Thursday - June 29, 2017
“Lord, I am Yours, and I must belong to no one but You. My soul is Yours, and must live only by You. My will is Yours, and must love only for You. I must love You as my first cause, since I am from You. I must love You as my end and rest, since I am for You. I must love You more than my own being, since my being subsists by You. I must love You more than myself, since I am all Yours and all in You. Amen.”
– St. Francis de Sales
TODAY'S READINGS
June 29, 2017 - Solemnity Of Saints Peter And Paul, Apostles - Mass During The Day
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Mass during the Day
Lectionary: 591
Reading 1ACTS 12:1-11
In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them.He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword,
and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews
he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
–It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.–
He had him taken into custody and put in prison
under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.
He intended to bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter thus was being kept in prison,
but prayer by the Church was fervently being made
to God on his behalf.
On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial,
Peter, secured by double chains,
was sleeping between two soldiers,
while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison.
Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him
and a light shone in the cell.
He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying,
"Get up quickly."
The chains fell from his wrists.
The angel said to him, "Put on your belt and your sandals."
He did so.
Then he said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me."
So he followed him out,
not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real;
he thought he was seeing a vision.
They passed the first guard, then the second,
and came to the iron gate leading out to the city,
which opened for them by itself.
They emerged and made their way down an alley,
and suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter recovered his senses and said,
"Now I know for certain
that the Lord sent his angel
and rescued me from the hand of Herod
and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting."
Responsorial PsalmPS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Reading 22 TM 4:6-8, 17-18
I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
The Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
AlleluiaMT 16:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 16:13-19
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippihe asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
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Who do you say Jesus is?
Consider what you're advertising when you need Jesus to rescue you from an unhappy situation. In today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is rescued by an angel. In the responsorial Psalm we declare: "The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him." Does your behavior say to others that this is true for everyone?
Which (if any) of the following does your behavior advertise that Jesus is?
[ ] A Limited Human Being. Friends and family have let you down, so of course Jesus will too. You rely only on your own resources, because you don't really believe you can depend on Jesus.
[ ] A Cosmic Force. Because Jesus ascended to heaven, he doesn't get involved in your everyday, earthly concerns. You don't ask for his help while driving and wondering which route to take, or when selecting the day's clothing or choosing the right purchases.
[ ] A Magic Genie. Rub him the right way, and he'll grant your wish with a snap of his almighty finger. You perform religious rituals perfectly and say the "right" prayers, and when nothing happens, you think it's because you didn't pray rightly.
[ ] Santa Claus. Give Jesus your wish list and make sure you're a good girl or boy so that he brings you whatever you want. You try to win him over by volunteering for parish ministries and talking a lot about religious things using Christian buzzwords.
[ ] A Marshmallow. He's always soft; he understands why you sin and therefore it's okay to do it again. You rarely see a need for the Sacrament of Confession, and if you actually examine your conscience, you rationalize away your guilt.
[ ] A Punisher. Jesus is watching your every move, waiting for you to do something wrong so that he can punish you. You assume that you'll never be good enough to please God. You think you don't deserve to have fun or to receive good things.
[ ] The Embodiment of Love. When you picture Jesus, he is smiling. He knows you intimately and cares about you totally. Because he loves you whether you deserve it or not, you proceed through hardships like he's already working a plan that will make everything turn out good. Your positive attitude shows others that you're blessed because of him, no matter what happens.
Who do you say Jesus is?
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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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