16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) - 17 July
17th July 2022
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) - 17 July
A reflection on the themes in today's readings by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen:
"Courtesy and good manners are the crowning beauty of consecrated conduct; it is seeing the worth in others, because they are God’s creatures and because in their own souls they may be a thousand times more worthy of His blessing. Courtesy in its roots is saintliness; that is why sometimes one will find it in the most unlettered and uneducated, such as in the simple peasants in Europe; in such cases, there is often a gentleness which far surpasses the effete and superficial manners of the educated. Courtesy is love in action; not the love that seeks to be loved in return, but the love that puts affection in others, and finds them loveable.
"The ideal of spirituality is to be found in the first and last words of Our Lord’s public life. The first word of His public life was: ‘come’ (John 1:39; Mark 1:17; Matthew 4:18). The last word was ‘go’ (John 20:21; Mark 16:20; Matthew 28:19). The disciple first comes to absorb His Truth, to become inflamed with His Love; then and then only, he goes to accomplish his mission. Both words are summarised in the summary of the call of the disciples: He called the men He wanted; and they went and joined Him ... these He would send out to proclaim the Gospel (Mark 3:14).
"Unfortunately today, we have too many ‘go-goes’ and not enough ‘come-comes.’ The proper balance is found again in the story of Martha and Mary which follows in the Gospel the Good Samaritan. In the latter, social service is praised. But in the story of Martha and Mary, it is suggested that we are not to become too absorbed in serving that we have no time to sit at the foot of Jesus and learn His lessons." (The Power of Love and The Quotable Fulton Sheen)
Prayer for Guidance in Seeking God by St Anselm
O Lord my God, Teach my heart this day where and how to see You, where and how to find You. You have made me and remade me, and You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess, and still I do not know You. I have not yet done that for which I was made. Teach me to seek You, for I cannot seek you unless You teach me, or find You unless You show Yourself to me. Let me seek You in my desire. Let me desire You in my seeking. Let me find You by loving You. Let me love You when I find You. Amen. 🙏💖💐
Prayer for Those Afflicted by Flood
With the recent floods afflicting our nation and other areas of the world, we turn to our Heavenly Father, recalling the words of encouragement and comfort in Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in distress.”
Almighty God, Creator and Preserver of our world. We ask You to hear our humble prayers for all those afflicted by the recent storms and floods across our nation and the world. Protect both life and property and, in Your mercy, bring relief to all affected areas. Heal those broken in body and spirit. Protect all those who are most vulnerable and shelter those left homeless. Give strength and courage to all emergency personnel. Turn the hearts of all to you, God of all comfort. Give us generous hearts and hands, we pray, so that we may help all those in need. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Holy Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us. St Michael the Archangel, pray for us. 🙏💖💐