Dedication of the Basilica of Mary Major
Lectionary: 407
Reading 1
Jeremiah 28:1-17
In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,
in the fifth month of the fourth year,
the prophet Hananiah, son of Azzur, from Gibeon,
said to me in the house of the LORD
in the presence of the priests and all the people:
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Within two years I will restore to this place
all the vessels of the temple of the LORD which Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon, took away from this place to Babylon.
And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah,
son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD,
‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
The prophet Jeremiah answered the prophet Hananiah
in the presence of the priests and all the people assembled
in the house of the LORD, and said:
Amen! thus may the LORD do!
May he fulfill the things you have prophesied
by bringing the vessels of the house of the LORD
and all the exiles back from Babylon to this place!
But now, listen to what I am about to state in your hearing
and the hearing of all the people.
From of old, the prophets who were before you and me prophesied
war, woe, and pestilence against many lands and mighty kingdoms.
But the prophet who prophesies peace
is recognized as truly sent by the LORD
only when his prophetic prediction is fulfilled.
Thereupon the prophet Hananiah took the yoke
from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it,
and said in the presence of all the people:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Even so, within two years
I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
from off the neck of all the nations.’”
At that, the prophet Jeremiah went away.
Some time after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke
from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah,
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:
Go tell Hananiah this:
Thus says the LORD:
By breaking a wooden yoke, you forge an iron yoke!
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
A yoke of iron I will place on the necks
of all these nations serving Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
and they shall serve him; even the beasts of the field I give him.
To the prophet Hananiah the prophet Jeremiah said:
Hear this, Hananiah!
The LORD has not sent you,
and you have raised false confidence in this people.
For this, says the LORD, I will dispatch you from the face of the earth;
this very year you shall die,
because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.
That same year, in the seventh month, Hananiah the prophet died.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 119:29, 43, 79, 80, 95, 102
R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let those turn to me who fear you
and acknowledge your decrees.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let my heart be perfect in your statutes,
that I be not put to shame.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Sinners wait to destroy me,
but I pay heed to your decrees.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
From your ordinances I turn not away,
for you have instructed me.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Alleluia
Matthew 4:4
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Giving What You Receive
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. Matthew 14:19–20
An important aspect of this miracle that is easy to miss is that Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes through His disciples’ instrumentality. He did this by inviting them to assist in the distribution of the loaves and in the gathering of the fragments left over. This reveals that God often uses us as mediators of His superabundant graces given to others. Though God could pour forth His mercy directly, most often He does so through others.
As you ponder this miracle, try to see yourself as one of the disciples who was invited to distribute the bread to the people. If you were there and were hungry and then were given bread, you would be tempted to eat the bread yourself before giving any away. But Jesus gave the bread to His hungry disciples with the instruction to first give it to others.
Sometimes, when God calls us to give His mercy to others, we become selfish. It’s easy to think that we must first take care of ourselves and our own needs. We erroneously believe that we can only offer mercy to others after our needs are met. Imagine, for example, if upon receiving the bread from Jesus the disciples would have decided that they should eat of it first. Then, if there was anything extra, they could give it to others. Had they done this, the superabundance of the multiplication of the loaves would not have happened. In the end, the disciples themselves received a superabundance of food—precisely because they first gave away what they had received.
Spiritually speaking, the same is true with us. When we receive spiritual nourishment from our Lord, our first thought must be to give it away. We must first see all that we receive from God as an opportunity to bestow those blessings upon others. This is the nature of grace. For example, if we are given a sense of peace or joy within our hearts, we must realize that this peace or joy we receive is a gift that must be immediately offered to others. If we are given a spiritual insight into the Scriptures, this is given to us first and foremost to share with others. Every gift we receive from God must be understood as a gift given to us so that we can immediately share it with others. The good news is that when we seek to give away that which we have received, more is given to us and, in the end, we will be far richer.
