Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Sunday, July 31, 2022

First Reading

Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23

Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 95:1-2,6-9

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Second Reading

Colossians 3:1-5,9-11

There is neither Greek nor Jew, but Christ is all in all.

Gospel Reading

Luke 12:13-21

A person's life does not consist of possessions.

Background on the Gospel Reading

In Chapter 12 of Luke's Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples and the crowd on how to be ready for the coming judgment. A crowd of many thousands has gathered to hear Jesus. At first he speaks only to the disciples, reminding them that it is not persecution they should fear but the judgment that is coming for all who do not acknowledge the Son of Man. Suddenly a man in the crowd shouts out to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” He seems to have grown tired of Jesus speaking only to the disciples. Jesus offers the man no help. Instead he uses the question to teach what, in light of the coming judgment, life really consist of.

Jesus tells the crowd a parable. A rich man's lands have yielded more crops than expected. His response is not to consider how he might share all the extra food with others but to wonder how he can possibly store it all. He has what he thinks is a brilliant idea: to tear down his present barns and build larger ones. Then he will have many things stored up for years of eating, drinking, and making merry.

“You fool” is God's response to this man because that very night his life will be taken away. To whom will everything belong then, God asks. The rich man's world is small, just him and his possessions, and now he learns that he is to lose his life. What good are his possessions now? Jesus states the moral of the story. This is how it will be for everyone who stores up treasure for himself or herself but is not rich in what matters to God.

Centuries later St. Gregory the Great taught that when we care for the needs of the poor, we are giving them what is theirs, not ours. We are not just performing works of mercy; we are paying a debt of justice. Life does not consist in possessions but in sharing what we possess with others. The goods of the earth have been given to everyone. Layola Press

Saintly Families

Did you know there are numerous saints who were family? Yes, indeed. There were saints who were spouses, siblings, and close friends. It’s hard for me to imagine any of my siblings’ saints! LOL (as I am sure they feel the same about me) but today we celebrate St. Martha, St Mary, and St. Lazarus. The really cool part about these saints is the love they had for Jesus. AND the love Jesus had for them.

So, curiosity begged me to explore the different saints who like St Martha, St Mary and St Lazarus were related or close friends. We just celebrated St Anne and St Joachim, Mary’s parents. The mother and son duo of St. Monica and St. Augustine. Then of course brothers such as Sts. Peter and Andrew and Sts. James and John apostles of the Lord. There were other siblings too like Sts. Benedict and Scholastica. Sts. Cosmas and Damien, Sts. Macrina, Basil, Gregory, Peter and Naucratius(all siblings), Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto. It is amazing when you start to look into the saints how many are related. Of course, there are many others such as St Isidore the farmer and his wife St. Maria de la Cabeza. St. Timothy and his wife St. Maura who were also saints. St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier were actually roommates in college before they became priests and missionaries and were responsible for tens of thousands of conversions. Other great friends were St. Francis of Assisi and St Clare of Assisi. St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, St. Felicity and St. Perpetua, St. Patrick and St. Brigid names we all recognize for their heroism, peace-making, and witnesses of Jesus Christ love for us! How can we not be inspired by these men and women? How can we not want to imitate their lives? How can we not ask for their help and intercession?

When we were making our Confirmation what is one of the things we did? Pick a Saint. Why did we do this? Confirmation saints are chosen to be a person we want to be like, as well as someone who can pray for us from heaven. One of the biggest days in our lives as Catholic Christians we call upon a special saint to be with us, to help us, to lead us. How long has it been since you called upon your Confirmation saint? I can tell you St. Francis of Assisi hears from me quite often.

Like all the saints we can witness the love they have for Jesus. They show us that we too can share the love of Jesus with each other. We can make sacrifices, lead prayerful lives, and walk with Jesus every single day. It is amazing how through centuries men and women in the church have devoted their lives to Christ. You and I, we can do it just like they did. Faith is strengthen by family, friendships and community. We together can help each other on the road to sainthood just as the saints before us did with each other. J. Geeting

 “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” John 11:5

How do you pick just a couple saints when there are so many that are wonderful examples this week? You don't! I hope you enjoy learning about these men and women of our faith. They are inspiring! 

