Sunday - August 14, 2016
You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.
-- Saint Therese of Lisieux
TODAY'S READINGS
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 14, 2016
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 120
Reading 1JER 38:4-6, 8-10
In those days, the princes said to the king:
“Jeremiah ought to be put to death;
he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city,
and all the people, by speaking such things to them;
he is not interested in the welfare of our people,
but in their ruin.”
King Zedekiah answered: “He is in your power”;
for the king could do nothing with them.
And so they took Jeremiah
and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah,
which was in the quarters of the guard,
letting him down with ropes.
There was no water in the cistern, only mud,
and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech, a court official,
went there from the palace and said to him:
“My lord king,
these men have been at fault
in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,
casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot,
for there is no more food in the city.”
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite
to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before
he should die.
“Jeremiah ought to be put to death;
he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city,
and all the people, by speaking such things to them;
he is not interested in the welfare of our people,
but in their ruin.”
King Zedekiah answered: “He is in your power”;
for the king could do nothing with them.
And so they took Jeremiah
and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah,
which was in the quarters of the guard,
letting him down with ropes.
There was no water in the cistern, only mud,
and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech, a court official,
went there from the palace and said to him:
“My lord king,
these men have been at fault
in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah,
casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot,
for there is no more food in the city.”
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite
to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before
he should die.
Responsorial PsalmPS 40:2, 3, 4, 18
R. (14b) Lord, come to my aid!
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the LORD.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Though I am afflicted and poor,
yet the LORD thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, hold not back!
R. Lord, come to my aid!
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the LORD.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Though I am afflicted and poor,
yet the LORD thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, hold not back!
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Reading 2HEB 12:1-4
Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
he endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
he endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
AlleluiaJN 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 12:49-53
Jesus said to his disciples:“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
******************************
Set the Earth on Fire
Introductory Prayer: I believe in you my God. You called me into existence from nothingness and carefully watch over me. You have even numbered the hairs of my head. I trust in your infinite goodness, and I abandon into your loving hands my fears, my hopes, my needs, my desires, everything. I love you Lord, and I wish to love you with all my mind, heart, soul and strength.
Petition: Jesus, use me to set the earth ablaze with your love.
1. Set the Earth on Fire: When Jesus talks about setting the earth on fire, he is referring to the fire of his love. You could even say that he is thinking about the Holy Spirit. When you read these words of Scripture and listen to them with the ear of your heart, you cannot help but be impressed with the passion of Christ’s love, the desire he has to possess our hearts and be united to each and every one of us. Notice that he does not have a narrow focus when it comes to sharing his gift of love. He came to give his life as a ransom for us men and for our salvation. He shed his blood for all so that sins would be forgiven.
2. Jesus Is Dying to Die for Us: Jesus knows that he is going to die for our sins on the altar of the cross. He knows he is going to shed his blood for us and be plunged into the depths of the dead in order to restore life to the righteous and to open the gates of heaven to all those who believe in him. He knows that his death and resurrection will bring salvation and eternal life to the whole world. He cannot wait to bring about this miraculous reconciliation between the human race and his heavenly Father. He yearns and is anxious to fulfill his mission as savior of souls and glorifier of the Father.
3. Jesus Can Be a Source of Division: What Jesus is driving at here is that his message and mission are more important than any family tie. Sometimes our relationship with Jesus will be disquieting for our family members, especially if they are living in sin or being especially selfish or unjust in any way. Moreover, when children get married or answer their call to religious life, parents and in-laws can become envious of the new spouse or angry at the religious community. But Christ wishes us to answer his call, which he has prepared for us from all eternity. It’s good to keep in mind that when we opt for the path Our Lord has in mind for us, we’re choosing a good, not the division that may result for a time from that choice. We need to rely on Christ’s grace to maintain kindness, humility and joy at all times with everyone. These are sure signs of being blessed by God.
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, set my heart on fire with love for you. You have given me everything that I have. Everything I have is yours. Take it and use it for the glory of your name, the salvation of souls, and the establishment of your Kingdom.
Resolution: I will reach out and invite somebody back to Church this week.
--
God Bless You.....
KONKANI PRAYER GROUP - Abu Dhabi
"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone" Mark 16:15
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