ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: JUNE 16, 2024
Greetings beloved family. Happy Sunday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time and Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, fathers-to-be, spiritual fathers and father-figures. Praying for their safety and well-being and wishing them God’s abundant grace and blessings on this special day and always. Amen 🙏
On this special feast day, we continue to pray for all families and for the safety and well-being of our children and children all over the world. We pray for the Church, the Clergy, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Cardinals, Bishops, all Priests, that they be sanctified in their ministry to God’s people. We pray for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world suffering from political and religious unrest. May God protect us all and keep united in peace, love and faith… Amen 🙏
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube | June 16, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | June 16, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” |June 16, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | June 16, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | June 16, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteriels VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
Today’s Bible Readings, Sunday, June 16, 2024
Reading 1, Ezekiel 17:22-24
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
Reading 2, Second Corinthians 5:6-10
Gospel, Mark 4:26-34
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Mark 4:26–34
“It is the smallest of all seeds, and becomes the largest of plants”
“Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks a parable which acknowledges the mystery that is at the heart of the most everyday experiences of life. A farmer scatters seed on the good soil of Galilee. Having done the sowing, all he can do is to go about his other business, while the seed takes over and does its own work, producing first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear, until the crop is ready for harvest. In the parable it is said of the farmer that ‘he does not know’ how all this happens. Between his actions of sowing the seed and harvesting the crop, a great deal of activity goes on, which is invisible to him and which he does not fully understand. There is a great deal in our world which we do not fully understand, in spite of the great expertise that has developed over the centuries on all aspects of our universe. Jesus begins the parable with the statement, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like’. Jesus seems to be saying that if the farmer does not know the ways of the humble seed, how can any of us fully know the ways of God? If natural growth is mysterious, how much more mysterious must be the growth of God’s kingdom? With this parable of the seed growing secretly, Jesus appears to be saying that the kingdom of God can be growing among us in ways that we do not fully understand, just as the seed the farmer sows in the ground grows towards harvest in ways he does not understand. There is a reassuring, hopeful message here for all of us who may be tempted to discouragement by the slow progress that the ways of God appear to be making in the world. The spreading of God’s reign is ultimately God’s work and that work is always under way, even when we do not see it or understand it. We have a part to play in the coming of God’s way of doing things among us, just as the farmer has a role to play in the coming of the final harvest. However, that first parable in the gospel reading warns us against overestimating our role. St Paul expresses this perspective well in his first letter to the Corinthians, ‘Neither the one who plants, nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth’.
The second of the two parables that Jesus speaks in today’s Gospel reading reminds us that God can be at work in situations and in places that seem very unpromising to us. There is a stark contrast between the tiny mustard seed, ‘the smallest of all the seeds on earth’, and the large shrub whose branches become homes for the birds of the air. Insignificant beginnings can lead to a wonderful result. Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like that; it often finds expression initially in what is small and seemingly insignificant. We can feel at times that our own faith is insignificant, as small as a mustard seed. The parable assures us that the Lord is working in and through such faith. Our hope can appear to diminish to the size of a mustard seed. The parable assures us that such hope is enough for the Lord to work with. Our various worthwhile endeavours can appear to bearing very insignificant results. The parable assures us that the Lord will see to it that the final harvest from those endeavours will be abundant. Sometimes we have to learn to be content with the small seeds that we can sow, trusting that they can bear fruit in ways that will surprise us. The kingdom of God is something very humble and modest in its origins. We need to learn to appreciate little things and small gestures. We may not feel called to be heroes or martyrs every day, but we are called to put a little dignity into each corner of our little world. There are little seeds of the kingdom that all of us can sow, a friendly gesture towards someone in trouble, a welcoming smile for someone who is alone, a hug or a sign of closeness for someone who is in despair, a little ray of joy for a heart full of distress. God’s reign comes in power through the seemingly insignificant actions of each of us.
