Carmelite Friary - Kinsale

June 6 - 12, 2010.

Tenth Week of Ordinary Time. Psalter Week II.

Sunday Cycle C; Weekday Cycle II.

Sunday 6: The Solemnity of Corpus Christi – The Body and Blood of Christ
Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 109; 1Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17

Today we celebrate the great solemnity of Corpus Christi – the Body and Blood of Christ. Traditionally, this day was marked by processions with the Blessed Sacrament carried through towns and villages whose streets and neighbourhoods were cleaned up and decorated for the occasion. The solemnity marks one of the great mysteries of our faith and with it one of the great gifts which God has given to his Church. We celebrate the fact that bread and wine become the very body and blood of Christ and which strengthen us and the Church along the path to salvation. In the first reading we see Melchizedek offering bread and wine to God in thanksgiving for the victories achieved with God’s help. This bread and wine is a foreshadow of the bread and wine offered by Christ at the Passover meal. The second reading from St Paul reminds us of the first Eucharist in the upper room on Holy Thursday night. In the Gospel we have Luke’s account of the miracle of the loaves and fish in which Christ fed a multitude that was hungry. Christ has told us that he is the bread of life and that those who partake of his body and blood will want for nothing because his body and blood will strengthen and guide us. It may be difficult to grasp how a small wafer or a drop of wine can be so important or undergo such a change, but faith is not dependent on proof and so we keep today’s solemnity, asking the Lord to lead us toward our true homeland and to strengthen our faith in this most precious of sacraments.

Monday 7: Of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
1Kings 17:1-6, Psalm 120; Matthew 5:1-12

We turn back to the Old Testament for our first readings and in today’s reading from the first Book of the Kings we see Elijah answering God’s call and doing God’s will. This takes place about the year 850BC when Ahab and his pagan wife, Jezebel, ruled the country. The queen persecutes the Jews and Elijah warns the king that there will be a drought unless he relents. Elijah leaves his home and goes east for refuge. In the Gospel from St Matthew, we have the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. These short phrases give us the perfect blueprint for living and for serving God. Elijah, even though he never heard Christ’s sermon, lived out the Beatitudes in his life and in his dealings with people. We are called to be like him and to put our trust in God, serving him alone.

Tuesday 8: Of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
1Kings 17:7-16, Psalm 4; Matthew 5:13-16

Today, in our first reading from the Kings, we see Elijah being sent by God to a Sidonian town. Again, Elijah puts his trust in God and does as he is commanded. There is a famine in both Palestine and Phoenicia (Jezebel’s homeland) and yet the widow is provided with enough food by God for herself and the holy prophet she looks after. Our Gospel text from St Matthew sees Jesus telling his disciples that they are the light of the world. It is their task to light the way for the people toward God and to guide them home. Elijah too, was the light of the world in his time for he spoke to the people about God and showed them how to live in the sight of God. As the successors of Elijah and the disciples, we are the light of the world and it is our duty to proclaim Christ wherever we may be and to bring people to know him.

Wednesday 9: Feast of St Columba (Colum cille), Abbot. Secondary Patron of Ireland*
Colossians 1:24-29; Psalm 15; Mark 10:17-30

In our first reading St Paul tells us that he became the servant of the Church to deliver God’s message to the people. In the Gospel we see the rich young man asking Jesus what he must do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him that he must give all he has to the poor and then follow Christ. These readings are very apt for Colum cille for he was of royal lineage but he gave up that privilege and gave his whole life to Christ, founding churches and monasteries wherever he went. As Colum cille became a servant of the Gospel of Christ we too are challenged today to continue his great missionary work in our own communities.

Thursday 10: Of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
1Kings 18:41-46; Psalm 64; Matthew 5:20-26

In the first reading from the Kings, Elijah foretells an end to the drought which Ahab’s land had endured. He could do this because God’s favour rested on him and he served the Lord alone. The Psalm speaks to us of God’s care for his earth and he provides what is necessary to make the land fruitful. The Gospel passage reminds us that we must hold no grievances against our fellow men and women but must be reconciled with them before approaching the altar of God. It is not for us to judge others and, for the sake of the kingdom, we must forgive others and in that way people will see that we are true witnesses for Christ. Again we see that the strict interpretation of the Law is not always right as Jesus tells us that anger is also to be avoided just as murder is also to be avoided.

Friday 11: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Ezekiel 34:11-16; Psalm 22; Romans 5:5-11; Luke 15:3-7

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart calls to mind images of the Sacred Heart in which the heart of Christ is emblazoned upon his chest for all to see. In the images Christ points to his heart which on the one hand invites us to draw closer to him and on the other reminds us that he has been rejected and his heart has been pierced because of that. For today the first reading and Gospel present us with the image of the shepherd who looks after this sheep. Christ is not just any shepherd but one who loves his sheep as we are reminded in the text from the letter to the Romans. Because of the love Christ has as a shepherd he is willing to do more for us than any mortal shepherd event o the point of laying down his life for us out of the great love he has for us. We know that Christ did this on the cross and that in that action he has redeemed us and brought us back into the sheepfold which is the kingdom of God. All we are asked to do is to have faith and to believe in Gospel.

Saturday 12: Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Isaiah 61:9-11; Psalm 1Samuel 2:1, 4-8; Luke 2:41-51

The first reading speaks of rejoicing in God for what he has done for the speaker. It could so easily be the prayer of Mary in thanksgiving for the great honour which God has bestowed upon her. The Psalm continues this theme. The Gospel text tells us how Mary stored up everything about her Son in her heart as a truly loving mother.

Memorials this Week:

June 9: Feast of St Columba (Colum Cille), Abbot and Missionary, Secondary Patron of Ireland

Columba was born about the year 521 in Co Donegal and having completed his studies spent 15 years founding churches and preaching in Ireland. In 563 he left Ireland for Scotland and arrived on the island of Iona with 12 companions. He preached the Gospel far and wide while returning to Ireland occasionally. His monastic rule had a great influence on Western monasticism. He died in 597.



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