Information: The Blessed Martyrs of Compiegne;

Feast Day: July 17

Died: 17 July 1794 at the Place du Trône Renversé (modern Place de la Nation) in Paris, France

Beatified: 27 May 1906 by Pope Pius X

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Leo IV

Feast Day: July 17
Died: 855

St. Leo was born at Rome, in Italy and spent his life in that city. When Leo grew up he studied at the Benedictine monastery near St. Peter's Basilica to become a priest. As a priest he performed his ministry at St. John Lateran's, a large, famous basilica. Leo was well-known and loved by two popes, Gregory IV who died in 844, and Sergius II who died in 847.

Around the time Pope Sergius II died, rumors of a barbarian invasion of Saracens had the Romans terrified. Neither the people nor the cardinals wanted to be left without a pope. Leo's life changed forever, because they quickly elected him as pope and he took the name Leo IV.

As pope, Leo had the city walls around the Vatican and other areas repaired and strengthened. The walls had been damaged the previous year by a Saracen attack. He made the churches more beautiful and had St. Peter's Basilica rebuilt. He brought many relics (remains of things that were holy) to Rome.

He called a meeting of all Roman priests and passed forty-two rules which helped priests live more fervent, prayerful and joy-filled lives. A few bishops lived bad lives and this caused Leo great suffering. They boldly faced the pope and would not change their wrong ways. No matter how much Pope Leo was hurt, he was always fair, patient and humble. He never let his troubles dishearten him but gave all his time and energy for Jesus and his Church.

He loved the beautiful prayers of the liturgy and encouraged liturgical chant and music. People loved St. Leo and with God's grace he performed many miracles. It is said that he was responsible for stopping the terrible fire in the English quarter of Rome.

Pope Leo IV continued serving the Church with cheerfulness right up to the end of his life. He died on July 17, 855.

Reflection: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."- (Jn15: 13)

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 12
1.	AT that time Jesus went through the corn on the sabbath: and his disciples being hungry, began to pluck the ears, and to eat.	In illo tempore abiit Jesus per sata sabbato : discipuli autem ejus esurientes cœperunt vellere spicas, et manducare.	εν εκεινω τω καιρω επορευθη ο ιησους τοις σαββασιν δια των σποριμων οι δε μαθηται αυτου επεινασαν και ηρξαντο τιλλειν σταχυας και εσθιειν
2.	And the Pharisees seeing them, said to him: Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days.	Pharisæi autem videntes, dixerunt ei : Ecce discipuli tui faciunt quod non licet facere sabbatis.	οι δε φαρισαιοι ιδοντες ειπον αυτω ιδου οι μαθηται σου ποιουσιν ο ουκ εξεστιν ποιειν εν σαββατω
3.	But he said to them: Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him:	At ille dixit eis : Non legistis quid fecerit David, quando esuriit, et qui cum eo erant :	ο δε ειπεν αυτοις ουκ ανεγνωτε τι εποιησεν δαυιδ οτε επεινασεν αυτος και οι μετ αυτου
4.	How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the loaves of proposition, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for them that were with him, but for the priests only?	quomodo intravit in domum Dei, et panes propositionis comedit, quos non licebat ei edere, neque his qui cum eo erant, nisi solis sacerdotibus ?	πως εισηλθεν εις τον οικον του θεου και τους αρτους της προθεσεως εφαγεν ους ουκ εξον ην αυτω φαγειν ουδε τοις μετ αυτου ει μη τοις ιερευσιν μονοις
5.	Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple break the sabbath, and are without blame?	aut non legistis in lege quia sabbatis sacerdotes in templo sabbatum violant, et sine crimine sunt ?	η ουκ ανεγνωτε εν τω νομω οτι τοις σαββασιν οι ιερεις εν τω ιερω το σαββατον βεβηλουσιν και αναιτιοι εισιν
6.	But I tell you that there is here a greater than the temple.	Dico autem vobis, quia templo major est hic.	λεγω δε υμιν οτι του ιερου μειζον εστιν ωδε
7.	And if you knew what this meaneth: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: you would never have condemned the innocent.	Si autem sciretis, quid est : Misericordiam volo, et non sacrificium : numquam condemnassetis innocentes :	ει δε εγνωκειτε τι εστιν ελεον θελω και ου θυσιαν ουκ αν κατεδικασατε τους αναιτιους
8.	For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.	dominus enim est Filius hominis etiam sabbati.	κυριος γαρ εστιν του σαββατου ο υιος του ανθρωπου

1. At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
2. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, Behold, your disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
3. But he said to them, Have you not read what David did, when he was hungered, and they that were with him,
4. How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the Priests?
5. Or have you not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the Priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
6. But I say to you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
7. But if you had known what this means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless.
8. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

GLOSS: Having related the preaching together with the miracles of one year before John's inquiry, He passes to those of another year, namely after the death of John, when Jesus is already in all things spoken against ; and hence it is said, At that time Jesus passed through the cornfields on the sabbath day.

