GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Saturday - July 01, 2023

 

Saturday - July 01, 2023

He who wants to win the world for Christ must have the courage to come in conflict with it.

~~Blessed Titus Brandsma

July 1, 2023

Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 376

 

Reading I     

                                                                                                Gn 18:1-15

 

The LORD appeared to Abraham by the Terebinth of Mamre,

as Abraham sat in the entrance of his tent,

while the day was growing hot.

Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby.

When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them;

and bowing to the ground, he said:

"Sir, if I may ask you this favor,

please do not go on past your servant.

Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,

and then rest yourselves under the tree.

Now that you have come this close to your servant,

let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves;

and afterward you may go on your way."

The men replied, "Very well, do as you have said."

 

Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,

"Quick, three measures of fine flour!

Knead it and make rolls."

He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer,

and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.

Then Abraham got some curds and milk,

as well as the steer that had been prepared,

and set these before them;

and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.

 

They asked him, "Where is your wife Sarah?"

He replied, "There in the tent."

One of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year,

and Sarah will then have a son."

Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, just behind him.

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years,

and Sarah had stopped having her womanly periods.

So Sarah laughed to herself and said,

"Now that I am so withered and my husband is so old,

am I still to have sexual pleasure?"

But the LORD said to Abraham: "Why did Sarah laugh and say,

'Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?'

Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do?

At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you,

and Sarah will have a son."

Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, "I didn't laugh."

But he replied, "Yes you did."

 

Responsorial Psalm                                                          Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55

 

R. (see 54b) The Lord has remembered his mercy.

 

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.

"For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name."

R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.

"He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty."

R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.

"He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever."

R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.

 

Alleluia         

 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ took away our infirmities

and bore our diseases.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 8:5-17

 

When Jesus entered Capernaum,

a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,

"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."

He said to him, "I will come and cure him."

The centurion said in reply,

"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;

only say the word and my servant will be healed.

For I too am a man subject to authority,

with soldiers subject to me.

And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;

and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;

and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,

"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.

I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,

and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven,

but the children of the Kingdom

will be driven out into the outer darkness,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

And Jesus said to the centurion,

"You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you."

And at that very hour his servant was healed.

 

Jesus entered the house of Peter,

and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.

He touched her hand, the fever left her,

and she rose and waited on him.

 

When it was evening, they brought him many

who were possessed by demons,

and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick,

to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet:

 

He took away our infirmities

and bore our diseases.

 

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

Touched by Grace

Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. Matthew 8:14–15

 

How do we properly respond to the action of God in our lives? In the passage above, we are given the witness of Peter’s mother-in-law to answer that question. It should be noted that Jesus was on a continual mission of healing. In fact, before arriving at the house of Peter, Jesus had just healed a centurion’s servant. When the centurion came to Jesus stating that he was not even worthy to have Him enter his house, Jesus saw the centurion’s faith and healed his servant from a distance. After arriving at the house of Peter, we are told that many people brought to Jesus those who were possessed by demons, and Jesus healed them all. But between the healing of the servant and the healings of the many, another healing occurred. The response to this healing sets for us a wonderful example.

 

Peter’s mother-in-law was ill and in bed with a fever. It’s unclear just how ill she was, but the fact remains that she was ill to the point of being in bed. Notice, first, that Jesus was not even asked to heal her. Rather, He “saw” her ill and in bed, approached her of His own choosing, “touched her hand,” and she was healed.

 

Within the same sentence describing Jesus’ healing, we are told that “she rose and waited on him.” First of all, “she rose.” This should be seen as a symbolic depiction of what we must do when we are touched by grace. The grace of God, when it is given to us, must have the effect of causing us to rise. We rise from sin when we confess that sin and receive forgiveness, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We rise up every time God enters our lives to give us direction, clarity and hope. To rise is to be strengthened to dispel the burden that sin and confusion causes. We rise in strength, renewed and determined to go about the will of God.

 

After this woman rose, she “waited” on Jesus. This is the reason we rise up when touched by grace. We are not given God’s grace so that we can go back to our sin, or pursue our own ventures, or do our own will. We rise so that we can serve our Lord and His holy will. In a sense, Jesus’ actions in our lives impose upon us a holy burden. But it is a burden that is light. It’s an obligation to serve and give ourselves to our Lord to attend to Him, His holy will, and to all that He calls us to do.

 

Reflect, today, upon this threefold action of the Gospel. See Jesus approaching you and touching you in your prayer. Know that He comes to you not only because you pray to Him but out of His own initiative when He sees you will respond. Then consider your response. Rise from that which keeps you down. Let God’s grace free you from the burdens you carry. And as He grants you this grace, determine to wait on Him and to serve His will alone. The service of our Lord is what we are made for, and doing so will enable us to continually receive His grace through His touch of love.

 

Prayer

 

My merciful Jesus, You continually come to me, approaching me to reach out and touch me with Your grace. You desire my healing and strengthening every day. Help me to be open to all that You wish to bestow and please free me from all that keeps me down. May I rise up in service of You and Your holy will so that Your Kingdom may be built up more fully through me. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

 

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!”