peaceonjustice

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her. For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/labor-day-2018-pastoral-aid.pdf (English)

Social Ministry Resources Engaging Parishes: Monthly and liturgical seasons resources for use with parish websites, bulletins and newsletters

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

By Barb Born August 18, 2018 The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary Reflection September 2, 2018

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Barb Born

September 2, 2018: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

The Lord promises refreshment and freedom to all the oppressed of our world, but he needs us to fulfill his promise. He needs our eyes to see the needs of our brothers and sisters. He needs our hands to offer them help. He needs our voice to protest the injustices committed thanks to the silence, often complicit, of so many. I should really speak of many silences: the silence of common sense; the silence that thinks, ‘it’s always been done this way;’ the silence of ‘us’ as opposed to ‘you.’ Above all, the Lord needs our hearts to show his merciful love towards the least, the outcast, the abandoned, the marginalized.” Pope Francis Homily at Mass for Immigrants , July 6, 2018. Read the entire homily: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2018/documents/papa-francesco_20180706_omelia-migranti.html

Readings

First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8

Psalm: 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5

Second Reading:: JAMES 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27

Gospel: Mark 78:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The sixth beatitude proclaims, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” “Pure in heart” refers to those who have attuned their intellects and wills to the demands of God’s holiness, chiefly in three areas: charity; chastity or sexual rectitude; love of truth and orthodoxy of faith. There is a connection between purity of heart, of body, and of faith:

The faithful must believe the articles of the Creed “so that by believing they may obey God, by obeying may live well, by living well may purify their hearts, and with pure hearts may understand what they believe.” (2518) From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the, Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church:

James 1:17

This document is proposed also to the brethren of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, to the followers of other religions, as well as to all people of good will who are committed to serving the common good: may they receive it as the fruit of a universal human experience marked by countless signs of the presence of God’s Spirit. It is a treasury of things old and new (cf. Mt 13:52), which the Church wishes to share, in thanksgiving to God, from whom comes “every good endowment and ever perfect gift” (Jas 1:17). It is a sign of hope in the fact that religions and cultures today show openness to dialogue and sense the urgent need to join forces in promoting justice, fraternity, peace and the growth of the human person.

The Catholic Church joins her own commitment to that made in the social field by other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, whether at the level of doctrinal reflection or at the practical level. Together with them, the Catholic Church is convinced that from the common heritage of social teachings preserved by the living tradition of the people of God there will come motivations and orientations for an ever closer cooperation in the promotion of justice and peace. (12)

James 1:22

The gratuitousness of this historically efficacious divine action is constantly accompanied by the commitment to the covenant, proposed by God and accepted by Israel. On Mount Sinai, God’s initiative becomes concrete in the covenant with his people, to whom is given the Decalogue of the commandments revealed by the Lord (cf. Ex 19-24). The “ten commandments” (Ex 34:28; cf. Deut 4:13; 10:4) “express the implications of belonging to God through the establishment of the covenant. Moral existence is a response to the Lord’s loving initiative. It is the acknowledgment and homage given to God and a worship of thanksgiving. It is cooperation with the plan God pursues in history”.

The Ten Commandments, which constitute an extraordinary path of life and indicate the surest way for living in freedom from slavery to sin, contain a privileged expression of the natural law. They “teach us the true humanity of man. They bring to light the essential duties, and therefore, indirectly, the fundamental rights inherent in the nature of the human person”. They describe universal human morality. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds the rich young man that the Ten Commandments (cf. Mt 19:18) “constitute the indispensable rules of all social life”. (70)

