Tuesday - August 27, 2019
In darkness, at times of tribulation and distress of the spirit, Jesus is with you. In such a state you see nothing but darkness, but I can assure you on God's behalf that the light of the Lord is all around you and pervades your spirit. . .You see yourself forsaken and I assure you that Jesus is holding you tighter than ever to His divine Heart.
-- Saint Padre Pio
In darkness, at times of tribulation and distress of the spirit, Jesus is with you. In such a state you see nothing but darkness, but I can assure you on God's behalf that the light of the Lord is all around you and pervades your spirit. . .You see yourself forsaken and I assure you that Jesus is holding you tighter than ever to His divine Heart.
-- Saint Padre Pio
August 27 2019
Memorial of Saint Monica
Lectionary: 426
Reading 11 THES 2:1-8
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters,
that our reception among you was not without effect.
Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated,
as you know, in Philippi,
we drew courage through our God
to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle.
Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,
nor did it work through deception.
But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.
Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know,
or with a pretext for greed–God is witness–
nor did we seek praise from men,
either from you or from others,
although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ.
Rather, we were gentle among you,
as a nursing mother cares for her children.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.
that our reception among you was not without effect.
Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated,
as you know, in Philippi,
we drew courage through our God
to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle.
Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,
nor did it work through deception.
But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.
Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know,
or with a pretext for greed–God is witness–
nor did we seek praise from men,
either from you or from others,
although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ.
Rather, we were gentle among you,
as a nursing mother cares for her children.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.
Responsorial PsalmPS 139:1-3, 4-6
R.(1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too lofty for me to attain.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too lofty for me to attain.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
AlleluiaHEB 4:12
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 23:23-26
Jesus said:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean."
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean."
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Being Christian Means Being in Community
We cannot be true Christians -- truly Christ-like -- if we are not in community with other believers. This means more than going to Mass (although worshiping God with others is an important aspect of it). It means being in active relationships with other believers. Community means journeying together on the path to heaven.
In our first reading today, look at how St. Paul preached the Good News to the Thessalonians. "We were determined to share with you ... our very selves." While Paul and his evangelism team visited Thessalonica, they entered into relationships with the people. As I tell people when I travel for speaking engagements: "A stranger is a friend I haven't met yet. We are friends because we belong to the same community of believers. Come, let us journey together!" I like to treat every interaction as an actual, personal relationship. To do anything less is to be unlike Christ.
Paul lists what community is not (i.e., what's contrary to Christian relationships). In holy relationships, there's no deceit or impure motives or trickery, no ear-tickling with polite or flattering words, no greed of any kind, no glory-seeking.
In contrast the Pharisees, whom Jesus scolded in our Gospel reading today, did not understand community life. As blind guides, they missed the experience of inter-personal faith-building. They fulfilled their religious obligations, but their hearts were filled with "loot and lust" or "plunder and self-indulgence".
What's our loot? It's anything that we steal from others: their dignity, their value, their time, their respect when we're not respectable. How are we self-indulgent? By forcing anything upon others for our own sake: our agendas, or our warped, lustful, codependent ideas of love.
Jesus names the glue that bonds people into community: justice and mercy and fidelity. Since to be Christ-like means treating everyone with justice and mercy, instead of limiting it to those whom we like most, our community is far larger than our little circle of friends.
How much of the community are you ignoring? How much farther can you extend your reach? In Good News Ministries, we continually provide opportunities that develop a sense of community through fellowshipping, sharing, volunteering, and supporting our work as champions of the cause.
What are you doing with the community you see face-to-face at Mass?
Whatever is lacking in our lives, whatever we've been asking God to provide that seems too slow in coming, whatever unmet needs we have -- God gives it to us through and in community. Community is so important to God that he created us with a need for the experience. Faith practiced only by ourselves is very lonely and very exclusive.
Today's Prayer
Lord: You know, better than anyone else, my weaknesses and miseries. Forgive me, heal me and free me from all of them. Make me Your instrument to serve my neighbors. Thank You, because your eyes, full of love, never stop gazing on me. 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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