Reading 1
Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Gird yourselves and weep, O priests!
wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
The house of your God is deprived
of offering and libation.
Proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the elders,
all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the LORD, your God,
and cry to the LORD!
Alas, the day!
for near is the day of the LORD,
and it comes as ruin from the Almighty.
Blow the trumpet in Zion,
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all who dwell in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming;
Yes, it is near, a day of darkness and of gloom,
a day of clouds and somberness!
Like dawn spreading over the mountains,
a people numerous and mighty!
Their like has not been from of old,
nor will it be after them,
even to the years of distant generations.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9
R. (9) The Lord will judge the world with justice.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, Most High.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
their name you blotted out forever and ever.
The nations are sunk in the pit they have made;
in the snare they set, their foot is caught.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with justice;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
Gospel
Lk 11:15-26
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:
"By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons."
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
"When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
"I shall return to my home from which I came."
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first."
Meditation: Luke 11:15-26
The kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:20)
Every individual in the crowd—as well as every reader of Luke’s Gospel—faces a decision. Has the kingdom of God come? It’s almost as if Jesus were exhorting the crowd: “Think!” Think about what you’re seeing. Think about what it means. This point is so important that Matthew, Mark, and Luke each recount some version of Jesus’ words here, while John tells us directly that Jesus “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14).
You know the answer. Jesus did bring a new kingdom, a kingdom filled with new possibilities and a whole new way of living. In this new kingdom, we live under a new covenant. We enter into a new relationship of love between Creator and created, between the Father and his beloved children. Think about it! You are no longer tied to sin, because Jesus came and set you free. You are not doomed to sit in dungeons of pain and guilt, because Jesus has set captives free. He opens eyes that are blind and provides new light for those who can see.
Yes, the kingdom of God has come. Jesus has triumphed over sin and death. A new era has dawned, and we are children of that era. We live under the reign of a good and wise and loving King. God wants to surround you with his goodness and love. He wants you to wake up every day believing in it. He wants you to walk through your day rejoicing in it. And he wants to help you, in your weakness, to obtain it.
However much God is doing in your life right now, he can do even more! His love is limitless. His desire for your well-being knows no bounds. So put your hope in the Lord. Ask him to expand your vision and your expectations today. Healing, repentance, forgiveness, peace, compassion—they are marks of the kingdom of God. Hospitality, generosity, concern for others—they are all marks of citizens of this kingdom. Speaking truth, telling what God has done, praying for others— this is how we spread the kingdom.
“Jesus, I believe your kingdom has come. Open my eyes and my heart today to see it around me.”
07 October 2011
06 October 2011
06 Oct 2011, Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Mal 3:13-20b
You have defied me in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, "What have we spoken against you?"
You have said, "It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity."
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (Ps 40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Gospel
Lk 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
"Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,"
and he says in reply from within,
"Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything."
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"
Meditation: Luke 11:5-13
How much more will the Father in heaven give … “(Luke 11:13)
If you have any doubts about “love at first sight,” just ask some parents about the first time they laid eyes on their children. Holding one’s newborn for the first time is an overwhelming experience. A long waiting period is over, and a new love blossoms.
If this is how new parents feel about their children, imagine how your heavenly Father feels about you! He loved you before you were born. From the moment he called you into being, he rejoiced, both in your gifts and talents and in the prospect of having you by his side forever. Even when he saw you in sin, his love stayed firm—to the point of offering up his only Son to redeem you. Age after age, year after year, your Father has held nothing back from you!
Now it’s one thing to hear these truths in church or to read them in a devotional magazine. But we still have to deal with everyday life, when the lies of the devil and the lures of the world will manage to sow doubts in our minds. They tell us that God is some kind of heavenly policeman or that he is indifferent and uninvolved in our lives. They tell us that we are too sinful or too weak for God to love us, or they try to distract us by feeding us with self-centered ideas.
So how do we bridge the gap between what we hear at Mass and what we hear in the world? We can take the truths of Scripture with us into our daily lives. Every time you catch yourself thinking that you are all alone in the world, every time you catch yourself thinking that God doesn’t care, make today’s Gospel reading your own: How much more will my heavenly Father give me the Holy Spirit! Keep telling yourself: If I ask, I will receive; if I seek, I will find; if I knock, the door will be opened!
