14 SCRIPTURE
THE CATHOLIC POST
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SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2021 Many of us rebel against being dependent on others. But once released from certain reliances, we discover our owninsiciencies,andtheappealislessthanenvi- sioned. Radical independence is supremely alluring until faced with its actual complexities. Most commentary we encounter about todays Gospel focuses on the line, a prophet is not without honor ex- cept in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house, empha- sizing the human propensity to miti- gate the significance of someone with whom we have always been familiar, permanently deeming them ordinary in our hearts and unworthy of praise or remark. However, is there something more to the disposition of Jesus kin and community than mere bias? Their intimate knowledge of Jesus in the ordinary circumstances of life be- fore His public ministry (what the Cat- echism of the Catholic Church calls His hidden life) certainly has formed the attitudes of those of His native place. But that, alone, is not what causes their rebellion against Him, because he was still able to cure a few sick people clearly not resistant to His public identity despite having known him beforehand. What sets these few apart from the detractors? In short, those healed were not content to let things remain as they are. With wise humility, St. Paul confesses his struggle with the enigmatic thorn in the flesh which he says was given to him to temper him, lest he become too elated or too exalted, as another translation puts it. For St. Paul, this circumstance is intentionally permitted by God in order to prevent St. Paul from elevating himself in his own esteem due to the abundance of revelations given him. For him, it is a divine preventative measure to keep him from a senseofself-siciency,acontentmentwithhimselfashe is, apart from continual dependence on God.
WANT, NEED, CRISIS ILLUMINATE
However, the majority in todays Gospel were seem-
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time/July 4
Ezekiel 2:2-5; Psalm 123:1-2,2,3-4; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 6:1-6a
Keep eyes on Lord in radical dependence
ingly invested in Jesus remaining merely the carpenter, merely the son of Mary, merely a brother of James and the other relatives listed. Hard of face and obstinate of heart, the preservation of the present circumstances was their concern, and they took offense at him. Contentment often breeds complacency, while the state of want frequently promotes an urgency for the new and a reexamination of the world around us. Mired in unful- illed need, one meets the demand to look outside oneself for solutions and recognize (in hope) our foundational dependence on God. In contrast to those of his native place, the people Jesus encounters in the previous chapter of this Gospel possess one common distinguishing characteristic. They all are in a state of struggle: a possessed man living among tombs, a synagogue leader with a dying daughter, a woman with a chronic hemorrhage. In the absence of contentment, they are poised to persistently reevaluate their lives and welcome God's influence no matter the form. It is, perhaps, the most fundamental disposition necessary for effective evangelization and an orientation that the majority of those in Jesus native place lacked. Almost universally, those in the Gospel narratives who have much and are contented see little need for Jesus in their lives, and even those few disciples who are well off (like Levi/Matthew and Zacchaeus) sensed deeply and honestly their spiritual poverty ever in contrast with the security of their material wealth. In other words, they, too, were in a state of struggle and yearning for some- thing to alter their lives. Want, need, and crisis immediately illumine our limitations and weaknesses, which is part of their sting. In the face of our own weaknesses we can either dismiss them as fiction, obsess over them in despair, or (like St. Paul) permit them to instigate a spirit of dependence on God, ruminating in our hearts those words - power is made perfect in weakness. Contentment in the suf- iciency of grace is the only secure contentment. Trust in anything else will eventually make us obstinate of heart and our souls a rebellious house, leaving us tak- ing offense at Him. Faith is keeping our eyes fixed on the Lord in radical dependence.
SHAWN REEVES has served as the director of religious educa- tion at St. John's Catholic Newman Center in Champaign since 2001. He and his family attend St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Thomasboro.
