God is awesomely powerful and awesomely loving. We should therefore trust and obey Him (readings for June 23, 2019 annotated)

Key

What these scriptures tell us about God

What these scriptures tell us to do

What these scriptures tell us not to do

Links to other translations 

(commentary)

Reading 1 Genesis 14:18-20  

In those days, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine,
and being a priest of God Most High,
he blessed Abram with these words:
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
the creator of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your foes into your hand."

(God is awesomely powerful, more powerful than the things that would thwart His plan/designs)
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4  

R.(4b) You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."
R. You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORDwill stretch forth from Zion:
"Rule in the midst of your enemies."(God is awesomely powerful, more powerful than the things that would thwart His plan/designs)
R. You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.
"Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you."
R. You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
R. You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Reading 2 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 

Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood.(In spite of His awesome power, God comes to us and sacrifices Himself for us)
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

(God wants us to constantly remember what He did for us, the complete sacrifice He made)

Sequence Lauda Sion

Laud, O Zion, your salvation,
Laud with hymns of exultation,
 Christ, your king and shepherd true:
Bring him all the praise you know,
He is more than you bestow.
 Never can you reach his due.

Special theme for glad thanksgiving
Is the quick'ning and the living
 Bread today before you set:

From his hands of old partaken,
As we know, by faith unshaken,
 Where the Twelve at supper met.
Full and clear ring out your chanting,Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,
 From your heart let praises burst:

For today the feast is holden,
When the institution olden
 Of that supper was rehearsed.

Here the new law's new oblation,
By the new king's revelation,
 Ends the form of ancient rite:

Now the new the old effaces,
Truth away the shadow chases,
 Light dispels the gloom of night.

What he did at supper seated,
Christ ordained to be repeated,
 His memorial ne'er to cease:

And his rule for guidance taking,
Bread and wine we hallow, making
 Thus our sacrifice of peace.

This the truth each Christian learns,
Bread into his flesh he turns,
 To his precious blood the wine:
Sight has fail'd, nor thought conceives,
But a dauntless faith believes,
 Resting on a pow'r divine.

(Isaiah 55:8-9)

Here beneath these signs are hidden
Priceless things to sense forbidden;
 Signs, not things are all we see:

Blood is poured and flesh is broken,
Yet in either wondrous token
 Christ entire we know to be.

Whoso of this food partakes,
Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;
 Christ is whole to all that taste:

Thousands are, as one, receivers,
One, as thousands of believers,
 Eats of him who cannot waste.

Bad and good the feast are sharing,
Of what divers dooms preparing,
 Endless death, or endless life.

Life to these, to those damnation,
See how like participation
 Is with unlike issues rife.

When the sacrament is broken,Doubt not, but believe'tis spoken,
 That each sever'd outward token
 doth the very whole contain.

Nought the precious gift divides,
Breaking but the sign betides
 Jesus still the same abides,
 still unbroken does remain.

Alleluia John 6:51

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven,says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 9:11B-15   

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
and he healed those who needed to be cured.

(Jesus comes to us to give us what we need to be set right)
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,"Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here."
He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."

Now the men there numbered about five thousand.

(Although we perceive limits, we must also remember that we can transcend them if we are in God’s will; the miraculous happens if we trust and obey His direction, especially when we don’t understand where He is going/how He will get us there.)

Then he said to his disciples,
"Have them sit down in groups of about fifty."
They did so and made them all sit down.

Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

(Although God provides the miracle working power, we have our part to play: we must take the specific steps He directs)
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.