Sunday
August 3^rd

18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1^st Reading: Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23:
All is meaningless—says the Teacher—meaningless, meaningless! For here was a man who toiled in all wisdom, knowledge and skill; and he must leave all to someone who has not worked for it. This is meaningless and a great misfortune. For what profit is there for a man in all his work and heart-searching under the sun? All his days bring sorrow; his work, grief; he hasn’t, moreover, peaceful rest at night: that, too, is meaningless.

2^nd Reading: Col 3:1-5, 9-11:
So then, if you are risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on earthly things. For you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, reveals himself, you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Therefore, put to death what is earthly in your life, that is immorality, impurity, inordinate passions, wicked desires and greed, which is a way of worshiping idols. Do not lie to one another. You have been stripped of the old self and its way of thinking; to put on the new, which is being renewed, and is to reach perfect knowledge, and the likeness of its creator.

There is no room for distinction between Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, foreigner, slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all.

Gospel: Lk 12:13-21:
Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, “Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance.”

He replied, “My friend, who has appointed me as your judge or your attorney?”

Then Jesus said to the people, “Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life.”

And Jesus continued, “There was a rich man, and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought, ‘What shall I do, for I am short of room to store my harvest? Alright, I know what I shall do: I will pull down my barns and I will build bigger ones, to store all this grain, which is my wealth. Then I will say to myself: My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you. Tell me, who shall get all you have put aside?’ This is the lot of the one who stores up riches for himself and is not wealthy in the eyes of God.”

Reflection:
In today’s second reading we have the apostle Paul tell us, “Do not lie to one another.” On this matter of lying, few Christians know the three basic principles which should inspire our behavior.

The first of these principles is that, as a general rule, we should speak the truth to one another, otherwise distrust reigns and social life becomes impossible.

Secondly, we have the obligation to tell the truth in answer to a question by someone who is entitled to the truth, v.g. a judge in a court of law, a parent or a guardian, a government agency, etc.

Thirdly, we can make a false statement in answer to a question by someone who is not entitled to the truth, v.g. a nosy neighbor, a nosy classmate, a dangerous maniac, etc. Moral theologians call this a falsehood, not a lie. It is morally neutral. In fact, in some rare cases (v.g. to protect the life of an innocent person, to preserve a secret, to safeguard a person’s reputation, etc.), we have the obligation of saying a falsehood.

These three principles should enable us to distinguish between what is traditionally called a “white lie” (i.e. a mere falsehood) from a real lie.

Let us ask the Spirit to grant us the wisdom for discerning when to tell the truth and when to withhold it. Today I will try to tell the unvarnished truth about myself whenever I am tempted to boast instead.

Monday
August 4^th

John Vianney

1^st Reading: Num 11:4b-15:
The children of Israel lamented, “Would that we had meat for food! We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt, and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now we are famished; we see nothing before us but this manna.”

Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin. When they had gone about and gathered it up, the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar, then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves, which tasted like cakes made with oil. At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell. 

When Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their tents, so that the Lord became very angry, he was grieved.

“Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the Lord. “Why are you so displeased with me
that you burden me with all this people?

“Was it I who conceived all this people? Or was it I who gave them birth, that you tell me to carry them at my bosom, like a foster father carrying an infant, to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers?

“Where can I get meat to give to all this people? For they are crying to me, ‘Give us meat for our food.’ I cannot carry all this people by myself, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you will deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face this distress.”

Gospel: Mt 14:13-21:
When Jesus hears of it, he set out by boat for a secluded place, to be alone. But the people heard of it, and they followed him on foot from their towns. When Jesus went ashore, he saw the crowd gathered there, and he had compassion on them. And he healed their sick.

Late in the afternoon, his disciples came to him and said, “We are in a lonely place and it is now late. You should send these people away, so that they can go to the villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” But Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes.” Jesus said to them, “Bring them here to me.” Then he made everyone sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fishes, raised his eyes to heaven, pronounced the blessing, broke the loaves, and handed them to the disciples to distribute to the people.

And they all ate, and everyone had enough; then the disciples gathered up the leftovers, filling twelve baskets. About five thousand men had eaten there, besides women and children.

Reflection:
The material poverty being experienced by the poor sector of our society, particularly lack of food, water, and a decent place to live in, is an indication of the continuing work of the Church to realize the reign of God on Earth.

Jesus’ command to the disciples to “give them something to eat” extends to the contemporary Church, which claims to be a “church of the poor.” This command originates from his compassionate and loving heart, and it is well received by the Church which acts in the same love and compassion to care for the Body of Christ.

In like manner, we are our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers, individually sharing in this command of Jesus.

Being true to the command would mean, in our time, reaching out to others in times of need to alleviate their suffering and to lift them up from inhumane condition, and to help give back their dignity as a human person, as daughters and sons of the living God.

The command could also be extended to the care, protection and preservation of natural resources that aid in the production of food, water and other things that meet basic needs, and their means of livelihood that are dependent on natural sources.

Tuesday
August 5^th

1^st Reading: Numbers 12:1-13:
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman. They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks? Does he not speak through us also?”

