Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 07-02-15

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen

Information: St. Bernardino Realino

Feast Day: July 2

Born: Modena, Italy, in 1530

Died: 1616

Canonized: 1947 by Pope Pius XII

Patron of: Lecce, Italy

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 9
1.	AND entering into a boat, he passed over the water and came into his own city.	Et ascendens in naviculam, transfretavit, et venit in civitatem suam.	και εμβας εις το πλοιον διεπερασεν και ηλθεν εις την ιδιαν πολιν
2.	And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.	Et ecce offerebant ei paralyticum jacentem in lecto. Et videns Jesus fidem illorum, dixit paralytico : Confide fili, remittuntur tibi peccata tua.	και ιδου προσεφερον αυτω παραλυτικον επι κλινης βεβλημενον και ιδων ο ιησους την πιστιν αυτων ειπεν τω παραλυτικω θαρσει τεκνον αφεωνται σοι αι αμαρτιαι σου
3.	And behold some of the scribes said within themselves: He blasphemeth.	Et ecce quidam de scribis dixerunt intra se : Hic blasphemat.	και ιδου τινες των γραμματεων ειπον εν εαυτοις ουτος βλασφημει
4.	And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think evil in your hearts?	Et cum vidisset Jesus cogitationes eorum, dixit : Ut quid cogitatis mala in cordibus vestris ?	και ιδων ο ιησους τας ενθυμησεις αυτων ειπεν ινα τι υμεις ενθυμεισθε πονηρα εν ταις καρδιαις υμων
5.	Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say, Arise, and walk?	Quid est facilius dicere : Dimittuntur tibi peccata tua : an dicere : Surge, et ambula ?	τι γαρ εστιν ευκοπωτερον ειπειν αφεωνται σου αι αμαρτιαι η ειπειν εγειραι και περιπατει
6.	But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then said he to the man sick of palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.	Ut autem sciatis, quia Filius hominis habet potestatem in terra dimittendi peccata, tunc ait paralytico : Surge, tolle lectum tuum, et vade in domum tuam.	ινα δε ειδητε οτι εξουσιαν εχει ο υιος του ανθρωπου επι της γης αφιεναι αμαρτιας τοτε λεγει τω παραλυτικω εγερθεις αρον σου την κλινην και υπαγε εις τον οικον σου
7.	And he arose, and went into his house.	Et surrexit, et abiit in domum suam.	και εγερθεις απηλθεν εις τον οικον αυτου
8.	And the multitude seeing it, feared, and glorified God that gave such power to men.	Videntes autem turbæ timuerunt, et glorificaverunt Deum, qui dedit potestatem talem hominibus.	ιδοντες δε οι οχλοι εθαυμασαν και εδοξασαν τον θεον τον δοντα εξουσιαν τοιαυτην τοις ανθρωποις

1. And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
2. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said to the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.
3. And, behold, certain of the Scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes.
4. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5. For whether is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven you; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6. But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (then he said to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.
7. And he arose, and departed to his house.
8. But when the multitude saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power to men.

CHRYS; Christ had above shown His excellent power by teaching, when he taught them as one having authority; in the leper, when He said, I will, be clean; by the centurion, who said to Him, Speak the word, and my servant shall be healed; by the sea which He calmed by a word; by the demons who confessed Him; now again, in another and greater way, He compels His enemies to confess the equality of His honor with the Father; to this end it proceeds, And Jesus entered into a shop and passed over and came into his own city. He entered a boat to cross over, who could have crossed the sea on foot; for He would not be always working miracles, that He might not take away the reality of His incarnation.

CHRYSOLOGUS; The Creator of all things, the Lord of the world, when He had for our sakes straitened Himself in the bonds of our flesh, began to have His own country as a man, began to be a citizen of Judea, and to have parents, though Himself the parent of all, that affection might attach those whom fear had separated.