Saint Martha, St. Mary & St Lazarus

Feast day July 29

In the household of Bethany the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the One who humiliated death.

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that the example of your Saints may spur us on to a better life, so that we, who celebrate the memory of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, may also imitate without ceasing their deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Blessed Stanley Rother

Feast Day July 28

Father Stanley Rother (1935–1981) went to the mission of Santiago Atitlán in Guatemala with the desire to serve. The priest, who was ordained in the then-Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa in 1963, helped build a hospital, a school, and a Catholic radio station for the indigenous Mayan people. He helped translate the New Testament into the native Tz’utujil language and celebrated Mass in that native tongue. Known as Padre A’Plas (Francis, his middle name), Fr. Stanley was beloved by the Mayan people he served. In spite of these good works, Fr. Stanley discovered that his name appeared on a death list in 1981.

Guatemala was in the midst of a brutal civil war, which most affected indigenous Mayan communities. From 1960–1996, over 200,000 people were killed in the violence, 83% of whom were Mayan. 

On July 28, 1981, assassins entered the parish rectory and killed Fr. Stanley.

Like Christ, this farm boy from Okarche, Oklahoma laid down his life for the people he loved. Pope Francis declared Fr. Stanley a martyr in 2016, thus opening up the path toward his eventual canonization. He is the first martyr born in the United States.

Rother was beatified September 23, 2017, in Oklahoma.

Blessed Solanus Casey

Feast Day July 30

Solanus Casey (1870–1957) was an American Capuchin Franciscan friar who was born in Wisconsin and labored in New York, Michigan, and Indiana. Early in his life as a Franciscan, his superiors did not think he had much promise, so they gave him the job of porter or doorkeeper. The job provided Solanus with the opportunity to talk to a lot of people. For those who spoke of their troubles, Solanus offered counsel and advice. Eventually some of the people who spoke with him started to notice that their problems would disappear, their sick loved ones would become well, and their relationships would be healed. Even if a change did not occur in their outward circumstances, they felt better able to accept and deal with their difficulties. By the end of Solanus’s life, his lowly assignment of porter had made him a well-known and beloved figure. When he died, 20,000 people came to his wake. Everything that happens—from the pleasant to the painful—presents a spiritual opportunity: God calls you to something good and holy in every experience. Solanus Casey teaches that one thing we can try to do at all times is to be thankful.

Father Casey was beatified November 18, 2017, in Detroit.

Saint Peter Chrysologus

Feast day July 30

Doctor of the Church

About 431, Peter, a deacon, became bishop of Ravenna, Italy. Many Christians in his diocese were following false teachings and living by values that were not Christian. Peter became known as an outstanding preacher. He also preached to catechumens preparing for Baptism. At the bishops’ meeting in Constantinople in 448, Eutyches, a false teacher, denied that Jesus was both God and man. When the bishops refused Eutyches the right to teach his false ideas, he went to Peter for help. But Peter said, “In the interest of peace and the faith we cannot judge in matters of faith without the consent of the Roman bishop [the pope].”

Peter Chrysologus believed that Christians should acquire knowledge to support the Christian faith. He encouraged education as a God-given opportunity and obligation. About 450, Peter died where he had been born: Imola, Italy. Thirteen centuries later, Pope Benedict XIII declared him a Doctor of the Church because of his homilies.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556

Feast day July 31

Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Feast Day August 1

During sixty years of Christian service in central Italy, opposition of every sort stalked St. Alphonsus Liguori. His bullheaded father resisted his ordination. Powerful anticlericals battled the Redemptorists, his religious order. Jansenists denounced Moral Theology, his book that sought to correct them. Rheumatism bent his head into his chest, a deformity he suffered for his last twenty years. And for two years just before he died, Alphonsus was assailed with a dark night of doubt, fear, and scruples.

