No “Buts” Allowed

Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Micah 2:1-5

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
and work out evil on their couches;
In the morning light they accomplish it
when it lies within their power.
They covet fields, and seize them;
houses, and they take them;
They cheat an owner of his house,
a man of his inheritance.
Therefore thus says the LORD:
Behold, I am planning against this race an evil
from which you shall not withdraw your necks;
Nor shall you walk with head high,
for it will be a time of evil.

On that day a satire shall be sung over you,
and there shall be a plaintive chant:
"Our ruin is complete,
our fields are portioned out among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!"
Thus you shall have no one
to mark out boundaries by lot
in the assembly of the LORD.
 

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 10:1-2, 3-4, 7-8, 14

R. (12b) Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
Why, O LORD, do you stand aloof?
Why hide in times of distress?
Proudly the wicked harass the afflicted,
who are caught in the devices the wicked have contrived. 
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
For the wicked man glories in his greed,
and the covetous blasphemes, sets the LORD at nought.
The wicked man boasts, "He will not avenge it";
"There is no God," sums up his thoughts. 
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
His mouth is full of cursing, guile and deceit;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
He lurks in ambush near the villages;
in hiding he murders the innocent;
his eyes spy upon the unfortunate. 
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow,
taking them in your hands.
On you the unfortunate man depends;
of the fatherless you are the helper.
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
 

Alleluia 2 Corinthians 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
 

Gospel Matthew 12:14-21

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus
to put him to death.

When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
 

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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

No “Buts” Allowed

July 18, 2026 // Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time // Optional Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis, Priest [In the Dioceses of the United States]

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel for the Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis: John 15:9-17

Reflect on the Word // 

I love You, Lord, but . . .

The word but is a conjunction to set up contrasting thoughts, and too often it comes up in my conversations with the Lord. 

I love You, but . . .

I know Your will, but . . .

I trust You, but . . .

Whatever follows the word but is a contrasting thought: 

I love You, but I really don’t want to do what You are asking me to do. 

I know Your will, but I really want this other thing. 

I trust You, but I grow impatient. 

How would my prayer life look different if I simply put a period where I use the word but? I love you. I trust you. I believe you. No contrasting thoughts, just expressions of love, trust, faith. 

Jesus’ words in the Gospel today sound so simple. He invites us to remain in His love and assures us that if we keep His commandments, we will remain in His love (see John 15:9-17). The greatest of these commandments, of course, is to love God with all our hearts, our minds, and our strength.  

We remain in that love simply by loving Him with our entirety.

When we find ourselves using the contrasting conjunction but in our prayer, it is a sign that we are struggling to love Him fully. We need to take that to deeper prayer, because it is likely that we are spiritually attached to something of this world that is preventing us from fully remaining in His love. 

We all desire to remain in God’s love. Yet keeping His commandments in order to do so can be hard. The day-to-day temptations of life can press on us. Always remember that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is there waiting for each of us, allowing us to clear away the obstacles that keep us from receiving and remaining in God’s love. 

Relate to the Lord // What is  your “but”? Journal about what’s keeping your from loving or trusting God.

Be a Woman of the Word