The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king
to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”

The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him:
“Because you have asked for this—
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches,
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right—
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.”

R. (97a) Lord, I love your commands.
I have said, O LORD, that my part
is to keep your words.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
For I love your command
more than gold, however fine.
For in all your precepts I go forward;
every false way I hate.
R. Lord, I love your commands.
Wonderful are your decrees;
therefore I observe them.
The revelation of your words sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple.
R. Lord, I love your commands.

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
for you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household
who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”

II The Stages of Revelation

In the beginning God makes himself known.

54 “God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word, provides men with constant evidence of himself in created realities. and furthermore, wishing to open up the way to heavenly salvation – he manifested himself to our first parents from the very beginning.”6 He invited them to intimate communion with himself and clothed them with resplendent grace and justice.

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

SUNDAY, JULY 26^TH   Mt. 13:44-52   “The Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

• Certainly as Catholics we can say the Pearl of great price is the Eucharist – the Real Presence – the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ!
• CCC 1324 The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”134 “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.”135.
• Now that we are able to receive Holy Communion in our outdoor Masses, let us examine ourselves on 1) How well we understand and receive Jesus in the most Holy Eucharist; and 2) How we can receive Jesus with more love and fervor.
• If we are still not able to receive Jesus sacramentally, this reflection can help us make the best Spiritual Communion of our life every day, inviting Our Lord into our heart and our life!

OUR SPIRITUAL ­GOLDMINE: JESUS IN OUR HEART!  By Father Ed Broom, OMV

Prime time of the greatest importance in our life, without doubt, is when we have the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus in our heart. The Real Presence could not be a better descriptive term! Upon receiving the Eucharist, Holy Communion we truly have the Real Presence of Jesus in the depths of our heart, mind, and soul. Really and truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus, the Eternal Son of God the Father, permeates, imbues and penetrates our whole being with His Real Presence.

Entering into the 35^th year of my Priesthood, I am keenly aware of the sad fact that many people, after receiving Holy Communion— Jesus into their soul—all too often do not know what to do. Fumbling with their hands, picking at their fingernails, looking at their phone, staring at me, or contemplating their watch is often the attitude of many right after receiving Jesus in His Real Presence in Holy Communion.

This flippant, distracted, and bored bodily posture betrays the clear fact that many, all too many, practicing Catholics have lost belief and faith in the Real Presence of the Eucharistic Lord. Due to a diluted, overly sentimental catechesis perhaps many have never even learned what the Eucharist truly is! How else can we describe this except as a full-blown Catholic identity crisis! As Catholics, if we do not know nor believe in the Eucharist as the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ then Catholics we are not!

The essential thrust and purpose of this brief essay is to help us to believe firmly in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Mass, in the Eucharist, in Holy Communion. Then consequently to strive with all the fiber of our being to receive Jesus with more faith, devotion, and love. By far, there is no greater action underneath the sun that we can do than to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. However, we must receive Him with increasing faith, confidence, purity of heart, devotion, hunger and love. One Holy Communion well received could transform us into great saints. 

DISPOSITIVE GRACE. The lack of fruits in the reception of Holy Communion is not due to the Sacrament we receive but due to the lack of a proper disposition in receiving the Lord of Lords and King of Kings! The better the disposition of our heart, the more abounding and copious the graces!

The following points consist of what we can do and how we should act upon receiving the most Holy Eucharist, the Real Presence—the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the Eucharistic Lord. Every Holy Communion that we receive should be received as if it were actually our first, our last, and even our only Holy Communion!

1. PRAISE THE LORD! The Eucharistic Jesus is truly God. Therefore, the highest form of prayer that we can offer to God is that of praise. Unite your whole being with the angels and saints in Heaven and praise the Lord with all of your heart. As a primer, you might even recite the Divine Praises: “Blessed be God; Blessed be His Holy Name; Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man; Blessed be the Name of Jesus; Blessed be His most Sacred Heart; Blessed be His most Precious Blood, Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.” Beg the angels and saints to help you in your prayer of Eucharistic praise!

