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Readings for Monday August 16, 2010

First Reading: Ezekiel 24:15-23
Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-19
Gospel: Matthew 19:16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. (Mt. 19:16-22)

What do you take delight in? It seems to be different for everyone. Some people take delight in collecting things, or in having a lot of possessions. Others take delight in creating art and making stuff. If you are like me, food is something that one can always take delight in. Many people take delight in accomplishments or social status. Others take delight in other people and in relationships. Now, I am not saying that it is not good to have hobbies and interests, we are each given certain passions and abilities which we should use for God's glory; but we must always be careful with the things that we delight in. These things should never take priority over the Lord; because what we should take the most delight in is the Lord.

In today's gospel, we read of the rich young man who took delight in all of his possessions. Unfortunately, because he took delight in these things and not in the Lord, he was sad when he learned that in order to be perfect and have treasure in heaven, then he must sell all those things that he takes delight in. In the first reading we see that Ezekiel is warning the people of Israel about the destruction of the temple, "the stronghold of your pride, the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul." In both of these readings, you have people whose main delight was not the Lord, they took delight in other things. In order for them to get back on track and get their priorities straight, then these things needed to be taken out of their lives. They needed to get rid of these things that were taking their focus off of the Lord, only then could they begin to "store up treasure in heaven."

If we do not take delight in the Lord, then anything else that we take delight in will be empty. The Lord is the giver of life and the giver of all things. He must be the number one priority for each of us, and getting to heaven must be our number one goal. Let us each remember that what we should take the most delight in is the Lord.

Today reflect on the words of the Psalmist: "Find your delight in the Lord who will give you your heart's desire." (Ps. 37:4)

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, you are our rock and our salvation, may we always trust in your loving care. Lord, help us to always take delight in you and to never stray away from your path. Lord, we pray for the conversion of all those who do not know you, for a deeper conversion of the faithful, and for life everywhere. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

This article originally found at Catholic Daily Reading Reflections

Readings for Tuesday August 3, 2010

First Reading: Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” (Mt 14:22-33)

In sports, every athlete knows the importance of being focused. In a football game, a player must stay focused on their assignment and what is happening around them, lose focus for a second and the play passes you by. In a basketball game, a player must stay focused or otherwise they may make bad passes and shots. In a race, a runner must stay focused on their form and their pace, otherwise they will not finish the race as well. This ability to focus is one that is not just important in athletics, but in life as well.

Saint Peter learned a valuable lesson on focusing in today's gospel reading. Here we have Jesus walking on the water, a truly miraculous event in itself; when Peter, who is always eager to speak up, sees Jesus and says "Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus tells him to come, and then Peter gets out of the boat and begins to walk on the water towards Jesus. Now as Peter was walking on the water, he looked over at the storm and lost his focus, this is when he began to sink. You see, before, Peter was focused on Jesus, the source of all his abilities and strength; when he looked away and lost focus, he began to concentrate on his fear. This is the lesson that we each can learn from Peter and today's gospel: when we lose our focus on God, that is when we begin to fall and sink.

Keeping our focus on God is so important in life, because when we only look to Him, we can become everything we were created to be; but when we focus on the world, then we give in to our limitations and fears. Focus on Christ, who is there letting us know that He is always there and that there is no need to fear when He is around.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, thank you for all of your great blessings and gifts in this life. Lord, help us to be good stewards of our lives, gifts and abilities. Help us to take nothing for granted, but to always be thankful for what we have. Lord, help us to focus solely on you and on your love and mercy. Let us not look to worldly things for our purpose, but only to seek our purpose in you. You are our God, and we are your people, may our lives be a reflection of you at all times. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Readings for Monday August 2, 2010

First Reading: Jeremiah 28:1-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119
Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over — twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children. (Mt 14:13-21)

Remember when we were kids and we thought that our parents were so mean for not giving us all the things that we wanted? This would especially play out when we took trips to the grocery store, I would venture off to the toy aisle and begin looking around. Of course by the time my mom found me, I had picked out several toys of different price ranges. I would begin to ask for the more expensive one, then if that didn't work one of lower value. Most of the time I left with nothing, or so I thought. I had not realized that even though I did not get the toy that I wanted, I did get the things that I needed. Because while I was off looking for useless things that I did not need, my mother was off buying things that our family needed, like food and other household items.

This is the same lesson that we as children of God forget sometime. While we may not have everything that we desire on this earth, the Lord is always providing for us. This is a lesson that He tried to teach the many people in today's gospel. God always sees our needs, and we should take comfort in the fact that the Lord will always provide. Sadly, too many times we get caught up in what we do not have, that we forget that we have everything that we need. Sometimes, we take the most precious things in our life for granted, all because it may not be the "in thing" or the latest trend or fad. Sometimes we take things for granted out of sheer jealousy or envy from someone else. We often times miss God's blessings in our life, all because we have our attention and focus on worldly things, rather than the miracles of God.

