Tag: Psalm 145

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Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

picture of rock formation with quote from ephesians live a life worthy of the calling that you have received

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Mass Readings

Reading 1: 2 Kings 4:42-44
Responsorial: Psalm 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
Reading 2: Ephesians 4:1-6
Gospel: John 6:1-15

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072521.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Welcome back for another edition of deacon rudy’s notes! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together we’re going to break open the Word!

In today’s Gospel, we hear a familiar story proclaimed: the multiplication of fish and bread. And our first reading is linked to the Gospel. Jesus invites his disciples to sit and through God’s power, the Lord provides! That is so true in our own lives, isn’t it! We do our part, and the Lord will provide. There is no need to have stress or anxiety. Through God’s providence, we will get what we need if we trust in and live as disciples.

Our second reading comes to us from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. At one level, the reading is about Christian unity. And while that is certainly true, before Paul gets to unity, he talks about the effects of living out our call.

Paul says, “I … urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received…” (Ephesians 4:1).

What does it mean to live in a manner worthy of the call you received?

What does it mean to live as disciples of Christ Jesus? Paul tells us that living out our call should manifest in humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another through love, (Ephesians 4:2-3).

The times we’re living through are so interesting, don’t you think? This is the age of the armchair quarterback! We live in a world where someone with zero medical or scientific training can go about or go online and spread all sorts of interesting medical advice about the pandemic. There are others with zero theological or pastoral training and zero experience as a pastor who bears responsibility for souls, yet somehow, they know better than our bishop or our pope about what our faith really means.

To the armchair quarterbacks out there who call themselves Christian, I’d like to ask if when you emphatically share your ideas, are you filled with humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another through love?

Paul reminds us that there is “one body and one Spirit,” (Ephesians 4:4), not the body of the live and let live as long as you agree with me. I’m sorry, but that’s not a Christian understanding of politics or church. We are one faith, one baptism, one body. Period.

How can you tell if you are on the right path? Well, does your position lead to unity in the community or in the Church? If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t necessarily mean you are wrong. It might mean you need to step back and prayerfully consider your point of view. We call that discernment.

We must remember that the Enemy is always planting seeds of fear and doubt. Sometimes that takes the form of reasonable-sounding and logical ideas. The Enemy wants to keep us in our heads and out of our hearts. The Enemy wants to keep us intellectually engaged so that we are distracted from our relationship with Christ Jesus. In this context, discernment means we need to dig a little deeper and try to understand the broader impact of our actions.

None of this is easy! Today’s Gospel reminds us that we can’t do this alone. Only through God’s providence can we be nourished and only then can we succeed with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

That leads us to homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to prayerfully reflect on the following two questions. First, when was the last time you reflected on your call to be a disciple? Second, when you think of your calling, do the words humility, gentleness, patience, and love come to mind? If not, how would you describe your call?

I think doing our homework will help us be the intentional disciples we are called to be! Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image: Artist Unknown. PNG.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015. Kindle.
2. Williamson, Peter S. Ephesians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. One faith: 172-75
2. The Church is One: 813-22
3. Share of gifts in the communion of the Church: 814-15, 949-59
4. Baptism as foundation of communion among Christians: 1271
5. The Eucharist as thanksgiving: 1328-32
6. The miracle of the loaves and fishes prefigures the Eucharist: 1335

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072521.cfm
Lectionary: 110

Reading 1
2 Kings 4:42-44
A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing to Elisha, the man of God,
twenty barley loaves made from the firstfruits,
and fresh grain in the ear.
Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”
But his servant objected,
“How can I set this before a hundred people?”
Elisha insisted, “Give it to the people to eat.”
“For thus says the LORD,
‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’”
And when they had eaten, there was some left over,
as the LORD had said.

Responsorial
Psalm 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
R. (cf. 16) The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Reading 2
Ephesians 4:1-6
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

Alleluia
Luke 7:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has risen in our midst.
God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
John 6:1-15
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near.
When Jesus raised his eyes
and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip,
“Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.”
One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves
that had been more than they could eat.
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

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25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Two one-way street signs pointing in different directions. One says my way and the other says God's way

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Mass Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 55:6-9
Responsorial: Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Second Reading: Philippians 1:20C-24, 27A
Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16A

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092020.cfm
www.deaconrudysnotes.org

The picture I selected for today is a set of one-way signs which I think reflect our first reading from Isaiah, “…nor like your ways are my ways,” (Isaiah 55:8). One sign points in a direction and reads, “God’s Way,” and the other points in a different direction and reads, “My Way.” This picture is interesting to me for many reasons, but what strikes me most is that the road leading up to this point had room enough for both God’s way and my way. But at this particular intersection, the path splits.