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

Scrupulous holiness can imprison one’s faith to become only hearers of the word, creating a delusion of holiness defining faith in a pristine environment of pious devotion. Faith never prying itself away from prayer, adoration, devotions or the confessional to act on the words of Jesus in the world. The need to walk out of the Church to the sidewalks of life. A process of seeing the reality of what we heard and received at mass engaging us in the world. We must not let the words gloss over to platitudes or dissect them with fine precision to extract pinpoint technicalities while ignoring the dynamic paradigms of the world around us. Never seeing the face of a hungry person, a child’s future void of education, the chill of a person spending the night on a cardboard mattress with the boxsprings of a concrete sidewalk, a racial slur taken across the brow of a farm worker toiling in triple digit heat. The Eucharist does not prepare us to sit for an eternity, fearful to get the messiness of the world on our hands. For we live in the presence of the Lord by doing justice. Not an authoritarian posture of self-vindication, but where truth lives in one’s heart, one’s tongue slanders not, no bribes accepted for false endeavors. As doers of the word, one neither adds or subtracts for the commandments set before us are carefully observed each day. With a default position to sit in passive attentiveness, only deludes one self from the reality of the word living and effective. A religion not masked in possessive holiness, but in purity to care for the orphans and widows. The most vulnerable should be our primary concern, not prioritizing self-indulging, personal holiness. Faith should free us from the pew after we hear the word, to act as doers of the word placed in our hearts and hands.

Individual Reflection: Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5

For Labor Day Weekend, show this USCCB and CRS collaborated video on the Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers on the video screen before mass and place a link to the video in the bulletin: https://youtu.be/G2G8jGOva7Y

Personally, what does the video challenge you to do?

Family Reflection: James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27

Reflect on the application and response of the readings to the dignity of work and rights of workers as we celebrate Labor Day:

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/labor-day-2018-pastoral-aid-spanish.pdf (Spanish)

How does the dignity of work and rights of workers incorporate into Catholic Social Teachings?

https://www.wearesaltandlight.org/files/2815/0369/3533/catholic-social-teaching-handout-for-children-digital.pdf (English)

https://www.wearesaltandlight.org/files/2515/0369/3534/catholic-social-teaching-handout-for-children-spanish-digital.pdf (Spanish)

Prayer: USCCB Labor Day Prayer

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/labor-day-2018-pastoral-aid.pdf

Prayer for Work

Creator God,

thank you for providing us

with the gift to share our talents.

Provide our community, our nation, our world the fortitude to provide work for all

which is decent and fair.

Blogs to Visit:

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

Social Ministry Resources Engaging Parishes: Monthly and liturgical seasons resources for use with parish websites, bulletins and newsletters

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

By Barb Born August 10, 2018 The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary Reflection August 26, 2018

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Barb Born

August 26, 2018: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catholic Social Teaching: Call to Family, Community and Participation

“…We believe people have the right and duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-0being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.” Themes from Catholic Social Teaching , USCCB

Readings

First Reading: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b

Psalm: 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:21-32

Gospel: John 6:60-69

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The entire Christian life bears the mark of the spousal love of Christ and the Church. Already Baptism, the entry into the People of God, is a nuptial mystery; it is so to speak the nuptial bath.¹¹¹ which precedes the wedding feast, the Eucharist. Christian marriage in its turn becomes an efficacious sign, the sacrament of the covenant of Christ and the Church. Since it signifies and communicates grace, marriage between baptized persons is a true sacrament of the New Covenant. (1617)

From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the, Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church:

Ephesians 5:21-33

Man and woman have the same dignity and are of equal value, not only because they are both, in their differences, created in the image of God, but even more profoundly because the dynamic of reciprocity that gives life to the “we” in the human couple, is an image of God. In a relationship of mutual communion, man and woman fulfil themselves in a profound way, rediscovering themselves as persons through the sincere gift of themselves Their covenant of union is presented in Sacred Scripture as an image of the Covenant of God with man (cf. Hos 1-3; Is 54; Eph 5:21-33) and, at the same time, as a service to life Indeed, the human couple can participate in God’s act of creation: “God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it’ “ (Gen 1:28). (111)

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

What solidifies our belief? A transition from acceptance where we hang in the crowd listening to proclamations, cheering or jeering while processing along to an affirmation of realizing we have been bestowed with Spirit and life by the Father. Like Peter we know there is no other place to go, a free will decision that we can never depart from following Jesus and his words of eternal life for along the path of life we have come to believe Jesus is the Holy One of God. For when we know the Lord hears our just cries, we raise our voices over injustice in our world, nation and Church. We are rescued from distress to perceiver in addressing challenging issues detracting from the kIngdom of God here and now.

