A National Examen:
The Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026
July 5, 2026
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Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145; Romans 8:9-13; Matthew 11:25-30
As Christians, we straddle two worlds – the city of God and the city of humanity, and we are missioned to build the city of God on earth. Christians are asked to perform an examination of conscience and consciousness each day, and as the Body of Christ, we need to also do it nationally. The first reading from Zechariah writes about a humble king who proclaims peace to the nations, while the Gospel praises gentleness and humility in a spirit of gratitude to God. It is within this context that we can reflect upon the USA’s commemoration of its Declaration of Independence.
The Gospel proclaims, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest,” which sets the framework for Emman Lazarus’s poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” How are we doing with our hospitality and sense of belonging? What is our response to those who suffer? The way we care for one another reveals how well we know God. It is something upon which we can reflect.
Our Declaration of Independence lists out our core values. What are they? 1. We have natural rights that cannot be taken away. Each person should have the opportunity for unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We may have to come back to this in a discussion of equality and equity. 2. We need government by consent. Our governments derive their power from the consent of the governed, meaning that authority is granted by us, the people, and we have the right to alter or abolish a government that fails to protect our rights. 3. We need equality, meaning that each of us is created equal and is entitled to equal treatment and opportunities. We need to examine our practices and policies more closely. 4. We have a right to revolt. We have the right to revolt against oppressive governments, asserting that it is our right and duty to do so when faced with tyranny.
Layered upon these principles are the Four Freedoms outlined by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and symbolized by Norman Rockwell in paintings. As part of Christian dignity, we have the Freedom of Speech without censorship, the Freedom of worship and the practice of religion, the Freedom from Want to assure that every person has the basic access to necessities and economic security, and the Freedom from Fear and protection from violence and oppression. This applies to citizens and our guests. How are we doing to make sure that each person is guaranteed these inalienable rights? Are there people or groups who are excluded from these Four Freedoms?
We also make distinctions between equality and equity. Equality means providing the same resources and opportunities to everyone, regardless of individual circumstances or needs. It assumes we all start from the same place and have the same level of support. Equity is quite distinct and is based on dignity of the individual. It involves distributing resources based on individual needs and circumstances. It recognizes that people face different barriers and seeks to provide the needed support to achieve fair outcomes. Equality means sameness; Equity focuses on fairness. Equality may not lead to fair outcomes due to the varying starting points, whereas equity aims to provide for each according to one’s needs.
A crucial part of the Gospel message is gratitude. It is in thanking God for the blessings and wisdom given to the people of belief and hiding it from the strong and powerful. This gratitude allows us to grow in wisdom, gentleness, and humility, and to take the heart of God and bring it to our place on earth. As Christians, we constantly renew our personal and national self-examination and ask where we need to grow in God’s wisdom and our care for one another. Let us do our very best in reflecting upon who we are and where we are going so that we practice our faith in integrity. Then, we will have rest for our souls, and yet, we remain restless until each person has fundamental dignity, equity, and freedom.
Scripture for Daily Mass
Monday: (Hosea 2) Thus says the LORD: I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart. She shall respond there as in the days of her youth, when she came up from the land of Egypt.
Tuesday: (Hosea 8) Thus says the LORD: They made kings in Israel, but not by my authority; they established princes, but without my approval. With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves, to their own destruction. Cast away your calf, O Samaria!
Wednesday: (Hosea 10) Israel is a luxuriant vine whose fruit matches its growth. The more abundant his fruit, the more altars he built; The more productive his land, the more sacred pillars he set up.
Thursday (Hosea 11) When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the farther they went from me, Sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk.
Friday (Hosea 14) Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words and return to the LORD; Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Saturday (Isaiah 6) In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft.
Gospel:
Monday: (Matthew 9) While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
Tuesday: (Matthew 9) A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
Wednesday (Matthew 10) Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew.
Thursday (Matthew 10) Jesus said to his Apostles: “As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Friday (Matthew 10) Jesus said to his Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.
Saturday (Matthew 10) Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master.
Saints of the Week
July 5: Elizabeth of Portugal, (1271-1336), was from the kingdom of Aragon begore she married Denis, king of Portugal, at age 12. Her son twice rebelled against the king and Elizabeth helped them reconcile. After he husband's death, she gave up her rank and joined the Poor Clares for a life of simplicity.
July 5: Anthony Mary Zaccaria, priest (1502-1539) was a medical doctor who founded the Barnabites because of his devotion to Paul and Barnabas and the Angelics of St. Paul, a woman's cloistered order. He encouraged the laity to work alongside the clergy to care for the poor.
July 6: Maria Goretti, martyr (1890-1902) was a poor farm worker who was threatened by Alessandro, a 20-year-old neighbor. When she rebuffed his further advances, he killed her, but on her deathbed, she forgave him. He later testified on her behalf during her beatification process, which occurred in 1950.
July 9: Augustine Zhao Rong, priest and companions, Chinese martyrs (1648-1930) were 120 Chinese martyrs that included priests, children, parents, catechists and common laborers. Christians were persecuted throughout Chinese history. Augustine Zhao Rong was a diocesan priest who was brought to the faith after the example of the French missionary bishop Dufresse. Zhao Rong was arrested in 1815 and died in prison.
July 9: Leo Mangan, S.J., martyr of the Boxer rebellion in China. In 1900 he was stationed at Zhujiahe, a small town with 400 inhabitants but whose number soon grew to 3000 by incoming refugees because the Boxers, a secret Chinese society whose members extolled physical prowess and engaged in rigorous gymnastic exercises, were attacking the neighboring areas. Fr Mangin was aware that the Boxers would one day invade his village wisely fortified it as best as he could including stocking up with a supply of food provisions.
July 11: Benedict, Abbot (480-547), was educated in Rome, but left after a few years to take on a life of solitude. He became a monk at Subiaco and lived alone, but his lifestyle developed followers so he built 12 monasteries for them. He left to found a monastery at Monte Cassino where he wrote his Rule that became a standard for Western monasticism. He adopted the practices of the austere Desert Fathers for community life and emphasized moderation, humility, obedience, prayer, and manual labor.
This Week in Jesuit History
- July 5, 1592. The arrest of Fr. Robert Southwell at Uxenden Manor, the house of Mr Bellamy. Tortured and then transferred to the Tower, he remained there for two and a half years.
- July 6, 1758. The election to the papacy of Clement XIII who would defend the Society against the Jansenists and the Bourbon Courts of Europe.
- July 7, 1867. The beatification of the 205 Japanese Martyrs, 33 of them members of the Society of Jesus.
- July 8, 1767. D'Aubeterre wrote to De Choiseul: "It is impossible to obtain the Suppression from the Pope [Clement XIII]; it must be wrested from him by occupying papal territory."
- July 9, 1763. The Society is expelled from New Orleans and Louisiana at the bidding of the French government.
- July 10, 1881. Fr. Frederick Garesche' wrote from Sequin, Texas, to his Superior: "The cowboys who had not deigned at first to lift their hat to the priest or missionary; who had come to the mission as to a camp meeting, for the fun of the thing, gave in, and their smiles and awkward salutes showed that they had hearts under their rude exterior."
- July 11, 1809. After Pius VII had been dragged into exile by General Radet, Fr. Alphonsus Muzzarrelli SJ, his confessor, was arrested in Rome and imprisoned at Civita Vecchia.
