Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 30, 2019

The Lord is my Shepherd.  An 1880 Baxter process illustration of Psalm 23, from the Religious Tract Society's magazine.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 30, 2019
Lectionary: 99

Reading 1   1 KINGS 19:16B, 19-21

The LORD said to Elijah:"You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah,as prophet to succeed you."
Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.  Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,"Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,and I will follow you."Elijah answered, "Go back!  Have I done anything to you?" Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,and gave it to his people to eat. Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.

Responsorial    PSALM 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (cf. 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
 I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you.
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
 you it is who hold fast my lot."

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

I bless the LORD who counsels me;
 even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
 with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
 my body, too, abides in confidence
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
 nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

You will show me the path to life,
 fullness of joys in your presence,
 the delights at your right hand forever.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

\

Reading 2   GALATIANS 5:1, 13-18

Brothers and sisters:For freedom Christ set us free;so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters.  But do not use this freedomas an opportunity for the flesh;rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement,namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you go on biting and devouring one another,beware that you are not consumed by one another.
I say, then: live by the Spiritand you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,and the Spirit against the flesh;these are opposed to each other,so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Alleluia   1 SAMUEL 3:9; JN 6:68C

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel   LUKE 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 village to prepare for his reception there,but they would not welcome himbecause 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 heavento consume them?" Jesus turned and rebuked 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 plowand looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."

JT Psalm 23 The Lord is my Shepherd

411. Prostitution

YOUCAT Catechism +Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 411

Ave Maria series

Why is prostitution a form of fornication?

In prostitution “love” becomes a commodity and the person is degraded to an object of pleasure.  That is why prostitution is a serious offense against human dignity and a serious sin against charity.  [2355]

A world map showing the legislative situation in different countries to prevent female trafficking as of 2009 according to WomanStats Project. 

Color code for above map: Gray - No data; Green - Trafficking is illegal and rare; Yellow - Trafficking is illegal but problems still exist; Purple - Trafficking is illegal but still practiced; Blue - Trafficking is limitedly illegal and is practiced; Red - Trafficking is not illegal and is commonly practiced.--by Kant66 - I, Ahjteam (People  Sin  Human Trafficing)

The average cost of a human trafficking victim today is $9,000 whereas the average slave in 1800 America cost the equivalent to $40,000. –Source Wikipedia

Certainly those who profit from prostitution—human traffickers, pimps, clients—burden themselves with greater guilt that the women, men, children, and young people who sell their bodies, often under duress or in situations of dependence.

“Since love cannot be sold, it is invariably killed by money.”  Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

“If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong.  The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins…for there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become.  They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self.  The Diabolical self is the worse of the two.  That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute.  But, of course, it is better to be neither.”  C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)

Offenses against chastity

[2355]

2355 Prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person to an instrument of sexual pleasure. The one who pays for prostitution sins gravely against himself: he violates the chastity to which his Baptism pledged him and defiles his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. (Compare 1 Corinthians 6:15-20.)¹⁴⁰ Prostitution is a social scourge. It usually involves women, but also men, children, and adolescents (The latter two cases involve the added sin of scandal.). While it is always gravely sinful to engage in prostitution, the imputability of the offense can be attenuated by destitution, blackmail, or social pressure.

Sin  Human trafficking of women

410. “….everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

YOUCAT Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 410

Ave Maria series

410  What is meant by “fornication”?

Fornication (from Greek porneia) originally meant pagan sexual practice, for instance, temple prostitution.  Later the term was applied to all forms of sexual activity outside of marriage. Today in English it generally refers to consensual sexual relations between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman.  [2353]

Paolo and Francesca whom Dantedescribes as damned for fornication. (Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1819).….. 410

Fornication is often based on seduction, lies, violence, dependency, and abuse.  Fornication is therefore a serious offense against charity; it harms the dignity of the person and fails to recognize the meaning of human sexuality. Civil authorities have the duty to protect minors especially from fornication.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18.)¹¹³

You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(Matthew 5:27-28.)¹¹⁴

Offenses against chastity

[2353]

2353 Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.

Sin  Fornication Paolo and Francesca

407. The premarital relationships are to be taken seriously.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 407

Ave Maria series

407  Why is the church against premarital sexual relations?

Because she would like to protect love.  A person can give someone else no greater gift than himself.  “I love you” means for both: “I want only you, I want all that you are, and I want to give myself to you forever!”  Because that is so, we cannot, even with our bodies, really say “I love you” temporarily or on a trial basis.  [2350, 2391]

The above is a photo from my home television screen taken several years ago. Former U.S. Senator Bob Dole “broke the ice” on this type of advertising by being a paid spokesman for the Viagra product.

