Posted on 06/25/2014 11:07:42 PM PDT by Salvation
June 26, 2014
Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 2 Kgs 24:8-17
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign,
and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
His mother’s name was Nehushta,
daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
He did evil in the sight of the LORD,
just as his forebears had done.
At that time the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
attacked Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
himself arrived at the city
while his servants were besieging it.
Then Jehoiachin, king of Judah, together with his mother,
his ministers, officers, and functionaries,
surrendered to the king of Babylon, who,
in the eighth year of his reign, took him captive.
And he carried off all the treasures
of the temple of the LORD and those of the palace,
and broke up all the gold utensils that Solomon, king of Israel,
had provided in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had foretold.
He deported all Jerusalem:
all the officers and men of the army, ten thousand in number,
and all the craftsmen and smiths.
None were left among the people of the land except the poor.
He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon,
and also led captive from Jerusalem to Babylon
the king’s mother and wives,
his functionaries, and the chief men of the land.
The king of Babylon also led captive to Babylon
all seven thousand men of the army,
and a thousand craftsmen and smiths,
all of them trained soldiers.
In place of Jehoiachin,
the king of Babylon appointed his uncle Mattaniah king,
and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
as food to the birds of heaven,
the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
They have poured out their blood like water
round about Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Gospel Mt 7:21-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
Feast Day: June 26
Born: 9 January 1902, Barbastro, Aragon, Spain
Died: 26 June 1975, Rome, Italy
Canonized: 6 October 2002, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II
Major Shrine: Our Lady of Peace, Prelatic Church of Opus Dei, in Rome
St. Pelagius
Feast Day: June 26
Born: (around) 912 :: Died: 925
This boy martyr of Spain lived in the days when the Moors who were Muslims ruled part of his homeland. The Moors were fighting the Spanish Christians. Pelagius was only ten when his uncle had to leave him as a hostage with the Moors in the city of Cordova. They would not set him free until his uncle sent what the Moors demanded.
Three years later the young Christian Pelagius still remained a prisoner. By this time, he was a handsome, lively boy of thirteen. Although many of his fellow prisoners were men who had formed evil habits, Pelagius would not follow their example. He had a strong will and knew how to keep himself good.
The ruler of the Moors heard good reports about Pelagius and sent for the boy. Pelagius was handsome and well-behaved. The ruler felt generous and wanted to get him out of prison. After all, he was only a boy.
He offered Pelagius his freedom, plus fine clothes to wear, beautiful horses and money. All this, only if he would give up his faith and become a Muslim like them.
"All those things you named mean nothing to me," answered the boy firmly. "I have been a Christian. I am a Christian now. I shall continue to be a Christian." The ruler was surprised. Now instead of promises he threatened Pelagius, but this had no effect.
Thirteen-year-old Pelagius was killed for his faith in Jesus and died a martyr in the year 925.
Thursday, June 26
Liturgical Color: Green
Pope St. Benedict II became pope on this
day in 684 A.D. He was pope for less
than a year but spent his time battling the
heresy of Monothelitism. This heresy
denied Church doctrine that Christ had
both a human and divine will.
How can a person tell whether his action is good or bad?
A person is capable of distinguishing good actions from bad ones because he possesses reason and a conscience, which enable him to make clear judgments.
The following guidelines make it easier to distinguish good actions from bad ones: (1) What I do must be good; a good intention alone is not enough. Bank robbery is always bad, even if I commit that crime with the good intention of giving the money to poor people. (2) Even when what I do is truly good, if I perform the good action with a bad intention, it makes the whole action bad. If I walk an elderly woman home and help her around the house, that is good. But if I do it while planning a later break-in, that makes the whole action something bad. (3) The circumstances in which someone acts can diminish his responsibility, but they cannot change at all the good or bad character of an action. Hitting one's mother is always bad, even if the mother has previously shown little love to the child.
May we do something bad so that good can result from it?
No, we may never deliberately do something evil or tolerate an evil so that good can result from it. Sometimes there is no other course of action but to tolerate a lesser evil in order to prevent a greater evil.