CHRYS; By his own city is here meant Capernaum. For one town, to wit, Bethlehem, had received Him to be born there; another had brought Him up, to wit, Nazareth; and a third received Him to dwell there continually namely Capernaum.

AUG; That Matthew here speaks of his own city, and Mark calls it Capernaum, would be more difficult to be reconciled if Matthew had expressed it Nazareth. But as it is, all Galilee might be called Christ's city, because Nazareth was in Galilee; just as all the Roman empire, divided into many states, was still called the Roman city. Who can doubt then that the Lord in coming to Galilee is rightly said to come into his own city, whatever was the town in which He abode, especially since Capernaum was exalted into the metropolis of Galilee?

JEROME; Or This city may be no other than Nazareth, whence He was called a Nazarene;

AUG; And if we adopt this supposition, We must say that Matthew has omitted all that was done from the time that Jesus entered into His own city till he came into Capernaum, and has proceeded on at once to the healing of the paralytic; as in many other places they pass over things that intervened, and carry on the thread of the narrative, without noticing any interval of time, to something else; so here, And, lo, they bring to him a paralytic laying on a bed.

CHRYS; This paralytic is not the same as the one in John. For he lay by the pool, this in Capliarnanun; he had none to assist him, this one was borne on a bed.

JEROME; On a bed, because he could not walk.

CHRYS; He does not universally demand faith of the sick, as, for example, when they are mad or from any other sore sickness are in possession of their minds; as it is here, seeing their faith.

JEROME; not time sick man's, but theirs that bore him.

CHRYS; Seeing then that they showed so great faith He also shows His excellent power; with full power forgiving sin, as it follows, He said to the paralytic, Be of courage, son, your sins are forgiven you.

CHRYSOLOGUS; Of how great power with God must a man's own faith be, when that of others here availed to heal a man both within and without. The paralytic hears his pardon pronounced, in silence uttering no thanks, for he was more anxious for the cure of his body than his soul. Christ therefore with good reason accepts the faith of those that bore him rather than his own hardness of heart.

CHRYS. Or, we may suppose even the sick man to have had faith; otherwise he would not have suffered himself to be let down through the roof as other Evangelist relates.

JEROME; O wonderful humility! This man feeble and despised, crippled in every limb, addresses as son. The Jewish Priests did not deign to touch him. Even therefore His son, because his sins were forgiven him. Hence we may learn that diseases are often the punishment of sin; and therefore perhaps his sins are forgiven him, that when the cause of his disease has been removed, health may be restored.

CHRYS; The Scribes in their desire to spread an ill report of Him, against their will made that which was done be more widely known; Christ using their envy to make known the miracle. For this is of His surpassing wisdom to manifest His deeds through His enemies; whence it follows, Behold, some of the Scribes said among themselves, This man blasphemes.

JEROME; We read in prophecy, I am he that blots out your transgressions; so the Scribes regarding Him as a man, and not understanding the words of God, charged Him with blasphemy. But He seeing their thoughts thus showed Himself to be God, Who alone knows the heart; and thus, as it were, said, By the same power and prerogative by which I see your thoughts, I can forgive them their sins. Learn from your own experience what the paralytic has obtained. When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?

CHRYS; He did not indeed contradict their suspicions so far as they had supposed Him to have spoken as God. For had He not been equal to God the Father, it would have been necessary Him to say, I am far from this power, that of forgiving sin. But He confirms the contrary of this, by His words and His miracle; Whether is it easier to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise, and walk? By how much the soul is better than the body, by so much is it a greater thing to forgive sin than to heal the body. But forasmuch as the one may be scene with the eyes, but the other is not sensibly perceived, He does the lesser miracle which is the more evident, to be a proof of the greater miracle which is imperceptible.

JEROME; Whether or no his sins were forgiven He alone could know who forgave; but whether he could rise and walk, not Only himself but they that looked on could judge of; but the power that heals, whether soul or body, is the same. And as there is a great difference between saying and doing, the outward Sign is given that the Spiritual effect may be proved; But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.

