June 23 - Tuesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

June 23 - Tuesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(2Kgs.19:9-11,14-21,31-36; Ps.48:2-4,9-11; Mt.7:6,12-14) "I will shield and save this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David." Brothers and sisters, "renowned is He as a stronghold," the Lord our God. And faithfully does He watch over His chosen one. Our psalmist proclaims, "Great is the Lord and wholly to be praised in the city of our God." He extols the glory of Mount Zion, of Jerusalem, "the city of the great King," for the blessings of God upon it. Here is His temple and so here it is we "ponder [His] kindness"; here it is we take refuge, finding "the narrow gate" that leads to Him and to His salvation. In our first reading today the Lord gives evidence of the way in which He protects His children; He reveals that He will not "give what is holy to dogs or toss [His] pearls before swine." The king of Assyria has indeed "laid waste the nations and their lands," including the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He has acted with seemingly invincible power, and now he has come to the Lord's chosen city to destroy it as well. And though this Jerusalem, where His temple does dwell, and the chosen tribes of Judah (through whom His Savior shall come) shall not be protected forever… though this earthly tent shall so soon be ransacked and taken into exile itself, today the Lord shows how His promise, His covenant with them, will never be taken away. Though the temple's walls be one day destroyed, His spiritual kingdom, His New Jerusalem is eternally blessed in heaven. Hezekiah indeed "enter[s] through the narrow gate" of prayer. Taking the threatening letter from Sennacherib in his hand, "he [goes] up to the temple of the Lord, and spreading it out before Him, he pray[s] in the Lord's presence." He calls out, "O Lord, our God, save us from the power of this man, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God." And the Lord listens. He takes pity on His "virgin daughter Zion… for out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant, and from Mount Zion, survivors." And by the hand of the Lord the king of Assyria is turned back. Brothers and sisters, "Jerusalem will not be handed over" to the king of this world. Upon His Church His blessed protection remains. Through Judah and David, the king whose city is Jerusalem, Jesus has come – the Lord's promise is fulfilled and the remnant now does thrive. Here is the Temple not made by human hands; here is the narrow gate through whom all must enter paradise… here is "the joy of all the earth," God's "holy mountain" in our midst; and on His heights and in these walls, we are shielded and saved forever. ******* O LORD, if we enter through the narrow gate, we shall come into your presence, and you shall always fight for us. YHWH, how shall we find our way to your holy City, on which your protection rests, which shall always be saved from the violence of this world? No kingdom can conquer your Church; in her let us make our home. On your holy mountain, the fairest of heights, let us find our place, O LORD. To your Temple let us come, stretching out our arms in prayer. And you shall listen to our pleas, and your help will be with us quickly – you will be our stronghold. And so, we will praise you forever, for you teach us the way that leads to your House; in your heavenly kingdom we shall ever remain. O LORD, let us be holy as you are holy, as all your children are holy. Let us be as those who walk the narrow path to you, who find joy in the difficulties present there. Dwelling in faith we shall not fear the threats of the mighty, for you who are above all are our shield and guide.

June 22 - Prayer to Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More

O kings of martyrdom who indeed laid down your very lives rather than heed the dictates of an evil emperor, whose loyalty to the Lord and the Church He established stands unparalleled, your defense of the faith and conscience written in the blood you shed – pray that the mediocrity, the utter inability to stand for truth in this relativist age, will be defeated by souls founded firmly in the Spirit of Christ and in the Cross He offers forth for our salvation. Pray for leaders of Church and State to embrace your singular devotion.

June 22 - Prayer to St. Paulinus of Nola

O lover of poverty who gave up great wealth to find her abiding within the walls of your heart, a heart which turned thus to God's people and the shepherding of them with great care – pray that we too may hear and come to realize in our lives the call of our Lord to give up all things for the sake of the kingdom, to be attached to nothing but service of the poor, service of God Himself in the humble of this earth; pray that like you we may have the heart of a shepherd, of a laborer in Jesus' vineyard, united in the Spirit with all God's children with whom we share His Heaven.