The devil wants to convince you that God is not good. The world wants to tell you that God doesn’t care. Well, stand up to these lies. Let God’s word silence them. You have a loving Father, and he wants to give you every good gift!
“Father, I want to get to know you better. Open my eyes to your goodness and love!”
Mal 3:13-20b
You have defied me in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, "What have we spoken against you?"
You have said, "It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity."
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (Ps 40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Gospel
Lk 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
"Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,"
and he says in reply from within,
"Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything."
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"
Meditation: Luke 11:5-13
How much more will the Father in heaven give … “(Luke 11:13)
If you have any doubts about “love at first sight,” just ask some parents about the first time they laid eyes on their children. Holding one’s newborn for the first time is an overwhelming experience. A long waiting period is over, and a new love blossoms.
If this is how new parents feel about their children, imagine how your heavenly Father feels about you! He loved you before you were born. From the moment he called you into being, he rejoiced, both in your gifts and talents and in the prospect of having you by his side forever. Even when he saw you in sin, his love stayed firm—to the point of offering up his only Son to redeem you. Age after age, year after year, your Father has held nothing back from you!
Now it’s one thing to hear these truths in church or to read them in a devotional magazine. But we still have to deal with everyday life, when the lies of the devil and the lures of the world will manage to sow doubts in our minds. They tell us that God is some kind of heavenly policeman or that he is indifferent and uninvolved in our lives. They tell us that we are too sinful or too weak for God to love us, or they try to distract us by feeding us with self-centered ideas.
So how do we bridge the gap between what we hear at Mass and what we hear in the world? We can take the truths of Scripture with us into our daily lives. Every time you catch yourself thinking that you are all alone in the world, every time you catch yourself thinking that God doesn’t care, make today’s Gospel reading your own: How much more will my heavenly Father give me the Holy Spirit! Keep telling yourself: If I ask, I will receive; if I seek, I will find; if I knock, the door will be opened!
The devil wants to convince you that God is not good. The world wants to tell you that God doesn’t care. Well, stand up to these lies. Let God’s word silence them. You have a loving Father, and he wants to give you every good gift!
“Father, I want to get to know you better. Open my eyes to your goodness and love!”
05 Oct 2011, Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Jon 4:1-11
Jonah was greatly displeased
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.
He prayed, "I beseech you, LORD,
is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?
This is why I fled at first to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live."
But the LORD asked, "Have you reason to be angry?"
Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it,
where he built himself a hut and waited under it in the shade,
to see what would happen to the city.
And when the LORD God provided a gourd plant
that grew up over Jonah's head,
giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort,
Jonah was very happy over the plant.
But the next morning at dawn
God sent a worm that attacked the plant,
so that it withered.
And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind;
and the sun beat upon Jonah's head till he became faint.
Then Jonah asked for death, saying,
"I would be better off dead than alive."
But God said to Jonah,
"Have you reason to be angry over the plant?"
"I have reason to be angry," Jonah answered, 'angry enough to die."
Then the LORD said,
"You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor
and which you did not raise;
it came up in one night and in one night it perished.
And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?"
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10
R. (15) Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
Gospel
Lk 11:1-4
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
Meditation: Jonah 4:1-11
At dawn God sent a worm which attacked the plant, so that it withered.” (Jonah 4:7)
Today’s first reading shows us a petulant Jonah complaining because God has decided not to punish his enemies. After running away from God rather than deliver a message to the hated Ninevites, Jonah changes his mind and goes to Nineveh. He’s happy to proclaim the imminent destruction of the wicked city. But to his dismay, these pagans actually believe him and repent. So sincere is their repentance that God does not destroy them but forgives them instead. Jonah loses his focus and gets disgusted. How can God possibly love these wretches?
In a telling parable, a shade plant grows up rapidly to give Jonah shelter, but he fails to recognize this as a sign of God’s love for him. What’s more, he certainly doesn’t expand his vision to understand that God also loves the people of Nineveh. So God makes sure that Jonah’s relief from the heat is short-lived. A worm soon attacks the plant and destroys it.
