Thursday, October 29, 2020

“The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God…or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.”

 

Pride is characterized by "What do I want out of life?" rather than by "What would God have me do with my life?" It is self-will as opposed to God's will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God. Ezra Taft Benson: (1899 – 1994: was an American farmer, government official, and religious leader who served as the 15th United States Secretary of Agriculture)

Gospel Text: (Luke 13:31-35)

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “Go and tell that fox,
‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.’

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

 

Reflect, today, upon your own commitment to the will of the Father in your life.  Are you fulfilling His will?  If so, do you find that some people come and try to deter you?  Strive to have the same confidence of Jesus and keep focused on the mission given to you by God.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

“It is impossible to pray accurately for someone and still have something against him. Even if you have something against him, if you pray for him, you will end up loving him.”


All my sermons are prepared in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament… The most brilliant ideas come from meeting God face to face… Pope John Paul II keeps a small desk or writing pad near him whenever he is in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament; and I have done this all my life — I am sure for the same reason he does, because a lover always works better when the beloved is with him. - Archbishop Fulton Sheen: (1895 – 1979: was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio)

Gospel Text: (Luke 6:12-16)

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

 

As we honor the Apostles Simon and Jude on their feast day, reflect, today, upon your own calling to follow Christ and act as His apostle to the world.  The only way you can fulfill this mission is through a life of prayer.  Reflect upon your prayer life and do not hesitate to deepen your resolve to imitate the depth and intensity of our Lord’s perfect example of prayer.


 

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

“The world does not consist of 100 percent Christians and 100 percent non-Christians. There are people (a great many of them) who are slowly ceasing to be Christians but who still call themselves by that name: some of them are clergymen. There are other people who are slowly becoming Christians though they do not yet call themselves so. ”

  

“Neither fear nor self-interest can convert the soul. They may change the appearance, perhaps even the conduct, but never the object of supreme desire... Fear is the motive which constrains the slave; greed binds the selfish man, by which he is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed (James 1:14). But neither fear nor self-interest is undefiled, nor can they convert the soul. Only charity can convert the soul, freeing it from unworthy motives.” ― St. Bernard of Clairvaux: (1090 – 1153: was an abbot and a major leader in the revitalization of Benedictine monasticism)


Gospel Text: (Luke 13:18-21)

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”

Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

 

Reflect, today, upon this image of yeast causing dough to rise.  Do you see this as an image of your soul?  Do you see the Holy Spirit working on you little by little?  Do you see yourself changing slowly but steadily?  Hopefully the answer is “Yes.”  Though conversion may not always take place overnight, it must be constant so as to enable the soul to progress to that place prepared for it by God.


 

 

Monday, October 26, 2020

It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with “scar tissue” and rationalization after rationalization. But it is never gone and the wound will remain…Only the Sacrament of Reconciliation heals our wounds caused by sin

  

Go to your confessor; open your heart to him; display to him all the recesses of your soul; take the advice that he will give you with the utmost humility and simplicity. For God, Who has an infinite love for obedience, frequently renders profitable the counsels we take from others, but especially from those who are the guides of our souls. - St. Francis de Sales: (1567 – 1622: was a Bishop of Geneva)

 

Gospel Text: (Luke 13:10-17)

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
“There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”
The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?”
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

 

Reflect, today, upon these two facts.  God knows every need you have and will answer those needs when it is best for you.  Also, when He bestows His grace on you, it will enable you to live in full confidence as His son or daughter.