01 June

01 June

monday

9th Week in Ordinary Time Justin Psalter: Week 1

Ps 112:1b–2, 3b–4, 5–6 Blessed the man who fears the Lord.

1st Reading: Tb 1:3; 2:1–8* I, Tobit, have walked in the ways of truth and justice all the days of my life; I have given many alms to my brethren and to those of my countrymen who were deported with me to Nineveh, a city in the country of the Assyrians. When I returned to my house, my wife Anna and my son Tobias were given back to me. … I saw the many dishes and said to my son: “Go and bring as many as you can find of our relatives who are in need and who remember the Lord. I will wait here for them.” When Tobias returned, he said: “Father, one of ours has been strangled and thrown into the public square.”

Before I ate anything I hurried out and carried this man into the house and waited till sunset to bury him. When I returned home I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow. …

Gospel: Mk 12:1–12* Jesus said, “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press and built a watch tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenants and went abroad. “In due time he sent a servant to receive from the tenants his share of the fruit. But they seized the servant, struck him and sent him back empty-handed. Again the man sent another servant.

They also struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.

He sent another and they killed him. In the same way they treated many others; some they struck and others they killed.

One was still left, his beloved son. And so, last of all, he sent him to the tenants, for he said: ‘They will respect my son.’ “But those tenants said to one another: ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him and the property will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do?

He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” …

T

he Jewish people, the holy people of God, lived in expectation of the messiah. This sense of expectation was a major part of their tradition through the centuries. The “stone” was the messiah; the “builders” were the Jews. When the messiah did come, those very Jewish people rejected him. And so, in Jesus: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

In ancient times, the cornerstone was the stone at the corner of two walls that united them. To cast aside the cornerstone would be to resist any future building on that foundation. The cornerstone was the place where the building was joined and also the place where it rested.

The rejected stone of our personality provides a key to our self-awareness and understanding.

Indeed, our rejected side may indeed be a cornerstone for our very being. Could it actually be that the stones that we have rejected…in our relationships, in our lives, in ourselves…could it be that these rejected stones might share a place in the completeness of God’s marvelous order? One day, when we proclaim all of this creation, may we accept one another and ourselves completely and may we then proclaim our faith with joy!

1st Reading: Tb 2:9–14* On the night of Pentecost, after I had buried the body, I returned home. I washed myself and went out into the courtyard to sleep against the wall; my face was uncovered because of the heat. I did not see that there were sparrows on the wall of the courtyard and, as my eyes were open, the hot droppings from the sparrows fell into my eyes and formed a white film on my eyes. I went to find doctors to attend to me for medical treatment but the more ointments they smeared on my eyes, the more blind I became because of the film. …

My wife Anna worked hard at a woman’s task, weaving.

On the seventh day of the month of March she cut the cloth and delivered it to her employers. They paid her wages and gave her, over and above, a young goat for food. When she returned home the kid began to cry. I said to her, “Where does the little kid come from? Did you steal it? Return it to its owners for we are not allowed to eat anything that is stolen.”

But she said, “It is a gift which has been given to me in addition to my wages.” “I don’t believe it. I tell you to return it to its owners.” I was ashamed of her. She replied, “What about your own almsgiving and your good deeds? I have to put up with all this from you.”

tuesday

June

02

9th Week in Ordinary Time Marcellinus / Peter Psalter: Week 1

Ps 112:1–2, 7–8, 9 The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.

Gospel: Mk 12:13–17 Jewish leaders sent to Jesus some Pharisees with members of Herod’s party, with the purpose of trapping him in his own words. They came and said to Jesus, “Master, we know that you are true; you are not influenced by anyone, and your answers do not vary according to who is listening to you but you truly teach God’s way. Tell us, is it against the Law to pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay them or not?” But Jesus saw through their trick and answered, “Why are you testing me?

Bring me a silver coin and let me see it.” They brought him one and Jesus asked, “Whose head is this, and whose name?”

They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then Jesus said, “Return to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

J

esus’ enemies hoped that they might find an occasion to accuse him. Jesus was saying that his religious teachings were separate from earthly politics. This reflects traditional Christian thought, whereby Church and State are separate. It could also be that Jesus was advocating a life of voluntary poverty. After all, the less we have of Caesar’s, the less we have to give back to him. And again, if we rendered unto God all the things that belong to God, there would be nothing left for Caesar.

Are we to heed Caesar, when he says to go to war or support war-making, when Jesus said that we must not kill? No! We may refuse to serve Caesar as soldiers and even try to resist paying for Caesar’s army. But, the fact is that, by our lifestyles, we’ve made a deal with Caesar to support our lifestyle. Now, when he wants to be paid back, it’s a little late to say that we don’t owe him anything.

Whatever our interpretation, one thing is for sure: nothing is more likely to ensnare the followers of Christ, than encouraging them to meddle in disputes about worldly politics.

03 June

wednesday

9th Week in Ordinary Time Charles Lwanga and Companions Psalter: Week 1

Ps 25:2–3, 4–5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8–9 To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.

1st Reading: Tb 3:1–11a, 16–17a* Distressed, I, Tobit wept and prayed and expressing my sorrow, I said, “You are just, O Lord; all your actions and all your ways are merciful and just; your judgments are always true and just. Remember me, Lord, and look on me. Do not punish me for my sins nor for the wrongs I have committed through ignorance. Pardon the sins which my fathers have committed in your sight, for they disobeyed your commandments.

You have allowed us to suffer pillage, captivity and death.

You have allowed us to be mocked by all the pagan nations among whom we have been dispersed. Ah well! All your judgments are just when you choose to punish me for my sins and those of my fathers, because we have not accomplished your will, … Do with me as you will. Order my life taken from me, and turn me into dust, because I prefer death to life. In this way free me and let me return to dust. It is better for me to die than to live, because these unjust reproaches have caused me great distress. Command that I be now released from trials, and let me enter my eternal dwelling place. Do not turn your face away from me.” …

Gospel: Mk 12:18–27 The Sadducees came to Jesus. Since they claim that there is no resurrection, they questioned him in this way, “Master, in the Scriptures Moses gave us this law: ‘If anyone dies and leaves a wife but no children, his brother must take the wife and give her a child who will be considered the child of his deceased brother.’ Now, there were seven brothers. The first married a wife, but he died without leaving any children. … Finally the seven died leaving no children. Last of all the woman died. Now, in the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife? For the seven had her as wife.” Jesus replied, “You could be wrong in this regard because you understand neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. When they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry but are like the angels in heaven. “Now, about the resurrection of the dead, have you never reflected on the chapter of the burning bush in the book of Moses? God said to him: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now, he is the God, not of the dead but of the living. You are totally wrong.”

W

hat does this Gospel have to do with the kind of life we live? We come to a point, where our lives can be lived with a certain amount of hope, a certain amount of daring, a certain amount of adventure, a certain amount of confidence. These are qualities in our lives because we know there is something beyond our lives. There is a paradox to our living on this earth. We can have true qualities, because we know that the things that are of value in this life are not things of value in the life hereafter.

1st Reading: Tb 6:10–11; 7:1bcde, 9–17; 8:4–9a* When the angel Raphael and Tobiah had entered Media and were already approaching Ecbatana, Raphael said to Tobias, “Friend, we shall spend the night at the house of Ragouel. He is a relative of yours. He has no son, just an only daughter called Sara. When they arrived in Ecbatana Tobias said to Raphael, “Friend Azarias, take me straightaway to our friend Ragouel.” So Raphael led Tobias to Ragouel’s house and they found Ragouel sitting by the door of the courtyard.

They killed a sheep and served them numerous dishes. … Tobias said, “I shall eat nothing if you do not stop now and bring this matter to a conclusion.” Ragouel said to Tobias, “Take her from now on; I give her to you according to the Law of Moses and you have to understand that God himself gives her to you. …

He called his daughter Sara and taking her by the hand, he gave her to Tobias as his wife. …

thursday

June

04

9th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 1

Ps 128:1–2, 3, 4–5 Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Gospel: Mk 12:28–34 A teacher of the Law had been listening to this discussion and admired how Jesus answered them. So he came up and asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”

Jesus answered, “The first is: Hear, Israel! The Lord, our God, is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And after this comes another one: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two.”

