Tuesday, October 14 2014; Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 468

Reading 1
gal 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

It is I, Paul, who am telling you
that if you have yourselves circumcised,
Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised
that he is bound to observe the entire law.
You are separated from Christ,
you who are trying to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48

R. (41a) Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Let your mercy come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will walk at liberty,
because I seek your precepts.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will delight in your commands, 
which I love.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will lift up my hands to your commands
and meditate on your statutes.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.

Gospel
lk 11:37-41

After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE POINT OF MOST RESISTANCE

"If you give what you have as alms, all will be wiped clean for you." –Luke 11:41

To have all our sins wiped clean, we must repent and give our lives to Jesus. This conversion is an interior decision expressed in a tangible way. For some, conversion is most pointedly expressed by changing jobs or changing friends. For others, forgiving an enemy or returning to church are critical issues. For still others, such as the Pharisees, the concrete expression of conversion is a matter of money, since the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tm 6:10).

Many of the Pharisees observed only the letter of the law. They tithed (Lk 11:42) and gave alms. However, they did not live the spirit of the law, for they were avaricious men who gave themselves to money rather than to God (Lk 16:13-14). Jesus challenged them to heartfelt almsgiving. This would have been a sign of their conversion, and all would have been wiped clean for them.

What would be evidence that you have repented and given your life to Jesus? (see Lk 3:8) Where do you need to swallow your pride? Where are you holding back on the Lord? What are you doing only in the letter of the law and not the spirit? Give in; give all, and "all will be wiped clean for you" (Lk 11:41).

PRAYER: Father, I give in to Your will at my point of most resistance.

PROMISE: "Let Your kindness come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your promise." –Ps 119:41

PRAISE: Pope St. Callistus I, one of the early pope-martyrs, praised God by living a life of extraordinary forgiveness.

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Monday, October 13 2014; Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 467

Reading 1
gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1

Brothers and sisters:
It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now this is an allegory.
These women represent two covenants.
One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar.
But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.
For it is written:
Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we are children not of the slave woman
but of the freeborn woman.

For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7

R. (see 2) Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below? 
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
lk 11:29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment 
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation 
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: SECONDS

"Stand firm, and do not take on yourselves the yoke of slavery a second time!" –Galatians 5:1

If Jesus sets us free, we are really free (Jn 8:36). If, however, we take on ourselves "the yoke of slavery a second time," we are in the worst condition possible for a human being. "When men have fled a polluted world by recognizing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then are caught up and overcome in pollution once more, their last condition is worse than their first. It would have been better for them not to have recognized the road to holiness than to have turned their backs on the holy law handed on to them, once they had known it" (2 Pt 2:20-21). If we ever give up our God-given freedom, seven demons far worse than anything we have previously experienced may enter and dwell in us. "The result is that the last state of the man is worse than the first" (Lk 11:26). The people who have done the worst things in history are often former Christians. This does not indicate that Christianity is bad but that leaving Christianity is very bad. We must get free in Jesus and stay free.

You can guard against the second slavery which leads to the second death (see Rv 2:11) and deprives you of the graces of the second birth (see Jn 3:3, 5) if you do the following:

Repent and go to Confession at least monthly.Live a communal life (Acts 2:42) and do not absent yourself from the assembly (Heb 10:25).Read and pray the Bible daily.Submit to the Pope and the universal Church.

If you lose your freedom, you lose everything. Don't ever lose your freedom in Christ.

PRAYER: Father, give me lasting freedom.

PROMISE: "You have a greater than Jonah here." –Lk 11:32

PRAISE: Jesus healed Ellen's cancer by removing her tumor when Fr. Angelo laid hands on her in prayer.

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Sunday, October 12 2014; Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 142

Reading 1
is 25:6-10a

On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R/ (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R/ I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R/ I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R/ I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R/ I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Reading 2
phil 4:12-14, 19-20

Brothers and sisters:
I know how to live in humble circumstances;
I know also how to live with abundance.
In every circumstance and in all things
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need. 
I can do all things in him who strengthens me. 
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel
mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people 
in parables, saying, 
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son. 
He dispatched his servants
to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business. 
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them. 
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 
Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come. 
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests. 
But when the king came in to meet the guests,
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. 
The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?'
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen."

or mt 22:1-10

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people
in parables, saying,
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants
to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast."’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business. 
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them. 
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 
Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come. 
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests."

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: DEATH TOLLED

"On this mountain He will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces." –Isaiah 25:7-8

Isaiah prophesied that the Lord would "destroy death forever" (Is 25:8). Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. By His death on the cross, He took away death's victory, robbed "the devil, the prince of death, of his power" and freed "those who through fear of death had been slaves their whole life long" (Heb 2:14-15). "Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor 15:54). Thus, Jesus holds "the keys of death and the nether world" (Rv 1:18). He proclaims and promises: "I am the Resurrection and the Life: whoever believes in Me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in Me will never die" (Jn 11:25-26).

