of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Category: <span>Week Twenty</span>

Category: Week Twenty

WEEK TWENTY – SATURDAY – AUGUST 26, 2017 THE HYPOCRISY OF THE PHARISEES: (MT: 23:1-12)

Prayer: O Jesus, give me the heart of a servant. Imagination: (Picture Jesus instructing His disciples in humility.) Context: Jesus does not criticize the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees (although he alludes to moral rigorism). Instead, he attacks their practices of seeking honor and gaining title. This conflicts with …

WEEK TWENTY – FRIDAY – AUGUST 25, 2017 THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT (MT: 22:34-40)

Prayer – O Holy Spirit, send your divine fire to help me love God and my neighbor. Imagination: (Pictures Jesus speaking to the Pharisees and the crowds.) Context: The Rabbis had 613 commandments, and a common question was, “Which is the greatest?” The Pharisees approach Jesus in a hostile way, …

WEEK TWENTY – THURSDAY – AUGUST 24, 2017 FEAST OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW, APOSTLE (JN 1:43-51)

Prayer: O Jesus, call me into your presence. Imagination: (Picture Jesus with his early disciples.) Context: Peter, Andrew, Philip and Nathaniel are all from Bethsaida. Philip leads Nathaniel to Jesus. This dialogue reveals much of Jesus’ identity. It alludes to Jacob who was filled with guile (Nathaniel has none). Jacob …

WEEK TWENTY – TUESDAY – AUGUST 22, 2017 RECEIVING THE HUNDRED-FOLD (MT: 19:23-30)

Prayer – O Jesus, teach me to set aside everything for love of you. Imagination: (Picture Jesus surrounded by his disciples.) Context: After the rich young man walked away, Jesus commented on the difficulty of the rich entering the Kingdom of God. In today’s text, Peter is a model disciple …

WEEK TWENTY – TUESDAY – AUGUST 22, 2017 FEAST OF THE QUEENSHIP OF BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (MT: 19:23-30)

Prayer: O Jesus, You are a generous employer. Let me serve you faithfully. Imagination: (Picture Jesus with his disciples.) Context: This parable is about the Kingdom. As the day goes on, the men grow discouraged. They stop seeking work and “sit around idle.” The owner’s constant going to the marketplace …

WEEK TWENTY – MONDAY – AUGUST 21, 2017 THE RICH YOUNG MAN (MT: 19:16-22)

Prayer – O Jesus, I will sacrifice everything to follow you. Imagination: (Picture the young man asking Jesus about eternal life.) Context: The man’s “kneeling down” shows great piety and his question is excellent. He wants what Jesus offers, eternal life. In responding to his question, Jesus mentions only commandments …

WEEK TWENTY – SUNDAY – A- AUGUST 20, 2017 THE QUICK-WITTED MOTHER (MT 15:21-28)

Prayer – O Jesus, let me persevere in seeking your blessings. Imagination – (Picture Jesus confronted by this mother.) Context: This story occurs in Gentile territory with a Gentile mother. It shows that the Kingdom will break out of its Jewish beginnings and spread to the whole world. Jesus allows …

AUGUST 20, 2016 – WEEK TWENTY – SATURDAY – THE HYPOCRISY OF THE PHARISEES

(Matthew 23:1-12) Prayer: O Jesus, give me the heart of a servant. Imagination: (Picture Jesus instructing His disciples in humility.) Context: Jesus does not criticize the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees (although he alludes to moral rigorism). Instead, he attacks their practices of seeking honor and gaining title. This …

AUGUST 19, 2016 – WEEK TWENTY – FRIDAY – THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

(Matthew 22:34-40)  Prayer – O Holy Spirit, send your divine fire to help me love God and my neighbor. Imagination: (Pictures Jesus speaking to the Pharisees and the crowds.) Context: The Rabbis had 613 commandments, and a common question was, “Which is the greatest?” The Pharisees approach Jesus in a …

AUGUST 18, 2016 – WEEK TWENTY – THURSDAY – THE INVITED GUESTS

(Matthew 22:1-14) Prayer – O Jesus, may I always respond to your invitations. Imagination – (Picture Jesus confronting his enemies.) Context: The time is Holy Week. In the days before his capture, Jesus confronts his opponents in Jerusalem. In this parable, the invited guests are the Jerusalem leaders who refuse …

AUGUST 17, 2016 – WEEK TWENTY – WEDNESDAY – THE GOOD EMPLOYER

(Matthew 20:1-16) Prayer: O Jesus, You are a generous employer. Let me serve you faithfully. Imagination: (Picture Jesus with his disciples.) Context: This parable is about the Kingdom. As the day goes on, the men grow discouraged. They stop seeking work and “sit around idle.” The owner’s constant going to …

AUGUST 16, 2016 – WEEK TWENTY – TUESDAY – RECEIVING THE HUNDRED-FOLD

(Matthew 19:23-30) Prayer – O Jesus, teach me to set aside everything for love of you. Imagination: (Picture Jesus surrounded by his disciples.) Context: After the rich young man walked away, Jesus commented on the difficulty of the rich entering the Kingdom of God. In today’s text, Peter is a …

AUGUST 15, 2016 – WEEK TWENTY – MONDAY – THE RICH YOUNG MAN

(Matthew 19:16-22) Prayer – O Jesus, I will sacrifice everything to follow you. Imagination: (Picture the young man asking Jesus about eternal life.) Context: The man’s “kneeling down” shows great piety and his question is excellent. He wants what Jesus offers, eternal life. In responding to his question, Jesus mentions …

AUGUST 14, 2016 – WEEK TWENTY – SUNDAY (C) ENKINDLING A FIRE

(Luke 12:49-53) Prayer: O Jesus, light your fire in my heart. Imagination: (Picture Jesus teaching his disciples.) Context: This text contains two separate sayings of Jesus. The first shows his greatest desire – to cast the fire of the Holy Spirit upon all believers. The second speaks about the problems …