June 7, 2016

June 7

June 7, 2016:  Tuesday, 10th week, Ordinary Time

  • 'Wheat' pin:  “Please bring me some bread.” (1st reading); God puts gladness into my heart, more than when grain abounds (psalm)
  • 'Shining faces' tie:  "Lord, let your face shine on us." (psalm)
  • 'Hearts' suspenders:  "How long will you be dull of heart?...  You put gladness into my heart." (psalm)
  • 'Lampstand' tie pin (shhh: really a rotated key):  A lamp should be set on a stand to give light to all (gospel)
  • Green in shirt:  Ordinary Time season
Listen


For gospel
For psalm
What must a Christian do for the salt, and oil to light the lamp, not to run out?  The “battery” to generate light is prayer.  Prayer lights up Christian life; adoration of God the Father, praise to the Trinity, thanksgiving, petition must come from the heart.
We become salt when we give to others.  I must give of myself to give flavor to others' lives with the gospel message.  Salt is to be given to others, not kept.  Salt doesn't flavor itself; light doesn't illuminate itself.

How long can salt and light last without running out if we keep giving of ourselves relentlessly?  That’s where God's power comes in; the salt God gives us at Baptism is a gift that never ends.  When the Zarephath widow trusted Elijah, her flour and oil never ran out.

Be light to illuminate and salt to flavor and preserve; overcome the temptation to "mirror spirituality," to shine onto yourself.  “May your light shine so others see your good works and give glory to your Father.”
 Read

  • 1 Kgs 17:7-16  When the brook near Elijah ran dry, God sent him to a widow at Zarephath.  He asked her for water and bread, but she said she had so little that she and her son were about to die.  He told her that if after she fed him, the flour and oil wouldn't run out.  She did, and so it was. 
  • Ps 4:2-5, 7b-8  "Lord, let your face shine on us."  Have pity and hear my prayer!
  • Mt 5:13-16  “You're the salt of the earth, but if salt loses its taste, it's no longer any good.  You're the light of the world.  People put lamps on stands to give light to all.  Shine your light before others so they see your good deeds and glorify your Father.”
Reflect
    • Creighton:  When Elijah prophesied prolonged drought and ruin, Ahab was incensed.  Many believed Ahab’s god, Baal, to be a god of fertility, agriculture, and rain.  When the drought came, God told Elijah to move on; God had protected him, and he trusted God.  When Elijah came to the village, he met a widow in desperate need; he assured her she wouldn't run out of flour or oil till the rains came.  As Elijah's faith didn't waver when he lived with people one meal away from starvation, our relation with God must also be based on trust.   Jesus chose salt as a symbol of usefulness and worth because it was necessary, even used for wages (salary).  Jesus encourages us to shine, not hide, our light; it's a call to believe and follow God, reflecting onto others the light God has shed upon us.
    • One Bread, One Body:  "You can't outgive God":  The Lord designated a widow to provide for Elijah, someone so poor that she and her son were about to starve to death.  The Lord continues to designate poor people to provide for his Church.  Though they have almost nothing, if they give what they have, the Lord will multiply their resources to provide for the Church and themselves.  The poor are fed not just by receiving but by giving.  We all are poor.  "Give, and it shall be given to you."
    • Passionist:  I had to relearn obedience:  to surrender, admit defeat, let go of doing things my way, and start risking letting go and letting God.  As the Zarephath widow learned, God works miracles when you heed his voice.
    • DailyScripture.net:  "Salt of the earth, light of the world":  Jesus used ordinary images to convey extraordinary truths that transform us.  Salt was a valuable commodity.  People traded with it, and it flavored and preserved food.  Jesus used the image of salt to describe the transforming effect of God's work and how the Spirit wants to work through us to bring God's power and blessing to others.  As salt purifies, preserves, and flavors our food, we disciples of Jesus are 'salt' for human society.  The Lord wants us to help purify, preserve, and spread the flavor of God's kingdom of justice, peace, and joy in the Spirit."
      Salt was put into ovens to intensify the heat, then when no longer useful, thrown onto the ground where it would get stepped on and swept away.  The Lord wants us to preserve our "saltiness" through virtuous living and rejection of sin, for our sake and others'.  We're called to be "the aroma of Christ to God among those being saved and among those perishing."  May we let the fragrance of Christ's love, truth, and holiness permeate every area of our life...
      Jesus also used the image of light to illustrate God's transforming work.  Lamps enable people to see and work in the dark and avoid stumbling.  Light also symbolized God's beauty, truth, and goodness of God.  "In his light we see light ." "His word is a lamp that guides us."  God illumines our darkness and fills us with spiritual light, joy, and peace.  As natural light enables one to see, so the light of Christ shines in believers and enables us to see God's kingdom.  Our mission is to bear the light of Christ so others may see the truth of the gospel and be freed from sin and deception....
        • Robert of Newminster, priest, Benedictine abbot
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