“Sex sells,” is a saying of the advertising industry. We see this in practice every day in America. There would be less “Me, too” heard in America if women didn‘t buy into the leadership of the fashion industry and if men practiced “custody of the eyes.” 



Many people take their premarital relationships seriously.  And yet there are two reservations involved that are incompatible with love: the “exit option” and the fear of a child.  Because love is so great, so sacred, and so unique, the Church teaches young people the obligation to wait until they are married before they start to have sexual relations.  425

“To give your body to another person symbolizes the total gift of yourself to that person.”  --St. John Paul II (1920-2005), meeting with young people in Kampala, Uganda, February 6, 1993

“Young people want great things…Christ did not promise an easy life.  Those who desire comforts have dialed the wrong number.  Rather, he shows us the way to great things, the good, toward an authentic human life.”  Pope Benedict XVI, April 25, 2005

“Experience, too, shows that premarital sexual relations make the choice of the right lifelong partner more difficult rather than easier.  Part of preparation for a good marriage is training and consolidating your character.  You should also cultivate those forms of love and tenderness which are appropriate to the provisional nature of your friendly relationship.  Being able to wait and do without now will make it easier for you later to show loving consideration for your future spouse.”  St. John Paul II, September 8, 1985 in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, to young people.

[2350, 2391]

The various forms of chastity

2350 Those who are engaged to marry are called to live chastity in continence. They should see in this time of testing a discovery of mutual respect, an apprenticeship in fidelity, and the hope of receiving one another from God. They should reserve for marriage the expressions of affection that belong to married love. They will help each other grow in chastity. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

 2391 Some today claim a "right to a trial marriage" where there is an intention of getting married later. However firm the purpose of those who engage in premature sexual relations may be, "the fact is that such liaisons can scarcely ensure mutual sincerity and fidelity in a relationship between a man and a woman, nor, especially, can they protect it from inconstancy of desires or whim." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Persona humana 7)¹⁸⁴ Carnal union is morally legitimate only when a definitive community of life between a man and woman has been established. Human love does not tolerate "trial marriages." It demands a total and definitive gift of persons to one another. (Compare Familiaris Consortio 80.)¹⁸⁵ –CCC

People  Sex Advertising DSC03041

409. Offense against love?

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 409

Ave Maria series

409  Is masturbation an offense against love?

Masturbation is an offense against love, because it makes the excitement of sexual pleasure an end in itself and uncouples it from the holistic unfolding of love between a man and a woman.  That is why “sex with yourself” is a contradiction in terms.  [2352]

Planet Earth picture from the Curiosity Rover on Mars showing Earth from the Perspective of Mars. ….. 409

The Church does not demonize masturbation, but she warns against trivializing it.  In fact many young people and adults are in danger of becoming isolated in the consumption of lewd pictures, films, and Internet services instead of finding love in a personal relationship.  Loneliness can lead to a blind alley in which masturbation becomes an addiction.  Living by the motto “for sex I do not need anyone; I will have it by myself, however and whenever I need it” makes nobody happy.

Masturbation (etymologically probably from the Latin prefix mas- =masculine and turbare =to move vehemently, to disturb).  By masturbation is meant the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure.

To form an equitable judgment about the subject’s moral responsibility (with regard to masturbation) and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the effective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety, or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.  CCC 2352

[2352]

Offenses against chastity

2352 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." (Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Persona humana 9.)¹³⁸ "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved." (Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Persona humana 9)¹³⁹–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability. –CCC

Nature  Planet Earth picture 

408. When a situation is “complicated”

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 408

Ave Maria series

408  How can you live as a young Christian if you are living in a premarital relationship or have already had premarital relations?

God loves us at every moment, in every “complicated” situation, even in a state of sin.  God helps us to seek the whole truth about love and to find ways to live it more and more unambiguously and decisively.

Beloved Mary Magdalene by Giovanni_Bellini.  ….. 408

The Pardon of the Sinful Woman.     A Pharisee invited (Jesus) to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.  Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.  When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”  Jesus said to him in reply, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.  “Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages^*and the other owed fifty.  Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?”  Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”  Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment.  So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love.But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”  He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”  But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”-- Luke 7:36-50

In a conversation with a priest or a reliable, experienced Christian, young people can look for a way to live out their love with increasing integrity.  They will learn that every life is a process and that, whatever has happened, they can make a new beginning with God’ help.

Saint  Mary Magdalene by Giovanni Bellini

406. Everyone is called to love.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 406

Ave Maria series

Does everybody have to be chaste, even married people?

