July 13 Monday
(St. Henry): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-henry/ Mt 10:34–11:1: 34 “Do not think
that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a
sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter
against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a
man’s foes will be those of his own household. 37 “Whoever loves father or
mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow
after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever
loses his life for my sake will find it. “Whoever receives you receives me, and
whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet
because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a
righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his
reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he
went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns. USCCB: https://youtu.be/PVkZb6lblG8?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCQlut1GkSO28iHCuAeFtWX
The context: Jesus
makes the controversial statement that he has come to inaugurate a series of
divisions in families and in the society as a whole between those who accept
him as Lord and Savior and those who oppose him, his ideas and ideals.
Then he concludes his great “missionary discourse” with an instruction to his
twelve Apostles on the cost and the reward found in the commitment to be his
disciple. The first half of these sayings of Jesus is about the behavior
expected from his disciples, and the second half is about the behavior of
others towards the disciples. I
have not come to bring peace, but a sword: Jesus clarifies that he
came to give people lasting peace, not temporary, worldly peace, by the absence
of war and freedom from all conflicts in the family and society. Our role is to
keep fighting against our evil habits and addictions using the spiritual sword
of the word of God which is “lively and active, sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and
marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews
4:12). “Whoever loves father
or mother more than me is not worthy of me….” : What
Jesus means is that all loyalties must give place to loyalty to
God. In other words, we cannot condone immoral practices even in
members of our family. Jesus is not speaking against the family, but
rather reminding us that we are part of the larger family of our
fellow-Christians and, hence, we have more responsibilities. We must be ready
to lose our lives for Christ: By “losing one’s life” Jesus means that
we must stop living for ourselves alone. Instead we must
spend our lives for others and care for those who are sick and
hungry. We are to give hospitality to strangers in Jesus’ name.
(“offering a cup of cold water”): There are four main links in the chain of
salvation: i) God who has sent Jesus with His message, ii) Jesus who has
preached the “Good News,” iii) the human messenger who preaches Jesus’ message
through his words and life, and iv) the believer who welcomes the message and
the messengers. Hence, giving hospitality to a preacher or a believer is
the same as welcoming Jesus himself. The basis of all hospitality is that we
all belong to God’s family, and that every person is our brother or
sister.
Life message: 1)
We need to be hospitable and generous: Hospitality allows us to encounter the
presence of God in others, usually in those in whom we least expect to find
Him, and to share our love with them. We become fully alive as Christians
through the generous giving of ourselves to others. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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July 14 Tuesday (St.
Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin, U.S.A): https://blog.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit/topic/st-kateri-tekakwitha/page/1; Mt 11:20-24: 20 Then he
began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done,
because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida!
for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it shall be
more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And
you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to
Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it
would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it shall be more
tolerable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” USCCB
video reflections:
The context:
Jesus reminds these cities that they deserve God’s punishment because they have
forgotten the responsibilities which their numerous meetings with the Messiah
in their midst have laid upon them. They should have listened to his message,
put it into practice, and borne witness to the miracles he had worked for them.
Chorazin,
Bethsaida, Capernaum: Nothing
is mentioned in any of the Gospels about the “wonders” Jesus worked in these
cities. Bethsaida was a fishing village on the west bank of Jordan at the
northern end of the lake. Chorazin was a town one hour’s walking distance north
of Capernaum. Jesus expresses his holy anger and sorrowful pity from a broken
heart at the irresponsible disregard and indifference these three ungrateful
cities have shown to the Good News. Jesus warns them, “it shall be more
tolerable on the Day of Judgment for Tyre and Sidon .. [and] the
land of Sodom” than for them, because Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom were not
fortunate enough to hear Jesus and to receive the opportunity for conversion
given to Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum.
Life Messages: Privileges
always carry responsibilities: 1) We are privileged to have the holy Bible, so
we have the responsibility of making use of it. 2) We have the Eucharistic
celebration every day in our Churches, so we have the responsibility of
participating in it when we are able to do so. 3) We have the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, so we have the responsibility of using it to be reconciled with
Jesus and his Church. 4) We are blessed with having the Holy Spirit to guide
the teaching authority in the Church, so we have the responsibility of studying
and following the Church’s directives and teachings. 5) We have Mary, the
mother of Jesus, and numerous saints as our role models, so we have the
responsibility of following Jesus in their footsteps. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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July 15 Wednesday (St.