The end does not justify the means. It cannot be right to commit infidelity so as to stabilize one's marriage. It is just as wrong to use embryos for stem cell research, even if one could thereby make medical breakthroughs. It is wrong to try to "help" a rape victim by aborting her child. (YOUCAT questions 291, 292)
Dig Deeper: CCC section (1749-1756) and other references here.
Part 3: Life in Christ (1691 - 2557)
Section 1: Man's Vocation Life in the Spirit (1699 - 2051)
Chapter 1: The Dignity of the Human Person (1700 - 1876)
Article 4: The Morality of Human Acts (1749 - 1761)
Freedom makes man a moral subject. When he acts deliberately, man is, so to speak, the father of his acts. Human acts, that is, acts that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgment of conscience, can be morally evaluated. They are either good or evil.
I. THE SOURCES OF MORALITY ⇡
The morality of human acts depends on:
The object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the "sources," or constitutive elements, of the morality of human acts.
The object chosen is a good toward which the will deliberately directs itself. It is the matter of a human act. The object chosen morally specifies the act of the will, insofar as reason recognizes and judges it to be or not to be in conformity with the true good. Objective norms of morality express the rational order of good and evil, attested to by conscience.
In contrast to the object, the intention resides in the acting subject. Because it lies at the voluntary source of an action and determines it by its end, intention is an element essential to the moral evaluation of an action. The end is the first goal of the intention and indicates the purpose pursued in the action. The intention is a movement of the will toward the end: it is concerned with the goal of the activity. It aims at the good anticipated from the action undertaken. Intention is not limited to directing individual actions, but can guide several actions toward one and the same purpose; it can orient one's whole life toward its ultimate end. For example, a service done with the end of helping one's neighbor can at the same time be inspired by the love of God as the ultimate end of all our actions. One and the same action can also be inspired by several intentions, such as performing a service in order to obtain a favor or to boast about it.
A good intention (for example, that of helping one's neighbor) does not make behavior that is intrinsically disordered, such as lying and calumny, good or just. The end does not justify the means. Thus the condemnation of an innocent person cannot be justified as a legitimate means of saving the nation. On the other hand, an added bad intention (such as vainglory) makes an act evil that, in and of itself, can be good (such as almsgiving).39
39.
Cf. Mt 6:24.
The circumstances, including the consequences, are secondary elements of a moral act. They contribute to increasing or diminishing the moral goodness or evil of human acts (for example, the amount of a theft). They can also diminish or increase the agent's responsibility (such as acting out of a fear of death). Circumstances of themselves cannot change the moral quality of acts themselves; they can make neither good nor right an action that is in itself evil.
II. GOOD ACTS AND EVIL ACTS ⇡
A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the circumstances together. An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is good in itself (such as praying and fasting "in order to be seen by men").
The object of the choice can by itself vitiate an act in its entirety. There are some concrete acts such as fornication that it is always wrong to choose, because choosing them entails a disorder of the will, that is, a moral evil.
It is therefore an error to judge the morality of human acts by considering only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social pressure, duress or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it.
Daily Readings for:June 26, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. 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 Flan
o Gazpacho
ACTIVITIES
PRAYERS
o June Devotion: The Sacred Heart
o Prayer to Saint Josemaría Escrivá
LIBRARY
o Apostolic Brief on the Beatification of Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer | Pope John Paul II
o Josemaria's Way | Robert Moynihan
Ordinary Time: June 26th
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time; Optional Memorial of St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, priest (in some dioceses)
St. Josemaria Escriva was born in 1902 at Barbastro Spain. He was ordained in Saragossa in 1925 and by divine inspiration founded Opus Dei which opened a new way for the faithful to sanctify themselves in the midst of the world. He died on June 26, 1975 and was canonized a saint on October 6, 2002.
According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Sts. John and Paul, martyrs, two brothers, who encouraged each other to remain faithful in their sufferings. They are named in the Roman Canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer I).
St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer
St. Josemaria Escriva was born in Barbastro, Spain, on January 9, 1902. He had five siblings: Carmen (1899-1957) and Santiago (1919-1994) and three younger sisters who died when they were small children. His parents, José and Dolores, gave their children a deep Christian education.
In 1915, Jose Escriva's business failed and he found other work, which required the family to move to Logrono. It was as a teenager in Logrono that Josemaria for the first time sensed his vocation. Moved by the sight of footprints left in the snow by a barefoot friar, he sensed that God was asking something of him, though he did not know exactly what it was. He thought becoming a priest would help him discover and fulfill this calling from God, so he began to prepare for the priesthood, first in Logrono and later in Saragossa.
Josemaria's father died in 1924, leaving him as head of the family. After his ordination in 1925, he began his ministry in a rural parish, and subsequently continued it in Saragossa. In 1927, Fr. Josemaria's bishop gave him permission to move to Madrid to obtain his doctorate in law.
On October 2, 1928, during a spiritual retreat, Fr. Josemaria saw what it was that God was asking of him: to found Opus Dei, a way of sanctification in daily work and in the fulfillment of the Christian's ordinary duties. From then on he worked on carrying out this task, meanwhile continuing his priestly ministry, particularly to the poor and the sick. During these early years of Opus Dei, he was also studying at the University of Madrid and teaching classes in order to support his family. When the Civil War broke out in Madrid, religious persecution forced Fr. Josemaria to exercise his priestly ministry clandestinely and to move from place to place seeking refuge. Eventually, he was able to leave the Spanish capital; and, after a harrowing escape across the Pyrenees, he took up residence in Burgos. When the war concluded in 1939, he returned to Madrid and finally obtained his doctorate in law. In the years that followed he gave many retreats to laity, priests, and religious, and continued working assiduously to develop Opus Dei.
In 1946 Fr. Josemaria took up residence in Rome. During his years in Rome, he obtained a doctorate in Theology from the Lateran University and was appointed by Pope Pius XII as a consultor to two Vatican Congregations, as an honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology, and as an honorary prelate.
He traveled frequently from Rome to various European countries, and to Mexico on one occasion, to spark the growth of Opus Dei in those places. In 1974 and 1975, he made two long trips to a number of countries in Latin America, where he met with large groups of people and spoke to them about their Christian vocation to holiness.
Msgr. Escriva died in Rome on June 26, 1975. By the time of his death, Opus Dei had begun in dozens of countries and had touched countless lives. After his death thousands of people, including more than a third of the world's bishops, sent letters to Rome asking the Pope to open his cause of beatification and canonization.
Pope John Paul II beatified Msgr. Escriva on May 17, 1992, in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The ceremony was attended by approximately 300,000 people. "With supernatural intuition," said the Pope in his homily, "Blessed Josemaria untiringly preached the universal call to holiness and apostolate."
Ten years later, on October 6, 2002, John Paul II canonized the founder of Opus Dei in St. Peter's Square before a multitude of people from more than 80 countries. In his discourse to those who attended the canonization, the Holy Father said that "St. Josemaria was chosen by the Lord to proclaim the universal call to holiness and to indicate that everyday life, its customary activities, are a path towards holiness. It could be said that he was the saint of the ordinary."
Information Office of Opus Dei on the Internet
Things to Do:
Sts. John and Paul
The Acts of these two martyrs, which historians regard as spurious, contain the following: "The two brothers, John and Paul, were valets to Constantia, the daughter of Emperor Constantine. For their excellent work she bequeathed to them a considerable sum. This they used to aid poor Christians. When Julian the Apostate (361-363) invited them to become members of the inner circle of the imperial household, they refused and boldly explained that they did not relish close association with one who had fallen away from Jesus Christ. The Emperor gave them ten days to reconsider their position, threatening them with death if at the end of this time they refused to do his bidding and sacrifice to Jupiter. The brothers used the interval to distribute what remained of their possessions to the poor so that they could begin their journey home to God with less hindrance, while at the same time benefiting many who would 'receive them into the everlasting dwellings' (Luke 16:9). Their choice was death, and they were beheaded in their own house."
