Reading 1 1 jn 3:7-10
Children, let no one deceive you.
The person who acts in righteousness is righteous,
just as he is righteous.
Whoever sins belongs to the Devil,
because the Devil has sinned from the beginning.
Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil.
No one who is begotten by God commits sin,
because God’s seed remains in him;
he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.
In this way,
the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain;
no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God,
nor anyone who does not love his brother.
Responsorial Psalm ps 98:1, 7-8, 9
R. (3cd) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy before the LORD.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
The LORD comes;
he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Gospel jn 1:35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher),
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter.
REFLECTION
by
Mary Lee Brock
The Werner Institute
Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
When I was a young girl my mother had a book cataloguing orders of nuns. I was fascinated by the photos of the variety of elaborate habits the nuns were wearing. And I was amazed that my mother could identify a particular order of nuns by glancing at the picture of the habit. I now know that my mother and I were both engaging from our experience. Mine was from small town South Dakota where a handful of Presentation sisters worked in our parish and taught religion classes. And my mother’s perspective was from her childhood and young adult hood in Brooklyn, New York where nuns were a significant part of her life through school, hospitals, parishes, neighborhoods, family members and community.
As an adult I know now that it is more than a habit that differentiated the orders of nuns. Of course all are bound by a deep devotion to Jesus Christ. But while one order may focus on education another may devote their lives to praying for others.
Today is the feast day of St Elizabeth Ann Seton foundress of the Sisters of Charity. Her life is a fascinating story of privilege and destitution, abundance and loss. Elizabeth Ann Seton was a prayerful and resourceful woman who founded the first Catholic school in the United States.
Today I pray in gratitude for the legacy of Elizabeth Ann Seton and for all religious women in our church. I pray for women religious who have directly impacted my life. Just a year ago I was a pilgrim in Northeast India where several communities of sisters extended joyful, graceful hospitality to me as I was observing the amazing work they do. And here at home I pray for sisters who are part of my parish community, who create opportunities for retreats, who stand in solidarity with the poor, who are committed to education, who advocate for those in prison, who bring Catholic social teaching to life.
Elizabeth Ann Seton’s wisdom becomes my prayer today. She said: “What was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know if was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first purpose of our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will. We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty.”
No comments:
Post a Comment