July 4, 2015

July 4

July 4, 2015:  Saturday, 13th week, Ordinary Time / Independence Day

Today
Friday, with Mom (100)
  • 'Eyeball' pin:  Isaac was so old that his eyesight failed him (1st reading)  [Oops; I cropped it out; it's not a trick to get you to think your sight is failing too.]
  • 'Wheat' pin, 'food' tie:  Rebekah prepared an appetizing dish and bread for Isaac (1st reading)
  • 'Hand' tie pin:  Rebekah covered Jacob's hands to deceive Isaac (1st reading)
  • Cloth in shirt:  No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth (gospel)
  • 'Flag' pin; red, white, and blue shirt and suspenders: Independence Day
  • Guest dresser Mom (with me), dolled up yesterday for Independence Day.  See more guest dressers here.
Listen

  • Follow LAMP SoCal for music from generous, talented, faith-filled HS students' "Linking Liturgy to Life" week
Pope Francis to Charismatic Renewal
“Ways of Unity and Peace:  Voices of prayer for the martyrs of today and for a spiritual ecumenism”:  May God the Father send the Spirit to guide us to unity.  The Spirit gives the various charisms within the Church, works through those gifts, and grants unity.  May Jesus, who prayed for unity, help us walk along the path of unity, or reconciled diversity. Unity is not uniformity but reflects the confluence of the parts.
The charismatic renewal is a “stream of grace”; grace must flow into the ocean of God's love, not be turned in on itself.  Don't imagine you're indispensable; only the Spirit is.  Authoritarianism doesn't allow communities to live in the Spirit.  Share the renewal with the Church.  The charismatic movement is rooted in our common Baptism.  Christian unity must begin with prayer.  And the blood of today's martyrs makes us one.
Read
    Animate (sorry it doesn't wave :-)
  • Gn 27:1-5, 15-29  Isaac (with failing eyesight) / Esau:  Hunt game for me, prepare a dish for me, and bring it to me, and I'll give you my special blessing.”  Rebekah heard; she gave Esau's clothes to Jacob to wear, covered his hands and neck, and handed him the dish and bread.  Jacob brought it to his father, said he was Esau.  Isaac, thinking it was Esau despite his voice because of the feel of his 'hands' and the smell of his clothes, blessed him, praying for fertile land and for people's homage and obedience.
  • Ps 135:1b-6  "Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!"  The Lord does all he wills; he chose Jacob....
  • Mt 9:14-17  John's disciples / Jesus:  “Why do we and the Pharisees fast but your disciples don't?” / “Wedding guests don't mourn while the groom is with them, but when he's taken away, they'll fast.  No one patches an old cloak with unshrunken cloth lest the tear worsen.  People don't put new wine into old skins lest the skins burst and the wine spill.  No; they pour new wine into fresh skins, and both are preserved.”
Reflect
      New wine, fresh skins!
    • Creighton:  Old ways may be comfortable, but if we don't find new ways to love and reach out, our we'll grow old, hardhearted, and unable to love and forgive.   May I accept new challenges and let them into my heart so my faith and love may grow.
    • One Bread One Body:  "A fast month":  Now is the time for loving fasting in the Spirit....
      St. Elizabeth of Portugal
    • Passionist:  "God’s Plan:  Life, Freedom, Love!":  Jacob and Rebekah took advantage of Isaac's blindness to deceive him and get the special blessing; and Jesus challenged John's disciples who were jealous of Jesus’.  God, "writing straight with crooked lines," used their evil deception for good, for God willed that the Messiah would be born from Jacob's descendants....  As we celebrate Independence Day. despite the violence, environmental challenges, racism, and economic woes, recall our blessings and see God has a plan for our world.  Lord, give us wisdom, patience, and faith; help us form a free, life-affirming, generous nation, and set me free from my selfishness to share your love and life.
    • DailyScripture.net:  To warn his disciples not to close their minds, he used an image familiar to them:   Wine was stored in skins; new wine poured into skins was still fermenting, its gases exerting pressure only new skins could withstand.  May we find the right time and place for both old and new, not holding rigidly to the past but open to the Spirit's new work.
      • St. Elizabeth of Portugal set up hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions, endured her husband’s infidelities, made peace in political arena, was devoted to prayer and the poor, died on the field trying to make peace; see Catholic Encyclopedia.

      • Bl. John Cornelius, priest and martyr

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