June 30, 2017

June 30

June 30, 2017:  Friday, 12th week, Ordinary Time

  • 'Scroll' pin:  I will maintain my covenant (1st reading)
  • 'People' pin:  Great crowds followed Jesus (gospel)
  • 'Walker' tie pin:  "Walk in my presence and be blameless" (1st reading); blessed are you who walk in the Lord's ways!... (psalm)
  • 'Fruits' tie with grapes:  ...For you'll eat the fruit of your handiwork.  Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine... (psalm)
  • 'Hand' tie pin:  Jesus stretched out his hand and cleansed the leper (gospel)
  • Green shirt and suspenders:  Ordinary Time season
Listen

Read
  • Gn 17:1, 9-10, 15-22  God to Abram (99) : “Walk in my presence and be blameless.  Keep my covenant:  circumcise every male.  Call your wife Sarah, not Sarai; I'll give you a son by her and bless him.  I'll maintain my covenant with your son Isaac and will also bless Ishmael....
  • Ps 128:1-5  "See how the Lord blesses those who fear him."  You'll eat the fruit of your handiwork, your wife shall be fruitful, and your children like olive plants....
  • Mt 8:1-4  Leper / Jesus:  “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” / “I do.  Be made clean.  Tell no one, but show yourself to the priest...
Reflect
  • Creighton:  Do you stop and listen to the Spirit, or get sidetracked with everyday concerns?  May we be present here and now, not in the past or worrying about the future.  “Many are the plans in our hearts, but it's the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  Be a child of God today; don't let adulthood get in the way.
    Christ cleansing a leper/ Doze
  • One Bread, One Body:  "Super premium":  Abram was blessed with a son, Ishmael.  Abram was willing to settle for this blessing, but the Lord wanted to give him an "upgrade" with the miraculous birth of Isaac from 99-year-old Sarah.  The leper in today's gospel reading asked the Lord for a miracle physical healing, but Jesus gave another healed leper an "upgrade" to salvation.  Am I settling for blessings when the Lord wants to give me even more?...
  • Passionist:  We have leprosy on a social scale:  anger eats away at harmony; understanding is the cure.  Fear eats away at hope; courage is the cure.  Greed is eating up our planet; sharing is the cure.  Hypocrisy eats away at trust; truth is the cure.  Prejudice eats away at unity; respect is the cure.  Unforgiveness eats away at peace; compassion is the cure.  Violence in the womb and near the tomb eats away at civilization; respect is the cure.  Violence is tearing apart the human family; belief in God and knowing we're all God’s children is the cure.
At an individual level:  self-doubt eats away at self-confidence; belief in God’s power is the cure.  Sorrow eats away at joy; trust in God is the cure.  Selfishness eats away at our hearts; love is the cure.  At Mass we ask the Spirit to transform our bread and wine into Christ.  The bread and wine represent us; we ask the Spirit to transform us into the likeness of Christ.  So nourished, we who were part of the problem are sent forth to be part of the cure....
  • DailyScripture.net:  "Lord, you can make me clean":  Jesus approached the unapproachables and touched the untouchables.  Lepers were outcasts of society, regarded as dead even by family.  The leper approached Jesus confidently and humbly; he wasn't stoned for it but rather met with Jesus' compassion, tenderness, and touch.  The Holy Spirit inflames our hearts with Christ's love so we may reach out with compassion and kindness.  Allow the Spirit to fill you with love for others...
  • Universalis:  First Martyrs of the See of Rome,  persecuted by Nero in 64.  They were thrown to beasts or soaked in tar then used as torches.

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