July 2

July 2, 2018:  Monday, 13th week, Ordinary Time

Can you find a dozen connections with today?Legend below

Listen

For gospel

• The summons/ Bell
• Come and follow me/ Angotti:  another, buy
• Follow Me/ Rose:  another, buy
• I will follow/ Jacob and Matthew Band (WAL): another, buy
• I will follow/ Tomlin, Ingram, Morgan
• I will choose Christ/ Booth
• I found the treasure/ Schutte:  lyrics below

For Psalm 50

• Psalm 50:1-6 — God's devouring fire, and the beauty of the northern lights/ Silver
• Psalm 50/ Attwood
• Psalm 50:  To the upright I will show the saving power of God/ Celoni
• The God of glory sends his summons forth/ Watts*
• The Lord, the Sovereign, sends his summons forth/ Watts*
• The mighty God, Jehovah, speaks*
• Thus speaks the Lord to wicked men*
• The mighty God, The Eternal hath thus spoke/ Whittingham*
• Psalm 50:  Let God, who called the worlds to be/ Mowbray*

*listening tips

Read

• Am 2:6-10, 13-16  Lord:  Israel has committed crimes.  I who led you through the desert and destroyed the strong Amorites, will now crush you, and you won't escape.

• Ps 50:16bc-23  "Remember this, you who never think of God."  Why do you recite my statutes but hate discipline?  You steal, commit adultery, speak against others, and spread rumors.  I'll correct you.  Those who offer praise as a sacrifice glorify me, and I'll save all who go the right way.

• Mt 8:18-22  Jesus, seeing the crowd, gave orders to cross to the other shore.  Scribe / Jesus:  “I'll follow you wherever you go.” / “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest.”  Disciple / Jesus:  “Let me go bury my father first.” / “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”

Reflect

• Msgr. Albert Bahhuth homily video:  Let Jesus lead you; don't get distracted! 

• Creighton:  According to Amos, the Lord is not happy with his people and will crush them because they had forgotten him and done evil.  The psalmist urges the people who pay lip service to the covenant but do evil to remember God.  In the gospel, Jesus says nothing is more important than following him; when we say, "but...," we turn away from being disciples.  May we back up our words with right action.

• One Bread, One Body:  "Like father, like son":  Fathers, living representatives of God the Father, have such influence on their children. "Whatever the father does, so does the son."  "The Father loves his son and shows him everything he does."  God's plan is to turn fathers' hearts to their children and children's to their fathers.  God said an effect of John the Baptist's ministry was to turn fathers' hearts to their children.  Whether fathers live for the Lord or not, their children are likely to follow their example.  May we all lead our children to the Lord....

• Passionist:  God chose lowly immigrant sheep breeder Amos to denounce the excesses and injustice of the people who gather under his name but are indifferent or antagonistic to their covenant with God, who used force rather than the power of God.  The Assyrian captivity follows, but a stronger power supersedes their brute power, authority, and cruelty.  Amos saw beyond the destruction to restoration of faithful leadership in which all could flourish.  May we not stand for what Amos decries in or around us....

• DailyScripture.net:  "Teacher, I'll follow you wherever you go":  It costs our lives to be Jesus' followers, but he promises us all we need to follow him and more.  One prospective follower paid Jesus the highest compliment by calling him "teacher"; Jesus advised him to count the cost.  Am I willing to part with whatever might stand in the way of following Jesus?  Another would-be disciple said he had to bury his father (=care for him till he died); Jesus appealed to him to choose God's kingdom first, detaching from whatever might keep him from discipleship.  We can only say yes with the help of the Holy Spirit...  Fear, preoccupation, and attachment can get in the way of having God alone as our Treasure if we put them first.  Detachment frees us to give ourselves unreservedly to the Lord and his service.  Jesus promises that those willing to part with what's dear to them for his sake "will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life."  What's holding me back?

Dress legend

• Silver-colored accessories:  They sell the just man for silver... (1st reading)

• Sandals (not shown):  ...and the poor man for a pair of sandals (1st reading)

• Dust-colored suspenders:  They trample the weak into the dust (1st reading)

• 'Tree' pin:  "I destroyed the Amorites, who were tall as cedars and strong as oaks" (1st reading)

• 'Fruit' pin:  "I destroyed their fruit" (1st reading)

• 'Feet' pin:  "The swift of foot won't escape,..." (1st reading)

• 'Horse' tie pin:  "...nor will the horseman won't save his life" (1st reading)

• 'Car with mouth' pin:  To your mouth you give evil free rein; you harness your tongue to deceit (psalm)

• 'Eyeball' tie pin:  "I'll draw your deeds up before your eyes" (psalm)

• 'Birds' tie:  "Birds have nests, but the Son has nowhere to rest” (gospel)

• 'Skeleton' tie pin:  "Follow me; let the dead bury their dead" (gospel)

• Green shirt:  Ordinary Time season

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