Saturday - August 25, 2018
Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence.
~~St. Basil the Great
August 25, 2018
Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 424
Reading 1EZ 43:1-7AB
The angel led me to the gate which faces the east,
and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel
coming from the east.
I heard a sound like the roaring of many waters,
and the earth shone with his glory.
The vision was like that which I had seen
when he came to destroy the city,
and like that which I had seen by the river Chebar.
I fell prone as the glory of the LORD entered the temple
by way of the gate which faces the east,
but spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court.
And I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the LORD.
Then I heard someone speaking to me from the temple,
while the man stood beside me.
The voice said to me:
Son of man, this is where my throne shall be,
this is where I will set the soles of my feet;
here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever.
and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel
coming from the east.
I heard a sound like the roaring of many waters,
and the earth shone with his glory.
The vision was like that which I had seen
when he came to destroy the city,
and like that which I had seen by the river Chebar.
I fell prone as the glory of the LORD entered the temple
by way of the gate which faces the east,
but spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court.
And I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the LORD.
Then I heard someone speaking to me from the temple,
while the man stood beside me.
The voice said to me:
Son of man, this is where my throne shall be,
this is where I will set the soles of my feet;
here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever.
Responsorial PsalmPS 85:9AB AND 10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (see 10b) The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
AlleluiaMT 23:9B, 10B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have but one Father in heaven;
you have but one master, the Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have but one Father in heaven;
you have but one master, the Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 23:1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
******************************
Are We Teachers or Witnesses?
In this Saturday's Gospel reading, we see that Jesus says to his disciples: "In the Chair of Moses the Scribes and Pharisees have sat." The "Chair of Moses" was not only a physical place, a chair that was put in front of the Synagogue where the Scribes and Pharisees sat to explain the Torah to the people. It also designated the authority they had over the Jewish people as custodians and transmitters of the law. When Jesus says to his disciples: "Do everything they tell you", he is recognizing the highest value of the law and the importance of fulfilling it. The law had been given to the Jewish people as a sign of "freedom". The Law given by God to his people was a blessing for them!
But, immediately after that, Jesus warns his disciples: "Do what they tell you, but do not imitate them." A terrible sentence of Jesus! The Pharisees and Scribes were teachers of the Law but they were not an example to follow!
The religious authorities in Jesus' times had appropriated the law that God had given them. They had interpreted it according to their own criteria and applied it according to their convenience. They knew the doctrine perfectly, but they failed in the way to apply it. And, as a result, the law given for the liberation of the people had become a burden too difficult to carry. God had never intended to crush the people with such a burden.
Something similar can happen to us today. We can know a lot about catechesis, we can know and interpret the invaluable Documents of the Catholic Church, we can preach in schools, parishes, seminars -- but what do our lives say? Our mouths "speak" but our lives "shout".
Our lives show to what extent we are true followers of Jesus, to what extent Jesus is for us the air we need to breathe and the water to live. It is our daily actions that tell the world who Jesus is. It is the love with which we live and give daily that is a testimony of who we really are.
So, if we have the strength of the Holy Spirit within us and we are docile to it, if we have the Word of God and the teachings of the Church that help us, if we have the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation and so many other resources that God has left within our reach, what are we waiting for? The world today needs witnesses, ordinary men and women to show where the road is, where the victory is, where Jesus is.
Do you dare to be a model to your neighbors?
Keep your eyes on Jesus!
Look to the past with gratitude.
Live the present with passion.
Move into the future with hope.
Find creative ways to proclaim the gospel of joy!
Live the present with passion.
Move into the future with hope.
Find creative ways to proclaim the gospel of joy!
(Wisdom by Pope Francis)
God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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