Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 388
Lectionary: 388
In the year King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:
with two they veiled their faces,
with two they veiled their feet,
and with two they hovered aloft.
They cried one to the other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
He touched my mouth with it and said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:
with two they veiled their faces,
with two they veiled their feet,
and with two they hovered aloft.
They cried one to the other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
He touched my mouth with it and said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
Responsorial
PsalmPS 93:1AB, 1CD-2, 5
R. (1a) The
Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Alleluia1 PT 4:14
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Meditation: "Fear him who can destroy soul and body
in hell"
What does fear have to do with the kingdom of God?
Fear is a powerful force. It can lead us to panic and flight or it can spur us
to faith and action. The fear of God is the antidote to the fear of losing
one's life. I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me
from all my fears. O fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have
no want! Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of
the Lord. (Psalm 34:4,9,11)
Godly fear - reverence for God
What is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's soul to the power of hell (Matthew 10:28). A healthy fear (godly respect) and reverence for God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom, and right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of sinful pride, cowardice - especially in the face of evil, and spiritual deception. Do you trust in God's grace and mercy and do you obey his word?
What is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's soul to the power of hell (Matthew 10:28). A healthy fear (godly respect) and reverence for God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom, and right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of sinful pride, cowardice - especially in the face of evil, and spiritual deception. Do you trust in God's grace and mercy and do you obey his word?
When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom (reign) of God he
met opposition and hostility. Many religious leaders opposed Jesus because they
refused to believe that he was the Messiah (God's Anointed One) and that his
authority and power came from God. They claimed his power came from Beelzebul -
the prince of demons who is also called Satan or the devil. Jesus demonstrated
the power of God's kingdom through his numerous signs and miracles and his
power to set people free from Satan's harm and deception.
Choosing for God's kingdom
There are fundamentally only two kingdoms in opposition to one another - God's kingdom of light - his truth and righteousness (moral goodness) and Satan's kingdom of darkness - his power to deceive and tempt people to rebel and do what is wrong and evil. And there are no neutral parties - we are either for God's kingdom or against it. We either choose for Jesus and the kingdom he brings - God's rule of peace and righteousness, or we choose for the kingdom of this world which opposes God's truth and righteousness. That is why Jesus told his disciples that they must expect the same treatment of opposition and hostility if they accept him as their Lord (Messiah) and Master (Teacher).
There are fundamentally only two kingdoms in opposition to one another - God's kingdom of light - his truth and righteousness (moral goodness) and Satan's kingdom of darkness - his power to deceive and tempt people to rebel and do what is wrong and evil. And there are no neutral parties - we are either for God's kingdom or against it. We either choose for Jesus and the kingdom he brings - God's rule of peace and righteousness, or we choose for the kingdom of this world which opposes God's truth and righteousness. That is why Jesus told his disciples that they must expect the same treatment of opposition and hostility if they accept him as their Lord (Messiah) and Master (Teacher).
There is both a warning and a privilege in Jesus'
statement. Just as Jesus had to carry his cross to suffer and die for us, so
every disciple of Christ must bear his or her own cross of suffering for Christ
and not try to evade it. To suffer for the Christian faith is to share in the
work of Jesus Christ. As one Christian hymn states: Lift high the Cross
of Christ! Tread where his feet have trod. The Holy Spirit gives us
supernatural power, freedom, and grace to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Do
you trust in God who gives us the strength and perseverance we need to follow
his will and to embrace our cross each day for Jesus' sake?
"Lord Jesus, it is my joy and privilege to be
your disciple. Give me strength and courage to bear any hardship and suffering
which may come my way in serving you and obeying your will. May I witness to
others the joy of the Gospel - the good news of your kingdom of peace, joy, and
righteousness."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Do not bewail death - but sin, by
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
"The gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are
the death of the soul. So then, if the soul can die, how then is it yet
immortal? Because there is always a dimension of life in the soul that can
never be extinguished. And how does it die? Not in ceasing to be life but by
losing its proper life. For the soul is both life to something else, and it has
it own proper life. Consider the order of the creatures. The soul is the life
of the body. God is the life of the soul. As the life that is the soul is
present with the body, that the body may not die, so the life of the soul (God)
ought to be with the soul that it may not die."
"How does the body die? By the departure of the
soul. I say, by the departure of the soul the body dies, and it lies there as a
mere carcass, what was a little before a lively, not a contemptible, object.
