| Saturday, June 13th, 2015, 7:00 AM |
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Maranatha, Maranatha,
Come, Oh Lord.
And set us free!
"
In Deo Speramus
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(In God We Hope) |
| Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time |
Red Vineyards
near Arles
Vincent van Gogh, Ca 1888
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Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear,
then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the
sickle at once, for the harvest has come. |
| First Reading Ez 17:22-24 Thus says the Lord GOD:
I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar,
from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;
on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.
It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,
and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,
every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.
And all the trees of the field shall know
that I, the LORD,
bring low the high tree,
lift high the lowly tree,
wither up the green tree,
and make the withered tree bloom.
As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.
The Word of the Lord
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Discussion Questions
1.
What are the similarities between the "tender shoot" in this reading and the mustard seed in the Gospel? In each case, "Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it, every winged thing in the shade of its boughs." What do you think of when you read this?
2. The tender shoot becomes a majestic cedar. In the Gospels, Jesus referred to the "least" becoming the "greatest" numerous times. How is Jesus' own life an example of this? Can you think of others who follow(ed) this example?
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| Second Reading 2 Cor 5:6-10 Brothers and sisters:
We are always courageous,
although we know that while we are at home in the body
we are away from the Lord,
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Yet we are courageous,
and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.
Therefore, we aspire to please him,
whether we are at home or away.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each may receive recompense,
according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.
The Word of the Lord
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Discussion Questions
1. "Walk by faith, and not by sight." What does that mean to you? Why would we need the courage, which Paul mentions twice in this reading, in order to walk by faith? Have the men beheaded by ISIS been walking by faith or sight?
2. Is your faith constant even when the spiritual weather patterns in your life are not? Paul said, "We are always courageous." Is that true? Are you? Always? What helps when you are not?
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| Alleluia Alleluia, alleluia. The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.
All who come to him will live forever.
Alleluia, alleluia. |
| Gospel Mk 4:26-34 Jesus said to the crowds:
"This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come."
He said,
"To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade."
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private. The Gospel of the Lord |
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Discussion Questions:
1.
What is the farmer's job in both of these parables? What is God's job? Could you ask yourself the same two questions about your ministry ... your job and God's job? Can you trust God to do God's job?
2. How does what Pope Francis says below relate to the words below from this reading? "To what shall we compare the kingdom of God? ... It is like the mustard seed. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ... "
The Church, he said, is "something else." The disciples do not make the Church-they are the messengers sent by Jesus. And Christ was sent by the Father: "The Church begins there," he said, "in the heart of the Father, who had this idea ... of love. So this love story began, a story that has gone on for so long, and is not yet ended. We, the women and men of the Church, we are in the middle of a love story: each of us is a link in this chain of love. And if we do not understand this, we have understood nothing of what the Church is.
... But how does it increase? Jesus said simply: like the mustard seed, it grows like yeast in flour, without noise.
Mass in the Chapel of the Casa Santa Marta,
Vatican Radio, April 24, 2013
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Oremus pro invicem
(Let us pray for one another)
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"To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground ... springs up and becomes the largest of plants."
O,
like
the tiny
mustard seed,
grow us good roots.
Dig down into our souls,
bore into our hearts and minds.
Grow into so large a plant
that all of our actions
all of our ideas,
all our loves,
our selves
nestle
and shelter
in your branches
Amen
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| For what are we born if not to aid one another? Ernest Hemingway "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then we'll have peace." By: Jimi Hendrix "My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." Abraham Lincoln If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us.
1 John 4:12
Deus fit homo ut homo fieret Deus God became human so that humans might become God (Catholicism, Page 2 by Fr. Robert Barron) "The Glory of God is a human being fully alive." Meyers, Robin R. (2009-02-19). Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus (Kindle Location 639). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
God "dwells in us."
God's love is not meant for us alone;
we must give it away.
Do small things today and for many tomorrows,
with a generous heart.
Give God Away Today!
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Help us then, Lord,
to be so united with the paschal mystery of Jesus,
that through Him the world can become a better place to dwell.
You promise us much for this life
and for our eternal presence with You;
may we live into that promise
each day.
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An interesting thought:
The birth of St. John is celebrated on June 24th, in the moment of the summer solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to reduce. On the other hand, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated on December 25th, during the winter solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to grow, to get longer.
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