undertake the task of exposing its errors. He produced a treatise in five books in which he sets forth fully the inner doctrines of the various sects, and afterwards contrasts them with the teaching of the Apostles and the text of the Holy Scripture. His work, written in Greek but quickly translated to Latin, was widely circulated and succeeded in dealing a death-blow to Gnosticism. Irenaeus is considered the first great Western ecclesiastical writer. He emphasized the unity of the Old and New Testaments, and of Christ's simultaneous human and divine nature. Born c.130 at Asia Minor, Irenaeus was martyred in 202. His tomb and relics were destroyed.
NOTE: There were many groups that were Gnostics, however, generally speaking, Gnosticism taught that salvation is achieved through special knowledge (Greek: gnosis). They believed that the material world was evil, which contradicts scripture that everything God made is good (Gen 1:31). If matter is evil, then Jesus Christ could not be true God and true man, for Christ is in no way evil. Thus many Gnostics denied the Incarnation, claiming that Christ only appeared to be a man, but that his humanity was an illusion.
Thursday 28 June
2018
St Irenaeus.
2 Kings 24:8-17. Psalm 78(79):1-5, 8-9. Matthew 7:21-29.
For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us—Psalm 78(79):1-5,
8-9.
‘He made a deep impression on them because he spoke with
authority.’
We followers of Jesus understand the wisdom of his words. He
gives us choices about how to live out his love in our time. When we listen to
his words and act on them we have a firm foundation for life.
As we seek to create a prayer life of listening and attending to
God’s presence we ask for strength and courage for our pilgrimage. We seek to
be more aware of the invitation to live in a loving and compassionate way.
Awareness of our relationship with God is the beginning of our
flourishing.
Saint Irenaeus
Saint of the Day for June 28
(c. 130 – c. 202)
 |
| Stained glass window of Saint Irenaeus | Église Saint-Irénée, France | photo by Gérald Gambier |
Saint Irenaeus’ Story
The Church is fortunate that Irenaeus was involved in many of
its controversies in the second century. He was a student, well trained no
doubt, with great patience in investigating, tremendously protective of
apostolic teaching, but prompted more by a desire to win over his opponents
than to prove them in error.
As bishop of Lyons he was especially concerned with the
Gnostics, who took their name from the Greek word for “knowledge.” Claiming
access to secret knowledge imparted by Jesus to only a few disciples, their
teaching was attracting and confusing many Christians. After thoroughly
investigating the various Gnostic sects and their “secret,” Irenaeus showed to
what logical conclusions their tenets led. These he contrasted with the
teaching of the apostles and the text of Holy Scripture, giving us, in five
books, a system of theology of great importance to subsequent times. Moreover,
his work, widely used and translated into Latin and Armenian, gradually ended
the influence of the Gnostics.
The circumstances and details about his death, like those of his
birth and early life in Asia Minor, are not at all clear.
Reflection
A deep and genuine concern for other people will remind us that
the discovery of truth is not to be a victory for some and a defeat for others.
Unless all can claim a share in that victory, truth itself will continue to be
rejected by the losers, because it will be regarded as inseparable from the
yoke of defeat. And so, confrontation, controversy and the like might yield to
a genuine united search for God’s truth and how it can best be served.
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW 7:21-29
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Father,
guide and protector of your people,
grant us an unfailing respect for your name,
and keep us always in your love.
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.
guide and protector of your people,
grant us an unfailing respect for your name,
and keep us always in your love.
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
7:21-29
Jesus said to his disciples: “Not
everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only
the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that
day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons
in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to
them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’ “Everyone who
listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who
built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and
buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will
be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and
the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely
ruined.” When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his
teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
3) REFLECTION
• Today’s Gospel presents the last part
of the Sermon on the Mount: (a) it is not sufficient to talk and sing, it is
necessary to live and to practice (Mt 7:21-23). (b) the community constructed
on the foundation of the new law of the discourse on the mount will remain
standing at the moment of the storm (Mt 7:24-27). (c) the words of Jesus are a
severe judgment on the contemporary religious leaders, the scribes (Mt
7:28-29).
• The end of the Sermon on the Mount
presents some opposition and a few contradictions which exist even in our time:
(a) people who continually speak of God, but who do not do God’s will. They use
the name of Jesus, but do not practice a relationship with the Lord in their
life (Mt 7:21). (b) There are people who live in the illusion of working for
the Lord, but on the day of encounter with Him, they will discover, tragically,
that they have never known Him (Mt 7:22-23). The two last scenarios of the
Sermon on the Mount, the house built on the rock (Mt 7:24-25) and the house
built on sand (Mt 7:26-27), illustrate these contradictions. By means of these,
Matthew denounces, and at the same time tries to correct, the separation
between faith and life, between speaking and doing, between teaching and
practicing.
