The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, July 9, 2005
Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary time
St. Augustine Zhao Rong, priest, and companions, martyrs

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Genesis 49:29-33; 50:15-24
Psalm 105:1-4, 6-7
Matthew 10:24-33

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

The stories of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are stories of faith and perseverance, loyalty and bravery, but they are contain much of human sin and weakness -- stories of treachery and murder, deceit and jealousy. Scripture does not hide the truth of human nature. We marvel at God's patience and forgiveness. At the same time, we are comforted with that side of God. How many times has He forgiven you and me for betrayal of trust, and failures in our love and loyalty? Even as we bewail our sins, and recognize the evil in them, we give praise to God for using even sin for the furtherance of his purposes.

In the Gospel, Jesus is quite blunt with his disciples. They will suffer even as He will suffer. He tells them to expect misunderstanding and opposition. But so too can they expect an eternal life of joy with Him. We must not be dejected at this Gospel, but find consolation that Jesus sees our pain and frustration, and places us among His friends. He will give us strength, and always be there to pick us up and encourage us.

Msgr. Paul Whitmore
(smartins at frontiernet dot net)

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