Sometimes we too find it difficult to agree with God’s mercy toward those we regard as enemies, either because of their wicked behavior or simply because they fall outside our comfortable circle. If we are honest with ourselves, we may be able to identify the “worms” that gnaw at us and separate us from God’s merciful outlook. Like Jonah, those worms may include narrow-minded attitudes, unforgiveness, or a punitive spirit. Or we may be subject to other feelings like resentment, bitterness, a critical spirit, or a guilty conscience. And let’s not forget how frustration and confusion can disturb our spirits and make it hard for us to hear God’s voice.
Spend a little time examining your conscience for “worms” like these. When you identify one, don’t linger there. Instead, surrender it immediately to the Lord. Ask him to brush it away and restore your focus on him.
As you examine your heart, be sure not to get down on yourself. God loves you just as you are. Immerse yourself in his great mercy. Receive his forgiveness, just as the Ninevites did. And extend that mercy to others, just as Jonah eventually learned to do.
“Father, you love me and all the people you have put on this earth. Plunge me into your love, and help me to share that love with everyone around me.”
Jon 4:1-11
Jonah was greatly displeased
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.
He prayed, "I beseech you, LORD,
is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?
This is why I fled at first to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live."
But the LORD asked, "Have you reason to be angry?"
Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it,
where he built himself a hut and waited under it in the shade,
to see what would happen to the city.
And when the LORD God provided a gourd plant
that grew up over Jonah's head,
giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort,
Jonah was very happy over the plant.
But the next morning at dawn
God sent a worm that attacked the plant,
so that it withered.
And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind;
and the sun beat upon Jonah's head till he became faint.
Then Jonah asked for death, saying,
"I would be better off dead than alive."
But God said to Jonah,
"Have you reason to be angry over the plant?"
"I have reason to be angry," Jonah answered, 'angry enough to die."
Then the LORD said,
"You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor
and which you did not raise;
it came up in one night and in one night it perished.
And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?"
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10
R. (15) Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
Gospel
Lk 11:1-4
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
Meditation: Jonah 4:1-11
At dawn God sent a worm which attacked the plant, so that it withered.” (Jonah 4:7)
Today’s first reading shows us a petulant Jonah complaining because God has decided not to punish his enemies. After running away from God rather than deliver a message to the hated Ninevites, Jonah changes his mind and goes to Nineveh. He’s happy to proclaim the imminent destruction of the wicked city. But to his dismay, these pagans actually believe him and repent. So sincere is their repentance that God does not destroy them but forgives them instead. Jonah loses his focus and gets disgusted. How can God possibly love these wretches?
In a telling parable, a shade plant grows up rapidly to give Jonah shelter, but he fails to recognize this as a sign of God’s love for him. What’s more, he certainly doesn’t expand his vision to understand that God also loves the people of Nineveh. So God makes sure that Jonah’s relief from the heat is short-lived. A worm soon attacks the plant and destroys it.
Sometimes we too find it difficult to agree with God’s mercy toward those we regard as enemies, either because of their wicked behavior or simply because they fall outside our comfortable circle. If we are honest with ourselves, we may be able to identify the “worms” that gnaw at us and separate us from God’s merciful outlook. Like Jonah, those worms may include narrow-minded attitudes, unforgiveness, or a punitive spirit. Or we may be subject to other feelings like resentment, bitterness, a critical spirit, or a guilty conscience. And let’s not forget how frustration and confusion can disturb our spirits and make it hard for us to hear God’s voice.
Spend a little time examining your conscience for “worms” like these. When you identify one, don’t linger there. Instead, surrender it immediately to the Lord. Ask him to brush it away and restore your focus on him.
As you examine your heart, be sure not to get down on yourself. God loves you just as you are. Immerse yourself in his great mercy. Receive his forgiveness, just as the Ninevites did. And extend that mercy to others, just as Jonah eventually learned to do.
“Father, you love me and all the people you have put on this earth. Plunge me into your love, and help me to share that love with everyone around me.”
04 October 2011
04 Oct 2011, Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, religious
Reading 1
Jon 3:1-10
The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,
put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8
R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Gospel
Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."
