July 27, 2016

July 27

July 27, 2016:  Wednesday, 17th Week, Ordinary Time

  • NEW 'Heart' pin:  "Your words became the happiness of my heart" (1st reading)
  • 'Circle' tie pin:  "I didn't celebrate in the circle of merrymakers" (1st reading); green inside for Ordinary Time season
  • 'Hands' tie:  "I sat under the weight of your hand"; "I'll free you from the hand of the wicked" (1st reading)
  • Blue shirt:  "You've become for me a treacherous brook" (1st reading)
  • NEW 'Treble clef' pin:  I'll sing of your strength (psalm)
    • 'Pearl' tie bar:  "The Kingdom is like a merchant searching for fine pearls." (gospel)
    Listen

    For gospel
    Pope Francis Amoris Laetitia capsule
    Love is generous

     To love another we must first love ourselves, but love “doesn't seek its own interest” or “seek what's its own.”  “Look not only to your own interests, but also to others'.”  Generously serving others is more noble than loving ourselves.  Loving ourselves is a prerequisite for loving others:  “If you're mean to yourself, to whom will you be generous?  No one is meaner than one grudging to himself.”

    “It's more proper to charity to desire to love than to desire to be loved” (Thomas Aquinas); indeed, “mothers, who love the most, seek to love more than be loved.”  Love can transcend and overflow the demands of justice, “expecting nothing in return,” and lead to “laying down your life” for another. Such generosity is possible because the gospel demands it:  “You received without pay, give without pay.” (IV:101-102)
    "Pearl of great price"
    Read
    • Jer 15:10, 16-21  All curse me.  "Lord, your words became my joy and happiness.  I sat alone because you filled me with indignation.  Why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable?"  Lord:  "If you repent, I'll restore you, and you'll be my mouthpiece.  People who fight you won't prevail for I am with you to rescue and free you.
    • Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17-18  "God is my refuge on the day of distress."  Rescue me; people lie in wait for my life.  You are my stronghold.  May your mercy go before me.  I'll sing of your strength and mercy.
    • Mt 13:44-46  “The Kingdom is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy sells all he has to buy the field.  The Kingdom is like a merchant searching for fine pearls; when he finds one of great price, he sells all that he has and buys it.”
    Reflect

      • Creighton:  Jeremiah pleads for relief against his enemies.  We too can be anxious and uneasy as we serve the Kingdom, but the Lord calls us to trust him and return to work as he did the prophet.  Those faithful to God will be given strength, support, and deliverance.  The gospel describes men discovering the Kingdom and understanding the need to sacrifice in order to obtain higher value.  May we be attentive to the Kingdom in those around us, and sell our distractions to see and be with those who manifest it.
      • One Bread, One Body:  "How to burn out":  Jeremiah's pain was continuous and his wound incurable; we'd say he was burned out.  But God, a consuming fire, wants to light a fire on earth and consume us in his love.  By the fire of his word he'll burn away our impurities to make us offerings to be consumed by his love.  We can choose whether to be "burned out" in selfishness and self-destruction or in self-giving and love....
        St. Panteleimon
      • Passionist:  I'm impressed with the urgency and “all or nothing” description surrounding the Kingdom of heaven.  But I cling to distractions and can drift away from the present moment where the Kingdom of God is and think about the past or future.  Nor do I “sell everything.”  Will I separate myself from "little treasures" to focus on the Kingdom?
      • DailyScripture.net:  "The heavenly treasure and the pearl of great price":  In a peasant community the best safe was often the earth.  The man happily sold everything because he found a treasure worth it.  He didn't have enough to buy it but only needed enough to buy the field.  God offers his kingdom at a price we can afford:  we can't pay full price for the life God gives us, but when we exchange our life for what he offers, we receive treasure beyond compare.  Pearls represented the supremely valuable.  Discovering God's kingdom is like finding hidden treasure or the pearl of great price. When we discover the kingdom, we receive the greatest treasure:  God himself.  Selling all we have could affect our relationships, work, lifestyle, use of time....   What's the treasure of my heart?
        • Bl. Titus Brandsma, Carmelite priest, philosopher, journalist, outspoken against Nazism, martyr; see official Carmelite page.
        • Bl. Robert Sutton, convert, Jesuit priest, martyr:  "I lived and died in the light of the Catholic faith."
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