Frederick, Maryland, United States - Daily Mass Reading & Catholic Meditation “The Word among Us” for Monday, 14 July 2014

Frederick, Maryland, United States - Daily Mass Reading & Catholic Meditation “The Word among Us” for Monday, 14 July 2014
Meditations: Isaiah 1:10 “Listen to my Message,
    you Sodom-schooled leaders.
Receive God’s revelation,
    you Gomorrah-schooled people.
11-12 “Why this frenzy of sacrifices?”
    God’s asking.
“Don’t you think I’ve had my fill of burnt sacrifices,
    rams and plump grain-fed calves?
Don’t you think I’ve had my fill
    of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?
When you come before me,
    whoever gave you the idea of acting like this,
Running here and there, doing this and that—
    all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?
13-17 “Quit your worship charades.
    I can’t stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—
    meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
    You’ve worn me out!
I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion,
    while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
    I’ll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
    I’ll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing
    people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
    Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
    so I don’t have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
    Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
    Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
    Go to bat for the defenseless.
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
Cease doing evil; learn to do good. (Isaiah 1:16-17)
Relationships change us. Think about someone you have been close to for a long time—a husband or wife, brother or sister, son or daughter. What would you be like without that person? Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes obvious, but we can all make long lists of the people who have changed our lives.
Of course, people can change us for better or for worse, but what about our relationship with God? Considering how powerful he is, it only makes sense that a relationship with him will change us—and always for the good! That’s because the closer to God we get, the more we grow into the people he has made us to be.
This was not happening for the people of Judah in today’s first reading. They were observing the forms of worship, but at the same time, they were treating the vulnerable cruelly. This persistent injustice showed that the people’s relationship with God was frail. So through Isaiah, God says that he won’t accept their worship—not while they have innocent blood on their hands.
This passage tells us that our relationship with God is not confined to our time at church or our prayer time. Can you imagine a marriage where the husband lets his wife speak to him only every other day? Or a friend that ends all conversations exactly at the thirty-minute mark? Of course not! Genuine relationships are organic. They encompass many aspects of our lives. They can’t be bounded or enclosed.
God wants us to experience worship that changes our hearts. He wants us to connect with him in prayer so that we take on his mercy, love, patience, and justice. We know that our worship is fruitful when we notice our behavior changing. We act more kindly toward people. We are slower to judge and quicker to forgive. Our words become more upbuilding, and we become more generous with our time and our resources.
So don’t separate your time with God from the rest of your life! Make it a point in your prayer to find the presence of the Lord. Focus on your relationship with him, and not just on your needs or your worries. Let this relationship continue to change you—always for the better!
“Father, help my worship to bring me closer to you and to make me more like you.” Amen.

Psalm 50:7-15 “Are you listening, dear people? I’m getting ready to speak;
    Israel, I’m about ready to bring you to trial.
This is God, your God,
    speaking to you.
I don’t find fault with your acts of worship,
    the frequent burnt sacrifices you offer.
But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,
    or more and more goats from your herds?
Every creature in the forest is mine,
    the wild animals on all the mountains.
I know every mountain bird by name;
    the scampering field mice are my friends.
If I get hungry, do you think I’d tell you?
    All creation and its bounty are mine.
Do you think I feast on venison?
    or drink draughts of goats’ blood?
Spread for me a banquet of praise,
    serve High God a feast of kept promises,
And call for help when you’re in trouble—
    I’ll help you, and you’ll honor me.”
16-21 Next, God calls up the wicked:
“What are you up to, quoting my laws,
    talking like we are good friends?
You never answer the door when I call;
    you treat my words like garbage.
If you find a thief, you make him your buddy;
    adulterers are your friends of choice.
Your mouth drools filth;
    lying is a serious art form with you.
You stab your own brother in the back,
    rip off your little sister.
I kept a quiet patience while you did these things;
    you thought I went along with your game.
I’m calling you on the carpet, now,
    laying your wickedness out in plain sight.
22-23 “Time’s up for playing fast and
    loose with me.
I’m ready to pass sentence,
    and there’s no help in sight!
It’s the praising life that honors me.
    As soon as you set your foot on the Way,
I’ll show you my salvation.”
Matthew 10:34-37 “Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.
38-39 “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.
40-42 “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
John the Baptizer
11:1 When Jesus finished placing this charge before his twelve disciples, he went on to teach and preach in their villages.
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