St. Benedict, abbot 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Isaiah 6:1-8

 In the year that King Uzziah died

I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; the train of his robe filled the Temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: two to cover the face, two to cover the feet, and two to fly with.

 They were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh Saba­oth. All the earth is filled with his Glory!”  At the sound of their voices the foundations of the threshold shook and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said, “Poor me! I am doomed!

For I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips, and yet I have seen the King, Yahweh Sabaoth.” Then one of the seraphs flew to me; in his hands was a live coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said,

“See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” I answered, “Here I am. Send me!”

 

Ps 93 1ab, 1cd-2, 5

The Lord is king: he is robed in majesty.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 10:24-33

 A student is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master. A student should be glad to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If the head of the family has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of the family! So, do not be afraid of them.

There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I am telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops.

 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Rather be afraid of him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. For only a few cents you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. As for you, every hair of your head has been counted.

 So do not be afraid: you are worth much more than many sparrows.  Whoever acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. Whoever rejects me before others I will reject before my Father in heaven.

 

Gospel Reflection：

The moral theologian James keenan writes:”There are no private lives.” In an age that glorifies individual freedom and separation between public life and personal issues, that statement is unwelcome. However, that catches the very life Christians are asked to live out.

If I do not hurt my child at home, I do not hurt anyone outside. My faith inside the church is my faith in my profession and public dealings. I move like having live cameras inside my room, as in Big Brother’s House, and have nothing to hide from public eyes.

By private life we do not mean personal, sentimental, just-my-own beliefs. It is living a godly life that is not separated into backstage and offstage. “What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops.” If God is the conscience we listen to, there is nothing to hide and we do not fear being exposed.