19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) - 10 August 2025
10th August 2025
“The poor stretch forth the hand, but God receives what is offered.” - St Peter Chrysologus
A reflection on today's Scripture Readings by Pope Benedict XVI in his homily at the Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo, on Sunday 12 August 2007:
"The Liturgy on this 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time prepares us in a certain way for the Solemnity of Mary's Assumption into Heaven, which we will be celebrating on 15 August. Indeed, it is fully oriented to the future, to Heaven, where the Blessed Virgin Mary has preceded us in the joy of Paradise.
"In particular, the Gospel passage, continuing last Sunday's message, asks Christians to detach themselves from material goods, which are for the most part illusory, and to do their duty faithfully, constantly aspiring to Heaven. May the believer remain alert and watchful to be ready to welcome Jesus when He comes in His glory.
"By means of examples taken from everyday life, the Lord exhorts His disciples, that is, us, to live with this inner disposition, like those servants in the parable who were waiting for their master's return. ‘Blessed are those servants,’ He said, ‘whom the master finds awake when he comes’ (Lk 12: 37). We must therefore watch, pray and do good.
"It is true, we are all travellers on earth, as the Second Reading of today's liturgy from the Letter to the Hebrews appropriately reminds us. It presents Abraham to us in the clothes of a pilgrim, as a nomad who lives in a tent and sojourns in a foreign land. He has faith to guide him.
"'By faith,’ the sacred author wrote, ‘Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go’ (Heb 11: 8).
"Indeed, Abraham's true destination was ‘the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God’ (11: 10). The city to which he was alluding is not in this world but is the heavenly Jerusalem, Paradise.
"This was well known to the primitive Christian community, which considered itself ‘alien’ here below and called its populated nucleuses in the cities ‘parishes’, which means, precisely, colonies of foreigners [in Greek, pároikoi] (cf. I Pt 2: 11). In this way, the first Christians expressed the most important characteristic of the Church, which is precisely the tension of living in this life in light of Heaven.
"Today's Liturgy of the Word, therefore, desires to invite us to think of ‘the life of the world to come’, as we repeat every time we make our profession of faith with the Creed. It is an invitation to spend our life wisely and with foresight, to consider attentively our destiny, in other words, those realities which we call final: death, the last judgement, eternity, hell and Heaven. And it is exactly in this way that we assume responsibility for the world and build a better world.
"May the Virgin Mary, who watches over us from Heaven, help us not to forget that here on earth we are only passing through, and may she teach us to prepare ourselves to encounter Jesus, who is ‘seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead’."
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. 💖🙏💐