Gospel: June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025 (Thursday)

11th Week in Ordinary Time

Psalter: Week 3 (Green/White)

St. Romuald, abbot

Ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 7-8

Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.

1st Reading: 2 Corinthians 11:1-11

Gospel: Matthew 6:7-15

When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do; for they believe that, the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom, come, your will, be done on earth, as in heaven.

Give us today, our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those who are in debt to us. Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their wrongdoings, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you.

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Reflection:

“Is our love for Christ sincere?”

In ancient Rome, it is said that bad potters had a trick for selling their cracked pots. If the pot had been badly formed or damaged in the kiln, tiny cracks would appear, making them useless for holding liquid. However, unscrupulous potters would melt wax into the cracks and then paint the pot so that the buyer would not suspect that they were buying faulty goods. All would seem fine until the buyer poured hot liquid into the pot.

The wax would melt and the crack would be revealed. This led to the good potters putting up signs to verify that their wares could be trusted. The sign ran Sine cera—without wax. And so we have the origin of the word sincere: no wax, no trick. Saint Paul is worried about the community in Corinth, as the sincerity of their commitment to Christ is in danger.

Their commitment to Christ and to the truth had been pure and without blemish, yet now they are being swayed by false teachings which are forming cracks in their true faith and in their relationship with the Lord. Is our love for Christ sincere or are we hiding some cracks in our faith?