DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION
JUNE 27, 2024
THURSDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
(OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF SAINT CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH)
FIRST READING
2 KINGS 24:8-17 OR (2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5)
8 Jehoi'achin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehush'ta the daughter of Elna'than of Jerusalem. 9 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. 10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnez'zar king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it; 12 and Jehoi'achin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign, 13 and carried off all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the LORD had foretold. 14 He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, except the poorest people of the land. 15 And he carried away Jehoi'achin to Babylon; the king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land, he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war. 17 And the king of Babylon made Mattani'ah, Jehoi'achin's uncle, king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedeki'ah.
The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
PSALMS 78(79):1-5, 8-9 OR (PSALMS 89:2-5, 21-22, 25, 27)
Response: For the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us.
O God, the heathen have come into thy inheritance;
they have defiled thy holy temple;
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the bodies of thy servants
to the birds of the air for food,
the flesh of thy saints to the beasts of the earth.
R. For the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us.
They have poured out their blood like water
round about Jerusalem,
and there was none to bury them.
We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
mocked and derided by those round about us.
How long, O LORD? Wilt thou be angry for ever?
Will thy jealous wrath burn like fire?
R. For the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us.
Do not remember against us the iniquities of our forefathers;
let thy compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of thy name;
deliver us, and forgive our sins,
for thy name's sake!
R. For the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us.
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GOSPEL
The wise who built their house upon the rock
MATTHEW 7:21-29 OR (MATTHEW 5:13-19)
21 "Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.' 24 "Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; 25 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; 27 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it." 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION
DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
The house falls if Christ is not the rock and foundation, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"'For neither death nor life nor angels nor other things can separate us from the love of Christ' (Romans 8:38-39). Neither can the flooding of rivers, as in the lands of Egypt and Assyria [symbolize worldly wisdom opposed to God], do harm. Only those are harmed who build on sand, who practice the wisdom of the world. The winds that blow are like the false prophets. All these, coming together in one place, 'beat upon' the house. If it is founded on rock, they do no harm. 'The way of a snake upon a rock' is not to be found (Proverbs 30:19). But in the form of temptations and persecutions, which may mount into a flood, they beat upon even the one who seems to be well-founded. The house falls if it does not have Christ as its basis and foundation. But the truly wise person builds one's house 'upon a rock.' This is the way the Lord builds his church - upon the rock, with steadfastness and strength. This is why 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' (Matthew 16:18). All the persecutions that fall upon that house accomplish nothing. The house is founded upon the rock.
(excerpt from FRAGMENT 153)
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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.