15th Week, Saturday, July 16; Mount Carmel
Micah 2:1-5 / Matthew 12:14-21
Micah warns Judah: “What you take will be taken from you.”
Micah bears a striking resemblance to Amos. He preached around 700 B.C., just before Assyria destroyed Israel in the north. Like Amos, who lived some 50 years before him, he came from the vicinity of Bethlehem. Micah also spoke out in the same blunt, unpolished way as did Amos. But where Amos preached to Israel, Micah preached to Judah in the south.
In today’s reading, Micah foretells that those who plunder
the poor will in turn be plundered by God. There is a message here for all of
us.
As we do to others, so God will do to us. Do we really
believe that as we sow, so we shall reap? Jesus said, “If you forgive others
the wrongs, they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive
you.” Matthew 6:14
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The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen was an articulate and eloquent speaker and preacher. In fact, he was one of the pioneers of media evangelization. But when he was in college, a debate coach told him that he was the worst speaker he had ever heard. Well, Fulton Sheen proved him wrong. And so did others like Ernest Hemmingway and Thomas Edison who proved their critics wrong. Yet there are also many others who were crushed and devastated by the criticisms against them.
And some don't recover from it. Criticisms may not come with a sarcastic tone. It may be just a jeer or a scorn, but it is as bad as a brawl and a shout.
In the gospel, we heard about the Pharisees criticizing and plotting against Jesus. Yet, like how the prophet Isaiah prophesied: He will not brawl or shout; he will not break the crushed reed, not put out the smouldering wick till he has lead the truth to victory.
Let us turn to Jesus whenever we face criticisms or
scorching remarks. May the truth of His love lead us to rise above the
criticisms and destructive judgments. May we prove that the truth spoken with
love is more powerful and creative than the harsh word that breaks and crushes
people.
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THE DISCREET SERVANT TO THE PROMISED LAND!
Introduction The
prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, scolds those who have exploited the
poor. God will punish them by having their possessions divided among the pagan
invaders.
Jesus is presented today as the servant of God who brings
healing to the people without drawing attention to himself: He brings God’s
tender care to people. He respects and heals what is little and brittle.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, you gave us Jesus, your Son, as the wise and
perfect servant of you and of the people. Put your Spirit on us too, that like
him and with him we may bring your healing and justice to the weak and the
dispossessed, without calling attention to ourselves, that people may see that
what we give them is your tender care as taught us by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Commentary
An old saying goes, “Those who plot evil shall live to reap
it.” Unjust scheming for personal gain is not a modern phenomenon but is at
least as old as the biblical prophets. Micah in today’s reading sees greedy
people who plot to dispossess the poor and underprivileged. It is a blatant
disavowal of the Hebrew ethic and its concern for the needy. But Micah sees
sorrowful days of foreign invasion on the horizon, and it will be a day of woe
for the greedy and misguided. Wealthy landowners will see their own property
portioned out by the invaders, and they will find themselves among the
dispossessed. What a contrast we have in today’s picture of Jesus, who goes
about healing and comforting and asks only that he be able to act with quiet
and discretion. In our time crimes of every sort fill our daily papers. Even
some public officials are guilty of working against the common good.
Regrettably, not even the church is exempt. Religious leaders have freely
helped themselves to parish funds until they are apprehended by the law. Rare
indeed, but still a great misfortune. We should pray each day for the grace of
honesty and candor and live a life of concern for others that is at the heart
of the New Testament message.
Points to Ponder
Dishonesty in public office
Sacred office and profane conduct
Christ as a social figure
Intercessions
– That we may learn from Jesus to be discreet in our love
and service to the poor, we pray:
– That we may learn from Jesus to be very respectful of
people and care especially for those wounded in life, we pray:
– That Jesus may give us his Holy Spirit to work for justice
and righteousness in our world, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, this bread and wine we bring before you will
become among us your beloved Son Jesus Christ. Let your and his Spirit rest on
us too and let him renew us as people who live without compromising the message
of justice and love and the very life of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, you have called us to be brothers and sisters of
Jesus, your Son, and to share in his task of serving and healing Fill us with
his compassion and his discreet and tender love that lifts up those broken in
life and those wounded by sin. Help us to restore people in their human dignity
and to make them aware that they are sons and daughters you love in Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We have heard God say about Jesus that he is the servant he
likes. Jesus makes us servants with him. May we too be pleasing to God, and may
almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
***
Introduction
The glories of Mount Carmel are sung in the bible, as the
prophet Elijah had stood up there for the purity of Israel’s faith. In the
twelfth century, hermits withdrew to this mountain and later founded the
Carmelite order, which is devoted to the contemplative life under the patronage
of Mary, the holy Mother of God.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, Mary, the mother of your Son Jesus Christ, was
open to the word of God with a believing, trusting mind and heart. Like her,
may we entrust ourselves to you ponder your words and seek your will in them.
Make your will our will, that you may lead us to your home under
the guidance of him who sought your will in everything, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Intercessions
– That
we may learn from Jesus to be discreet in our love and service to the poor, we
pray:
– That
we may learn from Jesus to be very respectful of people and care especially for
those wounded in life, we pray:
– That
Jesus may give us his Holy Spirit to work for justice and righteousness in our
world, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, this bread and this wine are signs that with Jesus and Mary we are ready to seek your will. Allow us to share in this table as his brothers and sisters, his relatives, and to follow him on his faithful way to you, our God forever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, make us, like Mary, ponder the words which Jesus has spoken here to us. Let them be words that guide our lives and to which we respond in all we do. Let the bread of strength of your Son give us the will and the courage to make your good news the foundation of our lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
We have heard God say about Jesus that he is the servant he
likes. Jesus makes us servants with him. May we too be pleasing to God, and may
almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Pastoral
Prudence
Jesus was not a coward to withdraw from the town where his enemies were plotting against him. Being a reader of hearts, he knew what they were up to; but he also knew that it was not yet “the hour” of confrontation or Passion. When the “appointed time” came, he would go directly to Jerusalem, but not now. So, he left the town, but continued to do fearlessly what he had always done: bringing healing and joy into the lives of the people. Matthew tells us specifically that Jesus cured all who came to him. He did not discriminate or look at the eligibilities of those who came to him. His service was for all. In the midst of suffering and opposition, Christians should take heart from this example: We do not have to add fire to every antagonism; but we must also not cease from our God-given mission to build up the lives of the people. Pastoral prudence is what we need.
