Posted on 07/09/2013 7:49:50 AM PDT by Salvation
July 9, 2013
Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 Gn 32:23-33
In the course of the night, Jacob arose, took his two wives,
with the two maidservants and his eleven children,
and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
After he had taken them across the stream
and had brought over all his possessions,
Jacob was left there alone.
Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.
When the man saw that he could not prevail over him,
he struck Jacob’s hip at its socket,
so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled.
The man then said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.”
The man asked, “What is your name?”
He answered, “Jacob.”
Then the man said,
“You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel,
because you have contended with divine and human beings
and have prevailed.”
Jacob then asked him, “Do tell me your name, please.”
He answered, “Why should you want to know my name?”
With that, he bade him farewell.
Jacob named the place Peniel,
“Because I have seen God face to face,” he said,
“yet my life has been spared.”
At sunrise, as he left Penuel,
Jacob limped along because of his hip.
That is why, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat
the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket,
inasmuch as Jacob’s hip socket was struck at the sciatic muscle.
Responsorial Psalm PS 17:1b, 2-3, 6-7ab, 8b and 15
R. (15a) In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
From you let my judgment come;
your eyes behold what is right.
Though you test my heart, searching it in the night,
though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee from their foes.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
Gospel Mt 9:32-38
A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
But the Pharisees said,
“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Information: St. Veronica Guiliani
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Feast Day: |
July 9 |
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Born: |
1660, Mercatello in the Duchy of Urbino |
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Died: |
9 July 1727, Città di Castello |
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Canonized: |
1839 by Pope Gregory XVI |
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Major Shrine: |
Monastery of St. Veronica Giuliani, Città di Castello |
The Martyrs of Orange
Feast Day: July 09
Born/Died: Eighteenth century
During the French Revolution, thirty-two nuns were put in prison at Orange in France. These sisters were from different religious orders. There were sixteen Ursuline sisters, thirteen Sisters Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament, two Bernardine sisters and one Benedictine sister.
These nuns were told that they had to take an oath of loyalty to the leaders of the French Revolution. The sisters who knew and believed that the oath was against God and the Church refused to sign it. They were immediately taken to the Orange jail.
Some of the sisters knew each other, while others did not. In the prison, the nuns got together and formed a community in that dark, damp room. They prayed together at particular times during the day. They cheered up and comforted each other and formed strong bonds, as the early persecuted Christian Church had.
On July 6, the first sister was taken to trial and condemned to the guillotine. She never returned. Every day another sister, some days two sisters, were taken to be killed. No one knew who would be next. The group became smaller and smaller, but the remaining sisters prayed especially for those who would die that day. Then they would sing a hymn of praise to God called the Te Deum.
By the end of July, 1794, thirty-two sisters had been sentenced to death by the people's court at Orange, France and died as martyrs for their faith in Jesus. When the French Revolution was over, the judges of Orange were found guilty and punished for what they had done.
The thirty-two sisters called the martyrs of Orange were declared "blessed" by Pope Pius XI in 1925.
Reflection: In times of difficulty, how am I able to both give and receive support within my faith community?
Tuesday, July 9
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church honors St. Denis,
bishop and martyr. He became the first
bishop of Paris, converting many to
the Church. This angered local officials and
led to his beheading in 250 A.D.
Daily Readings for: July 09, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: O God, who in your wonderful providence have strengthened your Church through the confession of the Martyrs Saint Augustine Zhao and companions, grant that your people, faithful to the mission entrusted to it, may enjoy ever greater freedom and witness to the truth before the world. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
RECIPES
o Sweet-Sour Pork or Spareribs
ACTIVITIES
o Namedays
o Religion in the Home for Elementary School: July
o Religion in the Home for Preschool: July
PRAYERS
o July Devotion: The Precious Blood
o Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel
o Prayer to St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions
LIBRARY
o China's First Saint | Desmond O'Grady
o Evangelization of Asia is service of love | Pope John Paul II
o Message To Catholic Church in China | Pope John Paul II
o Our Lady of China | Zsolt Aradi
o The Emerging Church in China | Annie Lam
Ordinary Time: July 9th
Optional Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, priest and companions, Chinese martyrs
Old Calendar: St. Maria Goretti, virgin & martyr; St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More (Hist)
Saint Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese diocesan priest who was martyred with his 119 companions in 1815. Among their number was an eighteen year old boy, Chi Zhuzi, who cried out to those who had just cut off his right arm and were preparing to flay him alive: "Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian." This optional memorial is new to the USA liturgical calendar and will be inscribed on July 9.
Augustine Zhao Rong and companions
Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria in the 600s. Depending on China's relations with the outside world, Christianity over the centuries was free to grow or was forced to operate secretly.
The 120 martyrs in this group died between 1648 and 1930. Most of them (eighty-seven) were born in China and were children, parents, catechists or laborers, ranging from nine years of age to seventy-two. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests.
