＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Judges 6:11-24a*

The angel of Yahweh

(…..) said to him, “Yahweh be with you, valiant warrior.” Gideon answered,” Please, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why is all this happening to us? Where are the wonders which our fathers recounted to us?(…..) Yahweh then turned to him and said, “Go, and with your courage, save Israel from the Midanites. It is I who sent you.”(…..)

Then the angel of God said to him, “take the meat and the bread; put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” Gideon did so. At that moment, the angel of Yahweh extended the staff he was holding and touched the meat and the bread. Suddenly, fire blazed from the rock.

The fire consumed the meat and the bread, and the angel of Yahweh disappeared. Gideon realized that he was the angel of Yahweh and said, “Alas ,O Lord Yahweh! I have seen the angel of Yahweh face

to face.” But Yahweh said t ohim, “Peace be with you. Do not fear for you shall not die.” Gideon built an altar to Yahweh that place and called it Yahweh-Peace.                                                                                               

 

Ps 85:9, 11-12, 13-14

The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Matthew 19:23-30

Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I say to you: it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.   Yes, believe me: it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 On hearing this the disciples were astonished and said, “Who, then, can be saved?”   Jesus looked steadily at them and answered, “For humans it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Then Peter spoke up and said, “You see we have given up everything to follow you: what will be our lot?”  Jesus answered, “You who have followed me, listen to my words: on the Day of Renew­al, when the Son of Man sits on his throne in glory, you, too, will sit on twelve thrones to rule the twelve tribes of Israel.  

As for those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or property for my Name’s sake, they will receive a hundredfold and be given eternal life.   Many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.

 

Gospel Reflection：

In the physical world, traveling is hard if we take too many things along with us. Traveling light is what makes travel enjoyable. We may have to give up some of the luxuries we enjoy, but our attention is more focused on the itinerary rather than on our own possessions.

We allow the local scenes and the vibes to soak us with their beauty and richness rather than be preoccupied with how we look in front of others. The same thing is true in the spiritual life. The less baggage we have, the less we are weighed down in our travel towards wholeness.

That is why our issues must be confronted and healed little by little. We need to start immediately. After all, the journey towards oneself is perhaps the longest journey that we will undertake in this lifetime. And so, we can enter the narrow gate that leads to life unencumbered. And the more that we give up, the more space we create for the sweet things of heaven.