Tuesday 2 June
Tobit 2:9-14 Ps 112 Mark 12:13-17
Traps and trickery
We are called to be honest, with a shrewd and creative imagination, guided by the Spirit, to defeat the world with its traps and trickery. Tobit and his wife are honest and hardworking: awake to the possible seduction of others. Jesus has a trap set up for him: a direct answer in either direction would see him tricked. His answer comes from outside the parameters of the trap. His creative wisdom confounds those who posed the question. Lord, may we be simple as doves, yet as shrewd as serpents: awake to the tricks and traps of the world: and dismantling them with the wisdom of your Word.
Wednesday 3 June
St Charles Lwanga and Companions - Tobit 3:1-11,16-17 Ps 25 Mark 12:18-27
Our heart, made for union with God, can be satisfied with nothing less. Once, having tasted this union here on earth, we can persevere through the toughest of trials. Sarah, tormented by her peers, places her hopes in the honour of her Father. Jesus, facing another trap, assures his adversaries that only in the resurrection from the dead will life be fulfilled. St Charles Lwaga and his fourteen companions passed through cruel martyrdom, confident of the Union with God for which they were destined. Lord, we trust You, we know we shall not be disappointed.
Thursday 4 June
Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1,9-14; 8:4-9 Ps 128 Mark 12:28-24
Love: the beginning and the end
“Love is our origin, love is our destiny, love is our constant calling” [Marriage Preface]. Tobias and Sarah commit themselves to each other, as husband and wife, before God, in singleness of heart. Jesus assures us that Love of God and neighbour is the summation of God’s will, the foundation and fulfillment of our human life and meaning. Lord let us taste the wonder of Your Love, and may we love You in and above all Your creatures.
Friday 5 June
St Boniface - Tobit 11:15-17 Ps 146 Mark 12:35-37
The One and only God is a God of healing, a God of Family, a God of re-creating relationships: we see him clearly at work in the lives of Tobit and Anna, Tobias and Sarah. We also see Him at work in the life of Boniface, the English monk, who was compelled by the One God to take the Gospel into the great regions of central Germany in the 8th cent. A charismatic teacher, with an attractive personality, he opened the eyes of the people to the true Lord, and organized the Family of the Church. He is known as the Apostle of Germany. Lord, you open our eyes to see and love You. May You work in and through us to do the same for our sisters and brothers.
Saturday 6 June
St Marcellin Champagnat - Tobit 12:1,5-15,20 Cant. Tobit Mark 12:38-44
Marcellin continues the ministry of Raphael, and of Jesus: the teaching ministry. The ministry of revealing and making public the works of God, of proclaiming before all people God’s deeds, of telling the whole truth, hiding nothing. Marcellin and his brothers do this in Mary’s spirit, following her Son’s exhortation of not making a show of themselves. Like the poor widow, they contribute all they have to live on. Lord, may we too reveal the Truth you have shown us, with a total and generous heart.
Sunday 7 June
Trinity Sunday - Deut 4:32-34,39-40 Ps 33 Rom 8:14-17 Matt 28:16-20
Transcendent God: Holy One, Totally Other, Creator, Beyond all Names, Unknowable, Living in Unapproachable Light, Dwelling in Divine Darkness, Whom no-one has ever seen or can see, Origin and Source of all Being. Immanent God: Word made flesh, Seen with our own eyes, Touched with our own hands, Heard with our own ears, Truly God and truly human, In whom we live and move and have our being, Suffering, Dying, Rising again, In us, With us always until the end of time. Outpouring God: Compelling fire of love, Sent by the Son, Breath of Life, Fount of Living Water, Comforter of the afflicted, source of Wisdom, of Knowledge, of Insight, of Courage, of Gentleness, of Healing, of Strength. Glory be to You, One God, Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.
Monday 8 June
2Cor 1:1-7 Ps 34 Matt 5:1-12
Human extremity is God’s opportunity
For we, who live by Faith, our sorrows are opportunities to receive God’s consolation. Our poverty opens us to God’s riches. Our mourning opens us to be comforted. Our thirsting for what is right shall be quenched. Our experience of persecution will win us an eternal reward. And we are not only recipients; we are also transmitters, apostles of these Gifts of our Gentle Father. Lord, as we experience our limitations, let us taste and see that You are good, let us look towards You and grow radiant.
Tuesday 9 June
2Cor 1:18-22 Ps 119 Matt 5:13-16
Penetrating Power
Salt penetrates the elements into which it is placed: giving depth and clarity of flavour. Light penetrates the darkness, revealing the truth of what is present. As Christians we are called to penetrate the world in which we live: to bring the clarity and flavour of the Truth of God’s design for life on earth. We are assured in this vocation by God himself, and we stand in Chirst, with the seal of the Spirit: we are ‘salted’ and enlightened by the Trinity. We praise you Father, Son and Spirit for making your home with and within us, and empowering us to be salt and light in Your world.
Wednesday 10 June
2Cor 3:4-11 Ps 99 Matthew 5:17-19
The Spirit and the Law
The Law without the Spirit is a dry burden. The Spirit without the Law can be a fire out of control. Both are needed. The life of the Spirit puts flesh and blood on the bones of the Law. We see this fully manifested in Jesus himself. His contemporaries accused him of breaking the Law on many occasions. Yet all the while he was fulfilling it. As we live his life of the Spirit he gives us the discernment and freedom to live the essence and the heart of the Living Word: and so, with him, to fulfill the Law. Speak Lord, to the depths of our heart, that we may live, and pass on, the truth of your Word.
Thursday 11 June
St Barnabas - 2Cor 3:15-4:1,3-6 Ps 85 Matt 5:20-26
‘Barnabas’ means ‘son of encouragement’. He had sold his property and placed the money at the feet of the Aposltes. From then on he became a constant companion and an apostle himself. He particularly accompanied Paul, who encourages us in today’s reading to allow the Spirit to work in us for our own transfiguration into the image and likeness of Christ. This is our calling and destiny. Barnabas and Paul, co-workers and successful evangelists, had their own differences, and still had to learn to “leave their offering and be reconciled”. We Thank You Father, for your infinite patience as Your Spirit works in us for our own transfiguration into the likeness of Christ.
Friday 12 June
2Cor 4:7-15 Ps116B Matt 5:27-32
The Paschal Mystery
In Jesus, God is married to humanity. We are the earthenware jars, he is the treasure. In our earthen nature we face difficulties, lack of answers, persecution, and being knocked down. In our betrothal to Him we are never deserted, we never despair, we are never cornered. Our trials purify the deepest intentions of our heart. There is a daily dying to all sinful tendencies until we can love with a pure heart. It is in this daily dying and rising that our marriage to the Lord becomes real: and will reach its fulfillment in the fullness of life, beyond death. Lord you are the potter, we are the clay, You are the treasure, we the fragile jar, make of us who You want us to be.
Saturday 13 June
St Anthony of Padua - 2Cor 5:14-21 Ps103 Matt 5:33-37
Anthony enfleshed today’s Word, and encourages us to do the same. He said “Yes” to many new beginnings in his life. First as an Augustinian, then as a Franciscan missionary, then recovering from illness in a hermitage, then as a great man of prayer, study, and powerful preaching. He was overwhelmed by the love of God; he was newly created several times in his life; his life was a total “Yes” to God amidst many changing circumstances and new beginnings. God of compassion and Love, may our response to You always be “Yes”, enabling You to re-create us daily.
Sunday 14 June
The Body and Blood of Christ - Ex 24:3-8 Ps116B Heb 9:11-15
Mark 14:12-16,22-26
“I love you so much I could eat you!” burst the words of longing from the lips of lovers. “I love you so much I give myself to you to eat!” says Christ, who fills our deepest longings. He gives His life to us in the form of bread and wine: to be eaten, consumed, assimilated! We receive, eat and drink, and our lives are blessed, broken and shared too, for the life of the world. At each Eucharist we renew the Eternal Covenant, we enter the Passover Mystery - the sacrifice of the Lamb and the Journey to the Promised Land. It’s a Journey IN – to union with God, a Journey TOGETHER – as the People of God, and a Journey OUT – on mission to a world in need. Lord, with and in You, may our lives become bread for the life of the world.
Monday 15 June
2Cor 6:1-10 Ps 98 Matt 5:38-42
God’s Foolishnes & human wisdom
If we live the Gospel then we too will be taken as imposters while we are genuine, thought to be obscure – yet famous, said to be dying – yet alive, thought to be miserable – yet rejoicing, taken to be poor – though we make others rich. We give more to those who take from us; we do more than we are asked of for others; we always lend to those in need. This is not human, but Divine Wisdom. Holy Spirit of God, fill our minds and hearts with the Wisdom of the Father, the Wisdom who is Jesus.
