Today, 16th of July, we celebrate
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
First Reading: Genesis 12:1-9
The Lord said to Abram:
“Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk
and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.
“I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.”
Abram went as the Lord directed him, and Lot went with him.
Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
Abram took his wife, Sarai, his brother’s son Lot,
all the possessions that they had accumulated,
and the persons they had acquired in Haran,
and they set out for the land of Canaan.
When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land
as far as the sacred place at Shechem,
by the terebinth of Moreh.
(The Canaanites were then in the land.)
The Lord appeared to Abram and said,
“To your descendants I will give this land.”
So Abram built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.
From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel,
pitching his tent with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east.
He built an altar there to the Lord and invoked the Lord by name.
Then Abram journeyed on by stages to the Negeb.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22
R./ Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the Lord looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R./ Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R./ Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the Lord,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R./ Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 7:1-5
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
Leave Your Land, Step Out of Yourself Toward Your Brother
There’s a well-known critique of religion that sees it as a product of fear—a search for comfort, safety, and protection.
And yes, there are some forms of religious experience that may follow that path.
But that is definitely not the essence of biblical faith, and therefore not of Christian faith either.
The story of the people of Israel begins with a call that is actually a challenge.
It invites us to let go of security, to leave behind our roots, and to walk into the unknown, toward a land we don’t yet know.
Only those with courage and trust can truly accept that call.
God’s call to Abraham—“Leave your land”—is the starting point of our faith story.
And that call has been repeated in many ways over time.
Jesus also calls us to leave our nets, to follow Him on risky, open roads, and to carry our cross.
God—Jesus—doesn’t offer us places to hide.
He calls us to live out in the open, exposed and free.
And this isn’t only about a physical or geographical journey.
One way of “leaving our land” is by opening ourselves to others.
Criticism, harsh judgment, and rejection of others are often just defensive walls—signs of fear, of a need to justify ourselves, of a desire to avoid facing our own truth.
God calls us to leave that land too, the inner space that traps us and keeps us from others.
Leaving that kind of “land” means being willing to open up, to be corrected, and to break free from the nets, chains, and prejudices that keep us apart.
Fraternal correction is important—but not as a weapon we throw in frustration.
It must be a true act of love and support, done with awareness of our own weaknesses and the humility to let ourselves be corrected and loved.
This journey—this leaving of ourselves—requires humility, trust, and courage.
José María Vegas, cmfOpening Prayer
Lord our God,
we are people who have not yet seen
what you have prepared for us,
yet, who have to take you on your word
and to walk forward in faith and hope.
Give us faith Lord, a deep faith
that asks for no other certainty
than that you know where you lead us
and that all is well and secure
because you are our God and Father,
who loves us, for ever and ever.
First Reading Introduction:
A vague promise was all that Abraham had to go by when he followed the call of an unknown God: a land to be possessed not by himself but by his descendants, a numerous people to be born from him though he was seventy-five, and his name that would be a blessing among the nations—but long after his death. For nothing more concrete, he had to leave his highly civilized country, his relatives, his father’s house, his possessions. He had literally by faith alone, to jump with both feet into an uncertain future. He accepted to be completely uprooted. Can our faith compare to his? Do we accept to be uprooted? Do we live in hope amidst uncertainty?
Gospel Reading Introduction:
Too often, we worry much more than we should and about things that, after all, don’t matter much. Are not our fears and worries mostly about things and events of the future, and do they not usually prove groundless? We are in God’s hands. He who cares for the birds in the sky cares for us and knows what we need. Let’s be concerned, then, about making his kingdom a reality now; this is all that matters.
General Intercessions
– Lord, do not allow us to take pleasure in judging people, but like you, in pardoning them, we pray:
– Lord, let our faith be an act of trust that we are in your hands, you want our happiness and you know where you lead us, we pray:
– That the awareness of our own shortcomings may dispose us to put aside our irritation at the mistakes of others, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Generous Father,
you give us your good gifts without measure,
for you are our Father.
Accept in these offerings of bread and wine
our willingness to learn from your Son
to love one another without measure,
to learn to understand one another
and to go together the ways of peace
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, our Father,
your Son came into the world
not to condemn it but to save it.
For this he gives himself to us
here in this Eucharistic Celebration.
Let us share in his attitude.
Make us look into our own hearts
and learn to see in our neighbor,
behind their faults and failures,
the face of him who came
to forgive and to fill us with his life,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
God really cares for us. If he cares for the birds in the sky and the flowers in the field, why would he not care for us? We are in his hands. May the God who loves you bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