CHRYS; Above, He said to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you, not, I forgive you your sins; but now when the Scribes made resistance, He shows the greatness of His power by saying, The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. And to show that He was equal to the Father, He said not that the Son of Man needed any to forgive sins, but that He has power.

GLOSS; These words That you may know, may be either Christ's words, or the Evangelist's words. As though the Evangelist had said, they doubted whether He could remit sins, But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to remit sins, he said to the paralytic. If they are the words of Christ, the connection will be as follows; You doubt that I have power to remit sins, But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to remit sins - the sentence is imperfect, but the action supplies time place of the consequent clause, he said to the paralytic, Rise, take up your bed.

CHRYSOLOGUS; That that which had been proof of his sickness, should now become proof of his recovered health. And go to your house, that having been healed by Christian faith, you may not die in the faithlessness of the Jews.

CHRYS; This command He added, that it might be seen there was no delusion in the miracle; so it follows to establish the reality of the cure, And he arose, and went away to his own house. But they that stood by yet grovel in the earth whence it follows, But the multitude seeing it were afraid and glorified God who had bestowed such power among men. For had they rightly considered among themselves they would have acknowledged Him to be the Son of God. Meanwhile it was no little matter to esteem Him as one greater than men and to have come from God.

HILARY; Mystically; when driven out of Judea He returns to His own city; the city of God is the people of the faithful, into this He entered by a boat, that is, the Church.

CHRYSOLOGUS; Christ has no need of the vessel but the vessel of Christ for without the pilotage the bark of the Church cannot pass over the sea of the world to the heavenly harbor.

HILARY; In this paralytic the whole Gentile world is offered for healing, he is therefore brought by the ministration of Angels, he is called Son, because he is God's work; the sins of his soul which the Law could not remit go remitted him; for faith only justifies. Lastly he shows the power of the resurrection, by taking up his bed teaching that all sickness shall then be no more found in the body.

JEROME; Figuratively; the soul sick in the body, its powers palsied, is brought by the perfect doctor to the Lord to be healed. For every one when sick, ought to engage some to pray for his recovery, through whom the halting footsteps of our acts may be reformed by time healing power of the heavenly word. These are mental monitors, who raise the soul of the hearer to higher things, although sick and weak in the outward body.

CHRYSOLOGUS; The Lord requires not in this world the will of those who are without understanding, but looks to the faith of others; as the physician does not consult the wishes of the patient, when his malady requires other things.

RABAN; His rising up is the drawing of the soul from carnal lusts; his taking up his bed is the raising the flesh from earthly desires to spiritual pleasures; his going to his house is his returning to Paradise, or to internal watchfulness of himself against sin.

GREG; Or by the bed is denoted the pleasure of the body. He is commanded now he is made whole to bear that on which he had lain when sick, because every man who still takes pleasure in vice is laid as sick in carnal delights; but when made whole he bears this because he now endures the wantonness of that flesh in whose desires he had before reposed.

HILARY; It is a very fearful thing to be seized by death while the sins are yet unforgiven by Christ; for there is no way to the heavenly house for him whose sins have not been forgiven. But when this fear is removed, honor is rendered to God, who by His word has in this way given power to men, of forgiveness of Sins, of resurrection of the body, and of return to Heaven.

Catena Aurea Matthew 9

The Healing of the Paralytic of Capernaum

Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy

http://www.holyspiritinteractive.net/kids/saints/0702.asp
St. Otto

Feast Day: July 02

Born: 1060 :: Died: 1139

Otto was born in Swabia, present-day Bavaria which is in southern Germany and came from a rich family. He became a priest and entered the service of Emperor Henry IV. About then years later, Father Otto became Henry’s chancellor.

Otto tried to convince the emperor to act fairly and to be reasonable when faced with decisions. But Henry did many wrong things, causing trouble and tried to split the Church into two groups. He even appointed his own pope. Otto felt very bad and did his best to help Henry change.

