Gospel of the Day (Matthew 21:28-32)

What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'

He said in reply, 'I will not,' but afterwards he changed his mind and went.

The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go.

Which of the two did his father's will?" They answered, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.

***

Reflections:

Repent and believe in the word of God

My brothers, this is the time for each one of us individually to leave the place of our sinfulness. Let us set out from our own Babylon to meet God our Saviour, as the prophet warns us: «Prepare to meet your God, O Israel, for he is coming» (Am 4,12 Vg). Let us leave the abyss of our sins and willingly set out towards the Lord who has assumed «the likeness of sinful flesh» (Rom 8,3). Let us leave our will to sin and set out to offer repentance for our sins. Then we will find Christ: in himself he atoned for the sin he had by no means committed. So he who saves the penitent will grant us salvation...: «He shows mercy to those who repent» (Sir 12,3 Vg).

You will say to me:... «But who can leave their sins on their own?» Ah yes, but truly the greatest of sins is the love of sin, the desire to sin. So leave this desire..., hate the sin and, behold!, you have left sin. If you hate sin then you have met Christ where he is to be found. Christ forgives the faults of those of us who hate sin while waiting to pull out by the roots our evil habits.

But you will say that even this is too much for you and that, without God's grace, it is impossible for a man to hate his sin, desire justice and want to repent. «Let them give thanks to the Lord for his kindness and his wondrous deeds to the children of men» (Ps 107[106],8)... Lord, save me from cowardliness and from the storm... O Lord, with mighty hand, Jesus all-powerful, you have freed my mind from the demon of ignorance and snatched my sick will from the plague of its covetousness. Now set free my capacity for action so that with your holy angels... I, too, may «do your bidding, obeying your spoken word» (Ps 103[102],20).

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 21:23-27)

When he had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority are you doing these things?And who gave you this authority?"

Jesus said to them in reply, "I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.

Where was John's baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?" They discussed this among themselves and said, "If we say 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'

But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet."

So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know." He himself said to them, "Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.

***

Reflections:

"All regard John as a prophet"

If we seek to know why John was baptising when his baptism was nevertheless unable to take away sins, the reason is clear: to be faithful to his ministry as forerunner it was necessary for him to baptise before the Lord did, just as he was born before he was, preached before he did and died before him. At the same time it was to prevent the jealous wrangling of the Pharisees and scribes from seizing upon the Lord's ministry supposing he had been the first to administer baptism. «Where was John's baptism from? Was it of heavenly or human origin?» As they would not dare to deny that it came from heaven they were obliged to acknowledge that the works of him whom John preached were also accomplished by means of a power coming from heaven. However, if John's baptism did not take away sins that does not mean to say that it bore no fruit for those who received it... It was a sign of faith and repentance, that is to say it called to mind that all must abstain from sin, practice almsgiving, believe in Christ, and make haste to his baptism as soon as it appeared, there to be washed for the remission of their sins.

Besides this, the desert where John dwelt represents the life of saints cut off from the pleasures of this world. Whether they live in solitude or in the midst of the crowd, they strain wholeheartedly to detach themselves from the desires of the present world. They find their joy in cleaving to God alone in the secret of their heart and in placing their hope only in him. This was the solitude of soul, so dear to God, to which the prophet was longing to go, with the Holy Spirit's help, when he said: «Had I but wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest» (Ps55[54],7).

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 11:16-19)

To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.'

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.'

The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works."

***

Reflections:

John the Baptist calls us to salvation

Is it not strange, my friends, that God is constantly exhorting us to virtue while we hide ourselves away from this succour and postpone salvation? Doesn't John, too, invite us to salvation? Isn't he altogether a voice that exhorts us? Then let us ask him: «Who are you among men and where do you come from?» He will not tell us he is Elijah and will deny himself to be Messiah but will confess that he is a voice crying in the wilderness (Jn 1,20f.). So who is John? To take an image, allow me to say: a voice to the Word, a Voice to God's Utterance, who exhorts us by crying in the desert...: «Make straight the Lord's paths» (Mk 1,3 par.). John is a forerunner and his voice is forerunner to God's Word, a voice encouraging and predisposing to salvation, a voice exhorting us to seek our heavenly inheritance.