There are in it still its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are
merely the windows of the house; its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the
dead cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no one there within it
to hear... Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone. But at
what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it... This
then we can know and hold for certain: the body is dead without the soul, and
the soul is dead without God. Every one without God has a dead soul. You who
bewail the dead rather should bewail sin. Bewail ungodliness. Bewail
disbelief." (excerpt from SERMON 65.5–7)
SATURDAY,
JULY 14, MATTHEW 10:24-33
(Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 93)
KEY VERSE: "No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master" (v. 24).
TO KNOW: Jesus was the fullness of God's revelation to the world, but many people were obstinate and refused to believe in him. Jesus confided his message to his twelve apostles, warning them of the opposition they would face as they proclaimed the gospel to the world. Students were not above their teacher, and slaves could not outrank their master; therefore, just as they shared in Jesus’ ministry his disciples would share in his passion. Though they stood in danger of death, they should not be afraid. It would be a greater peril to lose one's immortal soul. Rather, they should fear the evil one who could lead them to eternal destruction. Jesus pointed out, if God was aware of the death of a tiny sparrow, were their lives not worth more? If Jesus’ followers were faithful in their task, Jesus would defend them on the Day of Judgment. Despite the darkness of unbelief in the world, light would come in the dawn of Christ's resurrection.
TO LOVE: Do I remind others of their worth in God's sight?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to defend the faith when I am opposed.
(Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 93)
KEY VERSE: "No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master" (v. 24).
TO KNOW: Jesus was the fullness of God's revelation to the world, but many people were obstinate and refused to believe in him. Jesus confided his message to his twelve apostles, warning them of the opposition they would face as they proclaimed the gospel to the world. Students were not above their teacher, and slaves could not outrank their master; therefore, just as they shared in Jesus’ ministry his disciples would share in his passion. Though they stood in danger of death, they should not be afraid. It would be a greater peril to lose one's immortal soul. Rather, they should fear the evil one who could lead them to eternal destruction. Jesus pointed out, if God was aware of the death of a tiny sparrow, were their lives not worth more? If Jesus’ followers were faithful in their task, Jesus would defend them on the Day of Judgment. Despite the darkness of unbelief in the world, light would come in the dawn of Christ's resurrection.
TO LOVE: Do I remind others of their worth in God's sight?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to defend the faith when I am opposed.
Memorial of Saint Kateri
Tekakwitha, Virgin
Kateri was the daughter of a Christian Algonquin woman captured by the Iroquois and married to a non-Christian Mohawk chief. Kateri was orphaned during a smallpox epidemic, which left her with a scarred face and impaired eyesight. She converted to the Christian faith and was baptized in 1676 by a Jesuit missionary. Shunned and abused by relatives for her faith, Kateri escaped through 200 miles of wilderness to the Christian Native American village of Sault-Sainte-Marie, and took a vow of chastity in 1679. Known for spirituality and an austere lifestyle, when she died, her grave became a pilgrimage site and a place of miracles for Christian Native Americans and French colonists. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, known informally as the Lilly of the Mohawks, was canonized on 10/21/2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. She is the first Native American to be canonized.
Kateri was the daughter of a Christian Algonquin woman captured by the Iroquois and married to a non-Christian Mohawk chief. Kateri was orphaned during a smallpox epidemic, which left her with a scarred face and impaired eyesight. She converted to the Christian faith and was baptized in 1676 by a Jesuit missionary. Shunned and abused by relatives for her faith, Kateri escaped through 200 miles of wilderness to the Christian Native American village of Sault-Sainte-Marie, and took a vow of chastity in 1679. Known for spirituality and an austere lifestyle, when she died, her grave became a pilgrimage site and a place of miracles for Christian Native Americans and French colonists. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, known informally as the Lilly of the Mohawks, was canonized on 10/21/2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. She is the first Native American to be canonized.
Saturday 14 July
2018
Isaiah 6:1–8. Psalm 92(93):1–2, 5. Matthew 10:24–33.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty—Psalm 92(93):1–2, 5.
‘Here am I, send me.’
Jesus warns his disciples. Just as he has suffered as a teacher,
they as his followers will suffer also as they go about proclaiming his
teachings. He calls on his disciples not to be afraid of those who challenge
his teachings they are proclaiming. All will be made clear.
Jesus then instructs them not to be afraid of those who kill the
body but cannot kill the soul. The power over both body and soul only resides
in the Father. He is not a Father to be feared in the way the Pharisees taught.
