July 3, 2016 – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Lectionary: 102
Reading 1 – Isaiah 66: 10-14C
Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,
all you who love her;
exult, exult with her,
all you who were mourning over her!
Oh, that you may suck fully
of the milk of her comfort,
that you may nurse with delight
at her abundant breasts!
For thus says the LORD:
Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.
As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms,
and fondled in her lap;
as a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.
When you see this, your heart shall rejoice
and your bodies flourish like the grass;
the LORD’s power shall be known to his servants.
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 66: 1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
- Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!” - Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam. - Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever. - Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
Reading 2 – Galatians 6: 14-18
Brothers and sisters:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision,
but only a new creation.
Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule
and to the Israel of God.
From now on, let no one make troubles for me;
for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brothers and sisters. Amen.
Gospel – Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20
At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”
The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power to ‘tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Listen to the Scriptures: click on the link below:
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) – 3rd July 2016
“Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves” (Lk 10:3).
Carrying Tension: One of the things we’re asked to do as Christians is to help “take away the sins of the world” as Jesus did. How?
Jesus “took away the sins of the world” by holding, carrying, purifying, and transforming tension, that is, by taking in the bitterness, anger, jealousy, hatred, slander, and every other kind of thing that’s cancerous within human community, and not giving it back in kind.
Point 1: In essence, Jesus did this by acting like a purifier, a water filter of sorts: He took in hatred, held it, transformed it, and gave back love; he took in bitterness, held it, transformed it, and gave back graciousness; he took in curses, held them transformed them, and gave back blessing; and he took in murder, held it, transformed it, and gave back forgiveness. Jesus resisted the instinct to give back in kind, hatred for hatred, curses for curses, jealousy for jealousy, murder for murder. He held and transformed these things rather than simply re-transmit them.
And, in this, he wants imitation, not admiration. Christian discipleship invites us, like Jesus, to become a “lamb of God”, a purifier that helps take tension out of our families, communities, friendship circles, churches, and work-places by holding and transforming it rather than simply give it back in kind.
Point 2: To carry tension is to fill with tension ourselves and, as we know, this can be unbearable. It is not easy. Jesus did this, but the gospels say that he had to “sweat blood” to achieve it. We don’t have God’s strength and we aren’t made of steel. As we try to carry tension for others, what do we do with our own tensions? How do we carry tension without becoming resentful and bitter? How do we carry another’s cross without, however subtly, sending him or her the bill?
This isn’t easy, as every health professional can tell you. Tension wreaks havoc inside us, physically and emotionally. You can die of high blood pressure or of disappointment. But there are some rules that can help.
First, carrying tension for others does not mean putting up with abuse or not confronting pathologically or clinical dysfunction. To love someone, as we now know, does not mean accepting abuse in the name of love.
Second, we need to find healthy outlets to release our own tensions. However we should never download them on the same people for whom we are trying to carry them. For example, parents carry tension for their children, but, when frustrations build up, they should not angrily vent those frustrations back on the kids themselves. Rather they should deal with their own tensions away from the children, with each other and with friends, when the kids are in bed, over a bottle of wine. The same holds true for everyone: We should never vent our frustrations on the very person or persons for whom we are trying to carry tension.
Point 3: Finally, in order to deal with the frustrations that build up in us, we need, in the midst of the tensions, to be connected to something (a person, a friendship, a hand, a God, a creed, a perspective) beyond ourselves and the situation we’re in.
Scripture offers some wonderful images for this. It tells us, for example, that as Steven was being stoned to death out of hatred and jealousy, he kept his “eyes raised to heaven”. That’s not so much a physical description of things, as every artist knows, but a commentary on how Steven kept himself from drowning in the spinning chaos that was assaulting him. He stayed connected to a person, a hand, a friendship, an affirmation, a perspective, and a divine power outside of the madness.
We see the same thing, just a different metaphor, in the story of the three young men who are thrown into the blazing furnace in the Book of Daniel. We’re told that they walked around, right in the midst of the flames, untouched by the fire because they were singing sacred songs. Like Steven, they sustained their love and faith amidst bitter jealousy and hatred by staying connected to something outside of the fiery forces that were consuming everyone else.
Conclusion: We need to contemplate that lesson. Like Jesus, and like everyone else who’s ever walked this planet, we all find ourselves forever inside families, communities, churches, friendships, and work-circles that are filled with tension of every kind. Our natural temptation, always, is to simply give back in kind, jealousy for jealousy, gossip for gossip, anger for anger. But what our world really needs is for some women and men, adults, to step forward and help carry and purify this tension, to help take it away by transforming it inside themselves.
