Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah 9:9-10 and indicates that the humility asked for by Jesus is the kind that he himself endured, for he came in meekness and without pageantry, yet his dominion would be to the ends of the earth. The example of the humble servant is the very person of Jesus himself who invites us in the second part of the gospel to come to Him for refreshment and rest. 

The second reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 8:9, 11-13 and contains one of the most important yet often misunderstood themes of St. Paul. The Hellenistic dichotomy between the lower and higher nature is not found here, for flesh and spirit mean the whole man and the whole man stands in need of redemption by Christ. The Pauline teaching is not that part of man is redeemed and part of him is damnable. Rather man's whole personality is redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ. The vocation of the Christian, both "body" and "soul," is to conform his already redeemed person to the same Spirit he has already received at baptism

The Gospel is from St. Matthew 11:25-30. Pagans and Jews had the same hardships of life to face as we have, and even greater ones. They earned their daily bread with the sweat of brow and body. Their illnesses were more frequent and less bearable than ours, for they had not the medical helps that we have. Death came to young and old then as it does now, but for them it was a final parting from loved ones, and no hope of a future happy meeting served to lighten their sorrow. All their crosses were crushing weights, sent to make life more miserable. Life on earth was passed in gloom and darkness and there was no shining star in the heavens to beckon them on or give them hope.

   Surely God is good to us, to put us into this world and give us the light of faith, and the knowledge of God and of His loving plans for us, which make the burdens of this life so relatively light and even so reasonable for us. We still have to earn our bread. We still have sickness and pains. We still have death stalking the earth, but unlike the people before Christ we now see a meaning to all these trials.

The yoke of Christ is not really a yoke but a bond of love, which joins us to Him, and through Him, to our loving Father in heaven. The rule of life that He asks us to keep, if we are loyal followers of His, is not a series of prohibitions and don'ts. It is rather a succession of signposts on the straight road to heaven, making our journey easier and safer. He does ask us to carry our cross daily, that is, to bear the burden of each day's duty, but once the cross is grasped firmly and lovingly it ceases to be a burden.

        Ours is a world that is in an all-out search for new idols. It is a world that has left the path marked out by Christ, and forgotten or tried to forget, that man's life does not end with death. To be a Christian and to have the light of faith to guide our steps in this neo-pagan darkness, is surely a gift, and a blessing from God, for which we can never thank Him enough. Thank you, God, for this gift. Please give us the grace and the courage to live up to it and to die in the certainty that we shall hear, as we shut our eyes on the light of this world, the consoling words, "come you blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you."

NOTICES

Parking spaces: A reminder to everyone from the fire department - DO NOT park your car parallel to the sidewalk in front of the church.  Fire trucks can’t turn the corner around the watering trough if there is a car in the way.   Also, since we have more people attending mass, please try to park within the angled parking lines in front of the church, so we can fit as many cars as possible.

FROM ST. THOMAS

The Anointing of the Sick: If anyone is hurting, or going to the hospital for a procedure, or you are concerned with an upcoming treatment, don’t hesitate to see me after mass on the Sunday before your intended event.  (The whole family can be with you.)  I will be happy to pray with you and give you the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.  Come, receive the healing care of the Lord.

New mass schedule. Beginning this week – July 5 and 6 – there will be a 4:30 PM mass on Saturday and a 9:30 AM mass on Sunday at St. Thomas Church during July and August.