CatholicJules.net

It’s easy enough for us to say that we worship and serve only one Lord and God, that we have no other gods before us. But is it true, or is it merely lip service? Do we really renounce all other things? We may not call them gods, but are things in our lives more important to us—like our work, our drama series that we follow, the games that we play, maybe even our children. Perhaps b even family members that we put above all else, instead of the Lord our God.

In today’s Gospel, we hear how Jesus says that we should allow all children to come unto Him. But that also means, that we must lead our lives faithfully and  by example? Do we prevent them from seeing how good the Lord is because of our disobedience and our waywardness, that they do not see the light as they should? We may not turn people or children away from Jesus. But how many of us are leading them to our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ?

Lord Jesus, I truly love you, I want to honour and worship You alone all my life. I therefore renounce the work of the enemy and I wholeheartedly take up my cross to follow after you. Amen.

Saint Stephen of Hungary Pray for us…



________

First reading
Joshua 24:14-29

‘The Lord is a holy God, a jealous God’

Joshua said to all the people, ‘Fear the Lord and serve him perfectly and sincerely; for you put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if you will not serve the Lord, choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord.’
    The people answered, ‘We have no intention of deserting the Lord and serving other gods! Was it not the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples through whom we journeyed? What is more, the Lord drove all those peoples out before us, as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’
    Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You cannot serve the Lord, because he is a holy God, he is a jealous God who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you desert the Lord to follow alien gods he in turn will afflict and destroy you after the goodness he has shown you.’ The people answered Joshua, ‘No; it is the Lord we wish to serve.’ Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.’ They answered, ‘We are witnesses.’ ‘Then cast away the alien gods among you and give your hearts to the Lord the God of Israel!’ The people answered Joshua, ‘It is the Lord our God we choose to serve; it is his voice that we will obey.’
    That day, Joshua made a covenant for the people; he laid down a statute and ordinance for them at Shechem. Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a great stone and set it up there, under the oak in the sanctuary of the Lord, and Joshua said to all the people, ‘See! This stone shall be a witness against us because it has heard all the words that the Lord has spoken to us: it shall be a witness against you in case you deny your God.’ Then Joshua sent the people away, and each returned to his own inheritance.
    After these things Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died; he was a hundred and ten years old.


________

Gospel
Matthew 19:13-15

Do not stop the little children coming to me

People brought little children to Jesus, for him to lay his hands on them and say a prayer. The disciples turned them away, but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children alone, and do not stop them coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ Then he laid his hands on them and went on his way.

We rejoice this day with all the Saints in Heaven! For they stand in the Glory of God for all eternity. And many of whom we have seen and heard in our lifetime continue to be inspirations for us, as we turn to them to pray for us so that one day soon we too will all be reunited with them in Heaven.

Glory and praise be to God our Heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ His Son and the Holy Spirit,  from whom we have received anointing and have been given the seal of sonship and daughterhood at our Baptism.  We are saints on our pilgrim journey home. And as we struggle to live the beatitudes in our lives we know we are not alone for we know we have the Saints in Heaven praying for us and the Holy Spirit guiding us every step of the way. Even if we should falter and fall we know that we can turn back to our merciful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with contrite hears and He will liberate and set us free once again to live a life of holiness in His love.

O when the saints go marching in,

O when the saints go marching in,

O Lord, I want to be in that number

when the saints go marching in. Amen

First reading

Apocalypse 7:2-4,9-14 ·

I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language

I, John, saw another angel rising where the sun rises, carrying the seal of the living God; he called in a powerful voice to the four angels whose duty was to devastate land and sea, ‘Wait before you do any damage on land or at sea or to the trees, until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.’ Then I heard how many were sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel.

    After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, ‘Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four animals, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words, ‘Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen.’

    One of the elders then spoke, and asked me, ‘Do you know who these people are, dressed in white robes, and where they have come from?’ I answered him, ‘You can tell me, my lord.’ Then he said, ‘These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb.’

Second reading

1 John 3:1-3 ·

We shall be like God because we shall see him as he really is

Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us,

    by letting us be called God’s children;

    and that is what we are.

Because the world refused to acknowledge him,

    therefore it does not acknowledge us.

My dear people, we are already the children of God

    but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;

all we know is, that when it is revealed

    we shall be like him

    because we shall see him as he really is.

Surely everyone who entertains this hope

    must purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ.

Gospel

Matthew 5:1-12a

How happy are the poor in spirit

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

‘How happy are the poor in spirit;

    theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle:

    they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn:

    they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:

    they shall be satisfied.

Happy the merciful:

    they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart:

    they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers:

    they shall be called sons of God.

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:

    theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’