AUG; This which here follows is related both by Mark and Luke, without any question of discrepancy; indeed they do not say, At that time, so that Matthew has here perhaps preserved the order of time, they that of their recollection ; unless we take the words in a wider sense, At that time, that is, the time in which these many and divers things were done, whence we may conceive that all these things happened after the death of John. For he is believed to have been beheaded a little after he sent his disciples to Christ. So that when he says at that time, he may mean only an indefinite time.

CHRYS; Why then did He head them through the cornfields on time sabbath, seeing He knew all things, unless He desired to break the sabbath? This he desired indeed, but not absolutely ; therefore He broke it not without cause, but furnished a sufficient reason; so that He both caused the Law to cease, and yet offended not against it. Thus in order to soften the Jews, He here introduces a natural necessity; this is what is said, And his disciples being hungry, began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. Although in things which are manifestly sinful, there can he no excuse; He who kills another cannot plead rage, nor he who commits adultery, lust, or any other cause; yet here saying that the disciples were hungry, He delivers them from all accusation.

JEROME; As we read in another Evangelist, they had no opportunity of taking food because of the thronging of the multitude, and therefore they hungered as men. That they rub the ears of corn in their hands, and with them satisfy themselves, is a proof of an austere life, and of men who needed not prepared meats, but sought only simple food.

CHRYS; Here admire the disciples, who are so limited in their desires, that they have no care of the things of the body, but despise the support of the flesh ; they are assailed by hunger, and yet they go not away from Christ; for had not they been hard pressed by hunger, they would not have done thus. What the Pharisees said to this is added, The Pharisees seeing it said to Him, Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.

AUG; The Jews rather charged the Lord's disciples with the breach of the sabbath than with theft; because it was commanded the people of Israel in the Law, that they should not lay hold of any as a thief in their fields, unless he sought to carry anything away with him; but if any touched only what he needed to eat, him they suffered to depart with impunity free.

JEROME; Observe, that the first Apostles of the Savior broke the letter of the sabbath, contrary to the opinion of the Ebionites, who receive the other Apostles, but reject Paul as a transgressor of the Law. Then it proceeds to their excuse; But he said to them, Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry? To refute the false accusation of the Pharisees, He calls to mind the ancient history, that David flying from Saul came to Nobba, and being entertained by Achimelech the Priest, asked for food; he having no common bread, gave him the consecrated loaves, which it was not lawful for any to eat, but the Priests only and Levites; esteeming it a better action to deliver men from the danger of famine than to offer sacrifice to God; for the preservation of man is a sacrifice acceptable to God. Thus then the Lord meets their objection, saying, If David be a holy man, and if you blame not the high-priest Achimelech, but consider their excuse for their transgression of the Law to be valid, and that was hunger; how do you not approve in the Apostles the same plea which you approve in others? Though even here there is much difference. These rub ears of corn in their hands on the sabbath; those ate the Levitical bread, and over and above the solemn sabbath it was the season of new moon, during which when sought for at the banquet he fled from the royal palace.

CHRYS; To clear His disciples, He brings forward the instance of David, whose glory as a Prophet was great among the Jews. Yet they could not here answer that this was lawful for him, because he was a Prophet; for it was not Prophets, but Priests only who might eat. And the greater was he who did this, the greater is the defense of the disciples; yet though David was a Prophet, they that were with him were not.

JEROME; Observe that neither David nor his servants received the loaves of show-bread, before they had made answer that they were pure from women.

