GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Thursday - June 29, 2023

  

Thursday - June 29, 2023

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, 

be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.

 

-- St. Francis of Assis

 

 

June 29 2022 - Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

Lectionary: 590

 

           

Reading I                                          Acts 12:1-11

 

In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them.

He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword,

and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews

he proceeded to arrest Peter also.

–It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.–

He had him taken into custody and put in prison

under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.

He intended to bring him before the people after Passover.

Peter thus was being kept in prison,

but prayer by the Church was fervently being made

to God on his behalf.

 

On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial,

Peter, secured by double chains,

was sleeping between two soldiers,

while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison.

Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him

and a light shone in the cell.

He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying,

“Get up quickly.”

The chains fell from his wrists.

The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.”

He did so.

Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”

So he followed him out,

not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real;

he thought he was seeing a vision.

They passed the first guard, then the second,

and came to the iron gate leading out to the city,

which opened for them by itself.

They emerged and made their way down an alley,

and suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter recovered his senses and said,

            “Now I know for certain

            that the Lord sent his angel

            and rescued me from the hand of Herod

            and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

 

R.        (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

 

I will bless the LORD at all times;

            his praise shall be ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the LORD;

            the lowly will hear me and be glad.

R.        The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

Glorify the LORD with me,

            let us together extol his name.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me

            and delivered me from all my fears.

R.        The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,

            and your faces may not blush with shame.

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,

            and from all his distress he saved him.

R.        The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

The angel of the LORD encamps

            around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Taste and see how good the LORD is;

            blessed the man who takes refuge in him.

R.        The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

 

Reading II                                         2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18

 

I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,

and the time of my departure is at hand.

I have competed well; I have finished the race;

I have kept the faith.

From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,

which the Lord, the just judge,

will award to me on that day, and not only to me,

but to all who have longed for his appearance.

 

The Lord stood by me and gave me strength,

so that through me the proclamation might be completed

and all the Gentiles might hear it.

And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat

and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.

To him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

 

Alleluia                                                            Mt 16:18    

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Mt 16:13-19

 

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi

he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

 

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

Leadership that succeeds for Christ

What is good leadership? We see examples of it in Saints Peter and Paul and, of course, in Jesus himself.

 

In today's Gospel story, Peter recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah, and then he is called to help others discover the same truth. All of us who are in any kind of leadership role have been given this same responsibility. It's our primary mission as followers of Christ. It's not just priests who are shepherds. Parents have been commissioned by Christ to shepherd their families. Teachers have been commissioned to shepherd their students. Employers have been commissioned to shepherd those who work under them.

 

Shepherding means this: Even when we cannot evangelize with words, we are to show, through our behaviors and attitudes and our compassion, what Jesus is like.

 

Paul suffered in his shepherd's ministry (see the first reading), like Jesus did and like we do if we're involved enough to really make a difference. The good news is that the strongholds of evil ("the gates of the netherworld") cannot prevail against our Christ-inspired efforts.

 

The "gates" are people's escape routes from evil. For followers of Christ, every leadership responsibility includes shepherding those who need to be rescued, guiding them toward Jesus who is The Gate. A Christian leader who does not go into Satan's territory to rescue lost souls nor protects his flock from wandering into danger is no follower of Christ, because this was Christ's entire mission.

 

Those who are enslaved to sinful lifestyles and the devil's deceptions do reject our efforts, but don't let that stop you. Consider instead what's imprisoning them: The root motivation for nearly everything they do comes from an unmet need to find the safe pasture of unconditional love. This means that, with a lot of unconditional love from us that stubbornly refuses to be chased away, they can be shepherded closer and closer toward the forgiveness and saving power of God. Meanwhile the Holy Spirit is working in their hearts. Even if we cannot see progress in them yet, change is coming.

 

We cannot drag them through the gate, but we can show them the way -- the way of love and mercy -- and pray that they will eventually recognize their escape opportunity. This is our calling!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Beloved Lord, may Your Spirit guide me in all my paths, and may the holy anointing give me the strength I need to go wherever You send me. Amen.

 

 

God Bless You.....

TheRosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”