The teacher of the Law said to him, “Well spoken, Master; you are right when you say that he is one and there is no other.

To love him with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.”

Jesus approved this answer and said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

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ove the Lord and love one another! What a tall order for any Christian to do. Where does one start showing love for God? How can you love God with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength when you do not see him? That is why one should see God in one’s neighbor. This is where God manifests himself to everyone.

We have to look at our neighbor with compassion, with understanding, and with forgiveness that comes from the heart. This is only be possible when we have God’s presence in our life. For when we have his presence, we feel God’s love in our hearts, and then we learn to teach ourselves to love others.

05 June friday

9th Week in Ordinary Time Boniface Psalter: Week 1

Ps 146:1b–2, 6c–7, 8–9a, 9bc–10 Praise the Lord, my soul!

1st Reading: Tb 11:5–17* Now Anna was sitting there, scanning the road along which her son should return. She saw Tobias and Raphael coming in the distance and said to the father of Tobias, “Your son is coming with the man who accompanied him.” While Tobias and Raphael were still going along the road, Raphael said to Tobias, “I am sure that your father will regain his sight. Rub his eyes with the fish gall and when he feels his eyes itching, he will rub them and the film will come away like scales from his eyes. He will regain his sight and see the light.” Anna ran to meet Tobias and threw her arms around his neck saying, “At last I have seen you again, my child. Now I can die!” …

Tobias told his father about the successful outcome of his journey, how he got the money, and how he married Sara, daughter of Ragouel, who just then was approaching the gates of Nineveh. Tobit, happy and praising God, went out to meet his daughter-in-law at the gates of Nineveh. All those who saw him, walking alone and unaided, were amazed that he could see. Tobit proclaimed to them that God had taken pity on him and cured him. Then he went to Sara and blessed her saying, “Welcome, daughter! May God be blessed for having brought you to us and may your father and mother also be blessed.”

It was a day of great rejoicing for all Tobit’s relatives who lived in Nineveh.

Gospel: Mk 12:35–37 As Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he said, “The teachers of the Law say that the Messiah is the son of David. How can that be? For David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit declared: The Lord said to my Lord: sit at my right until I put your enemies under your feet. If David himself calls him Lord, in what way can he be his son?” Many people came to Jesus and listened to him gladly.

A

lthough the teaching ministry of Jesus lasted only three and a half years, during that time he showed that he was the world’s master teacher. He used words, which the common people could understand and took his illustrations from the things, with which his listeners were familiar. For Jesus, moral teaching required a transformation in the underlying attitudes of self-righteousness, complacency, arrogance, egoism, resentment and hopelessness, all of which must be unlearned before morality can take root. The most difficult barrier to his teaching was the prevailing attitude of moral self-righteousness.

Jesus invited his hearers to discard conventional wisdom, in order to live by an alternative wisdom.

His alternative wisdom undermined the social boundaries generated by the conventional wisdom of his day and ours. His aphorisms and parables invite us to see life differently. Seeing life is central to the teaching of Jesus. The reason Jesus sees differently is because he knows differently; and the radical change in perspective, which characterizes the teaching of Jesus, comes from a radically different experience of reality, the experience of the spirit of God. The path Jesus travels, and invites us to travel, is radically centered in God and not in worldly culture!

1st Reading: Tb 12:1, 5–15, 20* When the wedding feast was over, Tobit called Tobias, his son, and said to him, “Be sure you give the wages to the man who accompanied you, and we should add something extra.”

Then Tobias called the angel and said to him, “Please take half of all that you have brought.” The angel took Tobit and Tobias to one side and said to them, “Bless God, return thanks to him, proclaim his glory and render him thanks before all the living for all he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his Name, by making known in a worthy manner the story of God’s deeds. Do not be slow in giving him thanks. It is good to hide the secrets of kings but to make known publicly the works of God. Do the works of God. Do good, and evil will not harm you. It is a good thing to accompany prayer with fasting, almsgiving and justice. It is better to do a little with honor than much with injustice. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold. Alms-giving preserves from death; it purifies from all sin. …

saturday

June

06

9th Week in Ordinary Time Norbert / Our Lady’s Saturday Psalter: Week 1

Tb 13:2, 6efgh, 7, 8 Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

Gospel: Mk 12:38–44 As Jesus was teaching, he said, “Beware of those teachers of the Law who enjoy walking around in long robes and being greeted in the marketplace, and who like to occupy reserved seats in the synagogues and the first places at feasts. They even devour the widow’s and the orphan’s goods while making a show of long prayers. How severe a sentence they will receive!” Jesus sat down opposite the Temple treasury and watched the people dropping money into the treasury box; and many rich people put in large offerings. But a poor widow also came and dropped in two small coins. Then Jesus called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those who gave offerings.

For all of them gave from their plenty, but she gave from her poverty and put in everything she had, her very living.”

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e should give thanks to God as a response to the love God gives us. Let us consider our families, our parents, siblings, spouses, children and grandchildren. They are wonderful blessings from God. But, how often do we take these blessings for granted. In fact, we don’t view them as blessings at all; instead we often view them as rights and things we deserve.

It’s no wonder we fail to give God the thanks He deserves. We swallow materialism hook, line and sinker. We fall for the philosophy that we deserve this; it is our right to have that. What we fail to understand is that our sinful nature slaps God in the face every day. We blatantly break His commandments, we knowingly reject His word, and we selfishly satisfy our bodies. Despite all of this, God not only provides us with health, family, food, clothing and shelter—God provides Himself.

When we realize this, we can all live a life that is filled with God’s love and we can thank Him for all those blessings. Let us also give Him thanks as proof that our heart belongs to Him alone.

1st Reading: Dt 4:32–34, 39–40 Moses said to the people, “Ask of the times past. Inquire from the day when God created man on earth. Ask from one end of the world to the other: Has there ever been anything as extraordinary as this? Has anything like this been heard of before? Has there ever been a people who remained alive after hearing as you did the voice of the living God from the midst of the fire?

“Never has there been a God who went out to look for a people and take them out from among the other nations by the strength of trials and signs, by wonders and by war, with a firm hand and an outstretched arm. Never has there been any deed as tremendous as those done for you

by Yahweh in Egypt, which you saw with your own eyes.

“Therefore, try to be convinced that Yahweh is the only God of heaven and earth, and that there is no other.

“Observe the laws and the commandments that I command you today, and everything will be well with you and your children after you. So you will live long in the land which Yahweh, your God, gives you forever.”

2nd Reading: Rom 8:14–17 All those who walk in the Spirit of God are sons and daughters of God. Then, no more fear: you did not receive a spirit of slavery, but the Spirit that makes you sons and daughters and Ps 33:4–5, 6, 9, 12b, 18–19, 20, 22 every time we cry, “Abba! (this is Dad!) Father!” Blessed the people the Lord has chosen the Spirit assures our spirit that we are sons and to be his own. daughters of God. If we are children, we are heirs, too. Ours will be the inheritance of God and we will share it with Christ; for if we now suffer with him, we will also share Glory with him.

sunday

Gospel: Mt 28:16–20 The Eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

When they saw Jesus, they bowed before him, although some doubted.

Then Jesus approached them and said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples from all nations. Baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to fulfill all that I have commanded you. I am with you always until the end of this world.”

June

07

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Psalter: Proper

T

hrough the intelligent use of our human reason we can come to know that God exists.

