Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 379
Lectionary: 379
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
Then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts,
be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate;
Then it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the LORD,
I take no pleasure in your solemnities;
Your cereal offerings I will not accept,
nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings.
Away with your noisy songs!
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
But if you would offer me burnt offerings,
then let justice surge like water,
and goodness like an unfailing stream.
that you may live;
Then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts,
be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate;
Then it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the LORD,
I take no pleasure in your solemnities;
Your cereal offerings I will not accept,
nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings.
Away with your noisy songs!
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
But if you would offer me burnt offerings,
then let justice surge like water,
and goodness like an unfailing stream.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 50:7, 8-9, 10-11,
12-13, 16BC-17
R. (23b) To the
upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Hear, my people, and I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you;
God, your God, am I."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"For mine are all the animals of the forests,
beasts by the thousand on my mountains.
I know all the birds of the air,
and whatever stirs in the plains, belongs to me."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"If I were hungry, I should not tell you,
for mine are the world and its fullness.
Do I eat the flesh of strong bulls,
or is the blood of goats my drink?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Hear, my people, and I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you;
God, your God, am I."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"For mine are all the animals of the forests,
beasts by the thousand on my mountains.
I know all the birds of the air,
and whatever stirs in the plains, belongs to me."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"If I were hungry, I should not tell you,
for mine are the world and its fullness.
Do I eat the flesh of strong bulls,
or is the blood of goats my drink?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
AlleluiaJAS 1:18
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 8:28-34
When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,
two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.
They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"
Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
The demons pleaded with him,
"If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine."
And he said to them, "Go then!"
They came out and entered the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea
where they drowned.
The swineherds ran away,
and when they came to the town they reported everything,
including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,
and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.
two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.
They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"
Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
The demons pleaded with him,
"If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine."
And he said to them, "Go then!"
They came out and entered the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea
where they drowned.
The swineherds ran away,
and when they came to the town they reported everything,
including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,
and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.
Meditation: Jesus frees those who are bound up
Do you ever feel driven by forces beyond your
strength? Two men who were possessed and driven mad by the force of many evil
spirits found refuge in the one person who could set them free. Both Mark and
Luke in their Gospel accounts of this incident describe this demonic force as a
legion (Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30). A legion is no small force but an army 6,000
strong! For the people of Palestine who were often hemmed in by occupied
forces, a legion - whether human or supernatural - struck terror! Legions at
their wildest committed unmentionable atrocities. Our age has also witnessed
untold crimes and mass destruction at the hands of possessed rulers and their
armies.
No force can withstand Christ's power and authority
What is more remarkable - the destructive force of these driven and possessed men, or their bended knee at Jesus' feet imploring mercy and release (Luke 8:28)? God's word reminds us that no destructive force can keep anyone from the peace and safety which God offers to those who seek his help. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. ..Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation (Psalm 91:7,9).
What is more remarkable - the destructive force of these driven and possessed men, or their bended knee at Jesus' feet imploring mercy and release (Luke 8:28)? God's word reminds us that no destructive force can keep anyone from the peace and safety which God offers to those who seek his help. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. ..Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation (Psalm 91:7,9).
Jesus took pity on these men who were overtaken by a
legion of evil spirits. The destructive force of these demons is evident for
all who can see as they flee and destroy a herd of swine. After Jesus freed the
demoniacs the whole city came out to meet him. No one had demonstrated such
power and authority against the forces of Satan as Jesus did. They feared Jesus
as a result and begged him to leave them. Why would they not want Jesus to
stay? Perhaps the price for such liberation from the power of evil and sin was
more than they wanted to pay.
Jesus will free us from anything that binds us
The Lord Jesus is ready and willing to free us from anything that binds us and that keeps us from the love of God. Are you willing to part with anything that might keep you from his love and saving power?
The Lord Jesus is ready and willing to free us from anything that binds us and that keeps us from the love of God. Are you willing to part with anything that might keep you from his love and saving power?
"Lord Jesus, unbind me that I may love you wholly
and walk in the freedom of your way of love and holiness. May there be nothing
which keeps me from the joy of living in your presence."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Christ is triumphant over the forces of
demons, by Peter Chrysologus (400-450
AD)
"[Jesus] said to them, 'Go!' The foul-smelling
animals are delivered up, not at the will of the demons but to show how savage
the demons can become against humans. They ardently seek to destroy and
dispossess all that is, acts, moves and lives. They seek the death of people.