Many gods exist around us. The lure of money pretending to purchase happiness. Careers earning prestige that can vanish with one corporate merger or retirement. Privilege of race upholding entrenched structural inequities, while other languish. Material possessions speaking status in flashing brands as status symbols that will soon break, tear or be stolen. Power to lord over others as factors of production, quasi slaves robbing others of dignity. Control over creation, as people exploit the gifts of the Creator. Acting like we own our personal possessions, the items can become multiple gods. A home, car, clothes, electronics in the latest version, the most giant screen. A myriad of gods constantly in our midst, but with belief in the Lord, giver of Spirit and life, we realize the transistor nature of those gods creating hollowness like a deflating balloon.

The prophetic words of Jesus have been placed before us on the altar. Challenging as they were to the disciples following Jesus and murmuring in the crowd, the reality of life in ancient Palestine to the cities and towns of the twenty-first century on the twenty-first Sunday in ordinary time, have the same basic needs. For we are all part of the same Divine pilgrimage only fulfilled by the words of Jesus giving Spirit and life.

Individual Reflection: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b

http://listeningtowomen.org. Coordinate a listening session at your parish. Seek the support of various ministries to encourage a dialogue and engage active participation in the Church.

Family Reflection: Psalm 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord by encouraging a multi-cultural food festival at your parish representing the native foods of parishioners. Maybe it act as a coming together of different cultures and a place for dialogue, encounter and respect to unify the parish as the Body of Christ.

Prayer: This is the third Sunday utilizing portions of Psalm 34 for the lectionary readings . Take time to read Psalm 34 in its entirety. How does it relate to your experience of receiving the Bread of Life and letting it nurture your life?

Blogs to Visit:

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/upload/sacraments-and-social-mission-book.pdf

Social Ministry Resources Engaging Parishes: Monthly and liturgical seasons resources for use with parish websites, bulletins and newsletters

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

By Barb Born August 8, 2018 St Dominic pray for us. The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary Reflection August 19, 2018

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Barb Born

August 19, 2018: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Jesus gave this act of oblation an enduring presence through his institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. He anticipated his death and resurrection by giving his disciples, in the bread and wine, his very self, his body and blood as the new manna (cf. Jn 6:31-33). The ancient world had dimly perceived that man’s real food—what truly nourishes him as man—is ultimately the Logos, eternal wisdom: this same Logos now truly becomes food for us—as love. The Eucharist draws us into Jesus’ act of self-oblation. More than just statically receiving the incarnate Logos, we enter into the very dynamic of his self-giving. The imagery of marriage between God and Israel is now realized in a way previously inconceivable: it had meant standing in God’s presence, but now it becomes union with God through sharing in Jesus’ self-gift, sharing in his body and blood. The sacramental “mysticism”, grounded in God’s condescension towards us, operates at a radically different level and lifts us to far greater heights than anything that any human mystical elevation could ever accomplish. (13)

Here we need to consider yet another aspect: this sacramental “mysticism” is social in character, for in sacramental communion I become one with the Lord, like all the other communicants. As Saint Paul says, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:17). Union with Christ is also union with all those to whom he gives himself. I cannot possess Christ just for myself; I can belong to him only in union with all those who have become, or who will become, his own. Communion draws me out of myself towards him, and thus also towards unity with all Christians. We become “one body”, completely joined in a single existence. Love of God and love of neighbour are now truly united: God incarnate draws us all to himself. We can thus understand how agape also became a term for the Eucharist: there God’s own agape comes to us bodily, in order to continue his work in us and through us. Only by keeping in mind this Christological and sacramental basis can we correctly understand Jesus’ teaching on love. The transition which he makes from the Law and the Prophets to the twofold commandment of love of God and of neighbour, and his grounding the whole life of faith on this central precept, is not simply a matter of morality—something that could exist apart from and alongside faith in Christ and its sacramental re-actualization. Faith, worship and ethos are interwoven as a single reality which takes shape in our encounter with God’s agape. Here the usual contraposition between worship and ethics simply falls apart. “Worship” itself, Eucharistic communion, includes the reality both of being loved and of loving others in turn. A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented. Conversely, as we shall have to consider in greater detail below, the “commandment” of love is only possible because it is more than a requirement. Love can be “commanded” because it has first been given. (14) Deus Caritas Est, 2005