2. THANK THE LORD. Eucharist actually means Thanksgiving. What do we have that we have not received from our Divine Benefactor, God Himself? All the good that we have in our total person is a generous and bountiful manifestation of God’s love for us. The only thing that God did not give us is our sins; we chose those! May the prayer of the Psalmist resound in the depths of our heart after Holy Communion: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Ps. 107:1)

3. BEG PARDON OF THE LORD. How true Sacred Scripture: “The just man falls seven times a day.” (Prov. 24:16) Due to our many sins, we have fallen short of the glory of God in many times, places, and circumstances. With David, who committed adultery and the murder of an innocent man, with heartfelt compunction let us beg for mercy for ourselves and for the whole world, praying part of Psalm 51: “Lord have mercy on me, have mercy on me. My sin is always before my eyes. A humble and contrite heart you will not spurn. Send forth your spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew he face of the earth.”

4. BECOME BARTIMEUS THE BEGGAR. The great Saint Augustine asserted: “We are all beggars before the Lord.” Let us imitate Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, and implore the Lord to help us in our desperate need. Holy Communion is truly Jesus, the Light of the world. Beg Jesus to take the scales from your eyes so that you can contemplate His Face with ever greater clarity.

5. BEG FOR OTHERS, THE GRACES THEY NEED. Our reception of Holy Communion should be Catholic—meaning universal! Saint Paul states: “The love of God compels us.” (2 Cor. 5:14) This love should be both universal and all-embracing such that we beg and pray for the many graces that so many people stand in desperate need of! Now that the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus beats in your heart, heed the words of Jesus Himself: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Mt.7:7)

6. INTERCEDE FOR DEATH-BED SINNERS. A category of persons that often stand in desperate need of prayers are those individuals who are in their last moments, in their last and ultimate agony. By far the most important moment in our life is the moment of our death. That will determine our eternal destiny— either Heaven or Hell and forever and ever and ever! In your thanksgiving after receiving the Eucharistic Lord Jesus, who said from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34), beg for the conversion and salvation of deathbed sinners. Who knows how many souls will be saved by your fervent Eucharistic prayers after receiving our Eucharistic merciful Savior!

7. REST ON THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. Jesus said: “Come to me all you who find life burdensome and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Mt. 11:28-30) After receiving Holy Communion, you can imitate Saint John the Evangelist, the Best Friend of Jesus, and simply rest lovingly and peacefully on His Sacred Heart—the best resting place!

8. CAST YOUR CARES UPON THE LORD… Saint Peter expresses a very important human sentiment and situation that we all experience during the course of our life, every week and perhaps even every day— problems, worries, anxieties, and confusion. Saint Peter’s Letter expresses this state of soul in this short but clear concept: “Cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares for you.” (1Pt 5:7) As the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus beats in your heart, He will come to help you with your worries, to either remove them or at least to help you carry your present crosses! Jesus is the Best Friend who will never fail us!

9. BEG FOR A HEART-TRANSPLANT! Our heart, mind, soul, and body can be compared to a Garden. Amidst the roses, tulips, and daffodils flourish the ugly but all too-prevalent weeds! If the weeds are given permission to grow, flourish, and spread, then in a matter of time they will suffocate the beautiful flowers! The Garden analogy applies to virtues and sins. The flowers are the virtues; the weeds are the sins. If not uprooted, the vices dominate in our lives and sin reigns! Upon reception of Holy Communion, we should beg the Lord Jesus to uproot and exterminate the weeds, so that the flowers of virtues can flourish and blossom. May the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus transplant our hearts and make us saints!

10. OUR LADY OF THE EUCHARIST AND THANKSGIVING.  Finally, beg the Immaculate Heart of Mary to speak to the Heart of Jesus to praise Him, to love Him, to worship Him on your behalf. Saint Louis de Montfort suggests praying Mary’s Canticle of Praise, the Magnificat, in your thanksgiving to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus beating in the depths of your soul. May Mary’s words echo in your heart after you receive Jesus in Holy Communion: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Lk. 1:46-55)

In conclusion, the most important gesture and moment in our life is when we receive the Eucharistic Jesus in the depths of our heart and our soul in Holy Communion. Then the moments, the minutes after Holy Communion must be the most precious moments in our whole human existence. Let us strive with all the fiber of our being to prepare properly to receive the Eucharist, but also strive to improve our Thanksgiving after the reception of Holy Communion. Our sanctification, our growth in grace, our growth in virtue and overcoming vice, and our final perseverance can truly depend on the manner in which we treat the Lord Jesus right after receiving Him in Holy Communion. May Our Lady of the Eucharist, and of the angels and saints come to our help!