The ancient enmity of deep-rooted wrath and malice is in store for the human
race. Demons do not give up easily unless they are forcibly overcome. They are
doing the harm they are ordered to do. Therefore the foul-smelling animals are
delivered up that it may be made clear to the demons that they have permission
to enter the swine but not to enter humans. It is by our vices that we empower
them to do harm. Similarly, by our power of faith we tread on the necks of
demons. They become subject to us under Christ who is triumphant." (excerpt from SERMONS 16.8)
[Peter Chrysologus
(400-450 AD) was a renowned preacher and bishop of Ravena in the 5th century]
WEDNESDAY,
JULY 4, MATTHEW 8:28-34
(Amos:5:14-15, 21-24; Psalm 50)
(Amos:5:14-15, 21-24; Psalm 50)
KEY VERSE: "They cried out, `What have you to do with us, Son of God?'" (v. 29).
TO KNOW: After Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee (v. 23-27) he and his disciples arrived on the shore in the region of the Gadarenes (Gerasenes in Mk 5:1, Lk 8:26). In this rugged, pagan territory, Jesus was confronted by two demoniacs (just one in Mark and Luke's gospels). The demons recognized Jesus as the Son of God who had come to establish God's reign and destroy the powers of evil. When they tried to block Jesus’ mission to proclaim the gospel, he sent these vile spirits into a herd of swine (considered "unclean" by the Jews). The animals rushed headlong over a cliff and were drowned in the sea, a symbol of destructive forces (Gn 1:1-2). However, the people were more fearful of Jesus' power than the presence of evil, and they beseeched him to leave them.
TO LOVE: Am I an instrument of liberation or oppression of others?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, free me from any evil that attempts to corrupt my life.
INDEPENDENCE
DAY, July 4
(U.S.A.)
Independence Day is celebrated on July 4th as America's official split from Britain's rule and the beginning of the American Revolution. The original resolution was introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia on June 7, 1776. Three days later a committee headed by Thomas Jefferson was appointed to prepare an appropriate writing for the occasion. The document that we know as the Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress on July 4th although the resolution that led to the writing of the Declaration was actually approved two days earlier. President John F. Kennedy declared in his Inaugural address January 20, 1961: "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
Wednesday 4 July
2018
Amos 5:14-15, 21-24. Psalm 49(50):7-13, 16-17. Matthew 8:28-34.
To the upright I will show the saving power of God—Psalm
49(50):7-13, 16-17.
‘Let justice flow like water, and uprightness like a
never-failing stream!’
The story of the demoniacs presents a picture of the Lord as one
who rescues us. As strange and dramatic as this scene was, perhaps even more
strange was the reaction of the community.
You would think that they would have marvelled at Jesus’ ability
to heal two people.
Were they angry? Did they value their herd of pigs more than
people?
Instead of perceiving Jesus as a person who exercised God’s
merciful power, they saw him as a threat.
Rather than experiencing peace in Jesus’ presence, they felt
anxiety and fear. Many of us do the same.
As we open ourselves to trust in Jesus, we ask that he will help
us really come alive.
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal
Saint of the Day for July 4
(1271 – July 4, 1336)
 |
| Santa Isabel de Portugal | Francisco de Zurbarán |
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal’s Story
Elizabeth is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an
olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father Pedro III, future king of
Aragon, was reconciled with his father James, the reigning monarch. This proved
to be a portent of things to come. Under the healthful influences surrounding
her early years, she quickly learned self-discipline and acquired a taste for
spirituality.
Thus fortunately prepared, Elizabeth was able to meet the
challenge when at the age of 12, she was given in marriage to Denis, king of
Portugal. She was able to establish for herself a pattern of life conducive to
growth in God’s love, not merely through her exercises of piety, including
daily Mass, but also through her exercise of charity, by which she was able to
befriend and help pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor—in a word, all those
whose need came to her notice. At the same time she remained devoted to her
husband, whose infidelity to her was a scandal to the kingdom.
Denis, too, was the object of many of her peace endeavors.
Elizabeth long sought peace for him with God, and was finally rewarded when he
gave up his life of sin. She repeatedly sought and effected peace between the
king and their rebellious son Alfonso, who thought that he was passed over to
favor the king’s illegitimate children. She acted as peacemaker in the struggle
between Ferdinand, king of Aragon, and his cousin James, who claimed the crown.
And finally from Coimbra, where she had retired as a Franciscan tertiary to the
monastery of the Poor Clares after the death of her husband, Elizabeth set out
and was able to bring about a lasting peace between her son Alfonso, now king
of Portugal, and his son-in-law, the king of Castile.
Reflection
The work of promoting peace is anything but a calm and quiet
endeavor. It takes a clear mind, a steady spirit and a brave soul to intervene
between people whose emotions are so aroused that they are ready to destroy one
another. This is all the more true of a woman in the early 14th century. But
Elizabeth had a deep and sincere love and sympathy for humankind, an almost
total lack of concern for herself, and an abiding confidence in God. These were
the tools of her success.
