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!”