23 September 2011

23 Sep 2011, Memorial of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, priest

Reading 1
Hg 2:1-9


In the second year of King Darius,
on the twenty-first day of the seventh month,
the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
Tell this to the governor of Judah,
Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak,
and to the remnant of the people:

Who is left among you
that saw this house in its former glory?
And how do you see it now?
Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?
But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD,
and take courage, Joshua, high priest, son of Jehozadak,
And take courage, all you people of the land,
says the LORD, and work!
For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts.
This is the pact that I made with you
when you came out of Egypt,
And my spirit continues in your midst;
do not fear!
For thus says the LORD of hosts:
One moment yet, a little while,
and I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all the nations,
and the treasures of all the nations will come in,
And I will fill this house with glory,
says the LORD of hosts.
Mine is the silver and mine the gold,
says the LORD of hosts.
Greater will be the future glory of this house
than the former, says the LORD of hosts;
And in this place I will give you peace,
says the LORD of hosts!

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 43:1, 2, 3, 4


R. (5) Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight
against a faithless people;
from the deceitful and impious man rescue me.
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
For you, O God, are my strength.
Why do you keep me so far away?
Why must I go about in mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me?
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.

Gospel
Lk 9:18-22


Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen.""
Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said in reply, "The Christ of God."
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised."

Meditation: Luke 9:18-22

But who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20)


We can all answer this question to some degree or another. Maybe we have been taught our catechism and learned that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior, and the Messiah. Maybe we have searched the Scriptures and can point to stories where he taught and healed and died and rose again. Or maybe we have had a personal encounter with him and can say that he is our Lord, our brother, and our friend who is intimately involved in our lives.

But apart from the words you speak, there are other ways of “saying” who Jesus is. Every compassionate thought, every decision to do good is another way of telling yourself, the Lord, and the world around you that you have faith in Jesus and that you want to honor him. Impulses like these come from a heart that wants to please the Lord.

What’s more, when you hold your tongue instead of saying an angry word, or when you catch an unkind thought, or when you choose to let go of a bad memory, you are also proclaiming who Jesus is—and who he is in your life. When you spot a temptation and choose to avoid it, or make the effort to counteract evil with good, you are proclaiming Jesus.

Let’s go even further! Your entire life can be conformed to Jesus so that your every word, gesture, and response to situations speaks volumes about who he is. You yourself can become a living statement of faith, a breathing revelation of Jesus and his love. What a motivation this can be as you face areas of your life that aren’t yet surrendered to Jesus! Today, let him into those areas just a little more. Ask him to help you overcome them. That way, your life can give a clearer answer to the most important question Jesus will ever ask: “Who do you say that I am?”

“Jesus, I want my life to be a living statement of who you are and what you have done in my life. I don’t want to hold anything back from you. I want to be like you in every way, so that I can clearly proclaim you to the world.”

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