Saturday - June 10, 2017
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature -- trees, flowers, grass -- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.
~~Mother Teresa
TODAY'S READINGS
June 10, 2017
Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 358
Reading 1TB 12:1, 5-15, 20
Tobit called his son Tobiah and said to him,"Son, see to it that you give what is due to the man
who made the journey with you; give him a bonus too."
So he called Raphael and said,
"Take as your wages half of all that you have brought back,
and go in peace."
Raphael called the two men aside privately and said to them:
"Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory.
Before all the living,
acknowledge the many good things he has done for you,
by blessing and extolling his name in song.
Honor and proclaim God's deeds,
and do not be slack in praising him.
A king's secret it is prudent to keep,
but the works of God are to be declared and made known.
Praise them with due honor.
Do good, and evil will not find its way to you.
Prayer and fasting are good,
but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.
A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness.
It is better to give alms than to store up gold;
for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin.
Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life;
but those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemies.
"I will now tell you the whole truth;
I will conceal nothing at all from you.
I have already said to you,
'A king's secret it is prudent to keep,
but the works of God are to be made known with due honor.'
I can now tell you that when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed,
it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer
before the Glory of the Lord;
and I did the same thing when you used to bury the dead.
When you did not hesitate to get up
and leave your dinner in order to go and bury the dead,
I was sent to put you to the test.
At the same time, however,
God commissioned me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.
I am Raphael, one of the seven angels
who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord."
"So now get up from the ground and praise God.
Behold, I am about to ascend to him who sent me;
write down all these things that have happened to you."
Responsorial PsalmTOBIT 13:2, 6EFGH, 7, 8
R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.He scourges and then has mercy;
he casts down to the depths of the nether world,
and he brings up from the great abyss.
No one can escape his hand.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
So now consider what he has done for you,
and praise him with full voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness,
and exalt the King of ages.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,
and may all of you praise his majesty.
Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
AlleluiaMT 5:3
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 12:38-44
In the course of his teaching Jesus said,"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes
and accept greetings in the marketplaces,
seats of honor in synagogues,
and places of honor at banquets.
They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext,
recite lengthy prayers.
They will receive a very severe condemnation."
He sat down opposite the treasury
and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood."
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An Embrace of Love
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you have called me to the faith and to share that faith. I trust that you will fill me with your spirit of courage and truth so that I might faithfully assimilate and transmit the faith. I love you. I want to love you more with my prayer and with my life, and so grow in the unity of the love you share with your Father and the Holy Spirit.
Petition: Holy Trinity, enable me to know, love and serve you better.
1. Big News: Today’s Gospel is truly big news. Jesus is on a mission of love from the Father to save the world from sin. He comes not to condemn, but to bring salvation. The catch is, to accept this salvation we need to use the gift of faith. Faith is not primarily having a strong emotion in favor of Jesus; rather, real faith essentially implies living out the demands of belonging to Christ through the filial obedience of love. Do I take Jesus’ words seriously: “If you love me keep my commandments”? Does my faith in Christ seep its way into all the aspects of my daily life?
2. Jesus’ Mission Reveals the Trinity: God the Father sends us his Son to reveal the mystery of his love. Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit to be the gentle guest of our souls. Through the sacrament of baptism, we have been permitted to share in the life of God. When we are in a state of grace, the Trinity dwells within us. We have been transformed into children of God and temples of the Holy Spirit. Am I grateful for God’s intimate presence within my soul, and are my actions in accordance with my existence as a “Temple of the Holy Spirit”?
3. Self-Giving Love: Jesus’ revelation of the Holy Trinity allows us to get a glimpse of the mystery of unity and self-giving love: God himself. It is love expressed in the reciprocal relationship between the Father and the Son united in an everlasting embrace of love, who is the Holy Spirit. This unity or “family” aspect of God is the model for the unity of all Christians, all Christian families, and even society as a whole. Do I realize that my family is a reflection of the Blessed Trinity? Do I strive to practice the self-giving that makes family life a joy? How can I practice greater charity and be less self-serving?
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, I know that I am truly blessed to have you as my companion and redeemer. Help me to be true to my Christian vocation and glorify the Father through docility to your Holy Spirit.
Resolution: I will say one Our Father and three Hail Marys for an increase of faith, hope, and charity.
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God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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