July 1, 2013

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« June 30  |  July 2 »

Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time 
Lectionary: 377

Reading 1GN 18:16-33

You might want to read this from the beginning as it is one of the proof texts of the Holy Trinity.  Three persons appeared to Abraham and he called them, "Lord".

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?

This is a great mystery.  God has only now promised Abraham that he will have many children, but God says that Abraham has already become a great nation.  In a certain, mysterious manner, what we would call a sacramental manner, God has already made Abraham the father of many nations.

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,

Again, because of his faith, God has judged Abraham a just man.  

so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham
the promises he made about him.”

And because of his faith, we, his spiritual descendants are blessed in Abraham (Galatians 3:14).

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.”

Again, this a proof text for the Holy Trinity, since the Lord who is speaking to Abraham does not go down.  But the two other persons who are with Him.  They go down and see for themselves the sin of Sodom.

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?”

In his love for Lot, Abraham stands on the breech before God almighty.  Abraham is here proven not just righteous, but courageous.  I suppose the two go hand in hand.

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.

Because of his courage, righteousness, faith and trust in God, Abraham feels free to withstand God on behalf of his brethren.  And he succeeds in obtaining from God assurance that any righteous person remaining in Sodom will be spared.

Responsorial PsalmPS 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.

God is kind and merciful.  Even God's harshness is kindness towards us.  Because when He appears to be harsh it is to save us from eternal punishment.  If we would only turn to God and show mercy to our brethren, we would also experience his mercy towards us.

GospelMT 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.”

Put Jesus first, always, and everything else will be given unto you:

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

Just as I thought. Simultaneous?

Lutero said:

Just as I thought. Simultaneous? You mix these three tenses. Positionally, we have been saved, cleansed of sins (justified - past tense). Sanctification is an ongoing process (present tense) in which the justified person is involved in resisting sin, seeking holiness, and working to be more godly. Sanctification has no bearing on justification. That is, even if we don't live a sinless perfect life (which we won't), we are still justified by faith in Christ. We will receive our glorified bodies at the resurrection (future).

The three are one and the same process of purgation. We are being purged of sin and made holy in suffering. Just as our Lord and Master. Did you think that you were exempt of the process?

Hebrews 2:9-11

King James Version (KJV)
⁹But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
¹⁰For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
¹¹For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

1 Peter 5:9-11

King James Version (KJV)
⁹Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
¹⁰But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
¹¹To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Sincerely,

De Maria

Louder than words

June 30, 2013

USCCB »  Bible »  Daily Readings

 « June 29  |  July 1 »

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 
Lectionary: 99

Reading 11 KGS 19:16B, 19-21

The LORD said to Elijah:

“You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah,

as prophet to succeed you.”

Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,

as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;

he was following the twelfth.

Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.

Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,

“Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,

and I will follow you.”

Elijah answered, “Go back!

Have I done anything to you?”

Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;

he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,

and gave it to his people to eat.

Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

When we read this passage, it takes us, perhaps, one minute to read.  So, unless we think about it, we don't realize that this passage encapsulates a very large amount of time.

Have you ever started a camp fire?  Have you ever chopped wood?  If you have, you know that it would take hours to chop the plowing equipment into manageable pieces  to start a fire.  

Have you ever cooked over a camp fire?  if you have, you know that it takes a great deal of time to get the fire hot enough to cook.  Have you ever slaughtered an animal?  If you have, you know that it takes hours to prepare even a small animal for cooking.  Not to mention an entire team of oxen which were being used to plow a field.  And after all is said and done, how long does it take to make raw meat kosher (remove all its blood) and then to cook raw meat until it is edible?  We haven't even addressed the pots and pans yet.  How big would they need to be in order to cook this much meat?  And how long would they take to consume?  The reading gives the impression that Elisha just up and followed Elijah.  But in my opinion, this could not have taken less than one week to accomplish. 

Responsorial PsalmPS 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (cf. 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.”
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

We frequently speak of the gift of God.  We rarely stop to think that the gift of God to us is Himself.  God gives us Himself.  That is His gift.  He gives Himself entirely to us.

Reading 2GAL 5:1, 13-18

Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters.
But do not use this freedom
as an opportunity for the flesh;
rather, serve one another through love.
For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement,
namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
But if you go on biting and devouring one another,
beware that you are not consumed by one another.

I say, then: live by the Spirit
and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. 
For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
these are opposed to each other,
so that you may not do what you want.
But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

This is an excellent example of the doctrine of free will.  St. Paul is exhorting us to exercise our free will and obey God.  God has saved us for Himself.  Therefore, we should obey His Spirit. 

GospelLK 9:51-62

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled,

he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,

and he sent messengers ahead of him.

On the way they entered a Samaritan village

to prepare for his reception there,

but they would not welcome him

because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.

This speaks volumes about sinful and prideful human nature.  The Samaritans rejected the Christ of God whom they acknowledged (John 4:42) because His destination was Jerusalem.  It makes no sense.

When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,

“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven

to consume them?”

Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

The sons of Thunder were not happy that the Samaritans rejected their Saviour.  But Jesus rebuked them for their attitude.

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him,

“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.”

Soneone wanted to follow Jesus and Jesus gave him fair warning, that following Him is not for the weak of heart.

And to another he said, “Follow me.”

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

In my opinion, his father is not dead, but alive.  He is asking permission to take care of his father until he dies and then he will join Jesus.

But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.

But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

But Jesus told him that God comes first and not to worry about his father.  I think this correlates to the verse which says:

Matthew 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,

but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”

To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow

and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

This is a spiritual teaching.  Many times when we turn to God we begin to miss those things which we loved before but which we left behind.  But this is when we fall away.  Therefore, Jesus is saying that once we turn to God, we must not look back but continue on the path of righteousness.

It sounds like sugar coated double talk to me.

Lutero,
It sounds like sugar coated double talk to me. You keep saying that we have to wait for the Judgment to find out if we are saved, yet the Bible says we have been saved through faith. If you don't know then you are trusting in your performance, works. You can't have it both ways.

The Bible doesn't say we have been saved. It says we will be saved by faith.

And the Bible says that faith ALONE is dead. No one is saved by faith ALONE. Now or then.

Sincerely,

De Maria

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June 29, 2013 - Mass During The Day

USCCB »  Bible »  Daily Readings

 « June 28  |  June 30 »

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles - Mass During the Day

Lectionary: 591

Reading 1ACTS 12:1-11

In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them.
He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword,
and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews
he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
–It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.–
He had him taken into custody and put in prison
under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.
He intended to bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter thus was being kept in prison,
but prayer by the Church was fervently being made
to God on his behalf.

King Herod, son of the Herod who tried to kill Jesus, had killed St. James the greater and was no seeking to kill St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles.

On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial,
Peter, secured by double chains,
was sleeping between two soldiers,
while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison.
Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him
and a light shone in the cell.

St. Peter was arrested and put in jail.  But the night before his trial the Angel of God appeared to him.

He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying,
“Get up quickly.”
The chains fell from his wrists.
The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.”
He did so.
Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”
So he followed him out,
not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real;
he thought he was seeing a vision.

St. Peter thought he was dreaming, but he did everything the Angel commanded.

They passed the first guard, then the second,
and came to the iron gate leading out to the city,
which opened for them by itself.
They emerged and made their way down an alley,
and suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter recovered his senses and said,
“Now I know for certain
that the Lord sent his angel
and rescued me from the hand of Herod
and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.”

Then, when he was away safely, St. Peter realized that God had sent His angel to save him.

Responsorial PsalmPS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

Look to the Lord and He will save you.  To the faithful, God will send His angels or saints to protect you. God loves His saints and will always take care of you.

Reading 22 TM 4:6-8, 17-18

I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.

St. Paul knew that his time on earth was short.  He also knew that he was counted amongst God's righteous.  That he would be saved.  
The Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

St. Paul knew that he was saved, even here on earth.  How is that so?  Because it was revealed to him by God.  

GospelMT 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Jesus Christ appointed Simon bar Jonah, the Rock upon which the Church was built.  St. Peter, by virtue of his bold faith was appointed the ruler and shepherd of the Church by Jesus Christ the Son of God.

June 29, 2013 - Vigil Mass

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 « June 28  |  June 30 »

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles - Vigil Mass

Lectionary: 590

Reading 1ACTS 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.

St. Peter and St. John, two of the pillars of the Church, were walking into the Temple where they saw a man who was crippled from birth.  St. Peter, feeling sorry for him, miraculously healed him.  The people noticed this and were amazed.

Responsorial PsalmPS 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.

The Church has proclaimed the Gospel throughout all the earth from the time of Jesus Christ.  And will continue to do this until the end of time.

Reading 2GAL 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.

St Paul reveals that he is true Apostle, taught the Gospel directly by 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.

He was born a Jew of faithful stock, zealous for the traditions of his fathers.  
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.

But Jesus Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus and showed him the error of his ways.  At that time, St. Paul did not immediately join the Church.  But began to preach according to what Christ      revealed to him.
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.

But after three years, he joined the Apostles, going first to speak to St. Peter, whom he refers to as Cephas (Rock), the name Jesus gave him.  Although it is not mentioned here, he went there to make sure that he was not preaching in vain.  There were rumors that he was teaching against Moses.  But the Catholic Church does not teach against Moses.

GospelJN 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.”

Jesus Christ confirms to St. Peter that he is the Prince of the Apostles who will lead His Church after Christ's ascension into heaven.

You keep saying, we are not saved by works….

Lutero said,
You keep saying, we are not saved by works, but we must accomplish a list of works before we can be saved. So what's the difference?

The difference is simple. Look at the Pharisee at the temple:
Luke 18:9-11

King James Version (KJV)
⁹And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
¹⁰Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

He presumed he was saved by his works. And therefore claimed salvation before time. Just as you claim to be saved by your faith and claim salvation for yourself, trusting in your faith.

We don't do that. Look at Matt 25:31-41

Matthew 25:31-41
King James Version (KJV)³¹When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:³²And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:³³And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:³⁵For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:³⁶Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?³⁸When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?³⁹Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

The righteous did not do the works of God to receive a reward. But they received the Reward of Life:
⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
As the Scripture says:

Revelation 22:13-15
King James Version (KJV)¹³I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.¹⁴Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.¹⁵For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

As you can see from Matt 25. God will divide the people into two groups. Those who DO His Will. And those who DON'T DO HIS WILL.

Those who will be saved will be those who DO HIS WILL. Those who will be condemned will be those who DON'T DO HIS WILL.

I'm not judging anyone. But it seems to me that if a person denies the value of keeping the Commandments, that person will probably wind up on the side of those who DON'T DO THE WILL OF GOD. But that is just my thinking. God will judge the hearts of men.

Sincerely,

De Maria