14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) - 3 July
3rd July 2022
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) - 3 July
A reflection on the theme of the marks of a Christian by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen:
"Our Lord took upon Himself a patterned human nature. That human nature was something like a die that a government makes when it wishes to mint coins. When the die is fashioned, millions of coins can be fashioned like it. Christ, our patterned man, was born; He suffered; He overcame temptations; He rose from the dead and was glorified at the right hand of the Father. Because He was born, we are to be born, not physically, but spiritually. Because He denied Himself and suffered, we are to deny ourselves. The Cross becomes the condition of the empty tomb. Once our life is patterned upon His crucifixion, then our life shall be patterned also on His glorious Resurrection and Ascension. Are we as coins? He will ask for coins and He will say, 'Whose inscription is thereon?' Is it Caesar’s? Do we belong to the world? Or do we belong to God?
"A friend of mine, a priest, spent fourteen years in a communist prison and was tortured intensely because he always preached Christ to the prisoners. When he was released, he met a boy on the street and said to him, 'Do you believe in Christ?'
"'No,' said the little boy, 'I don’t.'
"'Why not?'
"'Well, you believe that Jesus is God, don’t you? If Jesus is God, he ought to be able to do many things. God made elephants. Elephants make other elephants. God made trees, and trees make other trees. God made flowers, and flowers make other flowers. If Jesus is God, therefore, he ought to be able to make other Jesuses. But I have never seen another Jesus. My father was an alcoholic; my mother takes in washing. She’s never given me anything; no one has ever given me anything, so I don’t believe that Jesus is God.'
"My friend went to another pastor in the village and told him what the boy had said. The pastor said, 'Oh, that silly idiot of a kid.'
"But he wasn’t an idiot; he was right. If Jesus is God, He ought to be able to make other Jesuses. And that’s what we are." (Through the Year with Fulton Year)
Prayer for Charity & Tolerance
May I be no man’s enemy, and may I be the friend of that which is eternal and abides. May I never quarrel with those nearest to me; and if I do, may I be reconciled quickly. May I never devise evil against any man; if any devise evil against me, may I escape uninjured and without the need of hurting him. May I love, seek, and attain only that which is good. May I wish for all men’s happiness and envy none. May I never rejoice in the ill-fortune of one who has wronged me. When I have done or said wrong, may I never wait for the rebuke of others, but always rebuke myself until I make amends. May I win no victory that harms either me or my opponent. May I reconcile friends who are angry with one another. May I, to the extent of my power, give all needful help to my friends and to all who are in want. May I never fail a friend in danger. When visiting those in grief, may I be able, by gentle and healing words, to soften their pain. May I respect myself. May I always tame that which rages within me. May I accustom myself to be gentle and never angry with people because of circumstances. May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things he has done, but know good men and follow in their footsteps, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏💖💐
Priests of God
One of God’s greatest beneficial works is the creation of the Priesthood. It is the life blood of Christ’s Church.
If the Priest is to live up to his ideal, he requires more than normal virtue - more than normal fortitude for much is required of him. He is the one appointed to deal with spiritual diseases and sicknesses of sinful mankind.
He must stand apart from the ordinary run of mankind, and if he loves anyone or anything more than the Divine Author and God of mankind - he is - in the words of Christ: “Not Worthy of Me.”
We - whose spiritual welfare is the Priest’s responsibility - should help him to attain this ideal for he is a vital part of God’s plan for us, and where we stand in the war between good and evil.
And we have some responsibility in this matter! We cannot expect flawless Church leadership, if we do nothing about it! While the Priest is a man apart from the rest of mankind - his very duties compel him to be a part of Man’s world as well as a part of the world to come. And this has its dangers. So much so that the “Salt can lose its flavour”!
If the Priest is to be the “Salt of the Earth” - a price must be paid. And if - through our common fallen nature, he is weak and indisposed to pay such price it is in our own interests, and to the greater glory of God to step in the breach and supply whatever is missing. That is why we must pray for Priests.
We especially pray this weekend for Fr Peterpaul Chikezie. He was ordained into the Priesthood on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June 2022. May he always be a faithful and living witness to Christ in his priestly ministry.
Prayer for Priests by St Thérèse of Lisieux
O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep Thy priests within the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Thy Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with Thy Precious Blood. Keep pure and unworldly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood. Let Thy Holy Love surround them from the world’s contagion. Bless their labours with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here and their everlasting crown hereafter. Amen.
Mary, Queen of the Clergy pray for us: obtain for us numerous and holy priests. Saints Peter and Paul, martyred priests of Christ, pray for us. St John Vianney, patron saint of priests, pray for us. 🙏💖💐