2020년 8월 30일 연중 제22주일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
예레미야서. 20,7-9
7 주님, 당신께서 저를 꾀시어 저는 그 꾐에 넘어갔습니다.
당신께서 저를 압도하시고 저보다 우세하시니
제가 날마다 놀림감이 되어 모든 이에게 조롱만 받습니다.
8 말할 때마다 저는 소리를 지르며 “폭력과 억압뿐이다!” 하고 외칩니다.
주님의 말씀이 저에게 날마다 치욕과 비웃음거리만 되었습니다.
9 ‘그분을 기억하지 않고 더 이상 그분의 이름으로 말하지 않으리라.’ 작정하여도
뼛속에 가두어 둔 주님 말씀이 심장 속에서 불처럼 타오르니
제가 그것을 간직하기에 지쳐 더 이상 견뎌 내지 못하겠습니다.
제2독서
로마서. 12,1-2
1 형제 여러분, 내가 하느님의 자비에 힘입어 여러분에게 권고합니다.
여러분의 몸을 하느님 마음에 드는 거룩한 산 제물로 바치십시오.
이것이 바로 여러분이 드려야 하는 합당한 예배입니다.
2 여러분은 현세에 동화되지 말고
정신을 새롭게 하여 여러분 자신이 변화되게 하십시오.
그리하여 무엇이 하느님의 뜻인지,
무엇이 선하고 무엇이 하느님 마음에 들며
무엇이 완전한 것인지 분별할 수 있게 하십시오.
복음
마태오. 16,21-27
그때에 21 예수님께서는 당신이 반드시 예루살렘에 가시어
원로들과 수석 사제들과 율법 학자들에게 많은 고난을 받고 죽임을 당하셨다가
사흗날에 되살아나셔야 한다는 것을 제자들에게 밝히기 시작하셨다.
22 그러자 베드로가 예수님을 꼭 붙들고 반박하기 시작하였다.
“맙소사, 주님! 그런 일은 주님께 결코 일어나지 않을 것입니다.”
23 그러나 예수님께서는 돌아서서 베드로에게 말씀하셨다.
“사탄아, 내게서 물러가라. 너는 나에게 걸림돌이다.
너는 하느님의 일은 생각하지 않고 사람의 일만 생각하는구나!”
24 그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
“누구든지 내 뒤를 따라오려면,
자신을 버리고 제 십자가를 지고 나를 따라야 한다.
25 정녕 자기 목숨을 구하려는 사람은 목숨을 잃을 것이고,
나 때문에 자기 목숨을 잃는 사람은 목숨을 얻을 것이다.
26 사람이 온 세상을 얻고도 제 목숨을 잃으면 무슨 소용이 있겠느냐?
사람이 제 목숨을 무엇과 바꿀 수 있겠느냐?
27 사람의 아들이 아버지의 영광에 싸여 천사들과 함께 올 터인데,
그때에 각자에게 그 행실대로 갚을 것이다.”
August 30, 2020
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Jer 20:7-9
You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed.
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the LORD has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.
I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Reading II
Rom 12:1-2
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.
Gospel
Mt 16:21-27
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Our readings today offer some difficult challenges not only to the disciples but to us all. We are asked to offer ourselves as “living sacrifice” and “deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Sometimes I think that disciples had such an advantage over us. They were able to walk and talk with Jesus; they were able to see the miracles firsthand – the sea stilled, the scraps feeding the mobs with leftovers, the blind being able to see and the cripple walking. Yet so many times, they don’t see to “get it.” However, as I reviewed today’s readings especially the gospel, I started to think that some of what they were hearing may have been well beyond their comprehension. Perhaps even more difficult for them than us, who see a more complete picture (yet so many times we [me!!] still don’t get it!). So, I tried to imagine what it would be like walking beside Jesus and hearing these predictions of the future without the framework that we now have.
Imagine being the disciples on this walk, perhaps the dialogue with each other (with some of our expressions):
That was amazing, wasn’t it? How did He manage to feed all those people? Yeah, and that guy now walking! He’s the real deal for sure. I agree, we are really going to be free this time. He surely will lead us to freedom!
Hey, did you just hear what He said – He said that we are going back to Jerusalem and He will suffer and die! No, that can’t be – how is that going to help us? What does He mean He will be raised? Don’t worry, I noticed that Peter is taking Him aside and will get this straightened out. Peter is His favorite so He will certainly listen to him. This just doesn’t make sense.
Uh oh, did you hear what He said to Peter? He called him an obstacle! This is not good. He said he was thinking as a human being. How else can he think of us? I’m confused, of course, we think as human beings.
