Saturday Mass readings (The Ark of the Covenant / Hearing, and complying with, God's Word)

[distracted]

August 15

Reading 1
1 Chr 15:3-4, 15-16; 16:1-2

David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the Lord
to the place which he had prepared for it.
David also called together the sons of Aaron and the Levites.

---

The Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders with poles,
as Moses had ordained according to the word of the Lord.***

David commanded the chiefs of the Levites
to appoint their kinsmen as chanters,
to play on musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals,
to make a loud sound of rejoicing.

They brought in the ark of God and set it within the tent
which David had pitched for it.
Then they offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings to God.
When David had finished offering up the burnt offerings and peace offerings,
he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

---

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 132:6-7, 9-10, 13-14****

R. (8) Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter his dwelling,
let us worship at his footstool.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
May your priests be clothed with justice;
let your faithful ones shout merrily for joy.
For the sake of David your servant,
reject not the plea of your anointed.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he prefers her for her dwelling.
“Zion is my resting place forever;
in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.”
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.

**Reading II
1 Cor 15:54b-57 **

Brothers and sisters:
When that which is mortal clothes itself with immortality,
then the word that is written shall come about:

Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?

The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel
Lk 11:27-28

While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied,
***“Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.” ***
Death is swallowed up in victory… To me this means that sin and all its consequences are swallowed up in victory (don’t know if the Church would agree, though??)… but elsewhere it says that the wages of sin is death… Only Christ can resurrect us from this horrible death…

Blessed are those who hear the Word … and keep it…

We Catholics are blessed… esp the ones who go to Mass as often as possible… but it is out duty to share w/ others this blessing… I’m not sure i do that as much as i should… *

 

[cheeto1]

At our church, they used the mass during the day, and used these readings:
usccb.org/nab/081509b.shtml

“when He has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For He must reign until He has put all his enemies under His feet”
–I wonder how long that will take. First, Christ came back to life, then, all
who belonged to Him, then this. I am trying to imagine Him reigning over
an earth full of enemies only. What would that be like? I actually can’t
imagine it.

What do you think of today’s holiday, the Assumption of Mary? I listen very
carefully each year. This year, it was said to notice that when Jesus was
walking with the cross, Mary never ran to Pilate and begged for His life. I
have never thought of this before, but wouldn’t any mother try to do Something?
Maybe any mother, but Jesus probably already told her this had to be.

I like your idea about what death being swallowed up in victory means.
I think it also means that fear of death is over since it now means entry into
eternal life for the follower of Jesus. But I still do fear death, and I think Jesus
did too.

 

[Huiou_Theou]

Gospel
Lk 11:27-28

While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied,
***“Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.” ***

Luke 1:28 – Angel of God: Blessed are you among women.
Luke 1:41 – Holy Spirit: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
*

*But not the breasts and womb themselves? That is ridiculous…
Mary heard and observed; So what then of the woman who said this to Jesus?
What is he implying by taking her flattery which is true; and changing the foundation of the blessing? Is he comparing this woman with his mother – and the unspoken things;
Aye, woman – but your eyes aren’t blessed merely because you see me – for you do not nurse me or bear me? Or is this, stop your drooling and lusting woman – do as God says?

…
Blessed are those who hear the Word … and keep it…

We Catholics are blessed… esp the ones who go to Mass as often as possible… but it is out duty to share w/ others this blessing… I’m not sure i do that as much as i should…

It takes more muscles to frown – I wonder if it takes more pixels to draw one…
Oh, sorry, don’t mean to pick on you…

 

[distracted]

AtI like your idea about what death being swallowed up in victory means.
I think it also means that fear of death is over since it now means entry into
eternal life for the follower of Jesus. But I still do fear death, and I think Jesus
did too.

i heard about a doctor who converted to the RCC because, as he told someone… he saw that Catholics don’t die like others do… He said non-Catholics tended to fight death… not wanting to leave the world… but Catholics, generally didn’t do that… they even, sometimes, died with a smile on their faces …

 

[cheeto1]

Luke 1:28 – Angel of God: Blessed are you among women.
Luke 1:41 – Holy Spirit: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

But not the breasts and womb themselves? That is ridiculous…

I think the thought behind what the woman said was, “oh well, I’m not the mother
of Jesus, I’m just any old woman, I’ll never be blessed like Your Mother.”

I believe Jesus was stating that we all do need to be saints. Not just say, “oh saint
so-and-so, was so holy, I’ll never be holy like that, oh well…”

Jesus is telling her that we will all be blessed, if we hear the word of the Lord and
obey it… And also that it takes more than being someone’s mother to be holy…

 

[distracted]

I think the thought behind what the woman said was, “oh well, I’m not the mother
of Jesus, I’m just any old woman, I’ll never be blessed like Your Mother.”

