Two of Sunday’s Mass readings are very timely in the aftermath of the Orlando murders and the ugly political season which has 5 more months to go. God help us all.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul is writing to the Galatian community. This community of new converts from paganism is struggling because they are being enticed by other missionaries to add observance of the Jewish Law (including circumcision) to their practice of the Christian faith. These missionaries were also undermining Paul’s authority by saying that he had not been trained by Jesus himself, that his version of the Gospel did not agree with the original and “reputable” apostles in Jerusalem, and that he had deliberately kept from his converts the necessity of following all the precepts of the Mosaic Law in order to more easily convert them. The community doesn’t know who to believe and they are turning on each other. Read between the linesstop and think for a momentdoes all this sound familiar? And then Paul says: “But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.”
In the Gospel, the apostles are upset because they were not treated courteously and fairly by a Samaritan village. So they asked Jesus: ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?’ Jesus turned and rebuked them.”.
I so deeply believe we really need to pray for our country, and ask the Lord to grant us peace.
Much love.many prayers!!