I guess I need to understand that it wasn’t any easier being a disciple and understanding all of this (until the Resurrection and the descending of the Holy Spirit) than it is for us at times. While our lives are, indeed, very different from the disciples and the world around us offers different challenges, the bottom line remains the same. We still need to resist conforming to what is around us, what the secular world calls success and rather, seek the will of God. We often debate what are the great questions in life, perhaps this gospel offers the definitive question: What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
BODY LANGUAGE
“I beg you through the mercy of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, your spiritual worship.” —Romans 12:1
As part of a total commitment of our lives to the Lord, we offer our bodies to Him as living sacrifices. This means the Lord (and no one else) determines what we eat and drink, our bodily habits, under what conditions we use our sexual organs, how we think, how we dress, how we use our eyes, how we use our tongues, where we go, and several other aspects of life involving our bodies.
The Lord may decide to use your body to create several children in the covenant of marriage. Some of these children may be miscarried. This is an even more demanding use of your body by the Lord. The Lord may decide to give you the gift of celibacy. Your body’s sexuality will then be used exclusively for spiritual, not biological, fruitfulness. If you give your body to the Lord, He may make you a caregiver, exhausting your body by giving constant care to someone who can do very little to assist you. In giving your body to the Lord, you may be healed, strengthened, and freed from stress. You may feel ten to twenty years younger. The Lord will undoubtedly use your body to suffer in the pattern of His death (see Phil 3:10). Ultimately, the Lord wants to raise your body from the dead and renew it according to the pattern of His glorified body (Phil 3:21).
It is an adventure and a privilege to give our bodies to the Lord. No one knows what He will do with our bodies. So let us trust Jesus with our bodies and find out the wonders He has planned.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the gift of my body. Do with it as You wish.
Promise: “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” —Mt 16:25
Praise: “If He gives His life as an offering for sin...the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through Him” (Is 53:10).
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
What is the way to glory and victory in the kingdom of God? Jesus told his disciples that he must first suffer rejection, be crucified, and then rise again on the third day. In so many words he explained that there could be no victory and no glory without the cross. Jesus' prediction of his suffering and death on the cross caused his disciples great dismay and disbelief. Peter, who was often the first to react to whatever Jesus had to say, wanted to protect Jesus from any threat or harm. That is why he rebuked the very thought of Jesus having to face rejection, condemnation, and crucifixion.
"My way or God's way"
Why did Jesus use the word "Satan" when he addressed Peter? When Jesus went out into the wilderness to prepare for his public ministry, Satan came to tempt him to follow a different path than the one chosen by the Father in heaven. Now Jesus recognizes in Peter's response another temptation to seek a different and less costly path for accomplishing his mission than the way of the cross. The word "Satan" literally means "adversary" - one who stands in opposition. Jesus reminds Peter that his role is not to be an adversary but a disciple - one who gets behind his Master to follow with trust and obedience.
Victory and glory through the cross
Jesus knew that the cross was the only way he could ransom us from slavery to sin with the price of his blood which was shed for our freedom. Through his sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus defeated Satan who held us in bondage to sin and condemnation. And Jesus defeated the power of death and overcame the grave through his resurrection. Through his obedience to his heavenly Father's will, Jesus reversed the curse of Adam's disobedience. His death on the cross won pardon for the guilty, freedom for the oppressed, healing for the afflicted, and new life for those condemned to death. His death makes possible our freedom to live as the adopted sons and daughters of the merciful Father in heaven.
The paradox of God's economy
Jesus told his disciples that they, too, must be willing to lay down their lives in order to gain new everlasting life with the Father in his kingdom. There's a certain paradox in God's economy. We lose what we gain, and we gain what we lose. When we try to run our life our own way, we end up losing it to futility. Only God can free us from our ignorant and sinful ways. When we surrender our lives to God, he gives us new life in his Spirit and the pledge of eternal life. God wants us to be spiritually fit and ready to do his will at all times. When the human body is very weak or ill, we make every effort to nurse it back to health. How much more effort and attention should we give to the spiritual health of our hearts and minds!
The great exchange
What will you give to God in exchange for freedom and eternal life? Are you ready to part with anything that might keep you from following the Lord Jesus and his perfect plan for your life? Jesus poses these questions to challenge our assumptions about what is most profitable and worthwhile in life. In every decision of life we are making ourselves a certain kind of person. It is possible that some can gain all the things they have set their heart on, only to wake up suddenly and discover that they missed the most important thing of all. Of what value are material things if they don't help you gain what truly lasts for eternity. Neither money nor possessions can buy heaven, mend a broken heart, or cheer a lonely person.
