Kapamilya Gospel

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68 Saturday, 21 July 2012 Saturday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (1559-1619) See commentary below or click here Philoxenes of Mabbug : "He will not contend or cry out" Book of Micah 2:1-5. Woe to those who plan iniquity, and work out evil on their couches; In the morning light they accomplish it when it lies within their power. They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and they take them; They cheat an owner of his house, a man of his inheritance. Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I am planning against this race an evil from which you shall not withdraw your necks; Nor shall you walk with head high, for it will be a time of evil. On that day a satire shall be sung over you, and there shall be a plaintive chant: "Our ruin is complete, our fields are portioned out among our captors, The fields of my people are measured out, and no one can get them back!" Thus you shall have no one to mark out boundaries by lot in the assembly of the LORD. Psalms 9(9B):1-2.3-4.7-8.14. Why, O LORD, do you stand aloof? Why hide in times of distress? Proudly the wicked harass the afflicted, Who are caught in the devices the wicked have contrived. For the wicked man glories in his greed, And the covetous blasphemes, sets the LORD at nought. The wicked man boasts, "He will not avenge it"; "There is no God," sums up his thoughts. His mouth is full of cursing, guile and deceit; Under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.   He lurks in ambush near the villages; In hiding he murders the innocent; His eyes spy upon the unfortunate. You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow, Taking them in your hands. On you the unfortunate man depends; Of the fatherless you are the helper. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12:14-21. But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many (people) followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope." Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day : Philoxenes of Mabbug (?-c.523), Bishop in Syria Sermon no.5 on simplicity, 137-139 "He will not contend or cry out" Our Lord was not compared to a lion when he was led to death... Like a lamb, like a sheep, he kept silent when he was led to his Passion and death: “Like a sheep before the shearers... he opened not his mouth” (Is 53,7)... Standing before his judge and interrogated, he, our Lord and teacher of all wisdom, did not answer... that these words might be fulfilled: “he was led like a lamb the slaughter” (Is 53,7). They led him about, escorted him from one spot to another, conducted him from one place to another place, dragging him from one judge to another as though he were a dumb thing. He was silent before Annas, never speaking a word until the latter abjured him to speak (Mt 26,63). Questioned by Pilate, he remained silent; and until he heard the question: “Are you the king of the Jews?” (Mt 26,11; cf. Jn 18,33)... he gave no answer. Then they led him to Herod, who interrogated him to see and hear marvels from his own mouth and to put him to the test (Lk 23,8f.): but there, too, he kept his peace, said nothing and did not respond to his interrogator. They looked on him as an ignorant madman, a fool without an answer. His enemies thought what they wished but he never lost the innocence of the lamb.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Sunday, 22 July 2012 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B Saint(s) of the day : St. Mary Magdalene - Memorial

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Saint Clement of Alexandria : "His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd" Book of Jeremiah 23:1-6. Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the LORD. Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them, but I will take care to punish your evil deeds. I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the LORD. Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: "The LORD our justice." Psalms 23(22):1-2.3-4.5.6. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; Beside restful waters he leads me; He refreshes my soul.  He guides me in right paths For his name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff That give me courage. You spread the table before me In the sight of my foes; You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows. Only goodness and kindness follow me All the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD For years to come. Letter to the Ephesians 2:13-18. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 6:30-34. The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint Clement of Alexandria (150- c.215), theologian Paedagogus, I, 9 ; SC 70 "His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd" To save is an act of kindness. “The Lord's mercy reaches all flesh, reproving, admonishing, teaching, as a shepherd guides his flock; merciful to those who accept his guidance,” who hasten to bind themselves to him (Sir 18,11-13)... Those in good health have no need of a physician so long as they are well; the sick, on the other hand, turn to his art. Similarly, in this life  we are sick by means of our unacceptable desires, our intemperance... and other passions. We need a Savior... We who are sick have need of a Savior; straying, we need someone to guide us; blind, of someone who will give us light; thirsty, of the spring of living water where “whoever drinks will never thirst again” (Jn 4,4). Dead, we are in need of life; a flock, of a shepherd; children, of a teacher: indeed, everyone is in need of Jesus... “The injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal; the strayed I will bring back and cause them to pasture on my holy mountain” (cf. Ez 34,11-16). This is what the good shepherd promises. Pasture us like a flock, young as we are; O Lord, give us plentifully of your pasture, which is righteousness! Shepherd us right up to your holy mountain, your Church that rises up on high above the clouds, touching the heavens. “And I shall be their shepherd and stay at their side” (cf. Ez 34), he says... “I have not come to be served but to serve,” he says. That is why the Gospel shows him to us tired out, he who wore himself out for our sakes and who promises “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Jn 4,6; Mt 20,28).