Thanks to this voice «the barren and deserted wife no longer lacks children» (cf. Is 54,1). The angel's voice has announced this childbearing to me; this voice was also precursor to the Lord, who brought the good news to the woman without a child (Lk 1,19) as it did to John in the solitude of the desert. Therefore it is by this voice of the Word that the barren woman bears a child in joy and the desert bears its fruit. These two voices, precursors of the Lord, that of the angel and that of John, communicate to me the salvation they conceal in such a way that, after the manifestation of the Word, we gather up the fruit of fecundity, life eternal.

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 11:28-30)

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

***

Reflections:

"My yoke is easy"

God bears within himself a very great humility. He is able to stoop down to people like ourselves and become dependant on us for such activities as living, growing and bearing fruit. He could have done this instantaneously without our help. However, he stooped down to us, he has led each one of us here, to call us together and make up this community. If you had refused, he would not have been able to do it. And indeed, we could have refused; each one of us could have said «No». God would have waited patiently until someone had said «Yes».

What makes me understand this is when Jesus says: «Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart.» He truly wanted us to accept that the call of each one of us is truly a gift of God himself.

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 18:12-14)

What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?

And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.

In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.

***

Reflections:

"It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost"

If only men knew what the love of the Lord is like they would run as one mass to be near Christ and he would warm them all with his grace. His mercy is inexpressible. The Lord loves the repentant sinner and clasps him tenderly to his breast: «Where were you, my child? I have been waiting for you so long» (cf. Lk 15,20). The Lord calls all men to himself through the Gospel and his voice resounds through all the world:

«Come to me, all you who labor and I will give you rest (Mt 11,28). Come and drink living water (Jn 7,37). Come and learn that I love you. If I did not love you I would not have called you. I am unable to endure that a single one of my sheep should be lost. Even for one alone the shepherd goes into the mountains to seek for it everywhere. Come, then, to me, my sheep. I have created you and I love you. It was my love for you that caused me to come down to earth and I have endured everything for your salvation. I desire you to know my love and to say like the apostles on Mount Tabor: 'Lord, it is good that we are here with you'» (Mk 9,5)...

You have drawn the souls of the saints to yourself, Lord, and they flow towards you like rivers of silence. The spirit of the saints is inseparable from you, Lord, and reaches out towards you, our light and our joy. The heart of your saints is established in your love, Lord, and cannot forget for an instant, not even in sleep, how sweet is the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Gospel of the Day (Luke 1:26-38)

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"

And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

***

Reflections:

«You allowed no stain of Adam's sin to touch the Virgin Mary. Full of grace, she was to be a worthy mother of your Son» (Proper preface of the Mass)

Son of God, grant me your own admirable Gift that I may celebrate the wondrous beauty of your beloved Mother! The Virgin gave birth to a son while preserving her virginity; she suckled him who gives nourishment to the peoples; in her immaculate breast she bore him who carries the whole world in his hands. She is Virgin and Mother, what will she not be hereafter? Holy in body, all beautiful in soul, pure of mind, upright in intelligence, perfect in feeling, chaste and faithful, pure of heart and filled with virtue.

May the hearts of virgins rejoice in Mary since of her was born the one who set humankind free from dreadful slavery. May the old Adam, wounded by the serpent, rejoice in Mary; it is Mary who gives Adam a posterity that allows him to crush the accursed serpent and who cures him of his mortal wound (Gen 3,15). Let priests rejoice in the blessed Virgin; she has brought the High Priest into the world who gave himself as a victim, putting an end to the sacrifices of the Old Covenant... Let the prophets rejoice in Mary, since in her were fulfilled their visions, in her were realized their prophecies, in her were confirmed their oracles. Let all the patriarchs rejoice in Mary since she received the blessing promised to them, she who, in her son, has brought them to completion...

Mary is the new tree of life who, instead of the bitter fruit picked by Eve, gives to mankind that sweet fruit on which the whole world is fed.

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 9:27-31)

And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed (him), crying out, "Son of David, have pity on us!"

When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they said to him.

Then he touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith."

And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this."