By looking at the way in which our universe works we can determine that it had to have been designed by an intelligent and powerful God. But who is this God? What else can we know about Him? Through our human reason alone we can know very little more about God than His ex­is­ tence. Yet God does not intend for us to remain ignorant of His love for the human race. For this reason, God intervenes in the history of the people of Israel, revealing Himself as a God of compassion, understanding and patience. In the fullness of time, God would send into the world His only begotten Son who would, by His death and resurrection, reveal to us the depth of the Father’s love for us. By sending the Holy Spirit into our world and into our lives we are made capable of living our lives not only with the knowledge that God exists, but with the confidence that comes from knowing that we are called to live as sons and daughters of a God who will stop at nothing to show us His merciful love.

08 June

monday

10th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 2

Ps 34:2–3, 4–5, 6–7, 8–9 Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

1st Reading: 2 Cor 1:1–7 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother, to the church of God in Corinth, and to all the saints in the whole of Achaia. May you receive grace and peace from God our Father and from Christ Jesus, the Lord. Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus, our Lord, the all-merciful Father and the God of all comfort! He encourages us in all our trials, so that we may also encourage those in any trial, with the same comfort that we receive from God. For whenever the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, a great comfort also overflows. So, if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we receive comfort it is also for you. You may experience the same comfort when you come to endure the same sufferings we endure. Our hope for you is most firm; just as you share in our sufferings, so shall you also share in our consolation.

Gospel: Mt 5:1–12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. He sat down and his disciples gathered around him. Then he spoke and began to teach them: “Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted. Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land. Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied. Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy. Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God. Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God. Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are my followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God. This is how this people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.”

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t seems certain that the Beatitudes were pointed directly at the disciples…and, therefore, as Christians, they are directed at us. This was Jesus’ longest sermon; it was also his most important. In the Gospels, we have recorded a lot of his teachings; but the Beatitudes are one unbroken tradition of eight inspirations. The disciples no longer had a place to lay their head. They had no prestige, no job; they were opposed by the religious and civil leaders, yet they were blessed, because they were the disciples of Jesus. They heard the call and they answered, even if they didn’t yet understand what it meant.

We often reject the Beatitudes on practical grounds. Few of us think we could carry them out and, if we could, what would other people think of us? Then again, if we choose to be Jesus’ disciples, that’s what we are called to do! In the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us eight character-types of blessed people, which represent the principal graces of a Christian. So, over the next couple of days, we shall be taking time out to reflect upon the wisdom of the Beatitudes, and upon their relevance to our lives in the world, today!

1st Reading: 2 Cor 1:18–22 God knows that our dealing with you is not Yes and No, just as the Son of God, Christ Jesus, whom we—Silvanus, Timothy and I—preach to you, was not Yes and No; with him it was simply Yes. In him all the promises of God have come to be a Yes, and we also say in his name: Amen! giving thanks to God. God himself has anointed us and strengthens us with you to serve Christ; he has marked us with his own seal in a first outpouring of the Spirit in our hearts.

tuesday

June

09

10th Week in Ordinary Time Ephrem Psalter: Week 2

Ps 119:129–133, 135 Lord, let your face shine on me.

Gospel: Mt 5:13–16 Jesus said to his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its strength, how can it be made salty again? It has become useless. It can only be thrown away and people will trample on it.

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a mountain cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and covers it; instead it is put on a lamp-stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before others, so that they may see the good you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

The first four Beatitudes: 1. The poor in spirit are blessed. They bring their faith to their condition, even when it is a low condition. In their own eyes, they are humble and lowly. They see their want, confess their guilt, and thirst after hope. The kingdom of God is for them.

2. Those that mourn are blessed. The sorrow which works true repentance, watchfulness, a humble mind and continual dependence on the mercy of God, is here intended. Heaven is a mountain of joy, to which our way winds through a vale of tears. Such mourners shall be comforted

by God. 3. The meek are blessed. The meek are those who quietly submit to God; who can bear insult; are silent, or return a soft answer; who, in their patience, keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of anything else. These meek ones are happy, even in this world.

Meekness promotes wealth, comfort and safety, even in this world.

4. Those, who hunger and thirst after justice, are blessed. Justice is the bedrock of all our spiritual blessings. Our desire for spiritual blessings must be accompanied by our daily desire to do God’s will.

10 June

wednesday

10th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 2

Ps 99:5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Holy is the Lord our God.

1st Reading: 2 Cor 3:4–11 This is how we are sure of God, through Christ. As for us we would not dare consider that something comes from us: our ability comes from God. He has even enabled us to be ministers of a new covenant no longer depending on a written text but on the Spirit. The written text kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The ministry of the Law carved on stones brought death; it was nevertheless surrounded by glory and we know that the Israelites could not fix their eyes on the face of Moses, such was his radiance, though fleeting. How much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be! If there is greatness in a ministry which uses to condemn, how much more will there be in the ministry that brings holiness? This is such a glorious thing that in comparison the former’s glory is like nothing.

That ministry was provisory and had only moments of glory; but ours endures with a lasting glory.

Gospel: Mt 5:17–19 Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not think that I have come to remove the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to remove but to fulfill them. I tell you this: as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or stroke of the Law will change until all is fulfilled.

So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys them and teaches others to do the same will be great in the kingdom of heaven.”

The final four Beatitudes: 5. The merciful are blessed. We must not only bear our own afflictions patiently, but we must do all we can to help those who are in misery. We must have compassion for others and do all in our power to help them.

6. The pure in heart are blessed. They shall see God. Here holiness and happiness are fully described and put together. The heart must be purified by faith, and kept for God. None but the pure are capable of seeing God. 7. The peace-makers are blessed. They love and desire and delight in peace. They keep the peace, so that it might be not broken; they recover it when it is broken. If the peace-makers are blessed, woe to the peace-breakers!

8. Those who are persecuted for the cause of justice are happy. This saying is more firmly insisted upon than the others. God provides that those, who are persecuted for Him through life, shall not be lost to Him in the end. With hope, we can cheerfully welcome any painful circumstances that come our way. May we find mercy from God; may we be owned as His children and inherit His kingdom.

1st Reading: Acts 11:21b–26; 13:1–3 The hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of God’s favor, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the Lord; for he himself was a good man filled with Holy Spirit and faith. Thus large crowds came to know the Lord.

Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus to look for Saul and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

There were at Antioch—in the Church which was there— prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon known as Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod, and Saul. On one occasion while they were celebrating the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them.” So, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

thursday

June

11

Barnabas, apostle Psalter: Proper

Ps 98:1, 2–3ab, 3cd–4, 5–6 The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Gospel: Mt 10:7–13 Jesus said to his disciples, “Go and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. You received this as a gift, so give it as a gift. Do not carry any gold, silver or copper in your purses. Do not carry a traveler’s bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or walking stick: workers deserve their living.

“When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person and stay there until you leave.

“As you enter the house, wish it peace. If the people in the house deserve it, your peace will be on them; if they do not deserve it, your blessing will come back to you.”

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his was the first mission for the disciples. Wherever they went, they were instructed by Jesus to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of heaven. They were to preach in order to inspire the love of heavenly things and contempt of the earthly. This was to show that the intent of the doctrine they preached was to heal sick souls and to raise those, who were spiritually dead. Jesus told them how they should act in strange towns and cities: in proclaiming the healing and the saving of souls, they had to avoid the appearance either of hubris or of false humility.

So it is with us, the servants of Christ. We are to be ambassadors of peace into whichever place we are sent or we find ourselves. We should conduct ourselves courteously to all. Like the disciples, we are told how to act towards those, who refuse the whole message of God. Those, who choose not to accept the gracious message, should be shown that their position is dangerous. And all of this should be seriously taken to heart by us, who are accustomed to hearing the Gospel, lest our neglect of privilege will serve to increase our downfall.

12 June friday

10th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 2

Ps 116:10–11, 15–16, 17–18 To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

1st Reading: 2 Cor 4:7–15 However, we carry this treasure in vessels of clay, so that this all-surpassing power may not be seen as ours but as God’s.

Trials of every sort come to us, but we are not discouraged.

We are left without answer, but do not despair; persecuted but not abandoned, knocked down but not crushed. At any moment we carry in our person the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in us. For we, the living, are given up continually to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence. And as death is at work in us, life comes to you.

