Priest
Biographical Information about St. Dominic[1]
St. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Dominican Order whose memorial we celebrate today deserves special mention. St. Dominic is credited with being the first to receive and popularize the most widely used devotional in the Catholic Church, the Rosary. However, if the history of the devotion from the Catholic Encyclopedia is read, we quickly discover that the Rosary evolved over centuries and its common form and use today continues to change. The fact that this particular myth continues to be promulgated speaks to the great piety of the Saint and the dedication of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) which he founded.
Readings for Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7
This first reading takes excerpts from both sections of the short book of the Prophet Nahum. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, writing in about 612 BC. His oracle envisions the restoration of Judah and Israel and God’s just retribution against the Assyrians whose ruthlessness was legendary.
Responsorial Psalm Deuteronomy 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
This passage is taken from the “Song of Moses” which follows the proclamation of the Law. Moses foresees a setback for the people of Israel but God is there salvation and will take their side against those who attack them. Places with the reading from Nahum, the emphasis that God will smite the enemies of the just is re-enforced.
Gospel Matthew 16:24-28
This is the second time within the Gospel of St. Matthew the Lord instructs the disciples that if they wish to follow him, they must take up the cross (the first time is in Matthew 10:38). This passage focuses the followers of Christ on the idea that serving the Lord must come before any other purposes in life since it is through following Jesus that eternal life is gained. It is also explicit that bringing the Word of God, the message of the Kingdom of God to the world will lead to persecution and even the possibility of death.
Reflection:
The message that resonates with us today is the Lord calling us to “…deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” That call is different for each one of us. Denying one’s self we interpret to mean putting aside our personal desires and goals when they conflict with what we perceive God is calling us to. This phrase, taken to extremes, has lead many of our saintly predecessors in the faith to extremes of physical hardship, even to the point of death in some cases. Each of us must look into our own heart and find there that reflexive relationship between what it means to deny our human ambitions and answer Christ’s call to follow him.
The “following Christ” part of our call may dictate what is necessary to be denied. For example; I have a friend who feels called to take communion to the sick and elderly, to bring them the sacramental grace and hope in eternal life that flows from that communion. Each Sunday after Mass he goes to the houses of a number of the elderly or homebound on that holy errand. He has done this for over ten years. In following Christ this way he has reflexively given up his leisure pursuits on that day. In placing the mission of Christ in front of his own personal comfort he has denied himself and followed Christ.
There is another example of a husband and wife who are actively involved in ministry to migrant workers who come to the region each summer to work in the fields. In addition to going to the camps to minister to them, this family spent thousands of dollars of their own funds to put together a special day for these, the poor and burdened, that included bringing in speakers, putting on a meal (for three hundred, which they paid for) and having a Spanish speaking Bishop preside at a special Mass for them. They denied themselves, gave up time and resources in order to follow Christ’s call to serve the poor.
There is one other example that should be shared. There is an elderly parishioner who is afflicted with osteoporosis; she can barely walk because of the pain. Each day she comes to Mass and prays for people who have written down prayer requests in the book of intentions. She prays for others! She has given of her time and her own comfort to take up her cross and follow the Lord.
It is up to us to examine our own call to follow Christ. What has he given us that can be used to proclaim his love to the world through our efforts? What are we called to offer to him? It is a question that needs to be considered constantly and we are called to do that once more today.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “St. Dominic de Guzman”, by Claudio, Coello, 1642
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Biographical Information about St. Dominic[1]
St. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Dominican Order whose memorial we celebrate today deserves special mention. St. Dominic is credited with being the first to receive and popularize the most widely used devotional in the Catholic Church, the Rosary. However, if the history of the devotion from the Catholic Encyclopedia is read, we quickly discover that the Rosary evolved over centuries and its common form and use today continues to change. The fact that this particular myth continues to be promulgated speaks to the great piety of the Saint and the dedication of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) which he founded.
Readings for Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7
This first reading takes excerpts from both sections of the short book of the Prophet Nahum. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, writing in about 612 BC. His oracle envisions the restoration of Judah and Israel and God’s just retribution against the Assyrians whose ruthlessness was legendary.
Responsorial Psalm Deuteronomy 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
This passage is taken from the “Song of Moses” which follows the proclamation of the Law. Moses foresees a setback for the people of Israel but God is there salvation and will take their side against those who attack them. Places with the reading from Nahum, the emphasis that God will smite the enemies of the just is re-enforced.
Gospel Matthew 16:24-28
This is the second time within the Gospel of St. Matthew the Lord instructs the disciples that if they wish to follow him, they must take up the cross (the first time is in Matthew 10:38). This passage focuses the followers of Christ on the idea that serving the Lord must come before any other purposes in life since it is through following Jesus that eternal life is gained. It is also explicit that bringing the Word of God, the message of the Kingdom of God to the world will lead to persecution and even the possibility of death.
Reflection:
The message that resonates with us today is the Lord calling us to “…deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” That call is different for each one of us. Denying one’s self we interpret to mean putting aside our personal desires and goals when they conflict with what we perceive God is calling us to. This phrase, taken to extremes, has lead many of our saintly predecessors in the faith to extremes of physical hardship, even to the point of death in some cases. Each of us must look into our own heart and find there that reflexive relationship between what it means to deny our human ambitions and answer Christ’s call to follow him.
The “following Christ” part of our call may dictate what is necessary to be denied. For example; I have a friend who feels called to take communion to the sick and elderly, to bring them the sacramental grace and hope in eternal life that flows from that communion. Each Sunday after Mass he goes to the houses of a number of the elderly or homebound on that holy errand. He has done this for over ten years. In following Christ this way he has reflexively given up his leisure pursuits on that day. In placing the mission of Christ in front of his own personal comfort he has denied himself and followed Christ.
There is another example of a husband and wife who are actively involved in ministry to migrant workers who come to the region each summer to work in the fields. In addition to going to the camps to minister to them, this family spent thousands of dollars of their own funds to put together a special day for these, the poor and burdened, that included bringing in speakers, putting on a meal (for three hundred, which they paid for) and having a Spanish speaking Bishop preside at a special Mass for them. They denied themselves, gave up time and resources in order to follow Christ’s call to serve the poor.
There is one other example that should be shared. There is an elderly parishioner who is afflicted with osteoporosis; she can barely walk because of the pain. Each day she comes to Mass and prays for people who have written down prayer requests in the book of intentions. She prays for others! She has given of her time and her own comfort to take up her cross and follow the Lord.
It is up to us to examine our own call to follow Christ. What has he given us that can be used to proclaim his love to the world through our efforts? What are we called to offer to him? It is a question that needs to be considered constantly and we are called to do that once more today.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “St. Dominic de Guzman”, by Claudio, Coello, 1642
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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