Tuesday - August 18, 2020
He who fights even the smallest distractions faithfully when he says even the very smallest prayer, will also be faithful in great things.
-- St. Louis de Montfort
He who fights even the smallest distractions faithfully when he says even the very smallest prayer, will also be faithful in great things.
-- St. Louis de Montfort
| First reading | Ezekiel 28:1-10 |
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Against the arrogance of the king of Tyre
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre, “The Lord says this:
Being swollen with pride,
you have said: I am a god;
I am sitting on the throne of God,
surrounded by the seas.
Though you are a man and not a god,
you consider yourself the equal of God.
You are wiser now than Danel;
there is no sage as wise as you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have amassed great wealth;
you have piles of gold and silver
inside your treasure-houses.
Such is your skill in trading,
your wealth has continued to increase,
and with this your heart has grown more arrogant.
And so, the Lord says this:
Since you consider yourself the equal of God,
very well, I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most barbarous of the nations.
They will draw sword against your fine wisdom,
they will defile your glory;
they will throw you down into the pit
and you will die a violent death
surrounded by the seas.
Are you still going to say: I am a god,
when your murderers confront you?
No, you are a man and not a god
in the clutches of your murderers!
You will die like the uncircumcised
at the hand of foreigners.
For I have spoken – it is the Lord who speaks.”’
| Responsorial Psalm |
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| Deuteronomy 32:26-28,30,35-36 © |
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
I should crush them to dust, said the Lord.
I should wipe out their memory among men,
did I not fear the boasting of the enemy.
But let not their foes be mistaken!
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
Let them not say: Our own power wins the victory,
the Lord plays no part in this.
What a nation of short sight it is;
in them there is no understanding.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
How else could one man rout a thousand,
how could two put ten thousand to flight,
were it not that their Rock has sold them,
that the Lord has delivered them up?
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
For it is close, the day of their ruin;
their doom comes at speed.
For the Lord will see his people righted,
he will take pity on his servants.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
| Gospel Acclamation | Ps24:4,5 |
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Teach me your paths, my God,
make me walk in your truth.
Alleluia!
| Or: | 2Co8:9 |
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
| Gospel |
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| Matthew 19:23-30 © |
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.’
Then Peter spoke. ‘What about us?’ he said to him ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life.
‘Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’
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How to Enter the Kingdom of God
He says in those verses: "By your wisdom and your intelligence you have made riches for yourself." Your wisdom, your intelligence. We can ask ourselves, "What am I rich in (and not necessarily material wealth) by my own doing? What did I achieve in abundance without prayerfully seeking God's approval and relying on his guidance and help?
Jesus tells us that we must let go of our attachments to the world so that we can enter fully into the kingdom of God, not just when we die, but now, so that we can experience his unconditional love each moment of every earthly day.
We pile so many worldly (unGodly) attachments upon our backs that we're like camels laden with luggage! None of this baggage can squeeze through the gate into God's kingdom. If we try to hold onto them, we don't fit through the gate.
We are rich in "doing things my way." In the kingdom of God, everything is done his way, which of course is the best way. No "conditional" love can get through, because it's not truly love. The attitude of, "If you make me happy, I will approve of you and accept you and be nice to you" is a huge load of trash. It's not love at all. And so is, "If same-sex lovers love each other, then we should believe that God approves of same-sex marriages."
The garbage that others have thrown at us won't fit either. Nor will the emotional bandages that we use for covering the wounds they inflicted upon us. Jesus has already taken all of our blows upon himself. If we're still wounded by them, it's only because we haven't surrendered to every method of healing that he knows will heal us.
We can't include the baggage of self-righteousness or pride. We don't need it anyway, because Jesus is proud enough of us. We have to drop the baggage of low self-esteem, because Jesus shows us our true worth, and it is far greater than we think it is.
Identifying all of our worldly bags so that we can free ourselves from their weight seems impossible. The disciples asked, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus answered, "For you this is impossible, but if you seek God's help, it will become very possible."
It starts with this daily attitude: "Forgive me, Lord, and help me to identify all my bad habits, addictions, unloving ways, and worldly wisdom. With your gentle but persistent help, I will let go of my baggage and live more fully in your kingdom now and become more ready for heaven when I die. Increase my desire to get rid of everything that does not belong to you. Amen!"
Today's Prayer
I praise You, Lord, because Your immense love takes me Home. I thank You because You have a beautiful place for me there, to be with You and my loved ones for all eternity. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
The 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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