Tuesday, October 28 2014; Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Lectionary: 666

Reading 1
eph 2:19-22

Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God, 
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 19:2-3, 4-5

R. (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

Gospel
lk 6:12-16

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: DRY WALL

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near through the blood of Christ. It is He Who is our Peace, and Who made the two of us one by breaking down the barrier of hostility that kept us apart." –Ephesians 2:13-14

The phrase rendered "barrier of hostility" above is literally "the dividing wall of the barrier." We all experience the pain of being separated by a dividing wall. Some experience this in troubled marriages; it feels like the Great Wall of China stands between you and your spouse. Invisible, dividing walls and barriers of hostility are all too often present in family relationships. Some who read this are in prison: for you, the "dividing wall of the barrier" is not invisible but is a physical, harsh daily reality. Others suffer hunger, persecution, poverty, and injustice due to the dividing walls of social classes based on money, prejudice, ethnicity, and power.

Whatever dividing wall stands in your life, bring that wall to Jesus. He is constantly praying that all His people would be one, as He and the Father are one (Jn 17:21). Jesus alone walks through walls (Jn 20:26). He breaks down the walls that keep people apart (Eph 2:14). The Lord broke down the walls of Jericho when His people came before Him in obedience, trust, and praise (Jos 6:20).

While behind the wall, "fix your eyes on Jesus" (Heb 3:1) instead of the wall. The Lord is writing on the wall to convict the hearts of people on both sides (see Dn 5:5). He stands by the wall with a measuring line, plotting its destruction (see Am 7:7-9). Only in Jesus do walls come tumbling down. Your body may be trapped but your heart, mind, and spirit are not. Pray: Lord, "by the help of my God I leap over a wall" (Ps 18:30) into Your arms.

PRAYER: Father, I am trapped behind a wall now, but by Your grace, I will live forever behind the walls of the heavenly city (Rv 21:14).

PROMISE: "It will go well with those servants whom the Master finds wide-awake on His return." –Lk 12:37

PRAISE: Louise led her kidnapper to give his life to Jesus. He felt Jesus take away the hatred from his life.

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Monday, October 20 2014; Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 473

Reading 1
eph 2:1-10

Brothers and sisters:
You were dead in your transgressions and sins
in which you once lived following the age of this world,
following the ruler of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.
All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh,
following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses,
and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.
But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4ab, 4c-5

R. (3b) The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Sing joyfully to the LORD all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.

Gospel
lk 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: CULTURE-WARS

"That is the way it works with the man who grows rich for himself instead of growing rich in the sight of God." –Luke 12:21

The man in today's Gospel reading decided to save for the future. He said to himself: "You have blessings in reserve for years to come. Relax! Eat heartily, drink well. Enjoy yourself" (Lk 12:19). In today's culture, we would call him a wise man, "but God said to him, 'You fool!' " (Lk 12:20) Unless we receive a special revelation as did Joseph (Gn 41:35), we are not to save our money and possessions; rather, we are to distribute them. This comes as a terrible shock to a society full of savings accounts.

Every culture has its strengths and weaknesses, its insights and blind spots. Every culture clashes with the Gospel in some areas. Jesus is a Sign of contradiction (Lk 2:34). If we are true followers of Jesus, we are not trapped in our culture, but by grace we are freed to see and accept the full truth of the Gospel.

What will you do with today's Gospel reading? Rather, what will you let it do with you? What are we to do with Jesus, Who refuses to let us make Him in our image and likeness? The message of today's Gospel reading is a fantastic opportunity or a terrible stumbling stone. Jesus said: "Blest is the man who finds no stumbling block in Me" (Mt 11:6). Accept Jesus as Lord of your life and your culture.

PRAYER: Father, may every culture bend at the name of Jesus (see Phil 2:10-11).

PROMISE: "We lived at the level of the flesh, following every whim and fancy, and so by nature deserved God's wrath like the rest. But God is rich in mercy; because of His great love for us He brought us to life with Christ when we were dead in sin." –Eph 2:3-5

PRAISE: St. Paul advised: "Conceal yourselves in Jesus crucified, and hope for nothing except that all men be thoroughly converted to His will."

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Sunday, October 19 2014; Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 145

Reading 1
is 45:1, 4-6

Thus says the LORD to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I grasp,
subduing nations before him,
and making kings run in his service,
opening doors before him
and leaving the gates unbarred:
For the sake of Jacob, my servant,
of Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.
I am the LORD and there is no other,
there is no God besides me.
It is I who arm you, though you know me not,
so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun
people may know that there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, there is no other.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10

R/ (7b) Give the Lord glory and honor.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R/ Give the Lord glory and honor.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R/ Give the Lord glory and honor.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts.
R/ Give the Lord glory and honor.
Worship the LORD, in holy attire;
tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king,
he governs the peoples with equity.
R/ Give the Lord glory and honor.