In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, our Lord spoke to His people, the Israelites and their remnants, which was at that time in exile in Babylon and in other places, that He would renew His people, just as they had fallen from grace and been cast down into defeat and exile from their homeland. The Lord used the allusion to a cedar tree to show how the Lord would renew the cedar tree, that a new sapling would regrow and be reestablished on the mountain of Israel, which firstly showed us all how God would not abandon His people even as He chastised and punished them because of their sins and wickedness. God after all still loved all of His beloved people who were all like His children. And like a loving and caring Father, He wants all of His children to grow up well and in the right way. This is why He chastised and disciplined them when they disobeyed and refused to follow Him and His ways. The Lord does not want any one of them to be lost to Him forever, which could indeed happen through our disobedience and wickedness, all of which led into sin, and sin brings us all into the dominion of death and eternal damnation, condemned and separated forever from God, from His love and grace. That was why, while mankind disobeyed Him from the very beginning of time, God did not obliterate and destroy them all. He gave them chances and opportunities, again and again for them to return to Him and to find their way once again towards Him. Many had been lost along the way, but not few had been saved from the precipice of destruction, and brought into salvation in God.
In our second reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, the Apostle reminded all the faithful people of God that they must all live in faith, in the spirit and not in the way of the flesh. St. Paul often exhorted the faithful to be vigilant and to guard themselves against all those things of the flesh which may cause us mankind to fall into temptation and hence into disobedience against God. Throughout history, many people have fallen into these various temptations, failing to resist all the things that led them to follow the whim of their desires and greed, all the things that kept them from finding the path towards the Lord. When mankind prioritised themselves and forgot about God, His path and His teachings, that is when we are likely to fall into sin and destruction. That was why the Lord reminded us all through His Apostle St. Paul that as Christians, we are all God’s beloved and holy people, and as is therefore expected from us, we should strive to live each and every moments of our lives worthily of the Lord, by cultivating our faith within us, allowing our faith to continue to grow and flourish throughout time, so that we may truly bear rich fruits and wonderful things and deeds in each and every moments of our lives. This is why we believe that our faith must always be supported and made alive and vibrant, living and true through our actions, by showing it in our love for God first and foremost, and then in our love for one another, for our fellow neighbours, brothers and sisters just as the Lord Himself had taught us. Without these genuine and real actions, then our faith is no better than those of hypocrites and unbelievers. Those were the faults of many among our predecessors, as they made empty gestures and meaningless faith, while on the other hand, they committed grievous sins and wicked deeds against God and their fellow brothers and sisters alike. That is why we are cautioned that we should not walk down this same path which had led so many of our predecessors towards their downfall and destruction. We should always strive to inspire each other that even in the smallest and simplest things we say and do, we will always strive to embody our Christian faith in all things. This is how we can then make our faith truly alive, and how we can bring real impact and great fruits of our dedication, the fruits of love and hope, the fruits of goodness and virtues in our community of the faithful and in our world today.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are called to live faithfully in the Lord and to commit ourselves to the path which the Lord has shown to us so that we may truly bear rich fruits of our Christian faith. Each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, our lives cannot be idle and devoid of virtues and good deeds, for if we do not live our lives as Christians should live, then we may end up scandalising our faith and our Christian way of life, as well as besmirching the Holy Name of God. We Christians are known by our fruits, the fruits of our Christian faith, that is our actions and lives that are truly in accordance with God and His ways, as we live out our lives faithfully each day in His Presence. Those who profess to be Christians and yet act in a different manner are truly deficient and dead in faith. Let us all therefore realise that each one of us are cooperators of the truth and love of God, each and every one of us are the labourers in the vineyard of the Lord, and we have been called to our respective vocations and ministries, to proclaim the Lord through all of our words and deeds, and to be the shining beacons of God’s truth and Good News. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may all of us continue to grow ever stronger in our faith in the Lord, and may the Lord continue to help, guide and support us in our journey throughout life, to do His will and to glorify His Name, now and always. Amen 🙏
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN FRANCIS REGIS, PRIEST AND SAINT BENNO OF MEISSEN, BISHOP ~ FEAST DAY: JUNE 16TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Francis Regis, Priest and Saint Benno of Meissen, Bishop. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for all fathers, fathers-to-be, and father-figures. Praying for their safety and well-being. We pray for the poor and the needy. We also pray for the sick, particularly those who are sick and dying, those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, with special intention for all Priests on this feast day, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏
SAINT JOHN FRANCIS REGIS, PRIEST: St. John Francis Regis (1597–1640) known as the great “father of the poor,” was a 17th-century French Jesuit evangelist and preacher known for his zealous missionary efforts and his care for the poor and marginalized. In less than 10 years of ministry, this saintly Frenchman succeeded, with God’s help, in leading back to Christ an immense crowd of men, women and children of all ages and walks of life. St. John Francis Regis was born in Font-Couverte, France in 1597, the son of a wealthy French merchant and his noble wife. As a boy he was sensitive, devout, and eager to please his parents and teachers. St. John studied at Beziers, educated by the Jesuits from the age of 14, and was accepted into the Society of Jesus in 1615 at the age of 18. As he followed the traditional Jesuit path of teaching and extensive studies, St. John also became known as a skilled catechist. He also studied at Cahors and Toulouse. He was eager to enter the priesthood, and was ordained a Priest and offered his first Mass in 1631. St. John spent much of the rest of that year caring for victims of a plague outbreak in the city of Toulouse. He grew into a skilled preacher and catechist, and received an assignment to evangelize the French provinces that had fallen to the Protestants know as the Huguenots – as well as country’s lapsed Catholics and others in need of evangelization. He devoted his life to this mission with remarkable success. He was very successful, winning countless souls to Christ.
