GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Wednesday - June 08, 2022

 

Wednesday - June 08, 2022

"Christ has made my soul beautiful 

with the jewels of grace and virtue. 

I belong to Him whom the angels serve" 

--St. Agnes

June 8, 2022

WEDNESDAY OF THE TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Lectionary: 361

 

Reading 1                                                     1 Kgs18:20-39

 

Ahab sent to all the children of Israel

and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel.

 

Elijah appealed to all the people and said,

“How long will you straddle the issue?

If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.”

The people, however, did not answer him.

So Elijah said to the people,

“I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD,

and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.

Give us two young bulls.

Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood,

but start no fire.

I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood,

but shall start no fire.

You shall call on your gods, and I will call on the LORD.

The God who answers with fire is God.”

All the people answered, “Agreed!”

 

Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal,

“Choose one young bull and prepare it first,

for there are more of you.

Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire.”

Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it

and called on Baal from morning to noon, saying,

“Answer us, Baal!”

But there was no sound, and no one answering.

And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.

When it was noon, Elijah taunted them:

“Call louder, for he is a god and may be meditating,

or may have retired, or may be on a journey.

Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”

They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears,

as was their custom, until blood gushed over them.

Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state

until the time for offering sacrifice.

But there was not a sound;

no one answered, and no one was listening.

 

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.”

When the people had done so, he repaired the altar of the LORD

that had been destroyed.

He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob,

to whom the LORD had said, “Your name shall be Israel.”

He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones,

and made a trench around the altar

large enough for two measures of grain.

When he had arranged the wood,

he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood.

“Fill four jars with water,” he said,

“and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood.”

“Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.

“Do it a third time,” he said,

and they did it a third time.

The water flowed around the altar,

and the trench was filled with the water.

 

At the time for offering sacrifice,

the prophet Elijah came forward and said,

“LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,

let it be known this day that you are God in Israel

and that I am your servant

and have done all these things by your command.

Answer me, LORD!

Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God

and that you have brought them back to their senses.”

The LORD’s fire came down

and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust,

and it lapped up the water in the trench.

Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said,

“The LORD is God! The LORD is God!”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              16:1b-2ab, 4, 5ab and 8, 11

 

R. (1b) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

 

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;

I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

They multiply their sorrows

who court other gods.

Blood libations to them I will not pour out,

nor will I take their names upon my lips.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

O LORD, my allotted portion and cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Ps 25:4b, 5a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Teach me your paths, my God,

and guide me in your truth.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 5:17-19

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.

I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,

not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter

will pass from the law,

until all things have taken place.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments

and teaches others to do so

will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.

But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments

will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

 

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WHAT MOTIVATES TRUE OBEDIENCE?

Why do we obey laws? Usually it's the fear of punishment. In our Gospel reading today, Jesus wants to place our focus on the goal of God's laws: love, which replaces fear. He's laying the foundation for the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. Being children of God means growing up into the likeness of Christ, rather than remaining as immature kids who comply with goodness only because of the penalties for breaking the laws.

 

His non-literal view of the law caused confusion among his listeners, so Jesus explained it, saying in effect: "The interpretation that I give to the Law does not mean that the laws are invalid. Rather, it shows that you are not even fulfilling the Law if your so-called obedience isn't motivated by love for God and love for neighbor" (as he detailed in Matt. 22:35-40).

 

When Jesus spoke of heaven and earth passing away, he did not mean a literal end of the universe. The Jewish listeners knew he was referring to Isaiah 65:17, which is God's promise to create a new heaven and earth by sending the Messiah. They didn't know it yet, but the passing away of the old was going to happen when Jesus completely fulfilled the true meaning of the Law. As the Messiah, he had to undo every sin, provide the love that was missing, and make up for everything lacking in the way humankind obeyed the Law.

 

And he invited us to greater maturity. As grown-up Christians, we're responsible for inviting others to obey the laws for the same reason, not by forcing them through fear and guilt, but patiently and compassionately encouraging them to grow. Did other Christians ever treat you unlovingly because of their legalistic approach? Even when the motivation is love, focusing on the rules can hide the true nature of God. Jesus started his sermon with a list of blessings, not warnings.

 

For example, consider the Church law about attending Mass every weekend. We could try to make inactive Catholics get back to church by warning them that it's a sin to skip Mass, or we could invite them to a wonderful experience of Eucharist and Christian community, letting the Holy Spirit work on their hearts for as long as it takes to inspire a genuine desire. He wants a relationship, not grudging obedience. Legalism has produced a lot of Catholics who sit through Mass without truly experiencing it. And many of them are now sitting somewhere else on Sundays.

 

Holy obedience results in a greater love for God and neighbor. Holy obedience makes a difference in how we love. The bottom line and ultimate goal is always love. This is what makes us "great in the kingdom of heaven."

 

 

Today's Prayer

 

Thank You, my Lord, for Your Spirit that shines in me. May my works delight You and transmit, around me, the joy of following You. Amen.

 

 

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!”