"Christ must reign until God has put all enemies under His feet, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Cor 15:25-26). At Judgment Day, "death and the nether world" will be "hurled into the pool of fire, which is the second death" (Rv 20:14). Jesus "has robbed death of its power and has brought life and immortality into clear light through the gospel" (2 Tm 1:10). Praise Jesus! Alleluia!

PRAYER: Jesus, may our celebrations each Sunday of Your resurrection-victory permeate my life and the world.

PROMISE: "My God in turn will supply your needs fully, in a way worthy of His magnificent riches in Christ Jesus." –Phil 4:19

PRAISE: Praise Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life! (Jn 11:25) Praise Him always and forever!

Saturday, October 11 2014; Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 466

Reading 1
gal 3:22-29

Brothers and sisters:
Scripture confined all things under the power of sin,
that through faith in Jesus Christ
the promise might be given to those who believe.

Before faith came, we were held in custody under law,
confined for the faith that was to be revealed.
Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ,
that we might be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian.
For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants,
heirs according to the promise.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
lk 11:27-28

While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: YOU

"Each one of you is a son of God because of your faith in Christ Jesus." –Galatians 3:26

Who are you in Christ? You are baptized into Christ (Gal 3:27), that is, you are immersed in Him. You live in Him, and at the same time He lives in you (see Jn 6:56; 17:23).

You are sons and daughters of God (Gal 3:26). "You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, 'Abba!' (that is, 'Father')" (Rm 8:15). "See what love that Father has bestowed on us in letting us be called children of God! Yet that is what we are" (1 Jn 3:1).

"But if we are children, we are heirs as well: heirs of God, heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him so as to be glorified with Him" (Rm 8:17). You are heirs of "all that was promised" (Gal 3:29). God chose "those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom He promised to those who love Him" (Jas 2:5).

You "have clothed yourselves with" Christ (Gal 3:27). You have put on the Lord Jesus (Rm 13:14). You are clothed with power (Lk 24:49), love (Col 3:14), and humility (1 Pt 5:5).

You are one with all the baptized (Gal 3:28). In one Spirit, you have been baptized into one body (1 Cor 12:13). You can be of one mind and one heart with all Jesus' disciples (Acts 4:32). You can even be one in God as Jesus and the Father are one (Jn 17:21).

In Baptism, you are new creations (see Gal 6:15), adopted sons and daughters of God, members of Christ's body (1 Cor 12:12), and heirs of His kingdom. You are chosen, called, beloved, free, holy, and united with the Lord.

PRAYER: Father, may I be my redeemed self.

PROMISE: "Blest are they who hear the word of God and keep it." –Lk 11:28

PRAISE: Jesus delivered Felipe from a lifestyle of gang warfare and an addiction to drugs.

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Friday, October 10 2014; Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 465

Reading 1
gal 3:7-14

Brothers and sisters:
Realize that it is those who have faith
who are children of Abraham.
Scripture, which saw in advance that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith,
foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,
Through you shall all the nations be blessed.
Consequently, those who have faith are blessed
along with Abraham who had faith.
For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;
for it is written, Cursed be everyone
who does not persevere in doing all the things
written in the book of the law.
And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear,
for the one who is righteous by faith will live.
But the law does not depend on faith;
rather, the one who does these things will live by them.
Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,
for it is written, Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,
that the blessing of Abraham might be extended
to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,
so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
He has made known to his people the power of his works,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

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.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE SECOND WAVE OF DEMONS

"When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it wanders through arid wastes searching for a resting-place; failing to find one, it says, 'I will go back to where I came from.' " –Luke 11:24

When we were baptized, the Church specifically prayed for us to be delivered from the evil one. Jesus, Who is stronger than Satan, the strong man, has freed us (Lk 11:22). Jesus warns us that the evil one will return and re-enter our lives with a second and much worse wave of demons, if conditions are favorable for the evil one's return (Lk 11:24-26). Therefore, we must be clothed with Christ (Gal 3:27) and filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:4). Then when the evil one returns, he will be repelled. In other words, we must live our Baptisms as true, totally committed disciples of Jesus, or we will be re-visited by many demons.

The alternative to discipleship is not merely lukewarmness; it is being demonically manipulated in vicious, degrading ways. Thus, "when men have fled a polluted world by recognizing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then are caught up and overcome in pollution once more, their last condition is worse than their first. It would have been better for them not to have recognized the road to holiness than to have turned their backs on the holy law handed on to them, once they had known it" (2 Pt 2:20-21). Therefore, let us live our Baptisms and devote ourselves "to the apostles' instruction and the communal life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42), and to helping others also be faithful to their baptismal covenants.

