He continues to pour the Holy Spirit into our lives. (vi) Monday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time. Todays gospel reading is also the gospel reading for the feast of the Sacred Heart which we celebrated about one month ago. Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? Then, in response to the Lords greeting, out of the mouth of the sceptic came one of the greatest confessions of faith in all four gospels, My Lord and my God. We are always very interdependent when it comes to our relationship with the Lord. I am meek and humble of heart. Matthew 9:9-13 Never allow me to become complacent or to undervalue the tremendous gift of faith in my life. Even unpromising surfaces received the seed. Pope Francis in a homily some years ago spoke of how love can find expression in simple ways. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. By his life and his death, by his teaching and his actions, Jesus shows us that Gods ways and not our ways. He sought out the lost, regardless of their past behaviour. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? He believed that Jesus could heal his servant with a word, without having to come to his home. Certainly, this was true of Jesus; he gave thanks and praise at all times, even when there appeared to be little reason for blessing and praising God. The darkness of Good Friday was still too real for him and prevented him from being moved by their Easter proclamation. The Twelve are being sent out to places where they will encounter great hostility. God gave the most unlikely places the opportunity of receiving the life-giving seed of his word. Damien Jesus promises us in that gospel reading that when we respond to his call, when we give of ourselves for his sake, we will receive far more than we will give. That same Holy Spirit remains our resource today. When Jesus healed the two disturbed people, their townspeople told Jesus to leave. It reflects Jesus hopeful spirit, rooted in his conviction that Gods loving purpose will prevail. How strange that the words of a pagan, a Roman centurion, should come to speak for all of us as we prepare to receive the Lord in the Eucharist. Yet, even though we walk in the light of Easter and the heavenly bridegroom is with us always, we need to continue to pray and fast so that we can open our lives more fully to the gift of Gods abundant love offered to us through his Son, our risen Lord. If we were to list what we consider to be of value in our lives, we would probably discover that relationships and friendships would come towards the top of our list. Everything now hidden will be made clear. He is no greater a sinner than anyone else. A sower went out to sow. The first beatitude that Jesus spoke in Matthews gospel was, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We pray for the eyes to see the signs of the Lords presence in our own painful moments. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and . It almost has a liturgical ring to it. R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. The people he had chosen to be his closest followers often let him down badly and showed themselves to be unresponsive pupils. Some of them are asked by Jesus, others are asked by his disciples and still others are asked by various other characters in the gospel narrative. The monks primary occupation was liturgical prayer, complemented by the reading of the Scriptures and manual work of various kinds. In the gospel reading, the Lord invites us to experience his supportive presence in a more immediate way by coming to him personally. In the gospel reading, Jesus compares his ministry to the joy of a wedding feast, with himself being the bridegroom. The official wanted healing for his daughter; the woman wanted healing for herself. (vi) Wednesday, Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time. He wanted to touch the lives of everyone, regardless of how they were perceived by others or even by themselves. The story of Joseph which we are reading at present has many resonances with the story of Jesus. We are to proclaim this graced relationship from the housetops, not as a self-congratulatory boast, but as good news for all to hear, because all are called into this same relationship. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. Pack, Today's According to todays gospel reading, from this larger group Jesus called twelve to whom he gave authority and power to share in his healing ministry. Over time, she went further and arranged for the building of a small room on the roof of her house, simply furnished with a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp, where Elisha could stay and rest. We can respond in kind, becoming aggressive ourselves in response to their aggression. The Church is the fulfillment of God's covenant promises to Israela kingdom of priests and a holy nation (see Deuteronomy 26:19; Isaiah 62:12 ). The gospels often make reference to people being astonished at Jesus, either at what he says or what he does. Yet, although God was working powerfully through the labours of Jesus, he was well aware that he needed other labourers to work alongside him. There are other times when we might find ourselves in the role of the people who carried the paralytic. Although Josephs brothers did not recognize Joseph, he recognized them. The sense that Matthew the evangelist gives us in todays gospel reading is of a Jesus who is constantly on the go. He made no distinction between them but was equally responsive to their need and their cry for help. Learn from me, he says, for I am gentle and humble of heart. In his response to this well-meaning scribe, Jesus was very honest and direct, the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. We groan to be set fully free; we do not yet fully enjoy the glorious freedom of the children of God, the freedom of the Spirit, the freedom to be as loving as God is loving. Then when the plant is sufficiently hardy, it can be transferred to the school garden, if the school is fortunate enough to have one. There are times in all our lives when our own inner resources of strength can seem very low, for a whole variety of reasons. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe. Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Perhaps, we will find it easy to identify with Thomas in todays gospel reading. To decide to become the Lords disciple is a big step and wont always be easy. Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr. In todays gospel reading, Jesus refers to the giving of a cup of cold water. This was the God that Jesus revealed in his own ministry. The temptation in such times can be to keep our head down. Yet, many others are of the view that we need to pay for water to fund the infrastructure that brings water to us. The closer he came to God, the more aware of how unlike God he was. The opening lines of one of the hymns that was regularly sung went, Freely, freely, you have received; freely, freely give. He is a living example of that image of the grain of wheat which when planted in the ground dies but in dying bears much fruit. It begins with Jesus enabling a dumb man to speak. Because of the resurrection the celebratory mood of Jesus ministry is an ever present reality for believers. Most of us have ready access to water. When the other disciples approached him with the good news of Easter, We have seen the Lord, their message did not resonate with him in any way. Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The vulnerable status of believers can help to make the church more attentive to the presence of the vulnerable in our world. The gospels suggest that Jesus had a calming influence on disturbance, whether it is to be found in nature or in people. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. He saw the goodness in people just as the people saw the presence of God in Jesus. The Lord is to be our first love. We need the generous vision of the people, and especially of Jesus, rather than the jaundiced vision of the religious leaders, if we are to see the many ways that the Lord is present and active among us. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. (vii) Saturday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time. In whatever way we approach the Lord, we will find that he is always there to receive us. In the gospel reading this morning, two people approach Jesus for healing. John the Baptists ministry and that of his disciples was characterized by fasting and other ascetic practices. In this mornings gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus is very clear about the demands involved in following him and becoming his disciple. Thomas stood in the light of Easter, yet that light did not dispel his darkness. These are the people who look after the bridegroom on his wedding day. As was true of Jesus, the rejected stone had become the corner stone. We wonder what have I done to deserve this? and we can struggle to live with the answer nothing. It was Saint Benedict who adopted monasticism to European needs, and laid the foundations of the great monastic system which bears his name. When we relate to one another, we are relating to Jesus and to God the Father. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. He is gentle and humble in the sense of knowing how to receive people in their weakness and vulnerability. Whenever the Lords gracious initiative towards us meets with our open and generous response, then our lives will begin to bear the rich fruit of the Holy Spirit, and something of Gods kingdom will come to earth through us. Our baptismal calling is to allow Christ to live out in us on a daily basis his own death to selfishness and his life for God, which is always a life for others. People enter the kingdom of heaven by coming to Jesus and Jesus was aware that people have to become like children if they are to come to him. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled: You will listen and listen again, but not understand, In the gospel reading, Jesus assures his disciples that in the difficult days to come, the Holy Spirit, what Jesus calls the Spirit of your Father, will be available to them. Thomas reminds us that our faith journey can have different moments. Yet, he recognized that Jesus was his superior. In those moments we become what Jesus refers to in todays gospel reading as mere children. Jesus claims that God lovingly watches over the life and death of even his smallest and least valuable creatures. Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. Jesus welcomed the desire of people to follow him along his way, but he also wanted to be sure that they knew what lay ahead. However, if you are interested in reading ahead, you may access our upcoming daily Gospel reflections from the links below. Jesus noticed that the farmer scattered the seed with abandon, almost recklessly, not knowing what kind of soil it would fall on. Many of them may have come to experience their own religious tradition as a burden. Gods mercy, because it is unconditional, does not wait for people to change but empowers people to change. Jesus also expected those who received Gods mercy to be merciful in their dealings with others. Undisturbed by their aggression, Jesus went on to heal them and to restore them to themselves and to the community. The people he had chosen to be his closest followers were often very unresponsive pupils. How can God possibly be interested in the details of my life? Divine Office Liturgy . For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.. And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Jesus came to proclaim the good news of Gods unconditional love for all, especially for those who felt alienated from God, those considered sinners by the virtuous. Let us receive humbly and responsibly God's call to conversion each day. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. His congregation presumed that he was going into the forest to commune with God in prayer. It is a parable that calls on us to be hopeful too, hopeful firstly in our regard. Jesus responded to both the official and the woman, granting the healing they sought. If God values us, if God knows our worth, then we must value ourselves and each other. When all seems lost, we can continue to live in the firm hope that the Lord is powerfully at work in the midst of our loss, even if we dont fully understand how at the time. You will go down to the netherworld. When we hear the word burden we normally think of something heavy. Everyone rejoices on seeing a rainbow. How strange that the words of a Roman centurion would come to form part of the churchs Eucharist. Jesus wants to share his relationship with God with each one of us; he wants to draw us into his own intimate relationship with God. The synagogue approached Jesus in a very public way on behalf of his daughters healing, bowing low before Jesus before others. We try to keep doing the Lords life-giving work, regardless of how it is received by others. Todays gospel reading invites us to give thanks to God for all those who have brought us to the Lord in some way, perhaps teachers, priests, religious sisters or brothers, friends and, for most of us, parents who were the first to bring us to the Lord when presenting us for baptism. In other words, he asks us to be faithful, regardless of the circumstances of our lives, knowing that he will be faithful to us. The Gift of Faith Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel Reflections / Gospel Reflections July 13, 2023 Average Rating Faith of Our Fathers There is always some element of doubt in our faith, because, as Saint Paul says in one of his letters, now we see as in a mirror dimly, then we will see face to face. In a vision, Isaiah heard the angels acclaim God with these words in the Temple in Jerusalem. God was scattering the seed of his life-giving word through Jesus ministry. Becoming like children captures what Jesus means by being gentle and humble in heart. It can be good to name these obstacles to Gods good work within us and strive to lessen their impact. Gospel (USA) We can all be tempted to put off following the Lord until sometime in the future. The prayer of one of the more minor gospel characters, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, may find a ready place our heart. 