.: 07/23/21

Friday, July 23, 2021

† "Sown on the Path is the One..."

†Saint Quote
"I will glory not because I am righteous, but because I am redeemed; I will glory not because I am free from sins, but because my sins are forgiven me. I will not glory because I have done good nor because someone has done good to me, but because Christ is my advocate with the Father and because the blood of Christ has been shed for me."
— St. Ambrose

† MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"After the events of the Resurrection and Ascension, Mary entered the Upper Room together with the Apostles to await Pentecost, and was present there as the Mother of the glorified Lord. ... Thus there began to develop a special bond between this Mother and the Church. For the infant Church was the fruit of the Cross and Resurrection of her Son. Mary, who from the beginning had given herself without reserve to the person and work of her Son, could not but pour out upon the Church, from the very beginning, her maternal self-giving. After her Son's departure, her motherhood remains in the Church as maternal mediation: interceding for all her children, the Mother cooperates in the saving work of her Son, the Redeemer of the world. In fact the Council teaches that the 'motherhood of Mary in the order of grace . . . will last without interruption until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect'. With the redeeming death of her Son, the maternal mediation of the handmaid of the Lord took on a universal dimension, for the work of redemption embraces the whole of humanity."
— Pope St. John Paul II, p. 129-30
AN EXCERPT FROM
Mary: God's Yes to Man

† VERSE OF THE DAY
"May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it."
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

click to read more

ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN

St. Bridget (1303-1373) was born into a devout and prestigious family in Sweden. Her father was a governor, judge, and one of the wealthiest landowners in the country. Bridget received an excellent religious education, and from a young age demonstrated a great capacity for holiness. She even experienced mystical visions in her childhood. At the age of thirteen she was given in marriage to a similarly devout young man named Ulf. Together the two had a happy marriage and raised eight children, one of whom was St. Catherine of Sweden. St. Bridget became famous for her sanctity, and she was well-acquainted with the Swedish king and many theologians who sought her counsel. When Bridget and Ulf were in their forties, they went on pilgrimage along the famous Way of St. James. Shortly afterwards Ulf died, and Bridget gave herself entirely to the religious life. Her visions became more frequent, and were written down in a famous work called the Revelations of St. Bridget of Sweden. She also founded a new religious order known as the Brigittines. To obtain approval for her Order she traveled to Rome with her daughter Catherine, where she lived until her death. St. Bridget of Sweden is one of the six patron saints of Europe. Her feast day is July 23rd.

Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 399
Reading I

Ex 20:1-17

In those days:
God delivered all these commandments:

"I, the LORD, am your God,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves

in the shape of anything in the sky above

or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;

you shall not bow down before them or worship them.
For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God,

inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness

on the children of those who hate me,

down to the third and fourth generation;

but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation

on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

"You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
For the LORD will not leave unpunished

him who takes his name in vain.

"Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Six days you may labor and do all your work,

but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter,

or your male or female slave, or your beast,

or by the alien who lives with you.
In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth,

the sea and all that is in them;

but on the seventh day he rested.
That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

"Honor your father and your mother,

that you may have a long life in the land

which the LORD, your God, is giving you.

"You shall not kill.

"You shall not commit adultery.

"You shall not steal.

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,

nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,

nor anything else that belongs to him."

Responsorial Psalm

19:8, 9, 10, 11

R. (John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,

refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,

giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,

rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,

enlightening the eye.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,

all of them just.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
They are more precious than gold,

than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup

or honey from the comb.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

Alleluia

See Lk 8:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 13:18-23

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:18-23

The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. (Matthew 13:23)

It's tempting, especially when life gets difficult, to see things as they are instead of what they can become. Land that is full of weeds, rocks, and thorns, for instance, may not look like a good place for a fruitful garden. Similarly, when we look at ourselves, we may see only obstacles to becoming rich soil that bears fruit for God's kingdom.

In Jesus' parable of the sower, three of the four types of soil didn't look very hopeful either. That didn't stop the farmer from sowing his seed just as freely as Jesus sows his word in us. But Jesus wants to do more than just give us his word. He wants to remove the obstacles as well. That's because he sees all that we can become in him, not just who we are right now.

Jesus identifies three types of obstacles in the parable: the lies of the devil, the lack of deep roots, and the lures and anxieties of the world. First, the devil can steal away the seed of truth by whispering into our hearts lies that close us off to the gospel message. Second, if we lack deep roots in the word of God, suffering and challenges can drain our joy in the Lord. Lastly, the anxieties and ambitions of the world can crowd our hearts, leaving little room for the word of God to grow and take root.

Is there one particular obstacle that is giving you a hard time right now? Know that Jesus is more than able to help you overcome it. But he also asks you to cooperate with him. He promised that the one who "hears the word and understands" it will bear fruit (Matthew 13:23). So even as you ask him to make you more fruitful, do your part by digging into the word of God. Believe that the more you come to understand and love his word, the more fruit you will bear.

So don't look only at the person you are. Remember the person God made you to be. Let Jesus become the gardener of your heart. He can make even the rockiest ground into the richest of soil!

"Jesus, help me remove any obstacles to your word in my heart. Lord, I want to bear great fruit for you!"

Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19:8-11

Listen to 2cents

my2cents:
"...you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness on the children of those who hate me...".
Are there idols still in existence? The pandemics has squandered many voices of idols, but are there still idols who speak? Protestants accuse Catholics of many things. All lies from hell. Some accuse us of worshiping idols. This week we heard of a man in South America that trampled up a church and destroyed a statue of our Lord. Albeit, they say he had a mental illness, the point to consider is the reaction the church and the priest had about the situation. Was the congregation devastated about the statue? Not as much as the young man that did the destruction, immediately the prayers were for the man. And so it is for the so called "cancel culture" we are facing that is defacing statues of founding fathers and statues of saints. The reaction and concern is for the perpetrators, those who are disturbed spiritually and destroying themselves. We must reach out in truth, and mercy, in the name of our Lord the Christ.

We pray today: "The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life."
In Mass this morning, Father said that those who seek liberty are seeking destruction, or so I understood. Think of that liberty as an idol, but idols lead to destruction and there is punishment for generations for our poor decisions. What if you didn't get punished as much as your descendants? What if punishments get compounded? What if the sour attitude you put today makes for a world of destruction for the next person? How selfish! Let us lay our egos, and destroy them. It is not about me, but about Him.

Our Lord returns to explain the parable of the seeds:
"Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

What has the seed done in your soul? What has the Word of God done in your soul? What grown has happened and where do you find yourself now? Are you being choked by anxieties? Are you losing faith because of it? Many take a break from church at this point. And the plant and the light begins to fade. For the plant gives light, it generates life. You see, God wants you to surpass the weeds, He wants you to choke them out, He wants you to never give up, and to tap into His eternal life waters, for strength and grace. So many say yes and soon burn out. So many, but there are many out there founded in fertile soil. Let your soul rejoice if you are still living the faith. Let yourself be giving light to other plants to generate life and choke weeds out of their lives. For God loves a cheerful giver, and so He pours out His blood...as should we.

Let's pray:
Lord, Make Your seed grow in me.
I want to give light that You provide.
I want to give life that You want.
I know You desire this for I am Your child.
That is why I pray, Help us love Thee more and more!
I love Thee My Lord and My Father!