SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Tuesday - June 29, 2021

 

Tuesday - June 29, 2021

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, 

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

-- St. Francis of Assisi

June 29, 2021

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles Vigil

Lectionary: 377

 

Reading 1                                                     Acts 3:1-10

Peter and John were going up to the temple area

for the three o’clock hour of prayer.

And a man crippled from birth was carried

and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate”

every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.

When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,

he asked for alms.

But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,

and said, “Look at us.”

He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.

Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold,

but what I do have I give you:

in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”

Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,

and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.

He leaped up, stood, and walked around,

and went into the temple with them,

walking and jumping and praising God.

When all the people saw the man walking and praising God,

they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging

at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,

and they were filled with amazement and astonishment

at what had happened to him.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              19:2-3, 4-5

 

R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.

 

The heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Day pours out the word to day;

and night to night imparts knowledge.

R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

Not a word nor a discourse

whose voice is not heard;

through all the earth their voice resounds,

and to the ends of the world, their message.

R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

 

Reading 2                                                     Gal 1:11-20

I want you to know, brothers and sisters,

that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin.

For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,

but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism,

how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure

and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism

beyond many of my contemporaries among my race,

since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.

But when God, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart

and called me through his grace,

was pleased to reveal his Son to me,

so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,

I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,

nor did I go up to Jerusalem

to those who were Apostles before me;

rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

 

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem

to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days.

But I did not see any other of the Apostles,

only James the brother of the Lord.

--As to what I am writing to you, behold,

before God, I am not lying.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Jn 21:17

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Lord, you know everything:

you know that I love you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Jn 21:15-19

Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples

and, when they had finished breakfast, said to Simon Peter,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

He then said to Simon Peter a second time,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”

He said to him the third time,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,

“Do you love me?” and he said to him,

“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,

you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;

but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,

and someone else will dress you

and lead you where you do not want to go.”

He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.

And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

 

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Who do You say Jesus is?

Who do you say Jesus is? This is the question posed to each of us in today's Gospel reading, not only for our own spiritual growth, but also because our lives are billboards that display Jesus to the people around us who know that we call ourselves Christians.

 

Consider what you're advertising when you need Jesus to rescue you from an unhappy situation. In today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is rescued by an angel. In the responsorial Psalm we declare: "The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him." Does your behavior say to others that this is true for everyone?

 

Which (if any) of the following does your behavior advertise that Jesus is?

 

[ ] A Limited Human Being. Friends and family have let you down, so of course Jesus will too. You rely only on your own resources, because you don't really believe you can depend on Jesus.

 

[ ] A Cosmic Force. Because Jesus ascended to heaven, he doesn't get involved in your everyday, earthly concerns. You don't ask for his help while driving and wondering which route to take, or when selecting the day's clothing or choosing the right purchases.

 

[ ] A Magic Genie. Rub him the right way, and he'll grant your wish with a snap of his almighty finger. You perform religious rituals perfectly and say the "right" prayers, and when nothing happens, you think it's because you didn't pray rightly.

 

[ ] Santa Claus. Give Jesus your wish list and make sure you're a good girl or boy so that he brings you whatever you want. You try to winhim over by volunteering for parish ministries and talking a lot about religious things using Christian buzzwords.

 

[ ] A Marshmallow. He's always soft; he understands why you sin and therefore it's okay to do it again. You rarely see a need for the Sacrament of Confession, and if you actually examine your conscience, you rationalize away your guilt.

 

[ ] A Punisher. Jesus is watching your every move, waiting for you to do something wrong so that he can punish you. You assume that you'll never be good enough to please God. You think you don't deserve to have fun or to receive good things.

 

[ ] The Embodiment of Love. When you picture Jesus, he is smiling. He knows you intimately and cares about you totally. Because he loves you whether you deserve it or not, you proceed through hardships like he's already working a plan that will make everything turn out good. Your positive attitude shows others that you're blessed because of him, no matter what happens.

 

Who do you say Jesus is?

 

Today's Prayer

 

My Lord Jesus, give me the experience of You that I need so much. May it root in me the full conviction of who You are. May Your Holy Spirit be in my life, the engine to announce Your Name to all nations. Amen. 

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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 - June 28, 2021

 

Monday - June 28, 2021

The Servant of Charity 

must go to bed each night 

so tired from work 

that he will think 

he has been beaten!

-- St. Louis Guanella

June 28, 2021

Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr
Lectionary: 377

 

Reading 1                                                     Gn 18:16-33

Abraham and the men who had visited him by the Terebinth of Mamre

set out from there and looked down toward Sodom;

Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way.

The LORD reflected: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,

now that he is to become a great and populous nation,

and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?

