July 14-19: July 14 Monday: Saint Camillus de Lellis, priest & in the U. S. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin: Mt 10:34–11:1: 34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s foes will be those of his own household. 37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. “39 Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple–amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns

The context: Jesus makes the controversial statement that he has come to inaugurate a series of divisions in families and in the society as a whole between those who accept him as Lord and Savior and those who oppose him, his ideas and his ideals. He concludes his great “missionary discourse” with an instruction to his twelve Apostles on the cost and the reward found in the commitment to be his disciple. The first half of these sayings of Jesus is about the behavior expected from his disciples, and the second half is about the behavior of others towards the disciple. “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword”:Jesus clarifies that he came to give people lasting peace, not temporary, worldly peace — the simple absence of war and freedom from all conflicts in the family and society. Our role is to keep fighting against our evil habits and addictions using the spiritual sword of the word of God which is “lively and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12). “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me….” : What Jesus means is that all loyalties must give place to loyalty to God. In other words, we cannot condone immoral practices even in members of our family. Jesus is not speaking against the family, but rather reminding us that we are part of the larger family of our fellow-Christians and, hence, we have more responsibilities. We must be ready to lose our lives for Christ: By “losing one’s life” Jesus means, not only suffering death rather than betray him, but also that, daily, we must stop living for ourselves alone. Instead, we must spend our lives for others and care for those who are sick and hungry. We are to give hospitality to strangers in Jesus’ name.(“offer a cup of cold water”): There are four main links in the chain of salvation: i) God who has sent Jesus with His message, ii) Jesus who has preached the “Good News,” iii) the human messenger who preaches Jesus’ message through his words and life, and iv) the believer who welcomes the message and the messengers. Hence, giving hospitality to a preacher or a believer is the same as welcoming Jesus himself. The basis of all hospitality is that we all belong to God’s family, and that every person is our brother or sister.

Life message: 1) We need to be hospitable and generous: Hospitality allows us to encounter the presence of God in others, usually in those in whom we least expect to find Him, and to share our love with them. We become fully alive as Christians through the generous giving of ourselves to others. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25 For additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

July 15 Tuesday: Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor : Mt 11:20-24: 20 Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom than for you. The context: Jesus reminds these cities that they deserve God’s punishment because they have forgotten the responsibilities which their numerous meetings with the Messiah in their midst have laid upon them. They should have listened to his message, put it into practice, and borne witness to the miracles he had worked for them.

Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum: Nothing is mentioned in any of the Gospels about the “wonders” Jesus worked in these cities. Bethsaida was a fishing village on the west bank of Jordan at the northern end of the lake. Chorazin was a town one hour’s walking distance north of Capernaum. Jesus expresses his holy anger and sorrowful pity from a broken heart at the irresponsible disregard and indifference these three ungrateful cities have shown to the Good News. Jesus warns them, “it shall be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for Tyre and Sidon .. [and] the land of Sodom”than for them, because Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom were not fortunate enough to hear Jesus and to receive the opportunity for conversion given to Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum.

Life Messages: Privileges always carry responsibilities: 1) We are privileged to have the holy Bible, so we have the responsibility of making use of it. 2) We are privileged to have the Eucharistic celebration every day in our Churches, so we have the responsibility of participating in it when we are able to do so. 3) We are privileged to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so we have the responsibility of using it to be reconciled with Jesus and his Church. 4) We are blessed to have the Holy Spirit guiding the teaching authority in the Church, so we have the responsibility of studying and following the Church’s directives and teachings. 5) We have the inestimable gift of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as our Heavenly Mother, and the company of numerous saints who serve as our role models, so we have the responsibility of following Jesus in their footsteps. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

For additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

July 16 Wednesday, OT 15 — Mt 11:25-27: 25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26 yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

The context: Jesus knew that ordinary people with large, sensitive hearts, rather than proud intellectuals like the Scribes and the Pharisees, were able accept the “Good News” he preached. Such people would inherit Heaven rather than the learned and the wise who prided themselves on their intellectual achievements. Hence, in the first part of today’s Gospel Jesus prays loudly, thanking God his Father and praising Him for revealing Himself to the simple-hearted, thus condemning intellectual pride. A person who is full of self-centeredness fails to perceive supernatural things as real.

Jesus’ unique claim of being God’s perfect reflection: “No one really knows the Father except the Son, and him to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him” (Mt 11:27).The claim that Jesus alone can reveal God to men forms the center of the Christian Faith. John records Jesus’ claim in different words which He spoke at the Last Supper: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). What Jesus says is, in effect, this: “If you want to see what God is like, if you want to see the mind of God, the heart of God, the nature of God, if you want to see God’s whole attitude to men–look at Me!”

