Saturday, October 15 2016 Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1 Eph 1:15-23

Brothers and sisters:
Hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus
and of your love for all the holy ones,
I do not cease giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers,
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the Church,
which is his Body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 8:2-3ab, 4-5, 6-7

R. (7) You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
O LORD, our LORD,
how glorious is your name over all the earth!
You have exalted your majesty above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings
you have fashioned praise because of your foes.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place—
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

Alleluia Jn 15:26b, 27a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 12:8-12

Jesus said to his disciples: 
“I tell you,
everyone who acknowledges me before others
the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever denies me before others
will be denied before the angels of God.

“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say. 
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

REFLECTION 

LOVING THE MOST DEPRIVED

"I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men – the Son of Man will acknowledge him before the angels of God." –Luke 12:8

Several billion people desperately need to be introduced to Jesus, the only Way, Truth, Life (Jn 14:6), Savior (Acts 4:12), and God. The most deprived people in the world are those who have not come to know, love, and worship Jesus. Until we give our lives to Jesus, we have not begun to fully live.

Consequently, because life in Christ is most important, and because God Who is Love (1 Jn 4:8, 16) wants the best for everyone, the Lord must insist that we acknowledge Him before men. He must hold us accountable if we don't acknowledge Him (Lk 12:8-10). To strongly encourage us to invite others to live for Jesus, the Lord even promised to send the Holy Spirit, Who will teach us "all that should be said" at the moment when we are sharing our faith (Lk 12:12).

All we need is faith and love, and the Lord must and will make us great evangelizers and missionaries. Therefore, because we believe in Jesus and because we love the most deprived people in the world, let us center our lives around sharing our faith. In love, what else can we do?

PRAYER:	Father, may love impel me to speak of Your love (see 2 Cor 5:14). May I never be ashamed of Jesus and His Gospel (Rm 1:16).
PROMISE:	"May He enlighten your innermost vision that you may know the great hope to which He has called you, the wealth of His glorious heritage to be distributed among the members of the Church, and the immeasurable scope of His power in us who believe." –Eph 1:18-19
PRAISE:	St. Teresa chose religious life because she knew how prone to sin she was. She prayed daily for the coming of the Holy Spirit in her life.

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Friday, October 14 2016 Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

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.

Alleluia Ps 33:22

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May your kindness, LORD, be upon us;
who have put our hope in you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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 

BAPTISMAL "RICHNESS AND RESPONSIBILITY"

"In [Christ] we were chosen." –Ephesians 1:11

We Christians have been baptized into Jesus and, consequently, into His death and Resurrection (Rm 6:3-4). We have been baptized into Jesus and into His priesthood, prophetic ministry, and kingship (see 1 Pt 2:9). "In [Christ] we were chosen" (Eph 1:11; see also 1:13). In and with Him, we are heirs of God's kingdom (Rm 8:17; see also Eph 1:14). Baptized into Christ, we inherit the grace to be holy, pure, and free.

The ramifications of our Baptisms are so monumental and plentiful that we will spend eternity better appreciating "the radical newness of the Christian life that comes from Baptism" (Lay Members of Christ's Faithful People, Pope St. John Paul II, 10; see also Rm 6:3). Therefore, the bishops of the 1987 Synod recommended to baptized Catholics "a post-baptismal catechesis in the form of a catechumenate...with the purpose of allowing a person to grasp and live the immense, extraordinary richness and responsibility received at Baptism" (Lay Members, 61).

Our Baptisms are the basis for God's greatest gifts to us. This extraordinary richness gives us extraordinary responsibility. If we do not fully develop our Baptisms, we are seriously failing in stewardship. "When much has been given a man, much will be required of him. More will be asked of a man to whom more has been entrusted" (Lk 12:48). Fully develop your Baptism.

PRAYER:	Father, I renew my baptismal promises as never before.
PROMISE:	"Fear nothing, then." –Lk 12:7
PRAISE:	Pope St. Callistus made enemies by being merciful to sinners.

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Thursday, October 13 2016 Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

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.

Alleluia Jn 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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 

IN HIM

"God chose us in Him." –Ephesians 1:4

We have been baptized into Christ (Rm 6:3). Therefore, we are baptized into His Body, the Church (1 Cor 12:13), which has been given "every spiritual blessing in the heavens" (Eph 1:3). In Jesus, we have been chosen by God "before the world began, to be holy and blameless in His sight, to be full of love; He likewise predestined us through Christ Jesus to be His adopted sons" and daughters (Eph 1:4-5). "It is in Christ and through His blood that we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven" (Eph 1:7). "God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery, the plan He was pleased to decree in Christ" (Eph 1:9).

In summary, in Christ we are gifted, chosen, holy, loved, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and enlightened. The meaning of life is to be in Christ (see Jn 6:56; 15:5). "It pleased God to make absolute fullness reside in [Jesus] and, by means of Him, to reconcile everything in His Person" (Col 1:19-20).

