Friday, July 10, 2020

-- Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Fr. Sherdel’s Morning Mass Intention: George Stasiak First Reading: Hosea 14:2-10

Thus says the Lord: Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the Lord; Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls. Assyria will not save us, nor shall we have horses to mount; We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands; for in you the orphan finds compassion.” I will heal their defection, says the Lord, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols? I have humbled him, but I will prosper him. “I am like a verdant cypress tree” — because of me you bear fruit!

Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths of the Lord, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17

My mouth will declare your praise.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. R/.

Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart, and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom. Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. R/.

A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. R/.

Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. R/. Gospel: Matthew 10:16-23

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” Reflection

I am sending you. . . . Do not worry. (Matthew 10:16, 19) Jesus makes it clear: there are consequences to being sent out in his name. He tells his disciples that they will be handed over, persecuted, and rejected. But then he says something unexpected: “Do not worry” (Matthew 10:19). The Holy Spirit will be with them, he promises, speaking through them and showing them what they are to say and do. Few of us will face imprisonment, beatings, or execution for sharing the gospel. Nevertheless, every time we open our mouths to talk about the Lord, there is always the risk that someone will reject us or ridicule us. To which Jesus says, “Do not worry.” Why? Because of who you are! You are a new creation. In Baptism, you were “born from above” as a child of God (John 3:3). As a new creation in Christ, you share in Jesus’ calling to preach the good news. Your identity comes from who God says you are, not from what other people might say or think. So try not to worry about rejection. God will always accept you even when no one else does. You are justified. “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). You don’t have to wait until you’ve mastered every sin to share your faith. Sins and weaknesses and past failures do not disqualify you from telling the good news today. They might even make your words more credible! God will compensate for your every inadequacy. You are filled. You are not on your own. The Holy Spirit is in you and with you to sustain you, to direct your thoughts, and to speak through you. You don’t need to worry about saying just the right words. The Holy Spirit can give you the right thing to say, or simply give your words special significance for someone else. He will even help you recognize the right time to say nothing at all. God has equipped you to bring his love to a hurting world. So don’t worry! He has great confidence in you—a confidence based not just on your own gifts and abilities but on who you are in Christ Jesus. Father, thank you for making me a new creation. Give me the courage to share your good news.

An Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen. Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.