Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July
5, 2015
Gospel Mk 6:1-6
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place (1), accompanied by his disciples (2). When the sabbath
(3) came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were
astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom
has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the
carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother (4)
of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters (5) here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said
to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among
his own kin (6) and in his own house.” So he was
not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people
by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
(http://usccb.org/bible/readings/070515.cfm)
The difficult words
(1) A person’s native place is where he or she was born or
grew up.
(2) Disciples are followers of Jesus.
(3) In the Jewish religion, the sabbath is the seventh day of the week.
It is a day of rest in honor of the Lord. The sabbath is a Saturday; Sunday is
the first day of the week.
(4) & (5) Brothers and sisters also refer to cousins and other
relatives.
(6) kin are relatives.
This week’s spotlight
The Book of Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel is in the Old Testament. Ezekiel
was a great prophet who lived in the sixth century B.C. God asked him to speak to
the Israelites in his name, to ask them to turn from sin and return to the
Lord. Despite these warnings they did not change, Jerusalem, their holy city,
was destroyed in the war against the Babylonians, who took the Israelites to Babylon as prisoners. Still, God
did not forsake his people. Through Ezekiel, he promised to bring them
salvation.
Through him, in him, with him
At the very end of the eucharistic prayer just before
the congregation recites or sings the
Our Father, the priest says this prayer. At this moment of the Mass, the priest
raises the body and blood of Christ
toward heaven. It is through Jesus, in Jesus, and with Jesus that we
come to know the Father's goodness, as well as the love that the Holy Spirit brings to us and to the whole
Church.
Reflection
Who is Jesus really?
Hopefully, you have already learned a lot
about Jesus from your parents, family, teachers, priests, and from the Mass.
You know that Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb in a mysterious way. Jesus is
both the Son of the Father in heaven and the Son of Mary. Jesus was born in a
stable in Bethlehem where simple shepherds and rich kings came to worship him.
Joseph, the carpenter, brought Jesus up as if he were his own son. At each
Mass, the Gospel teaches us a little bit more about Jesus and what he expects
from us. Yes - he has a plan for each one of us! He wants us to understand who
he is, but to do this we must have faith. In order to truly know Jesus, we must
open our hearts to him more and more each day, so that his love may grow inside
of us. So, especially during this summer vacation, take more time each day to
get to know Jesus. Then you can say, as Saint Paul did: “I am alive, but it is
no longer me; it is Christ who lives in me.”
Discussion questions
1. Where did Jesus and his disciples come?
2. Where did he teach on the sabbath?
3. How did people feel when they heard Jesus teaching?
4. Did people recognize who Jesus really was?
5. Why can not Jesus perform any mighty deed in his native place?
Praying after Communion
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. Thank
you for this Mass, in which you have fed us with your word, and with the body
and blood of Jesus, your Son. Give me
the grace to know and love him more and
more.
Crossword Puzzle
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/15_07_05.mp3