Readings

First Reading: Proverbs 9:1-6

Psalm: 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20

Gospel: John 6:51-58

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet: “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.”²²⁷

On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, “Christ is risen!” Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ. (1391). From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church:

Ephesians 5:16

Christian hope lends great energy to commitment in the social field, because it generates confidence in the possibility of building a better world, even if there will never exist “a paradise of earth”. Christians, particularly the laity, are urged to act in such a way that “the power of the Gospel might shine forth in their daily social and family life. They conduct themselves as children of the promise and thus strong in faith and hope they make the most of the present (cf. Eph 5:16; Col 4:5), and with patience await the glory that is to come (cf. Rom 8:25). Let them not, then, hide this hope in the depths of their hearts, but let them express it by a continual conversion and by wrestling ‘against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness’ (Eph 6:12)”. The religious motivation behind such a commitment may not be shared by all, but the moral convictions that arise from it represent a point of encounter between Christians and all people of good will. (579)

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

Eucharist is an invitation for communion with the Lord, as whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood remains in him to give them life. Do we foolishly or wisely use this gift? An obligation quickly dismissed upon leaving the church parking lot or treasured until the next opportunity we have to receive? A cultural nuance of doing it because of ancestral traditions or formed from the basis of personal understanding? A robo mode practice lacking sincere feeling or praise from our mouths in gladness? Foolishness discounts the Real Presence in the Eucharist as religious symbolism. Wisdom makes the most of the opportunity to receive the true food and true drink in understanding the will of the Lord to give us life. Life not satiated in self-serving gratification, ego driven consumerism, but a fullness of life resonating to all facets of our existence, each day and movement of our existence. For Jesus to give life, he must be in us as we are in the world being his presence, his hands and feet to do good. A freeing of Jesus from the tabernacle, so with the Spirit within us we address one another in the spirit of the Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs beyond melody to the root of their meaning molding mission. For a Church fostering sacramental piety but scrapping engagement with the world abuses the gift of Eucharist. The Gospel is stripped of meaning to serve one another. An ignorance of mass’ dismissal sending us forth in the world to do the will of the Lord.

Individual Reflection: John 6:51-58

Read Ron Rolheiser’s book One Great Act of Fidelity: Waiting for Christ in the Eucharist

Family Reflection: Ephesians 5:15-20

What is your favorite hymn or song about the Eucharist?

Prayer:

Reflect on the section Eucharist: Body of Christ Broken for the World. How might you use this resource in your parish?

Blogs to Visit:

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

Social Ministry Resources Engaging Parishes: Monthly and liturgical seasons resources for use with parish websites, bulletins and newsletters

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

By Barb Born July 31, 2018 St Ignatius of Loyola pray for us. The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary Reflection August 12, 2018

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Barb Born

August 12, 2018: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catholic Social Teaching: Solidarity

August 14th is the memorial of St Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan priest, who as a prisoner in Auschwitz exchanged his life for a man with a family “He is remembered for his prophetic words, Hatred is not a creative force. Only love is a creative power.” From Daily Roman Missal August 14th, Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

Readings

First Reading: 1st Kings 19:4-8

Psalm: 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:30-5:2

Gospel: John 6:41-51

Catechism of the Catholic Church

There is no surer pledge or dearer sign of this great hope in the new heavens and new earth “in which righteousness dwells,” than the Eucharist. Every time this mystery is celebrated, “the work of our redemption is carried on” and we “break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ.” (1405) From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: No references this week

