19th Sunday of the Year (b)
This Week’s Liturgy Calendar.
Ordinary Season of the Year. (b)
Weekdays – Year 1
Sunday 9th August: 19th Sunday of the Year. (B)
The first reading is from the First Book of Kings. Tired of being God’s voice to a people that does not listen, Elijah is on the verge of a breakdown. Through and angel, God gives him food to march 40 days to encounter God and to receive from him new strength for his mission as a prophet.
The second reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians. A follower of Christ, he reminds us, must be loving and forgiving, like Christ, who sacrificed himself for us. In the Eucharist, he can give us strength to follow him.
The Gospel passage is from St. John’s Gospel. Just as we need bread or food to live, so we also need bread for eternal life. Jesus is that bread for the life of the world.
Monday 10th August: Feast of St. Lawrence.
Deacon Lawrence is one of the most heroic of the age of martyrs. He was a Spaniard called from Toledo to Rome. In 258, the Emperor Valerian began a fierce persecution of the Church. He had the Pope put to death. Lawrence was one of the Pope’s chief executives and had charge of the Church’s property. Knowing this would be confiscated by the Emperor, and that he himself would probably be captured and put to death, he devised a plan to distribute all the Church’s wealth to the poor of Rome. As a result, he was sentenced to a particularly cruel death being burned on a gridiron. His basilica is one of the seven major churches of Rome.
Tuesday 11th August: Memorial of St. Clare.
Clare was born into an aristocratic family in 1193 and was a lifelong friend of St. Francis of Assisi. They possessed the same love of Christ and commitment to poverty. After receiving the habit from St. Francis, St. Clare founded the first convent of Franciscan (Poor Clare) nuns at San Damiano. Her mother and sister were among those who formed this first community. She ruled her community for forty years until her death in 1253.
Wednesday 12th August: Wednesday of 19th week of the year.
From a nearby mountain, Moses is shown the Promised Land just before he dies. He was mourned for thirty days by the Israelites before Joshua takes over.
Jesus tells his followers that everyone must be given the chance to undo and correct whatever wrong they may have done. It should only be as a final step that a person should be totally rejected by their community. He also reminds us that whenever people gather to pray, no matter how many or how few, he is with them.
Thursday 13th August: Thursday of 19th week of the year.
We move to the Book of Joshua who has taken over leadership of the people following on Moses death. The People of Israel finally reach the Promised Land bring the Ark with them. This is the reminder and the symbol of God’s presence with them. He would be with them as they make their way to Jericho.
The Gospel presents another parable. Jesus used it to demonstrate the level of forgiveness his followers must show.
Friday 14th August: Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
Maximilian Kolbe was born near Lodz in Poland in 1894. He had a great devotion to Our Lady and, after he was ordained, he founded a number of Marian communities and issued Marian magazines. During the war, he was imprisoned in the concentration camp at Auschwitz and there offered to take the place of a married man who was condemned to die. He was starved to death in 1941. He was canonised by Pope John Paul ll in 1982.
Saturday 15th August: Solemnity of the Assumption.
After her life on earth was over, Our Lady died but immediately her body was assumed into heaven so that it did not undergo corruption. This feast has been described as Our Lady’s Easter since we celebrate not only her passing from this life but also her resurrection and ascension into the glory of heaven. Pope Pius XII officially promulgated this dogma of the Church on 1st November 1950.
Lord our God,
May your Son, Jesus, sustain us on our journey.
Keep us from discouragement,
Give us courage to make him visible
In our words and in our deeds.
Let him lead us to the mountain
Where you live as our God
For ever and ever.
Amen.
