Daily Reflection for Thursday, July 09, 2020
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Thursday’s readings at this link:
http://usccb.org/bible/readings/070920.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Hosea 11:1-4, 8E-9
Responsorial: Psalm 80 : 2AC and 3B, 15-16
Gospel: Matthew 10: 7-15
Our reflection on Thursday’s readings:
My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you. Hosea 11: 8e-9
How many of you reading this know disappointment?
For so many of us the sadness of nonfulfillment of whatever we hoped for or desired has varying degrees of severity, repetition and implication. How often does disappointment thwart behavior that “would have been” were it not for the negative impact of your disappointment?
I continue to reflect on this idea of the first reading while being struck by Jesus’s proclamation to his Apostles in today’s Gospel: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ He then goes on to share the striking and incredibly difficult blueprint for Christian living. I can’t claim that I’ve ever come close to satisfying this directive (and I predict I will never be able to claim that I’ve habitually given without counting the cost), but the degree to which the circumstances of the last few months have impacted some of my behavior is disappointing.
Yes, it’s true the looming, ominous storm clouds of uncertainty which show little sign of clearing, shroud most conversations and impact almost all planning. They also contribute to behaviors and fears that are new and justified. I’m referring, however, to my choices and those actions that need not have been thrown ‘off course’ by hesitation and by tendencies to wait until conditions are ideal for continued attempts at today’s Gospel’s blueprint for attainment of the kingdom.
Despite any disappointment from the past, I take comfort in knowing both that tomorrow represents another opportunity and that perfection is not required. Were it so, Jesus wouldn’t have chosen the apostles and he wouldn’t have chosen us.
Rafael Rosario