'Your faith has restored you to health'. He went much higher than that. Jesus is like the shepherd who seeks the lost sheep, the woman who seeks her lost coin, the father who seeks out his lost sons. That is why Jesus goes on to declare in this gospel reading that those who chose to follow him will have to keep preferring him even to their family members, when that is called for. Sometimes, as in the case of Joseph, it is only looking back that we can see how the Lord was present in our lives, how he was working through our lives, even in those moments when, at the time, we thought he had abandoned us because life was so difficult. Find the readings on iTunes. As the Book of Ecclesiastes declares, there is a time for everything under heaven. When the disciples said, We have seen the Lord, he answered, Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe. Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. Gospel (USA) The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. Even those of us who are not being overtly persecuted for our faith can encounter hostility. On one occasion, he drew his disciples attention to the action of a widow in placing two small copper coins in the Temple treasury. Provide yourselves with no, Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. He felt unworthy to have Jesus, a renowned Jewish man of God, come to his pagan home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men. Jesus who came not to be served but to serve was himself very appreciative of the cup of cold water from others. Beyond that time, which is the time of the church, there will be a place for fasting. However, Matthew has already referred to Jesus as Emmanuel, God is with us (Mt 1:23). In todays gospel reading, however, it is Jesus who is described as being astonished at someone. There are times when we can reduce the gospel to the moral call to give. The Lord wants to work through all of our lives. He said, Imagine a sower going out to sow. Three times in the course of todays gospel reading, Jesus says to his disciples, Do not be afraid. The swineherds ran off and made for the town, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Deeper and deeper into the woods the rabbi went until he came to the cottage of an old woman who was very badly crippled. The men were astounded and said, Whatever kind of man is this? 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. This is a celebratory moment, when fasting would be out of place. Small acts of kindness and generosity, like the giving of a cup of cold water, can reveal a bigness of heart and spirit, the heart of Jesus. My Catholic Morals! Paul had in mind there the Spirit coming to our help when we struggle to pray. I know, and I believe that I can count on your help when I stumble, that you will catch me when I fall and guide my steps firmly in faith toward the promise of eternal life. Egypt was a kind of bread basket. The person of Joseph in todays first reading illustrates the truth of the line from one of the Psalms, the stone which the builders has become the corner stone. Grow in faith by spending time with Our Lord in scripture. In one of his parables, Jesus speaks of the mustard seed which becomes the largest shrub of all in which birds of the air find a home. Zechariah was suggesting to the people that Gods messenger will come to them in very ordinary and, to many, very unpromising way. Todays gospel reading assures us that the Lord understands a doubting, questioning, faith. There is a uniqueness to the love between God the Father and the Son. In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus encounters a man who shows great enthusiasm towards Jesus and all he stands for. The usual resources that people would take with them for a long and demanding journey are being denied to them. For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. (iii) Saturday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time. It is clear from Jesus words in our gospel reading that Jesus did not want to impose yet another set of burdens on an already burdened people. Like the woman who suffered from a hemorrhage in the gospel reading, we can reach out and touch the Lords presence to us here and now. The one who was gentle and humble in heart was calling on others to be gentle and humble in heart and promising them that this is the path to the kingdom of heaven. In all sorts of ways throughout this parish, this city, people are giving the equivalent of a cup of cold water to those who need it. Our relationship with the Lord is a deeply personal one. Jesus is using an image here to express Gods care for the smallest detail of our lives. The Lord will see to it that the Spirit helps us in our weakness, whatever form our weakness takes. A paralyzed man is carried to Jesus by the faith of others. Today's Gospel: John 6:16-21 "It is I." I tried to keep reading, but I just couldn't concentrate on the rest of the passage. The rest he speaks of is more like strength. In the gospel reading, Jesus highlights the value of showing even the smallest act of kindness towards the vulnerable, such as a cup of cold water to the little ones, those who have no power or influence in the world. The gospel reading reminds us that when we seek the Lord, the Lord is at the same time seeking us. As he hung from the cross, he cried out, I thirst. Unless very clear conditions were met, Thomas defiantly declares, I refuse to believe. She said to herself, If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured. Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, Courage, daughter! Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. Therefore do not be afraid of them. He simply felt unworthy that this Jewish man of God should visit his pagan household. In many ways, being the Lords disciple today is as counter-cultural as it was in the time of Jesus. He had been devastated once by the crucifixion of Jesus; he wasnt going to have his hopes dashed so cruelly again by wishful thinking. Jesus had many wonderful qualities, but in this personal invitation to us, he highlights two of his qualities, his gentleness and his humility, I am gentle and humble in heart.