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW 8,28-34
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
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 8,28-34
When Jesus reached the territory of the
Gadarenes on the other side, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs --
they were so dangerously violent that nobody could use that path. Suddenly they
shouted, 'What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture
us before the time?'
Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the devils pleaded with Jesus, 'If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.'
And he said to them, 'Go then,' and they came out and made for the pigs; and at that the whole herd charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the water. The herdsmen ran off and made for the city, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Suddenly the whole city set out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave their neighbourhood.
Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the devils pleaded with Jesus, 'If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.'
And he said to them, 'Go then,' and they came out and made for the pigs; and at that the whole herd charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the water. The herdsmen ran off and made for the city, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Suddenly the whole city set out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave their neighbourhood.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel stresses the power of
Jesus over the devil. In our text, the devil or the power of evil is associated
to three things: 1) To the cemetery, the place of the dead. To
death which kills life! 2) To the pig, that was considered an impure
animal. The impurity which separates from God! 3) With the sea, which
was considered like the symbol of chaos before creation? The chaos which
destroys nature. The Gospel of Mark, from which Matthew takes his
information, associates the power of evil to a fourth element which is the
word Legion, (Mc 5, 9), the name of the army of the Roman
Empire. The Empire oppressed and exploited the people. Thus, it is understood
that the victory of Jesus over the Devil had an enormous importance for the
life of the communities of the years 70’s, the time when Matthew wrote his
Gospel. The communities lived oppressed and marginalized, because of the
official ideology of the Roman Empire and of the Pharisees which was renewed.
The same significance and the same importance continue to be valid today.
• Matthew 8, 28: The force of evil oppresses, ill-treats and alienates persons. This first verse describes the situation of the people before the coming of Jesus. In describing the behaviour of the two possessed persons, the Evangelist associates the force of evil to the cemetery and to death. It is a mortal power, without a goal, without direction, without control and a destructing power, which causes everyone to fear. It deprives the persons from their conscience, from self control and autonomy.
• Matthew 8, 29: Before the simple presence of Jesus the force of evil breaks up and disintegrates. Here is described the first contact between Jesus and the two possessed men. We see that there is total disproportion. The power, that at first seemed to be so strong, melts and disintegrates before Jesus. They shouted: “What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come to torture us before the time?” they become aware that they are loosing their power.
• Matthew 8, 30-32: The power of evil is impure and has no autonomy, nor consistency. The Devil does not have power over his movements. It only obtains the power to enter into the pigs with the permission of Jesus! Once they enter into the pigs, the whole herd charged down the cliff into the sea and perished in the water. According to the opinion of the people, the pig was a symbol of impurity which prevented the human being to relate with God and of feeling accepted by him. The sea was the symbol of the existing chaos before creation and which according to the belief of that time, continued to threatened life. This episode of the pigs which threw themselves into the sea is strange and difficult to understand. But the message is very clear: before Jesus, the power of evil has no autonomy, no consistency. Anyone who believes in Jesus has already conquered the power of evil and should not fear!
• Matthew 8, 33-34: The reaction of the people of that place. The herdsmen of the pigs went to the city and told the story to the people, and they all set out to go and meet Jesus. Mark says that they saw the “possessed” man sitting down, dressed and with perfect judgment” (Mk 5, 15). But they remained without the pigs. This is why they asked Jesus to leave from their neighbourhood. For them the pigs were more important than the person who recovered his senses.
• The expulsion of the demons. At the time of Jesus, the words Devil or Satan were used to indicate the power of evil which drew persons away from the right path. For example, when Peter tried to deviate Jesus, he was Satan for Jesus (Mk 8, 33). Other times, those same words were used to indicate the political power of the Roman Empire which oppressed and exploited people. For example, in the Apocalypse, the Roman Empire is identified with “Devil or Satan” (Ap 12, 9). While other times, people used the same words to indicate the evils and the illnesses. It was spoken about devil, dumb spirit, deaf spirit, impure or unclean spirit, etc. There was great fear! In the time of Matthew, in the second half of the first century, the fear of demons increased. Some religions, from the East diffused worship toward the spirits. They taught that some of our mistaken gestures could irritate the spirits, and these, in order to revenge, could prevent us from having access to God and deprived us from divine benefits. For this reason, through rites and writings, intense prayer and complicated ceremonies, people sought to calm down these spirits or demons, in such a way that they would not cause harm to life. These religions, instead of liberating people, nourished fear and anguish. Now, one of the objectives of the Good News of Jesus was to help people to liberate themselves from this fear. The coming of the Kingdom of God meant the coming of a stronger power. Jesus is “the strongest man” who can conquer Satan, the power of evil, snatching away from its hands, humanity imprisoned by fear (cf. Mk 3, 27). For this reason the Gospels insist very much on the victory of Jesus over the power of evil, over the devil, over Satan, over sin and over death. It was in order to encourage the communities to overcome this fear of the devil! And today, who can say: “I am completely free?” Nobody! Then, if I am not totally free, there is some part in me which is possessed by other powers. How can these forces be cast away? The message of today’s Gospel continues to be valid for us.