Henry IV then appointed Otto as bishop but Otto refused saying that only the true pope in Rome, Pope Paschal II had the power to do this. Henry was forced to agree and Otto traveled to Rome where he was consecrated a Bishop.

Bishop Otto became a great help to the people of Swabia, especially under Emperor Henry V. This emperor followed his father, Henry IV’s bad habits. But although he was unkind and very strict, he respected Otto and often listened to his advice.

When King Boleslaus III of Poland conquered part of Pomerania in Prussia, he asked Otto to go there. The people there were pagans and believed in false gods. Bishop Otto welcomed the chance to tell them about Jesus and God’s great love for people. A couple of years later, the bishop led a group of priests and catechists into Pomerania.

More people were taught the faith and more than twenty thousand people were baptized. Bishop Otto appointed priests to minister to the new Christians. He returned to his own country and then a few years later the people of Pomerania began to return to their old pagan ways.

When he heard this, Bishop Otto went back to Pomerania helping the people become fervent Christians again. He started more than twenty monasteries, built churches and worked hard to heal the problems between the king and the pope. He died on June 30, 1139.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Thursday, July 2

Liturgical Color: White

Today the Church honors the Guardian
Angels. Each person is assigned an angel to
help protect and guide them through life.
Pope Clement X extended this feast day to the
Church in the 17th century.

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/pictures/7_2_Processus_Martinian2.jpg

Daily Readings for: July 02, 2015

(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect:
O God, who through the grace of adoption chose us to be children of light, grant, we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth. 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

Apple Dowdy
Summer Apple Cake
ACTIVITIES

Weather Saints
PRAYERS

Collect for the Feast of Sts. Processus and Martinian

Ordinary Time: July 2nd

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Visitation; Sts. Processus and Martinian, martyrs; St. Swithin (Hist); St. Otto, bishop (Hist); St. Bernardino Realino, priest (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which in the Ordinary Form is celebrated on May 31.

It is also the commemoration of Sts. Processus and Martinian whose bodies lie in a chapel at St. Peter’s in Rome. During the time when Sts. Peter and Paul were prisoners in the Mamertine, legend says that these two jailors together with forty others were converted through the prayers and miracles of the holy apostles. They were baptized with water that suddenly sprang out from a rock. The jailors then wished to help the apostles make their escape. Both died as martyrs for the faith (about 67 A.D.).

The Roman Martyrology also includes St. Swithin, bishop, from England on this day. The Anglican Church celebrates his feast on July 15, known as “St. Swithin’s Day.”

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/pictures/7_2_Processus_Martinian.jpg

Sts. Processus & Marinian
The Holy Martyrs Processus and Martinian were pagans and they served as guards at the Mamertine prison in Rome.

State criminals were held in this prison, among them some Christians. Watching the Christian prisoners and listening to their preaching, Processus and Martinian gradually came to the knowledge of the Savior. When the holy Apostle Peter was locked up at the Mamertine prison, Processus and Martinian came to believe in Christ. They accepted holy Baptism from the apostle and released him from prison.

The jailer Paulinus learned about this, and he demanded that Sts Processus and Martinian renounce Christ. But they fearlessly confessed Christ, and they spat at the golden statue of Jupiter. Paulinus ordered that they be slapped on the face, and then seeing the resolute stance of the holy martyrs, he subjected them to torture. The martyrs were beaten with iron rods, scorched with fire, and finally, thrown into prison.

A certain illustrious and pious woman, by the name of Lucina, visited them in prison and gave them help and encouragement. The torturer Paulinus was soon punished by God. He fell blind and died three days later. The son of Paulinus went to the city ruler demanding that the martyrs be put to death. Sts Processus and Martinian were beheaded by the sword (+ ca. 67).

