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Monday, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, Bishop & Doctor of the Church, 01 August 2022 Jeremiah 28:1-17 ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*> Matthew 14:13-21
Praise and glory to you, O God our loving Father for this gift of the month of August, of another 31 days for us to be better and stronger, firmer in faith, vibrant in hope and unceasing in charity and love.
On this first day of August when we celebrate the memorial of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, patron of moral theologians, we pray for the grace of accepting and embracing, owning the truth, avoiding lies and falsehoods always.
I have heard and experienced the veracity of the expression "truth hurts" - so true and so painful indeed! Let me not be like Hananiah who prophesied in the name of the Lord falsely in today's first reading, sugarcoating the true situation of the Israelites held bondage in Babylonia for its wickedness; instead of telling them the painful truth of their exile, Hananiah lied and spoke of "good news", of deliverance from Nebuchadnezzar and a return of the stolen vessels of the Lord's temple.
Give me the courage to tell the painful truth, to stand by it always even if it is unpopular like your prophet Jeremiah who spoke of your truth during the Babylonian Captivity: of the need to reform their lives and ways, to atone for their sins and go back to you, O God; let me keep in mind, dear Jesus, that a good news is only good when it is difficult, uncomfortable, and disturbing like the feeding of the vast crowd in the wilderness; a good news is not good at all when there is no Cross.
Remove me, O Lord, from the way of falsehood and favor me with your law; take not the word of truth from my mouth, for in your ordinances is my hope (Ps.119: 29, 43). Amen.