Both John and Paul were highly venerated by the Roman Church. They are mentioned in the Canon of the Mass and in the Litany of the Saints. Their particular virtue was love toward the poor. The following, at least, is historically certain: these two court officials were martyred and buried in their own house. Byzas and Pammachius transformed this house into a church dedicated to the two martyrs. Excavations have proven these points. Beneath the church were found their home, the tombs, and the place of execution.
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Symbols: Thunderbolt; sword.
12th Week in Ordinary Time
I never knew you. (Matthew 7:23)
Have you ever known a namedropper? You know, someone who always mentions the important people he or she knows? Usually, this is exaggerated, with some distant connection or contact turning into, “Oh, I know that person!” Who among us hasn’t been tempted to use a famous name to gain influence or respect among our acquaintances?
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is making it clear that name-dropping doesn’t work with him. He wants to have a real relationship with us. He wants us to know him personally, just as he knows us. He doesn’t want us to settle for book knowledge or just a passing acquaintance. Even if we’re busy doing his work—whether in our homes, in our communities, or in our parishes—he wants us also to be growing closer to him in our hearts. Jesus doesn’t just want servants; he wants friends.
So what does it mean to know Jesus? How does anyone go about building a relationship with the eternal Son of God? It may sound awfully hard, but it really isn’t all that complicated or mysterious. It’s pretty much the same way you build a relationship with anyone else. You spend time with him; you talk to him; you listen to him; you learn to trust him; you share secrets with him; you let him see you at your best and at your worst.
Don’t let the tone of today’s Gospel reading frighten you. Jesus is concerned that we come to know him, but he’s not about to abandon us because our relationship with him isn’t as deep as the holiest of saints. Rather than worrying about whether Jesus will say, “I never knew you,” make it your goal to come to know him better.
Wherever you are with Jesus now, try to go a little deeper. As you read Scripture this week, listen for his still, small voice in your heart. Get in the habit of writing down what you think he is saying. Then take the time to talk to him. Tell him about your day. Open up about your hopes and fears, and see if you sense him offering you his guidance or consolation. By investing in this relationship, you are building your house on a foundation solid enough to withstand any storm.
“Lord, I want to know you and to be known by you. Draw me to yourself.”
2 Kings 24:8-17; Psalm 79:1-5, 8-9
Daily Marriage Tip for June 26, 2014:
Gratitude dispels anger. If you are angry at your spouse, think of the times when he/she did something loving for you.
A priest can do so much for God
Wednesday, 25 June 2014 12:37
Dom Columba Marmion was 31 years old and a monk of Maredsous for three years when, in November 1889, he wrote the following to a newly–ordained Irish priest, one of his former pupils at Clonliffe.
A priest can do so much for God if, in offering the Holy Sacrifice, he unites the oblation of himself, his life, his love, all he has, with that of the Divine Victim. He can obtain priceless graces for all mankind, can stay the anger of God, and gain powerful aid for the Church, not to speak of the great merit he gains for himself. Let us try to be faithful and loving towards Our dear Lord. It is in the heart of the priest He expects to repose, when He is outraged by sinners; and also, He so often finds even there but coldness and ingratitude.