Meditation: Luke 10:38-42
“Mary has chosen the better part.” (Luke 10:42)
What a perfect reading to have on this feast day of St. Francis of Assisi! If anyone chose “the better part” and lived in single-minded pursuit of the Lord, surely it was Francis!
Because his whole life was a constant song of praise to God, Francis earned the name “God’s Troubadour.” Faithful to the Scriptures’ exhortation to rejoice in the Lord always, he sang when robbers dumped him into a snow-filled ditch. As he walked through the Italian countryside, he would often improvise songs that delighted in God’s creation.
Whenever he entered a town, Francis would sing in the public square to attract people and then preach to them, urging them to love God above everything and repent of their sins. “Fear and honor, praise and bless, thank and adore the Lord God Almighty,” he would tell them. “Do not put off any longer confessing your sins… . Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
Speaking about the brothers who joined his new order, Francis once asked: “Since they are God’s troubadours and minstrels, is not the role of the Friars Minor to comfort their neighbor and move him to spiritual gladness?” One early Franciscan document declares that Francis sang all his life “as if his chief concern were to cultivate happiness within and scatter it around him.”
Francis had chosen the better part of honoring and praising the Lord with his whole heart. And he dedicated himself and his brothers to becoming living examples of the joy and peace that come from such a life. Even during the final months of his life, as he was suffering greatly, he said: “In spite of all that I endure, I feel so close to God that I cannot help singing.”
It’s no wonder that Francis was such a successful evangelist! His witness of joyful discipleship moved countless people to embrace the gospel that he preached.
Let’s all choose “the better part” today. Let’s decide to praise the Lord in all that we encounter, so that we too can spread the peace and joy of the gospel to everyone around us.
“Lord God: you alone are holy, you who work wonders! You are strong, you are great, you are the Most High, you are the almighty King, you, holy Father, King of heaven and earth.” (St. Francis’ “Praises of God”)
Jon 3:1-10
The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,
put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8
R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Gospel
Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."
Meditation: Luke 10:38-42
“Mary has chosen the better part.” (Luke 10:42)
What a perfect reading to have on this feast day of St. Francis of Assisi! If anyone chose “the better part” and lived in single-minded pursuit of the Lord, surely it was Francis!
Because his whole life was a constant song of praise to God, Francis earned the name “God’s Troubadour.” Faithful to the Scriptures’ exhortation to rejoice in the Lord always, he sang when robbers dumped him into a snow-filled ditch. As he walked through the Italian countryside, he would often improvise songs that delighted in God’s creation.
Whenever he entered a town, Francis would sing in the public square to attract people and then preach to them, urging them to love God above everything and repent of their sins. “Fear and honor, praise and bless, thank and adore the Lord God Almighty,” he would tell them. “Do not put off any longer confessing your sins… . Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
Speaking about the brothers who joined his new order, Francis once asked: “Since they are God’s troubadours and minstrels, is not the role of the Friars Minor to comfort their neighbor and move him to spiritual gladness?” One early Franciscan document declares that Francis sang all his life “as if his chief concern were to cultivate happiness within and scatter it around him.”
Francis had chosen the better part of honoring and praising the Lord with his whole heart. And he dedicated himself and his brothers to becoming living examples of the joy and peace that come from such a life. Even during the final months of his life, as he was suffering greatly, he said: “In spite of all that I endure, I feel so close to God that I cannot help singing.”
It’s no wonder that Francis was such a successful evangelist! His witness of joyful discipleship moved countless people to embrace the gospel that he preached.
Let’s all choose “the better part” today. Let’s decide to praise the Lord in all that we encounter, so that we too can spread the peace and joy of the gospel to everyone around us.
“Lord God: you alone are holy, you who work wonders! You are strong, you are great, you are the Most High, you are the almighty King, you, holy Father, King of heaven and earth.” (St. Francis’ “Praises of God”)
03 October 2011
03 Oct 2011, Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Jon 1:1:2:1-2, 11
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jonah, son of Amittai:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it;
their wickedness has come up before me."
But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD.
He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish,
paid the fare, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish,
away from the LORD.
