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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Note: Homilies & Angelus / Regina Caeli of Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I had been compiled for you after the Mass Readings below. Happy Reading! Liturgical Colour: Green.
Mass Readings from EWTN, USCCB, Universalis. See our compilation with Pictures in Encouragements-270. 8-) First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Responsorial: Psalms 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36-37 or Psalms 19:8-11 2nd Reading: Colossians 1:15-20 & Gospel: Luke 10:25-37, Gospel Video, CCTNtv.
Others:
Acknowledgment: We thank the Publisher for allowing us to publish the Mass Readings to be used as reference for Homilies & Angelus / Regina Caeli of Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I as a source of God’s encouragements to all of us around the World.
COVID-19 Protection in Singapore. New!
1. Criminal Investigation Department, Singapore Police Force harassed Law-abiding Citizen. Latest! https://twitter.com/Michael65413248/status/1510086218851270658 (2 April 2022) #Singapore Police Force harassing the same law abiding business owner again from 92298844, 97397514, 83487591, 96645914, 63914706, 82825465, 97378102, 90360045, 92981234! They can’t perform to contain COVID, so they bully to appear busy? Shameless? You decide! 2. See another Police case to frame against the Innocent! Please spread the News to help them who commit no crime. Many Thanks. Till this day, the harassment continues and there is no apology from the Rulers and no compensation paid for damages inflicted. 3. See the Bloggers went MISSING before / after the Singapore General Election on 10 July 2020. Please pray for their safety as we search for them actively. Many Thanks.
Homilies, Angelus / Regina Caeli
2. For several months now at the General Audiences, I have been giving a special catechesis on the Psalms. In these days, with this amazing scenery before our eyes, I naturally think of the Psalms in which creation, and especially the mountains, comes to the fore.
I am thinking, for example, of Psalm 8: "O Lord, Our God", the Psalmist exclaims in Psalm 8, "how great is your name through all the earth" (vv. 2.10). In Ps 19 (18) we read "the heavens tell the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork" (v. 2). In fact, creation is the first chapter of revelation that God entrusted to human minds and hearts.
Psalm 23 (22) says so splendidly, "the Lord is my shepherd ... he makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he refreshes my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness...".
The whole of Psalm 104 (103) is a hymn to the Creator: "bless the Lord, O my soul / O Lord my God, you are very great! / ...You make the springs gush forth in the valleys / they flow between the hills; / ...The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the badgers.... O Lord how manifold are your works!" (vv. 1-2.5.8.10-11.18.24). We need to make these sentiments our own in the face of the natural beauty that is so awe-inspiring!
3. As I contemplate the peaks of these mountains, which are now familiar to me, I often think of Mary. God has raised her above all angelic and earthly creatures and has made her our mainstay on the journey towards heaven. Tomorrow in the liturgy we will celebrate her as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Today we venerate her as the "Queen of Val d'Aosta", represented by the beautiful statue that was brought for this purpose from the Cathedral of Aosta. It is the same statue that travelled through the villages of the region in 1948, recreating in the people of Val d'Aosta a renewed spirit of brotherhood after the Second World War. Let us pray to Mary that there may always be unity among Christians and that justice, solidarity and peace will reign in the world. Pope Saint John Paul II (Angelus, 15 July 2001)
2. In this calm oasis, before the wonderful display of nature, it is easy to feel the benefits of silence, a quality that is becoming rarer and rarer today. The many opportunities modern society affords for relations and information sometimes run the risk of leaving no room for recollection, even to the point of jeopardising a person's ability to reflect and pray. Actually, it is only in silence that human beings can hear in their inmost being the voice of God which truly sets them free. And holidays can help people rediscover and cultivate this indispensable inner dimension of human life.
3. A perfect example of listening to God, who speaks to the human heart, is undoubtedly Mary Most Holy. Let us turn to her, thinking of the Marian shrines in the Valle d'Aosta and the images of the Virgin that we come across on the roads and along the paths. I bless in particular the statue of the "Madonnina del Gran Paradiso", restored 50 years after it was set on the summit of the majestic mountain of that name. May Mary, whom we will be celebrating in a few days as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, help us to perceive a reflection of divine glory in the beauty of creation and encourage us to strive with all our might for the spiritual peaks of holiness. Pope Saint John Paul II (Angelus, 11 July 2004)
See our compilation with pictures in Encouragements-270. 8-)
See our compilation with pictures in Encouragements-271. 8-)
See our compilation with pictures in Encouragements-271. 8-)
Today’s liturgy presents us with the parable of the “Good Samaritan”, taken from the Gospel of Luke (10:25-37). This passage, this simple and inspiring story, indicates a way of life, which has as its main point not ourselves, but others, with their difficulties, whom we encounter on our journey and who challenge us. Others challenge us. And when others do not challenge us, something is not right; something in the heart is not Christian. Jesus uses this parable in his dialogue with a lawyer when asked about the twofold commandment that allows us to enter into eternal life: to love God with your whole heart and your neighbour as yourself (cf. vv. 25-28). “Yes”, the lawyer replies, “but, tell me, who is my neighbour?” (v. 29). We too can ask ourselves this question: Who is my neighbour? Who must I love as myself? My parents? My friends? My fellow countrymen? Those who belong to my religion?... Who is my neighbour?