Losing all to gain all with Jesus Christ
A true disciple gladly gives up all that he or she has in exchange for an unending life of joy and happiness with God. God gives without measure. The joy he offers no sadness or loss can diminish. The cross of Jesus Christ leads to victory and freedom from sin and death. What is the cross which Jesus Christ commands me to take up each day? When my will crosses with his will, then his will must be done. Are you ready to lose all for Jesus Christ in order to gain all with Jesus Christ?
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and all my will, all that I have and possess. You have given them to me; to you, O Lord, I restore them; all things are yours, dispose of them according to your will. Give me your love and your grace, for this is enough for me. (Prayer of Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556)
Psalm 63:1-5,7-8
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,
7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: This shall never happen to you, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)
"Peter was examining the issue by human and earthly reasoning. He thought it disgraceful to Jesus as something unworthy of him. Jesus responded sharply, in effect saying, 'My suffering is not an unseemly matter. You are making this judgment with a carnal mind. If you had listened to my teachings in a godly way, tearing yourself away from carnal understanding, you would know that this of all things most becomes me. You seem to suppose that to suffer is unworthy of me. But I say to you that for me not to suffer is of the devil's mind.' So he repressed Peter's alarm by contrary arguments. Remember that John, accounting it unworthy of Christ to be baptized by him, was persuaded by Christ to baptize him, saying, 'Let it be so now' (Matthew 3:15). So we find Peter as well, forbidding Christ to wash his feet. He is met by the words, 'If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.' Here too Jesus restrained him by the mention of the opposite, and by the severity of the reproof he repressed his fear of suffering." (excerpt from the THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 54.6)
Homily from Father James Gilhooley
22 Ordinary Time
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - A Cycle - Matthew 16:21-27
Jacqueline Kennedy was the most admired beauty in the 20th century. Like Helen of Troy, her face could have launched a thousand ships. But all her beauty, elegance, and wealth could not save her from a disfiguring cancer and ugly death in 1994. Obviously her beauty was not free. It came with an expensive price tag.
But, if it was true for Jacqueline, so was it true for Jesus the Nazarene. How much easier it would have been if Jesus could have continued to tell pithy parables, heal the sick, go fishing with his buddies, pray a lot, and die at an advanced old age. (Daniel Durken)
That was not in the cards. His down days were approaching.
Today's Gospel points up a forgotten Christian truth. It would not be far off base to say it is one we want to forget. We enter here the strange world of denial.
Bear in mind that Jesus' prediction of His approaching suffering comes immediately after one of the rare glory points of His life. Shortly before this Gospel opens, Peter told Him, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." That unexpected and unqualified credo made His otherwise bad week.
We are being reminded that each time the Nazarene savored a win, He immediately e-mailed the information to us that He would soon be given a bill for that victory.
Think of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. There He enjoys one of the few high points of His life. His face shines like the sun. His clothing becomes resplendent with a whiteness no Clorox can duplicate. Then the bill is presented to Him. "Tell no one," says our Leader, "what you have seen...for the Son of Man must first suffer."
Here the Master is teaching His apostles that those of us who have tasted happiness today must realize that adversities await down the road. The Teacher is telling us, "I never promised you a permanent rose garden here." If He did not substitute a water bed for His cross, He will not do so for us either.
Everyone of us is anxious to receive favors from God. Usually we do. But, if we take the life of Christ as a guide plan, divine favors invariably come with a hefty price tag in the shape of a cross.
Consider John Paul II. An obscure cardinal from Poland is elected Vicar of Christ. Wherever he went, millions shouted, "Viva il Papa." Then the young Turkish waiter appears with an extravagant bill on a silver tray in 1981. It takes the form of two bullets from an assassin's Browning 9-millimeter automatic pistol. Skilled surgeons were required to sew the pope's stomach back together, The Browning almost ended his life.
If this truth applies to the giants of our culture, eg John and Robert Kennedy, if it even applies to our Lord, why would we think that bad times are going to pass us by? Even in the spiritual life, there is no such thing as a free lunch. And just forget about a free supper.
Happily, though, this grim tale is not concluded. We must not snap shut the Gospel book until the last pages are read. In those pages, we discover the happy ending that everyone of us wants and needs - the mighty Resurrection of Christ.
Remember Mount Tabor. It is true enough that Jesus spoke of His suffering immediately after His glory. But He also said, "Tell no one what you have seen until I have risen from the dead." The formula would appear to be: glory, death, and resurrection. Death then gives over to absolute victory.
