Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Zechariah 9: 9-10

Rejoice heart and soul, daughter of Zion!
Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is approaching,
he is vindicated and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will banish chariots from Ephraim
and horses from Jerusalem;
the bow of war will be banished.
He will proclaim peace to the nations,
his empire will stretch from sea to sea,
from the River to the limits of the earth.

 

Romans 8: 9, 11-13

You, however, live not by your natural inclinations, but by the Spirit, since the Spirit of God has made a home in you. Indeed, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead has made his home in you, then he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

    So then, my brothers, we have no obligation to human nature to be dominated by it. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the habits originating in the body, you will have life.

   

Matthew 11: 25-30

At that time Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

 

 

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 3, 2011

INTRODUCTION – (Zechariah 9:9-10; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30) Two hundred thirty-five years ago, we declared our independence from the English. This was a courageous step on the part of our ancestors and it has been challenged in many ways through these years. Somehow we have managed to keep going, and with God’s blessings, we will continue on. May we use our freedom with responsibility and may God bless our land.

Two hundred thirty-five years is a long time. When we hear from Zechariah in today’s first reading, it had been three hundred years since the Jews had enjoyed freedom. First they were under the brutal exile of the Babylonians for 50 years until the Persians destroyed the Babylonian empire and allowed the Jews to return to their homes. Alexander the Great conquered the Persians and eventually, during this Hellenistic period, the Jews were bitterly persecuted. Scholars believe that it was during this period of Greek rule that Zechariah, as God’s prophet, promises better days. He tells Jerusalem to rejoice for their king would come to bring them freedom and peace. Since kings were anointed, they were called in Hebrew “Messiah” and in Greek “Christos” which means “the anointed one.” Horses, chariots, warriors’ bows and other instruments of war would be outlawed in his kingdom. The people of Jerusalem remembered this prophecy when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday. We hear, in today’s gospel, Jesus reveals himself as a man of peace who is meek and humble of heart. That’s why the passage from Zechariah was chosen for our first reading. Someday, after we learn to better follow Jesus, the man of peace, maybe we will then see Zechariah’s prophecy of peace fulfilled fully.

HOMILY – A man came home from a long day of counting ballots at the Board of Elections in his area. He said to his wife, “We won, dear. I’m now a state representative.” Not sure she heard correctly, she said “Honestly!” He said in reply, “now don’t bring anything up about honesty!”

Some of you may have heard this true story. It was at a graduation ceremony at the University of Maryland a few years ago. The graduates marched in with great solemnity. Parents were smiling and brushing away tears at the same time. The speakers appropriately stayed within the guidelines of political correctness and no one dared ask for divine blessings on the graduates or their families. The final speaker, one of the students, went to the podium, he stood there silently for a few moments then, without a cue, every one of the graduates sneezed. The student at the podium looked at the audience and said, “God bless you, each and every one of you.” And he walked off the stage. The audience exploded into applause.

So, on this holiday weekend, I say God bless each and every one of you. We know our country is not perfect, nor are all its politicians, but it’s the best country on the face of the earth. Just the fact that we are here today is one indication of that. In some countries our lives would be threatened or we would be put in jail just for doing what we’re doing. Let us continue to work and pray that we might remain strong, able to stand on our own, and remain free – not to do just anything we feel like, but free to serve God and to serve each other in love.

Friday was the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I mention that because the gospel for that feast is the same gospel we just heard today. “Come to me,” Jesus said, “and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart. ...”

The Sacred Heart is a special symbol of Jesus’ love for us. We must not forget Jesus had (and has) a human heart just as we do. St. Paul said he became like us in all things except sin. He feels emotions of love, compassion and tenderness. Because when we love someone, we want to be loved back, he also feels it when we forget him, betray him, do what displeases him. Joined to that human heart is the infinite love of God. Thus when we see a statue or picture of the Sacred Heart, there are usually flames of fire coming from it representing the immense love of God. Because God is love, as St. John tells us, Jesus cannot not love, even when we refuse him our love. So he asks special people to offer him greater love to make up for the pain of what he suffered for us, the pain of rejected love. That is the meaning of the crown of thorns we see surrounding Jesus’ heart. This is, in essence, the theme of devotion to the Sacred Heart: 1) recognizing Jesus love and 2) offering repentance for the love that we and others have failed to give him. This is the reason we have First Friday Mass and why we have holy hours. This is the reason ultimately for the Eucharist itself. There are many blessings Jesus promised to those who honor him as the Sacred Heart.

Jesus said, “come to me.” “Come” is the word I want to stress here. He has already come to us, through his birth, his teachings and miracles, his death and resurrection, through grace and the sacraments. He has  come as far as possible. Coming to him implies we have to move closer, we have more we have to learn from him. We have to take time to pray, to read the Scriptures, to forgive those who have hurt us, to be kind to others and all the other things we’ve been taught about living a life of holiness. Don’t expect that Jesus is going to make us rich and take all our problems away. He did promise a cross to those who follow him. Life itself, however, has many crosses, whether we follow Jesus or not. It’s a lot easier when we have Jesus as part of our everyday lives. “My yoke is easy and my burden light.” “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened.” Amen.

