Last week’s first readings were like an introduction to the Kings and Prophets. This week, the first reading begins to focus, not on the Books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings, but on the individual books of various prophets. Here is the “lineup” of first readings in the week to come:
- Week of June 29 – Amos
- Week of July 6 – Hosea
- Week of July 13 – Isaiah
- Week of July 20 – Micah & Jeremiah
- Week of July 27 – Jeremiah
There are some breaks for the celebration of feast days, e.g., July 29, Sts Peter and Paul and July 3rd, St. Thomas the Apostle, but otherwise, it is a deep dive into the works and words of the prophets. Continue reading
From Pope Francis’ homily on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul:
Next Sunday is the celebration of the 
The readings from daily Mass this week past should have been labeled “King and Prophet week.” Every day the first readings was a narrative about one of the Kings of Israel or Judah, a summary of their reign, and the proclamation of the prophets which came before them with the living Word of God. Prophets like Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah; as well as prophets whose names are unfamiliar to us; and prophets whose names were not recorded in Sacred Scripture. Kings that might not be familiar to you, but are a cast of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Two of the best were part of the narrative: Hezekiah and Josiah – kings held in almost the same esteem as King David – godly men who understood their role as leader – to lead the people of God more deeply into the covenant life and promises of God. Two of the worst were recounted: Hoshea the last of the northern kings and Zedekiah, the last of the Kings of Judah. They ruled with iniquity as had most of their predecessors. When they disappeared into exile, the time of Kings passed and all of Israel and Judah followed int exile, the promised land lost. 
Here is an interesting link to an AP-wire story by Lolita Bador on how the pandemic is affection naval deployments: “The two U.S. warships in the Middle East weren’t aiming to break a record. But when the coronavirus made ship stops in foreign countries too risky, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS San Jacinto were ordered to keep moving and avoid all port visits. On Thursday, as they steamed through the North Arabian Sea, they notched their 161st consecutive day at sea, breaking the previous Navy record of 160 days. And they’re on pace to crush it, since they won’t hit land again until they get home to Virginia later this year.” You can find the entire article 
Sunday is a day when it is easy to find a priest if you want to mention, ask, or chat about something. Most topics are simple and straight forward, but once in a while someone asks a question that is very different from the others. It is then that the conversation is too important to have on the sidewalk but is better suited to a moment when time is more available and others are not waiting to chat or to simply offer their greetings.
When was the last time you used the word “iniquity?” Admittedly, it is not one of those words that leaps to one’s mind. It sounds somewhat archaic and perhaps reserved to a fire-and-brimstone preacher. Iniquity is not exactly the same as sin. Iniquity describes something as being wicked or immoral in nature or character. It is not an action like sin, but rather the character of the action”. We have a hint of that in the phrase “the iniquity of my sin” (Psalms 32:5). Iniquity can be described as the essence of wrongdoing or evil. 
In 
For the first 70 days of the pandemic when the area church’s shutdown, my days were long and demanding for a whole variety of reasons. Eventually we hit the steady-state of a new normal. I took a breath and decided to take up reading. I had long had Jared Diamond’s “Collapse” on my “I want to get around to reading” list. The promo for the book is “Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of societies around the world, but some found solutions and persisted.” In other words, why did some societies collapse while other survived. It is not a short read, not overly academic, but was an engaging narrative even if “slow” at times. 
friarmusings 