GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Saturday - July 09, 2022

Saturday - July 09, 2022

The power of obedience! The lake of Gennesareth had denied its fishes to Peter’s nets. A whole night in vain. Then, obedient, he lowered his net again to the water and they caught ‘a huge number of fish.’ Believe me: the miracle is repeated each day.

–-St. Josemaria Escriva

July 9, 2022

 

Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 388

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    IS 6:1-8

 

In the year King Uzziah died,

I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,

with the train of his garment filling the temple.

Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:

with two they veiled their faces,

with two they veiled their feet,

and with two they hovered aloft.

 

They cried one to the other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!

All the earth is filled with his glory!”

At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook

and the house was filled with smoke.

 

Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed!

For I am a man of unclean lips,

living among a people of unclean lips;

yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me,

holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

 

He touched my mouth with it and said,

“See, now that this has touched your lips,

your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”

 

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,

“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”

“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  PS 93:1AB, 1CD-2, 5

 

R. (1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

 

The LORD is king, in splendor robed;

robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

And he has made the world firm,

not to be moved.

Your throne stands firm from of old;

from everlasting you are, O LORD.

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:

holiness befits your house,

O LORD, for length of days.

R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8          1 PT 4:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,

for the Spirit of God rests upon you.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           MT 10:24-33

 

Jesus said to his Apostles:

“No disciple is above his teacher,

no slave above his master.

It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,

for the slave that he become like his master.

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,

how much more those of his household!

 

“Therefore do not be afraid of them.

Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,

nor secret that will not be known.

What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;

what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;

rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy

both soul and body in Gehenna.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?

Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.

Even all the hairs of your head are counted.

So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Everyone who acknowledges me before others

I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.

But whoever denies me before others,

I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

 

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

When is divisiveness holy?

Are we supposed to stay silent about the truths of the Catholic Faith when we’re with those who have fallen prey to worldly thinking and the false teachings of Satan? They don’t want to hear the truth.

 

Anti-Christian sentiment has grown a lot stronger and become more obvious. We’re berated and condemned and sometimes even beaten for not agreeing with sinners. Almost all of us have lost relationships because the truth is divisive.

 

In Luke 12:51-52, Jesus tells us, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.” It’s the harsh reality of remaining true to Christ.

 

In Matthew 10:28, Jesus tells us to “be not afraid” of speaking the truth. Even when there might be repercussions, we need not be afraid. If we have the attitude of, “Yes, I’m willing”, the Holy Spirit gives us the words and the supernatural, joyful peace that reassures us of our union with Christ.

 

In verse 27, Jesus is telling us today: “What I say to you in the darkness of today’s world, speak up about it in the light of my Mercy. What the Holy Spirit’s quiet voice tells you to say, proclaim it from the housetops (i.e., boldly and confidently). And do not be afraid of those who might attack you. Even if they kill you, they cannot kill your soul; you will go straight to Heaven!”

 

Push past your initial trepidation and you too will experience supernatural, joyful peace from the Holy Spirit, Who is always ready to make it easier than you imagine it will be.

 

But realize this: Gone are the days when we could convince unbelievers of the truth by explaining it them. Today we live in a world where sins have been multiplying for a long time and thus the influence of demons is stronger than ever. Sinners are literally enslaved to the lies that make their sins seem good.

 

What you can do is actually very easy: Plant the truth like seeds. Don’t argue. Don’t get caught up in a debate. Just speak what the Holy Spirit puts peacefully into your mind to share and then silently pray. Although most of the seeds will fall on hard ground, God is tilling their soil by using hardships to get their attention. Your calling is to forgive them, sow the truth when the Holy Spirit provides the opportunity, and water the seeds with your prayers. Christ will do the rest. The days are coming when many will be set free from the devil’s grip!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Talk to me, Lord, in the silence of my heart. Tell me what You want from me, and may Your Holy Spirit grant me the strength I need to proclaim Your Word wherever You want. 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!”