 

 

Rosary of February 7, 1999

Sorrowful Mysteries

Agony in the Garden

1. Jesus: I have revealed to you insights into My Heart, the sufferings I experienced for souls that just do not comprehend. They walk in a dimmed light.

2. Purity is found in Our Hearts.

3. Men that hide their own displeasure and inflict it on others wound My Heart.

4. Authority is misused. People in authority are to be loving. Their having authority does not mean they can be rude and prideful, demanding their way. I am Jesus Christ, humble of Heart.

5. All problems can be taken to Me. I will help you.

6. I sweat Blood for the arrogance of men.

7. Many men seek power, position, and money.

8. I am humble and lowly in Heart, I am kind.

9. You complicate things with your brazen ways.

10. The Apostles slept, My beloved friends did not comfort Me.

The Scourging at the Pillar

1. Jesus: Whip Me and feel good.

2. No man with a pure heart feels good when he intentionally hurts another person.

3. They tore My flesh, they made Me bleed.

4. They spit on Me, they abused My Body.

5. I cried out to them, but they did not hear the words I spoke.

6. Like a little lamb, I was led to the slaughter.

7. Can you begin a prayer chapter praying for priests?

8. Pray for those having authority.

9. Is it power, position? Is it God you serve or do you serve another master, one that really makes you a slave to it?

10. Freedom is found in the hearts. I was tied to the pillar, but I was free in My Heart.

The Crowning of Thorns

1. Jesu: I am King. I expect to be honored, loved, worshipped and served.

2. I am the King of heaven and earth. I was handled by those men who abused Me and laughed at Me.

3. Do you laugh and ridicule others? Do you look at them and tell yourselves you are better than they?

4. I loved those who persecuted Me.

5. They put Me to death and I loved them, always wishing their good.

6. What is a mother and father to do in this evil age? You wish a sign. When people are given great lights and gifts, they question.

7. Do you listen and become wise? Do you plug your ears and not listen?

8. What will become of Mary's children, the ones who do not change in their ways?

9. Mary appears in Florida to lead her children into this age of the two Hearts.

10. My children, no matter what befalls you, know I will never abandon you. I am your protector. I watch you day and night. You must surrender yourself totally into My hands.

Carrying of the Cross

1. R. Jesus showed us how He carried His cross. He took all the harsh treatment. He did not give in.

2. Jesus was beaten at the pillar. He was bound, but He, being God, could have released these bonds. But He willingly suffered. He always complied to the Father's will.

3. Mary: Look into the eyes of my Son, Jesus, and see the love. He will never abandon you.

4. R. We are like little children. We feel we are not getting our needs met and we selfishly cry out many times in great pain.

5. We must cherish the gifts we have and realize that many graces are released when we suffer as God wishes.

6. Many times it is the will of the Father that we endure suffering.

7. When it is the Father's will that we suffer, enduring it leads to greater life in Him.

8. The devil tries to tempt us to sin. Many times we must endure great trials to remain holy.

9. Satan is real. God is real, we must give our hearts to Jesus and Mary and pray to live in the Father's will.

10. In dwelling in Their Hearts, we will know more and more what the Father's will is for us.
    The Holy Spirit works especially in the Heart of Mary to give us great insights into God's will for us.

Crucifixion

1. R. Jesus hung for three agonizing hours on the cross.

2. We are very impatient many times, wanting our way. If we identify with Him on the cross, we will learn more about the gift of patience.

3. Bloody, beaten, wounded all over His precious Body, Jesus, the all-powerful and Almighty God, mounted the cross willingly and gave Himself as a sacrifice.

4. We become very selfish and we do not treasure all the gifts we have. Many times we take our water and food and cars and houses for granted.

5. Do we take the great gifts God gives to us for granted?

6. Mary: My children, see your beloved Jesus before your eyes, hanging on the cross. Stand beneath a crucifix for three hours and let your arms be extended. You will know a small amount of His suffering.

7. R. To His bitter death, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, hung for three agonizing hours. It was the Father's will.

8. Today we suffer in our lives in a great battle against the evil one who wants souls for hell.

9. Our pillar of light is Jesus on a cross against a darkened sky.

10. The glory of the Easter morning shows the victory of One who was slain.

Jesus: Accept the crosses you are asked to endure. The victory is won in endurance, living according to the Father's will. I give you Myself, the Resurrected Jesus, in the Eucharist. I am the Bread of Life. Feed the hungry, tell them of Me, truly present in the Eucharist. You are My apostles of the Sacred Heart.