4 Sunday A - Blessed Are you ....

Gospel Text: Matthew 5:1-12
  

 
  **************************************************
Michel DeVerteuil 
General comments
On this Sunday the “continuous reading” of St Matthew’s gospel (see last week’s “guidelines”) leads us to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ long discourse which runs from chapters 5 to 7 and has always been recognised as a summary of all his teaching.

3rd Week, Wednesday: Reflection & Liturgy

2 Sam 7:4-17 / Mark 4:1-21

God makes a promise to David: “Your kingdom will last forever.”

God’s promise to David is the cornerstone of Israel’s hope for a messiah. He will come from David’s line, establish God’s kingdom in Israel, and extend it to the ends of the earth. The word messiah is Hebrew. It’s rendered christos in Greek, from which we get our word Christ. The word messiah is best translated “anointed” in English. The fulfillment of God’s promise to David was realized in Jesus. The angel told Mary: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and . . . his kingdom will never end!” Luke 1:32-33

3rd Week, Tuesday: Reflection & Liturgy

2 Sam 6:12-15, 17-19 / Mark 3:31-35

David brings the ark to Jerusalem: Everyone rejoiced.

The film Raiders of the Lost Ark rekindled interest in the ark of the covenant. The ark was a wooden box, about four feet by two feet by two feet, overlaid with gold. On the top of the ark were two cherubim whose wings formed a canopy. (Exodus 25:20) “There was nothing inside . . .except the two stone tablets which Moses had placed there at Mount Sinai, when the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel.” 1 Kings 8:9.

Jan 27- Feb 1: 3rd Week - Reflections

Jan 27 Monday (Angela Merici Virgin, 

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-angela-merici/ ): Mk 3:22-30: 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house.

Conversion of St. Paul: Reflection & Liturgy

Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22 / Mark 16:15-18

Jesus reveals himself to Paul: “I am Jesus, whom you persecute.”

We sometimes hear people say, “I believe in God, and I believe in Jesus, but I don’t believe in the Church.” When we hear people say this, we want to cry out: “But there’s no Jesus apart from the Church. Ever since Pentecost, Jesus and his Church have formed one body.” Trying to separate Jesus from the community of his followers is like trying to separate one’s head from one’s body.

3 Sunday A - Be a Light for Those in Darkness

3rd Sunday A from heartnoi2k

From The Connections:
‘My Monastery Is a Minivan’

When asked our religion, most of us would describe ourselves as “Catholic” or “Christian.”  But we would tend to back away from daring to call ourselves “disciple” or “follower.”  That description rightly belongs to the great heroes of our faith: the apostles and holy men and women of the Gospel, the saints and martyrs, the Francises of Assisi, the Mother Teresas, the Thomas Mertons, the Dorothy Days, the Albert Schweitzers.  Our lives are too ordinary, our professions too worldly to dare imagine that we are doing the work of the Gospel Jesus.

Jan 20-25: Daily Reflections

Jan 20 Monday (St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, 

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-fabian/ and St Sebastian, Martyr) 

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-sebastian/ :

Mk 2:18-22: 18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

Muslim Invasion of UK

TAKE OVER of Britain who to blame for passively succumbed to the Muslim invasion?
Mayor of London ... MUSLIM
Mayor of Birmingham ... MUSLIM
Mayor of Leeds ... MUSLIM
Mayor of Blackburn ... MUSLIM
Mayor of Sheffield ... MUSLIM
Mayor of Oxford ... MUSLIM
Mayor of Luton ... MUSLIM
Mayor of Oldham ... MUSLIM
Mayor of Rockdale ... MUSLIM.

Steve Gouves dies a billionaire

Steve Gouves dies a billionaire, with a fortune of $7billion, at the age of 56 from pancreatic cancer, & here are some of his last words:

CYCLE A: HOMILIES AND STORIES

CYCLE A: CLICK ON THE TITLES:

ADVENT-1	ADVENT-2	ADVENT-3	ADVENT-4	CHRISTMAS
H. FAMILY	N.Y. -MARY	EPIPHANY	BAPTISM	2 SUNDAY
3 SUNDAY	4 SUNDAY	5 SUNDAY	6 SUNDAY	7 SUNDAY
8 SUNDAY	ASH WED	LENT 1	LENT 2	LENT 3
LENT 4	LENT 5	PALM SUN	H.THURSDAY	G. FRIDAY
EASTER	EASTER-2	EASTER-3	EASTER-4	EASTER-5
EASTER-6	ASCENSION	PENTECOST	H. TRINITY	BODY BLOOD
10 SUNDAY	11 SUNDAY	12 SUNDAY	13 SUNDAY	14 SUNDAY
15 SUNDAY	16 SUNDAY	17 SUNDAY	18 SUNDAY	19 SUNDAY
20 SUNDAY	21 SUNDAY	22 SUNDAY	23 SUNDAY	24 SUNDAY
25 SUNDAY	26 SUNDAY	27 SUNDAY	28 SUNDAY	29 SUNDAY
30 SUNDAY	31 SUNDAY	32 SUNDAY	33 SUNDAY	C. KING
PRESENTATIO	SEP 8: MONTI	SEP 15	ALL SOULS	TEACHERS’D
MOTHERS’ D	FATHERS’ D	THANKSGIVING	TRANSFIGUR	LENT - GEN
TEMPTATION	LENT-EXOD	PASSION	EASTER VIGI
CHRISTMAS-IL	FAMILY