PRAYER: Father, in obedience to Your Son and by the power of the Spirit, I will make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19).

PROMISE: "Christ has delivered us from the power of the law's curse by Himself becoming a curse for us." –Gal 3:13

PRAISE: David left the Church for many years. He heard God's call to him, followed it, and now is a daily communicant.

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Thursday, October 9 2014; Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 464

Reading 1
gal 3:1-5

O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?

Responsorial Psalm
lk 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

R. (68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people.

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?”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: IN THE SPIRIT OR IN ?

"If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him." –Luke 11:13

When we were baptized and confirmed, we received the Holy Spirit. At countless other times, we have again received the Spirit. We thus have every reason to be filled with the Spirit (see Acts 2:4; 4:8; 4:31; 7:55). However, because of our sins and selfishness, we have stifled (1 Thes 5:19) and saddened the Spirit (Eph 4:30). Therefore, we must repent (see Acts 2:38) and once again ask for the fullness of the Spirit (see Lk 11:13).

If we don't stir into flame the gift of the Spirit in our lives (see 2 Tm 1:6-7), we may even lose the Spirit. It is possible for a Christian to begin in the Spirit and to end in the flesh (Gal 3:3). It is possible for a person to go from the fullness of the Spirit to the empty desolation of hell (see Heb 6:4-6). So it is a choice between life in the Spirit or the death of sin (Rm 8:13). We must renew our Baptisms and Confirmations. Only the Holy Spirit can prevent us from being devoured by the evil spirit (1 Pt 5:8).

Come, Holy Spirit!

PRAYER: "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love." Father, send forth the Spirit, and we shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.

PROMISE: "Is it because you observe the law or because you have faith in what you heard that God lavishes the Spirit on you and works wonders in your midst?" –Gal 3:5

PRAISE: St. John Leonardi said: "Children should be entrusted only to good and God-fearing teachers."

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Wednesday, October 8 2014; Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 463

Reading 1
gal 2:1-2, 7-14

Brothers and sisters:
After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,
taking Titus along also.
I went up in accord with a revelation,
and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles–
but privately to those of repute–
so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.
On the contrary, 
when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel to the uncircumcised,
just as Peter to the circumcised,
for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the circumcised
worked also in me for the Gentiles,
and when they recognized the grace bestowed upon me,
James and Cephas and John,
who were reputed to be pillars,
gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership,
that we should go to the Gentiles
and they to the circumcised.
Only, we were to be mindful of the poor,
which is the very thing I was eager to do.

And when Cephas came to Antioch,
I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.
For, until some people came from James,
he used to eat with the Gentiles;
but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,
because he was afraid of the circumcised.
And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him,
with the result that even Barnabas
was carried away by their hypocrisy.
But when I saw that they were not on the right road
in line with the truth of the Gospel,
I said to Cephas in front of all,
“If you, though a Jew,
are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,
how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Responsorial Psalm
ps 117:1bc, 2

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
Praise the LORD, all you nations,
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

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.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: "TEACH US TO PRAY" (Lk 11:1)

"When you pray, say: 'Father...' " –Luke 11:2

(Editor's note: This is a reprint of a teaching written a few days before Fr. Al Lauer died in October of 2002.)

This morning I attended Mass in the bedroom of Father Al Lauer, the founder and long-time author of One Bread, One Body. Father is dying of liver cancer and has only days left to live. Father couldn't rise out of bed and could barely talk, but he still wanted to give a short homily on today's Gospel. I am passing on his words to you, for the words of those dying in Jesus carry special credibility (see Ps 116:15). I thought of Jesus gasping out His precious last words on the cross as I listened to Father's homily.

Father said: "This section of Luke's Gospel is really not so much about the persistence of prayer as it is about the certainty of our prayers being answered. Jesus wants us to trust in God the Father as our Abba. Jesus wants us to be certain when we pray that either our prayer will be answered as we requested – or God will answer it even better than we asked (even though it may initially seem as if the Lord is saying 'No'). God is our Abba (Lk 11:2). Have confidence in Abba as One Who always answers our prayers and is vitally concerned (cf Lk 10:40) about every prayer we bring to Him." Then Father Al's strength was spent, and he had to close his eyes and rest as the Mass continued.

"When you pray, say: 'Abba...' "

PRAYER: "Father, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come" (Lk 11:2).

PROMISE: "Steadfast is His kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever." –Ps 117:2

PRAISE: With simplicity of faith, Randy, a four-pack-a-day smoker, was instantly healed of that addiction by a humble prayer empowered by the Holy Spirit.

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