Matthew | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Matthew 7 |
|||
21. | Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. | Non omnis qui dicit mihi, Domine, Domine, intrabit in regnum cælorum : sed qui facit voluntatem Patris mei, qui in cælis est, ipse intrabit in regnum cælorum. | ου πας ο λεγων μοι κυριε κυριε εισελευσεται εις την βασιλειαν των ουρανων αλλ ο ποιων το θελημα του πατρος μου του εν ουρανοις |
22. | Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? | Multi dicent mihi in illa die : Domine, Domine, nonne in nomine tuo prophetavimus, et in nomine tuo dæmonia ejecimus, et in nomine tuo virtutes multas fecimus ? | πολλοι ερουσιν μοι εν εκεινη τη ημερα κυριε κυριε ου τω σω ονοματι προεφητευσαμεν και τω σω ονοματι δαιμονια εξεβαλομεν και τω σω ονοματι δυναμεις πολλας εποιησαμεν |
23. | And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. | Et tunc confitebor illis : Quia numquam novi vos : discedite a me, qui operamini iniquitatem. | και τοτε ομολογησω αυτοις οτι ουδεποτε εγνων υμας αποχωρειτε απ εμου οι εργαζομενοι την ανομιαν |
24. | Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, | Omnis ergo qui audit verba mea hæc, et facit ea, assimilabitur viro sapienti, qui ædificavit domum suam supra petram, | πας ουν οστις ακουει μου τους λογους τουτους και ποιει αυτους ομοιωσω αυτον ανδρι φρονιμω οστις ωκοδομησεν την οικιαν αυτου επι την πετραν |
25. | And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock. | et descendit pluvia, et venerunt flumina, et flaverunt venti, et irruerunt in domum illam, et non cecidit : fundata enim erat super petram. | και κατεβη η βροχη και ηλθον οι ποταμοι και επνευσαν οι ανεμοι και προσεπεσον τη οικια εκεινη και ουκ επεσεν τεθεμελιωτο γαρ επι την πετραν |
26. | And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, | Et omnis qui audit verba mea hæc, et non facit ea, similis erit viro stulto, qui ædificavit domum suam super arenam : | και πας ο ακουων μου τους λογους τουτους και μη ποιων αυτους ομοιωθησεται ανδρι μωρω οστις ωκοδομησεν την οικιαν αυτου επι την αμμον |
27. | And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof. | et descendit pluvia, et venerunt flumina, et flaverunt venti, et irruerunt in domum illam, et cecidit, et fuit ruina illius magna. | και κατεβη η βροχη και ηλθον οι ποταμοι και επνευσαν οι ανεμοι και προσεκοψαν τη οικια εκεινη και επεσεν και ην η πτωσις αυτης μεγαλη |
28. | And it came to pass when Jesus had fully ended these words, the people were in admiration at his doctrine. | Et factum est : cum consummasset Jesus verba hæc, admirabantur turbæ super doctrina ejus. | και εγενετο οτε συνετελεσεν ο ιησους τους λογους τουτους εξεπλησσοντο οι οχλοι επι τη διδαχη αυτου |
29. | For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes and Pharisees. | Erat enim docens eos sicut potestatem habens, et non sicut scribæ eorum, et pharisæi. | ην γαρ διδασκων αυτους ως εξουσιαν εχων και ουχ ως οι γραμματεις |
(*) ουχ ως οι γραμματεις: "Not as the scribes". The translations add "and Pharisees".
Built Wisely 2014-06-26 |
||
|
||
|
||
|
June 25, 2014
By the laws of nature, a mango comes from a mango tree. If we start having bananas from mango trees, we should be alarmed! It goes against the law of nature. That is why in order to know what kind of tree it is, we have to wait for the kind of fruit it will bear when it matures. It is the same with people. You cannot possibly like the fruit but hate the tree because the fruit comes from the tree. They are one. If there are people you admire, or people you respect and are inspired with, you will also appreciate his background, his family, his formation and his “tree.” Therefore as Christians, we should be good fruits for we are the living testament of our faith. Similarly when we cause scandal, we hurt the family or community where we belong because people will associate the scandal with the family or the community. That is why we have to be careful to be signs and not to be scandals. We have to learn in humility that we are not capable of producing any good fruit on our own. Jesus Christ is the tree in whom we are grafted that makes it possible for all for us to bear any useful fruit. We should recognize that we are useless servants without him, and be grateful that it was Christ who clothed us with his dignity. This dignity gives us the honor or status that we enjoy as his friends. Let us always pray to the Holy Spirit to help us produce the good fruit the world needs to see.
Language: English | Español
All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 4
|
~Pope Francis
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.