But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

***

Reflections:

"Of you my heart speaks:... your presence, Lord, I seek. Hide not your face from me" (Ps 27[26],8)

Now, my whole heart, say to God: «I seek your face; Lord, it is your face that I seek» (Ps 27[26],8). O Lord, my God, teach my heart where and how to seek you, where and how to find you. Lord, if you are not here but absent, where shall I seek you? But you are everywhere, so you must be here; why then do I not seek you? Surely you dwell in light inaccessible – where is it? And how can I have access to light which is inaccessible? Who will lead me and take me into it so that I may see you there? By what signs, under what forms, shall I seek you? I have never seen you, O Lord my God, I have never seen your face. Most High Lord, what shall an exile do who is as far away from you as this? What shall your servant do, eager for your love, cast off far from your face? He longs to see you but your countenance is too far away. He wants to have access to you, but your dwelling is inaccessible. He longs to find you but he does not know where you are. He loves to seek you but he does not know your face.

Lord, you are my Lord and my God, and I have never seen you. You have created and recreated me; all the good I have comes from you, and still I do not know you. I was created to see you and I have not yet accomplished that for which I was made. How wretched is the fate of man when he has lost that for which he was created... Let me seek you by desiring you, and desire you by seeking you; let me find you by loving you and love you in finding you.

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 7:21.24-27)

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.

The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.

And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.

The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

***

Reflections:

Hear and put into practice

The Father spoke one Word, which was his Son, and this Word he always speaks in eternal silence, and in silence must it be heard by the soul.

Speak little and do not meddle in matters about which you are not asked.

Do not complain about anyone, nor ask for anything; and if it is necessary for you to ask, let it be with few words.

Do not contradict; in no manner speak words that are not pure.

Let your speech be such that no one may be offended, and let it concern things which would not cause you regret were all to know of them.

Keep spiritually tranquil in a loving attentiveness to God, and when it is necessary to speak, let it be with the same calm and peace.

Be silent concerning what God may have given you and recall that saying of the bride: «My secret for myself» (Is 24,16)...

To advance in virtue it is important that you be silent and act, since by talking we become distracted whereas in keeping silence and working we become recollected.

As soon as you have learnt from someone what is necessary to advance spiritually, you should not ask him to say anything further about it nor continue talking but set yourself to work earnestly and in silence, with zeal and humility, with charity and self-contempt.

Before anything else, it is necessary and fitting to serve God in the silence of one's disordered habits, as of the tongue, so that nothing may be heard but words of love.

Gospel of the Day (Luke 10:21-24)

At that very moment he rejoiced (in) the holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

Turning to the disciples in private he said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.

For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

***

Reflections:

"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see"

For centuries before He came on earth, prophet after prophet was upon his high tower, looking out for Him, through the thick night, and watching for the faintest glimmer of the dawn:... "O God, my God, to Thee do I watch at break of day. For Thee my soul hath thirsted in a desert land, where there is no way nor water" (Ps 63[62],2)... "O that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, and come down!—the mountains would melt away at Thy presence. They would melt, as at the burning of fire... From the beginning of the world the eye hath not seen, O God, besides Thee, what things Thou hast prepared for them that wait on Thee"(Is 63,19; 1Cor 2,9).

Now, if there were any men who had a right to be attached to this world, not detached from it, it was the ancient servants of God. This earth was given them as their portion and reward by the very word of the Most High. But our reward is future... And they, too, put aside God's good gift for His better promise; they sacrificed possession to hope. They would be content with nothing short of the fruition of their Creator; they would watch for nothing else than the face of their Deliverer. If earth must be broken up, if the heavens must be rent, if the elements must melt, if the order of nature must be undone, in order to His appearing, let the ruin be, rather than they should be without Him. Such was the intense longing of the Jewish worshipper, looking out for that which was to come... Their perseverance in looking out proves that there was something to look out for.

Nor were the Apostles, after our Lord had come and gone, behind the Prophets in the keenness of their apprehension, and the eagerness of their longing for Him. The miracle of patient waiting was continued.

Gospel of the Day (Luke 21:29-33)

He taught them a lesson. "Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.

When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.

Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

***

Reflections:

"When you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near"

"In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). But blessed is he in whom he has his being, who lives for him and is moved by him. You ask then how I knew he was present, he whose ways cannot be traced (Rom 11: 3 3). He is life and power (Heb 4: 12), and as soon as he enters in he stirs my sleeping soul. He moves and soothes and pierces my heart, which was as hard as stone and riddled with disease (Ez 36:26). And he begins to root up and destroy, to build and to plant, to water the dry places and light the dark corners (cf. Jer 1:10), to open what was closed, set what was cold on fire, «to make the crooked straight and the rough places smooth» (Is 40:4), so that my soul may bless the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name (Ps 102.1).

And so when the Bridegroom, the Word, came to me he never made any sign that he was coming... Only by the warmth of my heart, as I said before, did I know that he was there, and I knew the power of his might because my faults were purged and my body's yearnings brought under control. And when my secret faults were revealed and made visible, I have been amazed at the depth of his wisdom, At the slightest amendment of my life, I have experienced the goodness of his mercy. In the making and renewing of the spirit of my mind (2Cor 4,16; Eph 4,23), that is the inner man, I perceived the excellence of his glorious beauty; and when I contemplate all these things I am filled with awe of his manifold greatness.

Gospel of the Day (Luke 21:20-28)

When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand.

Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled.

Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people.

They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."

***

Reflections:

"Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand"

«Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the Lord, for he comes; he comes to rule the earth» (Ps 95[96], 12b-13). The Lord has already come once and he will come again. The first time he came «on the clouds» (Mt 26,64) in his Church. What are the clouds that bore him? Apostles, preachers... The first time he came borne by his preachers and he filled all the earth. Let us not resist his first coming if we would not dread the second...

So what should the Christian do? Profit by this world but not serve this world. And in what does that consist? «Own as though not owning». That is what Saint Paul said: «Brothers, the time is running out... From now on... let those weeping act as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away. I should like you to be free of anxieties» (1Cor 7,29-32). Anyone free from anxiety confidently awaits his Lord's coming. For if we dread his coming do we love the Lord? My brethren, aren't we blushing about it? We love him and yet we dread his coming? Do we truly love him or do we not rather love our sins? Then let us hate our sins and love the One who is to come...

«Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the Lord» for he has come a first time... He has come a first time and he will return to judge the earth. At that time he will find all those who believed in his first coming full of joy.

Gospel of the Day (Luke 21:12-19)

Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.

It will lead to your giving testimony.

Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.

You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death.

You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.

By your perseverance you will secure your lives.

***

Reflections:

"You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed"

Jesus always promised his disciples peace, both before his death and after his resurrection, always peace (Jn 14,27; Lk 24,36). Never did the disciples receive this peace outwardly, but they garnered peace in suffering, in their struggles and love and, in death, they found life. They found joyful victory, too, when before this death they were interrogated, judged and condemned. They were true witnesses.

Yes, there are many who are filled with sweetness in body and soul, penetrating even to the marrow and veins, but when there follows suffering, darkness, interior and exterior abandonment, then they no longer know what to do with themselves. They come to a full stop and, from that, there issues nothing. When terrible storms come upon them, interior abandonment, exterior temptations from the world, the flesh and the Enemy, whoever is able to go through it all will find the profound peace that no one can take away from them. But whoever does not take this path is left behind and will never taste true peace. From this you know who are Christ's true witnesses.

YANGJU, Korea (CNS) -- Elementary school students learned about preserving the environment and protecting nature during recent Catholic-run "eco-camps." Augustine Maeng Joo-hyung, an official with the Environmental Pastoral Committee of the Seoul Archdiocese, told the Asian church news agency UCA News July 29 that the goal of the camps was for the children to experience an eco-friendly lifestyle away from urban areas. The campers, ages 9-12, stayed in wooden cabins without air conditioning and worked on the retreat center's farm, planting and harvesting peppers and lettuce. They also went for forest walks and dyed white T-shirts using yellow soil and turmeric as natural pigments. The Environmental Pastoral Committee and Hanmaum (one heart) Retreat Center of the neighboring Diocese of Uijeongbu organized the two similar camps July 28-30 and July 30-Aug. 1. About 200 elementary school students from the Seoul Archdiocese and the dioceses of Incheon, Suwon and Uijeongbu attended the camps.