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary

 

 

 

Brothers and sisters:
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.

R. (5)  Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
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.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap 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.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. Those who 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.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus 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 chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice 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.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church

53 The divine plan of Revelation is realized simultaneously “by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other”4 and shed light on each another. It involves a specific divine pedagogy: God communicates himself to man gradually. He prepares him to welcome by stages the supernatural Revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons repeatedly speaks of this divine pedagogy using the image of God and man becoming accustomed to one another: the Word of God dwelt in man and became the Son of man in order to accustom man to perceive God and to accustom God to dwell in man, according to the Father’s pleasure.

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

SATURDAY, JULY 25^TH Mt. 20:20-28   Feast of Saint James the Apostle… “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”   

• Zebedee was the father of James (the Greater) and John. They worked with their father in the family fishing business. Peter and Andrew were also brothers in the fishing business. They all worked along the same stretch of the Sea of Galilee, as we see in the Gospels.
• This is how they were called to follow Jesus according to Matthew. “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”  (Mt. 4:18-20)
• “Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” (Mt. 4:21-22)
• This is dramatic! This is real! They get up and leave everything! Isn’t this what Matthew does? Now we have to assume Matthew had more wealth than these fishermen. But they all walked away from whatever they had!
• In fact, this total commitment to Christ comes up later in the Gospels. A rich young man comes to Jesus to ask what he must do to obtain eternal life. Jesus looks at him with love for he has followed all the commandments since he was young. Jesus asks the same total commitment of him – “If you wish to be perfect, go sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come and follow me.” And the rich young man went away sad, for he had many possessions. His possessions possessed him and they did not bring him happiness, fulfillment, or joy.
• This incident prompts Jesus to tell His disciples who are listening to this whole conversation: “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
• The disciples are astonished. They say, “Who then can be saved?” Clearly these are the ones who had money and possessions.
• This is when Peter pipes up and asks the big question: “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”And Jesus makes this great prophecy that will echo down through history until the end of time regarding the Apostles, but also all priests and men and women religious! “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Mt. 19: 28-30)
• Eleven of the original twelve apostles chosen by Jesus will persevere. And this will be their great reward! Despite all their faults, failings, and shortcomings! Their tempers, quarreling among themselves, and their cowardice in running away from the cross and abandoning Jesus in His final hours and greatest need. Gives us hope, right? Hope that we too can be a saint someday in heaven! Remember, everyone in heaven is a saint by definition!
• Let us return to James and John. We know about their father. Their mother was Salome. She has her own place in the Gospels. She was one of the women following and ministering to Jesus and the Apostles. She was with the women who stood a little ways away from the cross, while her son John the beloved disciple, Mary, and Magdalene stood beneath the cross of Jesus. (Mk. 15:40-41)
• She was one of the women at the tomb with Magdalene early that first Easter morning. “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James (the Lesser), and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.” Instead of finding Jesus’ body, they encountered an Angel of God. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!”
• Now let’s look at the Apostles. Peter, James and John were the Lord’s three closest friends. They were in the room when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead. They were the privileged witnesses of Jesus’ Transfiguration in glory on Mount Tabor. Jesus called them to stay close by Him to pray with Him when He was sorrowful unto death in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• Our Lord nicknamed James and John, Boanerges – Sons of Thunder, because of their impetuous zeal. They must have come by it naturally, for their mother, Salome asks Jesus if her sons can sit one on His right and one on His left in His kingdom, even though He just predicted His Passion and death for the third time, prompting Jesus to respond, “You do not know what you are asking!”
• Now it’s Jesus turn to ask a question. Turning to James and John, He asks, “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” Chalice is commonly used in the Old Testament to mean suffering. Without hesitation they boldly respond, “Yes, we can!” Impetuous zeal, yes, but yoked with courage!
• Saint John Paul II saluted their response: “These words express generous docility. They reflect an attitude that belongs to all the young at heart and all Christians, especially those who are willing to be apostles of the Good News!”
• “You will drink from my cup,” says Jesus! And in 44 AD James became the first apostle to be martyred, he was decapitated. Tradition has it that they tried to martyr John more than once, but He was miraculously saved each time. Though he suffered persecution, even exile, throughout his long life.
• Paul says all the disciples of Jesus must drink from His chalice – willingly participating in the suffering of His Passion and death in order to share in the glory of His resurrection!
• Paul speaks for all disciples of Christ when he says, “…in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church.” (Col 1:24)
• By means of our sufferings – both large and small – in a mysterious yet real way – we make up for what is lacking in the Passion and death of Jesus which is prolonged in time with its saving fruits.
• From the time of James’ first noble expression of holy ambition to the time of his martyrdom, he grew spiritually! In Luke Chapter 9, James asks the Lord if he should call down fire to destroy the Samaritans for not receiving Jesus. Over time his fiery zeal grew into a fruitful determination to save souls, as he learned that zeal for souls cannot be bitter or angry.
• According to tradition, James the Greater preached the Gospel in Spain and then returned to Judea. The first of the Apostles to die, he was martyred by Herod Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great. We can see fruits of James’ conversion when he went before the tribunal. His faith and integrity were so apparent that his accuser begged his pardon! Impetuous, zealous James embraced the man saying, “Peace be with you!” Whereupon the accuser also became a Christian and the two of them received the crown of martyrdom together! This account came from Clement of Alexandria who said the account came to him from those who were before him, and was reported by the historian Eusebius.
• The glory of God is the only worthwhile ambition in this life, and the glory of God is in preaching God’s forgiveness and mercy so that souls may repent and return to Him!
• St. James mortal remains were later brought to Santiago de Compostella in Spain which became a popular pilgrimage site. In 1075 A.D. a cathedral was built on the site, replacing a Chapel that was there. The cathedral has historically been a place of pilgrimage on the Way of St. James since the early Middle Ages and marks the traditional end of the pilgrimage route.
• As we meditate on the Gospels, we can see the defects of the apostles. They could be ambitious and argumentative, lacking in understanding and even short on faith. Yet Jesus chose them to become great saints here and in eternity!
• James had defects and weaknesses, but he also had magnanimity – great generosity with great courage. Formed by the Lord into His own image, James became a man of such deep faith and mercy that His witness convinced another man to die for Christ on the spot!
• The Lord is calling each of us to serve Him. Let us not become discouraged with our defects and weaknesses. If we turn to the Lord with confidence, He’ll give us the grace to continue on our path and overcome our failings as He forms us little by little into His image, for the glory of God and the salvation of many souls!
• Let us beg the Lord to save as many souls as possible with our lives! The Lord is trustworthy! He will be faithful to complete the good work He has begun in us!
• St. James the Greater, Pray for us!