‘Fear of the Lord’ in Jesus’ terms means being deeply aware of God’s sacred
presence and having a profound desire to do God’s holy will.
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Saint of the Day for July 14
(1656 – April 17, 1680)
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha’s Story
The blood of martyrs is the seed of saints. Nine years after the
Jesuits Isaac Jogues and Jean de Lelande were tomahawked by Iroquois warriors,
a baby girl was born near the place of their martyrdom, Auriesville, New York.
Her mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the
Iroquois and given as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest and
fiercest of the Five Nations. When she was four, Tekakwitha lost her parents
and little brother in a smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half
blind. She was adopted by an uncle, who succeeded her father as chief. He hated
the coming of the Blackrobes—Jesuit missionaries—but could do nothing to them
because a peace treaty with the French required their presence in villages with
Christian captives. She was moved by the words of three Blackrobes who lodged
with her uncle, but fear of him kept her from seeking instruction. Tekakwitha
refused to marry a Mohawk brave, and at 19 finally got the courage to take the
step of converting. She was baptized with the name Kateri–Catherine–on Easter
Sunday.
Now she would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work
on Sunday, Kateri received no food that day. Her life in grace grew rapidly.
She told a missionary that she often meditated on the great dignity of being
baptized. She was powerfully moved by God’s love for human beings and saw the
dignity of each of her people.
She was always in danger, for her conversion and holy life
created great opposition. On the advice of a priest, Kateri stole away one
night and began a 200-mile walking journey to a Christian Indian village at
Sault St. Louis, near Montreal.
For three years she grew in holiness under the direction of a
priest and an older Iroquois woman, giving herself totally to God in long hours
of prayer, in charity, and in strenuous penance. At 23, Kateri took a vow of
virginity, an unprecedented act for an Indian woman whose future depended on
being married. She found a place in the woods where she could pray an hour a
day—and was accused of meeting a man there!
Her dedication to virginity was instinctive: Kateri did not know
about religious life for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this,
she and two friends wanted to start a community, but the local priest dissuaded
her. She humbly accepted an “ordinary” life. She practiced extremely severe
fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation. Kateri Tekakwitha died the
afternoon before Holy Thursday. Witnesses said that her emaciated face changed
color and became like that of a healthy child. The lines of suffering, even the
pockmarks, disappeared and the touch of a smile came upon her lips. She was
beatified in 1980 and canonized in 2012.
Reflection
We like to think that our proposed holiness is thwarted by our
situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition, better health.
Kateri Tekakwitha repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the
cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need: the support
of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends.
These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the
age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and almsgiving: union with God in
Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity for her
brothers and sisters.
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW
10,24-33
Lectio Divina:
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
through the obedience of Jesus,
your servant and your Son,
you raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
through the obedience of Jesus,
your servant and your Son,
you raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 10,24-33
Jesus said to his disciples: "The
disciple is not superior to teacher, nor slave to master. It is enough for
disciple to grow to be like teacher, and slave like master. If they have called
the master of the house "Beelzebul", how much more the members of his
household? 'So do not be afraid of them. Everything now covered up will be uncovered,
and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark,
tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.
'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him
rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows
for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing.
Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be
afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 'So if anyone declares himself
for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the
presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of
human beings, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents to us diverse
instructions of Jesus on the behaviour that the disciples have to adopt in the
exercise of their mission. What strikes most in these instructions are
two warnings: (a) the frequency with which Jesus refers to the persecutions and
suffering which they will have to bear; (b) the insistence repeated three times
to the disciples not to be afraid.
• Matthew 10, 24-25: Persecutions and sufferings which mark the life of the disciples. These two verses constitute the final part of a warning of Jesus to the disciples concerning persecutions. The disciples should know that, because of the fact of being disciples of Jesus, they will be persecuted (Mt 10, 17-23). But this should not be a reason for worrying, because a disciple should imitate the life of the Master and share the trials with him. This is part of discipleship. “A disciple is not greater than the Teacher or a servant than his master; it is sufficient for the disciple to grow to be like his teacher and the servant like his master”. If they called Jesus Beelzebul, how much more will they insult his disciples. In other words, the disciple of Jesus should be worried if in his life there are no persecutions.
