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DT 7:6-11; PS 103:1-4, 6-8, 10; 1 JN 4:7-16
MT 11:25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
"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 yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
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Book Study on The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are, by Brene Brown, Ph.D., L.M.S.W.
Led By: Ann Axman and Pattie McGurk on Zoom
Dates: Tuesday June 23 and 30; July 7, 14, 21 and 28. 12:05 - 12:55 p.m.
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1 KGS 19:9A, 11-16; Ps 27:7-8A, 8B-9ABC, 13-14
MT 5:27-32
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.
“It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“You have heard the commandment, ‘You shall love your countryman but hate your enemy.’ My command to you is: love your enemies, pray for your persecutors. This will prove that you are sons of your heavenly Father.” —Matthew 5:43-45
Jesus repeatedly commands us to love our enemies. This is the essence of Jesus’ teaching — not only because it is part of the Sermon on the Mount, but also because it is what Jesus did when He died for us on the cross.
Nonetheless, many people, including Christians, have ignored Jesus’ repeated commands to love their enemies. They dismiss the commands of the all-holy Son of God, Wisdom Himself (1 Cor 1:30), as being impractical. They assume that the all-knowing God doesn’t know the situation with their enemies. However, we should assume that the Lord’s knowledge is way beyond ours (Is 55:8-9) and that we should by faith love our
enemies, even if we don’t understand Jesus’ commands. We should dismiss our insane idea that we are more practical than God and face the fact that we have little to show for our supposed practicality. “For God’s folly is wiser than men, and His weakness more powerful than men” (1 Cor 1:25).
If we are not obeying commands which are “over our heads,” aren’t we “doing our own thing” under the guise of Christianity, rather than obeying God? If we dismiss Jesus’ command to love our enemies, aren’t we making up our own religion? If we don’t try to accept God’s grace to obey every Word which comes forth from His mouth (Mt 4:4), where is the integrity of our faith and how can we expect to be taken
seriously?
Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to show me more of what’s at stake in obeying or disobeying Jesus’ command to love enemies.
Promise: “He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued.” —1 Kgs 21:27
Presentation Ministries
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Abandonment to Divine Providence
- by Jean-Pierre de Caussade
BOOK II,
CHAPTER III. THE TRIALS CONNECTED WITH THE STATE OF ABANDONMENT
SECTION I. Unwise interference.
The first trial: the obloquy and unreasonable exactions of persons with a reputation for wisdom and piety.
Worldly wisdom cannot understand the perpetual wanderings of the Apostles, who did not settle anywhere. Ordinary spirituality also cannot endure that souls should depend for their action on divine Providence. There are but few in this state who approve of them, but God, who instructs men by means of their fellow creatures, never fails to make such souls encounter those who abandon themselves to Him with simplicity and
fidelity. Besides, these latter require less direction than others in consequence of having attained to this state with the help of very good directors. If they find that they are occasionally left to themselves, it is because divine Providence removes by death, or banishes by some event, the guides who have led them in this way. Even then, they are always willing to be guided, and only wait in peace the moment arranged by Providence. During the time of privation also, they meet from time to
time persons in whom they feel they can repose a confidence inspired by God, although they know nothing about them. This is a sign that He makes use of them to communicate certain lights, even if these are only temporary. These souls ask advice, therefore, and when it is given they follow it with the greatest docility. In default of such assistance however, they have recourse to the maxims supplied to them by their first directors. Thus they are always very well directed, either by the old
principles formerly received, or by the advice of those directors they encounter, and they make use of all until God sends them persons in whom they can confide, and who will show them His Will.
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