The thirty-three foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious, especially from the Order of Preachers, the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Jesuits, Salesians and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.
Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse (Paris Foreign Mission Society) to his martyrdom in Beijing. Augustine was baptized and not long after was ordained as a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815.
Beatified in groups at various times, these 120 martyrs were canonized in Rome on October 1, 2000.
Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.
Things to Do:
Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
“At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them.” (Matthew 9:36)
Pity. Some of us cringe when we hear that word! Once meant to convey sincere compassion for the sufferings of others, that noun now struts through our language a little contemptuously, often signifying a feeling of superiority or condescension. That surely is not the “pity” that moves Jesus’ heart in today’s Gospel reading—or has ever moved him! He who is sinless looks upon our sin with neither contempt nor disdain. No, he looks with love.
The pity that Jesus feels for us is best described as compassion or caring. He feels sadness because of the pain that sin causes us. He looks upon us, and his entire being is moved to help us: to forgive, to heal, to ease our pain. Just think of how he was moved to take on himself the sin of the whole world! This is the ultimate display of Jesus’ pity. No syrupy sentiment, it is passionate, almost fierce in its readiness to do anything—even suffer and die—so that we could be freed from our pain.
So often, sin causes us to feel guilty and ashamed. Like Adam and Eve, we want to hide from God. And yet he isn’t angry with us. Our sin doesn’t make him turn away from us. It doesn’t fill him with contempt or hatred for us. No, he seeks after us, always calling out, “Where are you?” He suffers with us and he longs for us to experience his gentle kindness. Moved with pity, he longs to tend to our wounds, remove our guilt, and build us up in his love.
Can you believe that Jesus looks at you with love for you shining in his eyes? Close yours for a minute and try to picture what that looks like. See that he is not judging or condemning you. See how much he cares. Your concerns matter to him, and he is intensely, profoundly eager to soothe you, to help you, to free you. For each of us, that care looks different. And it may not look exactly as you imagine it. But it is real, and it has the power to reshape your very heart.
“Jesus, thank you for loving me. I accept your pity—your compassion—and I open my heart today to your healing and forgiveness.”
Genesis 32:23-33; Psalm 17:1-8, 15
Daily Marriage Tip for July 9, 2013:
“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” (Albert Schweitzer) Is there a trait that you would like to foster in your spouse or child? How can you model that behavior this week in your own life?
How Do You Feed a Hungry Heart?
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Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
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Matthew 9:32-38 A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." But the Pharisees said, "He drives out demons by the prince of demons." Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." Introductory Prayer: Lord, I bring myself into your presence knowing the zeal of your heart for souls. The glory of your heavenly Father can shape my own heart. I am confident that I can throw off all that is lukewarm and tepid in my own soul today. I desire to fulfill the mission you have given me more perfectly. 1. The Prime Choice: So many of the moral predicaments men bring upon themselves are not, as some would say, the work of a “cruel” God. Christ’s will is the happiness that people relentlessly pursue at heart. Yet a battle ensues in every soul: whether or not God may enter into the way we live that life. What Christ is not permitted to touch cannot be healed or redeemed. The Pharisees freely choose to live with demons rather than to live with Christ, rather than to let him take center stage. In our battle with our weaknesses and temptations, we should be sensitive to the truth that we will be confronted with the same choice. Will we be in “control” and live with our demons, or will we surrender to Christ totally and guarantee victory over every evil in our lives? 2. Seeing With Christ’s Eyes: If we could open our heart to see what Christ sees, we would follow everyday what he asks of us: "Beg the harvest master to send out laborers to gather his harvest" (Matthew 9:38). To be sure, we must lend a hand in the mission, but we must also pray that shepherds are not lacking in the Church. If we could see with Christ’s eyes, we would know that many are ready to fall into his arms with only the least motivation. No need for fancy discourses or rigorous apologetics. They just want someone to say, “This way,” and they will follow. We should not fear being apostles; many more are ready for what we have to say than we think are ready. 3. Diligent Preparations: If we could see with Christ’s heart, we would not show the least pessimism as we face the culture of death or the culture of the absolute self. We would know that Christ fully satisfies people’s hunger for God in spite of their history of misery, pain or self-indulgence. Get ready: the farther people are from God, the more the signs of their need for him will show. Get ready with prayer. Prepare the emergency rooms of salvation where many patients will soon be left, for only through prayer will we be assured that doctors will be there to treat them and put them on the road to full recovery. Conversation with Christ: Lord, I know how much you love all people and manifest that love by coming to us every day at Mass. In the Eucharist I meet the one that has so loved me; in the Eucharist I will beg you to meet the needs of my heart and of countless souls by setting fire for you in the hearts of many young people, so that they generously accept a mission to souls in your name. Resolution: I will offer one hour of adoration this week for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. |
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