Tuesday 16 June
2Cor 8:1-9 Ps 146 Matt 5:43-48
Be perfect
St John of the Cross told his students: “I ask much of you, because I want you to reach your potential.” He is following St Paul who asks us to put all we have into the work of mercy of the Gospel. And Paul is following Jesus who asks us to be perfect in loving – just as he and His Father are: to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. This is asking much, but they have done it before us, and for us, and in doing this we fulfill our potential to be true children of our heavenly Father. Lord, we open our hearts to receive your grace, to love our enemies as you loved yours.
Wednesday 17 June
2Cor 9:6-11 Ps 112 Matt 6:1-6,16-18
The hidden giver
It has been said that “all we can take with us to heaven will be what we have given away”. Paul knows this truth and urges us to give cheerfully and freely of our time and talents: a rich harvest awaits us – in our own lives, and the lives of others. Jesus urges us in our giving – in Prayer, Fasting & Almsgiving – the three pillars of our Faith – to do so in a hidden way, known only to ourselves and God. Just as the most vital organs of the body are hidden – the heart, the brain, the liver, kidneys and lungs – so the most vital organs of our Faith are best kept hidden so they do not lose their dynamism. Truly God, you are a God who lies hidden. May we who live Your life, cherish Your way of going about things.
Thursday 18 June
2Cor 11:1-11 Ps 111 Matt 6:7-15
Joy for the Teacher
It brings great joy to us, when we have taught somebody something, to see them growing in skill through practicing what we have taught. Paul urges the Corinthians, and us, to be faithful to the original and radical Gospel he has taught then and not to seek lightweight fabrications. Jesus teaches us the simplicity of prayer: to focus first on God’s mystery, kingdom and will; then on our daily needs for nourishment, forgiveness and strength in the time of trial. Jesus, Teacher, may we bring joy to you by praying and living as you have taught us.
Friday 19 June
Sacred Heart of Jesus - Hosea 11:1.3-4,8-9 Cant Isaiah Ephesians 3:8-12,14-19 John 19:31-37
A most rewarding and enriching experience in this life is to be entrusted with the heart of one we love. Today we celebrate being entrusted with the sacred heart of Jesus who loves us with an infinite love. This infinite love was poured out into the world, to re-create it, from the cross - where death has been destroyed forever. The water [baptism] and blood [eucharist] from Jesus’ pierced heart re-create the human community as Church: Christ’s sacred heart enfleshed in the world today! We are now “planted in love, and built on love”, and destined to be “filled with the utter fullness of God.” Jesus, you have entrusted your sacred heart to us, we entrust our wounded hearts to You.
Saturday 20 June
Immaculate Heart of Mary - 2Cor 12:1-10 Ps 34 Matt 6:24-34
The first mother, mother earth, was sinless, immaculate, when God formed from her the first adam and eve. Adam and Eve therefore began their lives with immaculate hearts: knowing and loving God and each other without the distortion of sin. The second mother, Mary, through God’s perfectly loving and consistent action, was also sinless, immaculate, without the distortion of sin: for through her came the second Adam, Christ, to create the new humanity. We too, reborn in Christ, are daily entering into God’s re-creation of ourselves: until we can know and love, without distortion, from a transfigured heart – immaculate. Set our hearts Lord on Your Kingdom, that we may arrive where You and Your Mother await us.
Sunday 21 June
Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time - Job 38:1,8-11 Ps 106 2Cor5:14-17 Mark 4:35-41
The sea has many moods. These moods are beyond human control and command our respect. One alone can control the sea - the Creator - who commands even greater respect. When Jesus controls the sea, from tempest to calm, the disciples recognize the power of the Creator at work in and through him and are filled with awe. As well as calming the forces of nature he calms the storms and fears of the personal human heart, and the collective heart of the community who follow him: the Church. We praise You Lord, for You continue to calm the destructive forces at work in our hearts, in our Church and in the world. We place all our trust in You as you continue to bring about Your New Creation.
Monday 22 June
Gen 12:1-9 Ps 33 Matt 7:1-5
Detachment and Faith
God’s call to Abram is a call of detachment from all that is precious to human nature: country, family and home. He is called, in Faith, into unknown territory. His Journey in Faith is to be the paradigm, and the foundation, for all the peoples of the earth. Jesus’s call to his disciples is the same call of detachment: in order to be attached to him alone. Lord, help us to be detached from judging others: a task we find most difficult. May our focus not be on our own goodness, nor on others’ failings, but - with Abram - on You alone – who will do great things in and through us.
