Reflection Starter from Lyndon Johnson

"This, then, is the state of the union: free and restless, growing and full of hope. So it was in the beginning. So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith." - Lyndon B. Johnson

Holy Father's Prayer Intentions for July

The Holy Father's prayer intentions for July are:

Universal Intention (Indigenous Peoples): "That indigenous peoples, whose identity and very existence are threatened, will be shown due respect."

Evangelization Intention (Latin America and the Caribbean): "That the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean, by means of her mission to the continent, may announce the Gospel with renewed vigor and enthusiasm."

Koiné: "Christ Is the World's Light"

As our Sunday celebration continues, I offer this version of Koiné presenting "Christ Is the World's Light":

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The assigned readings are Isaiah 66:10-14; Galatians 6:14-18; and Luke 10:1-12, 17-20. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 66 (Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20). 

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Psalm 66: Let All the Earth Cry Out to God With Joy by Keith Ballentine 

The Gospel reading is as follows:

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.' Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, 'The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.' Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town."

The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."

Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Reflections on these readings:

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 3, 2016)

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Salesian Sunday Reflection: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 3, 2016)

Community in Mission: Practical Principles for Proclaiming the Kingdom (2 JUL 16)

Deacon Greg Kandra: "Be God's microphone": Homily for July 3, 2016, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (2 JUL 16) 

The Sacred Page: Gathering the New Jerusalem: The 14th Sunday of OT (27 JUN 16)

The Sacred Page: The Mysterious 70 (or 72?) Disciples: The Mass Readings Explained (The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time) (29 JUN 16)

Word on Fire: Boasting in the Cross (Cycle C * Ordinary Time * Week 14)

St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology: Sunday Bible Reflections: Harvest Time: Scott Hahn Reflects on the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 JUN 16)

Spirituality of the Readings: Being Sent Out (14th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Let the Scriptures Speak: Travel Tips (14th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

The Word Embodied: Blessed Assurance (14th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Historical Cultural Context: Hospitality & Human vs Spirit World (14th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Thoughts from the Early Church: Commentary by Augustine of Hippo (14th Sunday of Ordinary Time C)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for Your prophets and for the many ways in which they reach out to us.

Msgr. Pope on a Warning from Amos

"Though he lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the prophet Amos was sent north by God to preach to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Perhaps no other prophet was as searing in his condemnation and as demanding in his call as was Amos. His prophecies of doom largely came true in the form of a huge earthquake that struck the region in 760 B.C. (two years after his death) and forty years later in the utter conquest and destruction of Israel in 721 B.C. The message is clear: unrepented sin brings dire consequences. When a nation refuses to repent it seals its own doom. . . .

"There has come upon the West a hardening and unrepentant spirit. Even having been warned to pray (e.g., through the proclamation of the Gospel and through special apparitions such as at Lourdes and Fatima), we collectively refuse to repent, instead doubling down on sin. Rates of unbelief have skyrocketed and there has been a massive falling away from the practice of the faith. The 'right' to the grave injustice of abortion continues to sail through the courts. Families are in ruins; sexual promiscuity, confusion, and the celebration of every sort of disorder grow daily.

"As early as the 1940s, C.S. Lewis lamented the loss of the faith in Europe and observed that it was worse than a return to paganism: At least pagans and barbarians had belief in deities and some respect for Natural Law. Whereas pagan Europe was like a virgin awaiting her groom, modern Europe of the 1940s was an angry divorcee, a bad scene. And things have only further declined in what we call the West.

"Amos reminds us that our sins and injustices cannot go on forever. God hears the cries of the poor, the aborted, the victims of the sexual revolution, the children who suffer from their parents' misbehavior, those who suffer on account of our greed, and many others." 

In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on the relevancy of the words of Amos to us in the Church and to the entire nation. 

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:

Community in Mission: A Warning from Amos - What Do We Face? (28 JUN 16)

Reflection Starter from Pope Francis

"Jesus looks for us and invites us to make room in the inner reaches of our heart. Do we realize it?" - Pope Francis

Bill Haley & His Comets: "Rock Around The Clock"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of Bill Haley & His Comets presenting "Rock Around The Clock":

The Roving Maine Gnome

"Over the past three years, a Lewiston artist known only by the initials 'RG' has placed 500 gnomes on roadsides from Portland to Sunday River.

"On the top of the city of Auburn parking garage. In the bushes at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. At the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, amid the tulips.

"'I'll keep a couple in my car,' RG said in an interview last week. 'If I'm somewhere, I'll look for an old stone or a tree trunk. I try not to be seen - that's the fun part.'

"They come with a note tied around the base - 'You found me, I'm yours. Keep me, place me someplace else.' — that encourages gnome-finders to take a picture and leave an update on his MaineGnome Maine page on Facebook."

A recent Sun Journal article reported on RG's gnome adventure.

To access the complete Sun Journal report, please visit:

Sun Journal: Weird, Wicked Weird: Roving gnome artist (1 JUL 16)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for being an active participant in our lives.

Pope Francis on Euthanasia

"Growing acceptance of euthanasia does not indicate increased compassion, but highlights the rise of a selfish 'throwaway culture' that casts aside the sick, the dying and those who do not satisfy the perceived requirements of a healthy life, Pope Francis has said.

"In a culture that is increasingly 'technological and individualistic,' some tend to 'hide behind alleged compassion to justify killing a patient,' the Pope told health professionals from Spain and Latin America on June 9.

"'True compassion does not marginalise, humiliate or exclude, much less celebrate a patient passing away,' the Pope said. 'You know well that would mean the triumph of selfishness, of that 'throwaway culture' that rejects and despises people who do not meet certain standards of health, beauty or usefulness.'"

A recent Catholic Herald article reported on Pope Francis' presentation to these health professionals.

To access the complete Catholic Herald report, please visit:

Catholic Herald: Pope Francis: Euthanasia is a triumph of selfishness, not compassion (11 JUN 16)

Reflection Starter from Martin Luther

"The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes." - Martin Luther