Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 319
Reading 1
2 Samuel 7:4-17
That night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
"Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?
I have not dwelt in a house
from the day on which I led the children of Israel
out of Egypt to the present,
but I have been going about in a tent under cloth.
In all my wanderings everywhere among the children of Israel,
did I ever utter a word to any one of the judges
whom I charged to tend my people Israel, to ask:
Why have you not built me a house of cedar?'
"Now then, speak thus to my servant David,
'The LORD of hosts has this to say:
It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his Kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
And if he does wrong,
I will correct him with the rod of men
and with human chastisements;
but I will not withdraw my favor from him
as I withdrew it from your predecessor Saul,
whom I removed from my presence.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.'"
Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 89:4-5, 27-28, 29-30
R. (29a) For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will make your dynasty stand forever
and establish your throne through all ages.”
R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“He shall cry to me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock that brings me victory!’
I myself make him firstborn,
Most High over the kings of the earth.”
R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
“Forever I will maintain my love for him;
my covenant with him stands firm.
I will establish his dynasty forever,
his throne as the days of the heavens.”
R. For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 4:1-20
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him
so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
"Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
He added, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear."
And when he was alone,
those present along with the Twelve
questioned him about the parables.
He answered them,
"The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you.
But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that
they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but not understand,
in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven."
Jesus said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?
Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word.
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once
and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who,
when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy.
But they have no roots; they last only for a time.
Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
The Deepest Desire of Your Heart
“Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.” Mark 4:20
This description from the Parable of the Sower seems to describe a growing number of people in our world today. The first grouping of people mentioned in this parable have little to no faith and are represented by the seed sown on the path which is quickly consumed by satan. The second group of people have a little initial faith and are represented by seed sown on rocky ground. The passage above represents the third grouping of people who are like seeds sown in good soil but are also among thorns. The fourth are those who are like rich soil and the Word of God grows deeply in their lives. Let’s consider the third grouping of people in more detail.
There are three evils that choke off the Word of God in our lives: “worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things.” In our day and age, there are many who encounter various types of anxieties, are consumed with a desire for material wealth and find themselves craving many other things. In all three cases, these interior temptations have the effect of overwhelming the pure Truth of the Word of God in their lives.
Anxiety is a common problem today. And though this is a psychological struggle much of the time, it also can have spiritual roots. Anxiety is the struggle of worrying excessively, nervousness about many aspects of life and an uneasiness about the future. In this case, when the Person of Jesus and the Truth of the Gospel message does not consume and direct our lives, we are left on our own to “figure it out.” And this loneliness will almost always lead us into a loss of hope, fear and lack of deep peace.
Most people who struggle with anxiety will constantly look for a cure. And one place they often look is the deceptive consolation of material wealth or the “craving for other things.” Imagine if you won a tremendous amount of money. Would this resolve your worries in life? Though you may be tempted to think it would, deep down we all know that this is a lie. Material wealth is never a reliable source of satisfaction in life. The same is true with almost everything else we “crave” in life. One thing and one thing alone can satisfy. And that one thing is God.
Reflect, today, upon those things in your life that seem to occupy your mental energy. What do you worry about, hope for, deeply desire? What do you falsely believe will relieve your interior struggles? What do you crave? Take time today to remind yourself of the irrefutable truth that God, His holy will and all that He has revealed as True is the only source of satisfaction. Seek to let that Truth sink in deeply in your heart so that the Truths of God will grow and bear the abundant good fruit you so deeply desire.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SELFISHNESS
“Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.” —2 Samuel 7:17
David, like all of us, was very selfish. We’re that way from the moment of conception. We are naturally selfish. One day, a great blessing occurred in David’s life: he had an unselfish thought. He thought of building a house for the Lord (2 Sm 7:2). Although David was not chosen by the Lord to do this, the Lord took this moment of unselfishness to reveal to David an astounding prophecy. Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord told David that his house, kingdom, and throne would stand firm forever (2 Sm 7:16).