CHRYS; But some one will say, How is this instance applicable to the question in hand? For David did not transgress the sabbath. Here is shown the wisdom of Christ, that He brings forward an instance stronger than the sabbath. For it is by no means the same thing to violate the sabbath, and to touch that sacred table, which is lawful for none. And again, He adds yet another answer, saying, Or have you not read in the Law, that on the sabbath days the Priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

JEROME; As though He had said, you bring complaints against my disciples, that on the sabbath they rub ears of corn in their hands, under stress of hunger, and you yourselves profane the sabbath, slaying victims in the temple, killing bulls, burning holocausts on piles of wood; also, on the testimony of another Gospel, you circumcise infants on the sabbath; so that in keeping one law, you break that concerning the sabbath. But the laws of God are never contrary one to another; wisely therefore, wherein His disciples might be accused of having transgressed them, He shows that therein they followed the examples of Achimelech and David; and this their pretended charge of breaking the sabbath He retorts truly, and not having the plea of necessity, upon those who had brought the accusation.

CHRYS; But that you should not say to me, that to find an instance of another's sin is not to excuse our own - indeed where the thing done and not the doer of it is accused, we excuse the thing done. But this is not enough, He said what is yet more, that they are blameless. But see how great things He brings in; first, the place, in the Temple; secondly, the time, on the sabbath; the setting aside the Law, in the word profane, not merely break; and that they are not only free from punishment but from blame; and are blameless. And this second instance is not like the first which He gave respecting David; for that was done but once, by David who was not a Priest, and was a case of necessity; but this second is done every sabbath, and by the Priests, and according to the Law. So that not only by indulgence, as the first case would establish, but by the strict law the disciples are to be held blameless. But are the disciples Priests? yea, they are yet greater than Priests, forasmuch as He was there who is the Lord of the Temple, who is the reality and not the type; and therefore it is added, But I say to you, one greater than the Temple is here

JEROME; The word Hic is not a pronoun, but an adverb of place here, for that place is greater than the Temple which contains the Lord of the Temple.

AUG; It should be observed, that one example is taken from royal, persons, as David, the other from priestly, as those who profane the sabbath for the service of the Temple, so that much less can the charge concerning the rubbing the ears of corn attach to Him who is indeed King and Priest.

CHRYS; And because what He had said seemed hard to those that heard it, He again exhorts to mercy, introducing His discourse with emphasis, saying, But had you known what that means, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, you would never have condemned the innocent.

JEROME; What I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, signifies, we have explained above. The words, you would never have condemned the innocent, are to be referred to the Apostles, and the meaning is, If you allow the mercy of Achimelech, in that he refreshed David when in danger of starving, why do you condemn My disciples?

CHRYS; Observe again how in leading the discourse towards an apology for them, He shows His disciples to be above the need of any apology and to be indeed blameless, as He had said above of the Priests. And He adds yet another plea which clears them of blame, For the Son of Man its Lord also of the sabbath.

REMIG; He calls Himself the Son of Man, and the meaning is, He whom you suppose a mere man is God, the Lord of all creatures, and also of the sabbath, and He has therefore power to change the law after His pleasure, because He made it.

AUG; He did not forbid His disciples to pluck the ears of corn on the sabbath, that so He might convict both the Jews who then were, and the Manichaeans who, were to come, who will not pluck up a herb lest they should be committing a murder.

HILARY; Figuratively; First consider that this discourse was held at that time, namely, when He had given thanks to the Father for giving salvation to the Gentiles. The field is the world, the sabbath is rest, the corn the ripening of them that believe for the harvest; thus His passing through the corn field on the sabbath, is the coming of the Lord into the world in the rest of the Law; the hunger of the disciples is their desire for the salvation of men.

RABAN; They pluck the ears of corn when they withdraw men from devotion to the world; they rub them in their hands when they tear away their hearts from the lusts of the flesh; they eat the grain when they transfer such as are amended into the body of the Church.

AUG; But no man passes into the body of Christ, until he has been stripped of his fleshly raiment; according to that of the Apostle, Put you off the old man.

RABAN; This they do on the sabbath, that is in the hope of eternal rest, to which they invite others. Also they walk through the cornfields with the Lord, who have delight in meditating on the Scriptures; they are hungry while they desire to find the bread of life, that is the love of God, in them; they pluck the ears of corn and rub them in their hands, while they examine the testimonies to discover what lies hidden under the letter, and this on the sabbath, that is, while they are free from disquieting thoughts.