The LORD, however, hurled a violent wind upon the sea,
and in the furious tempest that arose
the ship was on the point of breaking up.
Then the mariners became frightened and each one cried to his god.
To lighten the ship for themselves, they threw its cargo into the sea.
Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship,
and lay there fast asleep.
The captain came to him and said, "What are you doing asleep?
Rise up, call upon your God!
Perhaps God will be mindful of us so that we may not perish."
Then they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots
to find out on whose account we have met with this misfortune."
So they cast lots, and thus singled out Jonah.
"Tell us," they said, 'what is your business?
Where do you come from?
What is your country, and to what people do you belong?"
Jonah answered them, "I am a Hebrew,
I worship the LORD, the God of heaven,
who made the sea and the dry land."
Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him,
"How could you do such a thing!"
They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD,
because he had told them."
They asked, "What shall we do with you,
that the sea may quiet down for us?"
For the sea was growing more and more turbulent.
Jonah said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea,
that it may quiet down for you;
since I know it is because of me
that this violent storm has come upon you."
Still the men rowed hard to regain the land, but they could not,
for the sea grew ever more turbulent.
Then they cried to the LORD: "We beseech you, O LORD,
let us not perish for taking this man's life;
do not charge us with shedding innocent blood,
for you, LORD, have done as you saw fit."
Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea,
and the sea's raging abated.
Struck with great fear of the LORD,
the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him.
But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah;
and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights.
From the belly of the fish Jonah prayed
to the LORD, his God.
Responsorial Psalm
Jon 2:3, 4, 5, 8
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
Out of my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me;
From the midst of the nether world I cried for help,
and you heard my voice.
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea,
and the flood enveloped me;
All your breakers and your billows
passed over me.
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
Then I said, "I am banished from your sight!
yet would I again look upon your holy temple."
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the LORD;
My prayer reached you
in your holy temple.
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
Gospel
Lk 10:25-37
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
"Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back."
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers? victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Meditation: Luke 10:25-37
Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)
According to an old saying, common sense should be called something else, because it’s not really all that common! If you were traveling down a lonely road and saw a man bruised and beaten, lying in his own blood, wouldn’t common sense tell you to help him? What kind of human being walks past a man in that condition?
We may find reasons to excuse the Levite and the priest. Jewish law decreed that coming into contact with someone else’s blood rendered you ritually unclean. And if a priest or Levite were to become unclean, he would not be able to minister to the Lord in the Temple until a certain amount of time had passed or until he had offered a certain type of sacrifice to purify himself. But if you find yourself debating between ritual impurity and the life of a wounded man, there really should be no question. Of course you should help the man and then do whatever you need to do in order to become pure again.
Ironically, it’s the Samaritan who shows both common sense and compassion. And the man he stops to help is most likely a Jew. He helps one of the people who looked down on Samaritans as unworthy of their time or attention. None of that mattered. Someone was hurting, and he knew he had to help. Unlike the two men who passed by on the other side of the road, the Samaritan was willing to get his hands dirty in order to help a person in need. He showed what it means to love our neighbor— to let love override concerns about purity. In a sense, he reveals the truth behind St. Peter’s saying that “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Jesus wants to tell us today that our “neighbor” is everyone. He wants to tell us that our love should not be limited only to those who are like us or those who do not threaten our sense of comfort or propriety. So keep your eyes open today for the opportunity to love your neighbor. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty as you bring God’s love to the people around you.
“Jesus, give me a heart of compassion and love. I want to be your hands and feet in the world today.”
Jon 1:1:2:1-2, 11
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jonah, son of Amittai:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it;
their wickedness has come up before me."
But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD.
He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish,
paid the fare, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish,
away from the LORD.
The LORD, however, hurled a violent wind upon the sea,
and in the furious tempest that arose
the ship was on the point of breaking up.
Then the mariners became frightened and each one cried to his god.
To lighten the ship for themselves, they threw its cargo into the sea.
Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship,
and lay there fast asleep.
The captain came to him and said, "What are you doing asleep?
Rise up, call upon your God!
Perhaps God will be mindful of us so that we may not perish."
