Aug. 12

August 12, 2015:  Wednesday, 19th week, Ordinary Time

See 10 connections with today?  Legend below

 

Listen

• Lift up your hearts/ O'Connor:  sheet music (psalm) [recalls first time I used a drum machine, at SCU Mission Church, 1984?]

• Let all the earth/ Haugen (psalm)

Pope Francis

Audience:  We turn to celebration, work and prayer in the family.  Celebrations are the invention of God, who rested on the seventh day.  God teaches us the importance of taking time to contemplate and enjoy the fruits of our labors.  True celebrations make us pause from work; they remind us we're made in the image of God, Lord (not slave) of work.  Be masters, not slaves, of work!  Tragically, millions are slaves to work; obsession with profit and efficiency puts rhythms of life at risk.  Rest, especially on Sunday, is sacred because in it we find God.  The Eucharist brings Christ to our celebrations:  his presence, love, sacrifice, and his forming us into a community.  He transfigures work, family, and our joys, trials, sufferings, and death.  The family is the privileged place to understand, guide, and sustain the gifts arising from our celebrations....

World Peace Day theme:  "Overcome Indifference and Win Peace":  Indifference is a fundamental cause of lack of peace; it's linked to individualism, isolation, ignorance, selfishness and lack of interest and commitment.  More info doesn't give problems more attention; we must respond.  Peace requires effort, conversion, creativity, and engaged discussion.  Build awareness and sense of responsibility about problems like fundamentalism, intolerance, massacres, persecutions, disregard for freedom, destruction of rights, exploitation of human beings, corruption, organized crime, war, and forcible displacement.  Fight them, creating a culture of law, education, dialogue, and cooperation.  Peace is possible where human rights are recognized, respected, heard, and known.  Build a more conscious, merciful, free, and fair world.

Read

• Dt 34:1-12  The Lord, showing Moses the land:  “This is the land which I swore I'd give.  I've let you see it, but you shall not cross over.”  Moses died and was buried, but still nobody knows where.  He was 120 but still vigorous.  The Israelites wept for him for a month.  Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom, since Moses had laid his hands on him; the Israelites obeyed him.  Since then no prophet has arisen like Moses.

• Ps 66:1-3a, 5, 8, 16-17  "Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!"  Shout joyfully to God:  “How tremendous your deeds!”  Come see God's works; hear while I declare them....

• Mt 18:15-20  “If your brother sins against you, speak with him privately.  If he listens, you've won him over.  If not, go back with others.  If he refuses to listen, tell the Church.  If he still refuses to listen, treat him as you'd treat a tax collector.  What you bind or loose on earth shall be so in heaven.  If two of you pray in agreement, my Father will give it to you; where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst.”

Reflect

• Creighton:  We all have callings from God, and sometimes, like Moses, we'll be discouraged and frustrated, but there's joy in knowing God is always with us and will lead us, and there's joy at the end of our journey when God fulfills his promise.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal

• Passionist:  When Moses died, God's promises didn’t.  Jane Frances de Chantal went through a lengthy depression, but with Francis de Sales' help discovered her connectedness with the poor and attained new life.  In prayer, “we look at the world from within, conscious of the bonds with which the Father has linked us to all beings.” (Laudato Sí, 220).   Let us seek to be “connective,” even in conflicts, as in today's gospel.

• DailyScripture.net:  To repair a damaged relationship, don't brood over an offense; first speak directly and privately.  Seek the help of wise Christians to foster reconciliation.  If that fails, don't give up; seek the Christian community's help to restore the broken relationship. If none of that works, even though Jesus tells us to treat the offender like a Gentile or tax collector, remember that he reached out to them too, never giving up....

• About "binding and loosing," with exegetical links and online resources to compare and explore Bible texts

• Today's saints, thanks to Universalis

• St. Jane Frances de Chantal brought up her children in the faith. When her husband died she placed herself under St. Francis de Sales's guidance. She performed good works for the poor and the sick. She founded and guided the Visitation Order. See Wikipedia, Catholic Encyclopedia.

• Bl. Isidore Bakanja, martyr, forgave his aggressor.
• St. Muredach, disciple of Patrick, priest
• St. Attracta
• St. Lelia
• St. Blaan/Blane/Bláán, bishop

Dress legend

• 'Eyeball' pin: “This is the land I promised; I've let you feast your eyes on it"; Moses' eyes were undimmed when he died (1st reading)

• 'Owl' tie pin (oops, forgot to pack; see here): Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom... (1st reading)
• 'Hand' tie pin: ...since Moses had laid his hands upon him (1st reading)

• 'Words' tie: When I appealed to him in words, praise was on the tip of my tongue. (psalm)

• 'Stick figures' tie pin: If the offender doesn't listen, return with others (gospel); where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name... (gospel)

• Green in shirt:  Ordinary Time season

• Orange suspenders:  "uniform" of C3 Resource Specialists at C3 Tech Conference starting today

• "Prayer:  the original wireless connection" T-shirt (under dress shirt; see here but mine is gray):  Pray in agreement (gospel); pray for consciousness of our interconnectedness (Passionist reflection quoting Laudato Sí)

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