Feast of Blessed Stanley Rother, Priest, Martyr
July 28, 2018
First Reading: Jeremiah 7:1-11
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD. 3Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4Do not trust in these deceptive words: `This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ 5“For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly execute justice one with another, 6if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers for ever. 8“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Ba’al, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, `We are delivered!’ — only to go on doing all these abominations? 11Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, says the LORD.
2My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at thy altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. 4Blessed are those who dwell in thy house, ever singing thy praise! [Selah] 5Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 7They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion. 10For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
24Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27And the servants of the householder came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ 28He said to them, `An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'”
Reflection for the day: ‘If you wish to find the way that leads to life, look for it in the Way who says, “I am the way, the door, the truth and the life” (John 10:7; 14:6), and there you will find it. Only let your search be diligent and painstaking, for “few there are that find it” (Matt. 7:14) and if you are not among the few you will find yourself with the many.’-St. Maximos the Confessor
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