Reading 1 Jude 17, 20b-25
by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.
Keep yourselves in the love of God
and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life.
On those who waver, have mercy;
save others by snatching them out of the fire;
on others have mercy with fear,
abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.
To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you unblemished and exultant,
in the presence of his glory,
to the only God, our savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord
be glory, majesty, power, and authority
from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm PS 63:2, 3-4, 5-6
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Alleluia See Col 3:16a, 17c
Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly;
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 11:27-33
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Then Jesus said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
FALLEN-AWAY CATHOLICS?
"There is One Who can protect you from a fall." –Jude 24 Each of us is in danger of falling away from our "sincere and complete devotion to Christ" (2 Cor 11:3). Even whole
churches can fall away from their love for Christ (see Gal 1:6; Mt 24:12). The majority of Christians will apostatize before Jesus comes a final time (2 Thes 2:3). When Jesus returns, will He find any faith on the earth? (Lk 18:8) "For all these reasons, let anyone who thinks he is standing upright watch out lest he fall!" (1 Cor 10:12)"There is One Who can protect you from a fall and make you stand unblemished and exultant in the presence of His glory. Glory be to this only God our Savior" (Jude 24-25). Only by God's grace will we be protected from the deceit of Satan, the father of lies (Jn 8:44), who "is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Pt 5:8). We must resist temptation by growing strong in our "holy faith through prayer in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20). If we fall into sin, we should repent and go to Confession as soon as possible. The Lord commands: "Submit to God; resist the devil and he will take flight. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you backsliders" (Jas 4:7-8).
We can remain faithful to the Lord no matter what Satan does and no matter how many fall (see Ps 91:7). Repent, confess, grow strong, stand firm in your faith.
| PRAYER: | Father, at Jesus' return, may I be a "member in good standing" of Your glorious, holy, and immaculate Church (see Eph 5:27). |
| PROMISE: | "Your kindness is a greater good than life; my lips shall glorify You." –Ps 63:4 |
| PRAISE: | With confident faith, Sarah prays daily, year after year, for her children and grandchildren to return to the Church. |
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