Thursday, July 15, 2021

† "Come to Me...and...I will ...."

†Saint Quote
"Every grace granted to man has three degrees in order; for by God it is communicated to Christ, from Christ it passes to the Virgin, and from the Virgin it descends to us."
— St. Bernardine of Siena

†MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Thus, brethren, God has loved you from eternity, and through pure love, he has selected you from among so many men whom he could have created in place of you; but he has left them in their nothingness, and has brought you into existence, and placed you in the world. For the love of you, he has made so many other beautiful creatures, that they might serve you, and that they might remind you of the love which he has borne to you, and of the gratitude which you owe to him."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 218
AN EXCERPT FROM
Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori

† VERSE OF THE DAY
"Then he said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.""
Luke 14:12-14

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ST. BONAVENTURE

St. Bonaventure (1221–1274) was born with the name Giovanni in Tuscany, Italy. As a child he became seriously ill and was in danger of death until his mother brought him to St. Francis of Assisi, who was then living in the region as a mendicant friar. It is said that St. Francis healed the child and afterward exclaimed, "O buona ventura (O good fortune)!" when he prophetically perceived how great the child would one day become, and this is how he began to be called Bonaventure. He joined the Franciscan order at the age of 22 and went on to study theology at the University of Paris, where he became famous friends with the Dominican friar St. Thomas Aquinas. The two friends graduated together, each insisting that the other be the first to receive honors. St. Bonaventure is regarded as one of the great philosophers and theologians of the Middle Ages, earning the name "Seraphic Doctor." In addition to his many writings, including a Life of St. Francis of Assisi, he was elected to serve as head of his order, and was appointed a cardinal-bishop by the Holy Father. St. Bonaventure died while assisting at the Second Council of Lyons, which worked for the reunification of the Catholic Church with the Eastern Orthodox churches. His feast day is celebrated on July 15th.

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 392
Reading I

Ex 3:13-20

Moses, hearing the voice of the LORD from the burning bush, said to him,
"When I go to the children of Israel and say to them,
'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,'
if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?"
God replied, "I am who am."
Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:
I AM sent me to you."

God spoke further to Moses, "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you.

"This is my name forever;

this my title for all generations.

"Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
has appeared to me and said:
I am concerned about you
and about the way you are being treated in Egypt;
so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt
into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,
a land flowing with milk and honey.

"Thus they will heed your message.
Then you and the elders of Israel
shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him:
"The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word.
Permit us, then, to go a three-days' journey in the desert,
that we may offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God.

"Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go
unless he is forced.
I will stretch out my hand, therefore,
and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there.
After that he will send you away."

Responsorial Psalm

105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27

R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;

make known among the nations his deeds.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,

his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant

which he made binding for a thousand generations
Which he entered into with Abraham

and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He greatly increased his people

and made them stronger than their foes,
Whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people,

and dealt deceitfully with his servants.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He sent Moses his servant;

Aaron, whom he had chosen.
They wrought his signs among them,

and wonders in the land of Ham.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

Mt 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 11:28-30

Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Daily Meditation: Exodus 3:13-20

This is my name forever. (Exodus 3:15)

"I am who am"—this is the phrase God used to reveal his name to Moses (Exodus 3:14). The original Hebrew, ehyeh asher ehyeh, is a wordplay that reflects the mysterious nature of the God of the universe. It tells us he is eternal and everlasting, with no beginning or end. He is the Creator of all that exists. He is so unlike us in every way that human language can scarcely describe him.

But notice that at the same time that God reveals his name, he also identifies himself in another way: "The God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:15). The God of the universe is also the God of history. He has personally entered into the life of a people, the Israelites, and formed them. He called them his own and made a covenant with them. Now he is promising that through Moses, he will liberate them from slavery and give them a land flowing with milk and honey.

And that's just the beginning! Over time, the God who exists beyond time will enter into time as a human being. Born of a virgin, he will grow up in a family and work as a tradesman in Nazareth. Eventually he will launch a public ministry of preaching and healing. Through his words and actions, he will show us who God is—a God who loves us unconditionally and has come to forgive and heal us. A God who is willing to die for us to liberate us from the slavery of sin and death so that we can live with him forever.

This is the same God who not only created you but who has entered into your own personal history! He is not just the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—he is your God as well. And through Jesus, you can know this mysterious, eternal God in an intimate way.

Today, spend some time meditating on God's name: "I am who am." Then stand in awe and thank your heavenly Father for making himself known to you through the very human face of Jesus.

"Father, I praise you for sending your Son so that I can know you in such a personal way."

Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-27
Matthew 11:28-30

Listen to 2cents

my2cents:
""When I go to the children of Israel and say to them,
'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,'
if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?"
God replied, "I am who am."
This name means something, doesn't it? It is complex, because it says I AM. But not only that, the other half is "Who AM". That is like "He is Who Is". And that becomes something that proclaims being. Being means way more than what we understand. And so the question leads to "who are you being?"

We pray today: "He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations Which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever."
How long is a generation? 40 years? So the pact is for 40,000 years? How far we into it then if this were to be true? 3,000 years? 3500 years? 4,000 years into the pact? And the number 40 means more than we know. And so, the pact God has made with His people, you and I, is still on. Rely on Him. Let's turn to our Lord.

Our Lord speaks:
""Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
Who needs rest? For those tired with their way of life, this means something. For those who are physically weak and tired, this means something. For those in ministry that are continuously stressed, this means something. Come to ME.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

From Bishop Barron today:
"...What he is saying, therefore, is to stand next to him, just as one ox stands next to the other as they pull together. Just as Jesus is yoked to the Father, so we should be yoked to him, obeying him as he obeys the Father."

Let's pray:
Lord, I get anxious. I need rest.
I get stressed. I need rest.
I worry about my family. I need rest.
I worry about Church. I need rest.
I want to live with You forever. I need rest.
And to get rest, I need to let go...and trust in You, to give to You Father. Help me give to You!