Naturally enough, we would like to alter that plan of action. Were we drawing up the game plan, we would eliminate the suffering and just bring on the glory train.
We identify with Peter in today's Gospel. When Christ promises He is going to suffer, Peter replies, "Heaven preserve you. This must not happen to you." Jesus, the original script writer, closed Peter down roughly. The Galilean is reminding Peter and ourselves that no faux authors are welcome. We are but the actors who strut about on the stage for a time and then watch the final curtain fall. If savvy, we will recite our assigned lines correctly. We will resist the temptation to sneak our prose past the Master. Hopefully, then, all of us will win resurrection and a warm embrace from Jesus the Nazarene on the final day.
May Jacqueline, John Paul, and the brothers Kennedy already experience that tight embrace.
William Penn summed up this Gospel in the 18th century. "No pain, no ointment; no thorns, no throne; no bitterness, no glory; no cross, no crown.
Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino
Frjoeshomilies.net
22 Ordinary Time
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time: Duped by Love
Boy, Peter sure was told off in today’s Gospel. “Get behind me Satan.” It didn’t take ole Pete long to fall off the pedestal Jesus put him on. The Gospel passage comes immediately after last Sunday’s Gospel when Jesus called Peter, “Blessed”, for proclaiming that Jesus was the Christ. He told him that he was the rock upon which Jesus would build His Church. He told Peter that his decisions on earth, Peter’s decisions on earth, would have power in heaven. Now in the passage that follows all this, Jesus calls Peter Satan. How did Peter fall so quickly? He fell because he was reasoning things out the way people of the world would reason. He was not thinking the way God thinks. He lacked wisdom. The way of the world would be, “Save your life. Don’t let anyone kill you.” The way of the Lord would be, “Make the sacrificial love of God real. Sacrifice yourself for others.”
It is easy for us to think the way the world thinks. Everything around us tells us to take not give, to be concerned about ourselves first and others second, or third or fourth. Fit God in somewhere, if you care. That is the thought process of the world.
“Times have changed, Father. I’m only doing what is perfectly acceptable by our society.” And with these words, the elderly lady explained away her present living condition. And with the same words, the young man justified his “wild” lifestyle, and with the same words the abuser justified his actions. And on and on and on. Add in whatever immoral behavior you can think of, and someone will say, “I’m only doing what is perfectly acceptable by society.”
But what society is that? In what society is immorality acceptable? It is acceptable by the society that finds nothing wrong with hedonism, putting one’s pleasure before every other good in life, including respect for others, respect for country, respect for life. What is the society that so many claim for themselves? It is the society that is at best amoral, but which is mostly immoral. It is the society that is at best pagan, but mostly atheistic. When a person hides his or her immoral behavior behind the “acceptable by our society,” argument, that person is invoking the society that St. Paul calls “this age,” or, according to some translations, “the pattern of the world.” This is the world that Jesus Christ came to save. It is the world of selfishness, a world of pride, a world where God is not wanted. It is a world of darkness. It is a world to which we Christians cannot belong.
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.
That is Romans 12:1-2, today’s second reading.
We were joined to a new world when we were baptized. Each of us is a key part of the new world, the Kingdom of God. There are hundred, perhaps thousands of people in each of our lives who look to us to illuminate their darkness with the Light of Christ. The problem is that we can easily be enticed by all that is around us. We can easily reject all that is within us. And so we often straddle major issues in life.
We become like my friend Charlie Miller. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Don Bosco College and Seminary in Newton, New Jersey, as Charlie, myself and a small group of our friends walked by the little lake, more of a pond really. We had an hour to kill between Sunday Mass and dinner, not enough time to change out of our suits, but perhaps too much time for Charlie to spend walking around the property. When we came upon the little dock with the rowboats always available for our use, Charlie said, “I’m going to take a boat out. Anyone want to come?” None of us wanted to mess up our suits so we said, “No,” and watched Charlie go out onto the dock, untie a boat, and put one foot in the boat while keeping his other foot on the dock. Like the rest of us, Charlie did not know a whole lot about boats. He did not know that you need to get into the boat first and then untie it. Nor did he know that if you are going to get into an untied boat, you had better do so quickly. Well, you know what happened. Slowly the boat drifted out while Charlie still had one foot in the boat and the other on the dock. As the boat drifted further and further from the dock, Charlie was stretched out until he lost his balance and fell into the lake. We applauded. Then we fished him out.
We often do this ourselves. We have one foot that we are convinced is safely planted in God’s world, but then we stretch out our other foot to another world, the world of pagan society. And we get stretched out. And we fall.
