GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Sunday - July 09, 2023

 

Sunday - July 09, 2023

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, 2023

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 100

 

Reading I     

                                                                                                Zec 9:9-10

 

Thus says the LORD:

Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,

shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king shall come to you;

a just savior is he,

meek, and riding on an ass,

on a colt, the foal of an ass.

He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,

and the horse from Jerusalem;

the warrior's bow shall be banished,

and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.

His dominion shall be from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                                          Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14

 

R. (cf. 1) I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

 

I will extol you, O my God and King,

and I will bless your name forever and ever.

Every day will I bless you,

and I will praise your name forever and ever.

R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

 

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and of great kindness.

The LORD is good to all

and compassionate toward all his works.

R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

 

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

and let your faithful ones bless you.

Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might.

R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

 

The LORD is faithful in all his words

and holy in all his works.

The LORD lifts up all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.

R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

 

Reading II                                                                 Rom 8:9, 11-13

 

Brothers and sisters:

You are not in the flesh;

on the contrary, you are in the spirit,

if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,

the one who raised Christ from the dead

will give life to your mortal bodies also,

through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Consequently, brothers and sisters,

we are not debtors to the flesh,

to live according to the flesh.

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,

but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,

you will live.

 

Alleluia         

 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;

you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 11:25-30

 

At that time Jesus exclaimed:

"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

for although you have hidden these things

from the wise and the learned

you have revealed them to little ones.

Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

No one knows the Son except the Father,

and no one knows the Father except the Son

and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

 

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am meek and humble of heart;

and you will find rest for yourselves.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

 

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How to make burdens feel light

Does the yoke of Jesus weigh you down or does it feel light? His yoke — according to what he exampled with his life — is servanthood, a ministry that cares for others, a love that makes sacrifices.

 

We feel weighed down by personal struggles; we have so many of our own crosses to carry and so many people need our attention that we’re exhausted from it all. We need a vacation, an escape, time out! So why does Jesus tell us that his yoke is easy? Why does he say that the burdens of servanthood are light?

 

How can sharing in the ministry of Jesus be restful?

 

When the burdens of life wear us down and tire us out, it’s usually because we’ve taken on more responsibility than God has actually given to us.

 

Or else it’s because we’re expending energy trying to get rid of a cross after Jesus has yoked us to it. If the burden leads to burn-out, God lets us get tired, because he’s warning us: “Slow down! Simplify your life! Make a change! Spend more time in prayer!”

 

If it leads to anger and resentment, God is showing us that our selfish desire for an easier life is, in reality, making our lives more difficult.

 

In other words, when we strain and pull against the yoke — against our union with Christ — we suffer from our own mistaken ideas of what we should be doing. It is when we remember that we’re yoked to Someone who is infinitely stronger and wiser than we are that the burden becomes light. The yoke becomes a source of joy.

 

Jesus offers us everything we need for plowing the fields that God assigns to us. When we cooperate with him, the burden is indeed light. We find rest in Jesus and we benefit from his strength. Our anger and resentment and weariness disappear. We experience holy pleasure in our tasks, because we’re yoked to the goodness and the energy of Jesus himself.

 

Prayer

 

Thank You, my Lord, for taking all those burdens that I cannot carry alone. Grant me the grace to recognize and surrender to You those wounds hidden from my eyes. 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!”