Life message: We need to learn how to know and love God better by studying Jesus’ revelation about God his Father. We do this by daily reading the Holy Bible, especially the Gospels, by meditating on the passages read and by applying them to our lives. The more we study the Bible, the more we learn about the Triune God, and especially about Jesus our Savior. This knowledge will help us to love Jesus more, experience his presence in our daily lives, see his face in everyone around us and surrender our lives to Jesus by rendering humble service to everyone around us. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

[July 16 Optional Memorial: Our Lady of Mount Carmel: Mount Carmel
is a mountain in northern Palestine about twenty miles from Nazareth,
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, three miles south of Haifa in modern Israel.
1 Kgs Chapter 18 describes how the prophet Elijah’s prayer on Mount Carmel for
rain was answered and how he defeated the 450 pagan priests of Baal on the same
mountain. He challenged them to bring fire from Heaven to burn the sacrificed
bulls placed on the altar, and he proved that only Yahweh was the true God.
According to the most ancient Carmelite chronicles, the Order had its origins
with the disciples of the prophets Elijah and Eliseus on Mount Carmel. They
lived very ascetic lives in caves on Mount Carmel honoring the “Holy
Virgin” of the Messianic prophecies who would give birth to the promised
Messiah. When the Apostles started preaching Jesus, the pious ascetics
of Carmel accepted the Christian Faith. In the 13th century, a group of
pilgrims who followed the Crusaders was impressed by the lifestyle of the
disciples of Elijah. Hence, they set up a religious community on the western
slopes of Mount Carmel and started living very ascetic lives. This was the
beginning of the modern Carmelite Order, whose members started leading a
contemplative life under the patronage of Mary, honoring her as the Mother
of God and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The people began to call them Friars
of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. Pope Honorius III approved the
order’s rule in 1232 (or 1236?). Since the Turks had started conquering
Palestine by 1235, the hermits decided to go back to Europe, where they built
monasteries in Cyprus, Italy, France, and England. Simon Stock, an English
Carmelite, became the superior of all the Carmelites in 1247. He helped the
order expand and adapt to the times, patterning the order on the Dominicans and
Franciscans. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was instituted first for the
Carmelites in 1332 to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the
approval of the rule of the Carmelite Order. The Order of Discalced
Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (OCD) resulted from
16th century reforms of the Carmelites by St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of
the Cross and later by reforms made by the order Carmelites of Mary
Immaculate (CMI) in the Kerala State of India

Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Brown scapular: According a popular legend,
Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251, and gave him the Brown
Scapular with the following words: “This will be for you and for all Carmelites the
privilege, that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire.” Mary promised her protection to all those who would wear the
blessed habit and lead a life of prayer and sacrifice. Pope St. Pius X (1903
-1914) declared that that the common people could have the same blessings if
they would wear the metal scapular medal carrying the picture of Our Lady of
the Scapular on one side and the Sacred Heart on the other. The feast of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel challenges us both to imitate the simple and ascetic life
of the Blessed Virgin Mary with her trusting Faith in God and her humility, and
to seek her guidance and maternal protection in our Christian lives. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

For additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video;
https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

July 17
Thursday: Mt 11:28-30: 28 Come to me, all who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” The
context: In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers rest to those
who labor and are burdened, if they are ready to accept his easy
yoke and light burden. For the Orthodox Jew, religion was
a matter of burdens, namely, 613 Mosaic laws and thousands
of oral interpretations, which dictated every aspect of life. Jesus
invites the overburdened Israel, and us, to take his yoke upon
our shoulders. In Palestine, ox-yokes were made of wood
and were carved to fit the ox comfortably. The yoke of Christ can be
seen as the sum of our Christian responsibilities and duties. Jesus’ yoke is light because it is given with
love. It is the commandment to love others as Jesus did.
Besides, the yoke of Christ is not just a yoke from Christ
but also a yoke with him. So, we are not yoked singly to pull
the plow by our own unaided power. We are yoked together with Christ to work
with him using his strength. Jesus is inviting each one of us to be yoked with
him, to unite our life with him, our will with his will, our heart with his
heart. By saying that his “yoke is easy,” Jesus
means that whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities
exactly.The
second part of Jesus’ claim
is: “My burden is light.”  Jesus does not mean
that his burden is easy to carry, but that it is laid on us in love. This
burden is meant to be carried in love, and love makes even the heaviest burden
light.  By following Jesus, one will find peace, rest, and real
refreshment. We are burdened with many things:  business, concerns about
jobs, marriage, money, health, children, security, old age_, and
a thousand other things. Jesus is asking us to give him our burdens and take on
his yoke. By telling us, “Take my yoke .
. . and you will find rest,” Christ is asking us to do
things the Christian way. When we are centered in God, when we follow God’s commandments, we have no heavy burdens. Life
messages:  1) We need to be
freed from unnecessary burdens: Jesus is interested in lifting from
our backs the burdens that drain us and suck the life out of us, so
that he can place around our necks his own yoke and his burden which
bring to us, and to others through us, new life, new energy, and new joy.
2) We need to unload our burdens before the Lord. One of the
functions of worship for many of us is that it gives us a time for rest and
refreshment, when we let the overheated radiators of our hectic lives cool down
before the Lord. This is especially true when we unload the burdens of our sins
and worries and evil addictions on the altar and offer them to God during the
Holy Mass. (Fr. Kadavil) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

For additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video;
https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

July 18 Friday; Saint Camillus de Lellis,
priest (in the U. S.): Mt 12:1-8: 1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the
Sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and
to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to
him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the
Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did, when
he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God
and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor
for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read
in the law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath,
and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7
And if you had known what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you
would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of the
Sabbath.”

 The context:
Today’s Gospel passage gives us Jesus’ teaching on the purpose of the Sabbath
and on its proper observance. This was his response to a criticism and a silly
accusation made by Pharisees against his disciples who, on a Sabbath, to
satisfy their hunger, plucked ears of grain from a field and ate the grains
after removing the husks by rubbing the grains between their palms   and blowing away the chaff. The Pharisees
accused them of violating Sabbath laws by performing three items of work
forbidden on Sabbath, namely, harvesting, threshin,
and winnowing.

Counterarguments: Jesus gives three
counterarguments from Holy Scripture defending his apostles. (1) Basic human
needs, like hunger, take precedence over Divine worship and Sabbath
observance. Jesus cites from the Scripture the example of the hungry David and
his selected soldiers. They approached Ahimelech, the
priest of Nob, who gave them for food the “offering bread” which only the priests
were allowed to eat (1 Sm 21:1-6). (2) No law can stand against Divine
worship. That is why the priests were not considered as violating Sabbath
laws although they did the work of preparing two rams for sacrifice in the
Temple (Nm 28:9-10). (3) God desires that we practice mercy:
Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea to tell the
accusers God’s words: “I want mercy, not sacrifice” (Hos
6:6).

Life messages: Like
the Jewish Sabbath, the Christian Sunday is to be 1) a day for rest and
refreshment with members of the family; 2) a day for thanksgiving and
the recharging of spiritual batteries through participation in the
Eucharistic celebration for Catholics and through worship service for the
Non-Catholics; 3) a day parents should use for teaching religious Faith
and Bible lessons to their children; 4) a day for doing works of charity
in the neighborhood and in the parish; 5) a day for socializing with
family members, neighbors, and fellow parishioners. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

 For additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video;
https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections[ak1]

July 19 Saturday: Mt 12:14-21 14 The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesusto put him to death. 15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all, 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20 he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, till he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name will the Gentiles hope.”

The context: The confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees reached its climax with Jesus’ “blasphemous” statement: “The Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath. The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Jesus realized that there was more work of preaching and healing that needed to be done. So, withdrawing to a less-known place to avoid a premature arrest, Jesus asked people not to give publicity to their miraculous healings. Further, Jesus wanted to avoid being labelled a false messiah or revolt-inducer against the Roman empire, allegations the hostile religious and political leaders of Israel longed to make and substantiate. Matthew interprets this temporary withdrawal of Jesus from the crowd as a fulfilment of Isiah’s Messianic prophecy about the “Suffering Servant” (Isaiah 42:1-4). It teaches the apostles and the people that the Messiah’s role is not using crushing power to subdue people but offering sacrificial service to uplift them. Isaiah 42:1-4 directly refers to the conquering Persian king Cyrus (whom God used as His instrument to discipline His people), but indirectly and in its full meaning, it refers to the promised Messiah, Jesus. The prophecy also teaches that 1) the Messiah will be anointed with God’s Spirit; 2) the Messiah will teach justice to the Gentiles in showing them how to give to God what is due to Him and to men what is due them; 3) the Messiah will preach gentle and forgiving love; 4) the Messiah will bring God’s healing love of hope and encouragement to the Gentiles, even though their Faith and witnessing may be weak as a reed or feeble as a flickering lamp.

Life messages: 1) Let us have the courage of our Christian convictions in the face of opposition to our practice of the Faith. 2) Let us keep hoping in God and trusting in His mercy and justice in the pains and suffering inflicted on us by others. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

For additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections[ak2]