Reflect, today, upon the action of the disciples receiving this food from our Lord and immediately giving it away. See yourself in this miracle, and see the bread as a symbol of every grace you receive from God. What have you received that God wants you to distribute to others? Are there graces you have received that you selfishly try to hold onto? The nature of grace is that it is given to give it to others. Seek to do this with every spiritual gift you receive, and you will find that the graces multiply to the point that you receive more than you could ever imagine.
Reflection 2
Shared from God's Word
In the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves three things draw our attention: a) The disciples see the place as desolate, but Jesus orders the people to sit on the grass; b) There are only five loaves at the beginning, but in the end twelve baskets of leftovers are collected; and c) The reluctant disciples become the active disciples. Jesus saw the negative situation of hunger as an opportunity while the disciples saw it as a problem. Jesus became proactive whereas the disciples were reactive. And Jesus asked the disciples to bring the five loaves and two fish to him, thus making them aware of the resources. How do we handle a negative in our life?
Reflection 3
Living His Word A Day At A Time
“You can break wooden yokes? Right, I will make them iron yokes instead!” These words from the first reading aren’t very comforting. Perhaps they irk us and they certainly irked Israel. Why would God consciously intend to shackle us so firmly? Instead of turning wooden yokes to iron, shouldn’t he be actually turning them to clay?
Israel couldn’t accept that God would voluntarily give them up to into the hands of the enemy - Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. After all, they were God’s chosen people. Hence the prophet Hananiah, instead of consulting God as his profession demanded, offered his own false prophecy thinking that he could strong arm, force or trick God to do as Israel desired.
Prophet Jeremiah offers true prophecy to Israel, rooted in the ironclad covenant Israel made with God. This iron yoke bound them to God, who offers love and protection; always promising to take them through the enemy rather than bypassing it. It is a yoke so firm that we can navigate heavy storms and even walk on water.
All one needs is a “little faith,” and when in doubt, like Peter, a loud voice to cry “Lord, Save me!”
Prayers
Most generous Lord, You pour forth Your grace and mercy in superabundance. As I receive all that You bestow, please fill my heart with generosity so that I will never hesitate to offer Your mercy to others. Please use me as Your instrument, dear Lord, so that, through me, You may abundantly feed others. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus Christ, you satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts and you feed us with the finest of wheat (Psalm 81:16). Fill me with gratitude for your blessings and give me a generous heart that I may freely share with others what you have given to me.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 217: The Lazy and Idle Soul
We please the evil one when we allow our souls to become lazy and idle in the things of God. An idle soul is one that does not seek to engage the life of God. An idle soul is one who is passive in spiritual things rather than active. Being “passive,” means that the person is somewhat indifferent to matters of faith and morality. There is little interest in these areas and, as a result, very little effort is given to them. Do not delight the evil one by being idle in your spiritual life. Become zealous, passionate, hard working, diligent and committed to the path of holiness. Seek to meet our Lord, personally, through a life of generous self-surrender to Him. And never tire of doing so with all the powers of your soul (See Diary #1127).
What are you passionate about? For example, do you have some hobby or pastime? Do you have some activity that you love doing and spend much time with? Though a hobby can be healthy, your greatest “pastime” should be that of seeking God and serving His holy Will. Nothing in life should take up more time and focus than your love of God. Reflect upon how determined you are in your life of faith. How committed are you to building a relationship with your merciful Lord? Are you idle or lazy in this area? Renew your zeal for God and allow that zeal to guide you into an ever deepening relationship with your Lord. Give Him more than an hour a week and you will reap the blessings of your commitment.
Lord, I want to be holy. However, I realize that I do not desire holiness enough, preferring instead to be idle and lazy at times. Please increase my zeal and my desire to come to know You more. And as I grow in a deeper love for You, magnify that love and help it to continue growing in an exponential way. May I never tire of seeking You and loving You, dear Lord. I give you my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
No comments:
Post a Comment