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26 October 2014
The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 22:34-40)
Love is the first and greatest commandment, Jesus tells us today--love of God and love of neighbour. All of the law and the prophets are based on these two directives. And since this is so, we really should ask ourselves if and how we put this love into practice.
The great St. Augustine once said, “Love God, and do whatever you please.” When you think about it, a person who is trained in the love of God will obviously do nothing to offend the One they love. In fact, they will strive to please Him in all they do. Doesn’t it sound a bit too simple? But only by putting it into practice will we learn how simple it truly is. St. Faustina did, and she experienced the happiness that comes from loving God unreservedly. She wrote in her Diary: “This evening (...) my spirit was suddenly swept away to God's mysterious bosom, and I knew in what the greatness of a soul consists and what matters to God: love, love, and once again, love. And I understood how all that exists is saturated with God, and such a love of God inundated my soul that I am at a loss to describe it. Happy the soul that knows how to love unreservedly, for in this lies its greatness” (Diary 997).
Prayer: Merciful God, it makes perfect sense that love is all that matters to You. And yet I know my love for You and for my neighbour is all too weak. Have mercy on me. Fill my heart with Your love so that it may overflow to everyone around me. I trust in You! Amen.
19 October 2014
The Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 22:15-21)
In today’s Gospel we see the Pharisees busy trying to entangle Jesus in his talk. But since He could see their hearts and intentions, He didn’t fall for their tricks. He quickly redirected the conversation to focus it on giving to God what is God’s.
For us, it is quite easy to fall in the trap when someone is trying to entangle us or make us say the wrong thing. Sometimes we can barely get our point across because the person we’re talking to already seems to know everything, including whatever it is we are about to say! At such times we would do well to follow St. Faustina’s example of praying not only before, but even in the course of a conversation. She wrote: “Oh, how good it is to call on Jesus for help during a conversation. Oh, how good it is, during a moment of peace, to beg for actual graces. (…) God, however, comes to our aid; but we have to ask Him for it. Let no one trust too much in his own self” (Diary 1495).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, You know that in spite of all my good intentions, I often end up saying things that are misunderstood or taken wrong. Give me wisdom and prudence when I speak, and help me to turn to You for the graces I need while talking to people. I put my trust in You. Amen.
12 October 2014
The Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 22:1-14)
In this Sunday’s Gospel we see people refusing to attend the marriage feast a king has prepared in honour of his son. The would-be guests don’t just passively and politely decline the invitation, but they abuse and even kill the servants who come to summon them to the feast! In the end, the king resorts to filling up his wedding hall with random guests, since those invited were not worthy.
Our Lord is much like the king in the parable. He prepares the feast of His Body and His Word for every Holy Mass. He invites us, and then waits patiently for us to respond. And He does not remain unmoved by our tepidity and excuse-making. He told St. Faustina: I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. (...) In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a feeble image and likeness of My love” (Diary 1447).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, I thank You for never giving up on me. No matter how set I become in my sinful ways, You will still be convinced of my goodwill. Have mercy on me for turning a deaf ear so many times to Your gentle call to conversion. Preserve me dear Lord, from failing to recognize the time of Your visitation. Amen.
5 October 2014
The Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 21:33-43)
This Sunday’s Gospel shows our Lord’s incredible patience with every one of His children. In the parable of the vineyard, we see the landowner giving his workers a second and then a third chance to change their ways, but to no avail. He even goes so far as to send his son, whom the workers end up killing.
Unlike us, the Lord never writes off anyone as being hopelessly beyond change. Instead, He pours out His graces and waits for us to let them work. St. Faustina wrote: “When once I asked the Lord Jesus how He could tolerate so many sins and crimes and not punish them, the Lord answered me, I have eternity for punishing [these], and so I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of My visitation. My daughter, secretary of My mercy, your duty is not only to write about and proclaim My mercy, but also to beg for this grace for them, so that they too may glorify My mercy.” (Diary 1160).
Prayer: Merciful Lord Jesus, I thank You for never giving up on me. No matter how set I become in my sinful ways, You will still be convinced of my goodwill. Have mercy on me for turning a deaf ear so many times to Your gentle call to conversion. Preserve me dear Lord, from failing to recognize the time of Your visitation. Amen.