10th Sunday of the Year (c)
Ordinary Season of the Year. (c)
Weekdays – Year 2
Sunday 5th June: 10th Sunday of the Year. (c)
The first reading is from the First Book of Kings. Elijah, the prophet of God, prays and as a result a child is restored to life.
The second reading shows Paul reflecting on the bitterness of his early life before his encounter with the Lord. His gracious revelation meant a complete change of heart amd life for Paul.
The Gospel passage shows the compassionate side of Jesus coming to the fore. He meets the grieving mother on her way to bury her son. He is moved by her tears and as a result raises the son back to life. He is Lord of life.
Monday 6th June: Monday of the tenth week of the year.
We move back in to the Old Testament and pick up the story of the people of Israel. The readings come from the 1st Book of Kings and cover the peiod roughly of 869 and 850 b.c. The first prophet e hear from is Elijah who challenges the Kingm, Ahab, for his immoral behaviour and his worship of false gods. He is watched over by God.
Today we begin reading from St. Matthew’s Gospel on the weekdays. We take it up at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. We are given the ideals, the values which Jesus expects us to achieve if we to be truly his followers.
Tuesday 7th June: Tuesday of the tenth week of the year.
We hear of another incident whereby the Lord’s power is exercised through Elijah. The foretold drought was not taking place as a resuly of the kin’g behaviour. Elijah and those who care for him are protected by God and have food provided miraculously.
Jesus reminds his followers that are not be shrinking violets but should stand up and shine out like a light on a hilltop or be like salt adding flavour to food.
Wednesday 8th June: Wednesday of the tenth week of the year.
Today we hear of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, a god worshipped by Jezebel and Ahab
Jesus reminds the crowd that the law of the old covenant was good but Jesus takes it further. This is what the teachers and rabbis must preach now. Jesus fulfils and completes the old law.
Thursday 9th June: Feast of St. Columba.
Columba was born in Gartan in County Donegal in 521 into a family of royal lineage. He became a monk at Clonard and was ordained a priest where he was trained by St. Finian. He began founding monasteries in Derry, Durrow and possible Kells before travelling to Scotland and landing in Iona. From here, his monks travelled all over evangelising the local tribes and their kings. His influence reached as far at Northumbria. Iona became known as a place of pilgrimage and as a centre of missionary expansion. He died in 597.
Friday 10th June: Friday of the tenth week of the year.
In spite of all his work, Elijah that many people of Israel continue to turn their backs on the God of Israel. He becomes very downcast He turns to God in the stillness and quietness of a cave to find comfort.
Again Jesus stresses his teaching on obeying the laws from their hearts. Empty ritual is not enough.
Saturday 11th June: Memorial of St. Barnabas.
Barnabas was a Jewish Levite from Cyprus. He was not one of the original twelve apostles but has always been identified as an apostle because of the work he carried out in the early Church. He was noted for his generosity and for encouraging the early Christians to persevere in their new found faith. He worked in Antioch where he brought St. Paul. He worked with Paul on his first missionary journey and later went to Cyprus with St. Mark.
