Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 375
Lectionary: 375
In the tenth month of the ninth
year of Zedekiah’s reign,
on the tenth day of the month,
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army
advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it,
and built siege walls on every side.
The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah.
On the ninth day of the fourth month,
when famine had gripped the city,
and the people had no more bread,
the city walls were breached.
Then the king and all the soldiers left the city by night
through the gate between the two walls
that was near the king’s garden.
Since the Chaldeans had the city surrounded,
they went in the direction of the Arabah.
But the Chaldean army pursued the king
and overtook him in the desert near Jericho,
abandoned by his whole army.
on the tenth day of the month,
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army
advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it,
and built siege walls on every side.
The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah.
On the ninth day of the fourth month,
when famine had gripped the city,
and the people had no more bread,
the city walls were breached.
Then the king and all the soldiers left the city by night
through the gate between the two walls
that was near the king’s garden.
Since the Chaldeans had the city surrounded,
they went in the direction of the Arabah.
But the Chaldean army pursued the king
and overtook him in the desert near Jericho,
abandoned by his whole army.
The king was therefore arrested
and brought to Riblah
to the king of Babylon, who pronounced sentence on him.
He had Zedekiah’s sons slain before his eyes.
Then he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters,
and had him brought to Babylon.
to the king of Babylon, who pronounced sentence on him.
He had Zedekiah’s sons slain before his eyes.
Then he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters,
and had him brought to Babylon.
On the seventh day of the fifth
month
(this was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon),
Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard,
came to Jerusalem as the representative
of the king of Babylon.
He burned the house of the LORD,
the palace of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem;
every large building was destroyed by fire.
Then the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard
tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.
(this was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon),
Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard,
came to Jerusalem as the representative
of the king of Babylon.
He burned the house of the LORD,
the palace of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem;
every large building was destroyed by fire.
Then the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard
tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.
Then Nebuzaradan, captain of the
guard,
led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city,
and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon,
and the last of the artisans.
But some of the country’s poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
left behind as vinedressers and farmers.
led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city,
and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon,
and the last of the artisans.
But some of the country’s poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
left behind as vinedressers and farmers.
Responsorial
Psalm137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
R. (6ab) Let my tongue be
silenced, if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
Though there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
Though there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
AlleluiaMT 8:17
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 8:1-4
When Jesus came down from the
mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it. Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
Meditation: "Lord, you
can make me clean"
What
might hold us back from approaching the Lord Jesus with expectant faith and
confidence that he can change us and make us holy - perhaps fear, pride, and
the risk of losing one's reputation or friends? Jesus did something which was
both remarkable and unthinkable at the same time. He approached the
unapproachables - he touched the untouchables. Lepers were outcasts of society.
Their physical condition was terrible as they slowly lost the use of their
limbs and withered away with open sores over their entire bodies. They were not
only shunned but regarded as “already dead” even by their relatives. The Jewish
law forbade anyone from touching or approaching a leper, lest ritual defilement
occur.
Approaching
the Lord Jesus with expectant faith
The leper who came to Jesus did something quite remarkable. He approached Jesus confidently and humbly, expecting that Jesus could and would heal him. Normally a leper would be stoned or at least warded off if he tried to come near a rabbi. Jesus not only grants the man his request, but he demonstrates the personal love, compassion, and tenderness of God in his physical touch. The medical knowledge of his day would have regarded such contact as grave risk for incurring infection. Jesus met the man’s misery with compassion and tender kindness. He communicated the love and mercy of God in a sign that spoke more eloquently than words. He touched the man and made him clean - not only physically but spiritually as well.
The leper who came to Jesus did something quite remarkable. He approached Jesus confidently and humbly, expecting that Jesus could and would heal him. Normally a leper would be stoned or at least warded off if he tried to come near a rabbi. Jesus not only grants the man his request, but he demonstrates the personal love, compassion, and tenderness of God in his physical touch. The medical knowledge of his day would have regarded such contact as grave risk for incurring infection. Jesus met the man’s misery with compassion and tender kindness. He communicated the love and mercy of God in a sign that spoke more eloquently than words. He touched the man and made him clean - not only physically but spiritually as well.
Some
twelve centuries later, a man named Francis (1181-1226 AD) met a leper on the
road as he journeyed towards Assisi. A contemporary of Francis wrote,
"Though the leper caused him no small disgust and horror, he nonetheless,
got off the horse and prepared to kiss the leper. But when the leper put out
his hand as though to receive something, he received money along with a
kiss" (from the Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano). Francis
did what seemed humanly impossible because he was filled with the love and
compassion of Jesus Christ.
The
Holy Spirit inflames our hearts with the fire of Christ's love that we may
reach out to others with compassionate care and kindness, especially to those
who have been rejected, mistreated, and left utterly alone. Do you allow the
Holy Spirit to fill your heart with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ for
others?
“May
the power of your love, Lord Christ, fiery and sweet as honey, so absorb our
hearts as to withdraw them from all that is under heaven. Grant that we may be
ready to die for love of your love, as you died for love of our
love." (Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi,1181-1226 AD)
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The authority to heal and make clean
belongs to Christ, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)
"With
great fervor before Jesus' knees, the leper pleaded with him (Mark 1:40) with
sincere faith. He discerned who Jesus was. He did not state conditionally, 'If
you request it of God' or 'If you pray for me.' Rather, he said simply, 'If you
will, you can make me clean.' He did not pray, 'Lord, cleanse me.' Rather, he
leaves everything to the Lord and makes his own recovery depend entirely on
him. Thus he testified that all authority belongs to him. One might ask, 'What
if the leper had been mistaken in this assumption?' If he had been mistaken,
wouldn't it have been fitting for the Lord to reprove him and set him straight?
But did he do this? No. Quite to the contrary, Jesus established and confirmed
exactly what he had said." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF
MATTHEW, HOMILY 25.1)
FRIDAY, JUNE 26, MATTHEW 8:1-4
Weekday
(2 Kings 25:1-12; Psalm 137)
Weekday
(2 Kings 25:1-12; Psalm 137)
KEY VERSE: "He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, `I will do it. Be made clean'" (v. 3).
TO KNOW: Some Scripture scholars regard chapters 5-7 of Matthew's gospel as portraying Jesus as the "Messiah of the Word," whereas in chapters 8-9 Jesus is represented as the "Messiah of the Deed." When Jesus finished his Sermon on the Mount, he came down from the mountain and put his words into action. Jesus performed ten miracles that correspond to the ten plagues of the Exodus that vanquished Israel's enemy (Ex 7-11). These miracles signify Jesus' assault on Satan and his establishment of God's reign. The first miracle was the healing of a leper. In Jesus' day, leprosy was regarded as synonymous with sin. The diseased person was an outcast and was separated from the healthy community. Jesus came to heal and reinstate all people to full membership in God's family.
TO LOVE: How can I touch those who feel despised and outcast?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, heal me of my defects and restore me to your likeness and image.
Friday 26 June 2020
Day of penance
2 Kings 25:1-12. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget
you! – Psalm 136(137):1-6. Matthew 8:1-4.
‘If you want to, you can cure me’
How can we rejoice in a strange land? So, the psalmist sings.
What will our songs mean if we can no longer see our inspiration? Can we
remember? Our only joy is lost to us in exile. So now, in bare remembrance of
days in God’s persistent presence, we remain.
Yet the streets of Jerusalem were tended to in Israel’s absence.
The poor, the lepers who were left there because they are nothing, they
remained. It was their lack of status that kept them in the city. Who kept the
city safe but the ones who were lost to it in times of plenty?
When Christ appeared and healed the lepers, he preserved the
preserved, saved the saved, found the found. What a strange world.
Blessed Raymond Lull
Saint of the Day for June 26
(c. 1235 – June 28, 1315)
 |
| Life of Raymond Lull | reproduced in An illustrated history of the Knights Templar, James Wasserman | photo by Thomas le Myésier |
Blessed Raymond Lull’s Story
Raymond worked all his life to promote the missions and died a
missionary to North Africa.
Raymond was born at Palma on the island of Mallorca in the
Mediterranean Sea. He earned a position in the king’s court there. One day a
sermon inspired him to dedicate his life to working for the conversion of the
Muslims in North Africa. He became a Secular Franciscan and founded a college
where missionaries could learn the Arabic they would need in the missions.
Retiring to solitude, he spent nine years as a hermit. During that time he
wrote on all branches of knowledge, a work which earned him the title “Enlightened
Doctor.”
Raymond then made many trips through Europe to interest popes,
kings, and princes in establishing special colleges to prepare future
missionaries. He achieved his goal in 1311, when the Council of Vienne ordered
the creation of chairs of Hebrew, Arabic, and Chaldean at the universities of
Bologna, Oxford, Paris, and Salamanca. At the age of 79, Raymond went to North
Africa in 1314 to be a missionary himself. An angry crowd of Muslims stoned him
in the city of Bougie. Genoese merchants took him back to Mallorca, where he
died. Raymond was beatified in 1514. His Liturgical Feast Day is
June 30.
Reflection
Raymond worked most of his life to help spread the gospel.
Indifference on the part of some Christian leaders and opposition in North
Africa did not turn him from his goal. Three hundred years later Raymond’s work
began to have an influence in the Americas. When the Spanish began to spread
the gospel in the New World, they set up missionary colleges to aid the
work. Saint Junípero Serra belonged to such a college.
Lectio Divina: Matthew 8:1-4
Lectio Divina
Friday, June 26, 2020
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 8:1-4
After Jesus had come down from the mountain, large crowds
followed Him. Suddenly a man with a virulent skin-disease came up and bowed low
in front of Him, saying, 'Lord, if You are willing, You can cleanse me.' Jesus
stretched out his hand and touched him saying, 'I am willing. Be cleansed.' And
his skin-disease was cleansed at once. Then Jesus said to him, 'Mind you tell
no one, but go and show yourself to the priest and make the offering prescribed
by Moses, as evidence to them.'
3) Reflection
•In chapters 5 to 7 we have heard the words of the New Law proclaimed
on the Mountain by Jesus. Now, in chapters 8 and 9, Matthew indicates how Jesus
put into practice what He had just taught. In today’s Gospel (Mt 8:1-4)
and tomorrow’s (Mt 8: 5-17), we see closely the following episodes which
reveal how Jesus practiced the Law: the cure of a leper (Mt 8:1-4), the cure of
the servant of the Roman soldier (Mt 8:5-13), the cure of Peter’s mother-in law
(Mt 8:14-15) and the healing of numerous sick people (Mt 8:14-17).
• Matthew 8:1-2: The leper asks, “Lord, if You are willing You can cleanse me”. A leper comes close to Jesus. The leper was one who was excluded. Anybody who touched him would remain unclean! This is why the lepers had to remain far away (Lev 13:45-46). But that leper had great courage. He transgresses the norms of religion in order to be able to enter into contact with Jesus. Getting close to Him he says, ‘If You are willing You can cleanse me! That is to say, ‘It is not necessary for You to touch me!’ It suffices that the Lord wants it and he will be cured”. This statement reveals two things: 1) the sickness of leprosy which made people unclean; 2) the sickness of solitude to which the person was condemned, separated from society and from religion. It reveals also the man’s great faith in the power of Jesus.
• Matthew 8:3: Jesus touches him and says, ‘I am willing. Be cleansed.’ Filled with compassion, Jesus cures two sicknesses. In the first place, in order to cure solitude, loneliness, before saying any word, He touches the leper. It is as if he said, “For Me, you are not excluded. I am not afraid to become unclean by touching you! And I accept you as a brother!” Then He cures the leper, saying, “I am willing! Be cleansed!” The leper, in order to be able to enter in contact with Jesus, had transgressed the norms of the Law. Thus Jesus, in order to help that excluded person and reveal the new face of God, transgresses the norms of his religion and touches the leper.
• Matthew 8:4: Jesus orders the man to go and show himself to the priest. At that time, a leper, in order to be reintegrated into the community, needed a certificate of healing confirmed by the priest. It is the same thing today. The sick person gets out of the hospital only if he has a certificate signed by the physician. Jesus obliges the person to obtain that document in order to be able to live normally. He obliges the authority to recognize that the man has been cured. Jesus not only heals but wants the healed person to be able to live with others. He reintegrates the person into the fraternal life of the community. The Gospel of Mark adds that the man did not present himself to the priest. Instead, “He went away and started freely proclaiming and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into the town, but stayed outside in deserted places” (Mk 1: 45). Why could Jesus no longer enter openly into the town? Because He had touched the leper and had become unclean before the religious authority who embodied the law of that time. And now, because of this, Jesus was unclean and had to be far from everybody. He could no longer enter into the city. But Mark shows that people cared very little for these official norms, because people came to Jesus from all parts! This was totally overthrowing things! The message which Mark gives us is the following: In order to take the Good News of God to the people, we should not be afraid to transgress the religious norms which are contrary to God’s project and which prevent a fraternal spirit and love, even if this causes some difficulty to the people, as it did to Jesus.
