Friday, July 17, 2009

Sarurday July 18,2009 of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time

Saturday July 16, 2009 of the 15th Week of Ordinary Time

Readings: Exodus 12: 37-42 Psalm 136 Matthew 12; 14-21
Psalm Response: “ His mercy endures forever”

In accordance with Yahweh’s instruction, when Pharaoh relented in his promise, when God displayed His wrath, 600,000 men and their wives and children departed from Egypt. The symbol of God, a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night preceded them during their trek in the desert.
In their hurry to escape before Pharaoh changed his mind, they only had time to mix the flour without the leaven so their food was unleavened bread.
During their captivity, they were treated unmercifully by their captors and so they cried out to God for relief. God called on Moses to lead them from Egypt with Aaron, his brother, as his prime minister/spokesman. We may try to reconcile how they could have remained faithful to God for 430 years. However, they recalled their selection through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as His special People set apart from the world.
We are the New Jerusalem! God’ chosen ones. We have two thousand years 0f Tradition and seventeen hundred years of Revelation to remind us daily of His choice and our consequent salvation.

“His mercy endures forever”. As long as we remain faithful to Him and no other gods, we are destined to join Him in His Kingdom.
Although, the pagan gods and idols do not tempt us to offer homage, we are bombarded with the idols of celebrity and power. It’s up to us to refuse their luster and be attracted, instead to God in the incomparable majesty of the Holy Eucharistic reality.

Upon the knowledge of the Pharisetic plot to arrest and kill Him, Jesus retired from the threat to the surrounding villages. There He made His presence known through healings and exorcisms. When the Pharisee’s efforts succeeded, those healed of their afflictions, recalled their Benefactor and were Baptized by His disciples.
Reaching into the Scriptural archives, Jesus recalled and proclaimed the prophecy of Isaiah as relating to Him notifying the chosen people of their choice and subsequent missions to the Gentiles.
Our heritage is not the Jewish faith. However, the basis of our Catholic Christian belief is from the Jews. Nevertheless, Christ gave His Divine authority to His Apostles, all Jews, to take His message to the Gentile world.

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