Daily Readings August 7, 2012

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Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 408

Reading 1 Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22

The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel:Write all the words I have spoken to you in a book.

God instructs Jeremiah to write down His message.

For thus says the LORD:Incurable is your wound,grievous your bruise;There is none to plead your cause,no remedy for your running sore,no healing for you.

And God said, you are very sore and very sick and there is no cure for you.

All your lovers have forgotten you,they do not seek you.

No one love you, no one is seeking to help you.

I struck you as an enemy would strike,punished you cruelly;

I, God, have punished you.

Why cry out over your wound?
your pain is without relief.

It is useless for you to cry.  Your pain will not be relieved.

Because of your great guilt,
your numerous sins,
I have done this to you.

I have punished you because of your evil deeds.

Thus says the LORD:See! I will restore the tents of Jacob,his dwellings I will pity;City shall be rebuilt upon hill,and palace restored as it was.

The Lord also says:
I will restore Jacob.  His homes I will rebuild as they were.

From them will resound songs of praise,the laughter of happy men.

They will be happy again.

I will make them not few, but many;they will not be tiny, for I will glorify them.

And I will honor them by making them grow in number.

His sons shall be as of old,his assembly before me shall stand firm;I will punish all his oppressors.His leader shall be one of his own,And his rulers shall come from his kin.

I will defend his children from their oppressors.  I will make his rulers from his own family.

When I summon him, he shall approach me;how else should one take the deadly riskof approaching me? says the LORD.You shall be my people,and I will be your God.

And the people of Jacob will again be my own.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 And 22-23

Response. (17) The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.

The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.

R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.

Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."

R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.

The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence,
That the name of the LORD may be declared on Zion;
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.

The Psalm speaks of the restoration of Israel.  Most people don't realize that this has already occurred in the Catholic Church.  The Catholic Church is the New Israel.  The New Jerusalem.

Gospel Mt 14:22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boatand precede him to the other side of the sea,while he dismissed the crowds.

Jesus told His disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side of the sea.

After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.When it was evening he was there alone.

Then He went up on the mountain to pray, alone.

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.

Meanwhile, the boat had run into a storm.

During the fourth watch of the night,he came toward them, walking on the sea.

I don't know what the "fourth watch" is, but it sounds like it was late at night.  And at this hour, Jesus came to them, walking on the waters.

When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified."It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.

The disciples didn't recognize Jesus at first.  They thought they saw a ghost.

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

But Jesus said, "don't be afraid.  Its just me.

Peter said to him in reply,
"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."

And this is when St. Peter walks 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!"

But he got scared and cried out to our Lord.

This is so beautiful.  My admiration for St. Peter never ceases.

Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Somehow, I don't think Jesus was upset.  It was more like a father cajoling his child.

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 seeing this, those in the boat realized that Jesus is really 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 sickand begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,and as many as touched it were healed.

When they crossed the sea, they were in Gennesaret.  The people there immediately recognized Jesus and sent word to all the country.  They brought all their sick to Him and begged even to touch His clothes.  All who did, were healed.

What a difference compared to what we recently saw occurred in His hometown of Nazareth.  Where He could do nothing for them because they had no faith in Him.

The following text may be substituted,
especially in Year A when the above Gospel is read on Monday.

Or 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." 

The Pharisees were again complaining about Jesus and His disciples.  This time they said the disciples were breaking the tradition of the elders.

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."

Jesus called the crowds and taught them a lesson.  He said, it isn't what goes into a man which defiles him but that which comes out of the man which defiles.

Jesus was speaking spiritually.  A man who eats poison or rubbish may defile his body.  But not his soul.

Then his disciples approached and said to him,"Do you know that the Pharisees took offensewhen they heard what you said?"

The disciples informed Jesus that the Pharisees had been offended by what Jesus said.

He said in reply, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not plantedwill be uprooted.

Jesus replied, that is because they are not of my Father.  And they shall be replaced.

Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.If a blind man leads a blind man,both will fall into a pit."

The Pharisees, He said, are blind and they lead the blind.  And together they will fall into a pit.

Sincerely,

De Maria