The rest of St. John’s life was spent preaching and establishing charitable institutions, confraternities, and missions in southern France. St. John Francis Regis was not only a profound preacher, but the founder of orphanages and improver of prison conditions. His missionary work spanned both a large geographical distance and a broad social spectrum. In over 50 districts of France, he preached the Gospel to children, the poor, prisoners, and others forgotten or neglected by society. He was gifted with a marvelous talent for missions, he not only labored for the conversion of the Huguenots, but assisted the needy, and aided in the rescue of wayward women, established a lace factory as a form of skilled labor for repentant prostitutes. This was his best-known work which involved helping women escape prostitution. He raised controversy when he established hostels for converted prostitutes to remain chaste and work for their sustenance in the lace-making and embroidery trades. He is also remembered for stationing a granary to feed the poor, which at times was miraculously replenished.
St. John’s labors reaped a harvest of conversions. However, his boldness – perceived as arrogance in some cases – led to a conflict with certain other priests, a period of tension with the local bishop, and even threats of violence from those whose vices he condemned. Against these obstacles, the priest persevered, sustained by fervent prayer and severe asceticism. His missionary work involved difficult winter journeys, and a witness at his beatification testified to St John’s habit of preaching outdoors all day, then hearing confessions throughout the night. St. John Francis Regis died at age 43, in late December of 1640 suffering from exhaustion. Though suffering from a lung ailment, he insisted on preaching a parish mission and hearing confessions. A penitent found him unconscious in the confessional, though he revived long enough to receive the last rites before dying. He performed many miracles. Hailed as a confessor of the faith and a model for Jesuit missionaries, St. John Francis Regis was beatified in 1716 and canonized in 1737. Although June 16 was established as his feast day, there are differing local and particular customs, including the Jesuits’ celebration of his feast on July 2. St. John Francis Regis is the Patron Saint of embroiderers, social workers, lacemakers, medical social workers, and illegitimate children.
PRAYER: O God, whose priest, Saint John Francis Regis, a friend of the poor, the sick, and the wayward, eagerly desired to evangelize the peoples of North America; grant, we ask, that we who serve You in his place may be filled with his same spirit of zeal…Amen”🙏
SAINT BENNO OF MEISSEN, BISHOP: St. Benno of Meissen (1010-1106) labored to convert the Slavs, established numerous religious edifices, and is said to have founded the cathedral of Meissen. Saint Benno lived during a difficult political time and managed—despite threat, imprisonment and punishment—to remain true to the teachings of the Church and his role as priest and bishop, servant of his people. At a time when the Church is criticised and attacked from both the inside and outside, we look to saints like St Benno as inspiration. His witness provides example to each of us, inspiring fidelity to our Holy Father and to the Magisterium, in all things and truth, even when these are the “hard decisions” to make. St. Benno was born in 1010 at Hildesheim, Germany, he was the son of Count Frederick of Bultenburg. He was educated under his relative, Bishop St. Bernward, and became a canon of the collegiate church of Goslar, Hanover. St. Benno served as chaplain to Emperor Henry IV and then was made Bishop of Meissen, in Saxony in 1066. He was a diligent pastor of his flock, watched over the clergy, carried out the visitations to be made, gave generously to the poor, lived an exemplary ascetic life, and restored public singing of the Divine Office. The Emperor of Germany at that time, Henry IV, was a boy of sixteen, and he was a very different kind of person from St. Henry II, who had always tried to rule the State for the good of religion and the Church. Henry IV, on the other hand, intended to try to make the Church obey the State, and one of his plans was to make the German bishops entirely dependent on him. He, and not the Pope, gave to each newly made bishop the crosier and the ring which showed his ‘marriage’ to the Church. But it happened that at that time there was one of the greatest of the Popes, St. Gregory VII, who was equally determined that the Emperor should do nothing of the kind; and this led to the long struggle stated in history books. It was called the Investiture Contest,' and went on for many years all over Europe to decide whether the Pope, as Head of the Church, or the ruler of the State shouldinvest’ bishops with the symbols of their holy office.