Reading 2
1 thes 1:1-5b

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God,
how you were chosen.
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.

Gospel
mt 22:15-21

The Pharisees went off
and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. 
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,
for you do not regard a person's status.
Tell us, then, what is your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" 
Knowing their malice, Jesus said,
"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 
Show me the coin that pays the census tax." 
Then they handed him the Roman coin. 
He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" 
They replied, "Caesar's."
At that he said to them,
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: MISSION-MINDED?

"...so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun men may know that there is none besides Me." –Isaiah 45:6

On this World Mission Sunday, the Church asks us as Christians what our relationship is to the nations of the world. We must give the nations what belongs to them (see Mt 22:21). Especially, we must give Jesus to the nations, for He belongs to all people and we all belong to Him (see 1 Cor 3:21-23). Therefore, Jesus commands us to "make disciples of all the nations" (Mt 28:19) and "tell His glory among the nations" (Ps 96:3). We must "say among the nations: The Lord is King" (Ps 96:10) so that the "families of nations" may "give to the Lord glory and praise" (Ps 96:7).

Are you giving the nations their due? Do you pray daily for all nations "to be saved and come to know the truth?" (1 Tm 2:4) Do you love and befriend people from other nations in your schools, businesses, and neighborhoods? Are you praying for yourself and others to become local or foreign missionaries? Do you give substantial offerings to further the Church's missionary outreach?

One of Jesus' last and greatest commandments is: "Make disciples of all the nations" (Mt 28:19). By grace, in love, and for Jesus – do it!

PRAYER: Father, send the Spirit to make me a witness for Jesus and a missionary (Acts 1:8).

PROMISE: "Our preaching of the gospel proved not a mere matter of words for you but one of power; it was carried on in the Holy Spirit and out of complete conviction." –1 Thes 1:5

PRAISE: Praise be to "our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to Him now and to the day of eternity!" (2 Pt 3:18)

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Saturday, October 18 2014; Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist

Lectionary: 661

Reading 1
2 tm 4:10-17b

Beloved:
Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
for he is helpful to me in the ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.

Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Gospel
lk 10:1-9

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: CATHOLIC WORKERS

"The harvest is rich but the workers are few; therefore ask the Harvest-Master to send workers to His harvest." –Luke 10:2

Jesus needs many more workers to reach the more than four-billion people who don't know Him. He also needs many more workers to help the nearly two-billion Christians grow in holiness. Therefore, "take courage" and work for Jesus (see Hg 2:4). Work, even if you think you have worked "in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent" your strength (Is 49:4). Work, even if you consider yourself inadequate and without much to offer compared to other parts of Christ's body (see 1 Cor 12:15-16). Work, even if you or others think you're not needed (1 Cor 12:20-22). Work, even if you are very late for work. The Lord in His mercy may give you a full-life's pay for very little time on the job (Mt 20:9). Work, even if you have to suffer, as Jesus the Worker suffered.

St. Luke gave up a good job as a doctor (see Col 4:14) to work for Jesus. The benefits of working for Jesus didn't seem that good. You couldn't have even a walking staff, a traveling bag, or sandals (Lk 10:4). However, Luke did one of the greatest, most fruitful works in history. He wrote the Gospel of Luke and theActs of the Apostles. Be like Luke. Work "for food that remains unto life eternal" (Jn 6:27).

PRAYER: Father, may Your love impel me to work for You with zeal (see 2 Cor 5:14).

PROMISE: "The Lord stood by my side and gave me strength, so that through me the preaching task might be completed and all the nations might hear the gospel." –2 Tm 4:17

PRAISE: St. Luke "carefully traced the whole sequence of events from the beginning" and "decided to set it in writing for you" so that you "may see how reliable" the message of Jesus is (Lk 1:3-4). Praise You, Lord, for inspiring Luke to preserve Your good news for our sake.

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Friday, October 17 2014; Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

Lectionary: 471

Reading 1
eph 1:11-14

Brothers and sisters:
In Christ we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13

R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Gospel
lk 12:1-7

At that time:
So many people were crowding together 
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE DOWNPAYMENT

"When you heard the glad tidings of salvation, the word of truth, and believed in it, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit Who had been promised." –Ephesians 1:13

We're all going to rise from the dead. Those who believe in Jesus and have lived for Him will see Him face to face and be perfectly happy forever with Him in heaven. We know this because the Lord has revealed it to us through His Church and Word.

