August 9, 2013

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Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time 
Lectionary: 411

Reading 1DT 4:32-40

Moses said to the people:
“Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

Moses challenged the people of Israel to think about the past.  Had they ever heard of a God who came to His people producing visible signs and wonders and rescued the entire nation.

All this you were allowed to see
that you might know the LORD is God and there is no other.
Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you;
on earth he let you see his great fire,
and you heard him speaking out of the fire.

This God did in order that we could believe in Him.  He allowed our forefathers to see the things He did and to hear His voice.

For love of your fathers he chose their descendants
and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power,
driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you,
so as to bring you in
and to make their land your heritage, as it is today.
This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.

Because of His love for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God saved them from Egypt and gave them a land which belonged to another people.  Thus, He proved to them that He is God and there is no other.

You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever.”

Therefore, we must all obey Him and do what is right.  His law is written in our hearts and is passed down to us by the Church and in the Scriptures.  Therefore it is not something difficult.  To love one another is to keep the Law of God.

Responsorial PsalmPS 77:12-13, 14-15, 16 AND 21

R. (12a) I remember the deeds of the Lord.
I remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
O God, your way is holy;
what great god is there like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
among the peoples you have made known your power.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moses and Aaron.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.

Keep God always on your mind, on your lips and in your heart and you will be saved.  Remember God's love for you always and love Him in return.  Do not take God's love for granted.  But always do righteously that He may continue to bless you all your life.

GospelMT 16:24-28

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,

take up his cross, and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world

and forfeit his life?

Or what can one give in exchange for his life?

One does not need to physically to give one's life for another.  A child who gets off of his computer game to help his mom with the chores is giving up his life for one he loves.  A husband who gives up his drink at the bar to be at home with his wife and kids for supper is giving up his life for those he loves.   

I won't mention moms because I don't know any mom who has not given up her entire life for her family.  

For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,

and then he will repay each according to his conduct.

In the end times, Jesus will be the Just Judge before whom we will all stand:

Romans 14:10  But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 

Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here

who will not taste death

until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

Since many have died since Jesus ascended to the Father, I think Jesus was making reference to the Eucharist distributed to Christians in the Mass.  The Mass is the Assembly of the people of God, therefore it is the Assembly of the Kingdom of God.  And it is in the Mass that Jesus comes to us in the Holy Eucharist.  The Apostles were all still alive when the Mass was first celebrated.