 

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.

R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
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.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards 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.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
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.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Hear 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.”

This word of the LORD came to me:
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!

I remember the devotion of your youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the LORD was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the LORD.

When I brought you into the garden land
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the LORD?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.

Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.

R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Article 1

THE REVELATION OF GOD

I.God Reveals His “Plan of Loving Goodness”

51 “It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature.”

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

THURSDAY, JULY 23^RD     Mt. 13:10-17   “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.”

• Who are the blessed ones who have eyes that see and ears that hear? The ones who have repentance for their sins and seek forgiveness, conversion, and holiness of life have eyes to see and ears to hear. Whereas those who don’t want to give up their sins and their sinful lifestyle, who don’t want to be converted, do not see and do not hear! That is the dynamic!
• God gives us sufficient grace to turn from the sins that cause death to our soul and to embrace the virtues that gives us life, and life more abundantly! We choose whether to receive His graces or reject them. St. Augustine in his autobiography Confessions admits that his prayer for many years was, “Lord, make me chaste—but not yet.”
• Those whose hearts are open to receive His grace, even beg for it, increase in virtue and holiness. Whereas those whose hearts are closed to His grace only increase in pride, selfishness, and attachment to sin until they lose His grace in their soul.   
• Today Jesus quotes Isaiah: “You shall indeed hear but not understand you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them.”
• Today let us resolve to see with our eyes and hear with our ears and understand with our hearts and be converted so that Jesus may heal us. To this purpose, let us stand humbly before the Lord.