We have received the same spirit of faith referred to in Scripture that says: I believed and so I spoke. We also believe and so we speak. We know that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and bring us, with you, into his presence. Finally, everything is for your good, so that grace will come more abundantly upon you and great will be the thanksgiving for the glory of God. Gospel: Mt 5:27–32 Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said: Do not commit adultery. But I tell you this: anyone who looks at a woman to satisfy his lust has in fact already committed adultery with her in his heart.

“So, if your right eye causes you to sin, pull it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

“It was also said: anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. But what I tell you is this: If a man divorces his wife except in the case of unlawful union, he causes her to commit adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

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esus’ advice about dismembering one’s right eye or right hand is not meant to be taken literally.

The important little word is “if.” If it were literally true that a member of our body could cause us to sin, then we would be better off to dispose of the offending part. The members of our body do not cause us to sin, however. It is the lust in our heart that is the problem. The members of our bodies can only be the instruments of sin, not the causes of it. It is lust that causes sin; and lust is not a function of the physical organism, but of the inward person.

Everything is given to us to save us from sin, not to cause it. All our senses and powers must be kept from those things, which lead to transgression. Those, who lead others into temptation to sin, or expose them to it, are themselves guilty of that sin and will be rendered accountable for it.

But we should turn our attention away from temptation, no matter how difficult that is, when the salvation of our souls is concerned. With God’s mercy, we are able to do just that!

1st Reading: 2 Cor 5:14–21 Indeed the love of Christ holds us and we realize that if he died for all, all have died. He died for all so that those who live may live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and rose again for them. And so from now on, we do not regard anyone from a human point of view; and even if we once knew Christ personally, we should now regard him in another way.

For that same reason, the one who is in Christ is a new creature. For him the old things have passed away; a new world has come. All this is the work of God who in Christ reconciled us to himself, and who entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation. Because in Christ God reconciled the world with himself, no longer taking into account their trespasses and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

So we present ourselves as ambassadors in the name of Christ, as if God himself makes an appeal to you through us.

Let God reconcile you; this we ask you in the name of Christ.

He had no sin, but God made him bear our sin, so that in him we might share the holiness of God.

saturday

June

13

10th Week in Ordinary Time Anthony of Padua Psalter: Week 2

Ps 103:1–2, 3–4, 9–10, 11–12 The Lord is kind and merciful.

Gospel: Mt 5:33–37 Jesus said to his disciples, “You have also heard that people were told in the past: Do not break your oath; an oath sworn to the Lord must be kept. But I tell you this: do not take oaths.

Do not swear by the heavens, for they are God’s throne, nor by the earth, because it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem because it is the city of the great king. Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. Say yes when you mean yes and say no when you mean no. Anything else you say comes from the devil.”

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e need to be people, who mean what we say and say what we mean. Sure, we’ll make some people angry in the process; we can’t please everyone. When we try to please everyone, we catch the politician’s disease of promising people whatever they desire, with no intention of keeping their promises. Do we want to be seen as having the same credibility as politicians? No? Then, we need to be plain-speaking! People will respect us far more if they know they can trust whatever we say…even if they disagree with us…than if they take us for slick-talking deceivers.

We shouldn’t have to take an oath to feel obligated to fulfill our word. When we make a promise, we should mean it, without resorting to some kind of impressive-sounding oath. Love does not deceive, but honors another person enough to be honest with him or her. We all want to know the truth, no matter how painful it is. So, we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves, speaking the truth in the same way as we’d like to have the truth told to us, ourselves. If we would be Christians, we must speak the truth as Christ did!

1st Reading: Ex 24:3–8 Moses came and told the people all the words of Yahweh and all his laws. The people replied with one voice: “Everything that Yahweh has said, we shall do.”

Moses wrote down all the words of Yahweh, then rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve raised stones for the twelve tribes of Israel.

He then sent young men from among the sons of Israel to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice bullocks as peace offerings to Yahweh.

And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins; and with the other half of the blood he sprinkled the altar.

He then took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. They said, “All that Yahweh said we shall do and obey.”

Moses then took the blood and sprinkled it on the people saying, “Here is the blood of the covenant that Yahweh has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Ps 116:12–13, 15–16, 17–18 I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.

2nd Reading: Heb 9:11–15 Christ has appeared as the high priest with regard to the good things of these new times.

He passed through a sanctuary more noble and perfect, not made by hands, that is, not created. He did not take with himself the blood of goats and bulls but his own blood, when he entered once and for all into this sanctuary after obtaining definitive redemption. If the sprinkling of people defiled by sin with the blood of goats and bulls or with the ashes of a heifer provides them with exterior cleanness and holiness, how much more will it be with the blood of Christ?

He, moved by the eternal Spirit, offered himself as an unblemished victim to God and his blood cleanses us from dead works, so that we may serve the living God.

sunday

So Christ is the mediator of a new covenant or testament. His death made atonement for the sins committed under the old testament, and the promise is handed over to all who are called to the everlasting inheritance.

Gospel: Mk 14:12–16, 22–26 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day when the Passover Lamb was killed, the disciples asked him, “Where would you have us go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

So Jesus sent two of his disciples with these instructions, “Go into the city and there a man will come to you carrying a jar of water. Follow him to the house he enters and say to the owner, ‘The Master says: Where is the room where I may eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’

Then he will show you a large room upstairs, already arranged and furnished. There you will prepare for us.” The disciples went off. When they reached the city, they found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. And he said, “Take this, it is my body.” Then he took a cup and after he had given thanks, passed it to them and they all drank from it. And he said, “This is my blood, the blood of the Covenant, which is to be poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not taste the fruit of the vine again until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.” After singing psalms of praise, they went out to the Hill of Olives.

June

14

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ Psalter: Proper

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esus could not have possibly given more to us than His Body and Blood. Jesus gives every­ thing that He has to give by allowing Himself to be nailed to the cross. Through His sacrificial death Jesus cancels the debt of our sins and opens to us the new and everlasting covenant of His love. Jesus gives his life that we might have life and have it to the full.

The sacrificial death that Jesus endured for us upon the cross is perpetuated through the holy sacrifice of the Mass. When we participate in the Holy Eucharist, we take our place at Calvary at the foot of the cross, and we experience the greatest love the world has ever known. What is more, we have the awesome privilege of receiving in­ to our persons through Holy Communion the very Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Lord. Instituted by the Lord at the Last Supper in anticipation of His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, the Holy Eucharist is our greatest treasure. It is the sacrament through which the Lord Jesus keeps His solemn promise, “I am with you always, even until the end of the age.”

15 June

monday

11th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 3

Ps 98:1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd–4 The Lord has made known his salvation.

1st Reading: 2 Cor 6:1–10 Being God’s helpers we beg you: let it not be in vain that you received this grace of God. Scripture says: At the favorable time I listened to you, on the day of salvation I helped you.

This is the favorable time, this is the day of salvation.

We are concerned not to give anyone an occasion to stumble or criticize our mission. Instead we prove we are true ministers of God in every way by our endurance in so many trials, in hardships, afflictions, floggings, imprisonment, riots, fatigue, sleepless nights and days of hunger.

People can notice in our upright life, knowledge, patience and kindness, action of the Holy Spirit, sincere love, words of truth and power of God. So we fight with the weapons of justice, to attack as well as to defend.

Sometimes we are honored, at other times insulted; we receive criticism as well as praise. We are regarded as liars although we speak the truth; as unknown though we are well known; as dead and yet we live. Punishments come upon us but we have not, as yet, been put to death. We appear to be afflicted, yet always joyful; we seem to be poor, but we enrich many; we have nothing, but we possess everything!

Gospel: Mt 5:38–42 Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you this: do not oppose evil with evil; if someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn and offer the other. If someone sues you in court for your shirt, give your coat as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give when asked and do not turn your back on anyone who wants to borrow from you.”

