Sunday, July 3, 2022

fourth Sunday after Pentecost

ST. THOMAS

Matthew, Chapter 10, verse 28

And do not be AFRAID of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

We must be resilient in our faith to resist the devil and the suffering he inflicts by his influence on weak and sinful men. John McCain in his book Character is Destiny[1] points to the 16^th President of the United States as a man who demonstrates for us the characteristic of RESILIENCE. Resilience is the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens. Abraham Lincoln had known loss and grief all his life yet rather that than succumb to defeat; he somehow, always found a way to rise back up. He was inarguably a man of action. Although he was known to have chronic depression he never yielded and in some way resurrected from his melancholic states thinking, “To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better.”

Lincoln rose to the highest office in the land after surviving a hard and poor childhood in the Indiana wilderness, a harsh father, little education, and deep loneliness. He survived the death of his brother, a sister, his mother, his first sweetheart, and his own children and his marriage to Mary Todd was troubled. As president he was considered dismal by most.

How did Lincoln persist? He willed it. He was neither swift nor brilliant at work but he was exhaustive; he continued. His resilience sprang from his deep conviction that America was, “the last, best hope of earth.” In the end he paid for his devotion with his life; so that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost[2]

Trusting in God in the midst of troubles. The example of St. Peter is given because of this Sunday's usual proximity to the Feast of Saints. Peter and Paul.*

WITH confidence in God’s fatherly protection, say, with the priest, in the Introit of the Mass, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall, I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? My enemies that trouble me have themselves been weakened and have fallen. If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear” (Ps. xxvi. 1-3).

Prayer.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that the course of the world, by Thy direction, may, in our regard, be peaceful; and that Thy Church may rejoice in tranquil devotion.

EPISTLE. Rom. viii. 18-23.

Brethren: I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us. For the expectation of the creature waiteth for the revelation of the sons of God For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly, but by reason of Him that made it subject, in hope: because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that every creature groaneth, and travaileth in pain even till now. And not only it, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the spirit: even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body: in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Brief Lessons.

There is no better consolation under crosses and afflictions than the thought that all the troubles of this world are not to be compared with the glory to come, and “that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory” (Cor. iv. 17). And, therefore, St. Bede says: “If we had to bear for a while the pains of hell, it would not appear so hard, if thereby we might merit to see Christ in His glory, and to be added to His saints.”

GOSPEL. Luke v. 1-11.

At that time, when the multitudes pressed upon Jesus to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of Genesareth. And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And going into one of the ships that was Simon’s, He desired him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting, He taught the multitudes out of the ship. Now when He had ceased to speak, He said to Simon: Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said to Him: Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing: but at Thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes, and their net broke. And they beckoned to their partners that were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships, so that they were almost sinking which when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was wholly astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken. And so were also James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. And Jesus saith to Simon: Fear not: from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And having brought their ships to land, leaving all things, they followed Him.

What may we learn from the multitudes who pressed on Jesus to hear the word of God? That we, also, should hear the word of God with great zeal, since it conveys to men the life of the soul and eternal happiness.

Why did Our Savior teach the multitude out of the ship of St. Peter? That, as the ship is the figure of the Church, so we can receive the true doctrine from that Church only of which Peter was the head (John xxi. 15 17). Amid all storms Jesus has preserved, and will preserve, this ship of His Church, till the end of time (Matt. xvi. 18). Peter yet stands at the helm, in the unbroken line of his successors; Jesus yet teaches from the ship the same doctrines as before, by the mouth of bishops and priests, the assistants of St. Peter’s successors, and whoever hears them hears Him. Hear them, therefore, with willingness and docility.

What was signified by the great draught of fishes which the apostles took, by the command of Jesus, after they had labored the whole night in vain? To the disciples it was a type of their vocation, a pledge of their successful labors, and at the same time a lesson how to labor so as to gain fruits. The exceeding and wonderful abundance of the draught of fishes was to assure them that their zealous labors to save souls should, in like manner, be crowned with rich success. That, after laboring all the night in vain, they should at once take so many fish, when they let down their nets at the word of Jesus, was to be to them a lesson never to be forgotten, that they could work with blessing and success only by relying, not on their own skill and painstaking, but only on the might and blessing of the Lord.

What other lessons are to be drawn from this gospel? We learn that nothing has any value before God which is done from mere natural inclination and human respect, that our labors are without merit if not undertaken in the name of God, but that He does not permit the least work to be in vain when undertaken without hesitation, relying on His assistance and for His sake. That the disciples obeyed so quickly, teaches us to obey God at once, to spare no sacrifice, to leave all quickly, and not to put off till to-morrow what is to be done to-day. Finally, we may learn not to be proud of the success of our labor, but, like Peter, to give glory to God, Who does such great things, by cheerfully leaving all earthly things to follow Him.

Feast of St Thomas[3]

St. Thomas was one of Jesus' disciples. He is best known for being the one disciple who wanted proof of Jesus' resurrection. St. Thomas is celebrated with a feast day in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. He is often referred to as Doubting Thomas, and also the name The Twin. Many Christians see themselves in St. Thomas because he doubted the resurrection until he received proof from Christ himself. He also confessed to not understanding Jesus when Christ told his disciples at the Last Supper that he was preparing a place for them.