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

On our journey of life we must eat and drink of spiritual food on our perpetual journey to the mountain of God. If we never take the first spiritual nibble to awaken our spiritual taste buds we will never know the goodness of the Lord. Once experienced, we bless the Lord at all times, praise flows from our mouths and works pleasing to the Lord flow from our hands to collectively extol his name. What ever fears occupied our conscience, change, abandonment by family or friends, leaving behind spatial desires, the Lord delivers us from them. The Lord does not drag or reel us in, but only through the free will of our searching does the face of Jesus greet us, the arms of Jesus embrace us and as we look to him we are only radiant with joy knowing the bread from heaven gives eternal life. But at times do we act like spiritual brats and grieve the Holy Spirit of God which we were sealed with at confirmation? When bitterness, angry, fury, shouting, malice and reveling permeate our dialogue kindness ceases, compassion fizzles, forgiveness never emerges from hate. Eating the Bread of Life and drinking of the Cup of Salvation and realizing we are consuming the Real Presence of Christ calls us to be imitators off. God. His beloved children, and treat others as our brothers and sisters to love as Christ loved us when he handed himself over for us. For partaking the Eucharist grounds us in love as God love, as the angel of the Lord encamps around those who believe and take refuge in the Lord. So if we partake and hate, Christ does not live in us and we do not live in Christ. Eucharist is pure gift bestowed for the life of the world. Let us not waste this Divine gift, the source and summit that defines our faith, but let its transformative presence transform our lives and world.

Individual Reflection: John 6:41-51

Discern becoming a Eucharistic minister, at your parish or for taking communion to someone unable to attend mass.

Family Reflection: Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

August 15th is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. ” For today, the Virgin Mother of God was assumed into heaven as the beginning and image of your Church coming to perfection and a sign of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people” From Daily Roman Missal, Preface to Eucharistic prayer.

Read the Mary Assumption reflection at http://marynow.wordpress.com/ and discuss how Mary’s Assumption is relevant for your family’s faith journey.

Prayer: Spend time at Eucharistic adoration or before the Blessed Sacrament this week.

Blogs to Visit:

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

Social Ministry Resources Engaging Parishes: Monthly and liturgical seasons resources for use with parish websites, bulletins and newsletters

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

By Barb Born July 28, 2018 The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary ReflectionAugust 5, 2018

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Barb Born

August 5, 2018: Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Catholic Social Teaching: Call to Family, Community and Participation

The Church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open. One concrete sign of such openness is that our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes there looking for God, he or she will not find a closed door. There are other doors that should not be closed either. Everyone can share in some way in the life of the Church; everyone can be part of the community, nor should the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any reason. This is especially true of the sacrament which is itself “the door”: baptism. The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak. These convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with prudence and boldness. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators. But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems. (47) Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis

Readings

First Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15

Psalm: 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24

Gospel: John 6:24-35

Catechism of the Catholic Church

As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins.²³¹ By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him:

Since Christ died for us out of love, when we celebrate the memorial of his death at the moment of sacrifice we ask that love may be granted to us by the coming of the Holy Spirit. We humbly pray that in the strength of this love by which Christ willed to die for us, we, by receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, may be able to consider the world as crucified for us, and to be ourselves as crucified to the world. . . Having received the gift of love, let us die to sin and live for God. (1394) From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: No references this week

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

Entering the Bread of Life discourse in John’s Gospel entails the experience of each mass. The Real Presence of Jesus that we receive in our hands and drink from the cup fulfilling a yearning only satiable in the Eucharistic presence. The True Bread from heaven that gives life to the world. If we grumble, live life unsatisfied even when food fills our plates and we are not roaming in search shelter, do we follow the instructions of the Lord to eat and drink His Body and Blood? Or do we not know what we are eating? Have we not listened to the footsteps of the millenniums processing to receive the True Food, the abundance of God’s blessings within us? If we try to grasp this in the futility of our minds, we end up baffled and corralled by deceitful desires. But the Bread of Life renews the Spirit of Christ within us to put on a new self. To allow ourselves to go beyond the signs of faith, a transformation of acceptance precipitating belief that endures for eternal life. A place where no work will ever attain from money or position resulting in perishable rewards. Asked for belief in the one God sent as an affirmation of our affinity of faith to see beyond the physical, to reason beyond our mind and let faith become an experience of our heart. Only our heart grasps God’s love, takes us beyond the frailties of material desires to ground us to what we say Amen to with the reception of each host and sip from each cup. Letting that give us life, we are called to go forth and give life to the world. To walk out the doors of a church with that embodiment for our lives may seem daunting, but we have the assurance of Jesus he is the Bread of Life. When we come to Him and allow ourselves to be consumed by what we consume and believing in the Real Presence, we will never thirst for another way of life. AMEN !