But that’s not easy. Like Jesus, it will involve “sweating blood”. So, as we volunteer to step into the fire, it’s wise not to go in alone, but to stay connected to some hand, some friend, some creed, and some God who will help sustain us in love and faith, right inside the madness and fire.
QUESTIONS BASED ON THE READING
First Reading
- Salvation history started in the Old Testament, moved through the New and continues today. Do you think God’s love changed over all this time or is it the same? Why do you say so?
- Compare Jerusalem in this reading with the Church today. What treasure has the Church received from God that gives her children great comfort?
Second Reading
- “For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision.” Some people wanted to follow the ancient practices. Paul did not. Can you relate to this kind of problem in your home? Your work? Your Church?
- St. Paul looks at the circumcision situation from the perspective of “the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” Can you envision problems in today’s Church from that point of view? Standing vs. kneeling, women vs. men, inclusive language or not, and which style of music is played?
Gospel
- Jesus sent seventy-two disciples out because at the time there were seventy-two known nations. What would such symbolism mean in our times? Are you one of the people sent out?
- Jesus sends us “like lambs to the wolves, without money, backpacks or sandals.” In what ways are you a laborer in this abundant harvest? What happens when a lamb meets a wolf? If you are the lamb, then who are the wolves he sends you out to? Is there anything good about being without money?
Remember:
Our culture today, in many ways, is equally hostile to Christ and the Christian way of life. When we try to live out Christ’s teachings, defend our faith, and build up the Church, we often run into resistance, mockery, and humiliation. Jesus knew we would; but he wants us to be his courageous ambassadors anyway. He told us that we will sometimes be rejected because of our faith. And that’s OK. We just shake the dust from our feet and move on, trusting that he can turn failures into successes.
This is the secret to dodging discouragement, one of the Christian disciple’s greatest enemies. When we try to follow Christ conscientiously, and obstacles spring up, and failures plague us, the first temptation we face is discouragement. We think we have done something wrong. We think we are good for nothing. We think Jesus is disappointed with us.
When we let these evil thoughts take root in our hearts, they stifle us. They make us settle for comfortable mediocrity. The devil loves that. He loves filling Christian hearts with paralyzing discouragement. But the truth is that discouragement is just the result of unfulfilled expectations. And Christ has now reminded us of which expectations we should have as we strive to follow him. We should expect rejection, persecution, and obstacles. Now that we know this, we don’t have to be discouraged anymore. We can be humble, trust in Christ, wipe the dust from our feet, and move forward.
As we celebrate the Eucharist this Sunday, let’s reflect on the moments when we tend to give in to this temptation of discouragement, and let’s put them in Christ’s hands, shaking the dust from our feet and trusting in the power of his grace.
14 Sunday in Ordinary Time – 3 July 2016
For the Church: that we may continually be a pilgrim people striving on toward the reign of God and sharing freely the gifts and blessings which we have received, let us pray to the Lord.
For the grace to embrace the cross: that we may each find strength and meaning for life in the cross of Christ, let us pray to the Lord..
For a recognition and affirmation of gifts: that the Spirit will show us the gifts that are present in the church and give us wisdom to most effectively use these to further the work of God, let us pray to the Lord.
For missionaries and relief workers: that God will renew their spirits, give them courage, and help them to effectively give witness to God’s great love for all, let us pray to the Lord.
For all who are called to lay ministry: that they may hear God’s invitation, share their talents with the church, and find support and encouragement in the community of faith, let us pray to the Lord.
For those called to priestly or religious vocations: that they will recognize God’s call, open their hearts to all that God can do through them, and be filled with courage and love, let us pray to the Lord.
For all who are called to hand on the faith, for parents, teachers, and preachers: that God will inspire them to effectively and dynamically share the Good News with all whom they care for and lead, let us pray to the Lord.
For each of us: that we may hear God’s call and share in the mission of the church by bringing hope, relief of burdens, and compassionate understanding to all who touch our lives, let us pray to the Lord.
For the leaders of nations: that they may listen to one another and act with integrity to bring forth justice and sound economic plans throughout the world, let us pray to the Lord.
For the peace of Jerusalem: that wounds may be healed, trust built, and God’s providence be shown to all in the land of promise, let us pray to the Lord.
For all cities burdened by violence and destruction: that God’s compassionate care will inspire people to work for the restoration of neighborhoods and communities, and restore hope to all who are struggling against crime and poverty, let us pray to the Lord.
For all who long for freedom, for the addicted, for those who are forced into prostitution, and for those entrapped by poverty or illiteracy: that God will open a new path for them and enable them to live in the freedom of the children of God, let us pray to the Lord.
For peace and an end to terrorism: that hearts may be converted and minds changed so that all people may live in peace and safety, let us pray to the Lord.