Bonaventure, Bishop, Doctor of the Church) https://blog.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit/topic/st-bonaventure : Mt
11: 25-27: 25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord
of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise
and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26 yea, Father, for such was
thy gracious will. 27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no
one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son
and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. USCCB video
reflections:
The context: Jesus
knew that ordinary people with large, sensitive hearts, rather than proud
intellectuals like the Scribes and the Pharisees, were able accept the “Good
News” he preached. Such people would inherit Heaven rather than the
learned and the wise who prided themselves on their intellectual
achievements. Hence, in the first part of today’s Gospel Jesus prays loudly,
thanking God his Father and praising Him for revealing Himself to the simple-hearted,
thus condemning intellectual pride. A person who is full of self-centeredness
fails to perceive supernatural things.
Jesus’ unique claim
of God’s perfect reflection: “No one really knows the Father
except the Son, and him to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him” (Matthew
11:27). The claim that Jesus alone can reveal God to men forms the
center of the Christian Faith. John records Jesus’ claim in different words
which He spoke at the Last Supper: “He who has seen me has seen the
Father” (Jn 14:9). What Jesus says is this: “If you want to see what
God is like, if you want to see the mind of God, the heart of God, the nature
of God, if you want to see God’s whole attitude to men–look at Me!”
Life message: We
need to know and love God better by studying Jesus’ revelation about God his
Father. We do it by daily reading the Holy Bible, especially the Gospels, by
meditating on the passages read and by applying them to our lives. The more we
study the Bible, the more we learn about the Triune God, and especially about
Jesus our Savior. This knowledge will help us to love Jesus more, experience
his presence in our daily lives, see his face in everyone around us and
surrender our lives to Jesus by rendering humble service to everyone around us.
(http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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July 16 (Our
Lady of Mount Carmel):
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/our-lady-of-mount-carmel/ Mt
11:28-30): Mount Carmel is a mountain in northern Palestine about
twenty miles from Nazareth, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, three miles
south of Haifa in modern Israel. 1 Kings Chapter 18 describes how the prophet
Elijah’s prayer on Mount Carmel for rain was answered and how he defeated the
450 pagan priests of Baal on the same mountain. He challenged them to bring
fire from Heaven to burn the sacrificed bulls placed on the altar, and he
proved that only Yahweh was the true God. According to the most ancient Carmelite
chronicles, the Order had its origins with the disciples of the prophets Elijah
and Eliseus on Mount Carmel. They lived very ascetic lives in caves on Mount
Carmel honoring the “Holy Virgin” of the Messianic prophecies who would give
birth to the promised Messiah. When the Apostles started preaching
Jesus, the pious ascetics of Carmel accepted the Christian Faith. In the 13th
century, a group of pilgrims who followed the Crusaders was impressed by the
lifestyle of the disciples of Elijah. Hence, they set up a religious community
on the western slopes of Mount Carmel and started living very ascetic lives.
