Scripture of This Week
Mass Readings—Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Book of Amos, chapter seven, verses twelve thru fifteen;
Psalm Eighty-five, verses nine & ten, eleven & twelve, & thirteen & fourteen;
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter one, verses three thru fourteen
(or, the Letter to the Ephesians, chapter one, verses three thru ten);
The Gospel according to Mark, chapter six, verses seven thru thirteen.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus sends the Twelve on their mission to announce the nearness of the kingdom. I want to say a few things about our embracing our mission and being equipped for it.Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
What do you need for your mission? You need a keen sense of God as the absolute center of your life. In a word, you require the spiritual gifts of piety and fear of the Lord. I realize that these terms can sound fussy and puritanical, but they are actually naming something strong and essential.
You need fear of the Lord, which does not mean that you are afraid of God. It means that nothing to you is more important than God, that everything in your life centers around and is subordinate to your love for God. And your equipping needs to include piety. That means that you honor God above everything else, that you worship him alone. These spiritual gifts enable you to find true balance; they allow you to know what your life is about.
Equipped with these gifts, you are ready for mission. Having received the fire of the Holy Spirit, you are ready to set the world on fire.
Video reflection by Father Claude Burns: Weekend Reflection with Father Pontifex.
Video reflection by Jeff Cavins (Ascension): Encountering the Word.
Audio reflection by Scott Hahn, Ph.D. (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Breaking the Bread.
Mass Journal: Week Twenty-nine
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute:
We are called to live holy lives & this is something we should strive for as Christians, but let me be very clear that this holiness is not something that we can attain for ourselves. In truth, holiness is something God does in us & not we achieve. And yet at the same time, God is the perfect gentleman: He invites us to participate in His life, but never forces Himself upon us. He wants our consent, He wants to be invited into our hearts & lives, but much more than consent & invitation He desires our loving cooperation. God yearns for us to be coworkers with Him in this work of holiness. It is this dynamic collaboration between God & man that brings delight to God.†
The North Star is the only star in the sky that never moves; it remains constant & unwavering, & therefore is a true guide. In the same way, God's call to live a holy life never changes. In a world of rapid & constant change, it is what is unchanging that allows us to make sense of change. The ideas you encounter may change, your emotions may change, but God's call to live a holy life never changes.
Otherwise, 15 July would be the festival of Saint Vladimir (circa 956-1015; A.K.A. Basil, Vladimir I, the Great), Grand Prince of Kiev & Prince of Novgorod: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine. Grandson of St. Olga of Kiev [11 July].
'Twould also be the festival of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, O.F.M. (1221-1274, the "Seraphic Doctor;" A.K.A. Giovanni di Fidanza, of Bagnorea), seventh (VII) Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, who attended the Second Council of Lyons (1272-1274): Doctor-link ūnus, Doctor-link duo, YouTube-link The True Enlightenment!, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Doctors, Wikipedia-link Minister General, & Wikipedia-link Council.
'Twould also be the festival of Blessed Anne-Marie Javouhey, Religious (1779-1851, the "Liberator of the Slaves"), foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link.
Papal Quote o' This Day
"Holiness reveals itself in the last analysis as fullness of life, boundless happiness, & immersion in the light of Christ & God. It is also an inebriating foretaste of the Communion of Saints, that is, of the living Church who is the Lord's, both in time & in eternity."Little Flower Quote o' This Day
—Pope Bl. Paul VI (1897-1978, feast day: 26 September)
"I understand so well that only love could make me acceptable to God, & that love is the only thing I aspire to."Saint Quote o' This Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard more than that proceeding from the mouth."
—St. Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church (1221-1274, feast day: 15 July)
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