Saturday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Genesis

Jacob gave his sons this charge: "Since I am about to be taken to my kindred, bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
the cave in the field of Machpelah, facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial ground.
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there, too, I buried Leah--
the field and the cave in it that had been purchased from the Hittites."
Now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers became fearful and thought, "Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us and now plans to pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!"
So they approached Joseph and said: "Before your father died, he gave us these instructions:
'You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers, who treated you so cruelly.' Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we, the servants of your father's God, committed." When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.
Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him and said, "Let us be your slaves!"
But Joseph replied to them: "Have no fear. Can I take the place of God?
Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.
Therefore have no fear. I will provide for you and for your children." By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.
Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years.
He saw Ephraim's children to the third generation, and the children of Manasseh's son Machir were also born on Joseph's knees.
Joseph said to his brothers: "I am about to die. God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued, "When God thus takes care of you, you must bring my bones up with you from this place."
Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten.

Psalms

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!
Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."

St. Bonaventure((1218-1274))

Saint Bonaventure Bishop and Doctor of the Church (1218-1274) Bonaventure's supernatural virtues grew with his love for Christ. It motivated his studies and professional development, placing him in a unique position to reconcile divisions and elevate western scholasticism. For all his life's achievements, he was at heart a poor Franciscan, practicing and teaching virtues of humility and disinterested love.St. Francis gave him his name after curing him of a mortal sickness, exclaiming, "O bona ventura! (O good luck)" St. Bonaventure is known as the Seraphic Doctor. His writings on divine love illuminate the intellectual ascent from knowledge to faith. The supernatural virtues grow by effort, up to the heart, mind and soul's mystical union with God. Bonaventure's friendship with Thomas Aquinas occasioned his use of philosophy as the departure point for the human heart and existentialism, which searches for perfect happiness that is only in God, the first principle. On one occasion, Thomas asked Bonavenure the source of his learning, and the latter pointed to the cross. Another time, Thomas found Bonaventure in ecstatic union with God while writing the life of St. Francis; and exclaimed, "Let us leave a Saint to write of a Saint." Together, they received the doctor's cap. Bonaventure was the guest and adviser of St. Louis, and the director of St. Isabella, the king's sister. At the age of 35, in 1257, he was made general of his Order; and only escaped another dignity, the Archbishopric of York, by resigning. In time, Pope Gregory X appointed him Cardinal Bishop of Albano. Before attending the Council of Lyons, Bonaventure stopped to rest at a Franciscan monastery near Florence. There, two Papal messengers, who were sent to meet him with the Cardinal's hat, found him washing the dishes. Bonaventure asked them to keep the hat until he finished his chores, and then set out to join them. At the Council, Bonaventure's significant contributions effected the union of Latin and Greek churches. Soon after the Council of Lyon, Bp. Bonaventure was laid low by an unknown cause. He passed away whilethe Council was sitting, and was interred by the assembled bishops in 1274. His contributions to scholasticism show God is present in our human condition.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2023 / Catholic Missal of july 2023