Readings at Mass:
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
First reading
Isaiah 26:7-9,12,16-19
‘Awake and exult, all you who lie in the dust’
The path of the upright man is straight,
you smooth the way of the upright.
Following the path of your judgements,
we hoped in you, O Lord,
your name, your memory are all my soul desires.
At night my soul longs for you
and my spirit in me seeks for you;
when your judgements appear on earth
the inhabitants of the world learn the meaning of integrity.
O Lord, you are giving us peace,
since you treat us
as our deeds deserve.
Distressed, we search for you, O Lord;
the misery of oppression was your punishment for us.
As a woman with child near her time
writhes and cries out in her pangs,
so are we, O Lord, in your presence:
we have conceived, we writhe
as if we were giving birth;
we have not given the spirit of salvation to the earth,
no more inhabitants of the world are born.
Your dead will come to life,
their corpses will rise;
awake, exult,
all you who lie in the dust,
for your dew is a radiant dew
and the land of ghosts will give birth.
The Word of the Lord Jesus
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 101(102):13-21
(R.) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
You, O Lord, will endure for ever
and your name from age to age.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion:
for this is the time to have mercy,
for your servants love her very stones,
are moved with pity even for her dust.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The nations shall fear the name of the Lord
and all the earth’s kings your glory,
when the Lord shall build up Zion again
and appear in all his glory.
Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless;
he will not despise their prayers.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for ages to come
that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high.
He looked down from heaven to the earth
that he might hear the groans of the prisoners
and free those condemned to die.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Gospel Acclamation
Mt11:28
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel
Matthew 11:28-30
My yoke is easy and my burden light
Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Daily Reflections
Thursday, 16th July 2020.
Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Is 26:7-9,12,16-19
Ps 101:13-21
Mt 11:28-30
CHRIST SHOULD DIRECT OUR LIVES
In the Gospel of today Jesus invites all who are extremely wearied or extremely burdened. Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke… my burden is light”.
- Come to me: This is the first invitation given to those who are weary and overburdened. The reason for weariness could be many. It could be due to attachment to the world which fails to satisfy our desires, could be due to sin and guilt from it, or due to desire for or hording of material goods and money and dissatisfaction from it, or could be due to working for name and fame and power which lead to loneliness. When an invitation is given to us by Jesus, he does not see what caused such weariness or burden. To those who respond positively, Christ will give rest. He gives rest to the lonely, struggling and despairing people.
- Take my yoke: The second invitation that Jesus gives us is to shoulder the His yoke and learn from him, for he is gentle, humble and his burden is light. What makes the burden of Christ light? It is LOVE. He carried a heavy cross and paid the price on the Cross, because he loved us. We too are ready to bear hardships for someone we love. That gives us satisfaction.
The world can never satisfy us no matter how successful we become. We know from experience that all attachments are surpassed, records are broken, reputations fade, and tributes are forgotten. So shouldering the yoke of Christ and coming to him by responding to his call means allowing God to direct our lives, believing in his providence and facing life’s challenges without fear. We need to surrender to the ways of God, that He may direct our lives so that false ambitions and passion may not take hold of us.
This is also a memorable day for the foundation of the Carmelite religious in the 12th Century on Mount Carmel. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Simon Stock in 1251 when he prayed to her to save the Carmelites from oppression . Our Lady gave him a scapular and said “Take, beloved son, this scapular of thy order as badge of my confraternity, and for thee and all Carmelites, a special sign of Grace. Whoever dies wearing this garment will not suffer eternal damnation”. That is why we celebrate this feast as our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Carmelites accept her as mother, patron and sister.Studies of the effect of sildenafil on hyperpolarisation in vitro and on the electroretinogram (ERG) in vivo were conducted in dogs.alprostadil or a combination of drugs is effective in a usa cialis.
Mary is not only the mother of Carmelites but she is the mother of everyone. In our day today life we see, thousands of people flock to seek her aid. Some sing her praises; others honour her in word and deed. Many of them have experienced her comforting presence as mother and guide in times of doubt and fear. She tells everyone: I am there to help you and make things easy. Mary extends her maternal charity to all. She takes into account the personal dignity of each person. She embraces all hearts in her affection.
Prayer: Mary, Mother of Carmel, help us to answer God’s call commitment. Amen.
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