Tag Archives: catholic

Commentary on the Sunday Readings for July 14

July 13, 2013 – 12:48 pm

Here is Word to Life from Catholic News Service

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Gospel – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 13, 2013 – 12:44 pm

Gospel Lk 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

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Thoughts on the readings for Friday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

July 12, 2013 – 7:55 am

Today’s Readings

Imagine what was going through the minds of the Twelve. Jesus calls them to leave their work to follow Him. Then He gives them their job description (yesterday) – they were to cure the sick, raise the dead to life and drive out demons. They probably thought, “How can we do this?”

Now in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells them, “I am sending you like sheep among wolves.” You will be scourged, hated and persecuted.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think I would be ready to run at that moment. I am being called from what I know and from my comfort zone. I am being asked to do things that seem humanly impossible. Now I’m being told that this will lead to persecution.

Why would these men continue on the mission? It was because they had met the person of Jesus, the Messiah, God-with-us. He was worth leaving everything behind. He was worth being scourged, hated and persecuted. He was worth dying for.

(Taken from somewhere on the net, but I can’t remember where!)

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Three barriers to the Latin Mass

July 11, 2013 – 4:33 pm

Here is a new video from Catholic News Service reporting on the difficulties in establishing regularly celebrated Latin Masses.

The Concho Padre

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Thoughts about today’s readings

July 11, 2013 – 4:18 pm

Read today’s readings.

Jesus is still talking with his disciples on their role as Apostles. He basically tells them what to do and say.

Their most important message is to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is at hand. That kingdom is, of course, present in Jesus, and it will also be present in the Apostles who are called to do the same things that Jesus is doing.

In this day and age, all of us are also called to proclaim the kingship of God by our words and actions. The Church itself is called to bring healing to people where it is needed.

There are so many different things affecting peoples’ lives and breaking their spirit, that we must acknowledge that there is a lot of work to be done for them in the name of Christ. Each of us is called, but we must respond in our own way, at our own pace, using the gifts that have been given to us, and acknowledging our own situation in life at this time.

Jesus tells the Apostles to travel lightly. This sort of put into my mind the words of Pope Francis just last weekend, when he was addressing seminarians and novices in a special gathering at the Vatican. The Pope told them not to have the latest cell phones and the finest cars. He said that these things are important tools, but that the true disciple will only have what is necessary to proclaim the Good News. Extravagance is not a good evangelizing method.

I guess if we wanted to have some type of modern model for what Jesus is requesting of his followers, I think it would the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. To this day, the Sisters follow the theological life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In their ministry they may have to use some of the modern tools, but their main work remains to serve the poorest of the poor, the homeless, the sick, the rejected. Mother Teresa once said that “I do own things but they do not own me.”

How many of us could say the same thing about some of our possessions? This is where Mother Teresa and her Sisters are so different from us!

We might ask ourselves two questions as we ponder the readings for today. Where is our real security? What kind of service and hospitality do we give to others in need?

The Concho Padre

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About the Feast of St. Benedict

July 11, 2013 – 12:59 pm

It is unfortunate that no contemporary biography was written of a man who has exercised the greatest influence on monasticism in the West. Benedict is well recognized in the later Dialogues of St. Gregory, but these are sketches to illustrate miraculous elements of his career.
Benedict was born into a distinguished family in central Italy, studied at Rome and early in life was drawn to the monastic life. At first he became a hermit, leaving a depressing world—pagan armies on the march, the Church torn by schism, people suffering from war, morality at a low ebb.

He soon realized that he could not live a hidden life in a small town any better than in a large city, so he withdrew to a cave high in the mountains for three years. Some monks chose him as their leader for a while, but found his strictness not to their taste. Still, the shift from hermit to community life had begun for him. He had an idea of gathering various families of monks into one “Grand Monastery” to give them the benefit of unity, fraternity, permanent worship in one house. Finally he began to build what was to become one of the most famous monasteries in the world—Monte Cassino, commanding three narrow valleys running toward the mountains north of Naples.

The Rule that gradually developed prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual labor and living together in community under a common father (abbot). Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and Benedictine charity has always shown concern for the people in the surrounding countryside. In the course of the Middle Ages, all monasticism in the West was gradually brought under the Rule of St. Benedict.

Today the Benedictine family is represented by two branches: the Benedictine Federation and the Cistercians.

From americancatholic.org

The Concho Padre

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Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

July 9, 2013 – 8:46 pm

Click here to see today’s readings.

Well, folks, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, is not celebrating his public daily Mass at Casa Santa Marta until September. He is doing this to give the members of the Vatican staff, both priests and laity, the opportunity to have some time off. So here are my reflections on today’s readings.

Today Jesus refers to the twelve specially selected collaborators as Apostles. The word “Apostle” means “one who is sent.” And so he sends them out with authority to cure illnesses and to dispel unclean spirits. He particularly instructs them to proclaim the Kingdom of God to all the people of Israel.

When we are growing up, we sometimes sense that something like this is being expected of us — maybe by our parents and friends — and possibly even by Christ himself. Sooner or later, we are called to share the Good News of Jesus to those around us. This can be by our personal testimony, or simply by our actions and the way that we live.

All of this may be too much for us. We do not feel worthy in the minds of other people, and maybe even more so as we look in the eyes of Our Lord.

We think about our own knowledge of the Gospel, which may be inadequate. We worry that people who know us won’t listen to us anyway.

But cheer up. Look at the motley crew that Jesus chose as his Apostles. It shows us that he can choose anyone to be his Apostle, even us. Look at Peter, who denied him three times. He not only accepted him, but made him the rock on whom the Church would be built and sustained.

So we need to be listening. Do you hear Jesus calling you? How does he call, and how do we answer?

We need to be attuned in order that by grace we become aware of the call to Apostleship. He will invite us. When he does let us hope to have the grace which gives us the courage and the strength to say, “Yes, Lord!”

The Concho Padre

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Catholic Health Association snubs bishops; sides with Obama and HHS mandate

July 9, 2013 – 4:38 pm

Once again breaking with the US bishops’ conference, the Catholic Health Association (CHA) has announced that it is satisfied with the latest regulations offered by the Obama administration for the implementation of health-care rules that require coverage for contraception.

The CHA—which had strongly backed the Obama health-care reform plans—issued a memorandum to members saying that the latest rules from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) resolved CHA’s concerns about involvement in providing contraceptive coverage. “We are pleased that our members now have an accommodation that will not require them to contract, provide, pay or refer for contraceptive coverage,” the CHA pronounced.

The US bishops’ conference reacted quite differently to the latest regulations issued by the HHS, saying that the new rules included no significant changes on the critical questions that had prompted the bishops’ opposition to the HHS mandate. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the president of the US bishops’ conference, said that the Catholic hierarchy would continue court battles to overturn the contraceptive mandate.

from catholicculture.org

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Tuesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

July 8, 2013 – 5:19 pm

Lord Jesus Christ,
true light of the world,
you guide all mankind to salvation.
Give us the courage, strength and grace
to build a world of justice and peace,
ready for the coming of that kingdom.
You live and reign for ever and ever.
– Amen

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Gospel – Tuesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

July 8, 2013 – 5:18 pm

Gospel Mt 9:32-38

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
But the Pharisees said,
“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”

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