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urn the other cheek! Possibly more than any other saying of Jesus, this sums up what it means to be a Christian. Does Jesus want us to be doormats, suckers who allow ourselves to be taken advantage of by every bully and gangster, who walk into our lives? Tough love sometimes demands we say tough words. What no human being can or should do is judge the ultimate standing of a person before God, based on the hidden motivations of his or her heart.

We can judge whether objective behavior is good or bad, right or wrong. Sometimes, it is even our duty to tell people that it is wrong and condemn it. God’s call is for us to love them and care enough about them enough to speak the truth to them; and then to help them get the support they need to live according to that truth. While we hate the sin, we must love the sinner. Such love is amazing; but can we expect it to change anyone? The example of Judas and the Pharisees would argue not. And yet, by our example, we can often show that, since our hearts are open, our love is irresistible!

1st Reading: 2 Cor 8:1–9 Now I want you to know about a gift of divine grace among the Churches of Macedonia. While they were so afflicted and persecuted, their joy overflowed and their extreme poverty turned into a wealth of generosity. According to their means—even beyond their means—they wanted to share in helping the saints.

They asked us for this favor spontaneously and with much insistence and, far beyond anything we expected, they put themselves at the disposal of the Lord and of us by the will of God. Accordingly, I urged Titus to complete among you this work of grace since he began it with you. You excel in everything: in the gifts of faith, speech and knowledge; you feel concern for every cause and, besides, you are first in my heart. Excel also in this generous service.

This is not a command; I make known to you the determination of others to check the sincerity of your fraternal concern. You know well the generosity of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Although he was rich, he made himself poor to make you rich through his poverty.

tuesday

June

16

11th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 3

Ps 146:2, 5–6ab, 6c–7, 8–9a Praise the Lord, my soul!

Gospel: Mt 5:43–48 Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. For he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and he gives rain to both the just and the unjust.

“If you love those who love you, what is special about that?

Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much? For your part you shall be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is righteous and perfect.”

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ove your enemies! Over the centuries, many persons have argued that this is an extremely difficult command. Many would go so far as to say that it just isn’t possible to move into the actual practice of this glorious command. But, far from being an impractical idealist, Jesus was the practical realist. And now, the words of this text glitter in our eyes with a new urgency. This command is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. Yes, it is love that will save our world and our civilization, love even for our enemies!

It’s also necessary that we go into the question of why we should love our enemies: because hate for hate’s sake only intensifies the existence of evil in the world. Somewhere, somebody must have a little sense and that’s the strong person. The strong person is the person who can cut off the chain of hate, the chain of evil. The tragedy of hate is that it intensifies the existence of evil in the universe.

We simply must have enough faith to cut it off and inject, within the very structure of the universe, that strong and powerful element of love for our enemies.

17 June

wednesday

11th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 3

Ps 112:1bc–2, 3–4, 9 Blessed the man who fears the Lord.

1st Reading: 2 Cor 9:6–11* Remember: the one who sows meagerly will reap meagerly, and there shall be generous harvests for the one who sows generously. Each of you should give as you decided personally, and not reluctantly as if obliged. God loves a cheerful giver. … God who provides the sower with seed will also provide him with the bread he eats. He will multiply the seed for you and also increase the interests of your good works. Become rich in every way, and give abundantly. What you give will become, through us, a thanksgiving to God. Gospel: Mt 6:1–6, 16–18 Jesus said to his disciples, “Be careful not to make a show of your righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven. When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets in order to be praised by the people. I assure you, they have been already paid in full. If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father who sees what is kept secret, will reward you. When you pray, do not be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is with you in secret; and your Father who sees what is kept secret will reward you.

“When you fast, do not put on a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy face, so people can see they are fasting. I tell you this: they have been paid in full already.

When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look cheerful, because you are not fasting for appearances or for people, but for your Father who sees beyond appearances. And your Father, who sees what is kept secret will reward you.

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rayer isn’t some secret language of fancy phrases; there aren’t any magic formulae to make God hear us, or act upon our requests. When we speak to God in our everyday normal speaking language, we are praying. Jesus prayed constantly and talked a lot about prayer. He knew that prayer releases God’s power into any situation and renews our spiritual strength to handle anything in life. Whenever the pressure on him became overwhelming, Jesus went to a private place and prayed.

But, just as he knew that God was the source of his strength, Jesus knew, equally well, that God is always poised, ready to help us in times of trouble. He may not release us from a trial; but we have His promise that He will strengthen us and He will stand with us as we go through it. We may be in dire circumstances; but we should always know that God is there with us, whenever we genuinely pray for Him to be there. If we really, really trust Him, God has promised that everything will work out for our ultimate welfare. So, when we pray, we must remember to thank God for His work in our lives!

1st Reading: 2 Cor 11:1–11* May you bear with me in some little foolishness! But surely you will. I confess that I share the jealousy of God for you, for I have promised you in marriage to Christ, the only spouse, to present you to him as a pure virgin. And this is my fear: the serpent that seduced Eve with cunning could also corrupt your minds and divert you from the Christian sincerity.

Someone now comes and preaches another Jesus different from the one we preach, or you are offered a different spirit from the one you have received, with a different Gospel from the one you have accepted—and you agree! …

Perhaps my fault was that I humbled myself in order to uplift you, or that I gave you the Gospel free of charge. I called upon the services of other churches and served you with the support I received from them. When I was with you, although I was in need, I did not become a burden to anyone. The friends from Macedonia gave me what I needed. I have taken care not to be a burden to you in anything and I will continue to do so. By the truth of Christ within me, I will let no one in the land of Achaia stop this boasting of mine. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do!

thursday

June

18

11th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 3

Ps 111:1b–2, 3–4, 7–8 Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.

Gospel: Mt 6:7–15 Jesus said to his disciples, “When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do, for they hold that the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today the kind of bread we need. Forgive us our debts just as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. Do not bring us to the test but deliver us from the evil one. “If you forgive others their wrongs, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either.”

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hroughout history, today’s Gospel reading has been known as The Lord’s Prayer! Jesus taught us how to pray in word and deed, in so many ways. When we pray his prayer, his spirit becomes our own. Every word has a lesson in it. By calling God, Father, we are describing ourselves and our relationship with God. Jesus teaches that we have a filial relationship with God; God sees us as if we were a daughter or a son. And we, on our part, can approach God in the familiar, confident way a child approaches a loving parent.

Not only do we ask God’s forgiveness for our daily offenses, but we link God’s forgiveness of us with our forgiveness of others. Forgiving others is not always easy to do. We need God’s help to do it. Life is a daily battle. Trials like sickness and failure can crush our spirit. False values and easy promises can entice us and even destroy our souls. And so, we ask God to keep us from failing when we are tested, to help us to know the right thing to do, and to deliver us from any evil, which might await us in life. Amen!

19 June friday

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Psalter: Proper

Is 12:2–3, 4, 5–6 You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

1st Reading: Hos 11:1, 3–4, 8c–9 I loved Israel when he was a child; out of Egypt I called my son.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; yet little did they realize that it was I who cared for them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with leading strings of love, and I became for them as one who eases the yoke upon their neck and stoops down to feed them.

How can I give you up, Ephraim? Can I abandon you like Admah or make you like Zeboiim? My heart is troubled within me and I am moved with compassion. I will not give vent to my great anger; I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am God and not human. I am the Holy One in your midst and I do not want to come to you in anger.

2nd Reading: Eph 3:8–12, 14–19 Gospel: Jn 19:31–37 As it was Preparation Day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross during the Sabbath, for this Sabbath was a very solemn day. They asked Pilate to have the legs of the condemned men broken, so they might take away the bodies.

The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who had been crucified with Jesus. When they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead; so they did not break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a lance and immediately there came out blood and water.

The one who has seen here gives his witness so that you may believe: his witness is true and He knows that he speaks the truth. All this happened to fulfill the words of Scripture, Not one of his bones shall be broken. Another text says: They shall look on him whom they have pierced.