Individual Reflection: John 6:24-35

Write an entry in your journal about what the Real Presence of Jesus means to you when receiving the Eucharist.

Family Reflection:Ephesians 4:17, 20-24

August 6th is the Transfiguration of the Lord. Sing the song Transfigure Us O Lord and reflect on the meaning of the Lord’s transfiguration in your faith journey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvFdqxlVJtE

Prayer: Go to daily mass this week and ponder the gift of receiving Eucharist every day.

Blogs to Visit:

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

Social Ministry Resources Engaging Parishes: Monthly and liturgical seasons resources for use with parish websites, bulletins and newsletters

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

By Barb Born July 28, 2018 The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary Reflection July 29, 2018

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Barb Born

July 29, 2018: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

The common good’s inclusiveness can only be recognized when the most vulnerable and marginalized in our midst, locally and globally, are active participants. When they lack the basic necessities of life, humanity denies their dignity. From Catholic Social Teaching: Seven Principles for Life : https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Readings

First Reading: 2nd Kings 4:42-44

Psalm: 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6

Gospel: John 6:1-15

Catechism of the Catholic Church

From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God’s gifts and the diversity of those who receive them. Within the unity of the People of God, a multiplicity of peoples and cultures is gathered together. Among the Church’s members, there are different gifts, offices, conditions, and ways of life. “Holding a rightful place in the communion of the Church there are also particular Churches that retain their own traditions.” The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church’s unity. Yet sin and the burden of its consequences constantly threaten the gift of unity. And so the Apostle has to exhort Christians to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”(814)

From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: No references this week

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

God is not stingy in the grace that satisfies our heart to protect us from spiritual famine. Jesus personified that humility as he sat on the mountain and intently raised his eyes to the approaching crowd. Like raising his eyes in a prayerful act of compassion for the needs of those in his midst. When faced to address the needs of those amongst us do we shudder at the potential financial costs that could diminish our debt card account, sap our time from personal pursuits and stress our patience? Or do we freely give from the basic necessities of our lives, especially giving the first fruits, not the residual scraps. Our participation in creation with God comes as an act of thanksgiving from being a child of God. The Divine model of pray/share/act produces spiritual satisfaction by the diverse gifts of all providing for the needs of all. Unity woven from the diversity of humanity extolls peace. But how many instances do we see people denied the opportunity to live in a manner worthy of the call they have received? A narrow definition of ministry excludes many from using their gifts. Racism, subtle and overt, excludes people based on skin tone. Gender sanctions excludes women from fully using God given gifts in service to the Church to discourse the glory of the Kingdom and speak of Divine might. Age phobia proclaiming the need for people with experience excludes the creative genius of new paradigms. Life is an infinite web sustained by God, but by desire for self-defined purity, absolute truth, authentic thought, where do some people poke holes in the web to dismantle its structural integrity? We must work to repair the breaches in the web as we strive to preserve the unity of the Spirit of the one hope, the one call of our one faith and baptism in service of the one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all and in all. For to deny that, we deny God, we deny our faith in favor of a faith of exclusion, separation and self-contrived truth.

Individual Reflection: Ephesians 4:1-6

How do you personally or see others excluded from ministry? What can you do to raise awareness of this issue?

Family Reflection: 2nd Kings 4:42-44

As you shop for back to school supplies, buy extra items to share with a community group assembling back to school backpacks for children.

Prayer: July 31st is the feast day of St Ignatius of Loyola. Practice his daily examen at the end of each day this week : https://jesuits.org/spirituality?PAGE=DTN-20130520125910

Blogs to Visit:

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.