Saturday - June 26, 2021
If God has given you the world's goods in abundance, it is to help you gain those of Heaven and to be a good example of sound teaching to your sons, servants, and relatives.
--Saint Ignatius
TODAY'S READINGS
June 26, 2021
Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 376
Reading 1
The LORD appeared to Abraham by the Terebinth of Mamre,
as Abraham sat in the entrance of his tent,
while the day was growing hot.
Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby.
When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them;
and bowing to the ground, he said:
“Sir, if I may ask you this favor,
please do not go on past your servant.
Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,
and then rest yourselves under the tree.
Now that you have come this close to your servant,
let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves;
and afterward you may go on your way.”
The men replied, “Very well, do as you have said.”
Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,
“Quick, three measures of fine flour!
Knead it and make rolls.”
He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer,
and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
Then Abraham got some curds and milk,
as well as the steer that had been prepared,
and set these before them;
and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.
They asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”
He replied, “There in the tent.”
One of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah will then have a son.”
Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, just behind him.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years,
and Sarah had stopped having her womanly periods.
So Sarah laughed to herself and said,
“Now that I am so withered and my husband is so old,
am I still to have sexual pleasure?”
But the LORD said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh and say,
‘Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?’
Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do?
At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you,
and Sarah will have a son.”
Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, “I didn’t laugh.”
But he replied, “Yes you did.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 54b) The Lord has remembered his mercy.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.
“For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.”
R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.
“He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.”
R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.
“He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven,
but the children of the Kingdom
will be driven out into the outer darkness,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
And Jesus said to the centurion,
“You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.”
And at that very hour his servant was healed.
Jesus entered the house of Peter,
and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
He touched her hand, the fever left her,
and she rose and waited on him.
When it was evening, they brought him many
who were possessed by demons,
and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick,
to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet:
He took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
******************************
God says YES to your prayers for your lost loved ones!
If the devil has stolen anyone in your family, don't let him steal your joy too.
Many parents today have adult children who have left the faith, rejected the values they were taught, and are now in mortal sin. Some have family members who won't even speak to them. Division is rampant in family life today.
It's very hurtful and hard to endure, especially when we know the damage they are doing to themselves and their eternal souls as well as to others, including our own loving hearts. We are united to Our Lady of Sorrows; our tears are united to the tears of the Blessed Mother who grieves over the pain that our loved ones have inflicted on Jesus. It is right to grieve.
However, we need to keep in mind that the Enemy wants to use this grief against us. The Enemy wants to steal not only our loved ones but also our joy because, by stealing our joy, demons make a direct attack against our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our joy is in the Lord who made heaven and earth. Our joy is in the victory that Jesus won for us over 2,000 years ago when he was resurrected from death.
This joy comes from knowing the truth about God and his desires and his plans, which always include making good come from evil -- sevenfold, tenfold, even a hundredfold much more good than how bad the evil was (see Romans 8:28). The devil wants us to focus on the evidence in front of us, which is bleak and dark and seems very hopeless, instead of focusing on our victorious Savior who goes after the lost sheep (see Luke 15:4-7) and who said that everyone whom the Father has given him to redeem he will not let go of, he will not lose anyone (see John 10:29).
How can you be sure that your loved ones who are rejecting Christ are still in his hands? If they were baptized, they were given to Christ. If you are praying for them, you are in agreement with the Father's will for their salvation. Don't stop praying for them! Your love and your prayers are the connective cord that ties them to the hands of Christ.
And your joy snubs the Devil -- because your joy is based on your confidence in God, which persists no matter how long your loved ones' wayward journeys take. To grow stronger in this, focus on the scriptures and reflections and books and podcasts that build your faith in God.
Then, demons will fear you when you pray. They will flee from the praises you give to God for the victory that your eyes cannot yet see. Though you grieve what your loved ones are doing to Jesus and what they are doing to you and to others, your joy places them firmly in the victory that God has most certainly decreed.
Today's Prayer
Lord Jesus, you know the roots of what makes it difficult for me to love and be loved. Pronounce your Word upon me and my loved ones and we'll be healed. Then we'll be witnesses and instruments to heal with your love those who need it more. Amen.
------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment