MASS READINGS AND COMMENTARY | JUNE 17, 2020

When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,
he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here;
the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.”
“As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you,” Elisha replied.
And so the two went on together.
Fifty of the guild prophets followed and
when the two stopped at the Jordan,
they stood facing them at a distance.
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up
and struck the water, which divided,
and both crossed over on dry ground.

When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha,
“Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you.”
Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.”
“You have asked something that is not easy,” Elijah replied.
“Still, if you see me taken up from you,
your wish will be granted; otherwise not.”
As they walked on conversing,
a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them,
and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
When Elisha saw it happen he cried out,
“My father! my father! Israel’s chariots and drivers!”
But when he could no longer see him,
Elisha gripped his own garment and tore it in two.

Then he picked up Elijah’s mantle that had fallen from him,
and went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan.
Wielding the mantle that had fallen from Elijah,
Elisha struck the water in his turn and said,
“Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?”
When Elisha struck the water it divided and he crossed over.

R. (25) Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
How great is the goodness, O LORD,
which you have in store for those who fear you,
And which, toward those who take refuge in you,
you show in the sight of the children of men.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men;
You screen them within your abode
from the strife of tongues.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the LORD, all you his faithful ones!
The LORD keeps those who are constant,
but more than requites those who act proudly.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Catechism of the Catholic Chuch

12 This work is intended primarily for those responsible for catechesis: first of all the bishops, as teachers of the faith and pastors of the Church. It is offered to them as an instrument in fulfilling their responsibility of teaching the People of God. Through the bishops, it is addressed to redactors of catechisms, to priests, and to catechists. It will also be useful reading for all other Christian faithful.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17^TH  Mt. 6:1-6, 16-18   “Your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

What is it the Father sees in secret? What is it the Father sees that is hidden? Our Lord talks about the three staples of our spiritual life: almsgiving, fasting, and prayer. There is more the Father’s sees in secret, that is hidden, but let us begin with these three.

ALMSGIVING – our good deeds… Serving those in need for Christ’s sake with our time, our abilities, and our material and spiritual wealth.

• One of the truest proverbs is: Charity begins at home! It is the polar opposite of the saying: street angel, house devil! Do we actively seek ways to help at home?
  
• When we have satisfied charity at home, we can extend our good deeds to meet the needs in our parish and/or community. It is true that some of our good deeds are done communally and known to others. But there also many opportunities for good deeds that few know about, perhaps only the recipients!

FASTING…

A question for you… Are Catholics required to fast from meat on Fridays? Most Catholics would correctly answer NO. However, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had more to say regarding fasting from meat on Fridays. Here is the full answer that most Catholics are unaware of – an exhortation to fast with a very beautiful and compelling explanation why!

USCCB Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence.

22. Friday itself remains a special day of penitential observance throughout the year, a time when those who seek perfection will be mindful of their personal sins and the sins of mankind which they are called upon to help expiate in union with Christ Crucified.

23. Friday should be in each week something of what Lent is in the entire year. For this reason we urge all to prepare for that weekly Easter that comes with each Sunday by freely making of every Friday a day of self-denial and mortification in prayerful remembrance of the passion of Jesus Christ.

24. Among the works of voluntary self-denial and personal penance which we especially commend to our people for the future observance of Friday, even though we hereby terminate the traditional law of abstinence binding under pain of sin, as the sole prescribed means of observing Friday, we give first place to abstinence from flesh meat. We do so in the hope that the Catholic community will ordinarily continue to abstain from meat by free choice as formerly we did in obedience to Church law. Our expectation is based on the following considerations:

• We shall thus freely and out of love for Christ Crucified show our solidarity with the generations of believers to whom this practice frequently became, especially in times of persecution and of great poverty, no mean evidence of fidelity to Christ and His Church.
• We shall thus also remind ourselves that as Christians, although immersed in the world and sharing its life, we must preserve a saving and necessary difference from the spirit of the world. Our deliberate, personal abstinence from meat, more especially because no longer required by law, will be an outward sign of inward spiritual values that we cherish.

  End USCCB Pastoral Statement.

• These are compelling reasons to give up meat or to do some type of fasting on Fridays. There are other reasons for fasting in our spiritual journey. We may fast for special intentions; we all have intentions that weigh heavily on our heart! Jesus said some demons are only driven out by prayer and fasting. (Mt. 17:21)
• We usually think of fasting from food – denying bodily food to increase our hunger for God! But we should also think of fasting from other things that turn our hearts away from God. Taking custody of the senses is fasting – guarding our eyes and ears from seeing or hearing things that feed curiosity and the sin of gossip, or that feed impure thoughts and desires. Taking custody of our thoughts and speech is fasting – rejecting uncharitable thoughts that lead to unkind comments, concentrating instead on our own unworthiness and need for God’s mercy!

PRAYER… How did Jesus pray?

Jesus participated in communal prayer with His apostles. “Lord, teach us how to pray.” He taught them the Our Father. (Lk 11: 1-4) He prayed with His apostles in the synagogue. But Jesus also went off by Himself to secluded places to pray. He wanted to be alone with the Father, enter into the Father’s Presence, speak to the Father and listen to Him… to experience in His human nature the communion He shared with the Father in His divinity!

Communal Prayer…

• Hopefully, we pray at home with our family! A favorite family prayer of the Church is the most holy Rosary, honoring Our Blessed Mother and Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer! Many prayers are answered through daily recitation of the Rosary!
• As Catholics we participate in communal worship. We obey the 3rd Commandment by participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
• In these days of the pandemic, we are dispensed from this obligation. Now that the churches are open at limited capacity, we may be able to attend Mass and receive Jesus in Holy Communion sacramentally. But we can always participate in live stream Masses and receive Jesus spiritually.
• What a privilege, in person whenever possible or by live stream – to participate in the Mass – the representation of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary – the greatest act of love the world has ever known, conquering sin and death and giving us hope of eternal salvation! Then to reverently receive Him in a Sacramental Communion or Spiritual Communion! It is the burning love and desire in our heart that Jesus sees and He responds with an outpouring of His love and graces!

Personal Prayer…

• Today, Jesus emphasizes the importance of private prayer, “go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.” He wants us to enter into that communion of being and love that He shares with the Father. This is our daily holy hour!
• Jesus in His humanity could not fulfill the purpose and mission for which He became Incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary without spending time alone in prayer with the Father.
• It was in prayer that Jesus surrendered His will to the Father. “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’” (Mt. 26:39)
• So too, our daily holy hour prepares us for the work God is calling us to do, helps us to hear the call, and strengthens us to embrace it!
• In our holy hour, we learn to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit so as to follow His inspirations, and the promptings of the evil spirit so as to reject them!
• Our holy hours make us stronger in trials. As our love for Jesus grows, trust in His holy will grows, and we are able to bear trials, tribulations, and sufferings with more patience and acceptance.
• It is in our holy hour that we recognize the enthusiasm, energy and clarity of consolation, and we can make use of the wind in our sails to accomplish great things.
• It is in our holy hour that we recognize the sadness, confusion and loss of energy that assails us in desolation. Aware of this, we know that we have to hold fast to our spiritual practices, with patience and trust in God’s sufficient grace to sustain us until consolation returns. That especially applies to keeping our daily appointment with Our Lord in our Holy Hour! Distractions, temptations, dryness will come in prayer, but His loving and merciful Heart radiates healing light and warmth, even when we don’t feel it. If we are walking on the beach on a cloudy day, we can still get a sunburn!

What else does the Father see in secret, that is hidden…

What else does the Father see in secret? What else does He see that is hidden? The Father sees into the very depths of our heart – our desires, our intentions, our will. He knows if they are good or bad. We can fool ourselves, we can perhaps fool others, but we can never fool God!

Let us beg Mary, our most Holy Mother, to purify our desires, to rectify our intentions, and to fortify our will to do only what is right and pleasing in the eyes of God today and all the days of our life!