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Monday, 23 July 2012 Monday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time Feast of the Church : In Europe: SAINT BRIDGET OF SWEDEN, co-patroness of Europe - Feast Saint(s) of the day : St. Bridget of Sweden (1304-1373)

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Saint Cyril of Jerusalem : The sign of Jonah Book of Micah 6:1-4.6-8. Hear, then, what the LORD says: Arise, present your plea before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice! Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD, pay attention, O foundations of the earth! For the LORD has a plea against his people, and he enters into trial with Israel. O my people, what have I done to you, or how have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, from the place of slavery I released you; And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow before God most high? Shall I come before him with holocausts, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriad streams of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my crime, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God. Psalms 50(49):5-6.8-9.16bc-17.21.23. "Gather my faithful ones before me, Those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." And the heavens proclaim his justice; For God himself is the judge. "Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you, For your burnt offerings are before me always. I take from your house no bullock, No goats out of your fold." "Why do you recite my statutes, And profess my covenant with your mouth, Though you hate discipline And cast my words behind you?" "When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you think that I am like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.   He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; And to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God." Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12:38-42. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (313-350), Bishop of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church Catechesis no.20/2nd mystagogy (SC 126, p.111f. rev.) (Trans. Edward Yarnold OP) The sign of Jonah You were conducted by the hand to the holy pool of sacred baptism, just as Christ was conveyed from the cross to the sepulchre close at hand [in this Church of the Holy Sepulchre]. Each person was asked if he believed in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You made the confession that brings salvation, and submerged yourselves three times in the water and emerged: by this symbolic gesture you were secretly re-enacting the burial of Christ three days in the tomb. For just as our Savior spent three days and nights in the bosom of the earth, so you upon first emerging were representing Christ... You saw nothing when immersed as if it were night, but you emerged as if to the light of day. In one and the same action you died and were born; ,the water of salvation became both tomb and mother for you... What a strange and astonishing situation! We did not really die, we were not really buried, we did not really hang from a cross and rise again. Our imitation was symbolic, but our salvation a reality. Christ truly hung from a cross, was truly buried, and truly rose again. All this he did gratuitously for us, so that we might share his sufferings by imitating them, and gain salvation in actuality. What transcendent kindness! Christ endured nails in his innocent hands and feet, and suffered pain; and by letting me participate in the pain without anguish or sweat, he freely bestows salvation on me... We know well that not merely does baptism cleanse sins and bestow on us the gift of the Holy Spirit - it is also the sign of Christ's suffering. This is why, as we heard just now, Paul cried out: “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death”... So in order that we may realise that Christ endured all his sufferings for us and our salvation actually and not in make-believe, and that we share in his pains, Paul cried out the literal truth: “If we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection,” (Rom 6,3-5).

