Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C
June 26, 2016
Gospel: Lk 9:51-62
When the days for Jesus' being taken up were
fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent
messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan (1) village to prepare for
his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of
his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they
asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume (2)
them?" Jesus turned and rebuked (3) them, and they journeyed to another
village. As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, "I
will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have
dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest
his head."
And to another he said, "Follow me." But he
replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But he answered
him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom
of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me
say farewell to my family at home." To him Jesus said, "No one who
sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the
kingdom of God."
(http://www.usccb.org)
The difficult words
(1)Samaritan means from or in the land of
Samaria.
(2)To consume means to eat or
bum something up completely.
(3)To rebuke is to correct
someone, or to tell them to stop what they are doing.
This week’s spotlight
Altar server
An altar server is someone who helps the Priest during
the celebration of the Mass. Depending on the part of the Mass and the number
of servers, an altar server may carry a cross, or a candle, or the incense, or
the missal from which the Priest reads. Servers also help the Priest get the altar
ready by handing him the bread and wine and helping him to wash his hands. An
altar server normally wears a white robe called an alb.
"The Lord be with you. And with your spirit."
These two sentences, which are repeated several times
during the Mass, are not said just to be polite. "The Lord" means the
risen Christ. The Priest is asking for the presence of the risen Christ among
all the Christians who are gathered together. The parishioners respond with
another wish directed toward the Priest.
They ask that he may totally welcome the Holy Spirit so that he can fully carry
out his mission as a Priest during the Mass.
Reflection
Be courageous!
The first lines of the Gospel tell us of Jesus’
courage when he decided to go to Jerusalem even though he knew he was risking
death. Yes, Jesus is courageous and he asks us to be brave along with him. To
follow Jesus, we need courage. We must leave certain things behind us, things
that keep us from moving forward. Look at your own life. What keeps you from loving?
What keeps you from being generous and considerate of others? Do you judge
people by appearance? Do you do what’s wrong just because everyone else is
doing it? Or do you have the courage to think differently? Do not be afraid! We
have the Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude - the courage and strength to follow
Jesus even when it’s difficult.
Discussion questions
1.Where does Jesus want to go?
2.What happens on the way to Jerusalem?
3.Who takes the journey with Jesus?
4.What does Jesus tell his disciples?
5.How can the choices we make show that we are followers of Jesus?
6.Why is it sometimes difficult to follow Jesus?
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. As we
commemorate in this Eucharist the courage of Jesus in his suffering and death,
may we receive renewed courage in loving one another.
This week…
Show courage through faithfulness
Vacation time is coming up. Show
your courage by being faithful to your daily prayers. Your schedule will
probably be very different during vacation, invite your family to join you for
evening prayer - even if you're at the lake or in the car!
Have the courage to break a bad habit
This week, ask God for the
courage to rid yourself of a bad habit. Find a habit that bothers your family
and decide to change it. For example, try not to leave your shoes lying around
anymore or spend less time in front of the television or playing videogames.
Crossword Puzzle