Many people, however, deny such things as resurrection from the dead, Judgment Day, heaven, and hell. They live as if this life is all there is (see 1 Cor 15:32). To confirm us in our belief in eternal happiness, our heavenly Father and Jesus have sent the Holy Spirit. "We yearn to have our heavenly habitation envelop us" (2 Cor 5:2). "God has fashioned us for this very thing and has given us the Spirit as a Pledge of it" (2 Cor 5:5). "He is the Pledge of our inheritance, the first Payment against the full redemption of a people God has made His own, to praise His glory" (Eph 1:14). By the Holy Spirit, we experience God's love, have an awe in His presence, become empowered by His gifts, receive true freedom, and are transformed into God's image and likeness.

This amazing life in the Spirit is the first payment, the pledge of our inheritance. We won't live long enough to personally experience the fulfillment of many of God's promises. By the Spirit, however, we will experience a few of God's wondrous works. These initial experiences confirm us in our faith that everything else the Lord has promised will be done (see Jos 23:14). Those of us who are alive in the Spirit have seen enough of God's glory to know that it's all true. Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit!

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, be as active as possible in my life.

PROMISE: "Fear nothing, then. You are worth more than a flock of sparrows." –Lk 12:7

PRAISE: St. Ignatius advised his flock: "Turn a deaf ear to the talk of anyone whose language has nothing to do with Jesus Christ."

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Thursday, October 16 2014; Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 470

Reading 1
eph 1:1-10

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
to the holy ones who are in Ephesus
and faithful in Christ Jesus:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.

In Christ we have redemption by his Blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
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. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.

Gospel
lk 11:47-54

The Lord said:
“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets 
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute’
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.”
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: HEAD UP

"God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery, the plan He was pleased to decree in Christ, to be carried out in the fullness of time: namely, to bring all things in the heavens and on earth into one under Christ's headship." –Ephesians 1:9-10

God's plan is to "bring all things in the heavens and on earth into one under Christ's headship." Jesus promised: "And I – once I am lifted up from earth – will draw all men to Myself" (Jn 12:32). We must let ourselves be drawn to Jesus and then be in right relationship to Him, the Head of His body. Then we will fulfill God's plan. Our job is to work so that everyone will be under Christ, the Head, in everything. Thus, Jesus should be recognized as the Head of state as well as the Head of the Church. Jesus should head up our businesses, schools, hospitals, ministries, marriages, families, and homes. We should recognize Jesus as the Head of all boards, committees, councils, and meetings.

When we let Jesus head us up, we then begin to be in proper relationship not only with Him but also with each other. We and those around us fall into place. Then we are happy and content because we are who we were created to be. We are not dislocated but healed (see Heb 12:13). We no longer feel like misfits; we finally are at home. For years, we have tried to use our own heads to get our lives together, only to become even more fragmented and scattered. Let us now let Jesus head up our lives so that we can become one with Him and His body in an amazing way.

PRAYER: Jesus, I choose You for my Head.

PROMISE: "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God." –Ps 98:3

PRAISE: St. Hedwig and her husband were married for fifty-two years. They dedicated their marriage to the Lord Jesus, raised six children, and were only known to have had two disagreements.

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Wednesday, October 15 2014; Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 469

Reading 1
gal 5:18-25

Brothers and sisters:
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. 

Responsorial Psalm
ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

Gospel
lk 11:42-46

The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces. 
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: FLESHING IT OUT

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires." –Galatians 5:24

By "the flesh," the Bible refers to our fallen human nature. "The tendency of the flesh is toward death" (Rm 8:6). "The flesh in its tendency is at enmity with God; it is not subject to God's law. Indeed, it cannot be; those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rm 8:7-8). A few of the works of the flesh are: "lewd conduct, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, bickering, jealousy, outbursts of rage, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like" (Gal 5:19-21). The flesh can be used to enslave us (see Rm 7:14) and will try to start a civil war against our own souls (1 Pt 2:11). Therefore, it is unrealistic and foolish to make provisions for the desires of the flesh (see Rm 13:14; 8:12). The flesh must not only be controlled, but crucified (Gal 5:24). Otherwise, we will stifle the Spirit (see Gal 5:17), become slaves, and destroy ourselves.

We crucify "the flesh with its passions and desires" by living in the Spirit and following the Spirit's lead (Gal 5:25). The Spirit lusts "against the flesh; the two are directly opposed" (Gal 5:17). "If you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the evil deeds of the body, you will live" (Rm 8:13). The Holy Spirit wants to get all our attention, time, and energy. Then there's nothing left for the flesh, which then dies of neglect and starvation. Even when the flesh tries to assert itself, its desires are ignored because of our immersion into, that is, baptism in the Spirit. May we live in the Spirit and with the Spirit in us. May we be so Spirit-filled that there is no room for the flesh.

PRAYER: Father, may I love You so much that I will crucify my flesh and be crucified to the world (Gal 6:14).

PROMISE: "In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity." –Gal 5:22-23

PRAISE: St. Teresa wrote: "How different (our love) would be, how much more like that of heaven, if we really knew our Lord!"

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