A successful lawyer before age 20, Alphonsus used his legal skills lifelong in his writing and the governance of his order and his diocese. He was ordained in 1717 and immediately became well-known as a compassionate confessor and down-to-earth preacher. “I have never preached a sermon,” he said, “that the poorest old woman in the congregation could not understand.” You can hear his gentle voice in the following excerpt that also suggests the secret behind his perseverance:

We are now at the end of 1761. Today the New Year of 1762 has begun. How many saw the beginning of the year that has just gone but did not live to see its end! We should give thanks to God that we are allowed to see its conclusion. But do we know whether we shall see the end of this year? Certainly, many will not see it. Who knows if we shall not be among this number? A year must dawn for us that will be our last. We should awaken our faith and strive for the remainder of our lives to live according to the maxims of our faith. Why should we wait until death overtakes us and finds us living according to the maxims of the world? Let us awaken our faith to realize that this earth is not our true home but that we are merely here as pilgrims.

Our faith will give us confidence in our difficulties, teaching us that whoever prays will be saved. May our faith make us always live with the thought of eternity. Let’s keep ever before our eyes this great thought—everything in this world comes to an end, whether it be prosperity or adversity. Eternity alone never ends.

Saint Eusebius of Vercelli

Feast day August 2

Early in the fourth century, Arius and his followers spread the false teaching that Jesus was not really divine. In 325, the bishops gathered in Nicaea and condemned this teaching. They formulated the Nicene Creed. Thirty years later, another council was held in Milan because the Arians were still causing trouble. Eusebius, the bishop of Vercelli in northern Italy, attended and insisted that each bishop sign a copy of the Nicene Creed. At this council, Arius was again declared to be a false teacher.

The emperor, who favored Arius, was not pleased with Eusebius. When Eusebius refused to condemn Bishop Athanasius, who also fought Arianism, the emperor sent Eusebius into exile in Palestine. The Arians there continued to harass Eusebius. He was forced to endure exile in Egypt, too. When the emperor died, Eusebius returned to Italy and fought Arianism for the rest of his life.

Saint John Vianney

Feast day August 4

Patron Saint of Priests

Why should we say prayers for the priests in our lives?

 Saint John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, once said,

“After God, the priest is everything.”

Priests serve Christ’s Church here on earth daily through the Mass and sacraments. In confession they stand in persona Christi and work with Christ to bring us forgiveness from our sins.

We must pray for priests everyday—especially because of the deep hatred Satan has for priests. Christ Himself instituted the priesthood for the Church here on earth, so naturally, the devil hates the men Christ has chosen to continue to bring light and truth to the world. He continuously works to separate them from the grace of God.

After their ordination, all priests have an indelible mark on their souls. This mark makes priests prime targets for the devil and his evil ways. 

 St. John Vianney’s Prayer for Priests

God, please give to your Church today

many more priests after your own heart.

May they be worthy representatives of Christ the Good Shepherd.

May they wholeheartedly devote themselves to prayer and penance;

be examples of humility and poverty;

shining models of holiness;

tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God;

zealous dispensers of your grace in the sacraments.

May their loving devotion to your Son Jesus in the Eucharist

and to Mary his Mother be the twin fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry.

PRAYER TO THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS

O Most Precious Blood of Jesus, infinite price of the redemption of sinful humanity, solace and refreshment of our souls, you continuously foster our cause before the throne of Supreme Mercy. I profoundly adore you and want, as much as possible, to make reparation for the insults and disrespect you receive from human beings, especially from those who dare to blaspheme.

Who will not bless this Blood of infinite value! Who would not be set aflame with love toward Jesus who shed this Blood? Who would I be if this Divine Blood had not redeemed me? Who removed it from the veins of my Lord to the last drop? Love did it! O immense love, which bestowed upon us this saving balm! O immeasurable balm which sprang from a spring of immense love, may all hearts and languages praise you, exult you and give you thanks now and forever. Amen.