• Matthew 10, 26-27: Do not be afraid to say the truth. The disciples should not be afraid to be persecuted. Those who persecute them, succeed to pervert the sense of the facts and to spread calumnies which change truth into lie, and the lie into truth. But no matter how great is the lie, truth will triumph at the end and will make the lie crumble down. This is why we should not be afraid to proclaim truth, the things which Jesus has taught. Every day, the means of communication succeed to pervert the meaning of things and the persons who proclaim the truth are considered as criminals; they make the neo-liberal system to appear as just and it perverts the sense of human life.
• Matthew 10, 28: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body. The disciples should not be afraid of those who kill the body, who torture, who strike and cause suffering. Those who torture can kill the body, but they cannot succeed to kill liberty and the spirit in the body. They should be afraid, yes, that the fear of suffering may lead them to hide or to deny the truth, and that this will lead them to offend God, because anyone who draws away from God will be lost forever.
• Matthew 10, 29-31: Do not be afraid, but trust in Divine Providence. The disciples should not fear anything, because they are in God’s hands. Jesus orders to look at the birds in the air. Two sparrows are sold for a penny, but not one of them will fall to the ground without the Father wanting. Every hair on our head has been counted. Luke says that not one hair falls without our Father wanting it (Lk 21, 18). And so many hairs fall from our head! Because of this “Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”. This is the lesson which Jesus draws from the contemplation of nature.
• Matthew 10, 32-33: Do not be afraid to be the witnesses of Jesus. At the end Jesus summarizes everything in this sentence: “If anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven; 33: the one who instead will disown me in the presence of human beings, I will disown him in the presence of my Father in heaven”. Knowing that we are in God’s hands and that God is with us, at every moment, we have the necessary courage and the peace to render witness and to be disciples of Jesus.
• Matthew 10, 24-25: Persecutions and sufferings which mark the life of the disciples. These two verses constitute the final part of a warning of Jesus to the disciples concerning persecutions. The disciples should know that, because of the fact of being disciples of Jesus, they will be persecuted (Mt 10, 17-23). But this should not be a reason for worrying, because a disciple should imitate the life of the Master and share the trials with him. This is part of discipleship. “A disciple is not greater than the Teacher or a servant than his master; it is sufficient for the disciple to grow to be like his teacher and the servant like his master”. If they called Jesus Beelzebul, how much more will they insult his disciples. In other words, the disciple of Jesus should be worried if in his life there are no persecutions.
• Matthew 10, 26-27: Do not be afraid to say the truth. The disciples should not be afraid to be persecuted. Those who persecute them, succeed to pervert the sense of the facts and to spread calumnies which change truth into lie, and the lie into truth. But no matter how great is the lie, truth will triumph at the end and will make the lie crumble down. This is why we should not be afraid to proclaim truth, the things which Jesus has taught. Every day, the means of communication succeed to pervert the meaning of things and the persons who proclaim the truth are considered as criminals; they make the neo-liberal system to appear as just and it perverts the sense of human life.
• Matthew 10, 28: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body. The disciples should not be afraid of those who kill the body, who torture, who strike and cause suffering. Those who torture can kill the body, but they cannot succeed to kill liberty and the spirit in the body. They should be afraid, yes, that the fear of suffering may lead them to hide or to deny the truth, and that this will lead them to offend God, because anyone who draws away from God will be lost forever.
• Matthew 10, 29-31: Do not be afraid, but trust in Divine Providence. The disciples should not fear anything, because they are in God’s hands. Jesus orders to look at the birds in the air. Two sparrows are sold for a penny, but not one of them will fall to the ground without the Father wanting. Every hair on our head has been counted. Luke says that not one hair falls without our Father wanting it (Lk 21, 18). And so many hairs fall from our head! Because of this “Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”. This is the lesson which Jesus draws from the contemplation of nature.
• Matthew 10, 32-33: Do not be afraid to be the witnesses of Jesus. At the end Jesus summarizes everything in this sentence: “If anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven; 33: the one who instead will disown me in the presence of human beings, I will disown him in the presence of my Father in heaven”. Knowing that we are in God’s hands and that God is with us, at every moment, we have the necessary courage and the peace to render witness and to be disciples of Jesus.
4) Personal questions
• Are you afraid? Afraid of what?
Why?
•Have you been persecuted sometimes because of your commitment to announce the Good News of God which Jesus announced to us?
•Have you been persecuted sometimes because of your commitment to announce the Good News of God which Jesus announced to us?
5) Concluding Prayer
Your decrees stand firm, unshakeable,
holiness is the beauty of your house,
Yahweh, for all time to come. (Ps 93,5)
holiness is the beauty of your house,
Yahweh, for all time to come. (Ps 93,5)
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