9 July 2017

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Zechariah 9:9-10
Psalm 144:1-2, 8-11, 13-14
Romans 8:9, 11-13
The Gospel of 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 mere 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.’

Gentle and Humble in Heart

Humility is a virtue necessary for salvation, and as such is enjoined by Our Divine Saviour, especially when He said to His disciples: “Learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.” From the example of Christ and His Saints we may learn the practice of humility, which St. Thomas explains: … when virtue calls for a thing to be done it belongs to humility not to shrink from doing it, for instance not to refuse some lowly service where charity calls upon you to help your neighbour. … Sometimes too, even where our own duty does not require us to embrace humiliations, it is an act of virtue to take them up in order to encourage others by our example more easily to bear what is their duty: for a general will sometimes do the office of a common soldier to encourage the rest. Sometimes again we may make a virtuous use of humiliations as a medicine. Thus if anyone’s mind is prone to undue self-exaltation, he may with advantage make a moderate use of humiliations, either self-imposed, or imposed by others, so as to check the elation of his spirit by putting himself on a level with the lowest class of the community in the doing of lowly offices.”
cf. Humility, Catholic Encyclopedia

Saints of the week
Tue 11 Saint Benedict, Abbot 
Thu 13 Saint Henry  
Fri 14 Saint Camillus of Lellis, Priest  
Sat 15 Saint Bonaventure, Bishop, Doctor    

Psalter Week II

Next Sunday’s Readings
Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 64:10-14
Romans 8:18-23
Matthew 13:1-23

Saint Benedict, the Founder of Western Monasticism

Benedict was born in Italy, St. Scholastica is his twin sister. When he was very young, he gave up his inheritance to live a more spiritual life and moved to the mountains under the direction of a holy hermit, later, after his piety and austerity became known, a community of monks came to him asking for his guidance, these were the humble beginnings of the Benedictine monks. Many miracles were wrought by the saint even during his lifetime. St. Benedict is the patron saint of Europe.
St. Benedict, pray for us.

St. Bonaventure, Doctor, Cardinal,
Minister General of the Franciscans

Bonaventure (1221-1274) was venerated even during his lifetime due to a stainless character and several miracles, a fellow Franciscan said “He seemed to have escaped the curse of Adam’s sin”. St. Thomas Aquinas is said to have visited Bonaventure’s while the latter was writing the life of St. Francis and finding him in an ecstasy, he said, “Let us leave a saint to work for a saint.” When, in 1434, Bonaventure’s remains were translated, his head was found in a perfect state of preservation, the tongue being as red as in life. This made the people of Lyons choose him as patron. In 1562 Bonaventure’s shrine was plundered by the Huguenots and the urn containing his body was burned in the public square. His head was preserved at the cost of the superior’s life but it disappeared during the French Revolution and has not been recovered. Sixtus V inscribed Bonaventure among the principal Doctors of the Church in 1557.
Cf. St. Bonaventure, Catholic Encyclopedia

CARITAS PAPHOS currently needs:
Nοn-perishable food to support approximately 40 households a week in the Paphos area.

• Computer whiz to manage crowdfunding appeals.
• Teachers for basic Greek.
• Transportation of students (lifts).

Prayers and donations always help. Contact Wendy Burdon 99 040294.

Archangel Michael Hospice: Volunteers needed in the areas of reception, nursing assistants and cafeteria. Contact Mona (99 494 140).

Mass Times HERE