One another, Sunday15B

July 14, 2024

Amos 7:12-15; Psalm 85 (84); Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:6b-13

Let us now join our hearts and voices in prayer for all who journey with us to the kingdom of God:

That the grace of God may bind our Church and parish into a company of faithful disciples of Jesus: let us pray to the Lord.

That our bishops, priests, and teachers may prophesy to all people “the glad tidings of salvation”: let us pray to the Lord.

That the peoples and nations of the world may work together to cast out of the human family hunger, materialism, prejudice, and injustice: let us pray to the Lord.

That we may hear the voices of the prophets among us who call us to transform our world and renew our hearts in “the Word of truth”: let us pray to the lord.

That the sick and the dying, the poor and homeless, the addicted and lost, may find, in our help and compassion, the restoring love of Christ the Healer: let us pray to the Lord.

That those who have died in the peace of Christ [especially _________], may inherit God’s promise of life in the Resurrection: let us pray to the Lord.

That God will hear the prayers we now offer in the silence of our hearts [Pause...]: let us pray to the Lord.

Hear our prayers, O Lord, and be with us on our journey. May your peace guide our steps and hope light our way as we journey through life to the joy of your kingdom, where you live and reign for ever and ever.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024e, July 14). Fifteenth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071424.cfm

-Cormier, J. (1995). Lord, Hear Our Prayer: Prayer of the Faithful for Sundays, Holy Days, and Ritual Masses.

The Word today, W15B

July 15 - July 20, 2024

Monday 15 July

St Bonaventure, bishop and doctor

Isaiah 1:10-17 Like many another prophet, Isaiah notices the gap between worship and living, between what we say and what we do. God’s assessment is graphically described and the responsorial Psalm is absolutely perfect.

Matthew 10:34-11:1 This passage can surprise and even offend. The sword, however, is not the sword of judgment but the sword of decision, as the following verses show.

Tuesday 16 July

Our Lady of Mt Carmel

Isaiah 7:1-9 A terrifying moment of threat is described: the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees of the forest shudder in front of the wind. It calls for a word of God and that word is strong: God is and will be faithful if you remain faithful.

Matthew 11:20-24 Again, a difficult passage. It portrays Jesus the prophet, encountering rejection. Yet, like the prophets of old he continues to announce his offer, even if in blistering terms.

Wednesday 17 July

Isaiah 10:5-7,13-16 The Assyrian assault was interpreted as God’s reaction to injustice and idolatry. In our reading a merely political or military reading is excluded. Instead, God made use of foreigners and even invasion to call Israel back to fidelity.

Matthew 11:25-27 Jesus exclaims a powerful prayer to God. To understand it well, we need to remember that the learned and the clever are powerful while children are powerless. Thus Jesus’ message is for the oppressed.

Thursday 18 July

Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 Today we hear a marvellous cry from the heart. Both the human condition and grace of God come to poetic expression. It would be good to take this passage home and read it quietly to yourself.

Matthew 11:28-30 In Jewish tradition, the Torah or the Law was regarded as a (very) welcome yoke, that is, guidance which you help the faithful plough a straight furrow in life. Jesus’ yoke or burden is, in addition, easy and light.

Friday 19 July

Isaiah 38:1-6,21-22,7-8 A king is seriously ill and bargains with God. We would probably all accept the deal he gets!

Matthew 12:1-8 At a surface level, this passage contrasts in a familiar way legalism and sensible flexibility. At a deeper level, it takes to to the identity of Jesus himself, “something greater than the Temple.”

Saturday 20 July

St Apollinaris, bishop and martyr

Micah 2:1-5 Like Isaiah and many of the prophets, Micah is very much against injustice, exploitation and oppression. He does not mince his words!

Matthew 12:14-21 The historical Jesus did, of course, encounter opposition. (He could hardly have said what he said and done what he did and escape severe criticism.) The historical Jesus may very well have grasped his destiny of suffering in the light of the prophets, and in particular in the light of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah, as in our reading.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024e, July 14). Fifteenth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071424.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/

SOCL, Sunday15B

Sunday July 14, 2024

Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two

See

The handing on of the faith—evangelisation to use a technical term—is the task of everyone in the church today: family members, catechists, pastoral workers, the ordained. It is our great challenge and the one thing necessary. And yet, who dares today to take up such a role? Our Gospel portrays key dimensions: the sense of being sent or called, the choice of life-style based on that of Jesus, the confidence to face not being made welcome and yet to continue for the sake of the joy of the Gospel.

Listen

Amos 7:12-15; Psalm 85 (84); Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:6b-13

Reflect

(Mark 6:6b-13)

-Jesus gave the disciples a share in his mission by sending them out ahead of him. It was a gesture of trust and confdence on his part, even though they did not fully understand his mission. Have you ever been surprised by the trust shown to you by others to speak or act on their behalf ?

-Jesus sent the disciples out two by two. Perhaps your experience gives you examples of the value of having another with you when engaged in an important task.

-The instructions given by Jesus may seem strange. They were intended to counteract practices by bogus preachers who used preaching as a mask for moneymaking. The disciples of Jesus were to focus on the mission given to them, not on their own comforts. Is it your experience that vested interests can impede a task, whereas having the right motives makes your mission more effective?

-The task of the disciples was to call people to repent, (metanoia = conversion, change the way we look at God and at other people). The core of the mission of Jesus was to change the attitude of people towards God from fear to trust. He also wanted people to see that life was a gift from God who loved them and wanted them to live it in all its fullness and abundance, despite its difficulties. Who have been the disciples, the people in your life who have called you to be more trusting in God? To whom have you given this call?

Pray

God of justice, God of salvation, from every land you call a people to yourself. Yours in the work we do, yours the message we carry. Keep your Church single-minded and faithful to you. Let failure not discourage us nor success beguile our hearts, as you send us to proclaim the gospel. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

References

How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place, O Lord, Mighty God!