HILARY; The Pharisees, who thought that the key of the kingdom of heaven was in their hands, accused the disciples of doing what was not lawful to do; whereon the Lord reminded them of deeds in which, under the guise of facts, a prophecy was concealed; and that He might show the power of all things, He further added, that it contained the form of that work which was to be, Had you known what that means, I will have mercy; for the work of our salvation is not in the sacrifice of the Law, but in mercy; and the Law having ceased, we are saved by the mercy of God. Which gift if they had understood they would not have condemned the innocent, that is His Apostles, whom in their jealousy they were to accuse of having transgressed the Law, where the old sacrifices having ceased, the new dispensation of mercy came through them to the aid of all.

Catena Aurea Matthew 12

Memorial to the Victims of the Famine-Genocide (Golodomor, Holodomor) in Ukraine

Anatoly Gaidamaka

2008
Kiev, Ukraine

(Also see Holodomor)

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Friday, July 17

Liturgical Color: Green

The Church dedicates the month of
October to the Blessed Virgin of the
Rosary. As we pray the rosary we can
look to Our Lady for comfort as she
directs us towards her Son.

Day 198 - The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother (Part 1)

Today’s Reading: Luke 15:11-24
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons; 12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. 15 So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.” ‘ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; 23 and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; 24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry.

Today’s Commentary:
The parable of the Prodigal Son reveals the boundless mercy of God. Though our sins offend the Father, he is ever willing to show us compassion and restore us to family life. In many ways the parable narrates the continuing struggles of the spiritual life, where conversion and repentance are part of an ongoing process.

embraced him: Literally, “fell upon his neck”. The actions of the father recall the mercy shown to Jacob (Gen 33:4) and the joys of family reunion in the patriarchal narratives (Gen 45:14; 46:29).

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: July 17th

Friday of the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time

Daily Readings for: July 17, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path, give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honor. 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

Oatmeal Carmelite Bars

ACTIVITIES

The Tempo of Life

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

None

Old Calendar: St. Alexis, confessor; The Blessed Martyrs of Compiegne (Hist)

St. Alexius was an Eastern saint whose veneration was transplanted from the Byzantine empire to Rome, whence it spread rapidly throughout western Christendom. Together with the name and veneration of the Saint, his legend was made known to Rome and the West by means of Latin versions based on the form current in the Byzantine Orient. He was famous for his extraordinary self-denial. Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was his feast.

Historically today is the feast of the Blessed Martyrs of Compiegne, sixteen Carmelites who are the first martyrs of the French Revolution that have been recognized. They were guillotined on 17 July 1794 at the Place du Trône Renversé (modern Place de la Nation) in Paris, France.

St. Alexis
To what extent the life and Acts of this saint are historical, whether this "man of God," as he was and is called in the Orient, lived in the East or at Rome — these are questions we here must pass over. The story of St. Alexius, one of the most edifying in Christian hagiography, presents a glorious illustration of that Christian ideal of perfection which for Christ's sake embraces poverty and humiliations. Is it possible to be more heroic than to live for seventeen years under the steps in one's own house, to endure the wanton affronts of one's father's slaves, to remain as an unknown beggar to father, mother, and a bride still longing for her spouse? And for Alexius all this was motivated by an insurmountable love of Christ! Even supposing the legend to lack an historical kernel, it still would be marvelous to find a religion that could create such an ideal.

The Breviary gives these details. Alexius belonged to a noble Roman family. Prompted by a special divine illumination and moved by an ardent love for Jesus Christ, he left his maiden bride upon their wedding day and began a pilgrimage to the more illustrious churches of Christendom. He had devoted seventeen years to this pilgrimage and was at Edessa, a Syrian city, when his holiness was revealed by a picture of the Blessed Virgin that uttered his name. He left the place and by boat arrived at the port of Rome. His father received him as a traveling stranger and he remained there seventeen years, living under the stairs of the house unrecognized by anyone. Only after his death were documents found giving his name, family, and a kind of autobiography. He died July 17, 417, during the pontificate of Pope Innocent I.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Of beggars and pilgrims.

Symbols: A beggar or pilgrim holding a staircase (his emblem); asleep by the stairs, dirty water emptied on him; as a pilgrim with a staff and scrip; as a pilgrim, kneeling before the pope, to whom he gives a letter.

Things to Do:

Today would be a good time to reflect on poverty of spirit. We have brought nothing into the world, neither can we take anything out. Having food and clothing, let us be content. Those who wish to become rich will fall into temptation and into the snares of the devil because the love of money is the root of all evil. How powerful these words sound coming from the lips of St. Alexius, for he actually lived them in all their bitter implications. He left all and followed the Lord. Examine yourself on how detached you are from material things. Offer your rosary or a prayer that you will have the grace to be poor in spirit.
Learn more about St. Alexis here.