Living the Word
Shawn Reeves
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Monday, July 5: Weekday Genesis 28:10-22a Psalm 91:1-2,3-4,14-15ab Matthew 9:18-26 Tuesday, July 6: Weekday Genesis 32:23-33 Psalm 17:1b,2-3,6-7ab, 8b and 15 Matthew 9:32-38 Wednesday, July 7: Weekday Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a,17-24a Psalm 33:2-3,10-11,18-19 Matthew 10:1-7 Thursday, July 8: Weekday Genesis 44:18-21,23b-29; 45:1-5 Psalm 105:16-17,18-19, 20-21 Matthew 10:7-15 Friday, July 9: Weekday Genesis 46:1-7,28-30 Psalm 37:3-4,18-19, 27-28,39-40 Matthew 10:16-23 Saturday, July 10: Weekday Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26a Psalm 105:1-2,3-4,6-7 Matthew 10:24-33 Sunday, July 11: Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Amos 7:12-15 Psalm 85:9-10,11-12,13-14 Ephesians 1:3-14 Mark 6:7-13 Monday, July 12: Weekday Exodus 1:8-14,22 Psalm 124:1b-3,4-6,7-8 Matthew 10:34 - 11:1 Tuesday, July 13: Weekday Exodus 2:1-15a Psalm 69:3,14,30-31,33-34 Matthew 11:20-24 Wednesday, July 14: St. Kateri Tekakwitha Exodus 3:1-6,9-12 Psalm 103:1b-2,3-4,6-7 Matthew 11:25-27 Thursday, July 15: St. Bonaventure Exodus 3:13-20 Psalm 105:1 and 5,8-9, 24-25,26-27 Matthew 11:28-30 Friday, July 16: Weekday Exodus 11:10 - 12:14 Psalm 116:12-13,15 and 16bc,17-18 Matthew 12:1-8 Saturday, July 17: Weekday Exodus 12:37-42 Psalm 136:1 and 23-24, 10-12,13-15 Matthew 12:14-21
EDITOR'S NOTE:
For a full listing of daily readings, visit bible. usccb.org.
Daily Readings
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NORMAL - Catholic Spirit Radio is planning a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wisconsin, and the Basilica and National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians at Holy Hill in Hubertus, Wisconsin, the weekend of Aug. 14-15. The Champion shrine preserves the site where Mary appeared to Adele Brise, a Belgian immigrant, in 1859. The Blessed Mother asked her to teach the Catholic faith to the children of a people who were losing their faith through neglect. During the pilgrimage there will be opportunities for prayer and confession, as well as Mass. Departures are scheduled from Wapella, Bloomington and El Paso on Saturday morning, Aug. 14. The group is expected to return late on Sunday, Aug. 15. The cost is $300 per person. To register, visit catholicspiritradio.com or call Kathy at (309) 828-6554 or Carolyn at (309) 830-4164.
Plan pilgrimage to shrine and basilica in Wisconsin
Devotions and spiritual support can be heard at the following radio stations broadcasting in central Illinois: EWTN GLOBAL CATHOLIC RADIO NETWORK WSOG 88.1 FM in Spring Valley and 94.7 FM in the El Paso and Normal areas; WPJC 88.3 FM in Pontiac (Catholic Spirit Radio); WSPI 89.5 FM and 92.5 FM in Ellsworth/ Bloomington (Catholic Spirit Radio); WLHF-LP 95.7 FM in Champaign-Urbana (Holy Family Radio); and W246CO 97.1 FM in Lincoln (Catholic Spirit Radio). COVENANT NETWORK CATHOLIC RADIO WPMJ 94.3 FM in Peoria and Chillicothe (formerly St. Bernadette Radio); and WRMS790AMinBeardstownisaniliateof both Covenant Network Catholic Radio and EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network. It can be heard in Rushville, Macomb, Hamilton, Warsaw and Carthage in the Diocese of Peoria. RELEVANT RADIO KTJT-LP 103.1 FM in Davenport, Iowa, and 95.3 FM in Bettendorf, Iowa. While both are located in Iowa, the signal covers the extended Quad Cities area. LINKS TO THE BISHOPS To find and follow Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka on social media, go to cdop.org and click on the icons for Facebook, Twitter, In- stagram, YouTube or their blogs that can be seen beneath their photos. Their biographies and curriculum vitae, as well as information about their coats of arms and Bishop Jenkys Festival Letters, can be accessed by clicking on the About tab and then choosing either bishop from the drop-down menu.
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