Catholic Daily Liturgical Guide 01 .08.2022
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JEREMIAH 28: 1 – 17
In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, says the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord; and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words which you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. Yet hear now this word which I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.” Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, and broke them. And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years.” But Jeremiah the prophet went his way. Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but I will make in their place bars of iron. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke of servitude to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.”’ And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.”’ In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.
The Word of the Lord
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 119: 29, 43, 79, 80, 95, 102 (R.) 65b
R/. Teach me your statutes, O Lord
Keep me from the way of falsehood;
grant me mercy by your law. R/.
Never take the word of truth from my mouth,
for I hope in your decrees. R/.
Let those who fear you turn to me,
that they may know your decrees. R/.
Let my heart be blameless in your statutes,
that I may not be put to shame. R/.
Though the wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
yet I ponder your decrees. R/.
I have not turned away from your decrees;
you yourself have taught me. R/.
ALLELUIA
Matthew 4: 4b
Alleluia.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Alleluia
GOSPEL
“He looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.”
MATTHEW 14: 13…
REFLECTION: Jesus is Always There
August 1, 2022
When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. (Matthew 14:13-14)
Humanly speaking, Jesus’ heart was grieved by the death of John the Baptist. He loved John and was deeply saddened by his beheading. So He withdrew in a boat to a deserted place alone. But the crowds were hungry for more! They wanted to see Jesus and listen to Him. They knew many who were ill and wanted Jesus to heal them. So they sought Him out despite the fact that He had withdrawn from the crowd to be alone.
What was Jesus’ reaction? Did He look at them and sigh, saying to Himself, “Why don’t they leave me alone. Don’t they know I am grieving?” No. Instead, Jesus was filled with mercy and compassion for them, and He went to them to heal many of their sick.
This gives us insight into the heart and compassion of our Lord. Many times, we are afraid to go to God. We are afraid to turn to Him because of our sin. We are afraid of what He will think and say to us. We feel guilty and ashamed and, as a result, fail to seek Him out.
But just as Jesus had compassion for those who sought Him out in this story, so also He will ALWAYS have the deepest of compassion for us every time we seek Him out. If we find our lives steeped in sin, but run to Him anyway, He will look at us with compassion and mercy. He never tires of us returning to Him, seeking His healing and mercy. We should always have hope in Him and turn to Him with the greatest confidence.
Reflect, today, upon how comfortable you are in turning to Jesus just as you are. Are you afraid or worried about what He thinks of you? Are you ashamed of your sin or weakness? Do you worry He will judge you and not care? Have confidence in His abundance of mercy and run to Him without fear.
PRAYER:
My most compassionate Lord, help me to trust in Your love and compassion. Help me to know that You always long for me to come to You. As You never tire of me coming to You, may I never tire of coming to You. Jesus, I trust in You.