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Our Sunday Reflection - July 30, 2023
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I love you Lord, my strength.
Psalm 18
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Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
God draws us together today to be nourished by the word and the Eucharist. We may take our faith and our rituals for granted, but today’s Gospel reminds us what a gift we have been given by God. Our faith, like the kingdom of heaven, is a treasure. Jesus’ gift of his body, broken and shared for us all, is a treasure. His command to continue to celebrate the Eucharist in his memory is a treasure. Let us give thanks to God for these gifts we treasure.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
What do we treasure? Material success, good health, a comfortable life? Today’s readings offer a different perspective. In the first reading, we hear what Solomon asks for when God gives him the opportunity to ask for anything at all. Hint: it’s not health or wealth. Saint Paul tells the Romans how blessed we all are to have been called by God. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that the kingdom of heaven is like buried treasure or a priceless pearl, worth more than all we have. May the examples we hear today teach and inspire us.Reflections
- Imagine a world where everyone cared for even the least of their brothers and sisters, a world without want because everyone would be willing to provide for anyone in need, a world without hate because people would disagree without being disagreeable, a world of peace because no one would ever resort to violence, a world where everyone loves God and loves neighbor with all their heart. Wouldn’t that be an incredible treasure? This is what Jesus is getting at in today’s Gospel. This is the kingdom of God. It is like a buried treasure or a priceless pearl in that it is worth all that a person has. Given the choice between everything they own and this one object, each person in the Gospel chooses the treasure.
- The joy that these people feel upon finding their treasure is akin to the joy one has when falling in love. When you fall in love with someone and you realize that they have fallen in love with you too, the sense of bliss is so overwhelming that nothing else in life matters. Every day, as soon as you wake up, you are counting the hours or minutes until you can be with them again. This is how we feel when we truly realize how much Jesus loves us, how much he wants to give us the kingdom of heaven, and how incredibly wonderful the kingdom is. For all this, we willingly and joyfully give everything—our entire lives—over to him.
- In the second reading, Saint Paul writes that all of us who have received the gift of faith are called to be conformed to the image of Jesus. When we give our lives over to him, we are being like him, for we are doing as he has done. When we do so, we help to build the kingdom that he came to us to establish. When we love God and love our neighbor, we give ourselves over to his mission, helping to bring about the kingdom. Indeed, Paul promises that “all things work for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28).
Question of the Week
How can I help build a world worth treasuring? Who do I need to forgive or ask forgiveness of so that we can be reconciled, even if we both still disagree?
-from Pastoral Patterns
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readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, July 30, 2023
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, July 30, 2023
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Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
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