July 5, 2016

Mary, Sinners' Refuge

July 5, 2016:  Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners / Tuesday, 14th week, Ordinary Time

See 13 connections with today?
Legend below
Listen*

For psalm d
For gospel d

Magnificat settings (canticle m)
Stabat mater ["Mary stood" (at the foot of the cross)] settings (gospel m-inspired)
*m: memorial; d: weekday
Pope Francis Amoris Laetitia capsule
Looking to Jesus:  The Vocation of the Family
The kerygma is beautiful, excellent, appealing, and necessary; it should resound in and among families.  The gospel message must be at the center of all evangelizing activity.  We must hear and announce it repeatedly in different ways; nothing is more solid, profound, secure, meaningful, and wise.  All Christian formation is entering more deeply into it. 
The gospel message of love and tenderness must inspire and transform our teaching on marriage and family.  We can only understand the Christian family in the light of the Father’s love revealed in Christ, who gave himself up for us and dwells among us.  I turn to the living Christ and invoke the fire of the Spirit on all families.
We'll summarize Church teaching on marriage and family.  Jesus looked on all he met with love and tenderness and accompanied them in truth, patience and mercy as he proclaimed the demands of the Kingdom.  The Lord is with us as we seek to practice and pass on the Gospel of the family.  (III:58-60)
Read

    • Zec 2:14–17  Rejoice; I'm coming to dwell among you.  Many nations will join the Lord, but the Lord will hold Judah as his portion and choose Jerusalem.  Be silent before the Lord!  He stirs forth from his holy dwelling.
    • Lk 1:46–55  "The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name."  I proclaim the Lord's greatness; he looked on his handmaid.  All will call me blessed.  He showed power, routed the proud, threw down rulers, lifted up the lowly, filled the hungry, sent the rich away empty, helped Israel, and remembered the mercy he promised.
    • Rom 5:12, 17–19  Sin and death entered the world through one man, and death spread because everyone has sinned.  But one man, Jesus, will cause everyone to reign who receives the gift of righteousness.  As one man’s fall brought condemnation, so the good act of one man brings everyone life.
    • Jn 19:25–27  Near the cross stood his mother, and Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved, Jesus said to his mother and the disciple, “This is your son,” and “This is your mother....”
    • Hos 8:4-7, 11-13  They made kings and princes, but not by my authority.  They made idols, to their own destruction.  Cast away your calf!  When Ephraim made altars to expiate sin, they became occasions of sin.  The Lord is not pleased; he'll punish their sins.
    • Ps 115:3-10  "The house of Israel trusts in the Lord."  Our God does what he wills.  Their idols have mouths but don't speak, eyes but don't see, ears but don't hear, noses but don't smell, hands but don't feel, feet but don't walk.  Their makers, and all who trust in them, shall be like them.
    • Mt 9:32-38  A mute demoniac was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out, the man spoke.  Crowd:  “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”  Pharisees:  “He drives out demons by their prince.”  Jesus went everywhere, teaching, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing diseases.  He was moved with pity for the crowds because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.  He said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but laborers are few; ask the harvest master to send out laborers.”
    Reflect
      • Creighton:  How do you hold onto your faith when the world doesn’t make sense and it's hard to find God here?  How can you let go and let him work?  The shepherd/sheep image helps.  We are to be both shepherd and sheep.  As sheep, we have to follow God’s lead, even when it doesn’t make sense, understanding the good shepherd will guide, support, and protect us.  And sometimes we have to be the shepherd and engage in our journey, taking the lead, not sitting back.  It'll be hard, but the harvest is abundant.  May we both hold on and let go, lead and follow, so God can take care of us.
        Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners/ Morrissey
      • One Bread, One Body:  "Planting a hurricane":  Hosea compares our sins to planting the wind and their fruit to a hurricane!  If the wind is unabated by repentance, the winds escalate to a hurricane that blows us further from Jesus.  Jesus and the Father have sent the wind of the Spirit to blow us back to God.   As we sow obedience to God, we reap the Spirit, stronger than any tornado....  "We reap only what we sow. If we sows in the field of the flesh, we'll reap corruption; but if our seed-ground is the Spirit, we'll reap life. Don't grow weary of doing good, so we'll reap our harvest."
      • Passionist:  The 1st reading speaks of wheat growing a stalk, but not fulfilling its purpose, to provide nourishment via.  “Be [evangelizing] without being presumptuous, imposing 'our truths,' but rather be guided by the... certainty of those [Christ] found, touched, and transformed...." (Pope Francis)  We can't be a 'presumptuous' stalk of wheat but must develop and share a deep relationship with Christ.   “Your witness will bring restlessness the Spirit works through” (Pope Francis).   By living aware that God's kingdom is at hand, we'll be true witnesses.  In the Gospel Jesus reminds us that few live this truth; this should spur us on.  The world needs the Good News that we can live and experience God's kingdom right now.  If it's here, how can I harbor anger, or hold others in any way but love?  May I witness to the kingdom with everyone I meet....
      • DailyScripture.net:  "Never seen anything like this":  Jesus set the "dumb demoniac" free and restored his speech, and the crowds watched in amazement.  When people approached Jesus with faith, he set them free.  As his miracles caused both scorn and wonder from those who professed faith, we can encounter the same reaction, even in ourselves.  We can be too narrow, closed, rigid, set in our ways, unwilling to change, to submit to Jesus, to love God and others....
        • St. Antony Mary Zaccaria, priest, founded Clerks Regular of St Paul ("Barnabites") to reform clergy and laity during Catholic Reform (AKA Protestant Reformation)
        • St. Modwen, virgin, hermit
        • BB. George Nichols and Richard Yaxley, priests, martyrs
        • BB. Thomas Belson and Humphrey Pritchard (“What I can't say in words, I'll seal with my blood”), martyrs
      Dress legend
      • Silver- and gold-colored accessories:  They made idols with silver and gold (1st reading d, psalm d)
      • 'Golden calf' tie pin:  Cast away your calf! (1st reading d)
      • 'Grain' pin:  Their grain can yield no flour (1st reading d)
      • 'Eyeball' pin:  God has looked upon his handmaid (gospel m); their idols have eyes but don't see,... (psalm d) 
      • 'Hand' tie pin:  ...hands but don't feel (psalm d)
        • 'Heart' tie bar:  Jesus' heart was moved with pity (gospel d); God has routed the proud of heart (gospel m)
        • 'Ruler' tie bar:  God threw down rulers (gospel m)
        • 'Visitation/Magnificat' pin:  gospel m

        • 'Good Shepherd' tie, 'sheep' tie bar:  They were like sheep without a shepherd (gospel d)

        • White in shirt:  Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners

        • Red, white, and blue shirt:  Independence Day weekend is over
        • Badge:  Inside joke related to a morning meeting; a red herring re today's readings
        • Green suspenders:  Ordinary Time (season)
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