The Saint backed the Saxon nobles in their revolt against Henry and was imprisoned for a year. He also backed Pope Gregory and was deposed from his Bishopric in 1085 by the German prelates who supported the emperor. But he was reinstated in 1085 by anti-Pope Guibert, whom he supported. In 1097, Benno cast his lot once more with the true Pope Urban II, and spent his years as a missionary. The reason St. Benno is important among the saints of Germany is that, unlike some of the German bishops, he stood out against the Emperor, and because not even imprisonment could make him say that Henry was right. We do not know very much about his life, apart from the warfare and struggles of the time. But there is one story which has become famous. When the Pope had said that the Emperor, because he would not obey the Church, was not to be allowed to receive Holy Communion Henry hoped that the German bishops would take no notice of this `excommunication.’ He rode with his followers to Meissen and demanded entry to the Cathedral. St. Benno realized that there was nothing he could do to keep him out unless he shut the Cathedral to everyone, so he ordered everything to be fastened up from the inside and then the great door locked on the outside. When this had been done, in front of all the people, he threw the key far out into the river Elbe. Henry knew that if he gave his soldiers orders to break down the door he would have everyone against him, so he rode away, vowing vengeance on the Bishop. When he had gone the question was how the Cathedral could be opened again. St. Benno, after much prayer, told a fisherman to throw his net into the river as near as he could to where the key had fallen, and, so the story says, among the fish that were caught that day was one which had the key hanging on to one of its fins. So, among the paintings of the saints which you can see today, you can always recognize St. Benno, because he is holding a fish and a key. He lived to be a very old man (some say that he was nearly a hundred when he died), and at the end of his life he followed the example of so many of the German saints and went to preach to the barbarians on the outskirts of the country who were still heathen. He died about 1106 and was canonized in 1523. This caused Martin Luther to issue a strongly critical polemic: Against the New Idol and the Old Devil about To Be Set Up at Meissen. St. Benno was buried in his Cathedral at Meissen, but when, at the time of the German Reformation, four hundred years later, in about 1575, the countryside left the Catholic Church, Meissen became wholly Protestant his body was removed, for safety and transfered to Munich, and from that time St. Benno has been considered the Principal Patron Saint of that city Munich.
PRAYER: God, Light and Shepherd of souls, You established St. Benno as Bishop in Your Church to feed Your flock by his word and form it by his example. Help us through his intercession to keep the faith he taught by his word and follow the way he showed by his example. Amen🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JUNE: The month of June is set apart for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Savior none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honored by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion.” These words of Pope Pius XI refer to the Sacred Heart Devotion, which in its present form dates from the revelations given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673-75.
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE – FOR MIGRANTS FLEEING THEIR HOMES: We pray that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys full of danger and violence, find welcome and new opportunities in the countries that receive them.
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024
PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have beķķen in vain. Now, Lord, come to our ajnid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen🙏
During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏
On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We also pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son & the Holy Spirit forever & ever. Amen🙏
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏
Let us pray:
Glorious Word of God, You choose to speak to Your people in varied ways. To some, You speak through parables and figures of speech. To others, You speak more directly and intimately, revealing the depths of Your Heart. Please speak to me in the ways that will deepen my faith so that I can continue my journey into the many mysteries You wish to reveal. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Most Blessed Mother Mary and Saint John Francis Regis and Saint Benno of Meissen ~ Pray for us🙏
Thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled Sunday and week 🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