Saturday - July 20, 2019
"It is a lesson we all need - to let alone the things that do not concern us. He has other ways for others to follow Him; all do not go by the same path. It is for each of us to learn the path by which He requires us to follow Him, and to follow Him in that path."
- St. Katharine Drexel
"It is a lesson we all need - to let alone the things that do not concern us. He has other ways for others to follow Him; all do not go by the same path. It is for each of us to learn the path by which He requires us to follow Him, and to follow Him in that path."
- St. Katharine Drexel
July 20 2019
Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 394
Reading 1EX 12:37-42
The children of Israel set out from Rameses for Succoth,
about six hundred thousand men on foot,
not counting the little ones.
A crowd of mixed ancestry also went up with them,
besides their livestock, very numerous flocks and herds.
Since the dough they had brought out of Egypt was not leavened,
they baked it into unleavened loaves.
They had rushed out of Egypt and had no opportunity
even to prepare food for the journey.
The time the children of Israel had stayed in Egypt
was four hundred and thirty years.
At the end of four hundred and thirty years,
all the hosts of the LORD left the land of Egypt on this very date.
This was a night of vigil for the LORD,
as he led them out of the land of Egypt;
so on this same night
all the children of Israel must keep a vigil for the LORD
throughout their generations.
about six hundred thousand men on foot,
not counting the little ones.
A crowd of mixed ancestry also went up with them,
besides their livestock, very numerous flocks and herds.
Since the dough they had brought out of Egypt was not leavened,
they baked it into unleavened loaves.
They had rushed out of Egypt and had no opportunity
even to prepare food for the journey.
The time the children of Israel had stayed in Egypt
was four hundred and thirty years.
At the end of four hundred and thirty years,
all the hosts of the LORD left the land of Egypt on this very date.
This was a night of vigil for the LORD,
as he led them out of the land of Egypt;
so on this same night
all the children of Israel must keep a vigil for the LORD
throughout their generations.
Responsorial PsalmPS 136:1 AND 23-24, 10-12, 13-15
R. His mercy endures forever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Who remembered us in our abjection,
for his mercy endures forever;
And freed us from our foes,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who smote the Egyptians in their first-born,
for his mercy endures forever;
And brought out Israel from their midst,
for his mercy endures forever;
With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who split the Red Sea in twain,
for his mercy endures forever;
And led Israel through its midst,
for his mercy endures forever;
But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Who remembered us in our abjection,
for his mercy endures forever;
And freed us from our foes,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who smote the Egyptians in their first-born,
for his mercy endures forever;
And brought out Israel from their midst,
for his mercy endures forever;
With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who split the Red Sea in twain,
for his mercy endures forever;
And led Israel through its midst,
for his mercy endures forever;
But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia2 COR 5:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 12:14-21
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus
to put him to death.
When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
to put him to death.
When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
******************************
Are You Being Criticized Over the Truth?
How strong is your Christian testimony? Does your life testify to the truth of God? Not just your words, but the way you live your life? Does your life reflect the light of Christ so much that it brightens the darkness in others?
John 5:31-47 explains that Jesus was persecuted because He spoke the truth uncompromisingly, and because His whole life was a testimony to that truth. A barometer of how well our lives reflect His is whether or not we’re being persecuted. When we are truly shining light into darkness, those in darkness react against us. Their eyes need time to adjust.
Think of how you react when you’re sleeping in a dark room and someone turns on bright lights. Do you smile and say, “Thank you”? Not hardly. Startled, we all react with anger and hatred for the light, even if we know it’s time to wake up.
When your life testifies to the truth of God, the light of Christ in you startles people out of their sleep. If they really want to remain in darkness, they will try to find a way to shut off your light. And they will bury themselves deeper under the covers of their darkness, because it feels like a security blanket.
So what should we do with the sufferings caused by persecution? What’s your usual way of coping: Do you rejoice or do you join your persecutors in their darkness by turning off the light to fight back, or by protecting yourself using a compromise of the truth, or by complaining?
We find peace and healing by taking our complaints only to God and focusing on how the persecutions unite us to Christ so preciously and intimately.
Like Jesus, we can offer our sufferings as a sacrifice for those who persecute us. Jesus did not overcome His persecutors by defending Himself. Rather, He allowed the actual sufferings to conquer the darkness. We can do this, too. Our love for our persecutors and our union with Jesus will help the eyes of those sleeping in darkness to gradually adjust to the light so that their hearts will finally accept the truth.
If you are not being persecuted for your faith, your light is not shining very brightly. If it IS happening, appreciate how good this is and rejoice in it! Persecution is always a sign that your light is bright because it’s filled with Jesus.
John 5:31-47 explains that Jesus was persecuted because He spoke the truth uncompromisingly, and because His whole life was a testimony to that truth. A barometer of how well our lives reflect His is whether or not we’re being persecuted. When we are truly shining light into darkness, those in darkness react against us. Their eyes need time to adjust.
Think of how you react when you’re sleeping in a dark room and someone turns on bright lights. Do you smile and say, “Thank you”? Not hardly. Startled, we all react with anger and hatred for the light, even if we know it’s time to wake up.
When your life testifies to the truth of God, the light of Christ in you startles people out of their sleep. If they really want to remain in darkness, they will try to find a way to shut off your light. And they will bury themselves deeper under the covers of their darkness, because it feels like a security blanket.
So what should we do with the sufferings caused by persecution? What’s your usual way of coping: Do you rejoice or do you join your persecutors in their darkness by turning off the light to fight back, or by protecting yourself using a compromise of the truth, or by complaining?
We find peace and healing by taking our complaints only to God and focusing on how the persecutions unite us to Christ so preciously and intimately.
Like Jesus, we can offer our sufferings as a sacrifice for those who persecute us. Jesus did not overcome His persecutors by defending Himself. Rather, He allowed the actual sufferings to conquer the darkness. We can do this, too. Our love for our persecutors and our union with Jesus will help the eyes of those sleeping in darkness to gradually adjust to the light so that their hearts will finally accept the truth.
If you are not being persecuted for your faith, your light is not shining very brightly. If it IS happening, appreciate how good this is and rejoice in it! Persecution is always a sign that your light is bright because it’s filled with Jesus.
------------------------------
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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