Nine Days Prayer For Divine Healing & Restoration + Catholic Daily Reading + Reflection (Homily), 28 June 2021
Mass Readings, Reflection – Homily for Monday June 28, 2021
13th Week in Ordinary Time
Vestment: Red
Today’s Rosary: Joyful Mystery
NINE DAY MID-YEAR PRAYERS FOR DIVINE HEALING AND RESTORATION
(1st – 9th JULY 2021)
In this nine day mid-year encounter tagged “Prayers for Divine Healing and Restoration” 1 Peter 2:24, there will be a total exposé of Gods redemption and restorations in all areas of our life, we shall be committing ourselves, our Children, our family, our priests and religious into the hands of God by whose stripes we are healed.
The evil ones will not succeed over us in Jesus name.
Participate actively in this program from Thursday 1st July – Friday 9th July 2021 and God will richly bless you in Jesus name. Amen.
St Irenaeus, B and M. (mem)
Death Anniversary: OYO: Bishop Owen Mc Coy-28/06/88
FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of Genesis (Genesis 18:16-33)
“Will you indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked?”
The men set out from the Oaks of Mamre, and they looked towards Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him? No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there, and went towards Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near, and said, “Will you indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Abraham answered, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Again he spoke to him, and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” He said, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 103:1-2.3-4.8-9.10-11 (R. 8a)
R/. The Lord is compassionate and gracious.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all within me, his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and never forget all his benefits. R/
It is the Lord who forgives all your sins,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with mercy and compassion. R/.
R/. The Lord is compassionate and gracious.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
He will not always find fault;
nor persist in his anger forever. R/.
He does not treat us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our faults.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so strong his mercy for those who fear him. R/.
Alleluia Psalm 95:7d.8a
Alleluia. Today, harden not your hearts, but listen to the voice of the Lord. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 8:18-22)
“Follow me.”
At that time: When Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
There was no need for the Lord to tell Abraham what he intended for Sodom and Gomorrah, but he did. The Lord had “singled him out” to direct others in his way, and this was certainly a teachable moment. Despite Abraham’s seemingly unending pleas and the Lord’s limitless patience, it really didn’t matter what the nature of Sodom and Gomorrah’s wickedness was. Regardless of what had transpired, the Lord was ready to offer another chance to all for the sake of the innocent, if any could be found. We too are called to direct others in the way of the Lord. How widespread is the wickedness in our world! What are we doing to ensure that some innocence can be found?
Blessing for the New Week
It is a new week and it is a beautiful day and we look forward to having the best both from God and from our fellow human beings.
Rise up with faith in God to see you through this week. Put in your best in the things you do and be more committed and your blessings must surely come.
Remember, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” Psalms 127:2
Therefore, let God lead the way and strive to follow his lead and everything will work well for you. May you experience peace and joy as never before as you go to your work, business and studies. May the blessings and fruits of your labour arrive in multiples and may you expand, flourish and blossom like the mustard seed. Amen.
May good things come your way, may God lift up the burden on your shoulder, wipe away your tears and protect you from all evil. Amen.
Meditation: Matthew 13:31-35
NINE DAY MID-YEAR PRAYERS FOR DIVINE HEALING AND RESTORATION
(1st – 9th JULY 2021)
In this nine day mid-year encounter tagged “Prayers for Divine Healing and Restoration” 1 Peter 2:24, there will be a total exposé of Gods redemption and restorations in all areas of our lives, we shall be committing ourselves, our Children, our family, our priests and religious into the hands of God by whose stripes we are healed.
The evil ones will not succeed over us in Jesus name.
Participate actively in this program from Thursday 1st July – Friday 9th July 2021 and God will richly bless you in Jesus name. Amen.
Personal Devotional
“But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.” Isaiah 53:5
– Pray for God to give you the grace to accept the reality of persecution in Christian faith.
– Father, destroy every spirit of fear in my life.
– O Lord Jesus, banish every ignorance and sentiments within me that makes me to get discouraged when persecution comes.
Dear Lord, do not let me be separated from you because of hardship, persecution, hunger, poverty, danger or death. Help me to remain faithful to you. (Pray seriously).
Let Us Pray
O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness, and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us to have perfect trust in your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to you, we shall see your hand, your purpose, your will through all things.
VIGIL OF ST. PETER AND S. PAUL, APP.
At the Mass
This Mass is used on the evening of 28 June, either before or after First Vespers (Evening Prayer 1) of the Solemnity.
Entrance Antiphon
Peter the Apostle, and Paul the teacher of the Gentiles, these have taught us your law, O Lord.
Collect
Grant, we pray, O Lord our God, that we may be sustained by the intercession of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, that, as through them you gave your Church the foundations of her heavenly office, so through them you may help her to eternal salvation. Through our Lord. .
FIRST READING
“I give you what I have, in the name of Jesus, rise and walk.”
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 3:1-10)
In those days: Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms of those who entered the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, with John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention upon them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognised him as the one who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 19:2-3.4-5 (R. 5a)
R/. Their sound goes forth through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the. firmament proclaims the work of his hands.
Day unto day conveys the message
and night unto night imparts the knowledge. R.
No speech, no word, whose voice goes unheeded;
their sound goes forth through all the earth,
their message to the utmost bounds of the world. R.
SECOND READING
“God set me apart before I was born.”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians (Galatians 1:11-20)
Brethren: I would have you know that the Gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!)
The word of the Lord.
ALLELUIA John 21 .17d
Alleluia. Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 21:15-19)
When [Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and] they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you fastened your own belt and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will fasten your belt for you and bring you where you do not wish to go.” (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, “Follow me.”
The Gospel of the Lord.