GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY - Sunday, July 09, 2017

 Sunday - July 09, 2017

“He will never let the trial surpass the strength He gives you, and at the very moment you think yourself overwhelmed by sorrow, He will lift you up and give you peace.”

– St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

TODAY'S READINGS

 

July 9, 2017

 

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Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 100

Reading 1ZEC 9:9-10

Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior's bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Responsorial PsalmPS 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14

R. (cf. 1) I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R.  Alleluia.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2ROM 8:9, 11-13

Brothers and sisters:
You are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. 
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh. 
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.

AlleluiaCF. MT 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 11:25-30

At that time Jesus exclaimed: 
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father. 
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves. 
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

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Like Father, Like Son

Introductory Prayer: Thank you again, Lord, for this opportunity to spend time with you. I believe in you and your love for me, and I look forward to that day when we can embrace in heaven. Till then, I want to show my love for you in words and deeds.
Petition: Jesus, grant me a meek and humble heart like yours.
1. Counter Intelligence: Jesus thanks his heavenly Father for hiding the divine truths from "the wise and the intelligent" and revealing them to the little ones. Understanding the ways of God requires a simple, pure heart. What we might think of as "intelligence" can sometimes be little more than just a talent for manipulating things or ideas or people for our own ends. Someone, for instance, might be clever at making and managing money, but ends up being a poor steward by spending it on the wrong things. Then there is a prideful intelligence that seems blind to common sense. On the other side of the spectrum are children, simple and trusting. They can accept the things of God more easily. Trust in God's word requires trust in his love and mercy. It also requires a profound sense of our own littleness compared to his greatness. Do I have such an attitude when approaching him?
2. Like Father, Like Son: Jesus alone in the world knew God the Father. Jesus came, in part, to reveal his Abba. Not everyone understood this. Even the Apostle Philip missed this part of Christ's message. "Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14:9). Awareness that Jesus reflects the image of his Father should help us in prayer; it puts a human face on the Father, so to speak. We might pray to Jesus' mother, Mary, with ease. Why not to his Father, too?
3. Model Meekness: It's significant that Jesus points to his meekness and humility when holding himself up as a model for us. Notice that Our Lord doesn't point to his miracles, or his talent for catchy one-liners, or even his devotion to his Mother. Rather, he highlights his own meekness and humility. Jesus even shows these qualities from the moment of his birth. "God is so powerful," said Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI in his Christmas midnight Mass homily in 2005, "that he can make himself vulnerable and come to us as a defenseless child, so that we can love him." In turn, Jesus invites us to make ourselves vulnerable, to open our hearts to others even at the risk of being rejected. To incur such a risk is to understand better what Christ did for us. Is Jesus asking me to be more humble with someone?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, you know that humility costs me a lot. It forces me to give up my way of seeing things, of wanting to be appreciated, of wanting always to be in control of everything. Let me be humbler like you. If following you means embracing humility, so be it. Give me the strength to accept that.
Resolution: I will let others have the last word in conversation today.

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God Bless You.....

KONKANI PRAYER GROUP - Abu Dhabi

"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone"  Mark 16:15