I believe Jesus was stating that we all do need to be saints. Not just say, “oh saint
so-and-so, was so holy, I’ll never be holy like that, oh well…”

Jesus is telling her that we will all be blessed, if we hear the word of the Lord and
obey it… And also that it takes more than being someone’s mother to be holy…

its easy to be a saint… well, OK, not easy, but… not terribly difficult… if you consider all the little marytrdoms we go through every day… Just think of some of them:

having to tolerate BHO as president (OK, that’s not a little one…all the better… )

being nice to people we don’t like (which in my life is virtually everyone )

not being able to be in Heaven with Jesus because you’re trying to take care of yourself so as to respect the body God gave you but that you don’t want to live in anymore because it always wants to make you sin… sexual desires and all that… gluttony… :banghead:
:doh2:

having to get up in the morning…

etc…

 

[distracted]

It takes more muscles to frown – I wonder if it takes more pixels to draw one…
Oh, sorry, don’t mean to pick on you…

everyone picks on me, Why should you be any different??

 

[Huiou_Theou]

everyone picks on me, Why should you be any different??

It is impossible for me to be any different if you won’t let me.

Even you pick on yourself… because you hurt ?

Perhaps, when you read Cheetoh’s other scripture of the day reading; some of my story will explain it; I the married man.

Do you recall the woman at the well, to whom Jesus has the conversation – and she says, “He told me everything I did” ? Yet in spite of him calling to her (eg: Vocatsio/vocation), and pointing out that ?"“the one she is with now (???) is NOT her husband”"? – that even so, the Truth of what he said could only dawn on her because of her infidelity and the infidelity of her live-in’s ? Here was the groom, Jesus, talking to a woman living in a fantasy world; a woman who had to go to the well in the heat of the day; rather than in the morning as most city dwellers would because she was an outcast even among the outcasts of Samaria.

And there was Jesus, waiting at the well – sending his apostles off on a pretext of geting lunch so that a loose woman could come and talk with him.!

My favorite sister was a life guard, and it was her who once told me that if someone is drowning and you dive in to save them – you can’t be nice to them. They will grab you around the neck, and you will both drown. You have to grab them by the neck, and if they get you instead – do the opposite of what panic tells you to do! SWIM STRAIGHT DOWN EVEN IF YOU ARE CHOKING ON WATER. Sometimes you have to loose your life, to gain it.

And after all that – once they get over being p***t, they thank her…

My least favorite sister (17 months older than I, and never forgave me from intruding on the breasts of our mother) – speaks almost like you. I am telling you the truth, I am not lying. But I love her anyway – though I duck whenever she has sharp objects … and she pouts when I do it…

I think you and I perhaps have a bit we can talk about; though perhaps this thread isn’t the place. I have an anxiety disorder (OCD based), much like PTSD – I don’t know exactly what the difference is. But I do know that I see in your comments enough similarities that I am not totally foreign to you. Military, Police, Rapes, etc. are all things which bring on PTSD – and the worst of them are not the instantaneous battle or fights – but rather the long duration betrayals where trust is violated on a continuous basis. For me it was the violation of promises and the threat (apparent/illusonary/real matters not) to my children. For Jesus, I think, Judas was a sure cause of it! And Jesus vitrolic words toward him are all too real – it were better for him if he had never been born.

It is sort of easy, though, to be a ventriloquist – or to use these things as a crutch.
Jesus can become something of a puppet to those who aren’t careful – and even piety can be come an empty sort of defense or weapon with which to deny the Truth himself. Clinging to religion (which is holy and Good and necessary) but merely for comfort, like sucking a smashed thumb. Perhaps I am speaking too much in riddles? I am simply taking a chance that you will understand at least some of it… and my apologies if it is over the top (so to speak).

In Retrouvaille, which I attended in hope of making a bridge with my wife – after so much pain – They were (to some small extent) able to open my wife’s eyes to what she was doing to me; and why. Words I could not speak to her – otherwise I would be a know it all. She never has succeeded in the last steps of the program with me – and my depression is too great to fight; at the end of the month I face yet another catch 22 which she has created for us – and I almost hope the State of Oregon can find some perverted way to give me a death sentence for being a Catholic. It would hurt less to die, than to live; but I will never give up on my own.

Ahh, but I bask in self pity – and the past has flooded me since yesterday so much that I am choking for air. ( So, what – I’m even tired of that. ) And yes, I have medical help…

Peace be with you, and may the Spirit fill your lungs.
It is up to you whether you want to really know me, as a brother and a friend.
You have my prayers, none the less.
Amen.