The Blessed Martyrs of Compiegne
On July 17, 1794, sixteen Carmelites caught up in the French Revolution were guillotined at the Place du Trône Renversé (now called Place de la Nation), in Paris.

When the revolution started in 1789, a group of twenty-one discalced Carmelites lived in a monastery in Compiegne France, founded in 1641. The monastery was ordered closed in 1790 by the Revolutionary government, and the nuns were disbanded. Sixteen of the nuns were accused of living in a religious community in 1794. They were arrested on June 22 and imprisoned in a Visitation convent in Compiegne There they openly resumed their religious life.

For a full twenty months before their execution, the sisters came together in an act of consecration “whereby each member of the community would join with the others in offering herself daily to God, soul and body in holocaust to restore peace to France and to her Church.”

The nuns were not just mere victims of the Revolution overcome by circumstances. Each contemplated her martyrdom; each understood her offering. Each sought that “greater love” of giving herself for her fellow man in imitation of the Divine Lamb Who redeemed humanity.

On July 12, 1794, the Carmelites were taken to Paris and five days later were sentenced to death. Before their execution they knelt and chanted the "Veni Creator", as at a profession, after which they all renewed aloud their baptismal and religious vows. They went to the guillotine singing the Salve Regina. They were beatified in 1906 by Pope St. Pius X.

The Carmelites were: Marie Claude Brard; Madeleine Brideau, the subprior; Maire Croissy, grandniece of Colbert Marie Dufour; Marie Hanisset; Marie Meunier, a novice; Rose de Neufville Annette Pebras; Anne Piedcourt: Madeleine Lidoine, the prioress; Angelique Roussel; Catherine Soiron and Therese Soiron, both extern sisters, natives of Compiegne and blood sisters: Anne Mary Thouret; Marie Trezelle; and Eliza beth Verolot. The martyrdom of the nuns was immortalized by the composer Francois Poulenc in his famous opera Dialogues des Carmelites.

Excerpted from Catholic Fire

Things to Do:

You can learn more about the Carmelite Martyrs in Gertrud von le Fort's historical novel, "Song at the Scaffold", William Bush's "To Quell the Terror", or go here and read Terrye Newkirk's excellent essay.
Visit this website for more information.

If links don't work go here-->http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-07-17

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Exodus 11:10–12:14

15th Week in Ordinary Time

You shall reckon it the first month of the year. (Exodus 12:2)

Most of us celebrate significant anniversaries: our birthday, our wedding day, or our graduation day. In today’s first reading, God invites the Israelites to set apart the day when he delivered them from slavery. He tells them not only to celebrate a past event, but to mark a new beginning as well.

Each of us has experienced a day just as significant as the day of the Israelites’ Passover: the day of our baptism. Like our spiritual ancestors, we too were delivered from slavery; we too were given a new identity; and we too were welcomed into a covenant relationship with the Lord.

If you were baptized as an infant, your parents and godparents made promises on your behalf. But every Easter, you are invited to make those promises your own. You can reject sin and all the ways the evil one lures you into sin. Profess faith in the God who is your Creator, Redeemer, Inspirer, and Friend. Affirm the Church as your home. And celebrate that the life you were given in Baptism will last forever.

When you emerged from the waters of baptism, you were anointed with chrism, a symbol of the Holy Spirit who lives in you. Cleansed from sin, you were also clothed in white—a symbol of the innocence that you can recapture every time you celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You received a candle as a symbol of the risen Christ whose inextinguishable life you have shared from that day forward.

If you’re not sure of the date of your baptism, try to find out when it was. Mark it on your calendar, and do something special to commemorate the anniversary. Light a candle, maybe, or look at old photos or make a special visit to church. Remember and give thanks, for that is the day when God brought you into his kingdom, made you a part of his people, and united you with his Son forever.

Of course your baptism, like your wedding or your graduation, is only the beginning of your story. So be sure to ask how you can continue to grow into the life you have received!

“Father, thank you for plunging me into your gift of eternal life!”

Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18
Matthew 12:1-8

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

Daily Marriage Tip for July 17, 2015:

Happiness tip #4: Happiness can be fleeting. Selfless love has the potential to carry a couple over the long haul and bring abiding joy. Is there some way you can be selfless today? Don’t aim for every day, just today—one day at a time.

