14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 6, 2014

Knowing God

How do we know God?  We might know about God.  Some of us even pride ourselves on our theological knowledge.(I do). But, at the end of the day, this “book” knowledge is nothing compared to intimacy with the divine.  Such knowledge might not give the correct answer on the test, but it gives insight, even wisdom.

WEEKLY BLOG LINK What kind of a Christian am I?

MP3 PODCAST  In this week's audio podcast, we find we get to know God by getting to know his Son.  This duty is easy, because we share it with others.

FIRST READING  The  prophet Zechariah gave hope to the people of Jerusalem.  A king would come.  He would rule an empire great and glorious.

PSALM  Psalm 145 was a song of praise built more on style than on content.  Various themes demanded worship; these verses evoked a feeling more than a thought process.

SECOND READING  In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul addressed two forces that tug at our souls: self-absorption and self-giving.  Focus on the self (the “flesh”) is our natural inclination, but there is a better way, the way of self-giving, the way of the Spirit.

GOSPEL  In Matthew 11, Jesus praised his Father for the knowledge of intimacy, a knowledge greater than “book learnin'.”  The Good News was a proclamation that even the common people could know God as Father and his Son as Brother and Savior.

CHILDREN'S READINGS  In the story for the first reading, tall Thomas was the “king” of the block because he led his friends with kindness.  In the story for gospel, Tammy suffered through summer school, until she found the help her parents gave her made the homework much easier.

FAMILY ACTIVITY  Have family discussion about light loads with a “Box of Air.”