“ Faith is a beam, radiating from the face of God.

                                             " St. John Eudes”

                                                               

St. Ezequiel Moreno, bishop

St. John Eudes, priest

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Judges 6:11-24a*

The angel of the Lord (...) said to him,

"The Lord be with you, valiant warrior." Gideon answered, "Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why is all this happening to us?

Where are the wonders which our fathers recounted to us? (...) The Lord then turned to him and said,

"Go, and with your courage, save Israel from the Midianites. It is I who send 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 the Lord 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 the Lord disappeared.

Gideon realized that he was the angel of the Lord and said, "Alas, O Lord God! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face."

But the Lord said to him, "Peace be with you. Do not fear for you shall not die." Gideon built an altar to the Lord in that place and called it the Lord-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 the 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 at them and answered,

"For human beings 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, then, will there be for us?"

 

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, also, will sit, on twelve thrones, to judge 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 ：

"Courage, it is I, do not be afraid."

Gideon asks how he can save the people of Israel. He feels weak and ill-suited to the task. He is not a man of great status, and yet God is calling him to rescue his people. Gideon learns that he will save the people through his courage and God's support. Courage or fortitude is both a virtue and a gift of the Holy Spirit. God strengthens our capacity to face difficulty bravely, so that we don't shrink from what justice or charity demand of us. At various times in the Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples, "Courage, it is I, do not be afraid." It's a message that lifted their spirits and invited them to step forward and keep going. Here in today's Gospel, the disciples have hit a brick wall once again, thinking that heaven is unattainable. Christ gives an encouraging reply so that they will face the journey to heaven with hope. Like Gideon, what seems impossible is achievable through a combination of courage and God's grace. To face the challenges of life with the hope of heaven, we need to develop both the graced virtue of courage and our sense of God's support in our daily lives.