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Tuesday, 24 July 2012 Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Sharbel Makhluf, Priest (1828-1898),  Saint Christina, Virgin and Martyr († c. 300)

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Saint Raphael Arnaiz Baron : "Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother" Book of Micah 7:14-15.18-20. Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, That dwells apart in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old; As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt, show us wonderful signs. Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, And will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, As you have sworn to our fathers from days of old. Psalms 85(84):2-4.5-6.7-8. You have favored, O LORD, your land; You have brought back the captives of Jacob. You have forgiven the guilt of your people; You have covered all their sins. You have withdrawn all your wrath; You have revoked your burning anger. Restore us, O God our savior, And abandon your displeasure against us. Will you be ever angry with us, Prolonging your anger to all generations? Will you not instead give us life; And shall not your people rejoice in you? Show us, O LORD, your kindness, And grant us your salvation.   Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12:46-50. While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. (Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.") But he said in reply to the one who told him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938), a Spanish Trappist monk Spiritual writings 10/04/1938 (trans. Mairin Mitchell, 1964) "Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother" To love what God loves is the logical thing for the one who is truly his lover; outside that wish there are no desires of our own – or if there should be one, this is in conformity with his will; if this should not be so, then our will would not be united with his. But if our will is really at one with his love, we shall want nothing that he does not want, we shall love nothing that he does not love, and having given ourselves up completely to his will, we shall not mind whatever he may send us, wherever he may place us. And about everything that he may want of us, we shall not only feel unconcerned, we shall feel pleased. I don't know whether there's any error in what I am saying. I submit myself to the one who understands about this. I only say what I feel, and that is, that I truly have no other wish than to love him, and everything else I commend to him. May his will be done! Every day I become happier in my complete abandonment into his hands.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Wednesday, 25 July 2012 Saint James, apostle - Feast Saint(s) of the day : St. James the Greater, Apostle - Feast

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Saint Gregory the Great : "My cup you will indeed drink" Second Letter to the Corinthians 4:7-15. But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed, therefore I spoke," we too believe and therefore speak, knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence. Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God. Psalms 126(125):1bc-2ab.2cd-3.4-5.6. When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,   We were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with rejoicing. Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad indeed. Restore our fortunes, O LORD, Like the torrents in the southern desert. Those that sow in tears Shall reap rejoicing. Although they go forth weeping, Carrying the seed to be sown, They shall come back rejoicing, Carrying their sheaves. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 20:20-28. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left (, this) is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint Gregory the Great (c.540-604), Pope, Doctor of the Church Homilies on the Gospel, no.35 (trans. ©Cistercian studies, 123) "My cup you will indeed drink" We are celebrating today the heavenly birthday of a martyr. We must not consider ourselves altogether strangers to his virtue of patience. If with the Lord's help we are striving to observe the virtue of patience, though we are living in a time of peace for the Church, yet we are holding the palm of martyrdom. There are in truth two kinds of martyrdom: one in the heart, the other in heart and action at the same time. And so we can be martyrs, even if we are not slain by anyone's sword. To die at the hands of a persecutor is unmistakably martyrdom; to bear insults, to love one who hates us, is martyrdom in our secret thought. Truth, who asked the sons of Zebedee: “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” testifies that there are two kinds of martyrdom, one in our secret actions, the other in public. When they immediately answered: “We are able,” the Lord replied: “You will indeed drink my cup”. What do we understand by his cup except his passion, of which he said elsewhere: “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me”? (Mt 26,39) But the sons of Zebedee, James, that is, and John, did not both die as martyrs; yet each heard that he would drink of the cup. John did not end his life in martyrdom, yet was a martyr, because he sustained in his heart the suffering he did not undergo in his body. We too, following his example, can be martyrs without a sword, if we truly guard patience in our minds.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Friday, 27 July 2012 Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St Pantaleon, Martyr († c. 303)

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Saint [Padre] Pio de Pietrelcina : Bearing fruit, free from worldly anxiety Book of Jeremiah 3:14-17. Return, rebellious children, says the LORD, for I am your Master; I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion. I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently. When you multiply and become fruitful in the land, says the LORD, They will in those days no longer say, "The ark of the covenant of the LORD!" They will no longer think of it, or remember it, or miss it, or make another. At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD'S throne; there all nations will be gathered together to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem, and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness. Book of Jeremiah 31:10.11-12abcd.13. Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, Proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, He guards them as a shepherd his flock. The LORD shall ransom Jacob, He shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror. Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,   They shall come streaming to the LORD's blessings:   The grain, the wine, and the oil, The sheep and the oxen. Then the virgins shall make merry and dance, And young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:18-23. Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint [Padre] Pio de Pietrelcina (1887-1968), Capuchin Letter 3: 579; CE 54 Bearing fruit, free from worldly anxiety Advance with simplicity on the pathways of God, and do not worry. Hate your defects, yes, but quietly, without excitement, nor anxiety. We must be patient with them and benefit from them by means of a holy humility. For if you lack patience, your imperfections, instead of disappearing, will only grow. Because there is nothing that strengthens our defects so much as anxiety and an obsession to get rid of them. Cultivate your vineyard together with Jesus. To you the task of removing stones and pulling up brambles. To Jesus, that of sowing, planting, cultivating and watering. But even in your work, it is still he who acts. Because, without Christ, you could do nothing at all.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Saturday, 28 July 2012 Saturday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Pedro Poveda Castroverde, Priest & Martyr (1874-1936),  St. Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception (1910-1946),  St. Victor, Pope and Martyr († 198)

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Blessed John Henry Newman : "Let them grow together until harvest" Book of Jeremiah 7:1-11. The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Stand at the gate of the house of the LORD, and there proclaim this message: Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Reform your ways and your deeds, so that I may remain with you in this place. Put not your trust in the deceitful words: "This is the temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!" Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place, or follow strange gods to your own harm, will I remain with you in this place, in the land which I gave your fathers long ago and forever. But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss! Are you to steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, go after strange gods that you know not, and yet come to stand before me in this house which bears my name, and say: "We are safe; we can commit all these abominations again"? Has this house which bears my name become in your eyes a den of thieves? I too see what is being done, says the LORD. Psalms 84(83):3.4.5-6a.8a.11. My soul yearns and pines For the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh Cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, And the swallow a nest In which she puts her young? Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My king and my God! Blessed they who dwell in your house! Continually they praise you. Blessed the men whose strength you are! They go from strength to strength. I had rather one day in your courts Than a thousand elsewhere; I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:24-30. He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890), priest, founder of a religious community, theologian Sermons Preached on Various Occasions, no.9,2: §§2.6 "Let them grow together until harvest" The Church has scandals, she has a reproach, she has a shame: no Catholic will deny it. She has ever had the reproach and shame of being the mother of children unworthy of her. She has good children;—she has many more bad... God might have formed a pure Church; but He has expressly predicted that the cockle, sown by the enemy, shall remain with the wheat, even to the harvest at the end of the world. He pronounced that His Church should be like a fisher's net, “gathering fish of every kind,” and not examined till the evening (Mt 13,47f.). Nay, more than this, He declared that the bad and imperfect should far surpass the good. "Many are called," He said, "but few are chosen" (Mt 22,14); and His Apostle speaks of "a remnant saved according to the election of grace" (Rom 11,5). There is ever, then, an abundance of materials in the lives and the histories of Catholics ready to the use of her opponents... But we do not bury our faces in our hands, we raise our hands and our faces to our Redeemer. "As the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, and the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until He have mercy upon us” (Ps 123[122],2)... To Thee do we appeal, O true Judge, for Thou seest us. We care not for man while we have Thee..., while we have Thy presence in our assemblies, and Thy witness and Thy approval in our hearts.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Monday, 30 July 2012 Monday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (406-450)

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Saint José Maria Escriva de Balaguer : "Until the whole batch was leavened" Book of Jeremiah 13:1-11. The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth; wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water. I bought the loincloth, as the LORD commanded, and put it on. A second time the word of the LORD came to me thus: Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing, and go now to the Parath; there hide it in a cleft of the rock. Obedient to the LORD'S command, I went to the Parath and buried the loincloth. After a long interval, he said to me: Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth which I told you to hide there. Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth from the place where I had hid it. But it was rotted, good for nothing! Then the message came to me from the LORD: Thus says the LORD: So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot, the great pride of Jerusalem. This wicked people who refuse to obey my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, and follow strange gods to serve and adore them, shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing. For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man's loins, so had I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD; to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty. But they did not listen. Book of Deuteronomy 32:18-19.20.21. You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, You forgot the God who gave you birth. When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing And anger toward his sons and daughters.   "I will hide my face from them," he said, "And see what will then become of them. What a fickle race they are, Sons with no loyalty in them!" "Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god' And angered me with their vain idols, I will provoke them with a 'no-people'; With a foolish nation I will anger them." Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:31-35. He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" He spoke to them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation (of the world)."

