Wednesday - July 12, 2017
'If you would live entirely for Him, and reach the perfection which He desires of you, you must sacrifice yourself unreservedly with all that depends on you. You must no longer will anything but by the will of this loving Heart, and no longer love anything but by Its affections. You must act only by Its light; never undertake anything without first asking for Its counsel and help; give It all the glory thereof; return It thanks, both for failure and success in your undertakings, and without worrying be equally satisfied with all; for, provided that this divine Heart is pleased, loved and glorified, nothing else matters.'
~~St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
TODAY'S READINGS
July 12, 2017
Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 385
Reading 1GN 41:55-57; 42:5-7A, 17-24A
When hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egyptand the people cried to Pharaoh for bread,
Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph
and do whatever he told them.
When the famine had spread throughout the land,
Joseph opened all the cities that had grain
and rationed it to the Egyptians,
since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt.
In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain,
for famine had gripped the whole world.
The sons of Israel were among those
who came to procure rations.
It was Joseph, as governor of the country,
who dispensed the rations to all the people.
When Joseph's brothers came and knelt down before him
with their faces to the ground,
he recognized them as soon as he saw them.
But Joseph concealed his own identity from them
and spoke sternly to them.
With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days.
On the third day Joseph said to his brothers:
"Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man.
If you have been honest,
only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison,
while the rest of you may go
and take home provisions for your starving families.
But you must come back to me with your youngest brother.
Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die."
To this they agreed.
To one another, however, they said:
"Alas, we are being punished because of our brother.
We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us,
yet we paid no heed;
that is why this anguish has now come upon us."
Reuben broke in,
"Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy?
But you would not listen!
Now comes the reckoning for his blood."
The brothers did not know, of course,
that Joseph understood what they said,
since he spoke with them through an interpreter.
But turning away from them, he wept.
Responsorial PsalmPS 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
AlleluiaMK 1:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 10:1-7
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciplesand gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"
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Surprises in Community
In the Gospel reading today, notice that Jesus did not send out the twelve apostles as separate individuals when he gave them the mission of conquering demons and curing diseases. They were a community of believers. They needed each other.
Even after Pentecost, when the community moved out in different directions to spread the Church, they traveled with partners and remained firmly connected to the local Christian community.
None of us, not even our diocesan priests today (who too often live alone due to a shortage of priests), are meant to be disconnected from community life. We thrive best and are most effective when we have good relationships in the embrace of a Christian community. Good friends in that community make us accountable in temptations, support us, challenge us, and minister to us.
The first Apostles were a mixed bunch. Some of them were already friends when they met Jesus. Some were brothers. And some were strangers. Some were old, some were young. They had varied educational backgrounds, some with credentials and some with none. They came from a wide range of professions, and they differed in their expectations of the Messiah. And yet, Jesus wanted them all to be part of the same community.
Whom has God placed in your life to surprise you? Who's seemingly too different from you to be included in your circle of Christian friends? Who's a potential companion in a ministry where you prefer to do the work by yourself?
Also notice that Jesus never asked for the group's input when he invited a new person to join them. This is what makes Christian community interesting. It's the Lord who chooses the members -- or it should be, and if we ever try to control who's in our circle of friends, we should give it up and put Jesus back in charge. Oh, and if he adds a Judas to your group, trust that there's a good reason for it. He knows what he's doing. Sure, it will lead to suffering, but only for a good cause.
God knows who should be in our lives. When we do the selecting, we end up in relationships that go sour and communities that fall apart. But when we find ourselves in the fellowship of people whom we would not have chosen, we can be sure it's Jesus who pulled us together. God has a sense of humor. The very people we try to avoid are often the ones we end up working with in Christian service!
There are no coincidences in a Christian's life. Take note of that person you keep "accidentally" bumping into. There's an undiscovered collaboration between the two of you, which God has ordained. In God's perfect timing, the partnership will be revealed.
Don't be afraid. Enjoy the unexpected, the faith-stretching, the amazing benefits of letting God choose your partners in the missions that he gives you. There's much that Jesus wants to accomplish by putting you together.
We cannot successfully fulfill the mission of our calling without community. If you feel alone and miserable, that's exactly how God wants you to feel. He's trying to motivate you to take the risk of getting involved in community with other Christians. Choose a ministry at your parish or go anyplace where there are other Catholics, and get involved! Don't let anything hold you back.
Even after Pentecost, when the community moved out in different directions to spread the Church, they traveled with partners and remained firmly connected to the local Christian community.
None of us, not even our diocesan priests today (who too often live alone due to a shortage of priests), are meant to be disconnected from community life. We thrive best and are most effective when we have good relationships in the embrace of a Christian community. Good friends in that community make us accountable in temptations, support us, challenge us, and minister to us.
The first Apostles were a mixed bunch. Some of them were already friends when they met Jesus. Some were brothers. And some were strangers. Some were old, some were young. They had varied educational backgrounds, some with credentials and some with none. They came from a wide range of professions, and they differed in their expectations of the Messiah. And yet, Jesus wanted them all to be part of the same community.
Whom has God placed in your life to surprise you? Who's seemingly too different from you to be included in your circle of Christian friends? Who's a potential companion in a ministry where you prefer to do the work by yourself?
Also notice that Jesus never asked for the group's input when he invited a new person to join them. This is what makes Christian community interesting. It's the Lord who chooses the members -- or it should be, and if we ever try to control who's in our circle of friends, we should give it up and put Jesus back in charge. Oh, and if he adds a Judas to your group, trust that there's a good reason for it. He knows what he's doing. Sure, it will lead to suffering, but only for a good cause.
God knows who should be in our lives. When we do the selecting, we end up in relationships that go sour and communities that fall apart. But when we find ourselves in the fellowship of people whom we would not have chosen, we can be sure it's Jesus who pulled us together. God has a sense of humor. The very people we try to avoid are often the ones we end up working with in Christian service!
There are no coincidences in a Christian's life. Take note of that person you keep "accidentally" bumping into. There's an undiscovered collaboration between the two of you, which God has ordained. In God's perfect timing, the partnership will be revealed.
Don't be afraid. Enjoy the unexpected, the faith-stretching, the amazing benefits of letting God choose your partners in the missions that he gives you. There's much that Jesus wants to accomplish by putting you together.
We cannot successfully fulfill the mission of our calling without community. If you feel alone and miserable, that's exactly how God wants you to feel. He's trying to motivate you to take the risk of getting involved in community with other Christians. Choose a ministry at your parish or go anyplace where there are other Catholics, and get involved! Don't let anything hold you back.
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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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