Indeed, I have singled him out

that he may direct his children and his household after him

to keep the way of the LORD

by doing what is right and just,

so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham

the promises he made about him.”

Then the LORD said:

“The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,

and their sin so grave,

that I must go down and see whether or not their actions

fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.

I mean to find out.”

 

While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom,

the LORD remained standing before Abraham.

Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said:

“Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?

Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;

would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it

for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?

Far be it from you to do such a thing,

to make the innocent die with the guilty,

so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!

Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?”

The LORD replied,

“If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,

I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Abraham spoke up again:

“See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,

though I am but dust and ashes!

What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?

Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?”

He answered, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

But Abraham persisted, saying, “What if only forty are found there?”

He replied, “I will forbear doing it for the sake of forty.”

Then Abraham said, “Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.

What if only thirty are found there?”

He replied, “I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there.”

Still Abraham went on,

“Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,

what if there are no more than twenty?”

He answered, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

But he still persisted:

“Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.

What if there are at least ten there?”

He replied, “For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.”

 

The LORD departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham,

and Abraham returned home.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              103:1b-2, 3-4, 8-9, 10-11

 

R.    (8a)  The Lord is kind and merciful.

 

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

    and all my being, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits.

R.    The Lord is kind and merciful.

He pardons all your iniquities,

    he heals all your ills.

He redeems your life from destruction,

    he crowns you with kindness and compassion.

R.    The Lord is kind and merciful.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,

    slow to anger and abounding in kindness.

He will not always chide,

    nor does he keep his wrath forever.

R.    The Lord is kind and merciful.

Not according to our sins does he deal with us,

    nor does he requite us according to our crimes.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

    so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.

R.    The Lord is kind and merciful.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Ps 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If today you hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mt 8:18-22

When Jesus saw a crowd around him,

he gave orders to cross to the other shore.

A scribe approached and said to him,

“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,

but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

Another of his disciples said to him,

“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,

and let the dead bury their dead.”

 

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Letting Go of Excuses 

In our Gospel reading today, we see a scribe who's very excited about Jesus. Do you know the feeling? We get charged up while hearing a parish mission priest or a conference speaker or a stirring homily. But how long does that feeling last?

 

If you're still experiencing the thrill of growing spiritually, and if it's still producing good fruits, congratulate yourself. God is very pleased with you. He's admiring you, appreciating the work you're doing for his kingdom, and pointing you out to the angels and saints in heaven, saying, "Look at what my beloved child is doing!"

 

But --. Ahhh yes, the but. We sit on our buts far too often. Jesus is continually inviting us to produce more good fruits. Too many Christians do way too little for the kingdom of God, allowing evil to grow more of its own bitter fruits. But we have lots of buts, lots of excuses for why we're not doing more for the Lord and his Church.

 

Was Jesus complaining when he said he had no place to rest his head? I think not. He was no whiner. Listen closely: "The birds have nests, the foxes have lairs, Peter has a house where his mother-in-law cooks his favorite foods, and you have a spacious home in the suburbs, and I'm not always welcome there."

 

"But Jesus, when did you come to me and I did not feed you or shelter you or clothe you or give you a drink?"

 

One of his disciples said, "I want to go wherever you go, Lord, and do whatever you ask of me, but first let me bury my father." The reply Jesus gave him seems to be unsympathetic about the man's sorrow and loss. Was he really telling him to ignore his family and skip the grieving process? I think not. Jesus knows we can do important ministry in the family gatherings of funerals. He also knows when we're making excuses to avoid being sincere and whole-hearted about a life of holiness.

 

Following Jesus is never convenient. What's on your list of tasks that you're hoping God will not ask you to do? What are your buts? When you hear about a need that's going unmet and you could do something about it (with God's help, of course), do you say, "Sure, I'd do that if only -- but first -- later when --"?

 

You've heard the question: "If God is real, why is there so much evil in the world?" The answer is: It's not God's fault. There are still too few of us producing enough of the good fruits that defeat those evils.

 

"Let the dead bury their dead" is God's way of letting go of those who are not willing to join him in his work. He surrenders us to our deadness, but if we surrender to him, we become truly and excitedly alive as he works through us in mighty and amazing ways!

 

Today's Prayer

 

Jesus, forgive me for all the excuses I have given for not following You just so I don't have to abandon my own will. Help me with Your Spirit to always give You my heartfelt 'yes'. Amen. 

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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 : Sunday - June 27, 2021

Sunday - June 27, 2021

               

The face is the mirror of the mind, 

and eyes without speaking confess 

the secrets of the heart.

~~St. Jerome

June 27, 2021

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 98

 

Reading 1                                                     Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24

God did not make death,

    nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.

For he fashioned all things that they might have being;

    and the creatures of the world are wholesome,

and there is not a destructive drug among them

    nor any domain of the netherworld on earth,

    for justice is undying.

For God formed man to be imperishable;

    the image of his own nature he made him.

But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,

    and they who belong to his company experience it.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

 

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

 

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear

    and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;

    you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,

    and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger lasts but a moment;

    a lifetime, his good will.

At nightfall, weeping enters in,

    but with the dawn, rejoicing.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;

    O LORD, be my helper.

You changed my mourning into dancing;

    O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

 

Reading 2                                                     2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15

Brothers and sisters:

As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse,

knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you,

may you excel in this gracious act also.

 

For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor,

so that by his poverty you might become rich.

Not that others should have relief while you are burdened,

but that as a matter of equality

your abundance at the present time should supply their needs,

so that their abundance may also supply your needs,

that there may be equality.

As it is written:

    Whoever had much did not have more,

        and whoever had little did not have less. 

 

Alleluia                                                                      2 Tm 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death

and brought life to light through the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat

to the other side,

a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.

One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.

Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,

“My daughter is at the point of death.

Please, come lay your hands on her

that she may get well and live.”

He went off with him,

and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

 

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.

She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors

and had spent all that she had.

Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.

She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd

and touched his cloak.

She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”

Immediately her flow of blood dried up.

She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,

turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”

But his disciples said to Jesus,

“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,

and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

And he looked around to see who had done it.

The woman, realizing what had happened to her,

approached in fear and trembling.

She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.

He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.

Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

 

While he was still speaking,

people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,

“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?”

Disregarding the message that was reported,

Jesus said to the synagogue official,

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside

except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.

When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,

he caught sight of a commotion,

people weeping and wailing loudly.

So he went in and said to them,

“Why this commotion and weeping?

The child is not dead but asleep.”

And they ridiculed him.

Then he put them all out.

He took along the child’s father and mother

and those who were with him

and entered the room where the child was.

He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”

which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”

The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.

At that they were utterly astounded.

He gave strict orders that no one should know this

and said that she should be given something to eat.

 

OR:

 

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat

to the other side,

a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.

One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.

Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,

“My daughter is at the point of death.

Please, come lay your hands on her

that she may get well and live.”

He went off with him,

and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

 

While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,

“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?”

Disregarding the message that was reported,

Jesus said to the synagogue official,

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside

except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.

When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,

he caught sight of a commotion,

people weeping and wailing loudly.

So he went in and said to them,

“Why this commotion and weeping?

The child is not dead but asleep.”

And they ridiculed him.

Then he put them all out.

He took along the child’s father and mother

and those who were with him

and entered the room where the child was.

He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”

which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”

The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.

At that they were utterly astounded.

He gave strict orders that no one should know this

and said that she should be given something to eat.

 

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How to Touch the Hem of Jesus' Garment

Wouldn't it be great if we could actually touch and feel the hem of Jesus' clothing, like the woman in this Sunday's Gospel reading? To be near enough to Jesus to be healed spiritually, physically, and emotionally. How can we, more than 2000 years after he ascended to heaven, get so close to him?

 

It is possible, and it's exactly what Jesus wants. It comes from developing a better understanding of who Jesus really is and how much God really cares about us. The synagogue leader understood, which is why he could say: "Please, come lay your hands on my daughter that she may live." He understood Jesus beyond what was in front of his eyes. He believed in the divine life of Jesus.

 

Knowing Jesus is to know divine life, which transforms our earthly life into something much more like his and then takes us to heaven. The first reading, remember, states clearly that death is not part of God's plan. Jesus drives this point home by allowing the girl to die before he reaches her house. Certainly God could have kept her alive until he got there! But he wanted to show the world that he could restore life and that he has the power to rescue us from death.

 

If we fear death, we don't recognize the nearness of Christ. We can touch the hem of his garment, but we don't see it, and so we don't believe it. In this case, we're like the mourners that Jesus had to chase out of the house before working his miracle.

 

If we fear that our trials are leading to disastrous conclusions, we've forgotten how powerful Jesus is, and we've forgotten that he cares enough to rescue us. We need to move ourselves closer to Jesus. We have to press on through the crowd of distractions and doubts, with our eyes fixed only on Jesus and our hands reaching out to him in prayer.

 

If we fear that God doesn't care enough to help us, we need to spend more time learning why Jesus gave up his life for us and why the Father sent him to us.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Beloved Jesus: I praise and thank you for planting in me the seed of faith. Sometimes this faith is asleep. Awaken it, Lord, and make it grow. May my faith be able to deliver those miracles you plan for my life and for the lives of those brothers and sisters that you'll place in my path. Amen. 

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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!”