Regnum Christi

Condemning the Innocent

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

July 17, 2015. Friday of the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time

By Father Eugene Gormley, LC

Matthew 12: 1-8

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, ´I desire mercy, not sacrifice,´ you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

Introductory Prayer: Almighty and ever-living God, I seek new strength from the courage of Christ our shepherd. I believe in you, I hope in you, and I seek to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength. I want to be led one day to join the saints in heaven, where your Son Jesus Christ lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Petition: Help me to make every Sunday a special day for me and my family.

1. Fasting on Sunday? It was the Sabbath, a day of rest. The disciples had had a difficult and busy week, and they were hungry. Jesus allowed them to look for food in the fields. This could have discouraged them, not having a meal waiting for them. But they were accustomed to hardship. They were busy and had much to do. There was little free time. Christ was busy on weekends; his mission didn’t stop. The disciples were united with Jesus, participating in his mission. This made all their sacrifices worthwhile and easier to cope with. When we trust in and unite ourselves with Christ, we can be patient and at peace in the midst of trials.

2. The Confrontation: The Sabbath was established in order for the Jewish people to remember and reflect on their special covenant relationship with God. He had delivered them from slavery and given them rest. The Pharisees, however, focused on “what you can’t do” and failed to see “what you should do.” On Sundays, we should focus more on what we should do in order to worthily receive Christ. Then secondary things will not distract us from what is essential. God has a special relationship with us. He has delivered us from slavery. He continues to love us and asks that we love him and others with all our heart. On Sundays, do I recall my covenant relationship with Our Lord? Am I mindful and grateful for all the good things he has done and continues to do for me? Does God take first place for me on Sundays?

3. Sunday Service: Christ instructed his disciples about his mission. They grew to understand, appreciate and live it. He taught them to participate at the Sabbath service with fervor, but also to be open to any needs others might have, even on the Sabbath. It is lawful to do good any day of the week, especially the Lord’s Day. Christ cured the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, fed his disciples on the Sabbath, and cured another woman with a bent back on the Sabbath. Charity will inspire us to do good to others even on a Sunday. “Sunday service” and “Service-on-Sunday” go together. Do I ever dedicate my Sundays, or part of them, to bring rest to those who are most in need? What can I do to help the poor and marginalized on that day? How can I instill this spirit of service in my children?

Conversation with Christ: You long to share your Word and Body with me at Sunday Mass and at every Mass I can attend during the week. May I always have a hunger for this encounter with your love and friendship. May I serve others with the same charity and love as you serve me. May Sunday be the most important day of the week for me and my family.

Resolution: I will organize this coming Sunday to be a day of worship and rest. I will try to do good to someone this Sunday, and I will help someone come back to Sunday Mass attendance.

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 31, Issue 4

<< Friday, July 17, 2015 >>

Exodus 11:10—12:14
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Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18

Matthew 12:1-8
Similar Reflections

NOTHING LESS THAN 100%

"The Son of Man is indeed Lord of the sabbath." —Matthew 12:8

Jesus responded to the Pharisees' criticism of Him and His disciples by comparing Himself to King David and the priests of the Temple (Mt 12:3, 5). Jesus also took the liberty of giving these religious leaders a lesson in interpreting the Bible (see Mt 12:7). Next, Jesus called Himself the Lord of the sabbath (Mt 12:8). In effect, He called Himself God.

The Pharisees probably thought: "Who does this Galilean Carpenter think He is?" Jesus acted as if He was King of kings, Priest of priests, Rabbi (Teacher) of rabbis, and God Himself. The Pharisees had no choice but to worship Jesus or stone Him as a blasphemer.

Jesus is also challenging you to believe in Him as your Lord, God, and All (see Jn 20:28). He wants to take over your whole life and make you realize your total dependence on Him (see Jn 15:5). He wants to be not part of your life, but all of your Life (see Phil 1:21). After all, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6). Jesus doesn't want more of you or 99% of you. He wants all of you —100%.

Will you pray: "I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me"? (Gal 2:19-20)

Prayer: Father, as soon as possible may every knee bend and every tongue proclaim: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! (Phil 2:10-11)

Promise: "This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord, as a perpetual institution." —Ex 12:14

Praise: Rita, though suffering serious physical hardships as well as the cross of loneliness, lives her life hidden in Jesus with absolute trust that He will work out every detail of her life.