Monday - June 01, 2020
Love
overcomes, love delights, those who love the Sacred Heart rejoice.
-
St. Bernadette Soubirous
Love
overcomes, love delights, those who love the Sacred Heart rejoice.
-
St. Bernadette Soubirous
June 1, 2020
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Lectionary: 572A
Reading 1GN 3:9-15, 20
After Adam had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to him and asked him, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
the LORD God called to him and asked him, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
On your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
On your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
Or
Acts 1:12-14
After Jesus had been taken up to heaven,
the Apostles returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.
After Jesus had been taken up to heaven,
the Apostles returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.
When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Responsorial Psalm87:1-2, 3 AND 5, 6-7
R. (3) Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
And of Zion they shall say:
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
“This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
And of Zion they shall say:
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
“This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O happy Virgin, you gave birth to the Lord;
O blessed mother of the Church,
you warm our hearts with the Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O happy Virgin, you gave birth to the Lord;
O blessed mother of the Church,
you warm our hearts with the Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 19:25-34
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately Blood and water flowed out.
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately Blood and water flowed out.
******************************
Savoring
God’s Infinite Patience
Opening Prayer: Dear Lord, I want to take this time to open my mind and my heart to whatever it is you want to say to me today. I believe in your love for me, even though I don’t always feel it. I hope in the power of your grace to continue purifying and strengthening me in my journey through life. And I thank you for all the good gifts you have given me throughout my life, and especially in these last twenty-four hours. Lord, “lead me in the path of your commandments, for that is my delight” (Psalms 119:35).
Encountering Christ:
1. Jesus Is Patient with Us: God’s infinite patience comes across in this parable in three different ways. First, Jesus continually tries to make his enemies understand who he really is. He speaks this parable to the “chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.” These were religious leaders in Israel, the ones who would eventually condemn Jesus and have him crucified. Jesus hasn’t given up on them. They haven’t accepted his plain teaching, so he changes gears by using a parable to open their eyes: he is the Son of the parable, and in rejecting him, his enemies are separating themselves from their proper relationship with God, just as the tenants in the parable did with the owner of the vineyard. Parables are an extra effort on Christ’s part to explain things to people who have blind spots. Jesus uses parables all the time, because he knows we all have blind spots. He wants us to see and embrace the truth, and he never stops trying to help us do that.
2. God the Father Is Patient with Us: Second, the parable itself illustrates God’s determined patience in the behavior of the vineyard’s owner. After sending three different servants to collect the normal price owed by the tenants, and after all three of them were unjustly abused, he sends “many others,” who are also abused. And he still doesn’t give up. He then sends his very own son. Just so, throughout the history of salvation, God has sent us many messengers–prophets, priests, and kings–and in the fullness of time, he even sent us his own Son. There is simply no limit to God’s mercy, goodness, and patience. No matter how many times we may turn our backs to God or reject his approaches, or abuse his gifts, he will never give up on us. We matter too much to him.
3. God’s Infinite Patience Is Matched by His Infinite Generosity: Third, the vineyard owner in the parable provides all the necessary material for his tenants to have a successful harvest, and then goes away and gives them plenty of time and space to do their work. The parable points out that the owner sent the first servant to collect the tenant’s payment “at the proper time.” God is not unreasonable. He has given us all that we are and all that we have: our lives, our talents, the earth, our cultural heritage, our faith, the Church, the Gospel. He has provided us with a fully equipped vineyard, and he respects our freedom as we try to make it produce the fruits of wisdom, justice, and happiness that our lives are created for. He does not rush us. He does not force us. He trusts us and gives us unlimited chances (always supported by his grace and providence) to develop all our gifts in harmony with the true purpose of our lives—living in communion with God. Only those who stubbornly persevere in selfishness and sin in spite of God’s overflowing generosity and patience will be excluded from his Kingdom. God himself wants all of us to succeed in what matters most: the journey of growing in our friendship with him.
Conversing with Christ: Sometimes, Lord, I think I am less patient with myself than you are with me. You never give up on me, but I often give up on myself. You never tire of reaching out to me, but at times I get frustrated and close myself off from receiving what you want to give. Help me, Lord, to be like Mary, your mother and the mother of the Church, who was always ready and eager to receive whatever you wanted to give, and to give whatever you asked.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pay special attention to feelings of frustration, anger, and discouragement. When I feel those things, I will pause and call to mind your infinite patience. Then I will ask you to show me how to be more like you in the way I deal with whatever is causing those feelings.
For Further Reflection: St. John Henry Newman’s unforgettable prayer for patience and trust: Lead, Kindly Light (http://www.newmanreader.org/works/verses/verse90.html).
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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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