(Optional Memorial for
Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest, and Companions, Chinese Martyrs)
 |
| “The Throne of Grace” by an Unknown German Master, 1440s |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1:
Hosea 11:1-4, 8e-9
Thus says the Lord:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the farther they went from me,
Sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.
My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.
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Commentary on Hos
11:1-4, 8e-9
CCC: Hos 11 219; Hos 11:1-4 370; Hos 11:1 219, 441, 530; Hos 11:9 208
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Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16
R. (4b) Let us see your face,
Lord, and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken.
From your throne upon the cherubim,
shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
Once again, O Lord of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see:
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has
planted,
the son of man whom you yourself made
strong.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
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Commentary on Ps
80:2ac and 3b, 15-16
Psalm 80 is a communal lament. Here the community exalts the king
who shepherds Israel with fidelity, and calls upon God to continue to protect
his special creation, the people he has called.
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Gospel: Matthew 10:7-15
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in
it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”
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Commentary on Mt
10:7-15
The Lord's instructions end with a warning to those who reject the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells the Apostles that those who reject the peace they offer will suffer, like those cut off from God's grace by the judgment upon those who perished in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 19:1-26).
CCC: Mt 10:5-7 543; Mt 10:8 1509, 2121, 2443; Mt 10:10 2122
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Homily:
Heavenly Father, we humbly
pray that those suffering from the coronavirus be returned quickly to full
health by the power of your Son’s healing presence, and those in fear be calmed
through the Holy Spirit.
In Christ’s name we pray.
– Amen.
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Yet, though I
stooped to feed my child,
they did not
know that I was their healer.
(Hosea 11:4c)
While
the Prophet Hosea, speaking with the voice of God, was prophesying about
Israel’s fall from grace and the knowledge of the Father, his analogy of
feeding his children is apt. We come to
this place to be fed, to be healed, because we understand that the spiritual
gifts that flow from this altar in the form of bread and wine are the healing
presence of the One Lord.
How
many of our brothers and sisters have been so drained of God’s grace that they
cannot see that gift? How many do not
understand, even when the Savior stoops to feed them, that they can be
healed? This is the Good News of the
Kingdom of God! This is the message our Lord
asks us to bring to the world. This is
what he sends us to do, just as he once sent his Apostles.
It
is only through God’s grace that the healing hand of the Savior can be
revealed. It is almost a Catch-22. One
cannot feel the Son’s presence without the grace that comes from the Son’s
presence. But we can provide that
conduit. We can show those we meet the
path to their own peace through our peace, which, in the name of Jesus, we can
impart to them.
Today,
as we go about our lives in the world, let us go with the message our Lord gave
to his Apostles, and give his peace to those we meet. In this way, we announce that the Kingdom of
God is at hand.
In
this strange year where many of us will not be able to receive the Blessed
Sacrament or celebrate as a community in our houses of worship, we must be
prepared to receive spiritual communion in prayer:
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.
Pax
[1]
The picture is from the Darmstadt Altarpiece: “The Throne of Grace” by an
Unknown German Master, 1440s.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
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