The feeding of the five thousand is truly a miracle and a witness to the power of God. But the biggest miracle that it shows is that God is always there looking out for us; and our Father in heaven always sees our needs and provides.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, you are the way, the truth and the light; help us to never stray away from your perfect path. Lord, thank you for all the blessings in our life, help us to never take your gifts for granted, and help us to be good stewards of all that you give to us. Lord, you are our rock and our salvation, in you we find perfect peace and comfort. Lord, help us to run this race well and to persevere until the end. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Readings for Tuesday July 27, 2010

First Reading: Jeremiah 14:17-22
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 79
Gospel: Matthew 13:36-43

Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear."(Mt 13:36-43)

Most of us remember in gym class the importance of being on the team that was most likely going to win. I remember when choosing teams, that I hoped that I would be on the team with the best athletes for that particular sport. Obviously, no one wanted to be on the team that would most likely lose, we wanted to be on the team that gave us the best chance for success.
Today's gospel, explains the parable of the weeds among the wheat. Jesus is telling His disciples how the one who sows good seed is the son of man, and the one who sows the weeds is the devil. At the end of the age, the harvesters (angels) will go through and collect the weeds, bind them up and throw them into the furnace. Those who bore good fruit in their life and lived for God will be welcomed into Heaven with open arms. One can think of this as being a parable among a winning team (wheat) and a losing team (weeds). Here is the only difference between our gym class example and the parable ... we get to choose which team we are on! When it comes to whether or not we are on God's team, and whether not we will be bound for heaven, the choice is ours. We have a choice, we can either say yes to God's plan and live our life totally for Him; or we can say no, and choose to live our life for ourselves. We get to choose whether we are the wheat or the weeds.
Like we said before, it is important to make sure that we are on the winning team. In this instance, we know that being with Christ is being on the winning team; and the devil is on the losing team. Those who choose Christ not only choose the winning team, but the eternal reward that comes from being on the winning team.
"Those who have ears ought to hear."

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, thank you for all that you give to us and for you great blessings in our lives. Help us to be good stewards of all that you entrust to us. May we never take this life, or any life for granted, and may we always seek your perfect will in all things. Lord, we belong to you, help us to never stray from your path. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

**This blog originally appeared on The Catholic Daily Reading Reflections at http://catholicreadingreflections.blogspot.com/.

Readings for Monday July 26, 2010

Memorial of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Reading: Jeremiah 13:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-19
Gospel: Matthew 13:31-35

Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"
He spoke to them another parable. "The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened."
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world. (Mt. 13:31-35)

Today we see Jesus address the crowds in parables; which would make one ask the question, why? Why did Jesus go to such great lengths to teach by parables? Why didn't He give the people all the theology about God, Heaven, salvation, angels, etc? Why did He give them all the detailed, technical information that He could have given to the people to really make the understand? So why parables? I think that He used parables to help paint a picture for them. He didn't go there to give them theology 101, He went there to help them see what it is that they are missing out on.
The parables, helped them to see what was previously unknown to them. The parables that He gave today were in regards to heaven. I am sure that many people wondered what heaven was like, and before Jesus, no one talked about it because no one had ever been there. But Jesus, being God, was able to talk about it, He was able to give them examples and images to help them get a basic understanding of what heaven was like and what He was offering them. The parable that I liked the best was that of the mustard seed. In our world, faith and even something like heaven may seem like nothing more than a small thing, something insignificant. But if allowed to flourish in ones life, it can become something great. Heaven is like the large bush described today, where the "birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches." Heaven is the place with no more suffering, no more pain, no more tears. Heaven is our destiny, we are meant for heaven. God has an invitation out to each of us, will we trust Him and accept or try our own way, which leads away from heaven?
These parables today show us that our place is with God, and that we are meant to be with Him in Heaven. That is a message that we should all take to heart.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, thank you for all of your blessings in our life. Thank you for the many blessings and gifts that you have given us, help us to be good stewards of all that you give. Lord, you are our God and our salvation, help us to never stray from your loving arms. We pray for all those in need of conversion, may they find peace and rest in you. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

**This blog article origninally appeared on The Catholic Daily Reading Reflections at http://catholicreadingreflections.blogspot.com

Best Chance for Success

Mass Readings for Friday July 23, 2010
First Reading: Jeremiah 3:14-17
Responsorial Psalm: Jeremiah 31:10
Gospel: Matthew 13:18-23

Jesus said to his disciples: "Hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold." (Mt. 13:18-23)
In today's gospel, Jesus explains the parable of the sower. In the parable we have four different types of seeds, which can be likened to four different types of people. It is clear from this parable that a life with Christ is certainly no easy task, and that they can be many challenges and obstacles that we will face during this journey of "growth." This parable shows us that it is not simply enough just to hear the word of God, but we also must live it out and put ourselves in the right environment. Essentially what this parable is saying is that once we believe, we need to do things that are going to give us the best chance for success.
When we are talking about the best chance for success, what we are talking about is things that are going to give us the best opportunity to live out our faith. One of the reasons why the seeds that fell on rock sprang up fast and then died quickly, is because they did not have a firm foundation. We can liken this to not being grounded in God. He must be our foundation and the center of our lives if we are going to succeed in a strong faith life, and in reaching our goal of heaven. One of the other seeds fell to the ground and was choked up by the thorns. We can liken this to not surrounding ourselves with the right people or things. When we let the worldly people and things influence us, it leads us away from God, it leads us away from our true calling of love. Think about it, if one of our goals was to be an Olympic athlete, would it be a good idea to only hang around pessimistic couch potatoes all the time? Of course not, because that would not give us the best chance for success in our goal.
The seeds that fell on good soil were like the people who heard the word of God and understood it, their life went on to bear much fruit. The key to their success was that they were in good soil. They had strong roots and were grounded in God. They understood His word, meaning that most likely they spent time in prayer asking for guidance and wisdom. The soil they were in was good, meaning they most likely surrounded themselves with people and things that helped build them up, not tear them down.
In our faith life, it is all about giving ourselves the best chance for success. That means making sure that we are grounded in God, and that we surround ourselves with people and things that lead us to Holiness, not away from it.

Hail Mary, full of Grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.
**This blog posting originally appeared on my blog "The Catholic Daily Reading Reflections." Please feel free to check it out at http://catholicreadingreflections.blogspot.com.