Sunday, August 9, 2015: (NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME) Readings for today: 1 Kings 19:4-8 / Ephesians 4:30--5:2 / John 6:41-51:
Readings from: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080915.cfm (Pics from elsewhere on the internet)
Reading 1 - A reading from the first book of Kings (1 Kings 19:4-8):
Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
“This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
Responsorial Psalm - (Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9):
From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZoc3rVDhjI
R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
Let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
And delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy.
And your faces may not blush with shame.
When the afflicted man called out, the LORD heard,
And from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Reading 2 - A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians (Ephesians 4:30--5:2):
Brothers and sisters:
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.
All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling
must be removed from you, along with all malice.
And be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us
as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.
Alleluia: (John 6:51)
From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGVR6l9INLA
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel - A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 6:41-51):
The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,
“I am the bread that came down from heaven, ”
and they said,
“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?
Do we not know his father and mother?
Then how can he say,
‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Stop murmuring among yourselves.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
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08/09/2015: : Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary (Feast Day: August 15): For Catholics, the month of August is especially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, as well as to a number of saints. Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary is a celebration of Mary in that when she died, her tomb lay empty, and the surviving Apostles and disciples of Jesus had a revelation that Mary was assumed into heaven, body and soul, having been born with an abundance of God's grace to the point that she was born without the stain of original sin, and accepted the will of God when she was called upon to carry the baby Jesus in her womb. Through her graceful nature, God became incarnate in the form of the son, Jesus, and humanity was saved through Jesus' self-sacrifice in atonement for our sins...the sins of humanity. It is because of Mary that Jesus performed his first miracle in public by changing water to wine at a wedding in which the wine had run out. Because of this close relationship, we as Catholics believe, and many can attest to, that devotion to and praying for intercession to Mary through her son, Jesus, leads to extraordinary action by God. Therefore, it is no surprise that we Catholics celebrate and believe in Mary being assumed into heaven, body and soul, after her earthly life was finished. This is evidenced in the Catholic tradition of keeping relics of the revered and the saints in the Church...there are no relics (pieces of bone, blood, or anything owned or touched by the saint or the revered person), and there is no gravesite to visit where Mary is buried...both of these examples are evidence that Mary was assumed into heaven because Catholics would flock to such places...just as they would to the places and burial sites of the saints...none exist for Mary, and for one as IMPORTANT as Mary to not have relics circulating in the Church and with no burial site (and no body at the burial site), and because of her importance in bringing Christ into the world, it is only natural to deduce that Mary has been brought into heaven, body and soul.
From: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1108&calendar=1
Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
Feast Day: August 15
On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.” The pope proclaimed this dogma only after a broad consultation of bishops, theologians and laity. There were few dissenting voices. What the pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the Catholic Church.
We find homilies on the Assumption going back to the sixth century. In following centuries the Eastern Churches held steadily to the doctrine, but some authors in the West were hesitant. However, by the 13th century there was universal agreement. The feast was celebrated under various names (Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption) from at least the fifth or sixth century. Today it is celebrated as a solemnity.
Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s Assumption into heaven. Nevertheless, Revelation 12 speaks of a woman who is caught up in the battle between good and evil. Many see this woman as God’s people. Since Mary best embodies the people of both Old and New Testament, her Assumption can be seen as an exemplification of the woman’s victory.
Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul speaks of Christ’s resurrection as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Since Mary is closely associated with all the mysteries of Jesus’ life, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit has led the Church to belief in Mary’s share in his glorification. So close was she to Jesus on earth, she must be with him body and soul in heaven.
Comment:
In the light of the Assumption of Mary, it is easy to pray her Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55) with new meaning. In her glory she proclaims the greatness of the Lord and finds joy in God her savior. God has done marvels to her and she leads others to recognize God’s holiness. She is the lowly handmaid who deeply reverenced her God and has been raised to the heights. From her position of strength she will help the lowly and the poor find justice on earth, and she will challenge the rich and powerful to distrust wealth and power as a source of happiness.
Quote:
“In the bodily and spiritual glory which she possesses in heaven, the Mother of Jesus continues in this present world as the image and first flowering of the Church as she is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, Mary shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come (cf. 2 Peter 3:10), as a sign of certain hope and comfort for the pilgrim People of God” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 68).