And the LORD heard this. Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest man on the face of the earth. So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the meeting tent.”

And the three of them went. Then the LORD came down in the column of cloud, and standing at the entrance of the tent, called Aaron and Miriam.

When both came forward, he said, “Now listen to the words of the LORD: Should there be a prophet among you, in visions will I reveal myself to him, in dreams will I speak to him; not so with my servant Moses! Throughout my house he bears my trust: face to face I speak to him; plainly and not in riddles. The presence of the LORD he beholds. Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?”

So angry was the LORD against them that when he departed, and the cloud withdrew from the tent, there was Miriam, a snow-white leper! When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, he said to Moses, “Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin that we have foolishly committed! Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe that comes forth from its mother’s womb with its flesh half consumed.”

Then Moses cried to the LORD, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!”

Gospel: Mt 14:22-36 (or Mt 15:1-2, 10-14):
Immediately, Jesus obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the crowd away. And having sent the people away, he went up the mountain by himself, to pray. At nightfall, he was there alone.

Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves, for the wind was against it. At daybreak, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. When they saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But at once, Jesus said to them, “Courage! Don’t be afraid. It’s me!”

Peter answered, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

Jesus said to him, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water to go to Jesus.

But seeing the strong wind, he was afraid, and began to sink; and he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and took hold of him, saying, “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?”

As they got into the boat, the wind dropped. Then those in the boat bowed down before Jesus, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God!”

They came ashore at Gennesaret. The local people recognized Jesus and spread the news throughout the region. So they brought to him all the sick people, begging him to let them touch just the hem of his cloak. All who touched it became perfectly well.

Reflection:
Today’s gospel reading contains two important lessons for us, followers of Jesus, and both these lessons are learned from Peter’s behavior. First, although we tend to concentrate more on Jesus’ criticism of Peter’s “little faith,” we forget that, initially, Peter did muster the courage to leave the security of his boat and try to walk on the raging water.

As an experienced fisherman who had lived all his life fishing in the Sea of Galilee, he knew perfectly well that humans cannot walk on water because water is not solid enough a surface to allow that. Yet, he disregarded a lifetime of experience and gamely stepped out on the water. If that is not faith, what else is it?

The second lesson we learn is this one. As long as Peter kept his eyes fixed on Jesus and walked towards Jesus, he could do the impossible. But, the moment he took his eyes off Jesus and instead paid attention to the danger surrounding him, he began to sink.

In other words, if we take Jesus at his word (“Come!”), we can do extraordinary things. But we must not let ourselves become impressed by obstacles. We must just always look at Jesus in complete faith. Then everything becomes possible.

Wednesday
August 6^th

Transfiguration of the Lord

1^st Reading: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14:
I looked and saw the following: Some thrones were set in place and One of Great Age took his seat. His robe was white, as snow, his hair, white as washed wool. His throne was flames of fire with wheels of blazing fire. A river of fire sprang forth and flowed before him. Thousands upon thousands served him and a countless multitude stood before him.

I continued watching the nocturnal vision: One like a son of man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into his presence. Dominion, honor and kingship were given him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; his kingdom will never be destroyed.

2^nd Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-19:
Indeed, what we taught you about the power, and the return of Christ Jesus our Lord, was not drawn from myths or formulated theories. We, ourselves, were eyewitnesses of his majesty, when he received glory and honor from God, the Father, when, from the magnificent glory, this most extraordinary word came upon him: “This is my beloved Son, this is my Chosen One.”

We, ourselves, heard this voice from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain. Therefore, we believe most firmly in the message of the prophets, which you should consider rightly, as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the break of day, when the Morning Star shines in your hearts.

Gospel: Lk 9:28b-36:
He (Jesus) took Peter, John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the aspect of his face was changed, and his clothing became dazzling white.

Two men were talking with Jesus: Moses and Elijah. Appearing in the glory of heaven, Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus about his departure from this life, which was to take place in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had fallen asleep; but they awoke suddenly, and they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

As Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter—not knowing what to say—said to Jesus, “Master, how good it is for us to be here! Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

And no sooner had he spoken, than a cloud appeared and covered them; and the disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then these words came from the cloud, “This is my Son, my Beloved, listen to him.” And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was there alone. The disciples kept this to themselves at the time, telling no one of anything they had seen.

Reflection:
Why did Jesus show his inner glory to Peter, James and John on a particular occasion? The answer to this question is given in the opening words of today’s gospel reading: “About eight days after Jesus had said this…” Said what?

In the paragraphs immediately preceding, we read that Jesus made the first prediction of his impending suffering and death. And so, Luke tells us that the Transfiguration is directly connected to this frightful revelation.

The rest is easy to guess: by showing his inner glory, Jesus wants to strengthen Peter, James and John so that, upon witnessing his Passion, they might not lose all faith in his ultimate victory (also predicted along with the Passion). Well and good, but what concern is all that to us?

It is of great concern, because we, too, occasionally get a glimpse of Christ’s glory—we call these glimpses spiritual consolations, those interior movements inflaming us with love for God, increasing our faith and hope. These little “transfigurations” are meant to strengthen us against the times when we will find ourselves in spiritual desolation. During times of consolation, let us remain humble, remembering how weak we are without God’s felt presence.