Lucina buried the bodies of the martyrs. Today their tomb is in the south transept of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Excerpted from the Orthodox Church in America

St. Swithin (also known as St. Swithun)

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/pictures/7_2_swithin.jpg

St Swithun died in 862 as bishop of Winchester. It is not known when he was born, but he was a secular clerk with something of a reputation for virtue and learning. He was attached to the West Saxon court and was one of King Egbert’s principal advisers. He was given the king’s son, Ethelwulf, the father of Alfred the Great, to educate; and to him must go some of the credit for the strongly religious tone of the West Saxon court under Ethelwulf and his sons.

He was consecrated bishop of Winchester in 852, and as bishop was something of a builder. He may also have been one of the first contributors to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. A number of agreeably humble miracles were attributed to him - he was said to have restored a basket of eggs dropped by an old market woman when crossing a bridge. His great reputation for sanctity is, however, largely owing to the cult which sprang up at Winchester a hundred years after his death, in the time of St Ethelwold and the monastic reformation, when his body was translated. His shrine was splendid, but when it was looted by Henry VIII in 1538 its gold and jewels were found to be false.

When he died he was buried at his own request in the churchyard, in order that the passers-by would walk over his grave and the rain fall upon it. It is always said that if it rains on his feast day, it will rain for forty days after, but it is not known how St. Swithun came to be associated with the weather. Similar stories are told of SS Medard, Gervase and Protase in France.

—The Saints, edited by John Coulson

The Roman Martyrology mentions St. Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, England. His holiness was made known by miracles. He died on July 2, but “St. Swithin’s Day” is held on July 15 in England, the day his relics were transferred. He is another of the “weather saints” — if it rains on July 15, it will rain forty more days. If no rain, it will be fair for forty more days, as the old rhyme says:

St. Swithin’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ‘twill rain nae mair.

This weather patronage traces back to July 15, 871 when the monks were translating his body (relics) from the outdoor grave to an indoor shrine in the Cathedral. The saint apparently did not approve, as it rained for 40 days afterward.

Patron: drought relief; Stavenger, England; Winchester, England.

Symbols: cross; rain cloud and rain; crosier and closed book.

St. Otto

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/pictures/7_2_otto.jpg

On July 2, the Church celebrates the life and work of St. Otto. He was born in 1060 in Swabia, and died on June 30, 1139. He was the Bishop of Bamberg, an indefatigable evangelizer, and the apostle of the Pomeranians.

He was born of noble rank and ordained a priest sometime before the age of 30. He joined the service of Emperor Henry IV in 1090 and became his chancellor in 1101. He served Henry IV and his successor, Henry V, loyally, but he disapproved of the latter’s disgraceful treatment of Pope Paschal.

Otto was consecrated a bishop on May 13, 1106, and set to work founding new monasteries, reforming existing ones, building schools and churches, and completing the construction of the cathedral. He lived a poor and simple life, and was called the “Father of the monks” for the concern he showed toward religious orders.

In 1122 Otto was commissioned by the Polish Duke Boleslaw III to convert Pomerania to Christianity, and he set about this mission in 1124. He traveled across Pomerania twice, and won over the people with his holiness, quiet generosity, and gentle, inspiring sermons.

The conversion of Pomerania was his greatest apostolic work. He baptized over 22,000 people and established 11 churches. Many miracles were attributed to him throughout his two journeys, and many more after his death.

Excerpted from Catholic News Agency

St. Bernardino Realino

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/pictures/7_2_bernardino.jpg

Bernardino Realino was born into a noble family of Capri, Italy, in 1530. After an excellent Christian education received at home from his mother, he went on to study medicine and law at the University of Bologna, receiving his doctorate in law in 1556.

A brilliant young man, Bernardino was soon on the road to success: at the tender age of 26, he was elected mayor as well as judge of the town of Felizzano.

From there he became head tax collector in Alessandria, then elected mayor of Cassine, followed by his election as mayor of Castellone.