 Standing Humbly Before the Lord…  by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

When in the light of Truth men know themselves and so think less of themselves it will certainly follow that what they loved before will now become bitter to them. They are brought face to face with themselves and blush at what they see.

Their present state is no pleasure to them. They aspire to something better and at the same time realize how little they can rely on themselves to achieve it! It hurts them and they find some relief in judging themselves severely. Love of truth makes them hunger and thirst after justice and conceive a deep contempt for themselves.

They are anxious to exact from themselves full satisfaction and real amendment. They admit that to make satisfaction is beyond their own powers – when they have done all that is commanded them they acknowledge that they are still unprofitable servants.

They fly from justice to mercy, by the road Truth shows them: Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. They look beyond their own needs to the needs of their neighbors and from the things they themselves have suffered they learn compassion.

 End of Reflection by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (+1153)

 If we are to fly then from God’s justice and seek His mercy by being merciful, we can do no better than turn to Saint Faustina who shows us clearly, without any ambiguity, how we are to be merciful!

Diary #163 Prayer to be Merciful  by St. Faustina Kowalska

O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy.

I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.

Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors’ souls and come to their rescue.

Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors’ needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings.

Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.

Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.

Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.

Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.

You Yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy – if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer – if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even where I cannot reach out physically.

O my Jesus, transform me into Yourself, for You can do all things.

End of Prayer to be Merciful by St. Faustina Kowalska (+1938)

Make no mistake, herein lies our salvation!!!

 

 

 

The Bride says:
On my bed at night I sought him
whom my heart loves–
I sought him but I did not find him.
I will rise then and go about the city;
in the streets and crossings I will seek
Him whom my heart loves.
I sought him but I did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me,
as they made their rounds of the city:
Have you seen him whom my heart loves?
I had hardly left them
when I found him whom my heart loves.

R. (2) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Tell us Mary, what did you see on the way?
I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

CHAPTER TWO

GOD COMES TO MEET MAN

50 By natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the basis of his works. But there is another order of knowledge, which man cannot possibly arrive at by his own powers: the order of divine Revelation.1 Through an utterly free decision, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. This he does by revealing the mystery, his plan of loving goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the benefit of all men. God has fully revealed this plan by sending us his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

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

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22^ND    Jn. 20: 1-2, 11-18   Saint Mary Magdalene   “On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark.

POPE FRANCIS – GENERAL AUDIENCE – WEDNESDAY, 17 MAY 2017

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Good Morning!

In the last few weeks, our reflection has been moving, so to speak, within the orbit of the Paschal Mystery. Today we meet the one who, according to the Gospels, was the first to see the Risen Christ: Mary Magdalene.

The Sabbath had ended not long before. On the day of the Passion, there had not been enough time to complete the funeral rites. For this reason, at that sorrow-filled dawn, the women went to Jesus’ tomb with aromatic oils.

The first to arrive was Mary Magdalene. She was one of the disciples who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, putting herself at the service of the burgeoning Church.

Her walk to the sepulchre mirrors the fidelity of many women who spend years in the small alleyways of cemeteries remembering someone who is no longer there. The most authentic bonds are not broken even in death: there are those who continue loving even if their loved one is gone forever.

The Gospel describes Magdalene by immediately highlighting that she was not a woman easily given to enthusiasm (cf. Jn 20:1-2, 11-18). In fact, after her visit to the sepulchre, she returns disappointed to the Apostles’ hiding place.

She tells them that the stone has been removed from the entrance to the sepulchre, and her first hypothesis is the simplest that one could formulate: someone must have stolen Jesus’ body. Thus, the first announcement that Mary makes is not the one of the Resurrection, but of a theft perpetrated by persons unknown while all Jerusalem slept.

The Gospels then tell of Magdalene’s second visit to Jesus’ sepulchre. She was stubborn! She went, she returned … because she was not convinced! This time her step is slow and very heavy. Mary suffers twice as much: first for the death of Jesus, and then for the inexplicable disappearance of his body.

It is as she is stooping near the tomb, her eyes filled with tears, that God surprises her in the most unexpected way. John the Evangelist stresses how persistent her blindness is. She does not notice the presence of the two angels who question her, and she does not become suspicious even when she sees the man behind her, whom she believes is the custodian of the garden.

