Newsletter For this Week
The Pope's July Prayer Intention
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For formation in discernment.
Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel.
Visit the website of Pray With the Pope
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus our Guest
This week’s readings highlight the qualities that help nourish our relationship with God and with one another: openness, hospitality and joy.
Abraham recognises God in the three men who appear at the door of his tent (First Reading). He eagerly invites God to be a dinner guest with him and his wife, Sarah, as they set about preparing a fine feast. The passage reminds us to respond to God’s constant invitation to welcome him into our lives through the various people we encounter, so that we may receive the many blessings he has to offer.
The Psalm encourages us to reflect on what values we should live by to follow God’s will: being truthful and authentic, not speaking badly of others or spreading harmful gossip, and acting with financial integrity.
In the Second Reading, Paul takes great joy that he can share in Christ’s suffering for the sake of the Church. He recognises that he has been assigned by God to reveal the word to everyone, including the Gentiles.
In the Gospel, Jesus visits his good friends, Martha and Mary. Jesus gently encourages Martha to be more present in the moment, not allowing her endless ‘to do’ list to keep her from developing her relationship with God and with others.
As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee year, we pray that we will truly see and be open to receiving God in every living moment. We ask that our everyday decisions and behaviour are always guided by the desire to draw closer to him.
(With thanks to St Beuno's Outreach)
ARTWORK
Maurice Denis (1896)
The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg