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evotion to the Sacred Heart is but a special form of devotion to Jesus. His heart is, above all, the emblem of love and whatever in Jesus is connected with this love. Devotion to the Sacred Heart, being directed to the living heart of Jesus, thus becomes familiar with his whole inner life, with all his virtues and sentiments, and finally, with his infinitely loving and lovable nature.

There is still another extension, very naturally made: when speaking of a big heart, our allusion is to a person, just as when we mention the Sacred Heart we mean Jesus. When the word “heart” is used to designate a person, it is because that person is considered in relation to his or her generosity and moral life. The love of Jesus, his heart, embraces us all; and the better we understand it, the more firmly shall we be convinced that nothing can vie with it, for making Jesus live in us and for bringing us, who live by it, to love God with all our heart, with all our soul and all our strength. No other practice can ever exhaust the riches of our devotion to the Sacred Heart!

1st Reading: 2 Cor 12:1–10* … I know a certain Christian: fourteen years ago he was taken up to the third heaven. … Of that man I can indeed boast, but of myself I will not boast except of my weaknesses.

If I wanted to boast, it would not be foolish of me, for I would speak the truth. However, I better give up lest somebody think more of me than what is seen in me or heard from me. Lest I become proud after so many and extraordinary revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a true messenger of Satan, to slap me in the face. Three times I prayed to the Lord that it leave me, but he answered, “My grace is enough for you; my great strength is revealed in weakness.”

Gladly, then, will I boast of my weakness that the strength of Christ may be mine. So I rejoice when I suffer infirmities, humiliations, want, persecutions: all for Christ! For when I am weak, then I am strong.

saturday

June

20

Immaculate Heart of Mary Psalter: Week 3

Ps 34:8–9, 10–11, 12–13 Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Gospel: Lk 2:41–51 Every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, he went up with them according to the custom for this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem and his parents did not know it. They thought he was in the company and after walking the whole day they looked for him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for him, and on the third day they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw him and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for you.” Then he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Do you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand this answer.

Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and he continued to be subject to them. As for his mother, she kept all these things in her heart.

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n order that there may be devotion to the heart of Mary, our attention and homage must acknowledge all that her human heart suggests. Her heart is the symbol and living reminder of Mary’s interior life, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and her hidden perfections. Above all, we venerate her virginal love for God, her maternal love for her divine son, and her motherly and compassionate love for us.

What seems to attract us above all else is the love in Mary’s heart for Jesus and for God. She kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, so that she might ponder upon them and live by them. Thus the object of our devotion is to love God and Jesus better, by uniting ourselves to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues, in our devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

1st Reading: Job 38:1, 8–11 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the storm: Who shut the sea behind closed doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling clothes; when I set its limits with doors and bars in place, when I said, “You will not go beyond these bounds; here is where your proud waves must halt?”

2nd Reading: 2 Cor 5:14–17 Indeed the love of Christ holds us and we realize that if he died for all, all have died. He died for all so that those who live may live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and rose again for them. And so from now on, we do not regard anyone from a human point of view; and even if we once knew Christ personally, we should now regard him in another way.

For that same reason, the one who is in Christ is a new creature. For him the old things have passed away; a new world has come.

Gospel: Mk 4:35–41 On that same day when evening had come, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side.” So they left the crowd and took him away in the boat he had been sitting in, and other boats set out with him. Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale. The waves spilled over into the boat so that it was soon filled with Ps 107:23–24, 25–26, 28–29, 30–31 water. And Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the Give thanks to the Lord, his love is everlasting. cushion.

They woke him up and said, “Master, don’t you care if we sink?” As Jesus awoke, he rebuked the wind and ordered the sea, “Quiet now! Be still!” The wind dropped and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to them, “Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?”

But they were terrified and they said to one another, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

sunday

June

21

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 4

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hose who venture out upon the sea are conscious of the great risk that they are undertaking. Even on our modern cruise liners the presence of life boats and life jackets is unmistakable.

The risky and dangerous sea is a metaphor for our lives. We are never far from the rare virus or freak accident that could leave us clinging to life. In fact, this very day your life could be taken from you, for we know neither the day nor the hour. Far more significantly, we are never far from the cunning influence of the evil one, who prowls about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Dangerous waters indeed.

Yet we are not without hope, for amidst the crashing of the waves and howling of the wind the Lord Jesus sails with us. He is never far from us and is always ready to save those who call upon Him. His very name has the power to calm the storms that threaten body and soul.

May the abiding presence of Jesus give us peace of heart and courage to face the challenges of life.

22 June

monday

12th Week in Ordinary Time Paulinus of Nola / JohnFisher / Thomas More Psalter: Week 4

Ps 33:12–13, 18–19, 20 and 22 Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

1st Reading: Gen 12:1–9 Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse, and in you all peoples of the earth will be blessed.”

So Abram went as Yahweh had told him, and Lot went with him.

Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

Abram took Sarai, his wife, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran. They set out for the land of Canaan.

They arrived at Canaan. Abram traveled through the country as far as Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” There he built an altar to Yahweh who had appeared to him.

From there he went on to the mountains east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east.

There also he built an altar to Yahweh and called on the name of Yahweh. Then Abram set out in the direction of Negeb.

Gospel: Mt 7:1–5 Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not judge and you will not be judged. In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and the measure you use for others will be used for you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye and not see the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother: ‘Come, let me take the speck from your eye,’ as long as that plank is in your own? Hypocrite, take first the plank out of your own eye, then you will see clear enough to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

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oday, Jesus speaks to us about seeing our faults. This time it’s a little humorous, yet with a sober message, as he contrasts the “speck” and the “plank” in our eyes. We must cultivate the ability to see. Jesus wants to open our eyes to see what he sees, not just with our physical eyes, but with the eyes of our hearts. Let’s not be in that group that Jesus speaks about: those who, having eyes, do not see. It’s difficult, but our culture, for all its image-based, video orientation, is flat out blind!

Yes, we should judge ourselves; but we shouldn’t make our word a law for everybody else. We must not judge rashly, nor pass judgment upon others for no reason. We must not think the worst of people. Here, Jesus offers a reproof to those who would quarrel with others for small faults, while they’d allow for greater ones in themselves. It would be strange if we were in a sinful condition and not be aware of it, just as it would be if we had a beam in our eye and not see it. Here is a good rule for critics of others: first reform yourself!

1st Reading: Gen 13:2, 5–18* Now Abram was very rich in flocks, silver and gold.

Lot who went with Abram also had flocks, cattle and tents.

The land was not sufficient to allow them to stay together, for their possessions were too great for them to live together.

A quarrel arose between the herdsmen of Abram’s flock and those of Lot. (The Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at the time.) Abram said to Lot, “Don’t let there be a dispute between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and yours, since we are brothers! Isn’t the whole land there before you? Let us part company. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.” … Lot chose for himself all the Jordan valley and journeyed eastward. In this way they separated from each other. Abram settled in the country of Canaan while Lot lived among the towns of the plain and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against Yahweh. Yahweh said to Abram after Lot had left him, “Raise your eyes and look from where you are, towards the north, the south, the east and the west; all the land you see I will give to you and your descendants forever. I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; if the grains of the dust can be counted, then your descendants may be counted.

Come, travel through the length and breadth of the land, for it is to you that I am giving it.” So Abram moved his tent and came to live by the oak of Mamre at Hebron. There he built an altar to Yahweh.

tuesday

June

23

12th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 4

Ps 15:2–3a, 3bc–4ab, 5 He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Gospel: Mt 7:6, 12–14 Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, or throw your pearls to the pigs: they might trample on them and even turn on you and tear you to pieces.

So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you: there you have the Law and the Prophets. Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many go that way. How narrow is the gate that leads to life and how rough the road; few there are who find it.”

T

oday, Jesus tells us not to cast our pearls before swine. As we preach the true message of the Gospel to everyone, we must understand that we are not convert-makers. As we do so, we should leave the results up to God and not judge self-righteously and write people off, deciding that they don’t need the Gospel because they wouldn’t respond anyway. But, at the same time, we must make a judgment-call about what to say, when, and how to say it. To know and admit that someone is a sinner is not the same thing as judging them. To know that someone needs help is not to look down on them. Jesus told the disciples that some would heed their message, others would not. Not every person we talk to will believe what we tell them about Christ. If a person does not heed our warning about the judgment to come and if they reject the good news…there is nothing else we can do!

24 June

wednesday

Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist Psalter: Proper

Ps 139:1b–3, 13–14ab, 14c–15 I praise you for I am wonderfully made.

1st Reading: Is 49:1–6* … Yahweh called me from my mother’s womb; he pro­ nounced my name before I was born. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. He hid me in the shadow of his hand.

He made me into a polished arrow set apart in his quiver. He said to me, “You are Israel, my servant, Through you I will be known.” “I have labored in vain,” I thought and spent my strength for nothing.” Yet what is due me was in the hand of Yahweh, and my reward was with my God. I am important in the sight of Yahweh, and my God is my strength. And now Yahweh has spoken, he who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, to gather Israel to him.

He said: “It is not enough that you be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the remnant of Israel. I will make you the light of the nations, that my salvation will reach to the ends of the earth.”

2nd Reading: Acts 13:22–26 Gospel: Lk 1:57–66, 80 When the time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a son.

Her neighbors and relatives heard that the merciful Lord had done a wonderful thing for her and they rejoiced with her.

When on the eighth day they came to attend the circumcision of the child, they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.”

They said to her, “No one in your family has that name”; and they asked the father by means of signs for the name he wanted to give. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote on it, “His name is John,” and they were very surprised. Immediately Zechariah could speak again and his first words were in praise of God. A holy fear came on all in the neighborhood, and throughout the Hills of Judea the people talked about these events. All who heard of it pondered in their minds and wondered, “What will this child be?” For they understood that the hand of the Lord was with him. As the child grew up, he was seen to be strong in the Spirit; he lived in the desert till the day when he appeared openly in Israel.

T

he greatness of John the Baptist is seen in the great emphasis given to the announcement of his birth and the event itself: both made prominently parallel to the same occurrences in the life of Jesus. Except for Mary, no one had a higher function in the unfolding of salvation. Yet, the least in the kingdom, Jesus said, is greater than John the Baptist, for the gift of salvation that God gives.

John challenges us Christians to the fundamental attitude of Christianity: total dependence on God, in Christ. The attractiveness as well as the austerity of John, his fierce courage in denouncing evil, all stem from his fundamental placement of his life within the will of God. And this is not something, which was only true long ago in the past. It is always true, because the repentance, which he preached, always remains the way into the kingdom which he announced. John is always relevant because he calls for a preparation and a repentance, which all of us need to make on a daily basis!

1st Reading: Gen 16:6b–12, 15–16* … Abram said to Sarai, “Your servant is in your power; do with her as you please.” Then Sarai treated her so badly that she ran away. The angel of Yahweh found her near a spring in the wilderness and said to her, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I’m running away from Sarai, my mistress.” The angel of Yahweh said to her, “Go back to your mistress and humbly submit yourself to her.” The angel of Yahweh said to her, “I will so increase your descendants, that they will be too numerous to be counted.” Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, “Now you are with child and you will have a son, and you shall name him Ishmael, for Yahweh has heard your distress. He shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, defiant towards all his brothers.” …

thursday

June

25

12th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 4

Ps 106:1b–2, 3–4a, 4b–5 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

Gospel: Mt 7:21–29 Jesus said to his disciples, “Not everyone who says to me: Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not speak in your name? Did we not cast out devils and perform many miracles in your name?’ Then I will tell them openly: I have never known you; away from me, you evil people!

“So, then, anyone who hears these words of mine and acts accordingly is like a wise man, who built his house on rock.

The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house, but it did not collapse because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand.

The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible fall that was!” When Jesus had finished this discourse, the crowds were struck by the way he taught, because he taught with authority unlike their teachers of the Law.

J

esus taught that it isn’t enough to acknowledge him in word alone; it is necessary that we repent of sin, that we live a holy life, that we love one another. There are others, whose faith relies solely upon hearing a message and nothing more. Two kinds of hearers are represented as two builders.

Today’s parable teaches us to hear and act upon the sayings of Jesus; some may seem difficult to follow, but they must be done. Some build their hopes upon worldly prosperity; others upon outward professions of religion. But their hopes are all built on sand, too weak to bear the demands of the faith, upon which we build our hopes of heaven. The coming storm will try everyone’s faith.

The crowds were astonished at the wisdom and power of Jesus’ doctrine. And this sermon, which is often read over and again, is always new. Let us be more and more decided and earnest, making Christ the main subject of our thoughts. Let us not confuse our faith with worldly rewards, whereby we grasp at everything, but catch nothing. May God make us wise builders for eternity; then nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ!

26 June friday

12th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 4

Ps 128:1–2, 3, 4–5 See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.

1st Reading: Gen 17:9–10, 15–22 God said to Abraham, “For your part, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation. This is my covenant with you, that you will keep, you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised; God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai, your wife, no longer are you to call her Sarai, but Sarah. I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her and from her will come nations; kings and peoples shall come from her.”

Then Abraham fell face down, and he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?

And can Sarah who is ninety have a child?” And Abraham said to God, “If only you would accept Ishmael as yours!” But God said, “Not at all! It is Sarah, your wife, who will give birth to your son and you will name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him and his descendants after him forever. As for Ishmael, I heard you. I will bless him and make him fruitful, and I will multiply his race. He shall be the father of twelve princes and I will make of him a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, the child Sarah will have this time next year.” When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went away from him.

Gospel: Mt 8:1–4 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him.

Then a leper came forward. He knelt before him and said, “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to, be clean again.” At that very moment the man was cleansed from his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not tell anyone, but go to the priest, have yourself declared clean, and offer the gift that Moses ordered as proof of it.”

T

oday, we have another account of Jesus cleansing a leper. There is a part of each one of us that is like the leper, in need of healing. Once we recognize that we are all in need of healing, God will have compassion on us. Then again, once God shows compassion to us, we should want to show compassion to each other…in fact, to everyone on the planet.

We have a whole new set of lepers today, people whom we ostracize, whom we exclude and excommunicate, declare unclean and push aside. In our culture, we ostracize people on death row, people with AIDS, people with disabilities, people who are Muslim, or people who are just different.

We often think they’re the cause of our problems: let’s push them aside or imprison them or ignore their sufferings; or kill them and get rid of them. Then, we’ll be OK; we’ll be safe; we’ll be secure. But, like Jesus, we must side with the lepers of our time, cultivate a heart of compassion, stretch out our hands and welcome them into our community. We have to reconcile with everyone everywhere.

Only then, like Jesus, will we become people of infinite compassion!

1st Reading: Gen 18:1–15* … Abraham then ran to the herd, took a fine, tender calf, gave it to the servant who hurried to prepare it. He took butter and milk and together with the calf he had prepared laid it all before them. And while he remained standing, they ate. They then asked, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” Abraham answered, “She is in the tent.” And the visitor said, “At this same time next year I will return and Sarah by then will have a son.” … Is there anything that is impossible for God? At this same time next year I will return and Sarah by then will have a son.” …

saturday

June

27

12th Week in Ordinary Time Cyril of Alexandria Psalter: Week 4

Lk 1:46–47, 48–49, 50 and 53, 54–55 The Lord has remembered his mercy.

Gospel: Mt 8:5–17 When Jesus entered Capernaum, an army captain approached him to ask his help, “Sir, my servant lies sick at home. He is paralyzed and suffers terribly.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

The captain answered, “I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just give an order and my boy will be healed. For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to one: ‘Go,’ he goes, and if I say to another: ‘Come,’ he comes, and to my servant: ‘Do this,’ he does it.”

When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those who were following him, “I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel. I say to you, many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven; but the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness; there they will wail and grind their teeth.” Then Jesus said to the captain, “Go home now.

As you believed, so let it be.” And at that moment his servant was healed.

Jesus went to Peter’s house and found Peter’s motherin-law in bed with fever. He took her by the hand and the fever left her; she got up and began to wait on him. Towards evening they brought to Jesus many possessed by evil spirits, and with a word he drove out the spirits. He also healed all who were sick. In doing this he fulfilled what was said by the prophet Isaiah: He bore our infirmities and took on himself our diseases.

T

oday’s centurion was a heathen, a Roman soldier, hated by the Jews of the time. Though he was a soldier, yet he was a godly man. It just goes to show that no person’s calling or place should be an excuse for unbelief and sin.

The centurion realized that Jesus had divine power and full command of all the creatures and powers of nature. A profession of our faith may allow us to be called children of God; but, it’s not enough to rely on that, with nothing else to show for our beliefs. The servant got a cure of his disease, and his master got the approval of his faith in Jesus. What was said to the centurion is said to all of us: believe and you will receive! When we see the power of our faith in Christ, the healing of our souls becomes both the effect and the evidence of that faith in our daily lives!

1st Reading: Wis 1:13–15; 2:23–24 God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. Since he has created everything, all creatures of the universe are for our good; there is no deadly poison in them and the netherworld has no dominion over the earth, because immortal is not submitted to death. Indeed God created man to be immortal in the likeness of his own nature, but the envy of the devil brought death to the world, and those who take his side shall experience death.

2nd Reading: 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13–15 You excel in everything: in the gifts of faith, speech and knowledge; you feel concern for every cause and, besides, you are first in my heart. Excel also in this generous service.

You know well the generosity of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Although he was rich, he made himself poor to make you rich through his poverty.

I do not mean that others should be at ease and you burdened. Strive for equality; at present give from your abundance what they are short of, and in some way they also will give from their abundance what you lack. Then you will be equal and what Scripture says shall come true: To the one who had much, nothing was in excess; to the one who had little, nothing was lacking.

Gospel: Mk 5:21–43* Jesus then crossed to the other side of the lake and while he was still on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. Jairus, an official of the synagogue, came up and seeing Jesus, threw himself at his feet and asked him earnestly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live.” Jesus went with him and many people followed, pressing from every side. … Her flow of blood dried up at once, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her complaint. …

While Jesus was still speaking, some people arrived from the official’s house to inform him, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Master any further?” But Jesus ignored what they said and told the official, “Do not fear, just believe.”

And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James and John, the brother of James.

When they arrived at the house, Jesus saw a

Ps 30:2a, 4, 5–6, 11, 12, 13 I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. great commotion with people weeping and wailing loudly. Jesus entered and said to them, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him.

But Jesus sent them outside and went with the child’s father and mother and his companions into the room where the child lay. Taking her by the hand, he said to her, “Talitha kumi!” which means: “Little girl, get up!” The girl got up at once and began to walk around. (She was twelve years old.) The parents were astonished, greatly astonished. Jesus strictly ordered them not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.

sunday

June

28

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 1

F

aith is powerful. The faith of Jairus brought Jesus into his home and saved his daughter from death. The faith of the woman with the chronic bleeding brought her healing and a renewed lease on life. These accounts are given to us in the Gospel so that our faith might be strengthened and that we, too, might be saved from death and brought to the fullness of life.

Faith is not an abstraction. Our faith rests in a person, the person of Jesus Christ. Faith is not wishful thinking. Faith is a conviction that with God, all things are possible. Faith is not contrary to reason. Faith is the means by which our human reason is elevated so that we can know the world the way it truly is, charged with the grandeur of God. Faith will not last forever. Faith will one day give way to sight. We will no longer need faith when we behold our God and see Him face to face. Then will our faith be vindicated. Then will we reach our faith’s goal, our salvation.

29 June

monday

Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, apostles Psalter: Proper

Ps 34:2–3, 4–5, 6–7, 8–9 The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

1st Reading: Acts 12:1–10* About that time King Herod decided to persecute some members of the Church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword, and when he saw how it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This happened during the festival of the Unleavened Bread. Herod had him seized and thrown into prison with four squads, each of four soldiers, to guard him. He wanted to bring him to trial before the people after the Passover feast, but while Peter was kept in prison, the whole Church prayed earnestly for him. On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound by a double chain, while guards kept watch at the gate of the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood there and a light shone in the prison cell. The angel tapped Peter on the side and woke him saying, “Get up quickly!” At once the chains fell from Peter’s wrists. The angel said, “Put on your belt and your sandals.” Peter did so, and the angel added, “Now, put on your cloak and follow me.” …

2nd Reading: 2 Tim 4:6–8, 17–18 Gospel: Mt 16:13–19 Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, “What do people say of the Son of Man? Who do they say I am?” They said, “For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.

“And now I say to you: You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”

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aints Peter and Paul each played a unique part in setting the foundations of the Church as we know it today. The all-too-human Peter ensured Christianity’s roots were anchored firmly in Jewish Old Testament tradition. Peter, as leader of the apostles, was chosen by Jesus to have a special relationship with him. He was sent with John to prepare for the last Passover before Jesus’ death. Quite rightly, his name is first on every list of apostles. His choice as the rock, upon which Christ would build the Church, established a fresh tradition that has extended down through history to the present Pope.

Paul’s experience of the risen Christ on the road to Damascus ensured that the Church would be extended to the gentiles worldwide, as Christ had commanded. Paul’s central conviction was simple and absolute: only Christ can save humanity. No human effort, not even the most scrupulous observance of law, can create a state of human goodness, which we can bring to God as reparation for sin and payment for grace. To be saved from itself, to be saved from sin, from the devil and from death, humanity must open itself completely to the saving power of Christ.

1st Reading: Gen 19:15–29* At daybreak the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and two daughters who are here, lest they perish because of the sin of the town.” As he hesitated, the men took him by the hand and his wife and two daughters with him, because Yahweh had mercy on him. And they led him outside the town. When they were outside, the men said to him, “Flee for your life and don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere in the plain. Flee to the mountain lest you perish.”

But Lot replied, “My lords, your servant has found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life.

But I cannot flee to the mountains for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die. See, there is a town near enough for me to flee to and it’s a small one. Let me flee there: it is very small (that is why the town is called Zoar). So I will be safe.”

And the angel answered, “I grant you this favor as well by not destroying the town you speak of. But flee fast for I can do nothing until you arrive there.”

The sun had risen on the earth when Lot reached Zoar. Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulphur out of the heavens from Yahweh, and he completely destroyed those towns and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the towns and everything that grew there. Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt. …

tuesday

June

30

13th Week in Ordinary Time First Martyrs of the Church of Rome Psalter: Week 1

Ps 26:2–3, 9–10, 11–12 O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.

Gospel: Mt 8:23–27 Jesus got into the boat and his disciples followed him.

Without warning a fierce storm hit the lake, with waves sweeping the boat. But Jesus was asleep.

They woke him and cried, “Lord save us! We are lost!” But Jesus answered, “Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?”

Then he stood up and ordered the wind and sea; and it became completely calm.

The people were astonished. They said, “What kind of man is he? Even the winds and the sea obey him.”

N

otwithstanding all her opportunities, notwithstanding all her special warnings from heaven, Lot’s wife lived and died godless, impenitent and unbelieving. She kept up a form of religion for fashion’s sake and not from feeling. She did as others did around her in Lot’s house; she conformed to her husband’s religion; she allowed herself to be towed along in his wake. But, all this time, her heart was wrong in the sight of God. The world was in her heart, and her heart was in the world. In this state she lived, and in this state she died.

There is a lesson here of the greatest importance in the present day. We live in times when there are many persons just like Lot’s wife. Let us value our religious privileges; but let us not rest entirely upon them. Let us use them thankfully, if God gives them to us; but let us take care that they produce fruit in our heart and life. One of the things that can harden our heart is barren familiarity with sacred things. It is not privileges, which make us Christians, but the grace of Christ. Without that, we will never experience salvation or happiness!