Sometimes, by the grace of God and in our new life through Baptism, we too have unselfish thoughts. Like David, we will also receive amazing revelations from God when we cross over to the other side of selfishness. In that land of unselfishness — once so strange to us — we are no longer under the thick cloud of selfishness (see Is 60:2). On the other side of selfishness, the Lord shines and over us appears His glory (Is 60:2).
Come to Jesus; repent; deny yourself; cross over to the other side.
Prayer: Father, the life I live now is not my own. It is a life of faith in Jesus (Gal 2:20).
Promise: “Those sown on good soil are the ones who listen to the word, take it to heart, and yield at thirty- and sixty- and a hundredfold.” —Mk 4:20
Praise: St. Francis de Sales wrote apologetic books to defend against heresies and spiritual books to raise the faith of lay people. God so anointed his writing that he has been honored as the patron saint of journalists.
Reflection 3
By Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench
(Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)
“The sower sows the word”
Today, we hear our Lord teaching the “Sower's parable”. The example is very current. Our Lord is always “sowing”. Lots of people today also listen to Jesus through his Vicar —the Pope—, his ministers and... his faithful laymen and women: Christ has given a share in his priestly mission to all of us, who have been baptized. There is “hunger” for Jesus. Never ever before our Church has been so Catholic, men and women of all races and colors finding cover under its wings all the over the world. He sends us all over the world (cf. Mk 16:15) and, despite the shadows of the panorama, this has become true in Jesus Christ's apostolic commandment.
The sea, the boat and the shore have been replaced by large venues, screens and modern communication and transport means. However, Jesus today is no different than yesterday. Man and his urge to learn how to love have not changed either. Even today there are those who receive and understand the Word more directly, by grace and gratuitous divine election… it is a mystery! On the other hand, there are many who need more descriptive and deliberated explanations of the Revelation.
In any case, God requests from all of us the fruits of sanctity. The Holy Spirit helps us but not without our personal cooperation. In the first place, diligence is needed. If we react halfway, that is, if we remain at the “border” of the road without entering it, we shall be an easy prey for Satan.
Secondly, we need perseverance in prayer —dialogue—, to be able to get a deeper knowledge and love for Jesus Christ: “Saint without praying...? —I do not believe in this sanctity” (Saint Josemaria Escrivà ).
Finally, the spirit of poverty and self-abnegation will prevent our “suffocating” on the way. It better be clear that: “No one can serve two masters...” (Mt 6:24).
In the Virgin Mary we can find the best model of how to react to the God's call.
Prayers
My merciful Lord, help me to be open fully to Your holy Word so that the seed of Your Word will be planted deeply in my heart. May I always reject the many lies and deceptions of the world so that I can be freed of the anxieties and fleeting pleasures of life. May I seek only the deep and sustaining delights that come from a life fully given over to You so that I will live in the peace and grace of Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, faith in your word is the way to wisdom, and to ponder your divine plan is to grow in the truth. Open my eyes to your deeds, and my ears to the sound of your call, that I may understand your will for my life and live according to it
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 24: The Purification of Your Soul
The greatest suffering we can endure is a spiritual longing for God. Those in Purgatory suffer greatly because they long for God and do not yet fully possess Him. We must enter into the same purification here and now. We must let ourselves long for God. We must see Him and realize we do not yet fully possess Him and that He does not yet fully possess us because of our sin. This will be painful but is necessary if we are to be purified of all that keeps us from His perfect Mercy (See Diary #20-21).
Reflect upon the fact that the spiritual purification of your soul is necessary. Ideally, we will all embrace this purification here and now. Why wait? Do you seek to grow in this purification? Are you willing to let your soul long for God and have Him as your one desire? If so, all else in life will fall into place as you seek Him and as you discover the Divine Mercy that awaits.
Lord, please do purify my soul in every way. Allow me to enter into my purgatory here and now. Let my soul become consumed with a longing for You and let that desire overshadow every other desire in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
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