• Matthew 8, 28: The force of evil oppresses, ill-treats and alienates persons. This first verse describes the situation of the people before the coming of Jesus. In describing the behaviour of the two possessed persons, the Evangelist associates the force of evil to the cemetery and to death. It is a mortal power, without a goal, without direction, without control and a destructing power, which causes everyone to fear. It deprives the persons from their conscience, from self control and autonomy.
• Matthew 8, 29: Before the simple presence of Jesus the force of evil breaks up and disintegrates. Here is described the first contact between Jesus and the two possessed men. We see that there is total disproportion. The power, that at first seemed to be so strong, melts and disintegrates before Jesus. They shouted: “What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come to torture us before the time?” they become aware that they are loosing their power.
• Matthew 8, 30-32: The power of evil is impure and has no autonomy, nor consistency. The Devil does not have power over his movements. It only obtains the power to enter into the pigs with the permission of Jesus! Once they enter into the pigs, the whole herd charged down the cliff into the sea and perished in the water. According to the opinion of the people, the pig was a symbol of impurity which prevented the human being to relate with God and of feeling accepted by him. The sea was the symbol of the existing chaos before creation and which according to the belief of that time, continued to threatened life. This episode of the pigs which threw themselves into the sea is strange and difficult to understand. But the message is very clear: before Jesus, the power of evil has no autonomy, no consistency. Anyone who believes in Jesus has already conquered the power of evil and should not fear!
• Matthew 8, 33-34: The reaction of the people of that place. The herdsmen of the pigs went to the city and told the story to the people, and they all set out to go and meet Jesus. Mark says that they saw the “possessed” man sitting down, dressed and with perfect judgment” (Mk 5, 15). But they remained without the pigs. This is why they asked Jesus to leave from their neighbourhood. For them the pigs were more important than the person who recovered his senses.
• The expulsion of the demons. At the time of Jesus, the words Devil or Satan were used to indicate the power of evil which drew persons away from the right path. For example, when Peter tried to deviate Jesus, he was Satan for Jesus (Mk 8, 33). Other times, those same words were used to indicate the political power of the Roman Empire which oppressed and exploited people. For example, in the Apocalypse, the Roman Empire is identified with “Devil or Satan” (Ap 12, 9). While other times, people used the same words to indicate the evils and the illnesses. It was spoken about devil, dumb spirit, deaf spirit, impure or unclean spirit, etc. There was great fear! In the time of Matthew, in the second half of the first century, the fear of demons increased. Some religions, from the East diffused worship toward the spirits. They taught that some of our mistaken gestures could irritate the spirits, and these, in order to revenge, could prevent us from having access to God and deprived us from divine benefits. For this reason, through rites and writings, intense prayer and complicated ceremonies, people sought to calm down these spirits or demons, in such a way that they would not cause harm to life. These religions, instead of liberating people, nourished fear and anguish. Now, one of the objectives of the Good News of Jesus was to help people to liberate themselves from this fear. The coming of the Kingdom of God meant the coming of a stronger power. Jesus is “the strongest man” who can conquer Satan, the power of evil, snatching away from its hands, humanity imprisoned by fear (cf. Mk 3, 27). For this reason the Gospels insist very much on the victory of Jesus over the power of evil, over the devil, over Satan, over sin and over death. It was in order to encourage the communities to overcome this fear of the devil! And today, who can say: “I am completely free?” Nobody! Then, if I am not totally free, there is some part in me which is possessed by other powers. How can these forces be cast away? The message of today’s Gospel continues to be valid for us.
4) Personal questions
• What oppresses and ill-treats people
today? Why is it that today in certain places so much is spoken about casting
out the devil? Is it good to insist so much on the devil? What do you
think?
• Who can say that he/she is completely free or liberated? Nobody! And then, we are all somewhat possessed by other forces which occupy some space within us. What can we do to expel this power from within us and from society?
• Who can say that he/she is completely free or liberated? Nobody! And then, we are all somewhat possessed by other forces which occupy some space within us. What can we do to expel this power from within us and from society?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh is tenderness and pity,
slow to anger, full of faithful love.
Yahweh is generous to all,
his tenderness embraces all his creatures. (Ps 145,8-9)
slow to anger, full of faithful love.
Yahweh is generous to all,
his tenderness embraces all his creatures. (Ps 145,8-9)
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