Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 380
Reading 1
Amos 7:10-17
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam,
king of Israel:
"Amos has conspired against you here within Israel;
the country cannot endure all his words.
For this is what Amos says:
Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land."
To Amos, Amaziah said:
"Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple."
Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'
Now hear the word of the LORD!"
You say: prophesy not against Israel,
preach not against the house of Isaac.
Now thus says the LORD:
Your wife shall be made a harlot in the city,
and your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword;
Your land shall be divided by measuring line,
and you yourself shall die in an unclean land;
Israel shall be exiled far from its land.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
R. (10cd) The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
Alleluia
2 Corinthians 5:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 9:1-8
After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
"Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
"This man is blaspheming."
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
"Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins"–
he then said to the paralytic,
"Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Priorities in Prayer
After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:1–2
Just prior to this passage, Jesus cast out demons from two men from the town of the Gadarenes. Afterwards, the townspeople told Him to leave their town, so Jesus departed by boat and arrived in Capernaum, which was where He had been living after leaving Nazareth. This encounter with a paralytic on a stretcher is what awaited Him when He disembarked from the boat.
Recall that when Jesus had returned to Nazareth, where He grew up, He was not able to perform any miracles there because of their lack of faith. Their familiarity with Him tempted them to disbelieve that He was someone special. But now, in His new town where He had recently moved to, Jesus was able to perform mighty miracles because the people had manifest faith.
In the passage above, try to enter the scene. Jesus was just rejected by the Gadarenes, He came by boat to Capernaum, He disembarked and was immediately met with a group of people who had clearly been waiting for Him. Try to imagine their conversations while Jesus was away at the other side of the lake. They knew He would return to His new home, they prepared a stretcher for the paralytic, and then they waited, hoped and prayed that Jesus would come and heal the man. It is also clear that Jesus could immediately sense their faith and was deeply touched by it. One of the most important parts of this passage is that Jesus did not simply say “Yes” to the physical healing and leave it at that. Instead, His response to the paralytic was to first forgive his sins. There is an important lesson for us to learn from this which will help us know how best to pray.
Oftentimes when we pray, we pray for this or that favor from our Lord. We pray for what we want Jesus to grant us. But this story shows us that what Jesus wants for us is different. First, He wants to grant us forgiveness for our sins. This is His priority, and it should also be ours. Once the forgiveness of sins takes place with this paralytic, Jesus also heals, as proof of His power to forgive sins. This story should help us to order our priorities in prayer according to Jesus’ priorities. If we make sorrow for sin our first priority, we can be certain that Jesus will answer us. From there, Jesus knows all of our needs. We can present them to Him but only when we are reconciled within our own heart with Him.
Reflect, today, upon the way you pray each day. Try to understand the importance of making a daily examination of your sins. This must become the first and most important part of your daily prayer. Though many people do not like to look at sin, it is much easier to do when the focus is not so much the sin as it is a focus upon the mercy of forgiveness and spiritual healing you need. The more aware you become of your daily sin, the more mercy you will receive. And the more mercy for the forgiveness of your sins you receive, the more our Lord will be able to bless you abundantly in other ways. Always start with the mercy of our Lord and your own need for that mercy every day, and all else will be taken care of by our Lord.
Reflection 2
EXPELLED?
“Off with you!” —Amos 7:12
“Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants, the prophets” (Am 3:7).
Therefore, the Lord showed Amos that God’s people were about to be decimated by starvation due to a plague of locusts (Am 7:1). Amos cried out for God’s mercy and the people were spared (Am 7:2-3). The Lord also showed Amos that God’s people and their land were to be destroyed by fire (Am 7:4). Again, Amos cried out for God’s mercy and the people were spared (Am 7:5-6). Then, after all that Amos had done for the nation, he was thrown out of Bethel (Am 7:12). Amos was expelled from a place that would have been destroyed by fire except for his intervention. He was driven away by a person who may have starved to death except for Amos’ prayer. Amos’ expulsion from Bethel was the height of injustice and ingratitude.
Have you ever been kicked out of your own home, disinherited from your family, thrown out of your church, expelled from a school, or fired from a job? Possibly some of these expulsions have been very unjust. Jesus wants you to forgive those who have kicked you out. He Himself was kicked out of our world when we crucified Him by our sins. Yet Jesus, even when He was being spit at, cursed, insulted, and executed, prayed: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34). For love of Jesus, and by His power, forgive.
Prayer: Father, forgive me as I forgive those who have kicked me out and “kicked me in the teeth” (see Mt 6:12).
Promise: “A feeling of awe came over the crowd, and they praised God for giving such authority to men.” —Mt 9:8
Praise: Jim delivered a challenging prophecy to a fellow seminarian who had grown lukewarm. The seminarian was hostile and angry for a time, but soon repented and received the Holy Spirit more deeply.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
The Gospel depicts a compassionate Jesus whose divine power to heal and forgive sins transformed the life of a paralysed man. The belief of the people impressed Jesus, when he saw them bringing the paralytic to him. The active faith of others can help us to open ourselves to the Lord's presence, when our own faith is weak. Journeying to the Lord is always a shared experience. Our first encounter with the Lord came through the faith of others. When Jesus showed his authoritative power, the religious leaders were stunned. They said, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ However, Jesus even had the power to read their minds. He has authority not only over diseases, but also over the winds, waves, demons, and above all to forgive sins because he is God, and he came to Earth to save sinners.
Prayers
My merciful Lord, You desire reconciliation with me, in the innermost depths of my heart, to be my daily priority in prayer. You desire to forgive and to heal me so that I will grow closer to You. Please do forgive me for my sins, dear Lord, and help me to become more attentive to the ways that I sin against You and others every day. Thank You in advance for this saving grace and mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, through your merciful love and forgiveness you bring healing and restoration to body, mind, and soul. May your healing power and love touch every area of my life - my innermost thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and memories. Pardon my offences and transform me in the power of your Holy Spirit that I may walk confidently in your truth and goodness.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 185: Generosity with Unlimited Resources
If you were aware of great famine in a far away land, and were also blessed with unlimited resources to address that famine, why would you withhold this gift from those in need? Hopefully you wouldn’t. Hopefully you would see your responsibility and do what was necessary to satiate the thirst and satisfy the hunger of those in dire need. But there is a great famine, and you are blessed with an unlimited resource to address this famine. The famine is the hunger and thirst for the Mercy of God. Yet most people who are starving for this Mercy are unaware that this is what they seek. The unlimited resource you have been given is the Mercy of God. He has entrusted you with the task of dispensing His Mercy and withholds nothing from you. Do you see the importance of your cooperation with this grace? Do not shy away from God’s call to bring His limitless Mercy to others (See Diary #975).
In what way is God calling you to distribute His wealth. No one is deserving of the Mercy of God, that’s why it’s Mercy. But everyone is invited to feast on this grace. The Lord wants to use you as a dispenser of His Divine Mercy. All you need to do is to be ready and willing to allow Him to use You as He wills. You will not be acting on your own; rather, God will act through you. But He is only able to act if you let Him.
Lord, I thank You for the limitless gift of Your Divine Mercy. And I thank You that I am called to become a dispenser of this grace. Help me to say “Yes” to You in all things and to embrace the responsibility that You have given to me. Use me, dear Lord, however You will, and give me the wisdom and courage I need to be a generous dispenser of Your Divine Mercy to a world in dire need. Jesus, I trust in You.
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