July 10

July 10, 2015:  Friday, 14th week, Ordinary Time

• 'Car' tie pin:  So Jacob and his descendants left on wagons... (1st reading)

• 'Cow' pin:  ...with their livestock and possessions (1st reading)

• 'Horses' tie:  Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot  (1st reading)

• 'Girl with heart' pin:  Delight in the Lord, and he'll give you your heart's requests  (psalm)

• 'Sheep' tie bar:  "I'm sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves..."  (gospel)

• 'Serpent' tie pin:  "...so be shrewd as serpents"  (gospel)

• 'Holy Spirit' chain:  Don't worry when you're handed over; the Spirit will speak through you  (gospel)

• Green shirt: Ordinary Time season

Listen

• O Christ who called the Twelve/ Stuempfle:  lyrics+  (gospel)

• Psalm 37: The mouths of the just utter wisdom/ Celoni (live, sheet music) (psalm)

Pope Francis

To Bolivia prisoners:  I see how pain doesn't stifle hope, and how people finding new strength even amidst difficulties.  I've experienced forgiveness; I'm saved from my many sins. I have and love Jesus and want to share him with you.  He gave his life to show God's powerful love for you and me, love that takes our plight seriously, heals, forgives, raises, shows concern, draws near, and restores dignity.  Peter and Paul were prisoners too; they'd lost their freedom, but prayer sustained them:  they prayed, and they prayed for one another.  Prayer encourages us to keep moving forward and supports your and your families' lives.

When Jesus becomes part of our lives, our past no longer imprisons us; we look to the present and see it with hope. We can shed tears and find strength to start fresh.  If you're sad, depressed, or negative, look at the face of Christ crucified; in his eyes there's a place for us.  We can bring him our wounds, pain, and sins for healing.  He died so he could lift us up.  Being imprisoned, “shut in,” isn't being “shut out”; detention is part of a process of reintegration into society.  Suffering and deprivation can make us selfish and lead to confrontation, but we can make them an opportunity for fraternity.  Help one another.  Families remind us life is worth living and we should fight for a better world.

Administrators, police, and staff, you do a vital public service.  Facilitate reintegration, raise up, restore dignity, and encourage; don't put down, humiliate, or inflict hardship.  Don't see people as good or bad but focus on helping; it'll create better conditions, give dignity, provide motivation, and make us all better.

At Bolivia welcome:  The world is not a problem to solve but a joyful mystery to be contemplated.  Here the Gospel has taken deep root and shaped society and culture.  I come to confirm your faith so we may be witnesses of Christ's love, leaven for a better world, and co-operators in building a more just and fraternal society.

The advancement of a nation demands great appreciation of values by individuals and convergence on ideals, with no one excluded or overlooked.  Unity requires promoting education of citizens.  Share the joy of the Gospel; be salt for the earth and light to the world.  Remember the preferential, evangelical option for the poor, fraternal charity expressed in work for the integral development of the person and the care of the most vulnerable.  See each person as your brother or sister, and give your life for those Jesus died for.

Pay special attention to the family; families foster bonds of unity, and, bearing and education of children ensure renewal of society.  Young people are the promise of the future, proclaiming new a springtime of the Gospel; help them embrace noble ideals.  Discover new strength by respecting and caring for your elderly, fostering a “culture of remembrance” to ensure they can enjoy affection and quality of life.

Read

• Gn 46:1-7, 28-30  God to Jacob:  “Don't be afraid to go to Egypt; I'll make you a great nation there and bring you back here.”   He departed with his descendants, livestock, and possessions.  When Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck and wept.  Jacob to Joseph, "Now that I've seen Joseph is still alive, I can die."

• Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40  "The salvation of the just comes from the Lord."  Take delight in the Lord, and he'll grant you your heart’s requests.  Turn from evil and do good; the Lord loves what is right, and forsakes not his faithful.

• Mt 10:16-23  “I'm sending you like sheep amidst wolves; be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.  Beware:  you'll be handed over to courts, scourged in synagogues, and led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness.  Don't worry; you'll be given what to say, and the Spirit will speak through you.  Relatives will kill each other, and all will hate you, but if you endure, you'll be saved.  When they persecute you, flee.  The Son of Man will come before you finish the towns of Israel.”

Reflect

• Creighton:  Jacob and his family made a journey to escape the Canaan famine.  Jacob had a vision where God called him by name.  “Here I am,” he responded.  May my response to God’s call be as simple, rapid, and open.

• One Bread One Body:  "Happy endings":  Jacob mourned for his son, Joseph, whom he'd assumed dead, but after 15 years of grief found he was alive.  If you're Christian, enemies may flog, try, betray, or hate you, but you'll see God face to face and be led to life.  Jesus was tortured and murdered, then rose. "At nightfall, weeping, but with dawn, rejoicing"

• DailyScripture.net:  Isaiah foretold a time when wolves and lambs will dwell in peace, referring to the Christ's second coming when all will be united under him after he's put down his enemies and established the Kingdom.  Meanwhile, disciples must expect opposition, but it's our privilege is to follow the Lord who laid down his life to bring us victory....

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