Word Today, July
6, 2004 (Tuesday in the 14th Week
in Ordinary Time)
Readings: Hos 8:4-7, 11-13/
Mt 9:32-38
“And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for
them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep
without a shepherd.” The breadth of Jesus' heart is
wide indeed. He is concerned for every single person in that
crowd, just like the good shepherd, looking out for a single
lost sheep.
God loves every single person in his or her uniqueness.
Many spiritual writers say that Christ would have undergone
all his sufferings, even to save a single person. As followers
of Christ, the plight of any human being cannot be a matter
of indifference. We must especially be concerned for those
who are far away from God. They are not really “bad”;
they are just lost or disoriented.
Word Today, July
7, 2004 (Wednesday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Readings: Hos 10:1-3,
7-8, 12/ Mt 10:1-7
The gospel reading says that Jesus gave to the 12
chosen disciples (the apostles) the authority “over
unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all
kinds of diseases and sickness.” We know that later
on, this authority would extend over the Church.
The successors of the apostles are the bishops. They
are there with the authority from Christ. Like the apostles,
they may have their personal failings. But in the end, we
must recognize that the hierarchy constitutes the legitimate
authority over the Church and they have the guarantee of
Christ. We should always respect the authority of the hierarchy.
Word Today, July
8, 2004 (Thursday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Readings: Hos 11:1-4,
8c-9/ Mt 10:7-15
The gospel of today's Mass narrates how Jesus urged
the chosen Twelve to go forth and fulfill their apostolic
task. This first assignment is a preparation for the final
mission they would receive after the Resurrection, when Christ
would tell them to “Go, preach the Gospel, making disciples
of all nations.”
The Church continues this task of the Apostles. Her
Divine Founder gave her the mission of spreading the Kingdom
of Christ, making all men participate in the redemption.
The mission of the Church transcends all social and ideological
movements. At the same time, the Church, especially through
the lay persons, must be involved in all human problems,
trying to orient them towards their true end in God.
Word Today, July
9, 2004 (Friday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Readings: Hos 14:2-10/
Mt 10:16-23
“Be wise as serpents yet innocent as doves.” Those
who work for God cannot be naïve simpletons. They must
have their feet firmly planted on the ground. The great saints
and apostles, while they sometimes appeared foolish in the
eyes of their contemporaries, had great common sense. That
is why they were able to achieve great works.
At the same time, they should not have the so-called “prudence
of the flesh.” To ensure that they are “innocent
as doves,” they must have a pure intention. They work
for the glory of God. Their wise plans are not for themselves
but for God and for the service of their fellowmen.
Word Today, July
10, 2004 (Saturday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time)
Readings: Is 6:1-8/ Mt
10:24-33
In today's gospel, Christ talks about the devil, who
is known by the name of Beelzebub. Elsewhere, Christ refers
to the devil as the father of all lies. Today, he also speaks
about the need to love the truth since “everything
that is now hidden will be made clear.” We should speak
out the truth. “What you hear in whispers, proclaim
from the housetops. In a world in which lying and deceit
are the habitual ways of acting of many persons, Christians
ought to be persons who love the truth.
To be an advocate of truth and to reject deceit and
hypocrisy in our lives however is not easy. It entails fortitude
and perseverance. Thus the Lord Jesus gives us very consoling
words of assurance “Why, every hair on your head has
been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth
more than hundreds of sparrows.”
The providence of God covers every facet of our life.
If we work for God, we must not be anxious or worried about
difficulties. Contradictions should not make us lose heart.
God is always in control. He never loses battles. We just
have to work constantly, confident that God will derive good
from any apparent evil that can beset us.
Word Today, July
11, 2004 (FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME)
Readings: Dt 30:10-14/
Col 1:15-20/ Lk 10:25-37
Jesus gave the parable of the “Good Samaritan” in
the context of the Great Commandment to love God above all
things and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Among other
things, this means that true love of God must be manifested
in our readiness to help others. We cannot truly love God
if we are just concerned about ourselves and our comfort.
Besides, our love for others must be universal. It
is not limited to those whom we like or to those with whom
we have a natural affinity. It must extend to strangers and
even to so-called “enemies”, people who, by background
or culture, may be very different from us. Finally, the help
we extend our neighbor must even reach the point of personal
sacrifice. The good Samaritan “bothered” to help
that man, providing for him with his own means and his time.
That is the standard of loving our neighbor. That is the
standard of loving God.
Word Today, July
12, 2004 (Monday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time)
Readings: Is 1:10-17/
Mt 10:34--11:1
The requirements of following Christ seem to be very
demanding. In some translations, he talks about the need
to “hate” father, mother, daughter or son. Other
translations are less radical, and use the words “not
to prefer”. The ultimate meaning is the same. We must
put God above all things, even above our natural inclinations
of filial or paternal love. We must even put God above our
very own life, above that strong instinct we all have for
self-preservation.
That is why martyrdom,
or the readiness for it, is a requirement of genuine Christian
living. The Holy Father has wanted to emphasize the need
to recognize the martyrs of these present times. Indeed,
many Christians, as we now see in the so-called "third secret
of Fatima,” have faced martyrdom from those who persecuted
the followers of Christ in this century.
