My soul clings to you

Welcome to my blog.

Today we celebrate Sunday. It is the day when we celebrate the presence of the Risen Lord among us. He unites us in mutual love through his Message and Communion in his Body and Blood.

May you enjoy the peace that only he can give.

Sunday 28 June 2020

My soul clings to you

Ps 46: 2

All peoples, clap your hands.

Cry to God with shouts of joy!

Prayer

Father in heaven, in Baptism you recreated us

in Jesus as your children and we became

children of light in a world of darkness.

Grant that we may never go back to the darkness

of unbelief and error, but remain for ever in the light of your truth.

We make our prayer through your Son,

Christ Jesus, our Lord.

____________________

First reading

2 Kings 4:8–11, 14–16a ·

Elisha is a holy man of God, let him remain.

One day Elisha came to Shunem, where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine. So she said to her husband, “I know that Elisha is a holy man of God. Since he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there.” Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.

Later Elisha asked, “Can something be done for her?” His servant Gehazi answered, “Yes! She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years.” Elisha said, “Call her.” When the woman had been called and stood at the door, Elisha promised, “This time next year you will be fondling a baby son.” THE WORD OF THE LORD.

Prayerful reflection

“Whoever receives you receives me.” The woman recognizes Elisha as a holy man of God and so arranges for him to stay in their house every time he comes their village. She receives the reward for her devotion to God. She receives the son she has been longing for. Jesus has given a mission to his Church community. We are to bring the Good News of eternal life to the ends of the earth. Everyone must share in this. We must be witnesses where we live and work and we must support those who give their lives to carrying the Gospel to new people. In as far as we share in this mission, we will receive the reward. What we do doesn’t matter. It is doing the work Jesus wants us to do, that is important. How does he want you to witness to him and his message of truth and joy? Your reward is in proportion to your zeal and effort.

Psalm

Psalm 89:2–3, 16–17, 18–19

Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

The promises of the Lord I will sing forever,

through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.

For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;

in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;

in the light of your countenance, O Lord, they walk.

At your name they rejoice all the day,

and through your justice they are exalted.

Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

You are the splendour of their strength,

and by your favour our horn is exalted.

For to the Lord belongs our shield,

and to the Holy One of Israel, our king.

Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

____________________

Second reading

Romans 6:3–4, 8–11 ·

Buried with Christ in baptism, we shall walk in the newness of life.

Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.

If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. THE WORD OF THE LORD.

Prayerful reflection

We will all, one day, die. What will happen then, no human being knows except those to whom Jesus has revealed it. Jesus died and rose again with divine glory.  He will give this eternal life to those who believe in him. It implies physical death and physical resurrection.  In the rite of Baptism, we rehearse our death and resurrection. The rite of Baptism in the early Church, and nowadays in places, was performed by immersion. This was a rehearsal of our own death and resurrection in Christ. The candidate would descend into the water where the minister would be waiting. In this way he was rehearsing his death. It also symbolised the person’s burial with Christ in the tomb. Thus, in Baptism he dies to his old life of sin and he rises to the new life of grace. He is born again in the water. This is what happens when we die. We sleep in Christ. Thus, our burial is only temporal. Jesus, the Saviour, will raise us for eternal life. That is the reality, Baptism is the ritual enactment of this. We treasure the memory of our Baptism and live it out daily by a life of holiness in faith.

1 Peter 2:9

Alleluia, alleluia.

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation;

announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Alleluia, alleluia.

____________________

Gospel

Matthew 10:37–42

Whoever does not take up his cross is not worthy of me. Whoever receives you, receives me.

Jesus said to his apostles: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple— amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD.

Prayerful reflection

What is Baptism? It is the most important moment in our life. Nothing can overshadow it. No one can be baptised, lawfully, unless they believe in and love Jesus with all their hearts. To understand Baptism correctly, we must see it as a mystical but very real marriage. Jesus has chosen you. ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you’. He chose you because he wants you to live with him forever (John 14:3). He loves you to the point of undergoing his Passion and Death on the Cross (Romans 5:8). He has a personal and all-consuming love for you. Until we understand this, we cannot understand Jesus, his life or his teaching. He is as a closed book. We see the title, but that is all.

In Baptism we respond to his love for us. As he has chosen us, so we choose him. As he has given his life to us and for us so we give ours to him and for him. “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3). It is as if we vow to him: from this day forward, I give my life to you, in good days and in bad, whether rich or poor, sick or healthy until we are united for ever after death.

In him we love everyone and we live a life of love because he is Love. But no one can come between his love and mine, whether it be father or mother, spouse or family, friends or enemies, governments, or anyone. He takes supreme place because he has my heart, soul and body. If we lose our life for him, then we find it, not only in the next life, but here and now too. This is to live our Baptism. This is the source of joy.

Jn 17: 20-21

O Father, I pray for them, that they may be one in us,

that the world may believe that you have sent me, says the Lord.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, may our Baptism in which we  offered our lives to you,

fill us with life so that we may always be bound to you

in everlasting love.

We make our prayer of you who

live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit

one God for ever and ever.