Jan 13-18: 1st Week - Daily Reflections

Jan 13: Monday (St. Hilary, Bp, Dr)

 https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-hilary/:

Mk 1: 14-20: 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” 16 And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. USCCB video reflections: 

Baptism of the Lord, Year A

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 / Acts 10:34-38 / Matthew 3:13-17

As a matter of fact, about 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water. That is quite a lot of water. 

Saturday after Epiphany - Reflection & Liturgy

1 John 5:14-21 / John 3:22-30

God hears our prayers: We should pray for sinners.

A number of years ago Newsweek magazine carried a moving article about the crash of United Airlines flight 629 in Colorado. Someone had hidden a bomb on the plane, killing all aboard.

Two of the dead passengers were parents of three young sons in Pittsburgh. The pastor of St. Gabriel’s asked the oldest boy, Jerry, if it would be okay to hold a prayer service for his parents that afternoon. Jerry said yes, and then added, “Could we also say a prayer for the man who killed my mother and father?”

BAPTISM OF THE LORD - Liturgy

1. My Beloved Son
2. What About Our Baptism?

Greeting (See Second Reading)

God has revealed to us his kindness and love
in Jesus Christ our Savior
by saving us through the cleansing water of rebirth
and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Friday after Epiphany, Jan 10th Plus Liturgy

1 John 5:5-13 / Luke 5:12-16
Jesus is the Son of God: Water, blood, and Spirit testify to Jesus.

After Jesus’ baptism in water, a voice from heaven testified, “You are my own dear Son.” Mark 1:11. After Jesus’ death in blood on the cross, a Roman officer was moved to testify, “This man was really the Son of God!” Mark 15:39

Wednesday after Epiphany, 08-01-19

1 John 4:11-18 / Mark 6:45-52

*Love casts out fear: Have courage on judgment day.*

Ethel Waters was a famous black singer. Her heart was as big as her body. In her last interview before she died, she said:

Thursday after Epiphany, 09-01-20 - Reflections and Liturgy

1 John 4:19 - 5:4 / Luke 4:14-22

How can we be sure we love God?: Whoever loves God must also love others.

Queen Victoria of England had a summer residence at Balmoral, England. One day she was out walking alone and got caught in a rainstorm. She ran to a small cottage for shelter and asked the woman who answered the door if she could borrow an umbrella.

Baptism of the Lord

Gospel Text: Matthew 3:13-17 Michel de Verteuil
Textual Comments
The story of Jesus’s baptism is told in all four Gospels – an indication that the early Christians considered it an important event in the life of Jesus.
There are two aspects to the event:

Tuesday after Epiphany, 07-01-20: Reflection & Liturgy

1 John 4:7-10 / Mark 6:34-44

God is love: Whoever loves knows God.

An old woman suddenly began to have doubts about the existence of God. The woman couldn’t understand why this was happening. Finally, she decided to go to a priest for help. “I’m having terrible problems with my faith,” she confessed. “Is there anything I can do?” The priest’s suggestion surprised her. He simply said, “Begin to love your neighbor more actively and more concretely.” The priest’s advice jibes with John’s words in today’s reading. John says, “Whoever loves . . . knows God.”

Monday after Epiphany, 06-01-20+ Liturgy

1 John 3:22 - 4:6 / Matthew 4: 12-17, 23-25

Do not trust every spirit: Test each spirit to see if it is of God.

In May 1981, a man was accused of killing eight prostitutes. He said he was acting on orders from God. About a month later Mark Chapman, the killer of John Lennon, said God told him to drop his defense and plead guilty to the slaying.

Jan 6-11: Week after Epiphany - Reflections

Jan 6 Monday: Mt 4: 12-17, 23-25: 12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulon and Naphtali, 14 that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — 16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death  light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Happy New Year

Jan 2nd: Christmas Season - Reflection & Liturgy

2nd January 2020, Thursday

1 John 2:22-28 / John 1:19-28

Some priests question John: “Are you the Messiah, Elijah, or a prophet?”