• In Jesus everything is revelation of what He has within himself! He does not only announce the Good News of the Kingdom. He is an example, a living witness of the Kingdom, a revelation of God. In Him appears what happens when a human being allows God to reign, allows God to occupy the center of his life.
• Matthew 8:1-2: The leper asks, “Lord, if You are willing You can cleanse me”. A leper comes close to Jesus. The leper was one who was excluded. Anybody who touched him would remain unclean! This is why the lepers had to remain far away (Lev 13:45-46). But that leper had great courage. He transgresses the norms of religion in order to be able to enter into contact with Jesus. Getting close to Him he says, ‘If You are willing You can cleanse me! That is to say, ‘It is not necessary for You to touch me!’ It suffices that the Lord wants it and he will be cured”. This statement reveals two things: 1) the sickness of leprosy which made people unclean; 2) the sickness of solitude to which the person was condemned, separated from society and from religion. It reveals also the man’s great faith in the power of Jesus.
• Matthew 8:3: Jesus touches him and says, ‘I am willing. Be cleansed.’ Filled with compassion, Jesus cures two sicknesses. In the first place, in order to cure solitude, loneliness, before saying any word, He touches the leper. It is as if he said, “For Me, you are not excluded. I am not afraid to become unclean by touching you! And I accept you as a brother!” Then He cures the leper, saying, “I am willing! Be cleansed!” The leper, in order to be able to enter in contact with Jesus, had transgressed the norms of the Law. Thus Jesus, in order to help that excluded person and reveal the new face of God, transgresses the norms of his religion and touches the leper.
• Matthew 8:4: Jesus orders the man to go and show himself to the priest. At that time, a leper, in order to be reintegrated into the community, needed a certificate of healing confirmed by the priest. It is the same thing today. The sick person gets out of the hospital only if he has a certificate signed by the physician. Jesus obliges the person to obtain that document in order to be able to live normally. He obliges the authority to recognize that the man has been cured. Jesus not only heals but wants the healed person to be able to live with others. He reintegrates the person into the fraternal life of the community. The Gospel of Mark adds that the man did not present himself to the priest. Instead, “He went away and started freely proclaiming and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into the town, but stayed outside in deserted places” (Mk 1: 45). Why could Jesus no longer enter openly into the town? Because He had touched the leper and had become unclean before the religious authority who embodied the law of that time. And now, because of this, Jesus was unclean and had to be far from everybody. He could no longer enter into the city. But Mark shows that people cared very little for these official norms, because people came to Jesus from all parts! This was totally overthrowing things! The message which Mark gives us is the following: In order to take the Good News of God to the people, we should not be afraid to transgress the religious norms which are contrary to God’s project and which prevent a fraternal spirit and love, even if this causes some difficulty to the people, as it did to Jesus.
• In Jesus everything is revelation of what He has within himself! He does not only announce the Good News of the Kingdom. He is an example, a living witness of the Kingdom, a revelation of God. In Him appears what happens when a human being allows God to reign, allows God to occupy the center of his life.
4) Personal questions
• In the name of the Law of God, the lepers were excluded and
they could not live with others. In our Church are there norms and customs
which are not written and marginalize persons and exclude them from
living together with others and from communion? Do you know any such
persons? What is your opinion concerning this?
• Jesus had the courage to touch the leper. Would you have this courage?
• Jesus had the courage to touch the leper. Would you have this courage?
5) Concluding Prayer
I will bless Yahweh at all times,
His praise continually on my lips.
I will praise Yahweh from my heart;
let the humble hear and rejoice. (Ps 34:1-2)
His praise continually on my lips.
I will praise Yahweh from my heart;
let the humble hear and rejoice. (Ps 34:1-2)
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