Here is what I mean by this. Even though we recognize our dignity as sons and daughters of God, we often let ourselves get involved in actions that are far less than holy. We think that we are OK, because we are firmly planted on the Lord’s dock, but the forces the other foot has stepped into draws us away from the dock, and we end up in the drink.
“I didn’t know Christianity would be this difficult,” the young couple who are doing their best to have a wholesome relationship complains.
“Wait, you mean that commitment to Christ demands that I stay sober. Everyone I know gets drunk on Friday nights,” the senior in high school argues.
“Two can live cheaper than one doesn’t apply when both are getting social security, Father. Are you telling me that I am not living my Catholic faith because we won’t get married? If that’s so, then the faith is demanding too much,” the retiree rationalizes.
How did we get into this? Well, Jeremiah really put it so well, so poetically well in today’s first reading: You duped me Lord, and I let myself be duped. You tricked me into a life of Love that is far more demanding than I ever expected. And I love it.
We do not embrace Christianity for high theological reasons or arguments. We embrace Jesus Christ for one reason only: we are wounded by His Love. That is from an Irish saint, St. Columban: “Show me my hearts desire, O Lord, for I am wounded by your love.”
Men of God, women of God, we have been wounded by Love. When we made the conscious choice of Jesus Christ, we set out on a course of action that does not allow turning back. But we don’t care. We are wounded by His Love. And we love it. He is within us, burning out for us to proclaim his presence. Even if we wanted to ignore Him, we cannot. We are His.
Better is one day in your house, O Lord, better is one day in your house, than a thousand elsewhere. That is from Psalm 84. Better is one day savoring your presence in my life, than a thousand in a luxurious house gained through questionable business practices, gained immorally. Better is one day in your house than a thousand in the arms of an immoral love. Better is one day in your house, than a thousand as the most popular person in school with a talent for quietly destroying others. Better is one day in your house than a thousand parties where drugs and drunks are plentiful.
And yet, still, a little devious voice within us that protests, “Does this all need to be so demanding? I am doing my part. I can back off some.”
To this voice, we shout angrily as Jesus shouted at Peter, “Get behind me, Satan. God’s work is all that matters.”
We are wounded by Love. And we love it. You duped us Lord, and we let ourselves be duped. We love it. We love you. Nothing else, no one else, matters. Not even ourselves.
Better is one day in your courts, than a thousand elsewhere.
Homily from Father Phil Bloom
Stmaryvalleybloom.org
* Available in Spanish - see Spanish Homilies
22 Ordinary Time
Recover Prayer
(August 30, 2020)
Bottom line: Let's recover that life of prayer so we can live Jesus' words: "whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Last Sunday Jesus gave a structure for his church. Today he gives the structure for our individual lives. For the church we have this basic framework, "you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church..."
To structure your life - and mine - Jesus says this: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
How do we live something so demanding. Well, we have to start with prayer. During the pandemic some deepened their prayer. Others, not so much. Now, I'm not here to examine anyone's conscience but my own. I do want to say this: when it comes to prayer all of us need to make a new beginning.
Spontaneous prayer is great. When gratitude wells up in you, thank God. When you feel overwhelmed, ask God for help. Spontaneous prayer is important. So is structured prayer. From the beginning the church has recognized the need for specific times of prayer. Set your alarm early enough so you can have time with God at the start of the day. Slowly read a Scripture passage, maybe the daily Mass readings. Pray the rosary. Try the Liturgy of Hours with its Office of Readings and Morning Prayer. Before you go to bed, the Liturgy of Hours has a wonderful night prayer called Compline.
Our family faith formation and youth ministry has put together some great resources for the month of September. Take home this flier - or download it from our website.
The greatest prayer is the Mass. Even though Archbishop Etienne has dispensed the obligation, he has not cancelled the Third Commandment: Keep Holy the Lord's Day. If you cannot attend Mass physically, participate by live stream.
Some are taking vacations - including me. I'm going to Oregon for a couple of weeks. But you know none of us can take a vacation from God. If you try to save your life, you will lose it. The joy of a vacation can turn to ashes in your mouth. With prayer a person can die to self in good times and in bad.
The next two weeks Fr. Armando Guzman will be here. I'm counting on him building up the congregation both live and live stream for when I get back the third Sunday of September.
For now let's recover that life of prayer so we can live Jesus' words: "whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Amen
Homily from Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pa
Saint Vincent Archabbey
22 Ordinary Time
Homily from Father Alex McAllister SDS
Alexmcallister.co.uk
22 Ordinary Time
More Homilies
September 3, 2017 Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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