This was the beginning of the modern Carmelite Order, whose members started
leading a contemplative life under the patronage of Mary, honoring her as the Mother
of God and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The people began to call them Friars
of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. Pope Honorius III approved the
order’s rule in 1232 (or 1236?) . Since the Turks had started conquering
Palestine by 1235, the hermits decided to go back to Europe, where they built
monasteries in Cyprus, Italy, France, and England. Simon Stock, an English
Carmelite, became the superior of all the Carmelites in 1247. He helped the
order expand and adapt to the times, patterning the order on the Dominicans and
Franciscans. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was instituted first for the
Carmelites in 1332 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the
approval of the rule of the Carmelite Order. The Order of Discalced
Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (OCD) resulted
from 16th century reforms of the Carmelites by St. Teresa of Avila and St. John
of the Cross and later by reforms made by the order Carmelites of Mary
Immaculate (CMI) in the Kerala State of India
Our Lady of Mount
Carmel and the Brown scapular: According a popular legend, Mary appeared to
St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251, and gave him the Brown Scapular with the
following words: “This will be for you and for all Carmelites the privilege,
that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire.” Mary promised her
protection to all those who would wear the blessed habit and lead a life of
prayer and sacrifice. Pope St. Pius X (1903 -1914) declared that that the
common people could have the same blessings if they would wear the metal
scapular medal carrying the picture of Our Lady of the Scapular on one side and
the Sacred Heart on the other. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel challenges
us both to imitate the simple and ascetic life of the Blessed Virgin Mary with
her trusting Faith in God and her humility, and to seek her guidance and
maternal protection in our Christian lives. (USCCB video reflections:
July 17
Friday: Mt 12:1-8: 1 At that time Jesus went through the grain
fields on the Sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads
of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look,
your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to
them, “Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were
with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence,
which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but
only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law how on the Sabbath the
priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? 6 I tell you,
something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this
means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the
guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of the Sabbath.” USCCB video
reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm
The context: Today’s
Gospel passage gives Jesus’ teaching on the purpose of the Sabbath and on its
proper observance. This was his response to a criticism and a silly accusation
made by Pharisees against his disciples who, on a Sabbath, to satisfy their
hunger, plucked ears of grain from a field and ate the grains after removing
the husks by rubbing the grains between their palms. The Pharisees accused them
of violating Sabbath laws by performing three items of work forbidden on
Sabbath, namely, harvesting, threshing and winnowing.
Counterarguments: Jesus
gives three counterarguments from Holy Scripture defending his apostles. (1)
Basic human needs, like hunger, take precedence over Divine worship and Sabbath
observance. Jesus cites from the Scripture the example of the hungry David and
his selected soldiers. They approached Ahimelech, the priest of Nob, who gave
them for food the “offering bread” which only the priests were allowed to eat
(1 Samuel 21:1-6). (2) No law can stand against Divine worship. That is why the
priests were not considered as violating Sabbath laws although they did the
work of preparing two rams for sacrifice in the Temple (Numbers 28:9-10). (3)
God desires that we practice mercy: Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea to
tell the accusers God’s words: “I want mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea
6:6).
Life messages: Like
the Jewish Sabbath, the Christian Sunday is to be 1) a day for rest and
refreshment with members of the family; 2) a day for thanksgiving and the
recharging of spiritual batteries through participation in the Eucharistic
celebration for Catholics and worship service for the Non-Catholics); 3) a day
parents should use for teaching religious Faith and Bible lessons for their
children; 4) a day for doing works of charity in the neighborhood and in the
parish; 5) a day for socializing with family members, neighbors and fellow
parishioners. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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July 18 Saturday (St.
Camillus De Lellis, U.S.A., Priest) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-camillus-de-lellis/ : Mt 12:14-21 14 The Pharisees
went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 15
Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed
them all, 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill
what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 18 “Behold, my servant whom I have
chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my
Spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He
will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, till he brings
justice to victory; 21 and in his name will the Gentiles hope.” USCCB
video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm
The context: The
confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees reached its climax with Jesus’
“blasphemous” statement: “The Sabbath is made for man and not man for the
Sabbath. The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Jesus realized that
he had more work of preaching and healing to do before his death. So, he
withdrew to a less-known place to avoid a premature arrest and asked people not
to give publicity to his healing ministry. Besides, he did not want to be labelled
a false messiah or revolt-inducer against the Roman empire. Jesus uses the
occasion (quoting from the “Suffering Servant” prophecy, Isaiah 42:1-4), to
teach his disciples and the people that his role as the messiah is not using
crushing power to subdue people but sacrificial service to uplift them. Isaiah
42:1-4 directly refers to the conquering Persian king Cyrus (whom God used as
His instrument to discipline His people), but indirectly and in its full
meaning, it refers to the promised Messiah, Jesus. The prophecy teaches that 1)
the Messiah will be anointed with God’s Spirit; 2) he will bring justice to the
Gentiles in the sense that he will show them how to give to God what is due to
Him and to men what is due them; 3) he will preach gentle and forgiving love;
4) he will bring his healing love of hope and encouragement to the Gentiles,
although their Faith and witnessing are weak as a reed or feeble as a
flickering lamp.
Life messages: 1)
Let us have the courage of our Christian convictions in the face of opposition
to our practice of the Faith. 2) Let us keep hoping in God and trusting in His
mercy and justice in our pains and suffering inflicted by others. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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