READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday: Is 1:10-17; Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23; Mt 10:34 — 11:1
Tuesday: Is 7:1-9; Ps 48:2-8; Mt 11:20-24
Wednesday: Is 10:5-7, 13b-16; Ps 94:5-10, 14-15; Mt 11:25-27
Thursday: Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19; Ps 102:13-14ab, 15-21; Mt 11:28-30
Friday: Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8; Is 38:10-12abcd,16; Mt 12:1-8
Saturday: Mi 2:1-5; Ps 10:1-4, 7-8, 14; Mt 12:14-21
Sunday: Jer 23:1-6; Ps 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mk 6:30-34
MASS INTENTIONS
Sunday: Special Intentions for Chris Parrish
Requested Minnie Jimenez
UPDATING THE PRAY LISTS
If you have anyone you want added to the following Pray Lists below or were already on the list before and want to continue to be on the list, you can email us at info@immaculateconceptionsacramento.org or call the office at 916 452-6866.
PRAY FOR THE CHRONICALLY ILL
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PRAY FOR SPECIAL HEALTH INTENTIONS
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PRAY FOR SPECIAL INTENTIONS
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PRAY FOR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN
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A MAGICAL EFFECT
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
—John Quincy Adams
Reflection on the Readings
GOSPEL Mark 6:7-13
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
My sisters and brothers in Christ,
Today we hear about how God chooses people for particular missions within the Church and about how God chooses all of us who believe to give witness to Him. Far too often we have no sense of being called or a sense that God might be asking something of us. Instead, God calls each one of us and invites us to follow Him and to proclaim His message to others.
The first reading today is from the Prophet Amos. We can almost laugh at ourselves when we speak of him as a prophet. The Prophet Amos tells us: “I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The Lord took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
Most of us have no sense of being called. We are very much like this Prophet Amos, going about our own business and doing what we have to do to earn our living and get along in life. Amos tells us, however, that he was taken by the Lord from following his flock and told to prophesy to God’s people Israel.
By our baptism, each of us is called to take up this same role and to be priest, king and prophet. We are called to be priests because we are called to intercede for others. We are called to be kings because we are called to serve other. We are called to be prophets because the word of God must be proclaimed by us. We should never confuse this form of priesthood with the ordained priest. Nevertheless it is priesthood because the role of priesthood for all of us, whether ordained or not, is to intercede for others with God. For most of us it is clear that we are not kings in the normal sense of that word, but with an understanding that kingship is really about serving others, then we can recognize that true kingship is given to all who serve others and seek their wellbeing and good. And the role of the prophet is simply to proclaim the word that God has given to us. Prophecy does not come from us but is a matter of our proclaiming the word of God and what it means for our world.
The second reading today is from the Letter to the Ephesians and we are this: “In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things
according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.” We are called, we have been chosen. Why? For His glory, for the praise of His glory. We can really be transformed when we recognize that each of us is chosen. Faith has not just “happened” to us. No, we have been chosen and must respond to that calling, that choice. We have heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, and have believed in him and have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
We can live our whole lives without recognizing this call. We can live all our lives without recognizing that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. Our Scriptures and our Church keep telling us these realities and so often they go over our heads and we don’t understand.
The Gospel of Mark today tells us about the role of the twelve. They are called. They are chosen. They are sent out. They are given a mission. How much easier for us if God only chose them and not us! How much easier for us if only the pope, the bishops and the priests must have responsibilities for preaching and spreading the word of God and the joy of His Church! Instead, we are a chosen people and the pope and the bishops and the priests are only there to serve the whole Church which is all of us.
Perhaps some of us remember before the Second Vatican Council when many of us thought of the Church as basically priests and religious—both religious sisters and brothers. In the Council nothing new was proclaimed. Instead, the Council sought to renew the Church so that all believers could recognize the dignity of one another. Through the Council we were invited to recognize, not as something new but as something that had always been taught but not always understood—that all of us who believe are the Church and that within the Church there are various roles but those roles don’t make anyone better or worse. The roles are just service. We see this teaching already and very clearly in the Apostle Paul.
Today we are invited, each one of us, to recognize our own calling and to seek to know what God asks of us in order to spread the Kingdom. Let us open our hearts and our minds in faith.
Your brother in the Lord, Abbot Philip
https://christdesert.org/2018/07/15th-sunday-ordinary-time-cycle-b-2018/
SAVE THE DATE! Quo Vadis – Where are you going?” – August 2-5, 2018 at Trinity Pines Catholic Center in Colfax: The Office of Priestly & Religious Vocations invites young men ages 13 to 17 to a fun summer weekend that will help them grow closer to Christ and reflect on God’s call for their life: Religious Life, Married, Consecrated Life or Single Life. Cost: $60 (weekend includes meals). For more information contact us at (916) 733-0258 or by email at msmith@scd.org.
REGISTRATION FOR MINISTRY DAYS 2018
Registration for Ministry Days 2018 is now open! With over 75 workshops in both English and Spanish, you do not want to miss out on this gathering of ministers, catechists and Catholic School teachers looking to gain new skills, and network with others who serve in our parishes and schools. To browse workshop selections and take advantage of our Early Bird discount on registration fees, please visit www.ministrydays.com or contact Lauralyn Solano at lsolano@scd.org.
MARRIED COUPLES
Summer is in full swing and we have had some hot summer days. Would you like to turn up the heat of your relationship? We have just the weekend. You will discover a new love for each other. We are talking about a Marriage Encounter Weekend. Please sign up today! You will not regret it! Upcoming Weekends are: August 24-26, 2018 in Sacramento; October 5-7 2018 in Reno, NV.; and November 9-11, 2018 in Sacramento. It is not too early to register for a weekend that you will never forget. For more information contact Terry & Janet at (916) 489-3464 or applications@sacramentowwme.org or visit our website at: https://www.sacramentowwme.org
RACHEL’S VINEYARD HEALING RETREAT JULY 13-15, 2018
Those who choose abortion are our daughters, sons, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, relatives, friends & members of our parish communities. The impact and pain of abortion hurts - even years after the experience. If you, or a loved one have been hurt by abortion, this weekend is for you! Come and experience God’s healing love and forgiveness in a safe, nonjudgmental environment. Open to men and women. The cost is $175 per person and financial assistance is available to anyone who needs it. Call Paula Segno or send an email for more information. (916) 733-0161 or projectrachel@scd.org. All inquiries are strictly confidential. Interested in sponsoring a participant? Please contact Paula for information.
SAVE THE DATE FOR ON FIRE NORCAL JAM 2018!
Get ready to be ON FiRE at our annual kick-off for Youth and Young Adult Ministry on September 15, 2018, to be held at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. Information regarding tickets and volunteer opportunities are on their way! Purchase tickets before September 1st to receive a FREE ticket to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Concord. Please visit www.onfirenorcal.com for updates!