Instead, she discovers the most overwhelming event in the history of mankind when she is finally called by her name: “Mary!” (v. 16).

How nice it is to think that the first apparition of the Risen One — according to the Gospels — took place in such a personal way! To think that there is someone who knows us, who sees our suffering and disappointment, who is moved with us and calls us by name.

It is a law which we find engraved on many pages of the Gospel. There are many people around Jesus who search for God, but the most prodigious reality is that, long before that, in the first place there is God, who is concerned about our life, who wants to raise it, and to do this, he calls us by name, recognizing the individual face of each person.

Each person is a love story that God writes on this earth. Each one of us is God’s love story. He calls each of us by our name: he knows us by name; he looks at us; he waits for us; he forgives us; he is patient with us. Is this true or not true? Each of us experiences this.

And Jesus calls her: “Mary!” The revolution of her life, the revolution destined to transform the life of every man and every woman begins with a name which echoes in the garden of the empty sepulchre.

The Gospels describe Mary’s happiness. Jesus’ Resurrection is not a joy which is measured with a dropper, but a waterfall that cascades over life.

Christian life is not woven of soft joys, but of waves which engulf everything. You too, try to imagine, right now, with the baggage of disappointments and failures that each of us carries in our heart, that there is a God close to us who calls us by name and says to us: ‘Rise, stop weeping, for I have come to free you!” This is beautiful!

Jesus is not one who adapts to the world, tolerating in it the persistence of death, sadness, hatred, the moral destruction of people…. Our God is not inert, but our God — allow me to say — is a dreamer: he dreams of the transformation of the world, and accomplished it in the mystery of the Resurrection.

Mary would like to embrace her Lord, but he is already oriented towards the heavenly Father, whereas she is sent to carry the news to the brethren.

And so that woman, who, before encountering Jesus, had been at the mercy of evil (cf. Lk 8:2) now becomes the Apostle of the new and greatest hope.

May her intercession also help us live this experience: in times of woe and in times of abandonment, to listen to the Risen Jesus who calls us by name and, with a heart full of joy, to go forth and proclaim: “I have seen the Lord!” (v. 18).

I have changed my life because I have seen the Lord! I am now different than before. I am another person. I have changed because I have seen the Lord. This is our strength and this is our hope. Thank you. 

© Copyright – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

MARY MAGDALENE…   From A Homily by Gregory The Great, Pope  

She longed for Christ, though she thought he had been taken away…

When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and did not find the Lord’s body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples.

After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: The disciples went back home, and it adds: but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb.

We should reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tells us: Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved. 

At first she sought but did not find, but when she persevered it happened that she found what she was looking for. When our desires are not satisfied, they grow stronger, and becoming stronger they take hold of their object. Holy desires likewise grow with anticipation, and if they do not grow they are not really desires. Anyone who succeeds in attaining the truth has burned with such a great love. As David says: My soul has thirsted for the living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God? And so also in the Song of Songs the Church says: I was wounded by love; and again: My soul is melted with love.

Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek? She is asked why she is sorrowing so that her desire might be strengthened; for when she mentions whom she is seeking, her love is kindled all the more ardently.

Jesus says to her: Mary. Jesus is not recognized when he calls her “woman”; so he calls her by name, as though he were saying: Recognize me as I recognize you; for I do not know you as I know others; I know you as yourself. And so Mary, once addressed by name, recognizes who is speaking. She immediately calls him Rabboni, that is to say, teacher, because the one whom she sought outwardly was the one who inwardly taught her to keep on searching.

℟. On her return from the Lord’s tomb, Mary Magdalen told the disciples that she had seen the Lord.* Blessed is she who deserved to be first with the news that Life had risen from death.

℣. While she was there, weeping, she saw her beloved, and then told the good news to the others.* Blessed is she who deserved to be first with the news that Life had risen from death.

QUESTIONS:  Do I yearn for Christ? Do I seek Him in prayer? Do I seek His Mercy in Confession? His Real Presence in Holy Communion in the Mass? Do I ask Him to walk with me daily? Do I share my joys and sorrows with Him? My successes and failures? My struggles, trials, and crosses? My fears, worries, and anxieties? Do I let Him be my comfort, my consolation, and my strength?

“Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding!”  (Prov. 3:5)