FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Also Read: Mass Readings for 03 July 2022
First Reading: Isaiah 66: 10-14c
10 Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her.
In this last chapter from the Prophet Isaiah, he writes about the Lord’s vindication of Zion. -The place where God dwells. We know that through Christ we have God Within us! Praise God! -We the church, rejoice in the Lord. The Holy Eucharist strengthens our spiritual bodies. We are filled with nourishment at the sight of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament! Amen!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 66: 1-7, 16 and 20
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; 2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
20 Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.
Amen!
Second Reading: Galatians 6: 14-18
14 May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything, but a new creation is everything!
In a vain and selfish world, we the Disciples of Christ stand out for our peculiar ways! We must not be led astray by the trends of this world, which propagate the “I, Me and Myself” principle! We have been saved, not by our own merit but only through the death of Christ on the Cross. No outward sign we may perform allows us the audacity to boast even one bit! Yet, we are human and may fall prey to what inevitably surrounds us today.
We must remember then, how our Savior lived this very life and was tempted in every way, but never yielded to the lure of this world. He knows and understands our struggle. He comes to us in the Holy Eucharist and in the deep, silence of our hearts, He listens to our prayer. Like the psalmist proclaims, The Lord does not reject our prayer today! He renews our minds, strengthens our spirits, and sanctifies our souls, every time we turn to Him. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus!
Amen!
Gospel: Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20
3 Go on your way; I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on that person, but if not, it will return to you.
As Jesus sends out his disciples before him, he specifically instructs them. He also warns them about how they are being sent like lambs among wolves. We must then be prepared to face the wolves and their attacks! If we follow the path he asks us, Christ provides for our every need.
19 Indeed, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
In these words, Christ Jesus provides us the power to tackle any attack from the enemy. We are to live this verse actively in our daily lives. We know that God’s Word is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. (Heb. 4:12) We can then summon the words of the Lord to protect and guide us always. Even as we continue to praise and rejoice in Him because we know we are His children!
In Jesus’ name, Amen, Amen, Amen!
