You cannot please both God and the world at the same time. They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions.
-- St. John Mary Vianney
You cannot please both God and the world at the same time. They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions.
-- St. John Mary Vianney
July 11, 2021
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 104
Reading 1 AM 7:12-15
Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos,
“Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”
Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
Responsorial Psalm PS 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD —for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Reading 2 EPH 1:3-14 OR 1:3-10
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we have redemption by his blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
OR:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of God’s grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we have redemption by his blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
Alleluia EPH 1:17-18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope that
belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MK 6:7-13
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
**************************************
Go Forth in Bold Confidence!
In this Sunday's Gospel passage, Jesus teaches us about trust. If we're to fulfill our calling as God's missionaries of love in this world, if we're to fulfill our calling to share the Good News, we must trust God and the resources that he provides.
And we must trust that he will always provide exactly what we need when we need it, even though it doesn't always seem sufficient. It's important that we don't feed the inclination to distrust him by expecting anything other than what he provides.
Every Mass ends with a re-commissioning rite for the calling we all have. The final blessing is a sending forth after we've been renewed in our relationship with Jesus. His presence in the Word and in the Eucharist and in the Church community re-energizes us (when we pay attention) to boldly go and do all that he asks of us.
Through the priest, Jesus sends us into the world to be the visible proof that he is real and that he's alive and that he cares. With Jesus, and in him and through him, we are all evangelizers who can make a difference in the world.
Yes, all of us -- all of us who have participated in the Eucharistic celebration with conscious awareness of what we are saying and praying and receiving during Mass. Go forth in bold confidence! Jesus is sending you out from the church with his Spirit and his sufficiency.
However, when we do the packing and decide what to take with us on the mission, we like to take an abundance of stuff, just in case we might need it. Thus, we fail to show others that God is reliable and trustworthy.
To be effective evangelizers, we have to surrender over to God whatever baggage interferes with our mission.
Remember this: Surrender is not truly surrender unless we no longer want what we surrendered. If we still have some desire for it, we're attached to it by a bungee cord that yanks us back to it, yanking us away from our true purpose in life.
Today's Prayer
Beloved Jesus, Thank you for entrusting to me the precious treasure of Your Word for taking to my neighbors. Increase my faith in You so that, whatever the results, You are my support, my safety and my peace. Amen.
------------------------------
God Bless You.....
No comments:
Post a Comment