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint José Maria Escriva de Balaguer (1902-1975), priest, founder Sermon in Amigos de Dios "Until the whole batch was leavened" I should like to recall the divine greatness of faithfully fulfilling one's everyday obligations, made up of struggles that fill our Lord with joy and that he alone knows about in the case of each one of us. Be sure of this, you won't usually have to accomplish stunning feats, particularly because the chance won't as a rule present itself. On the other hand, occasions will never be lacking for proving your love of Jesus Christ in little things, in the routine... When we reflect over Our Lord's words, “I consecrate myself for them, so that they, also, may be consecrated in truth” (Jn 17,19), we  perceive clearly our sole object: sanctification, that is to say our duty of being saints in order to sanctify. At the same time, the subtle temptation may perhaps assail us of thinking that very few of us have determined to respond to this divine invitation, without taking into account that we ourselves testify we are no more than very imperfect instruments (cf. Lk 17,10). We are, it is true, very few in number in the sight of the rest of humanity and, of ourselves, we are worth nothing. But the Master's statement carries authority: Christians are the light, the salt, the leaven of the world and “a little yeast leavens the whole batch of the dough” (Mt 5,13-14; Gal 5,9).

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Tuesday, 31 July 2012 Tuesday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (1491-1556)

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Saint Hilary : "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" Book of Jeremiah 14:17-22. Speak to them this word: Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, Over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people, over her incurable wound. If I walk out into the field, look! those slain by the sword; If I enter the city, look! those consumed by hunger. Even the prophet and the priest forage in a land they know not. Have you cast Judah off completely? Is Zion loathsome to you? Why have you struck us a blow that cannot be healed? We wait for peace, to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead. We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers; that we have sinned against you. For your name's sake spurn us not, disgrace not the throne of your glory; remember your covenant with us, and break it not. Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain? Or can the mere heavens send showers? Is it not you alone, O LORD, our God, to whom we look? You alone have done all these things. Psalms 79(78):8.9.11.13. Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; May your compassion quickly come to us, For we are brought very low. Help us, O God our savior, Because of the glory of your name; Deliver us and pardon our sins For your name's sake. Let the prisoners' sighing come before you; With your great power free those doomed to death. Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture, Will give thanks to you forever; Through all generations we will declare your praise. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:35-43. To fulfill what had been said through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation (of the world)." Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned (up) with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint Hilary (c.315-367), Bishop of Poitiers, Doctor of the Church The Trinity, XI, 39-40 "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" “Then shall Christ hand over the Kingdom to his Father,” Saint Paul says (1Cor 15,24), not in the sense that he will yield up his power by handing the Kingdom over to him, but because we ourselves will be God's Kingdom when we have been conformed to the glory of his body..., constituted Kingdom of God through the glorification of his body. It is we who he will hand over as Kingdom to the Father, as it is written in the Gospel: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25,34). “Then shall the just shine out like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father”. For the Son will hand over to the Father as his Kingdom those he has invited into his Kingdom, those to whom he has promised the blessedness proper to this mystery in the words: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Mt 5,8)... See how those whom he hands over to his Father, as being his Kingdom, see God. Our Lord himself made known to his apostles in what this Kingdom consists: “The Kingdom of God is among you” (Lk 17,21). And if anyone wants to know who it is who hands over the Kingdom, let him hear: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being” (1Cor 15,20-21). All this concerns the mystery of the Body since Christ was the first to be raised from the dead... So it is for the development of the humanity that Christ assumed that “God will be all in all” (1Cor 15,28).