Word of his learning, dedication, and legal brilliance spread throughout Italy, and the marquis of Naples named him superintendent of all his fiefs.

While in Naples, Bernardino, now 34 years old, met some priests of the relatively new Society of Jesus and made an eight-day retreat with them.

During this retreat he felt a strong call to the religious life and asked the Jesuits for admittance into their Society. He was accepted and ordained a priest in 1567.

From that time on Bernardino devoted his life to the care of the poor and sick, to teaching the Faith to young people, and to ministering to galley slaves.

He was appointed novice master while in Naples and remained in that city for ten years until he was sent to the south of Italy to the town of Lecci where he had been requested to found a college.

He spent the rest of his life in Lecci where he was hailed as a saint during his lifetime, not only because of his powerful example as a preacher, confessor, and teacher, but also because of the many miracles he performed by the power of God.

One of the miracles attributed to Bernardino was in regard to a small pitcher of wine which did not give out until everyone present had had their fill.

Six years before his death at the age of 86, Bernardino fell and sustained two wounds which never healed.

During his final illness, blood was taken from one of the leg wounds and placed in glass vials.

After his death, the blood appeared to boil and foam and retained its liquid state until well into the mid-nineteenth century.

So devoted were the people of Lecci to their saint, the magistrates of the town visited Bernardino on his deathbed and formally requested that he take the city under his patronage after his death.

Unable to speak, Bernardino nodded his head, dying soon afterwards with the names of Jesus and Mary on his lips.

He was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947 and is to this day considered the Patron of Lecci.

Excerpted from Friar Jeff’s Quiet Spot

Catholic Culture

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 9:1-8

13th Week in Ordinary Time

Courage, child, your sins are forgiven. (Matthew 9:2)

What a beautiful thing to say! Remember that in ancient Israel, it was commonly thought that people with disabilities were being punished by God either for some sin they had committed or the sins of their parents. It was a curse, in other words. But here is Jesus telling this fellow—in a very compassionate way—that he was not cursed. In fact, his sins were forgiven! He showed that God is not a forbidding, awesome deity; he is a Father who loves. He also showed that God hadn’t abandoned this poor man but was very much a part of his life, ready to work wonders in him.

Have you ever said to yourself that you deserve something bad that has happened to you? Or have you thought that you aren’t worthy of any personal attention from God because of the ways you fall short of his call? “I deserve this upset stomach,” you might think. “I was nasty to my next door neighbor yesterday.” The truth is, we find it easy to acknowledge the theory that Jesus forgives us, but we can find it much more difficult to forgive ourselves. In our hearts, we want to be set free, but somehow we still labor under a cloud of guilt and shame.

Whether it’s the story of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-42 or the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) or Zacchaeus (19:1-10) or any number of other stories, Scripture is filled with proof that Jesus’ forgiveness is boundless. All he asks is that we turn to him and humbly confess our sins. If we do, the first thing he will do is tell us to take courage because we have been forgiven. He will fill us with confidence in his love and provision. He will convince us that we belong to him and that he is always with us.

So let Jesus call you “child” today. Let him assure you that your sins have been forgiven. Then let him continue to heal your inner self. Even if you don’t see an immediate change, you will know him more deeply. And that’s the greatest healing of all!

“Jesus, thank you for your boundless mercy! Thank you that I can bring all of my needs to you for healing. Lord, I am in awe of your love!”

Genesis 22:1-19
Psalm 115:1-6, 8-9

Marriage = One Man amd One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for July 2, 2015:

“Your life is more than your work and your work is more than your job.” (From the song by the same name by Charlie King.) Is your ‘job’ getting in the way of your family relationships? Both are important, but as another song puts it, “Time is love.”

Rgnum Christi

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

July 2, 2015. Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 9:1-8

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ´Your sins are forgiven,´ or to say, ´Rise and walk´? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to you in this meditation ready to do whatever it is you ask. Left to myself I often take the easy and convenient path, yet I know the way of a Christian is through the narrow gate. In you I find the reason to abandon the easy path for a more perfect mission of love. I’m ready to learn the meaning of your command: “Follow me.”

