SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Tuesday - August 03, 2021

Tuesday - August 03, 2021

It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards one’s progress, nor the nature of the task, but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.

~~saint francis xavier

August 3, 2021

Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 408

 

Reading 1                                                     Nm 12:1-13

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext

of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman.

They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks?

Does he not speak through us also?”

And the LORD heard this.

Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest man on the face of the earth.

So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam,

“Come out, you three, to the meeting tent.”

And the three of them went.

Then the LORD came down in the column of cloud,

and standing at the entrance of the tent,

called Aaron and Miriam.

When both came forward, he said,

“Now listen to the words of the LORD:

 

Should there be a prophet among you,

in visions will I reveal myself to him,

in dreams will I speak to him;

not so with my servant Moses!

Throughout my house he bears my trust:

face to face I speak to him;

plainly and not in riddles.

The presence of the LORD he beholds.

 

Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?”

 

So angry was the LORD against them that when he departed,

and the cloud withdrew from the tent,

there was Miriam, a snow-white leper!

When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, he said to Moses,

“Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin

that we have foolishly committed!

Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe

that comes forth from its mother’s womb

with its flesh half consumed.”

Then Moses cried to the LORD, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13

 

R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

 

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;

in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.

Thoroughly wash me from my guilt

and of my sin cleanse me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

For I acknowledge my offense;

and my sin is before me always:

“Against you only have I sinned;

and done what is evil in your sight.”

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

That you may be justified in your sentence,

vindicated when you condemn.

Indeed, in guilt was I born,

and in sin my mother conceived me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Cast me not off from your presence,

and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Jn 1:49b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Rabbi, you are the Son of God;

you are the King of Israel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 14:22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat

and precede him to the other side of the sea,

while he dismissed the crowds.

After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

When it was evening he was there alone.

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,

was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.

During the fourth watch of the night,

he came toward them, walking on the sea.

When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.

“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.

At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter said to him in reply,

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

He said, “Come.”

Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.

But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;

and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,

and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

After they got into the boat, the wind died down.

Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,

“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

 

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.

When the men of that place recognized him,

they sent word to all the surrounding country.

People brought to him all those who were sick

and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,

and as many as touched it were healed.

 

    The following text may be substituted,

    especially in Year A when the above Gospel is read on Monday:

 

Mt 15:1-2, 10-14

 

Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,

“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?

They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.”

He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand.

It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man;

but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.”

Then his disciples approached and said to him,

“Do you know that the Pharisees took offense

when they heard what you said?”

He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted

will be uprooted.

Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.

If a blind man leads a blind man,

both will fall into a pit.”

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Becoming a Pearl

Opening Prayer: Here I am Lord in your presence, offering to you this new day with its pleasant and unpleasant moments. I beg you to strengthen my faith, hope, and charity, so that on this day I may do with a loving heart what you ask of me.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

The Pharisees and the Law: The Pharisees learned from Moses to follow the law to please God and thus be faithful to the covenant. We do the same when we follow the Ten Commandments or the teachings of the Church. However, Jesus purified the law and taught us to fulfill it, not out of duty or with self-righteousness, but for pure love of God without any other personal interest, “for the letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Spiritual death comes from selfishness, self-justification, pride, and impurity in our actions, but the Holy Spirit can fill our actions with charity and make us worthy of eternal life. We are called to accomplish our duty with love for God. “Whatever someone does, if he does it for a temporary utility, he does it like a slave and consequently does not keep the Sabbath” (St. Augustine, Sermon 33 on the Old Testament).

 

What Comes Out of the Mouth Is What Defiles One: A woman once came to me contrite because she had said some hurtful words to her husband. “Now,” she said, “we have already reconciled ourselves, but I realize that those words that I said to him have hurt me also, without knowing it.” This reality is more common in our lives than we can imagine. “The mystery of sin is composed of a twofold wound, which the sinner opens in his own side and in the relationship with his neighbor” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church 117). St. James also admonishes us: “With the tongue we praise Our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be” (James 3:9-10). We bridle our tongue with grace given to us by Our Lord.