Then they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots
to find out on whose account we have met with this misfortune."
So they cast lots, and thus singled out Jonah.
"Tell us," they said, 'what is your business?
Where do you come from?
What is your country, and to what people do you belong?"
Jonah answered them, "I am a Hebrew,
I worship the LORD, the God of heaven,
who made the sea and the dry land."
Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him,
"How could you do such a thing!"
They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD,
because he had told them."
They asked, "What shall we do with you,
that the sea may quiet down for us?"
For the sea was growing more and more turbulent.
Jonah said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea,
that it may quiet down for you;
since I know it is because of me
that this violent storm has come upon you."
Still the men rowed hard to regain the land, but they could not,
for the sea grew ever more turbulent.
Then they cried to the LORD: "We beseech you, O LORD,
let us not perish for taking this man's life;
do not charge us with shedding innocent blood,
for you, LORD, have done as you saw fit."
Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea,
and the sea's raging abated.
Struck with great fear of the LORD,
the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him.
But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah;
and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights.
From the belly of the fish Jonah prayed
to the LORD, his God.
Responsorial Psalm
Jon 2:3, 4, 5, 8
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
Out of my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me;
From the midst of the nether world I cried for help,
and you heard my voice.
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea,
and the flood enveloped me;
All your breakers and your billows
passed over me.
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
Then I said, "I am banished from your sight!
yet would I again look upon your holy temple."
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the LORD;
My prayer reached you
in your holy temple.
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
Gospel
Lk 10:25-37
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
"Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back."
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers? victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Meditation: Luke 10:25-37
Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)
According to an old saying, common sense should be called something else, because it’s not really all that common! If you were traveling down a lonely road and saw a man bruised and beaten, lying in his own blood, wouldn’t common sense tell you to help him? What kind of human being walks past a man in that condition?
We may find reasons to excuse the Levite and the priest. Jewish law decreed that coming into contact with someone else’s blood rendered you ritually unclean. And if a priest or Levite were to become unclean, he would not be able to minister to the Lord in the Temple until a certain amount of time had passed or until he had offered a certain type of sacrifice to purify himself. But if you find yourself debating between ritual impurity and the life of a wounded man, there really should be no question. Of course you should help the man and then do whatever you need to do in order to become pure again.
Ironically, it’s the Samaritan who shows both common sense and compassion. And the man he stops to help is most likely a Jew. He helps one of the people who looked down on Samaritans as unworthy of their time or attention. None of that mattered. Someone was hurting, and he knew he had to help. Unlike the two men who passed by on the other side of the road, the Samaritan was willing to get his hands dirty in order to help a person in need. He showed what it means to love our neighbor— to let love override concerns about purity. In a sense, he reveals the truth behind St. Peter’s saying that “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Jesus wants to tell us today that our “neighbor” is everyone. He wants to tell us that our love should not be limited only to those who are like us or those who do not threaten our sense of comfort or propriety. So keep your eyes open today for the opportunity to love your neighbor. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty as you bring God’s love to the people around you.
“Jesus, give me a heart of compassion and love. I want to be your hands and feet in the world today.”
01 October 2011
02 Oct 2011, Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Is 5:1-7
Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.
Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Reading 2
Phil 4:6-9
Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.
Gospel
Mt 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."
Meditation: Philippians 4:6-9
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“Have no anxiety at all.” (Philippians 4:6)
Is Paul serious? How can any of us live an anxiety-free life? Doesn’t he know how hard life can get? Yes, he does! He even talks about his own anxieties and how his concern for the different churches weighed on him (2 Corinthians 11:28). So why does he tell the Philippians not to be anxious? Because he knows how powerful a force worry can be, and he wants to give them some advice in dealing with it—advice that we can all take to heart.
First, Paul tells us to pray, and then he promises that “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Go ahead and bring your needs to the Lord. Feel free to lay them at his feet, and do your best to leave them there. If you do, you’ll find a new peace that you didn’t know before. You have brought your needs to the best place possible, and you can be assured that your heavenly Father will help you. He may not solve every problem right away, but he will give you his strength and clarity to help you keep working through them.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He also tells us to fix our minds on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious” (Philippians 4:8). If we do, then “the God of peace” will be with us (4:9). Our anxieties will gradually diminish as we gain a bigger, broader perspective on our lives. We will see our lives in the light of a loving Father and an ever present Holy Spirit. And that will give us great confidence whenever anxiety rears its head.