Thursday
August 7^th

Sixtus II and Companions
Cajetan

1^st Reading: Num 20:1-13:
The whole congregation of the children of Israel arrived in the desert of Zin in the first month, and the people settled at Kadesh. It was here that Miriam died, and here that she was buried.

As the community had no water, they held a council against Moses and Aaron. The people contended with Moses, exclaiming, “Would that we too had perished with our kinsmen in the Lord’s presence! Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this desert where we and our livestock are dying? Why did you lead us out of Egypt, only to bring us to this wretched place which has neither grain nor figs nor vines nor pomegranates? Here there is not even water to drink!” But Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance of the meeting tent, where they fell prostrate.

Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and the Lord said to Moses, “Take your staff and assemble the community, you and your brother Aaron, and in their presence order the rock to yield its waters. From the rock you shall bring forth water for the congregation and their livestock to drink.”

So Moses took his staff from its place before the Lord, as he was ordered. He and Aaron assembled the community in front of the rock, where he said to them, “Listen to me, you rebels! Are we to bring water for you out of this rock?”

Then, raising his hand, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, and water gushed out in abundance for the people and their livestock to drink. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you were not faithful to me in showing forth my sanctity before the children of Israel, you shall not lead this community into the land I will give them.”

These are the waters of Meribah, where the children of Israel contended against the Lord, and where the Lord revealed his sanctity among them.

Gospel: Mt 16:13-23:
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.

Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord!  No such thing shall ever happen to you.”

He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Reflection:
We know that foundations are what make something stand firm. Strong foundation, solid ground makes for stable structure. In Jesus, the Church, the Body of Christ, stands on solid ground. He is the life, the truth, and the guide of the People of God. In him we find fulfillment, meaning, and direction.

Our faith has its basis on the resurrection of Jesus. Our hope is well founded on the words and promise of Jesus. And our love is grounded on the love of God for all his “very good” creation. We have a choice where to ground our actions: we can ground them with the truth, the good, and genuine values; or we can base them from mere satisfactions.

Those that are genuinely valuable are connected and oriented to the truth and the good. Genuine values promote well-being and flourishing of the whole creation, humans and nonhumans alike. On the other hand, mere satisfactions, if they were to guide our actions, are unstable and cannot be relied on. They tend to corrupt, and will destroy both human lives and the natural world. When actions are led by mere satisfactions, life in the end becomes disorderly and miserable.

Friday
August 8^th

Dominic

1^st Reading: Dt 4:32-40:
Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?

“Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the Lord, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? All this you were allowed to see that you might know the Lord is God and there is no other.

“Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you; on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard him speaking out of the fire. For love of your fathers he chose their descendants and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power, driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you, so as to bring you in and to make their land your heritage, as it is today.

“This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you forever.”

Gospel: Mt 16:24-28:
Jesus said to his disciples, “If you want to follow me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for my sake will find it. What will one gain by winning the whole world if he destroys himself? There is nothing you can give to recover your own self. Know that the Son of Man will come in the Glory of his Father with the holy angels, and he will reward each one according to his deeds. Truly, I tell you, there are some here who will not die before they see the Son of Man coming as king.”

Reflection:
In the gospel reading, Jesus invites us to deny our self, take up our cross, and follow him. This is the threefold character of discipleship. Discipleship in action is both rewarding and costly. It comprises of joy brought about by sharing in the life of Christ, but it also bears a measure or degree of suffering encountered along the way.

In both joy and suffering, one denies the self of personal gratifications and ambitions brought about by “a purely competitive view of life” (Brendan Byrne).

The satisfaction of desires and the determination to achieve something present themselves attractively. They exert some power over the individual to pursue them. Denying the self of them, resisting their pull, and fully embracing the consequent joy and suffering of following Jesus open up an opportunity to live life in its fullest and allow for the experience of the deepest human hope of living in communion with the loving God.

Saturday
August 9^th

Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

1^st Reading: Dt 6:4-13:
Moses said to the people: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.

“Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates:

“When the LORD, your God, brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that he would give you, a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, with houses full of goods of all sorts that you did not garner, with cisterns that you did not dig, with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant; and when, therefore, you eat your fill, take care not to forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. The LORD, your God, shall you fear; him shall you serve, and by his name shall you swear.”

Gospel: Mt 17:14–20:
A man approached Jesus, knelt before him and said, “Sir, have pity on my son who is an epileptic and is in a wretched state. He has often fallen into the fire and at other times into the water. I brought him to your disciples but they could not heal him.”

Jesus replied, “You, faithless and evil people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave the boy, and the boy was immediately healed.

The disciples then gathered around Jesus and asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive out the spirit?”

Jesus said to them, “Because you have little faith. I say to you: if only you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to move from here to there, and the mountain would obey. Nothing would be impossible to you.”

Reflection:
“‘Why couldn’t we drive the demon out?’

And Jesus answered, ‘Because you have little faith.’”

Faith is knowing that at the end of the day, no matter what life looks like to us now, God is in it with us, carrying us on, depending on us to complete the work of creation.