NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, AUGUST 10, 2025
- Maria Knox
- Aug 10
- 3 min read
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD; praise from the upright is fitting. Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
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.
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.
Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
REFLECTION
"Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own."
This psalm reminds me of the letter St. Louis de Montfort wrote to the people of Nantes, France back in 1708. He was giving a mission to the townspeople. Amongst the attendees was a group, an association named "The Friends of the Cross".
In the letter St. Louis tells them how he is moved by their faith, and how:
"A Friend of the Cross is one chosen by God, from among thousands who live only according to their reason and senses, to be wholly divine, raised above mere reason and completely opposed to material things, living in the light of pure faith, and inspired by a deep love of the Cross."...
"But, if I am captivated by its splendour, I am no less frightened by its responsibility, for it is a title that embraces difficult and inescapable obligations, summed up in the words of the Holy Spirit, "A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people set apart." (1 Peter 2:9)...
"l, "Come out, my chosen people," dear friends of my Son's Cross, away from worldlings, who have been cursed by myself, rejected by my Son, and condemned by my Holy Spirit? Beware of following their counsels, of sitting in their company, or even lingering on the road they take. Hasten away from the infamous Babylon. Listen only to the voice of my beloved Son and follow only him, whom I have given you to be your way, your truth, your life, and your model. (Ipsum audite.) "Listen to him." Do you listen to the voice of Jesus who, burdened with his Cross, calls out to you, "Come after me; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; be brave; I have conquered the world."?"
"There are many who pretend they are friends of mine and protest that they love me, but in their hearts they hate me. I have many friends of my table, but very few of my Cross."
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