St. Angela Merici, Virgin 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29

Then king David

Went in, sat before Yahweh and said, “Who am I, O Yahweh God, and who is my family that you have brought me so far? Yet this was not enough for you, O Yahweh God, for you have also of your servant’s house for a long time to come. Is this the way men act, O Yahweh God?

You have set apart your people Israel to become your people forever; and you, Yahweh, have become their God.

Now, O Yahweh God, keep forever the promise you made and have now revealed to me regarding myself and my family, that your name may be honored forever and people may say, ‘Yahweh of Hosts is God over Israel.’

The house of your servant David will be secure before you because you, O Yahweh of Hosts, God of Israel, have made it known to your servant and have said to him: ‘Your family will last forever.’ This is why I have dared to address this prayer to you.

So now, O Yahweh God, since you are the faithful God, and have promisedme this good thing, please bless my descendants, that they may continue forever before you. For you, O Yahweh God, have spoken and, with your blessing, my family shall be blessed forever.”

 

  ＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊ 

Mark 4:21-25

 

Use Them or Lose Them

It sounds unjust and awful that more will be given to the one who produces more and from the one who produces little, whatever little he or she has will be taken away. Sounds a bit like heartless capitalism!

But this is neither capitalistic nor unjust or awful, but a simple law of nature. A glance at the evolutionary history informs us that those limbs and bodily faculties that remained unused gradually disappeared from our bodily configuration.

Even within the life span of one single person, we know how the muscles degenerate when left unused, or doing crossword puzzles regularly sharpens the brain and delays dementia.

No wonder the same logic applies to our spiritual faculties as well: you either use them or lose them. David was blessed twice over because he blessed God relentlessly with gratitude and humility.

 

St. Angela Merici, Virgin 

  21 March 1474 Born in the Republic of Venice

died in Brescia on 27 January 1540,

Merici was beatified in Rome on 30 April 1768, by Pope Clement XIII.

 She was canonized on 24 May 1807 by Pope Pius VII.