GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Monday - August 01, 2022

Monday - August 01, 2022

 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

August 1, 2022

MEMORIAL OF SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Lectionary: 407

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    JER 28:1-17

 

In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,

in the fifth month of the fourth year,

the prophet Hananiah, son of Azzur, from Gibeon,

said to me in the house of the LORD

in the presence of the priests and all the people:

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:

‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Within two years I will restore to this place

all the vessels of the temple of the LORD which Nebuchadnezzar,

king of Babylon, took away from this place to Babylon.

And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah,

son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,

and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD,

‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

 

The prophet Jeremiah answered the prophet Hananiah

in the presence of the priests and all the people assembled

in the house of the LORD, and said:

Amen! thus may the LORD do!

May he fulfill the things you have prophesied

by bringing the vessels of the house of the LORD

and all the exiles back from Babylon to this place!

But now, listen to what I am about to state in your hearing

and the hearing of all the people.

From of old, the prophets who were before you and me prophesied

war, woe, and pestilence against many lands and mighty kingdoms.

But the prophet who prophesies peace

is recognized as truly sent by the LORD

only when his prophetic prediction is fulfilled.

 

Thereupon the prophet Hananiah took the yoke

from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it,

and said in the presence of all the people:

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Even so, within two years

I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,

from off the neck of all the nations.’”

At that, the prophet Jeremiah went away.

 

Some time after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke

from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah,

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:

Go tell Hananiah this: 

Thus says the LORD:

By breaking a wooden yoke, you forge an iron yoke!

For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:

A yoke of iron I will place on the necks

of all these nations serving Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,

and they shall serve him; even the beasts of the field I give him.

 

To the prophet Hananiah the prophet Jeremiah said:

Hear this, Hananiah!

The LORD has not sent you,

and you have raised false confidence in this people.

For this, says the LORD, I will dispatch you from the face of the earth;

this very year you shall die,

because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.

That same year, in the seventh month, Hananiah the prophet died.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  PS 119:29, 43, 79, 80, 95, 102

 

R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.

 

Remove from me the way of falsehood,

and favor me with your law.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

Take not the word of truth from my mouth,

for in your ordinances is my hope.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

Let those turn to me who fear you

and acknowledge your decrees.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

Let my heart be perfect in your statutes,

that I be not put to shame.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

Sinners wait to destroy me,

but I pay heed to your decrees.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

From your ordinances I turn not away,

for you have instructed me.

R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2 MT 4:4

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

One does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           MT 14:13-21

 

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,

he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.

The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,

his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.

When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,

“This is a deserted place and it is already late;

dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages

and buy food for themselves.”

He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;

give them some food yourselves.”

But they said to him,

“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”

Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”

and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,

he said the blessing, broke the loaves,

and gave them to the disciples,

who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied,

and they picked up the fragments left over–

twelve wicker baskets full.

Those who ate were about five thousand men,

not counting women and children.

 

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HOW STEADY IS YOUR STAND ON THE TRUTH?

Are you a chameleon? We all have a bit of the lizard in us! A chameleon changes colors according to whatever it's standing on. It blends in for the sake of self-preservation.

 

We, too, prefer to blend into our surroundings in order to protect ourselves. We hide from potential ridicule and persecution. When we're standing in church, we like to look pious. When we're surrounded by faith-filled Christians, we feel free to let our faith-colors show. But when we're mingling with non-believers, we change. We often look and sound like they do.

 

How worldly are our choice of words, our moods, and our ways of coping with stress? Are we different enough from our surroundings that others see there's a benefit to being a Christian? Can anyone believe that our faith has improved our lives?

 

It's difficult to be consistent in our faith, because whenever we look different (whenever we take an unpopular moral stand, for example), we get rejected by those who are not like us. But when we blend in with them, is it really worthwhile? If Jesus were to walk into the room while we're mingling with them, would he recognize us as one of his friends?

 

In today's first reading, the prophet Hananiah was a chameleon. He protected himself by telling the people what they wanted to hear. Next to him, Jeremiah looked very different. We have to ask ourselves, "Am I more like Hananiah or Jeremiah?" Every time we put our selfish desire for an easy life ahead of the desire to serve God, we reject God and mislead others as they continue to live in the lies that they want to believe.

 

However, before we can be like Jeremiah, we have to know for sure what the truth is. We can't stand firm if we're shaky. There's no excuse for uncertainty, because the Catechism and other Church writings are all available online, and these are all based on and footnoted with scripture.

 

Do you know why the Church teaches that artificial birth control works against love? Can you stand up for the reasons why marriage is designed to be a covenant only between one man and one woman, and why they should be sacramental, and why annulments are valuable? Are you ready to explain why only men are called to be priests and why priests are called to be servants of the laity, and why lay men and women are called to their own leader-servant roles in the Church?

 

Oh my! No wonder we have a hard time standing firm! We understand so little. We're starving in the midst of a gourmet banquet.

 

Do we truly mean what we proclaim in our Responsorial Psalm today: "Teach me your laws, O Lord." Yes! I have much more to learn.

 

And: "Sinners wait to destroy me, but I pay heed to your decrees." Help me to stand firm, O God! Amen.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Forgive me, Lord, for all those times when I hid myself to avoid defending the Truth. May Your Holy Spirit purify me and strengthen me for my mission. 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!”

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Sunday - July 31, 2022

Sunday - July 31, 2022

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.

~~Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

July 31, 2022

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Lectionary: 114

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Ecc 1:2; 2:21-23

 

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,

vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity!

 

Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill,

and yet to another who has not labored over it,

he must leave property.

This also is vanity and a great misfortune.

For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart

with which he has labored under the sun?

All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation;

even at night his mind is not at rest.

This also is vanity.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  69:5, 8-10, 14

 

Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17

 

You turn man back to dust,

saying, “Return, O children of men.”

For a thousand years in your sight

 are as yesterday, now that it is past,

 or as a watch of the night.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

You make an end of them in their sleep;

 the next morning they are like the changing grass,

Which at dawn springs up anew,

but by evening wilts and fades.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Teach us to number our days aright,

 that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Return, O LORD! How long?

 Have pity on your servants!

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,

 that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;

 prosper the work of our hands for us!

 Prosper the work of our hands!

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

 

 

Reading II    

                                                                                    Col 3:1-5, 9-11

 

Brothers and sisters:

If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,

where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.

For you have died,

and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ your life appears,

then you too will appear with him in glory.

 

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:

immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire,

and the greed that is idolatry.

Stop lying to one another,

since you have taken off the old self with its practices

and have put on the new self,

which is being renewed, for knowledge,

in the image of its creator.

Here there is not Greek and Jew,

circumcision and uncircumcision,

barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;

but Christ is all and in all.

 

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2 Mt 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Lk 12:13-21

 

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,

“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”

He replied to him,

“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”

Then he said to the crowd,

“Take care to guard against all greed,

for though one may be rich,

one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

 

Then he told them a parable.

“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.

He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,

for I do not have space to store my harvest?’

And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:

I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.

There I shall store all my grain and other goods

and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,

you have so many good things stored up for many years,

rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’

But God said to him,

‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;

and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’

Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves

but are not rich in what matters to God.”

 

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THE WEALTH OF GOD'S GENEROSITY 

When we understand God's generosity, we realize how wealthy we truly are. Even if we have little money in the bank, our lives are rich in God -- feeling protected and cared for by God, giving us an abundance of peace that gets us through trials and battles with wisdom and endurance.

 

God's generosity also leads to material goods. Every material blessing we have comes from God. He delivers it to us through the talents and skills that he has given to us. Whatever we earn through our own efforts comes originally from God's efforts. God is the source of everything that's good in our lives.

 

However, there's always a purpose that's bigger than us. Everything from God is meant to bless others, too. We are channels of God's generosity.

 

Whatever we have that we refuse to share becomes the cause of sin. We succumb to selfishness, which is akin to greed. The problem with greed is that it hurts others by denying them what God wants to share with them.

 

What makes us vulnerable to this sin? Self-reliance. It comes from thinking that we can rely solely on ourselves and on our own resources instead of partnering with God in generosity. Even when we recognize that God has been generous with us, self-reliance says that we are responsible for preventing the poverty of giving it away to others.

 

When we protect our lives by storing up our goods, others suffer. In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus addresses both greed and self-reliance, because they are completely contrary to the personality of God.

 

Generosity grows when we understand that God is the provider of everything good and that he will continue to provide for us even when we give away what he gives to us -- especially when we give away what he gives to us. Think about what you have in abundance (be it money, or joy, or wisdom, or lessons learned from experience, or ___ ). Now look around. How might you be the answer to someone else's' prayers?

 

Whatever we hope to have already belongs to God and is meant to be shared with others. This is the primary economic principle of the kingdom of God. The Body of Christ thrives only when there's a continual exchange of goods. We call this the communion of saints.

 

Today's Prayer 

Deliver me, Lord, from any attachments to the things that stop me from enjoying the freedom You obtained for me with Your passion, death and resurrection. 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!”