Petition: Lord, grant me a deeper experience of your mercy.

Crippled by Control: For St. Jerome, physical paralysis is an image of man’s inability to return to God by his own efforts. It is man’s inability to create his own salvation, to set the terms by which he can say he has made peace with God. The paralysis is meant to speak more to the Pharisees about their souls than to the cripple who bears it. Christ saw stagnation in the Pharisees’ hearts. They wanted to put God in a box, where their relationship with him could neatly accommodate their status and comforts. We, like the Pharisees, like our routine. We like to coast in our spiritual life and dislike having to adjust to God’s asking for more faith, trust or charity. For saintly souls, Christ is ever new; they are always being asked for more, and new experiences of Christ fill them as a result. Their love never goes stale since they refuse to control what God can do with them.

The Only Real Problem Is Sin: The paralytic and his companions arrive concerned only about his physical condition. This is not, however, what is first on Christ’s priority list. What is first, rather, is the man’s state of soul. For God the problem of life is not about problems. Problems are merely the pretexts he sends us to heal and develop our relationship with him: “Your sins are forgiven.” The problem of life is all about holiness and about removing the chief obstacle to holiness: sin. Deep down, the only things that can hurt us are the obstacles of sin and an egoistic lifestyle.

Awaiting God’s Replies: The pause between “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven you” and the cure of the paralysis initially may have caused disappointment in those unfamiliar with Christ’s way of working. In that wait our response to God comes, and our part in the plan of salvation is played out. Instant gratification of a child’s wants spoils the meaning of his parents’ gift of loving support. To arrive to Christian maturity, we must form the virtues of faith and trust. Seeking cures must be sought more as part of God’s will than as our own self-centered relief effort. This takes time. Yet even in that pause, in the dark night of faith, something is happening. While miracles are on the way, we are being changed. The command to rise seems only to confirm or make visible something that has already occurred in the paralytic’s soul: through faith and trust, Christ reigns over his soul.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I know that in you alone I shall rise, because only you can conquer sin in me. For my part, like St. Paul, I have sought to fight the good fight, strengthened by your grace and mercy. Help me to accept every difficulty as a new chance to purify my heart and sanctify my soul.

Resolution: Today I will remember to avoid rash and judgmental thoughts of others. As I do so I will keep in my heart the merciful dispositions of Christ’s heart.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 31, Issue 4

<< Thursday, July 2, 2015 >>

Genesis 22:1-19
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Psalm 115:1-6, 8-9

Matthew 9:1-8
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THE ULTIMATE FINANCIAL SECURITY

"Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh; hence people now say, 'On the mountain the Lord will see.' " —Genesis 22:14

God the Father sees to our needs. He cares for us and gives us our daily bread (Mt 6:11). As His children, we don't have to worry about what we are to eat, drink, or wear (Mt 6:31). God our Father is a perfect Provider. Therefore, we have complete financial security.

However, if we aren't aware of the perfect providence of God, we may feel obligated to try to take care of ourselves, as if we were Yahweh-Yireh. Of course, we will not be able to do this satisfactorily. Thus, we will probably be frustrated and insecure.

Jesus came into this world to reveal to us God the Father. Jesus is the only Way to the Father (Jn 14:6). Jesus has made it clear that the providence of God the Father is "concrete and immediate" (Catechism, 303). If we let Him, our Father will provide for all our legitimate needs or do something even greater — for example, take us into the mystery of His Son's suffering and death. We can trust God the Father completely in life, death, after life, and forever. Trust Abba!

Prayer: Father, by Your grace I will trust You in the areas where I have been most afraid to trust You.

Promise: "Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven." —Mt 9:2

Praise: Sylvia had to live out of her car for more than a year, but the Lord met all of her needs day by day.