Pray, trust and work

Welcome to my blog.

You will find here the daily readings from the Bible, chosen for us by the Catholic Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

If we set aside a regular time each day to read, meditate and pray over the readings, we will receive the fruits of peace and joy. The Holy Spirit who inspired the passage in the first place, will inspire you too as you read in faith.

A prayerful reflection is given. I hope you may find it helpful.

Tuesday 14 July 2020

Pray, trust and work

Cf. Ps 16:15

As for me, in justice I shall behold your face;

I shall be filled with the vision of your glory.

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Prayer

O God, who show the light of your truth

to those who go astray,

so that they may return to the right path,

give all who for the faith they profess

are accounted as Christians

the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ

and to strive after all that does it honour.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

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First reading

Isaiah 7:1-9 ·

Isaiah tells the king not to fear

In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Razon the king of Aram went up against Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to lay siege to it; but he was unable to capture it.

The news was brought to the House of David. ‘Aram’ they said ‘has reached Ephraim.’ Then the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees of the forest shudder in front of the wind. The Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go with your son Shear-jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the Fuller’s Field road, and say to him:

‘“Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear,

do not let your heart sink

because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands,

or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah

have plotted to ruin you, and have said:

Let us invade Judah and terrorise it

and seize it for ourselves,

and set up a king there,

the son of Tabeel.

The Lord says this:

It shall not come true; it shall not be.

The capital of Aram is Damascus,

the head of Damascus, Razon;

the capital of Ephraim, Samaria,

the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah.

Six or five years more

and a shattered Ephraim shall no longer be a people.

But if you do not stand by me,

you will not stand at all.”’

THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

Ahaz is the king of Judah, the southern kingdom.  The time is around 736 BC. Assyria is the super power of the day and very aggressive.  All the kings of the area – the kings of Aram and Samaria are terrified. They want Judah to join them and stand against Assyria. Ahaz is unwilling and so they want attack Jerusalem and topple him. Then they will put in his place a king who will join them.

Isaiah warns Ahaz not to join them but rather to trust in God’s mighty power to save him. Ahaz doesn’t join them but neither does he listen to Isaiah. He tries to appease Assyria my paying out great sums. Aram and the northern kingdom are destroyed.  Judah will also later be destroyed.

Does God intervene in human affairs? Most believers will say ‘yes’. But do we truly believe this? How does he intervene and bring about his will? We need not, nor should not ask this question. It is irrelevant. The real question is does he intervene? If we truly believe he does, then in every circumstance prayer for guidance and deliverance will be our major response. We will use all our natural gifts to solve the problem, but they will be dependent on the guidance of God we expect as a result of earnest and unceasing prayer. Further, as a result of prayer God has any number of ways of changing the course of history, independent of our efforts.

The real question is: do I believe what the psalmist says: it is better to trust the Lord than to trust in princes. If I do then I will begin to pray and pray earnestly and without ceasing. If I only believe nominally, then I may say the odd prayer, but put my real trust in human endeavour. (The covid-19 pandemic is a case in point for believers.)

Where do you stand?

 Psalm

Psalm 47(48):2-8

God upholds his city for ever.

The Lord is great and worthy to be praised

in the city of our God.

His holy mountain rises in beauty,

the joy of all the earth.

God upholds his city for ever.

Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,

the Great King’s city!

God, in the midst of its citadels,

has shown himself its stronghold.

God upholds his city for ever.

For the kings assembled together,

together they advanced.

They saw; at once they were astounded;

dismayed, they fled in fear.

God upholds his city for ever.

.

A trembling seized them there,

like the pangs of birth.

By the east wind you have destroyed

the ships of Tarshish.

God upholds his city for ever.

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Ps94:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Matthew 11:20-24

It will not go as hard with Sodom on Judgement Day as with you

Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been worked, because they refused to repent.

‘Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement day with Tyre and Sidon as with you. And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted as high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell. For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom on Judgement day as with you.’

THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

Don’t think Jesus is a soft and wimpy kind of person, though often portrayed as such on holy pictures. He can speak the truth without mincing his words. He is also ready to face the fact that as a result of what he says he will make enemies.

There is a price to pay for everything. Neglect your health and you will pay dearly. It maybe with your life too. Throw the rules of the road to the winds and tragedy awaits you.

In the time of mercy and patience, show a callous indifference to the appeal of God, and the day of reckoning will come with dire consequences.

This is what Jesus is saying about the towns in which he had ministered – Capernaum, Bethsaida and a town not mentioned in the Gospels, Chorazin.

The message is clear. Let us look into our own lives and ask ourselves whether we are responding to the goodness that God has shown to us. The Gospels plainly teach that God expects a return from us for all his blessings. What are you doing for him?

Cf. Ps 26: 4

There is one thing I ask of the Lord, only this do I seek:

to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

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Prayer

Father in heaven, you shower us with gifts

at every moment. Grant that through them

we may grow in love for you.

We make our prayer through your Son,

Christ our Lord.

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