INTENTIONS OF THE HOLY FATHER FOR
JULY 2010:
INTENTIONS OF THE HOLY FATHER FOR
JULY 2010:
1) General Intention:
1) That in every nation of the world the election of officials may be carried out with justice, transparency and honesty, respecting the free decisions of citizens;
2) Mission Intention:
2) That Christians may strive to offer everywhere, but especially in great urban centers, an effective contribution to the promotion of education, justice, solidarity and peace.
17th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
July 25, 2010
You were buried with Him in Baptism,
in which you were also raised with
Him through faith in the power of God,
who raised Him from the dead.
—Colossians 2:12—
READINGS:
Daily
Bible Readings
For VIETNAMESE >> Bai Doc CN & Suy Niem
& NgheBaiGiang
For VIETNAMESE
>> Bai Doc Hang
Ngay
KINH THANH : CUU UOC / TAN UOC
YOU TUBE - VATICAN
New
American Bible
It is one of the glories of the Bible that it can embrace many meanings in
a single passage.
— St. Thomas Aquinas —
“I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible.
Take all that you can of this book upon reason and the balance by faith,
and you will live and die a better person...
the Bible is the best book which God has given to man."
— Abraham Lincoln —
. A Few Minutes of Prayer in the Home
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. RETREAT HOUSE - USA .
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SUNDAY READINGS:
First Reading — Abraham bargains with God to spare the city (Genesis 18:20-32).
Psalm — “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me” (Psalm 138).
Second Reading — Buried with Christ in Baptism, we were also raised with Him; all our transgressions are forgiven (Colossians 2:12-14).
Gospel — Jesus speaks of God’s sure response to those who pray (Luke 11:1-13).
GOSPEL COMOMMENTARY:
“PRAYER IS ABOUT SEARCHING AND FINDING”
Little children can be amazingly persistent about some things. If they want a new toy, they ask, and ask, and ask—often to the point of greatly annoying the parents. They might be shown how to stack up building blocks, then sit for hours doing it over and over again. They try over and over again to learn to tie their shoe laces and keep at it until they succeed. Children (and we) learn through
persistence. They (and we) achieve through persistence. In fact, persistence is something that can serve us throughout our whole lives. The important thing to remember, though, is that the point isn’t the persistence itself; the point is gaining what is desired. The first reading and gospel this Sunday each speaks of persistence. In both readings what is important is not the persistence but the result: fruitful prayer. The readings focus on where prayer takes us—the thrust of prayer is life, which ultimately leads to eternal life. In this gospel Jesus “teach(es) us to pray.” Most important, he teaches us to whom we pray: God who is a generous and caring Father. He also teaches us for what we should pray: not just for immediate needs (“daily bread”) but, more important, for ultimate needs: the furthering of God’s kingdom, the gift of forgiveness, and protection from anything that would take us from God. It is persistence in prayer that brings us deeper into our relationship with God and
opens us to receive these “good gifts” God offers us. It is persistence in prayer that establishes and maintains the kind of relationship with God that assures us of the ultimate goal of life: eternal happiness with our divine Lover. The two examples that Jesus uses (neighborly friendship and father-son kinship) reveal that what is always granted through prayer is deeper relationship with God and others. Jesus teaches us that the One to whom we pray is our “Father” whose love and care for us is unlimited . This deeply intimate and personal relationship with God inspires in us the confidence
(“how much more . . .”) to pray with “persistence” and the realization that what we pray for is not as important as the fact that we address God in such intimate terms. The prayer always deepens our relationship with God and this is already an answer to what we need.
SCRIPTURE MEDITATION:
LISTENING TO GOD
Familiarity, in the case of the Lord’s Prayer, probably hasn’t bred contempt in most of us, but it certainly can breed a kind of inertia. The words we speak in prayer run the same risks as all our other human words: they can be spoken hastily, thoughtlessly, carelessly. In a manner parallel to the words we say in the Lord’s Prayer—“forgive us as we forgive others”—today might be the day to invite God to “listen to us as well as we listen to you.” Today might be the day to listen to the Lord’s Prayer with newly attentive ears. Let us learn from the example of Luke’s Jesus, who would not instruct others how to pray until He Himself had been a man of prayer. Moreover, listen carefully to the follow-up Jesus gives for the prayer itself. In our quick-fix society, we must heed the call to persistence; in a world that puts glib explanations on difficult situations, we must continue to seek and knock; in our all-too-humanness, we must be open to the patience, grace, and wisdom of the will of God. Do we want the Lord to listen to our voice? Maybe we can start by listening to God’s.
WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
We all know the Lord’s Prayer by heart, right? How easily it easy rolls off our tongues—but when was the last time you stopped and gave it some thought, phrase by phrase? Jesus’ disciples were certainly used to memorized prayer. They were required by Jewish law to say the prayer beginning “Hear, O Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5) every day of their lives. Those words are so sacred that most Jewish people hope to have these words on their lips at death. The disciples, however, have learned that Jesus does not limit himself to what the law requires. So they say, “Teach us to pray.” He responds, “When you pray, say ‘Father’. . .” This is a shock. Jesus uses a child’s version of “Father,” the word “Abba,” which means “Daddy” or “Papa.” No believing Jew says God’s name—it is simply too holy—so “Lord” or “The Blessed One” is used instead. Jesus is showing us that we are not distant from God up there in the sky, but close to God’s heart like a babe in arms. We can speak in absolute trust, knowing that God will hear us. We honor God for who God is, pray for the Kingdom to be among us, to be fed daily with what we need to nourish body and soul, for the power to forgive others as we know that God forgives us. Finally we pray—and the words in English sound odd—not to be led into temptation. As if God really would. What Jesus’ original words meant were more like “Please do not put us to the test” for, as beloved children, we do not want to disappoint our Abba who loves us. This prayer helps us to strip away all complications in our relationship with God and know that God always listens.
SAINT MARTHA (first century) - July 29
Whether you find Martha Stewart admirable or annoying, she has the perfect patron saint. Luke describes Martha—saint, not Stewart—as “burdened with much serving” (Luke 10:40). About Mary, seated, listening to Jesus, Martha complained, “Do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?” Jesus’ response, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things . . . Mary has chosen the better part” (10:41, 42), suggests to some the superiority of the contemplative life, leaving the rest of us, supporting families, earning livings, (helping others?), as “secondclass” Christians. But Luke introduces Martha and Mary immediately after Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, whom Jesus recommends as a model of practical compassion, concluding, “Go and do likewise” (10:37). Go and do! Sit and listen! Discipleship is never either/or but both/and. Jesus ministered in prayerful silence and hospitable service. Monastic calendars add Martha’s sister Mary and brother Lazarus, calling all three “hosts of the Lord,” recalling their welcome of Jesus to their home in Bethany, reminding us Whom we welcome whenever we extend summertime hospitality!
READINGS FOR THE WEEKMonday: Jer 13:1-11; Mt 13:31-35
Tuesday: Jer 14:17-22; Mt 13:36-43
Wednesday: Jer 15:10; 16-21; Mt 13:44-46
Thursday: Jer 18:1-6; Jn 11:19-27 or Lk 10:38-42
Friday: Jer 26:1-9; Mt 13:54-58
Saturday: Jer 26:11-16, 24; Mt 14:1-12
Sunday: Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23; Ps 90; Col 3:1-5, 9-11; Lk 12:13-21
For SAINT OF THE DAY, Go to:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay/default.asp
Saint Index => http://www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php
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