June 16

June 16, 2015:  Tuesday, 11th week, Ordinary Time

• 'Jubilee year' button:  In a test of affliction, their joy and poverty overflowed in generosity (1st reading)

• 'Food' tie:  The Lord gives food to the hungry (psalm)

• 'Eyeball' pin:  The Lord gives sight to the blind. (psalm)

• Green shirt:  Ordinary Time season

• Oops:  forgot "girl with heart" pin for "Love your enemies" (gospel)

Listen

• Lord of all nations, grant me grace/ Spannaus:  about  (gospel)

• Lord, come and save us/ Joncas (psalm)

• Day by day, a prayer to "see Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, follow Thee more nearly," is from a 13th-century prayer of today's St. Richard of Chichester set to music long before Godspell (1971 cast, 2011 revival) and often since (e.g. Day by Day, by Martin How).  It's also a theme of the 2nd week of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola (complete text):  "I want ... interior knowledge of the Lord, Who for me has become man, that I may more love and follow Him" (1st day, contemplation on the Incarnation, 3rd prelude).  For more on the song/Exercises connection, see Three things I pray.]

Pope Francis homily

 Today as when Paul organized the collection for the needy, poverty is a word that embarrasses.  Often we hear, “He talks too much about poverty; aren’t they a little communist?”  No:  poverty is at the center of the Gospel: if we remove it, no one could understand Jesus' message.

Faith that doesn't reach the pocketbook isn't genuine:  Paul highlighted the church's real wealth: “You're rich in faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness, and love we've taught you.  As you're rich, be generous in this collection.  If you're so rich in zeal, charity, the Word of God, and knowledge of God, let the wealth reach your pocketbook.  Here's the contrast between wealth and poverty:  the Jerusalem Church was poor, in economic difficulty, but rich because it had the Gospel.  The poor Jerusalem Church enriched the Corinthian Church with the Gospel message.

Let Christ's poverty enrich us:  Follow the example of the Corinthian Church, whose members had material wealth, who were poor without the Gospel, but enriched the Church of Jerusalem, building up the People of God.  Jesus Christ, who was rich, with God's richness, made Himself poor, lowering himself for us.  This is the meaning of the first Beatitude:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit," i.e. "be enriched by Christ's poverty; desire only the riches of Christ."  When we help the poor, we're not doing the work of aid agencies "in a Christian way."  Christian poverty is giving of myself; it enriches me because Jesus is in the poor.

Christian poverty is not an ideology:  When you divest to help the poor, you're enriched.  Jesus acts in all who help and in the poor.  The theology of poverty is the mystery of Christ who humbled himself, letting himself be impoverished to enrich us.  Being poor in spirit is going on the path of the Lord:  the poverty of the Lord, who lowered himself to become bread for us.  He continues to lower himself into the history of the Church....  More

Read

• 2 Cor 8:1-9  The grace of God was given to the churches of Macedonia; they were joyful and generous though poor and afflicted.  They gave themselves first to the Lord and through his will to us.  May you too be generous and show your love and concern for others, as Christ became poor so you might become rich.

• Ps 146:2, 5-9a  "Praise the Lord, my soul!"  God helps those who hope in him; he secures justice, gives food, frees captives, restores sight, raises those bowed down, loves the just, and protects strangers.

• Mt 5:43-48  “You've heard, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors.  Your Father makes his sun rise and rain fall on the bad and the good.  Even tax collectors love those who love them, and pagans greet their brothers.  Be perfect, like your Father.”

Reflect

• Creighton:  You expect me to pray for my enemies?”  Jesus did on the cross.  Jesus invites us to prayer to rise above what separates us....

• One Bread One Body:  "Perfect love":  When Jesus commands us to be made perfect, he makes available the grace to do so in the Holy Spirit....

• Passionist:  Jesus' call to love our enemies reverses the course of history, both what's taking shape in space and time and what's unfolding daily in our hearts.

• DailyScripture.net:  G od seeks our highest good and teaches us to seek others' greatest good of others.   Our love for others must be marked by the kindness and mercy God has shown us.  Our prayer for those who do us ill breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love.

In Aramaic "perfect" originally meant 'complete' or 'whole,' not lacking in the essential.  God gives us every good gift we need to do his will and to live as his children.  He knows our weakness and sinfulness and assures us of his love, mercy, and grace.

• Universalis:  St. Richard of Chichester, turned around farm, bishop. reformer:  “Thank you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you bestowed on me, for all the pains and insults you bore for me.  You know, Lord, that I'm ready to bear insults, torments, and death for you; and as you know this to be true, have mercy on me, for to you I commend my soul.”

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