This tells me that people of faith inspired by the Word of God evident in Scriptures and Tradition can very often set out on the correct path. Our work and efforts seem to coincide with God’s will. But at some point on our journey, we take a left turn. Our path splits off from God’s path. But here’s the kicker: we may not realize we took a wrong turn.

How can that be? How can we veer off and not even realize it? While we mean well, somehow our self-righteousness blinds us. What we see God doing doesn’t compute. Take for example when Jesus allows the woman to anoint his feet with precious oil, (John 12:3). Or the time Jesus decided to eat with Zacchaeus – a tax collector and traitor to his people, (Luke 19:1-10). Or the time Jesus said to the crowd, “Let the Sinless One of you be the first to throw a stone at her,” (John 8:7). Or in today’s Gospel passage when the landowner pays a full wage to those who only worked one hour (Matthew 20:10).

The mercy and compassion God reveals to us through Jesus’ actions don’t match the way we might handle the situation. Let’s say we de-identified these Scripture passages and you read them, how would you react then? Would you think the merciful and generous person was a fool?

Even though we might mean well, our path veers away from God’s path because sin enters our thoughts and actions. Much like the laborers in today’s Gospel passage, we might think to ourselves, “it’s not fair!” Or worse yet, inspired by our self-righteousness, we might advocate for laws that discriminate or harm not because we want to be evil, but because we genuinely think we are right.

What are some examples of this today?

Well, take for example law breakers. We as a society have a right to enforce our laws. But how we do that as a Christian people is important. Our faith teaches that we should respect the dignity of the human person. So, we advocate for life over and against a culture of death. Yet, some people think it was a good idea in the United States to separate the children of illegal immigrants from their parents and to place them in what amounts to cages.

Should illegal immigrants be detained? Look, every nation has the right to define and to defend its borders and to implement policies to managing illegal immigrants. But to treat people inhumanly – that’s where our path veers off from God’s path.

Or take for example a government sponsored program to help senior citizens, like social security. For some, the scant money set aside from wages during the working years can mean the difference as a retiree between filling a prescription or buying meat for the week. But some people never miss an opportunity to speak out against programs like social security. Somewhere along the way, we veered off God’s most generous path.

Or take the subject of abortion. Rooted in the dignity of the human person, the Church will always advocate for life. But the Church will never turn it’s back on the person who had an abortion or the person who supports politicians who might support abortion. The Church stands not with a ruler, but outstretched arms ready to welcome, not to punish. No priest or bishop would interrupt someone in the confessional and say, “wait, you voted how? You’re not Catholic! Get out of here!” Yet, some people think they have the authority to excommunicate people and to post messages on social media platforms that those who cast “wrong” ballots can’t call themselves Catholic. Really? Who died and made them pope? Somewhere along the way, we took a wrong turn.

I know all these examples can be difficult to consider, but God reminds us in Isaiah, “…nor like your ways are my ways,” (Isaiah 55:8). Our task as disciples is not to beat people over their heads, but to reach out with God’s love and mercy and generosity. We are called not to spread fear and hatred, but to bring the Good News of Christ into a dark world that desperately needs to hear a message of hope!

Homework! Nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, the bishops of the United States offer us these questions:

  1. Because no one has hired us. Who in my community is ignored or forgotten? How can I take notice of those too easily disregarded?
  2. Are you envious because I am generous? When do I measure myself against others? How can I be more generous with my time and resources?

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Artist unknown. PNG file.

References:
1. Hamm, Dennis, SJ. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2013. Kindle.
2. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.
3. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
4. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Lectio Divina of the Gospels: For the Liturgical Year 2019-2020. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. God’s people: Jews and Gentiles, 62-64, 781
2. God of mercy and piety, 210-211
3. Jesus identifies his compassion to sinners with God’s, 588-589
4. Christian death, 1010-14
5. Life in Christ, 1691-98
6. Justice, 1807
7. Fair wages, 2434

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092020.cfm
Lectionary: 133

Reading 1
Isaiah 55:6-9
Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Responsorial
Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Reading 2
Philippians 1:20C-24, 27A
Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.
Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Alleluia
Acts 16:14B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 20:1-16A
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Posted on

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

picture of a monstrance during adoration

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Mass Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 55:1-3
Responsorial: Psalm 145:8-9, 15-18
Second Reading: Romans 8:35, 37-39
Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080220.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

What do you do when you’re hungry? Well, you eat! Right? If I were back in the States, I might drive through Chick-fil-A or over to Jason’s Deli or maybe even to Sonic for diet cherry limeade! Yum! The point is, when we need nourishment, we feed our bodies. The same is true with our spiritual life. We need to feed our spiritual lives.

