Sunday, July 6, 2014: (FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME) Readings for today: Zechariah 9:9-10 / Romans 8:9, 11-13 / Matthew 11:25-30:
Readings from: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070614.cfm (Pics from elsewhere on the internet)
Reading 1 - A reading from the book of the Prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9-10):
Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior’s bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Responsorial Psalm - (Psalm 145 - I Will Praise Your Name by David Haas):
Video From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfTJRbVKGTw
Lyrics From: http://theinterpretersfriend.org/songs/i-l-praz-yr-nam.html
R: I will praise your name, my King and my God.
1. I will give you glory, my God and King, and I will bless your name forever. Every day I will bless and praise your name forever.
R: I will praise your name, my King and my God.
2. The Lord is full of grace and mercy. He is kind and slow to anger. He is good in all His works and full of compassion.
R: I will praise your name, my King and my God.
3. Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let all the faithful bless you. Let them speak of your might, O Lord, the glory of your kingdom.
R: I will praise your name, my King and my God.
4. The Lord is faithful in all His words, and always near. His name is holy. He lifts up all those who fall. He raises up the lowly.
R: I will praise your name, my King and my God.
Reading 2 - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans (Romans 8:9, 11-13):
Brothers and sisters:
You are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.
Gospel - A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (Matthew 11:25-30):
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
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07/06/2014 - St. Maria Goretti (1890-1902) - Patron Saint of: Catholic Youth, Girls, Teenagers, Youth - Feast Day: July 6:
From: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1436&calendar=1
July 6
St. Maria Goretti
(1890-1902)
One of the largest crowds ever assembled for a canonization—250,000—symbolized
the reaction of millions touched by the simple story of Maria Goretti.
She was the daughter of a poor Italian tenant farmer, had no chance to go to
school, never learned to read or write. When she made her First Communion not
long before her death at age 12, she was one of the larger and somewhat backward
members of the class.
On a hot afternoon in July, Maria was sitting at the top of the stairs of her
house, mending a shirt. She was not quite 12 years old, but physically mature. A
cart stopped outside, and a neighbor, Alessandro, 18 years old, ran up the
stairs. He seized her and pulled her into a bedroom. She struggled and tried to
call for help. “No, God does not wish it," she cried out. "It is a sin. You
would go to hell for it.” Alessandro began striking at her blindly with a long
dagger.
She was taken to a hospital. Her last hours were marked by the usual simple
compassion of the good—concern about where her mother would sleep, forgiveness
of her murderer (she had been in fear of him, but did not say anything lest she
cause trouble to his family) and her devout welcoming of Viaticum, her last Holy
Communion. She died about 24 hours after the attack.
Her murderer was sentenced to 30 years in prison. For a long time he was
unrepentant and surly. One night he had a dream or vision of Maria, gathering
flowers and offering them to him. His life changed. When he was released after
27 years, his first act was to go to beg the forgiveness of Maria’s mother.
Devotion to the young martyr grew, miracles were worked, and in less than half a
century she was canonized. At her beatification in 1947, her mother (then 82),
two sisters and a brother appeared with Pope Pius XII on the balcony of St.
Peter’s. Three years later, at her canonization, a 66-year-old Alessandro
Serenelli knelt among the quarter-million people and cried tears of joy.
Comment:
Maria may have had trouble with catechism, but she had no trouble with faith.
God's will was holiness, decency, respect for one's body, absolute obedience,
total trust. In a complex world, her faith was simple: It is a privilege to be
loved by God, and to love him—at any cost.
Quote:
"Even if she had not been a martyr, she would still have been a saint, so holy
was her everyday life" (Cardinal Salotti).
Patron Saint of:
Catholic youth
Girls
Teenagers
Youth