Don’t let anxiety get the better of you today! Remember that God is on your side. Your heavenly Father cares for you. His hand is stretched out to you even now, welcoming you and inviting you to lay your cares at his feet. So come to him, and let his Spirit help you guard your heart and mind today.
“Father, I surrender my anxieties to you today. Your love is unfailing, so I put my hope in you. Holy Spirit, fill my heart and mind with peace.”
Is 5:1-7
Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend's song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
he spaded it, cleared it of stones,
and planted the choicest vines;
within it he built a watchtower,
and hewed out a wine press.
Then he looked for the crop of grapes,
but what it yielded was wild grapes.
Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard:
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?
Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes,
did it bring forth wild grapes?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Yes, I will make it a ruin:
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers;
I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it.
The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!
for justice, but hark, the outcry!
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20
R. (Is 5:7a) The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
A vine from Egypt you transplanted;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
It put forth its foliage to the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Why have you broken down its walls,
so that every passer-by plucks its fruit,
The boar from the forest lays it waste,
and the beasts of the field feed upon it?
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
O LORD, God of hosts, restore us;
if your face shine upon us, then we shall be saved.
R. The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
Reading 2
Phil 4:6-9
Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.
Gospel
Mt 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."
Meditation: Philippians 4:6-9
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“Have no anxiety at all.” (Philippians 4:6)
Is Paul serious? How can any of us live an anxiety-free life? Doesn’t he know how hard life can get? Yes, he does! He even talks about his own anxieties and how his concern for the different churches weighed on him (2 Corinthians 11:28). So why does he tell the Philippians not to be anxious? Because he knows how powerful a force worry can be, and he wants to give them some advice in dealing with it—advice that we can all take to heart.
First, Paul tells us to pray, and then he promises that “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Go ahead and bring your needs to the Lord. Feel free to lay them at his feet, and do your best to leave them there. If you do, you’ll find a new peace that you didn’t know before. You have brought your needs to the best place possible, and you can be assured that your heavenly Father will help you. He may not solve every problem right away, but he will give you his strength and clarity to help you keep working through them.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He also tells us to fix our minds on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious” (Philippians 4:8). If we do, then “the God of peace” will be with us (4:9). Our anxieties will gradually diminish as we gain a bigger, broader perspective on our lives. We will see our lives in the light of a loving Father and an ever present Holy Spirit. And that will give us great confidence whenever anxiety rears its head.
Don’t let anxiety get the better of you today! Remember that God is on your side. Your heavenly Father cares for you. His hand is stretched out to you even now, welcoming you and inviting you to lay your cares at his feet. So come to him, and let his Spirit help you guard your heart and mind today.
“Father, I surrender my anxieties to you today. Your love is unfailing, so I put my hope in you. Holy Spirit, fill my heart and mind with peace.”
01 Oct 2011, Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church
Reading 1
Bar 4:5-12, 27-29
Fear not, my people!
Remember, Israel,
You were sold to the nations
not for your destruction;
It was because you angered God
that you were handed over to your foes.
For you provoked your Maker
with sacrifices to demons, to no-gods;
You forsook the Eternal God who nourished you,
and you grieved Jerusalem who fostered you.
She indeed saw coming upon you
the anger of God; and she said:
"Hear, you neighbors of Zion!
God has brought great mourning upon me,
For I have seen the captivity
that the Eternal God has brought
upon my sons and daughters.
With joy I fostered them;
but with mourning and lament I let them go.
Let no one gloat over me, a widow,
bereft of many:
For the sins of my children I am left desolate,
because they turned from the law of God.
Fear not, my children; call out to God!
He who brought this upon you will remember you.
As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God,
turn now ten times the more to seek him;
For he who has brought disaster upon you
will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy."
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 69:33-35, 36-37
R. (34) The Lord listens to the poor.
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!"
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
Gospel
Lk 10:17-24
The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."
Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
'to tread upon serpents' and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
Meditation: Luke 10:17-24
“At that very moment, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 10:21)
Have you ever had an experience that made you so happy that you felt like jumping for joy and shouting at the top of your lungs! This is how Jesus felt when the seventy-two disciples came back from their missionary journeys with news of dramatic healings and conversions. His heart was filled with so much gratitude he couldn’t contain himself!
What was Jesus rejoicing over? That his disciples had received revelation from God—revelation of things God had hidden “from the wise and the learned” (Luke 10:21). He revealed that there is spiritual power in the name of Jesus. He showed them that they could make a difference in people’s lives.
So Jesus is rejoicing that his disciples had a successful mission. But even more so, he is rejoicing that they have received a glimpse of their heavenly inheritance. He is thrilled because they are learning that their names have been written in heaven, that their lives matter to God, and that they can bring God’s blessings to the people around them. What a privilege! No wonder Jesus rejoiced!
What do you think? Has your Father written your name in heaven? Has he given you the grace you need to live a new life? The grace to minister his love and power to the people around you? He certainly has!
So look up to heaven today and picture Jesus rejoicing over you. He is thrilled with you simply because of who you are. He rejoices in the way you reflect his goodness and his love. It is his delight to show you how much he has in store for you. You are a child of God, marked for eternal life. You are his beloved, and he wants to fill you with confidence. He wants to see you take the good news of his love to everyone you meet today—so that they can join you in rejoicing over his love.
“Father I rejoice in you! Thank you so much for empowering me with your love and your grace!”
Bar 4:5-12, 27-29
Fear not, my people!
Remember, Israel,
You were sold to the nations
not for your destruction;
It was because you angered God
that you were handed over to your foes.
For you provoked your Maker
with sacrifices to demons, to no-gods;
You forsook the Eternal God who nourished you,
and you grieved Jerusalem who fostered you.
She indeed saw coming upon you
the anger of God; and she said:
"Hear, you neighbors of Zion!
God has brought great mourning upon me,
For I have seen the captivity
that the Eternal God has brought
upon my sons and daughters.
With joy I fostered them;
but with mourning and lament I let them go.
Let no one gloat over me, a widow,
bereft of many:
For the sins of my children I am left desolate,
because they turned from the law of God.
Fear not, my children; call out to God!
He who brought this upon you will remember you.
As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God,
turn now ten times the more to seek him;
For he who has brought disaster upon you
will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy."
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 69:33-35, 36-37
R. (34) The Lord listens to the poor.
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!"
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
Gospel
Lk 10:17-24
The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."
Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
'to tread upon serpents' and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
Meditation: Luke 10:17-24
“At that very moment, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 10:21)
Have you ever had an experience that made you so happy that you felt like jumping for joy and shouting at the top of your lungs! This is how Jesus felt when the seventy-two disciples came back from their missionary journeys with news of dramatic healings and conversions. His heart was filled with so much gratitude he couldn’t contain himself!
What was Jesus rejoicing over? That his disciples had received revelation from God—revelation of things God had hidden “from the wise and the learned” (Luke 10:21). He revealed that there is spiritual power in the name of Jesus. He showed them that they could make a difference in people’s lives.
So Jesus is rejoicing that his disciples had a successful mission. But even more so, he is rejoicing that they have received a glimpse of their heavenly inheritance. He is thrilled because they are learning that their names have been written in heaven, that their lives matter to God, and that they can bring God’s blessings to the people around them. What a privilege! No wonder Jesus rejoiced!
What do you think? Has your Father written your name in heaven? Has he given you the grace you need to live a new life? The grace to minister his love and power to the people around you? He certainly has!
So look up to heaven today and picture Jesus rejoicing over you. He is thrilled with you simply because of who you are. He rejoices in the way you reflect his goodness and his love. It is his delight to show you how much he has in store for you. You are a child of God, marked for eternal life. You are his beloved, and he wants to fill you with confidence. He wants to see you take the good news of his love to everyone you meet today—so that they can join you in rejoicing over his love.
“Father I rejoice in you! Thank you so much for empowering me with your love and your grace!”
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