Peace!

Greetings on this the Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings: NA 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7; DEUTERONOMY 32:35CD-36AB, 39ABCD, 41; MT 16:24-28
Notes: Peace takes effort.

1. Deny Self.
2. Take up the Cross.
3. Follow Him.

Pray!

• Pray for Haiti.
• Pray for NPH Haiti/St. Damien Pediatric Hospital.
• Pray for Fr. Rick Frechette.

Our gospel portion:
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

The Introduction to the Prophet Nahum gives the best of summary of the contrast between brutality and the best possible response. The response of Heroes, Saints and Martyrs.

From NARBE:
Shortly before the fall of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, in 612 B.C., Nahum uttered his prophecy against the hated city. To understand the prophet’s exultant outburst of joy over the impending destruction it is necessary to recall the savage cruelty of Assyria, which had made it the scourge of the ancient Near East for almost three centuries. The royal inscriptions of Assyria afford the best commentary on Nahum’s burning denunciation of “the bloody city.” In the wake of their conquests, mounds of heads, impaled bodies, enslaved citizens, and avaricious looters testified to the ruthlessness of the Assyrians. Just such a conquest was suffered by Israel, when its capital Samaria fell to the Assyrians in 722/721 B.C., and by Judah, when its capital Jerusalem nearly fell to invading Assyrian armies twenty years later. Little wonder that in 3:19 Judah is shown as joining in the general outburst of joy over the destruction of Nineveh!

But Nahum is not a prophet of unrestrained revenge. He asserts God’s moral government of the world. Nineveh’s doom is evidence that God stands against oppression and the abuse of power. As an ancient Near Eastern superpower, Assyria had terrorized its smaller and weaker neighbors, exploiting their economies and subjugating their people for its own ends. Thus Nineveh’s demise is viewed as an act of divine justice, and it is greeted by the small, oppressed countries as a time of deliverance, as a moment of renewal, and as a message of peace (2:1; 3:19).

FROM: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/nahum/0

First reading
See, upon the mountains there advances
the bearer of good news,
announcing peace!

Responsorial Psalm
It is I who deal death and give life.

Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.

Alleluia Verse
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Gospel Portion
Peace takes effort.

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry