19 Jul
Fri
15th Week in Ordinary Time
Is. 38:1-6,21-22,7-8
(R.Ps.) Is. 38:10-12, 16
Mt. 12:1-8
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The Pharisees do not see Jesus as a sign of God. In their blindness they complain about His disciples working on the Sabbath. One gets the impression that they are just looking for faults. It is so easy to see the failures and faults in others. People who have turned in on themselves, who have lost the excitement of living seem never to have problems in pointing a finger at others and very often it is at silly little things. Jesus is too big for that sort of mentality. He has come to bring light and joy not darkness and sorrow. The law is there so that we can grow in freedom. It's not there to catch people, it is not some sort of a trap.

Hezekiah, in Isaiah, is not like the Pharisees. He is a holy man, a man who prays. Not only does he pray, he also lives a good life. Yet, he is looking for a sign. We all do, we all need moments which will support us in our faith. Conscious of that we should always be willing to be signs of God's greatness and goodness to others in the world.



Lord, help me to be a sign of You by being generous in good deeds and words.

DAILY OFFERING
Eternal Father, I offer You everything I do this day; my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings. Grant that, vivified by the Holy Spirit and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my life this day may be of service to You and to others. I also pray that all those preparing for marriage discover in Sacrament the source of Christ's grace for living a fithful and fruitful love. Amen.

PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH
INTENTION
That artists may do all they can to help the men and women of today to discover the signs of God's providential love in creation.
Elaboration

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P R A Y I N G    W I T H    T H E    C H U R C H    

INTENTION : That artists may do all they can to help the men and women of today to discover the signs of God's providential love in creation.

The artist who can sculpt the stones of our heart to bring out the features of Christ is the Holy Spirit. However, he requires our responsiveness and docility. Conversion of heart is a work of an art jointly produced by the Spirit and our freedom.

Artists, accustomed to shaping the most diverse materials according to the inspiration of their genius, know well the daily effort required to improve their life that resembles artistic work. Through his artistic creativity the artist accomplishes the task of shaping the "material" of his own humanity and then having dominion over the universe. There is a remarkable similarity between the art of forming oneself and that which takes place in the transformation of matter.

God lets himself be glimpsed through the fascination of beauty. Artists can perceive a ray of supreme beauty among the many manifestations of the beautiful. It is then that art becomes a way to God and it spurs the artists to combine their creative talent with their commitment to a life of ever greater conformity to the divine law. Living profoundly their Christian faith, artists are encouraged to give birth to new "epiphanies" of the divine beauty reflected in creation.




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