Tuesday 23 June
Gen 13:2,5-18 Ps 15 Matt 7:6,12-14
The pearl and the narrow gate
Abram treated Lot as he would like to be treated himself: giving his brother the choice of the best land. In turn, Abram was blessed further by the Lord: with countless descendants. He chose the narrow gate of generosity, of self-transcendence: and the pearl of his heart remained intact. Again he built an altar to the Lord: to keep the Lord at the centre of all his changing circumstances. God, our Father, may the altar of our hearts be always focused on Jesus: our Treasure and our Way.
Wednesday 24 June
Birth of John the Baptist - Is 49:1-6 Ps 139 Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66, 80
“What will this child turn out to be?” This is the question parents, relatives, and friends ask when a new life is born. Zechariah struck dumb, Elizabeth past child-bearing age, a name no one in the family had: all signs that God was doing something awesome, something to be treasured: bringing people to the height of their expectations in the arrival of the One Who Is to come. ‘John’ meaning ‘God is gracious’ – is the desert dweller, the friend of the bridegroom, the caller to repentance, with words sharp as a sword, prophet, martyr, harbinger of the world’s Redeemer. His life’s work becomes our own: “He must increase, I must decrease.” Gracious God, be at work in us, that we may decrease, and Jesus’ influence may increase.
Thursday 25 June
Gen 16:1-12,15-16 Ps106 Matt 7:21-29
God’s Way or my way?
To submit our ways to the Will of God is a life-long process. Even Abram and Sarai found it too much to wait, and set about having a son through Hagar: with complicated consequences. Jesus tells us it is not enough to make a notional assent: to call on His Name: but we have to conform our way to His through action. It is our actions which reveal the foundation on which our life is built. And if our foundation is the Living Word then we will both speak and act from an inner authority. Jesus, Master, may our ways and our will be united with Yours.
Friday 26 June
Gen 17:1,9-10,15-22 Ps 128 Matt 8:1-4
Nothing is impossible for God
To have a child at the age of ninety-nine? Who would not laugh! Even Abraham’s faith found that too much. Yet God did not reprove him for his doubt but went on to promise and provide for him and Sarah a son. To be cured of an incurable disease? Perhaps we would again be skeptical! Yet the leper had the faith and courage to ask: and received an emphatic “Of course I want to heal you” from Jesus. Lord increase our faith, save us from cynicism and skepticism; we know you can do all things.
Saturday 27 June
Gen 18:1-15 Magnificat Matt 8:5-17
Beyond the boundaries
Again we see God at work in unexpected ways. Sarah, like Abraham, can’t believe the good news: and she in her turn laughs at the Lord’s messengers. Yet again, God is not offended: he understands the boundaries in which we tend to contain him. Jesus’ disciples would have found it hard to accept him curing the son of the Roman centurion – one of their oppressors. Not only that: but Jesus says he has not seen faith like this Roman’s anywhere in Israel! Lord, broaden the horizons of our minds; open our hearts beyond our self-imposed boundaries.
Sunday 28 June
Saints Peter & Paul: Apostles - Acts 12:1-11, Ps 34, 2 Tim 4:6-8. 17-18, Matthew 16:13-19
Peter and Paul: the two foundational Apostles of Christ in establishing his Church. Peter: The Rock, with the authority of the Keys. He embodies the gift of Tradition, of hierarchy, of ordained ministry, of the centrality of the Word. Paul: The mobile missionary, with the authority to explore. He embodies the Church’s charismatic nature, the prophetic, lay ministry, the centrality of the Spirit. Both are Saints. They lived their relationship in creative tension: different yet complimentary roles for the life of the Church. We will always need both for a dynamic Church. Lord may we exeercise the gifts you entrust to us, and may we always encourage the gifts of others.
Tuesday 30 June
Gen 29:15-29 Ps 26 Matthew 8:23-27
Disasters and deliverance
Fires, floods, famines, disease, tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, global warming… in the world we will have trouble. Yet our Faith tells us that we are not in the hands of impersonal forces of nature: but in the hands of our wise and loving Creator, Who has endowed us with intelligence and with faith, hope and love. With the Apostles and Lot, we do what we can and leave the rest to the One who has always delivered the faithful from disaster, and who has triumphed over the disaster of death by passing through it into life. God our Creator, our Sustainer, our Deliverer: we commit our lives and our world into Your hands. Fr Ben McKenna sm is Novice Master at Tutu for the Oceania Province, and hails from Tasmania.
