Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 07-08-20

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 07-08-20 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

Pope’s Intention for July

Our Families

We pray that today's families may be accompanied with love, respect and guidance..

[Salvation]

"We cultivate a very small field for Christ, but we love it, knowing that God does not require great achievements but a heart that holds back nothing for self."

-- St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

[Salvation]

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. 

---

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) 

 "Blessed are you among women,
 and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42). 

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Daily Meditation: Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12

It is time to seek the Lord. (Hosea 10:12)

Idolatry was everywhere. Israel had begun to place their faith in military strength and foreign alliances instead of trusting in God. At the same time, they began erecting altars and offering sacrifices to honor Baal, the pagan god of fertility (Hosea 10:1). How could God’s precious chosen people have fallen so low?

The truth is, we all have a tendency to worship “false gods,” sometimes without even realizing it. It happens when we let anything take priority over the Lord. When we allow other things to grab our attention or our hearts more than God, or when we seek our joy and comfort in things God has created more than in God himself, we have in essence made them idols.

What’s the solution? Hosea tells the people, quite simply, “It is time to seek the Lord” (10:12). Seek the Lord when you cling to your own strength instead of relying on God’s grace. Seek the Lord when you find yourself rearranging your schedule to fit in more screen time and end up squeezing out your prayer time. Seek the Lord when you realize you are doing things to please other people because you care more about their opinion of you than what God thinks. Seek the Lord when you are tempted to place career success above time with your family.

Today, make time to seek the Lord. Ask him, “What things am I tempted to place before you? What can I do to put you first?” When you ask these questions on a regular basis, you give God the opportunity to open your eyes and heart to show you what steps you might need to take to knock those “gods” off their pedestals. It might mean easing up on Netflix for a few weeks to spend extra time in prayer. It might mean making it a point to go to Confession on a regular basis. Or it might mean putting a little extra money into the poor box after Mass.

It is always a good time to seek the Lord. As you do, he will show you how you can place him at the center of your life.

“Lord, what am I tempted to place above you? Show me how to make a change.”

Psalm 105:2-7
Matthew 10:1-7