GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Sunday - July 03, 2022

Sunday - July 03, 2022

"To pray is to talk to God, but about what? About Him, about yourself; joys, sorrows, successes, and failures, noble ambitions, daily worries, weaknesses! And acts of thanksgiving and petitions: and Love and reparation. In a word: to get to know Him and to get to know yourself: to get acquainted."

~~ Saint Josemaria Escriva

July 3, 2022

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Lectionary: 102

 

           

Reading I                                          Is 66:10-14c

 

Thus says the LORD:

 Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,

 all you who love her;

 exult, exult with her,

 all you who were mourning over her!

 Oh, that you may suck fully

 of the milk of her comfort,

 that you may nurse with delight

 at her abundant breasts!

 For thus says the LORD:

 Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river,

 and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.

 As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms,

 and fondled in her lap;

 as a mother comforts her child,

 so will I comfort you;

 in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.

 

 When you see this, your heart shall rejoice

 and your bodies flourish like the grass;

 the LORD's power shall be known to his servants.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  PS 85:9AB AND 10, 11-12, 13-14

 

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

 

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,

 sing praise to the glory of his name;

 proclaim his glorious praise.

Say to God, "How tremendous are your deeds!"

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

"Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,

 sing praise to your name!"

Come and see the works of God,

 his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

He has changed the sea into dry land;

 through the river they passed on foot;

 therefore let us rejoice in him.

He rules by his might forever.

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare

 what he has done for me.

Blessed be God who refused me not

 my prayer or his kindness!

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. 

           

Reading Ii                                         Gal 6:14-18

 

Brothers and sisters:

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

through which the world has been crucified to me,

and I to the world.

For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision,

but only a new creation.

Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule

and to the Israel of God.

 

From now on, let no one make troubles for me;

for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.

 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,

brothers and sisters. Amen.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8 Col 3:15a, 16a     

 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;

let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Lk 10:1-12, 17-20

 

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others

whom he sent ahead of him in pairs

to every town and place he intended to visit.

He said to them,

"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest

to send out laborers for his harvest.

Go on your way;

behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;

and greet no one along the way.

Into whatever house you enter, first say,

'Peace to this household.'

If a peaceful person lives there,

your peace will rest on him;

but if not, it will return to you.

Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,

for the laborer deserves his payment.

Do not move about from one house to another.

Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,

eat what is set before you,

cure the sick in it and say to them,

'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'

Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,

go out into the streets and say,

'The dust of your town that clings to our feet,

even that we shake off against you.'

Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.

I tell you,

it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town."

 

The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,

"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."

Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.

Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and  scorpions

and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.

Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,

but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

 

or

Lk 10:1-9

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others

whom he sent ahead of him in pairs

to every town and place he intended to visit.

He said to them,

"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest

to send out laborers for his harvest.

Go on your way;

behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;

and greet no one along the way.

Into whatever house you enter, first say,

'Peace to this household.'

If a peaceful person lives there,

your peace will rest on him;

but if not, it will return to you.

Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,

for the laborer deserves his payment.

Do not move about from one house to another.

Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,

eat what is set before you,

cure the sick in it and say to them,

'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

 

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

The Christian Call of Collaboration

In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples to ask the "Master" (God the Father) of the "harvest" (conversion to Christ) to send out more "laborers" (evangelizers). And in the next breath, he tells them that they are the laborers and that they must get busy: "Go on your way," he says.

 

When you think of evangelizers in the Catholic Church, who comes to mind first? Most of us think of priests, and we all know that we need more priests. New vocations in Western societies are still way too few to compensate for the elderly ones who are retiring and dying.

 

Do you pray for an increase of vocations? Good, but that's only part of what Jesus is asking us to do. "Go on your way," he says to all of us, "and use your gifts, your talents, and your skills to assist in the harvest.

 

Jesus has always been collaborative. The number of laborers for the mission of the Church will only be sufficient when we all join the effort -- clergy, religious, and laity -- working together with our separate and unique talents and skills, humbly assisting each other as members of the same team.

 

To reach this sufficiency, many of us have to overcome the "someone else will take care of it" attitude. And some have to overcome the desire for perfection, the "I can take care of it better myself" attitude, which robs others of the opportunity to serve.

 

Many of us need to overcome the fear of losing control, the "I must tell others how to do their job" attitude, which chases away some very talented laborers. Jesus said we should carry no supplies into ministry; in other words: We should accept whatever is offered to us.

 

Our prayers for an increase of consecrated vocations are answered from within collaborative ministry. Clergy and religious are called to be good role models, which will attract new vocations, but the laity are called to serve God with the same zeal and holiness that we expect from priests, because out of families who serve come the holy priests and religious who serve.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Father, I am Your servant, I am a worker in Your harvest. Send me, Lord, wherever Your word may bear the fruit You desire. Thank You for choosing me! 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!”