• Matthew 7:21: It is not sufficient to
speak, it is necessary to practice. What is important is not to speak of God in
a beautiful way or to know how to explain the bible well to others, but rather
to do the will of the Father, and in this way, be a revelation of His face and
of His presence in the world. Jesus made the same recommendation to the woman
who praised Mary, His Mother. Jesus answered: “Blessed rather are those who
listen to the Word of God and put it into practice” (Lk 11:28).
• Matthew 7:22-23: The gifts should be
at the service of the Kingdom and the community. There were people with extraordinary
gifts, for example the gift of prophecy, of exorcism, of healing, but they used
these gifts for themselves, outside the context of the community. In the Day of
Judgment, they will hear a hard sentence from Jesus: “Away from Me all evil
doers”. Evil is the opposite of justice. It is to do with Jesus what the
doctors did with the law: to teach and not to practice (Mt 23:3). Paul will say
the same thing with other words and arguments: “Though I have the power of
prophecy, to penetrate all mysteries and knowledge, and though I have all the
faith necessary to move mountains, if I am without love, I am nothing. Though I
should give away to the poor all that I possess, and even give up my body to be
burned, if I am without love, it will do me no good whatever”. (1Cor 13:2-3).
• Matthew 7:24-27: The parable of the
house built on the rock. The final conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount is to
open oneself and to practice. Many people entrust their security to
extraordinary gifts or to observance. But their true security does not come
from prestige or from observance. It comes from God! It comes from the love of
God who has loved us first (1 Jn 4:19). His love for us, manifested in Jesus,
exceeds everything (Rm 8:38-39). God becomes our source of security when we
seek to do His will. There He will be the rock which supports us in the moments
of difficulty and storm.
• Matthew 7:28-29: To teach with
authority. The Evangelist closes the Sermon on the Mount saying that the crowds
admired the teaching of Jesus, “because He taught with authority, and not like
the scribes”. The result from the teaching of Jesus is a critical understanding
of the people in regard to the religious authority of the time. His simple and
clear words resulted from His experience of God, from His life dedicated to the
Father’s plan. People admired and approved the teaching of Jesus.
• Community: the house built on the
rock. In the Book of Psalms, we frequently find the expression: “God is
my rock and my fortress… My God, my rock, my
refuge, my stronghold, my saving strength…” (Ps 18:3). He is the defense and
the strength of the one who seeks justice (Ps 18:21,24). The people who trust
in this God, become in turn, a rock for others. Thus, the
Prophet Isaiah invites people in the exile saying: “Listen to me you who pursue
saving justice, you who seek Yahweh! Consider the rock from
which you were hewn, the quarry from which you were dug. Consider Abraham your
father and Sarah who gave you birth” (Is 51:1-2). The prophet asks people not
to forget the past. The people should remember that Abraham and Sarah, because
of their faith in God, became rock, the beginning of the
People of God. Looking toward this rock, the people should acquire courage to
struggle and to escape from slavery. Matthew also exhorts the community
similarly to have rock as foundation (Mt 7:24-25) and thus, they themselves can
be rock to strengthen their brothers and sisters in their faith. This is the
sense of the name which Jesus gave to Peter: “You are Peter and on this rock I
will build my Church” (Mt 16: 18). This was the vocation of the first
community, called to unite itself with God, the living rock, so as to become
also a living rock, because they listen and put into practice the Word. (Ps
2:4-10; 2:5; Ep 2:19-22).
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• How does our community seek to balance
prayer and action, prayer and practice, to speak and to do, to teach and to
practice? What could improve in our community, so that it will be a rock, a
secure and welcoming house for all?
• To be rock for another is also to be
in truth. Do I, and my community, know and understand Church teaching and the
bible well enough and in truth such that I and we can be rock for others who
need help in their Faith?
• There is another kind of rock. The
rock in the parable of the sower. The seed (the Word) could not grow on rock.
Do I read, learn and grow from the Word and from the saints that have given
example before us, and from Church teaching? Am I like the rocky ground in the
parable where the seed dries up or am I like a strong rock who gives stability
to my brothers and sisters?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Help us, God our Savior,
for the glory of Your name;
Yahweh, wipe away our sins,
rescue us for the sake of Your name. (Ps 79:9)
for the glory of Your name;
Yahweh, wipe away our sins,
rescue us for the sake of Your name. (Ps 79:9)
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