Yes, every Christian should be loving and chaste, whether he is young or old, lives alone or is married. [2348-2349, 2394]

“All human life find its meaning in love”: Myself dancing with granddaughter Emma at Rose and my 40th wedding anniversary.….. 406

Not everyone is called to marriage, but everyone is called to love.  We are destined to give our lives away; many do so in the form of marriage, others in the form of voluntary celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, others by living alone and yet being there for others.  All human life finds its meaning in love.  To be chaste means to love with an undivided heart. The unchaste person is torn and not free.  Someone who loves authentically is free, strong, and good; he can devote himself in love.  Thus Christ, who gave himself up completely for us and at the same time devoted himself completely to his Father in heaven, is a model of chastity, because he is the original model of strong love.

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you abstain from immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like heathens who do not know God.”  1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

[2348-2349, 2394]

The various forms of chastity

2348 All the baptized are called to chastity. The Christian has "put on Christ," (Galatians 3:27.)¹³⁵ the model for all chastity. All Christ's faithful are called to lead a chaste life in keeping with their particular states of life. At the moment of his Baptism, the Christian is pledged to lead his affective life in chastity. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

2349 "People should cultivate [chastity] in the way that is suited to their state of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others live in the way prescribed for all by the moral law, whether they are married or single." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Persona humana 11.)¹³⁶ Married people are called to live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in continence: --CCC

There are three forms of the virtue of chastity: the first is that of spouses, the second that of widows, and the third that of virgins. We do not praise any one of them to the exclusion of the others. . . . This is what makes for the richness of the discipline of the Church. (St. Ambrose, De viduis 4,23:PL 16,255A.)¹³⁷ --CCC

IN BRIEF

2394 Christ is the model of chastity. Every baptized person is called to lead a chaste life, each according to his particular state of life.  –CCC

People  Family Wedding  Don 

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 23, 2019

"This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."--Father Frank Pavone offering Mass.

Lectionary: 169

Reading 1   GENESIS 14:18-20

In those days, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine,and being a priest of God Most High,he blessed Abram with these words:"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,the creator of heaven and earth;and blessed be God Most High,who delivered your foes into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Responsorial  PSALM 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R.(4b) You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.

The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."

R. You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.

The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
"Rule in the midst of your enemies."

R. You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.

"Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you."

R. You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.

The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of  Melchizedek."

R. You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Reading 2   1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26

Brothers and sisters:I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks,broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."  In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Sequence Lauda Sion

Laud, O Zion, your salvation,
Laud with hymns of exultation,
 Christ, your king and shepherd true:

Bring him all the praise you know,
He is more than you bestow.
 Never can you reach his due.

Special theme for glad thanksgiving
Is the quick'ning and the living
 Bread today before you set:

From his hands of old partaken,
As we know, by faith unshaken,
 Where the Twelve at supper met.

Full and clear ring out your chanting,
Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
 From your heart let praises burst:

For today the feast is holden,
When the institution olden
 Of that supper was rehearsed.

Here the new law's new oblation,
By the new king's revelation,
 Ends the form of ancient rite:

Now the new the old effaces,
Truth away the shadow chases,
 Light dispels the gloom of night.

What he did at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
 His memorial ne'er to cease:

And his rule for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
 Thus our sacrifice of peace.

This the truth each Christian learns,
Bread into his flesh he turns,
 To his precious blood the wine:

Sight has fail'd, nor thought conceives,
But a dauntless faith believes,
 Resting on a pow'r divine.

Here beneath these signs are hidden
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
 Signs, not things are all we see:

Blood is poured and flesh is broken,
Yet in either wondrous token
 Christ entire we know to be.

Whoso of this food partakes,
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
 Christ is whole to all that taste:

Thousands are, as one, receivers,
One, as thousands of believers,
 Eats of him who cannot waste.

Bad and good the feast are sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
 Endless death, or endless life.

Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
 Is with unlike issues rife.

When the sacrament is broken,
Doubt not, but believe 'tis spoken,
 That each sever'd outward token
 doth the very whole contain.

Nought the precious gift divides,
Breaking but the sign betides
 Jesus still the same abides,
 still unbroken does remain.

Alleluia   JOHN 6:51

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 9:11B-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,the Twelve approached him and said,"Dismiss the crowdso that they can go to the surrounding villages and farmsand find lodging and provisions;for we are in a deserted place here."He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."  They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people." Now the men there numbered about five thousand.  Then he said to his disciples,"Have them sit down in groups of about fifty." They did so and made them all sit down.  Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them,and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied.  And when the leftover fragments were picked up,they filled twelve wicker baskets.

Sacrament Eucharist  Father Frank Pavone