GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Monday - June 13, 2022

Monday - June 13, 2022

"Charity is the soul of faith, makes it alive; 

without love, faith dies." 

 

--St.    Anthony  of Padua

June 13, 2022

 

Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 365

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    1 Kgs 21:1-16

 

Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel

next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria.

Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden,

since it is close by, next to my house.

I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or,

if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.”

Naboth answered him, “The LORD forbid

that I should give you my ancestral heritage.”

Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer

Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him:

“I will not give you my ancestral heritage.”

Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat.

 

His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him,

“Why are you so angry that you will not eat?”

He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite

and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or,

if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’

But he refused to let me have his vineyard.”

His wife Jezebel said to him,

“A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed!

Get up.

Eat and be cheerful.

I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”

 

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and,

having sealed them with his seal,

sent them to the elders and to the nobles

who lived in the same city with Naboth.

This is what she wrote in the letters:

“Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.

Next, get two scoundrels to face him

and accuse him of having cursed God and king.

Then take him out and stone him to death.”

His fellow citizens—the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city—

did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing,

through the letters she had sent them.

They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people.

Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation,

“Naboth has cursed God and king.”

And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death.

Then they sent the information to Jezebel

that Naboth had been stoned to death.

 

When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death,

she said to Ahab,

“Go on, take possession of the vineyard

of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you,

because Naboth is not alive, but dead.”

On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way

down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite,

to take possession of it.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  5:2-3ab, 4b-6a, 6b-7

 

R. (2b) Lord, listen to my groaning.

 

Hearken to my words, O LORD,

attend to my sighing.

Heed my call for help,

my king and my God!

R. Lord, listen to my groaning.

At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.

For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;

no evil man remains with you;

the arrogant may not stand in your sight.

R. Lord, listen to my groaning.

You hate all evildoers.

You destroy all who speak falsehood;

The bloodthirsty and the deceitful

the LORD abhors.

R. Lord, listen to my groaning.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8 Ps 119:105 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

A lamp to my feet is your word,

a light to my path.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Mt 5:38-42

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

“You have heard that it was said,

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.

When someone strikes you on your right cheek,

turn the other one to him as well.

If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,

hand him your cloak as well.

Should anyone press you into service for one mile,

go with him for two miles.

Give to the one who asks of you,

and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

 

**********************************

Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua  

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.”

Opening Prayer: I come before you today, Lord, filled with a desire to get to know you more deeply, and to experience the interior peace you promised to leave us. I believe in you, and you know that my hopes for happiness are in you. But I get distracted so easily! Please remind me today of your love for me, of your plan for my life. Please grant me the graces I need to hear your word and heed it as I continue my pilgrimage of faith today.

Encountering Christ:

1. The Gift of Language: Today Jesus instructs us about one of the greatest gifts in our possession: the gift of language. Of all the creatures in this visible universe, only human beings have true language. Only human beings can sit around a table and sip coffee and talk for hours on end. Language is the mysterious manifestation of our being both material and spiritual: we infuse spiritual meaning into material sounds, and this allows us to connect with other spiritual beings, other persons. We can know and be known through this wonderful gift of language. We can learn and grow because of this gift. We can be enriched and enlightened because language can impart to us the treasures of wisdom accumulated by other individuals, and even by entire cultures or civilizations. When was the last time I reflected on the amazing reality of words and how they affect my life and the world around me? Have I taken this for granted? Jesus himself is the Word of God, and so our ability to communicate to each other through words–not just through grunts and gestures, like other animals in this visible world–reflects our dignity as being created in God’s own image and likeness.

2. The Abuse of the Gift: In the Old Testament, the eighth commandment was directed toward the proper use of the gift of language: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” This is the arena of behavior Jesus is addressing in the verses from the Sermon on the Mount used in today’s Gospel reading. By these exhortations today Jesus is reminding us that our words need to respectfully and humbly embody truth. So often we exaggerate with our words. We are afraid of what other people may think of us, or we try to ingratiate ourselves or deceive our way into certain honors or opportunities—and we do so by abusing the gift of language. We lie, we deceive, we flatter, we manipulate. Since language is part of our spiritual heritage, it has the potential for great good when we use it well, but it has the potential for great destruction when we abuse it. Jesus cautions us in this passage to use language well. He encourages us to be humble, truthful, simple, and honest in our speech; to say what we mean, to use the gift of language to create an authentic connection with other people and thus build meaningful relationships and create a healthy social environment. That’s what we do when we let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no.” What a great gift we can give to those around us (and to ourselves) if we respect the gift of language enough to use it as God meant it to be used!

3. St. Anthony of Padua’s Gift of Preaching: Today’s liturgy remembers the Franciscan Doctor of the Church, St. Anthony of Padua. Padua is the city in Italy where St. Anthony exercised his ministry for many years. But he was originally from Portugal. He joined the Franciscan order and headed to North Africa hoping to become a martyr by trying to convert the Muslims there. A storm drove his boat off course and he ended up landing in Italy. He met St. Francis and was sent into a hermitage in northern Italy. He was such a quiet and self-effacing person that they thought he would be a good candidate for a hermit’s life of prayer and penance. But one day he was invited to give an emergency discourse at an event for which the organizers had overlooked preparing the proper speech. His deep learning, vibrant spirituality, and humble fervor shone forth during that impromptu talk, and immediately afterward he was sent out to preach to the towns and cities of the area. His holiness and supernatural eloquence ignited a widespread spiritual reform and renewal throughout the area. By the time he died at the young age of 34, he had served as God’s instrument to revitalize the Church in a time and place known for rampant corruption and spiritual decadence. And it was his preaching that did it—his words. His words flowed from a heart purified of selfishness and fear and filled to overflowing with faith, hope, and love for God. His years of study, and then his years of humble service (when he never put himself forth to preach or teach in spite of his impressive qualifications and talents), had cleansed his soul so that when God called upon him to speak forth for the Gospel, his words carried the healing and enlightening power of God’s grace. We can all yearn for that same grace. If we let God’s grace heal and strengthen our hearts, then our words will become beacons of hope and healing for others. 

Conversing with Christ: Lord, I am surrounded by so many words, so much noise! And so often my own words are thoughtless and superficial, even deceptive and unwholesome. Please teach me to use the gift of language in a way that will spread your light and goodness. Teach me to let my yes be yes and my no be no. I don’t need to use words as shields or swords. I am your friend and your ambassador. You are my inspiration and my companion. You are my safety and my refuge; I have no need to fear. Purify my heart, Lord, so that my words will speak out your praise.

Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will pay special attention to my spontaneous comments, reflecting on what they reveal about the state of my heart and the habits of my tongue. At the end of the day, I will speak with Our Lord about what he is inviting me to change in this area of my life.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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!”