 

The Heart and the Pearl: When the oysters in the sea open their shells and something foreign enters, the oyster produces a slime called nacre with which it envelops the foreign object to protect itself. Thus it forms a pearl. Just as an oyster produces nacre, an authentic Christian produces virtues that protect us from sinning. We cover ourselves with the grace of God and are transformed into something beautiful. As a fruit of the Holy Spirit, we grow in “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

 

Conversing with Christ: Come Holy Spirit and open my heart and mind to understand and to accept myself so that I can better bear the fruits of the Spirit. Purify me more and more from my tendency towards sins of the tongue so that I can be another Christ among my brethren.

 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will avoid the temptation to gossip.

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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!”

SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Monday - August 02, 2021

Monday - August 02, 2021

Fight all errors, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause. 

~~St. John of Kanty

August 2, 2021

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 407

 

Reading 1                                                     Nm 11:4b-15

The children of Israel lamented,

“Would that we had meat for food!

We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt,

and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks,

the onions, and the garlic.

But now we are famished;

we see nothing before us but this manna.”

 

Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin.

When they had gone about and gathered it up,

the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar,

then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves,

which tasted like cakes made with oil.

At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell.

 

When Moses heard the people, family after family,

crying at the entrance of their tents,

so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved.

“Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the Lord.

“Why are you so displeased with me

that you burden me with all this people?

Was it I who conceived all this people?

Or was it I who gave them birth,

that you tell me to carry them at my bosom,

like a foster father carrying an infant,

to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers?

Where can I get meat to give to all this people?

For they are crying to me,

‘Give us meat for our food.’

I cannot carry all this people by myself,

for they are too heavy for me.

If this is the way you will deal with me,

then please do me the favor of killing me at once,

so that I need no longer face this distress.”

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              81:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

 

R.    (2a)  Sing with joy to God our help.

 

“My people heard not my voice,

    and Israel obeyed me not;

So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;

    they walked according to their own counsels.”

R.    Sing with joy to God our help.

“If only my people would hear me,

    and Israel walk in my ways,

Quickly would I humble their enemies;

    against their foes I would turn my hand.”

R.    Sing with joy to God our help.

“Those who hated the LORD would seek to flatter me,

    but their fate would endure forever,

While Israel I would feed with the best of wheat,

    and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”

R.    Sing with joy to God our help.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Mt 4:4

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

One does not live on bread alone,

but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,

he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.

The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,

his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.

When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,

“This is a deserted place and it is already late;

dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages

and buy food for themselves.”

He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;

give them some food yourselves.”

But they said to him,

“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”

Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”

and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,

he said the blessing, broke the loaves,

and gave them to the disciples,

who in turn gave them to the crowds.

They all ate and were satisfied,

and they picked up the fragments left over–

twelve wicker baskets full.

Those who ate were about five thousand men,

not counting women and children.

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JESUS’S HEART

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, grant me the grace to get to know you more, so I can love you more. 

Encountering Christ:

1. True God and True Man: Jesus shows us his heart in these lines of Scripture: “His heart was moved with pity for them.” Jesus is never indifferent to our loneliness, pain, or distress. He wants to be united to us. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says, “God has a face–meaning he is a “you” who can enter into a relationship–and who has not withdrawn into his heavenly dwelling place, looking down at humanity from on high. God is certainly above all things, but he addresses us, he listens to us, he sees us, he speaks to us, he makes a covenant, he is capable of love” (Pope Benedict XVI General Audience, January 16, 2013).

2. I Am the Bread of Life: The disciples worried because they were painfully conscious of their own limitations to give food to five thousand people, so they asked Jesus to dismiss the crowd. But for Jesus, this was an opportunity to teach his disciples (and us) not to count on our own resources, but on the grace and love of God, if we want to bear fruit. “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” Psalm 127:2 says, “It is vain for you to rise early and put off your rest at night, to eat bread earned by hard toil—all this God gives to his beloved in sleep.” 

3. Twelve Baskets of Leftovers: The abundance of leftover bread shows the greatness of Jesus’s heart and his magnanimity. Jesus is always predisposed to give us as much as we need, even to overflowing. Nevertheless, St. Paul opens our horizons even more when he says “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). These twelve baskets are a sign that God has prepared for us something better than we can ever expect. Is this not a motivation to follow Jesus in faith? “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Conversing with Christ: My Lord, allow me to contemplate you looking at the crowd with a heart “moved” by love for them and for me. I know that you love me with a tender heart and that you look at me with eyes of true love. 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will share with someone what I’ve contemplated about the heart of Jesus.

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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!”