Jesus responds with this parable. A man, along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, was attacked, beaten and abandoned by robbers. Along that road, a priest passed by, then a Levite, and upon seeing this wounded man, they did not stop, but walked straight past him (vv. 31-32). Then a Samaritan came by, that is, a resident of Samaria, a man who was therefore despised by the Jews because he did not practise the true religion; and yet he, upon seeing that poor wretched man, “had compassion. He went to him, bandaged his wounds [...], brought him to an inn and took care of him” (vv. 33-34); and the next day he entrusted him to the care of the innkeeper, paid for him and said that he would pay for any further costs (cf. v. 35).
At this point, Jesus turns to the lawyer and asks him: “Which of these three — the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan — do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell victim to the robbers?”. And the lawyer, of course — because he was intelligent —, said in reply: “The one who had compassion on him” (vv. 36-37). In this way, Jesus completely overturned the lawyer’s initial perspective — as well as our own! —: I must not categorize others in order to decide who is my neighbour and who is not. It is up to me whether to be a neighbour or not — the decision is mine — it is up to me whether or not to be a neighbour to those whom I encounter who need help, even if they are strangers or perhaps hostile. And Jesus concludes, saying: “Go and do likewise” (v. 37). What a great lesson! And he repeats it to each of us: “Go and do likewise”, be a neighbour to the brother or sister whom you see in trouble. “Go and do likewise”. Do good works, don’t just say words that are gone with the wind. A song comes to mind: “Words, words, words”. No. Works, works. And through the good works that we carry out with love and joy towards others, our faith emerges and bears fruit. Let us ask ourselves — each of us responding in his own heart — let us ask ourselves: Is our faith fruitful? Does our faith produce good works? Or is it sterile instead, and therefore more dead than alive? Do I act as a neighbour or simply pass by? Am I one of those who selects people according to my own liking? It is good to ask ourselves these questions, and to ask them often, because in the end we will be judged on the works of mercy. The Lord will say to us: Do you remember that time on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho? That man who was half dead was me. Do you remember? That hungry child was me. Do you remember? That immigrant who many wanted to drive away, that was me. That grandparent who was alone, abandoned in nursing homes, that was me. That sick man, alone in the hospital, who no one visited, that was me.
May the Virgin Mary help us to walk along the path of love, love that is generous towards others, the way of the Good Samaritan. May she help us to live the first commandment that Christ left us. This is the way to enter into eternal life. Pope Francis I (Angelus, 10 July 2016)
Pope Francis explains the parable of the Good Samaritan in the general audience (Published on Apr 27, 2016).
Extracts: He makes us understand that based on our criteria, it is not we who define who is neighbour and who is not, but it is the person in a situation of need who must be able to recognize who is his neighbour, that is, “the one who showed mercy on him” (v. 37). Being able to have compassion: this is the key. This is our key. If you do not feel compassion before a needy person, if your heart is not moved, it means that something is not right. Be careful; let us be careful.
Let us not allow ourselves to get carried away by egotistical insensitivity. The capacity for compassion has become the touchstone of Christians, indeed of the teachings of Jesus. Jesus himself is the Father’s compassion towards us. If you go along the street and see a homeless person lying there and pass him by without looking at him or you think: “well, it’s the effect of wine. He is a drunk”, do not ask yourself whether the man is drunk; ask yourself whether your heart has hardened, whether your heart has turned to ice. This conclusion indicates that mercy towards a human life in a state of need is the true face of love. This is how one becomes a true disciple of Jesus and the face of the Father is manifested: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). And God, our Father, is merciful because he is compassionate. He is able to have this compassion, to draw near to our suffering, our sin, our vices, our miseries.
May the Virgin Mary help us to understand and above all to experience ever more the unbreakable bond between God, our Father, and concrete and generous love for our brothers and sisters, and may she give us the grace to be compassionate and to grow in compassion. Pope Francis I (Angelus, 14 July 2019)
Angelus, 10 July 2022 Video, Video (American Sign Language). Text. Extracts: ... But let us ask the Lord to help us overcome our selfish indifference and put ourselves on the Way. Let us ask him to see and to have compassion, this is a grace. We need to ask the Lord, “Lord, that I might see, that I might have compassions just like you see me and have compassion on me”. This is the prayer that I suggest to you today. “Lord, that I might see and have compassion just like you see me and have compassion on me” – that we might have compassion on those whom we encounter along the way, above all on those who suffer and are in need, to draw near to them and do what we can do to give them a hand.
If you give alms without touching the reality, without looking into the eyes of the person in need, those alms are for you, not for that person. Think about this. Do I touch misery, even the misery that I am helping? Do I look into the eyes of the people who suffer, of the people that I help? I leave you with this thought – to see and to have compassion. Pope Francis I (Angelus, 10 July 2022)
Daily Blessings to You from Emmanuel Goh & Friends
Note: This webpage has many hyperlinks to the Vatican Webpage. The above extracts were compiled for your easy reading. This Publication is aimed to encourage all of Goodwill around the World. It is not for business or profit purposes but it is our way to thank our Creator for His continuous blessings!
Compiled on 7 July 2019 Last updated: 10 July 2022, 23:00 SGT
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