1807164. Monday, 16th JULY Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Monday, 16th JULY
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Matthew 10:34-11:1

"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."

Nothing is small in terms of charity, especially when it comes to helping a good person to do good. 

Imagine the best football players in the world, all gathered in the same team. That team would be terrific! But now imagine that they don't have boots, sports gear or money for public transport to get to their matches... However good they are, in those situations, they are useless. 

Or imagine a man in the best physical condition for cycling never discovering his talent because he never had a bicycle or money to get one. What a loss it would be for the cycling world!

Many people around us, our parish, our school, a youth club, some charities or small groups of good people want to help and plan to do great things for many others, but usually they need help themselves. When we help them we multiply and participate in the good they do; we also become 'good people doing good things'.

Do you know what 'crowdfunding' is? It's a way of raising money by asking a large number of people for a small amount of money each. We can promote 'Spiritual Crowdfunding', raising supernatural means for the success of many good projects. Because sometimes we can't give money, but we can give time, advice, prayer, sacrifice, encouragement... Anything! Anything that we give to them is always important, "even a cup of cold water". 

Like the old widow who decided to spend her time helping in a centre for disabled children. When they asked her what she was willing to do, she said, "Anything! I don't have much money or strength, but I still have a heart... I can give that to these children." And that really was a great deal; wasn't it?!

Mary, my Mother, make me generous and help me to see where, who and how I can help. Help me to help others!

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16 JULY, 2018, Monday, 15th Week, Ordinary Time

THE TRUE SACRIFICE IS NONE OTHER THAN ONESELF

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 1:10-17; MT 10:34-11:1]

Many of us have the wrong notion of offering sacrifices to God.  This pagan understanding still prevails in our relationship with God.  We think that God can be appeased with lambs and animals, etc.  This false notion also creeps into our understanding of mortification and penance.  We do penance to earn God's blessings when they are meant to dispose us to receiving His blessings.  The mortifications we do are not the cause of God's blessings and do not please God, but it is for our sake, so that we can be receptive to the blessings He wants to bestow upon us.
The prophet makes is clear that He is not pleased with such external sacrifices.  In fact, He is disgusted with them because they were offered by people whose hearts were far from Him. "What are your endless sacrifices to me? Says the Lord. I am sick of holocausts of rams and the fat of calves. The blood of bulls and of goats revolts me. When you come to present yourselves before me, who asked you to trample over my courts? Bring me your worthless offerings no more, the smoke of them fills me with disgust. New Moons, sabbaths, assemblies – I cannot endure festival and solemnity. Your New Moons and your pilgrimages I hate with all my soul. They lie heavy on me. I am tired of bearing them."

What God desires is intimacy and union with us.  He desires love, not sacrifices.  When we do wrong things and hurt our fellowmen, He is wounded because of His love for them.  And He feels sad for us because we are destroying ourselves.  Hence the prophet warns us, "When you stretch out your hands I turn my eyes away. You may multiply your prayers, I shall not listen.  Your hands are covered with blood, wash, make yourselves clean."  Again, the call to justice is paramount to the Lord, more so than all our sacrifices.  "Take your wrong-doing out of my sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow."

So what is the real sacrifice?  This is mentioned in today's gospel.  We are called to offer ourselves, our very lives, in union with Jesus for the salvation of humanity.   In giving ourselves, we find ourselves.  This is the key to life.  The less we focus on ourselves in terms of needs, the more we will find life when we dissipate our energy in serving others.  That is why Jesus said, "Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it." 
What does this sacrifice of oneself involve? 

Firstly, it means putting Him as the central focus in our lives.  "Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me.  Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me."  

Moses told the people that they must love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul and strength.  This is the fundamental commandment and the key to life.  (Dt 6:4-7)   Once God is the focus of our lives, we will see everything in perspective.

