Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year of Saint Joseph

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

National Back to School Month

In other years: Saint John Kemble, Martyr (1599-1679)

Readings of the Day

RB: Ch 65:1-10 The Prior of the Monastery

Mass: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Resp Ps 34; Eph 5:21-32 or Eph 5:2a, 25-32; Resp Ps Jn 6:60-69

Let my soul glory in the Lord.

THE EARTH IS REPLETE WITH THE FRUITS OF YOUR WORK, O LORD; YOU BRING FORTH BREAD FROM THE EARTH AND WINE TO CHEER THE HEART.

(Communion Antiphon, Mass)

How can the antiphon above not bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart? And as I have been reflecting this morning on what to write, it just now occurs to me that with such a smile on my face and joy in my heart shouldn't I wholeheartedly want to, as Saint Paul exhorts in today's first reading, "Live in love, as Christ loved us" (Eph 5:2a), no matter our vocation? However, for some people perhaps, including me, certain challenges are presented to us, in sundry ways. Living in the love of Christ requires on-going conversion, change of heart and mind, and praying for the grace to to do God's will, even though it be something hard, difficult, or not necessarily what we had in mind. In other words, I can't just settle for the status quo and keep on doing my thing. Jesus never said that to follow Him would be easy. In order to be His disciple, He tells us more than once, means we have to pick up our cross and then follow Him. Through thick and thin though, we pray for the grace to accompany Jesus and keep going. There is no better way. So we say to Jesus, as Saint Peter did, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God" (Jn 6:69). 

YOUR WORDS, LORD, ARE SPIRIT AND LIFE; YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF EVERLASTING LIFE.

(Gospel Versicle, Mass)

SAINT JOHN KEMBLE,

SAINT JOSEPH,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: You've seen two of these beauties before. I found this look at three for today, from the Otto's trip to Kauai.

© Gertrude Feick 2021