June 22 - Monday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(2Kgs.17:5-8,13-15,18; Ps.60:3-5,7,12-13; Mt.7:1-5) "In His great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of His sight." Jesus instructs His disciples today, "If you want to avoid judgment, stop passing judgment." In other words, "Judge not and you shall not be judged." Here is the prerequisite not only for avoiding judgment and condemnation at the hand of God, but also for assisting and healing others, as is our call. If we wish to serve as Christians and remove the speck of sin from others' eyes that they might see in the clear light of the Lord Jesus Christ, first it is certainly necessary that we ourselves see so clearly, that we come to the Lord and have our great sin removed from our souls. Otherwise our desire to help others in their frailty will indeed but turn to judgment of them; first we must recognize the great sinners we ourselves are – and so, that we cannot judge another – before we can find the grace from God to bring Jesus' mercy to others. God alone judges, brothers and sisters, for God alone is good, God alone is pure… the Lord Jesus alone is free from every speck of sin. And God will judge. Believe this. He will send His apostles and prophets forth to bring remission of sins – He has sent His Son to die on the cross that we might be cleansed in His blood – but failing the acceptance and embracing of the call of the Lord, indeed what hope have we of salvation? There is but His righteous judgment remaining for our souls; there is but His chastising Hand to be placed upon us. That God does judge, that He does cast sinful man from His sight, is made evident in exemplary fashion in the fate of our ancestors, the Israelites. "Because the Israelites sinned against the Lord, their God," He cast them into exile at the hand of their enemies. "The Lord warned Israel… by every prophet and seer, 'Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes'"; He sought to turn them from their sins by those whom He had touched, but "they did not listen… They rejected His statutes, the covenant which He had made with their fathers, and the warnings, which He had given them." And so, His pure eye unable to look upon them anymore, He removed them from before Himself. "O God, you have rejected us and broken down our defenses," David cries, and begs the Lord's return to the Israelites' ranks… And how often this must be our prayer because of our foolishness in the sight of the Lord. Brothers and sisters, we have a greater covenant now with the Lord than did the ancient Israelites, for we have a greater than David or Moses or Abraham with us now. And more demanding is He of our purity, of our virtue before Him. For what threatens us now is not mere exile, but the fires of hell; what awaits those who turn from Him now is eternal damnation, and so let us remain faithful to our God. Indeed let us remove the log from our eye that we "will see clearly to take the speck from [our] brother's eye" and so effect the building up of the kingdom of God. The time is now upon us; let us do all we can to remain in His sight. ******* O LORD, remove us not from your sight but remove the plank from our eye. YHWH, judgment is yours alone and it is eminently fair. Where we would condemn out of hand, you are merciful, and cast us from your sight only when we persist in our sin. Help us to see as you see, and to be as you are, that we might remain before you and help others to return to your presence. We are outcasts, LORD, for our sins against you, for our failure to heed your blessed commands. You would save us from such fate as would separate us from you, and so you tell us of the path to tread. But we do not listen. And so we invite your wrath upon our souls; and so, how can we help others? Save us this day, O LORD, from ourselves and from all our enemies. Let us listen to your voice and so enter into your love and the light of your presence. In your land let us dwell, in the land of Heaven, and there let us stay… and to this place let us draw others who seek you in the forgiveness of their transgressions and the following of your way. We have sinned against you, but gather us back into your arms, we pray.

June 21 - Prayer to St. Aloysius Gonzaga

O patron of youth whose innocence was unsurpassed, whose desire to give yourself to the Lord in poverty and purity led you to relinquish your wealth in this world at a tender age that you might embrace Jesus fully – pray for the youth of our day and the child in each of our souls, that all might turn away from the temptations which surround and threaten to enter and enslave; let all turn toward the love of the Lord and His heavenly call, a call to a kingdom that surpasses everything of this earth and brings the joy known only in breathing and speaking His holy Name.