St Thomas Facts

· An early church text claims that Thomas was the only witness to the Assumption of Mary into heaven. As her body entered heaven, she dropped her girdle. Medieval art often depicts Thomas catching the girdle.

· Thomas didn't believe the apostles when they saw Jesus the first time after the resurrection. He saw Jesus himself during his second appearance and touched the wounds on his hands and side (John 20:24-29).

· Church tradition says that Thomas traveled to eastern lands, including Persia, to evangelize to the people there about Jesus. He is thought to have settled in India.

· The feast day is held July 3, but sermons the following Sunday may also mention St. Thomas and faith. Originally the feast day for St. Thomas was on Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year. All sorts of traditions surrounded the day, including serving meat pies and charitable giving.

St Thomas Top Events and Things to Do

· Read writings by St. Thomas. Several early church documents bearing Thomas' name are popular, including the Gospel of Thomas, which is a collection of Jesus' sayings. Other texts include the Acts of Thomas and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. None of these texts were included in the Bible.

· Thousands of Indians claim to be descendants of the Christians that Thomas helped to convert. Join them on a pilgrimage in Paylador to the traditional spot of Thomas' tomb, Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral of the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Trichur (Kerala, India).

· If you are a single woman, try an ancient custom performed on the Feast of St. Thomas to get an idea who you will marry. Unmarried Austrian women would climb into bed over a stool, throw their shoes with toes pointing downward toward the bedroom door, and then sleep with their head at the foot of the bed. Women who performed this ritual were thought to dream about their future husbands.

· Say a blessing prayer for your property on the feast of St. Thomas. An ancient custom was for farmers and their sons or hands to drive off evil spirits in preparation for Christmas. They were sprinkling holy water across the land, while other family members stayed inside and prayed the rosary.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY

SECTION ONE THE SACRAMENTAL ECONOMY

CHAPTER ONE THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH

Article 2 THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE CHURCH'S SACRAMENTS

III. The Sacraments of Faith

1122 Christ sent his apostles so that "repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations." "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The mission to baptize, and so the sacramental mission, is implied in the mission to evangelize, because the sacrament is prepared for by the word of God and by the faith which is assent to this word:

The People of God is formed into one in the first place by the Word of the living God.... the preaching of the Word is required for the sacramental ministry itself, since the sacraments are sacraments of faith, drawing their origin and nourishment from the Word.

1123 "The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the Body of Christ and, finally, to give worship to God. Because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it. That is why they are called 'sacraments of faith."'

1124 The Church's faith precedes the faith of the believer who is invited to adhere to it. When the Church celebrates the sacraments, she confesses the faith received from the apostles - whence the ancient saying: lex orandi, lex credendi (or: legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi according to Prosper of Aquitaine [5th cent.]). The law of prayer is the law of faith: the Church believes as she prays. Liturgy is a constitutive element of the holy and living Tradition.

1125 For this reason no sacramental rite may be modified or manipulated at the will of the minister or the community. Even the supreme authority in the Church may not change the liturgy arbitrarily, but only in the obedience of faith and with religious respect for the mystery of the liturgy.

1126 Likewise, since the sacraments express and develop the communion of faith in the Church, the lex orandi is one of the essential criteria of the dialogue that seeks to restore the unity of Christians.

Events

· Macy's 4th of July Fireworks

Pop! Boom! Bang! July spells independence, with glorious fireworks nationwide. Celebrate Independence Day with a visit to the annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks display over the Hudson River. And if N.Y.C.’s not on your itinerary, check out more of America’s best fireworks displays — in St. Louis, Addison, Texas and Chicago’s Navy Pier.

· July 6-14 San Fermin Festival (Pamplona, Spain)

Run for your life! Join hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists who flock to the northern Spanish city of Pamplona for the annual San Fermin Festival. At 8 a.m. on July 7, the celebration unfolds with six bulls and another six steers running down a half-mile stretch of narrow streets. The week-long event culminates in a final, grand fight in a bullring.

· July 7-10 Queenstown Winter Festival

More than 45,000 people flock to Queenstown, New Zealand, for perhaps the biggest winter celebration in the southern hemisphere -- the Queenstown Winter Festival. Since 1975, this gold mining camp, turned sophisticated city, comes alive during balmy, but cool temps (44°F - 46°F) in June. The celebration of winter has more than 75 events, including ski races, ski jumping, colorful parades and exhibitions.

· July 8-10 Taste of Chicago (Grant Park)[1]

This July don’t miss the world’s largest food festival — yes, the largest! Held annually in mid-July, Taste of Chicago draws dozens of food vendors and participating restaurants to Chi-Town’s Grant Park. The annual event attracts upwards of 3 million people each year — and with foodie indulgences like the famous deep-dish pizza, we know why! This is food to die for!

· July 8-17 Calgary Stampede

Our "Neighbor to the North" marks its birthday this month. Get in on the festivities during the Calgary Stampede! This 10-day event is Canada’s largest annual rodeo, and one of its largest festivals to boot. Billed as the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth," the rodeo draws more than 1 million visitors each year.