Tuesday - August 13, 2019
“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”
―St. Thérèse de Lisieux
“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”
―St. Thérèse de Lisieux
August 13 2019
Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 414
Reading 1DT 31:1-8
When Moses had finished speaking to all Israel, he said to them,
"I am now one hundred and twenty years old
and am no longer able to move about freely;
besides, the LORD has told me that I shall not cross this Jordan.
It is the LORD, your God, who will cross before you;
he will destroy these nations before you,
that you may supplant them.
It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the LORD promised.
The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og,
the kings of the Amorites whom he destroyed,
and with their country.
When, therefore, the LORD delivers them up to you,
you must deal with them exactly as I have ordered you.
Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them,
for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you;
he will never fail you or forsake you."
Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel
said to him, "Be brave and steadfast,
for you must bring this people into the land
which the LORD swore to their fathers he would give them;
you must put them in possession of their heritage.
It is the LORD who marches before you;
he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you.
So do not fear or be dismayed."
"I am now one hundred and twenty years old
and am no longer able to move about freely;
besides, the LORD has told me that I shall not cross this Jordan.
It is the LORD, your God, who will cross before you;
he will destroy these nations before you,
that you may supplant them.
It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the LORD promised.
The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og,
the kings of the Amorites whom he destroyed,
and with their country.
When, therefore, the LORD delivers them up to you,
you must deal with them exactly as I have ordered you.
Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them,
for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you;
he will never fail you or forsake you."
Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel
said to him, "Be brave and steadfast,
for you must bring this people into the land
which the LORD swore to their fathers he would give them;
you must put them in possession of their heritage.
It is the LORD who marches before you;
he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you.
So do not fear or be dismayed."
Responsorial PsalmDEUTERONOMY 32:3-4AB, 7, 8, 9 AND 12
R.(9a) The portion of the Lord is his people.
For I will sing the LORD's renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock–how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
ask your elders and they will tell you.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of the peoples
after the number of the sons of Israel.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
While the LORD's own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.
The LORD alone was their leader,
no strange god was with him.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
For I will sing the LORD's renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock–how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
ask your elders and they will tell you.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of the peoples
after the number of the sons of Israel.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
While the LORD's own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.
The LORD alone was their leader,
no strange god was with him.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
AlleluiaMT 11:29AB
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost."
"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost."
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Who's Important?
What the disciples wanted to know in the Gospel reading today touches a desire within all of us. We want to be important. We need to feel valued. We want to be indispensable. But what does Jesus think about this?
He raised up the lowly many times. And he sometimes referred to the value of little children as an example of what is truly important. Do young kids know they're valued? If they're loved they do. Intuitively, they accept the fact that because they are loved, they are important.
By the time we become adults, most of us have felt diminished by the low self-esteem that others have pushed upon us as they, in their own low self-esteem, tried to raise themselves above us. We try to cope with this by making ourselves feel important, because we believe their poor assessment of us. And so we put our focus on keeping a good image, building a good reputation, and achieving high status.
The opinions of others matter way too much. Their opinions hold us back from being fully who we are as children of God.
It happens to men who desire the priesthood motivated by the fact that others will automatically respect them because of their clerical collar. It happens to women who desire ordination because of a mistaken idea that the Church doesn't value their leadership (an idea that in fact might have been generated by someone disvaluing their leadership). It happens to laity who build themselves up in ministries for the sake of the power and authority it gives them.
And yet the Church teaches that priests and others who have authority are really the servants of all those whom they're called to serve. Value comes from service, not rank.
None of us are valued the way we should be, not completely. However, there's no need to fight to establish our personal value, because we already have it! Our significance comes from the Lord. Are we being who God wants us to be? Are we doing what God wants us to do? Therein is our true importance.
For example, although I'm not a priest, I rely on the Holy Spirit to help me write these Good News Reflections and thus they serve God's people as effectively as good homilies at Mass. Being a lay woman has not held me back from being a leader in the Church. Although it's true that sometimes I don't get invited to give parish missions because I am not a priest or a deacon or a nun, nevertheless I have no reason to want to be anyone other than the servant God created me to be, in the times and the culture and the Catholic Church into which he has placed me.
We are all indispensable to God. The gifts he's given us and the ministries to which he calls us are extremely valuable to his plans for his kingdom, whether we're clergy or laity, male or female, homebound or working our way up the ladder of worldly success. No one else can do what you can do the way you can do it. God created you with his own idea of what's important. He has valued you since the moment of your conception!
Today's Prayer
Eternal Father: Give me a thankful heart, simple and humble like a child's, open to being loved by You. I praise You and thank You, because Your love for me is unique and special, like any good Father who loves each of His children. Amen.
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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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