Secondly, it means to be separated from those people and things and activities that lead us away from His love.  This is what holiness is all about.  Very often, it is our friends and loved ones, especially our children, that lead us away from God!  When we make them our gods and give them more focus, time and attention as if they are the center of our lives, the more we become enslaved to them.   Unless we learn to let go and put God as the priority in our lives, we cannot truly love our loved ones rightly and wisely.  Ironically, it is our in-laws and our enemies that bring us closer to God!
This is what Jesus meant when He instructed the Twelve as follows: "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword.  For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  A man's enemies will be those of his own household."  The division caused by the world is the result of selfishness.  The division caused by the Lord is to separate us from what hinders us from finding true peace and joy by living a life in union with God and doing His holy will.   So Jesus brings us peace by taking us away from our enemies of holiness and life, all our attachments to things, power, and even persons, including our loved ones.

Thirdly, it means carrying our cross patiently.  Jesus said, "Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me."  Every day, we must carry the cross of inconvenience, fatigue and suffering that comes from work and relationships patiently.  Some day we have to accept the human frailties of our brothers and sisters; and sometimes we ourselves are the culprits in hurting others by our insensitivity and irresponsibility.   This is what Jesus is inviting us to do.  By carrying the cross patiently and lovingly, we will be purified and grow in love and charity towards ourselves and others.
Fourthly, it calls for the work of compassion.  It is not enough to be focused on God.  We must also allow the worship of God to lead us to the service of humanity.  We are called to perform works of charity, seeing Jesus in the poor and in the suffering and hungry.  

"Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.  Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet's reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man because he is a holy man will have a holy man's reward.  If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward."   Through our works of charity, we become more like Jesus.

Fifthly, if possible we must speak about Him and proclaim His love to others.  We read that "when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns."  We too must move on in life.  We cannot just stay in one place all the time, building our kingdom.  We must find opportunities to spread His love and His name.  We just do what we can and the Lord will help us.

In this way, we are identified with Jesus in every way so much so that people see the Christ in us.  Indeed, they will see us as Jesus.  The greatest compliment is when someone says to us, "Here comes Jesus!"   Let us be Jesus to each other so that we truly become identified with Him in thought, deeds and life.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved

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16th July
Our lady of Mount Carmel

Hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah (northern Israel) in the 12th century. They had a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. By the 13th century they became known as "Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel." They soon celebrated a special Mass and Office in honour of Mary. 

In 1726 it became a celebration of the universal Church under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For centuries the Carmelites have seen themselves as specially related to Mary. Their great saints and theologians have promoted devotion to her and often championed the mystery of her Immaculate Conception.

St. Teresa of Avila called Carmel "the Order of the Virgin." St. John of the Cross credited Mary with saving him from drowning as a child, leading him to Carmel and helping him escape from prison. St. Theresa of the Child Jesus believed that Mary cured her from illness. On her First Communion, she dedicated her life to Mary. During the last days of her life she frequently spoke of Mary.

There is a tradition that Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, a prior general of the Carmelites, on this day in 1251 with the scapular of the order in her hand. This scapular she gave him with the words: "Hoc erit tibi et cunctis Carmelitis privilegium, in hoc habitu moriens salvabitur" (This shall be the privilege for you and for all the Carmelites, that anyone dying in this habit shall be saved).

 On account of this great privilege many distinguished Englishmen, such as King Edward II, Henry, Duke of Lancaster, and many others of the nobility secretly wore ( clam portaverunt) the Carmelite scapular under their clothing and died with it on. At a later date, probably not until the sixteenth century, instead of the scapular of the order, the small scapular was given as a token of the scapular brotherhood. Today the brotherhood regards this as its chief privilege, and one it owes to St. Simon Stock, that anyone who dies wearing the scapular is not eternally lost.

 St John Paul II, addressing the Carmelite community in 2001 said: "Over time this rich Marian heritage of Carmel has become, through the spread of the Holy Scapular devotion, a treasure for the whole Church. By its simplicity, its anthropological value and its relationship to Mary's role in regard to the Church and humanity, this devotion was so deeply and widely accepted by the People of God that it came to be expressed in the memorial of 16 July on the liturgical calendar of the universal Church"

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