How do we do that and with what do we feed our souls?

When we have a hunger or restlessness that we can never seem to satisfy, that might point to something unsettled in our spiritual life. Isaiah gives us some insight into that in our first reading today. “You who are thirsty, come to the water, and you who have no money, come…,” (Isaiah 55:1). He’s not talking about material food and water, because he goes on to say, “Why value it for money, and [give] your labour for no satisfaction?” (Isaiah 55:2).

Isaiah is telling us that none of the trinkets and baubles of this world can satisfy our spiritual lives. But let’s be clear – it’s not the building of the church that saves us, or the statues which we don’t worship anyway that are being violently and illegally pulled down, or crosses and crucifixes and churches being desecrated. All of these “things” can be helpful to us – can guide us in our faith. But none of them can save us.

Why do I say that? Well, we can experience hurt, disappointment and frustration – maybe even disillusionment – over the Church’s inadequacies, like the clergy sex abuse scandal. Indeed, it is a sad commentary on the world today that so many have left the Church. People might have left, but the hunger inside persists.

Perhaps we don’t recognize our feeling as spiritual hunger. We go out looking for something to make the pain, the hurt, the anger, the disappointment, the disillusionment go away. So, maybe we turn to the church of “Tarjay” – to the therapeutic release of shopping and people watching. Or maybe we go further and turn to material possessions or abuse drugs or alcohol or sex. Maybe we explore other forms of spirituality like Eastern mysticism to help us.

Is our faith so shallow? Paul asks us today, “Who shall separate us from Christ’s love? Affliction? Anguish? Persecution? Famine? Nakedness? Danger? Execution?” (Romans 8:35). Paul answers, “No!” (Romans 8:37).

My brothers and sisters, let me be clear: nothing – nothing can fill the hole in our hearts except the love of Christ Jesus! That’s the message we find in today’s Gospel. Today we hear familiar the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. People ate their fill and there was so much left over!

On one hand, this is a wonderful miracle that defies the laws of physics as we know them. And I accept this miracle because of my faith. On the other hand, this Gospel is all about the Eucharist, right? Jesus, looking up to the Father, gives the blessing and breaks the bread and the fish. Everyone ate their fill. In other words, everyone who received was satisfied.

Just as Jesus fed the multitude, so too is Jesus ready to feed you and me in the Eucharist despite or even in spite of the flaws of the Church, any one priest, or anything wrong in this world! The challenge before us as disciples is to share with our friends and families – especially those who’ve left the Church – the Good News we hear from our Psalmist today: “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.”

Homework! Having been fed by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions this week:

  1. Do I allow the Eucharist to satisfy the hunger in my heart?
  2. How do I share the news that Jesus satisfies our roaming hearts with other people?

I think our homework today will help us as disciples bring all those who hunger to Christ Jesus. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples!

One quick announcement before the blessing. This Wednesday is the first Wednesday of the month and that means another edition of All Things Catholic! In light of the recent unlawful vandalism and destruction of religious statues and even churches, we are going to tackle the question, “Wherein lies our faith?” I hope you join me on Wednesday and bring a friend!

The Lord be with you! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Eucharistic Adoration, DCYC, 2016. Deacon Rudy Villarreal. JPEG file.

References:
1. Hahn, Scott W. and Curtis Mitch. Romans. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academics, 2017. Kindle.
2. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.
3. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. God’s saving plan, 257, 381
2. Divine providence, 313-14, 395
3. The Eucharist prefigured, 1335
4. The fruits of Holy Communion, 1391-1401
5. Hope and future glory, 1821, 2016
6. Abraham and the Father, 2572
7. Jesus as intercessor, 2634
8. Give us this day our daily bread, 2828-37

Eighteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080220.cfm
Lectionary: 112

Reading 1
Isaiah 55:1-3
Thus says the LORD:
All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
Come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread;
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Heed me, and you shall eat well,
you shall delight in rich fare.
Come to me heedfully,
listen, that you may have life.
I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,
the benefits assured to David.

Responsorial
Psalm 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18
R. (cf. 16) The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The eyes of all look hopefully to you,
and you give them their food in due season;
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Reading 2
Romans 8:35, 37-39
Brothers and sisters:
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Alleluia
Matthew 4:4B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me, ”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over—
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.