We have been baptized into Christ. Live in Christ, and "remain in Him now, little ones" (1 Jn 2:28).

PRAYER:	Father, may I celebrate with great joy my baptismal anniversary each year and each day.
PROMISE:	"Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wondrous deeds." –Ps 98:1
PRAISE:	Pat studied the writings of The Early Church Fathers and, because of what he learned, he made the decision to become a Catholic.

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Wednesday, October 12 2016 Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

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.

Alleluia Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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 

ZAP!

"Woe to you! You are like hidden tombs over which men walk unawares." –Luke 11:44

There are false Christians (see 2 Cor 11:26). Like the moon, these Christians may reflect just enough of the light of Christ to attract others. What little light they reflect may attract some who seek escape from the darkness of sin (see 2 Cor 11:13-15). However, these false Christians are like a "bug-zapper" light. If those unfortunate, searching souls get too close to the false Christians, their fledgling faith is zapped and killed as surely as if they fell into a hidden tomb (Lk 11:44; Mt 23:15).

We must always examine our life to see if we are completely radiating the light of Christ. We may talk about Jesus and temporarily attract people. But are we then leading people who search for Jesus further away from Him? Do our lifestyles, words, or actions influence others to: 

• be more fear-filled than faith-filled, 
• sin in thought, word, or deed, 
• stifle the Spirit (1 Thes 5:19) rather than fan the Spirit's flame (2 Tm 1:6), 
• talk about their problems rather than bring them to Jesus, 
• trust in their own provision rather than God's, or 
• contracept or abort their children? 

Jesus says it would be better for us to be drowned in the sea with a great millstone around our neck rather than lead astray a simple believer, such as our child or family member, who comes to us (Mt 18:6). Therefore, we must be always watchful lest we fall (1 Cor 10:12) and lead others away from Jesus.

PRAYER:	Jesus, set me aflame in the fire of Your love.
PROMISE:	"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires." –Gal 5:24
PRAISE:	It took years before Sarah prayed her sister back into the Church, but she never gave up.

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Tuesday, October 11 2016 Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

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.

Alleluia Heb 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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 

THE OUTS AND INS

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

After Jesus told the Pharisees to cleanse the inside as well as the outside (Lk 11:39-40), He surprisingly encouraged them to give alms, an external activity. By this, Jesus showed that the way to cleanse the inside can be through the outside. For example, drinking to excess is an outside symptom of an inside problem. However, by dealing with the excessive drinking, you may get to its root and thereby cleanse the inside.

We should ask ourselves which external activities called for by the Church and the Bible disturb us the most inside. Possibly going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a problem for you. Even thinking about external activities like apologizing, sharing our faith, tithing, giving alms, and serving the poor may disturb us. Some of these external activities which are so heart-wrenching can be used by the Lord to cleanse our hearts.

Jesus is saying to us: "If you , all will be wiped clean for you." How does the Lord want you to fill in the blank of that sentence? What outside act expresses a willingness to be cleansed inside? Something from inside is hanging outside. By God's grace, pull on it and pull out the impurities from your heart.

PRAYER:	"A clean heart create for me, O God" (Ps 51:12).
PROMISE:	"It is in the Spirit that we eagerly await the justification we hope for, and only faith can yield it." –Gal 5:5
PRAISE:	Steven finally accepted that sterilization was not God's will and had his vasectomy reversed.

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Monday, October 10 2016 Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

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.

Alleluia Ps 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
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 

CONCENTRATION CRAMP

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

Would a free man who once had been a prisoner of war ever voluntarily return to his former concentration camp to live? "Unthinkable!" (Gal 2:17)

Yet God's people do this constantly. The Israelites escaped the slavery of Egypt, but when times got rough, they preferred to return to flogging and constant brickmaking as long as they could eat their fish, cucumbers, melons, and garlic (Nm 11:4-5). The Galatians began in the Spirit, but returned to the works of the flesh (Gal 3:3). Some of you fell in love with Jesus, but later returned to your sins, in the same disgusting way that "the dog returns to its vomit" (2 Pt 2:22).

When we take our eyes off Jesus, we fall away from our first love for Him (Rv 2:4). The world entices us with its allurements and seductions (1 Jn 2:16-17). After we've taken our eyes off of Jesus for a long enough period of time, amazingly the chains of slavery start to look good. In fact, the saint-turned-sinner actually prefers the old chains, saying, "I find the old wine better" (Lk 5:39). This is hell on earth – a preview of hell eternal – when we choose to be separated from Jesus.

Repent! Concentrate on Jesus! (Heb 3:1)

PRAYER:	Jesus, save me from myself and my poor choices.
PROMISE:	"From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the Lord to be praised." –Ps 113:3
PRAISE:	Larry has come to value frequent Confession. Praise You, Jesus, for forgiving our sins.

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Sunday, October 9 2016 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 2 Kgs 5:14-17

Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of Elisha, the man of God. 
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,
and he was clean of his leprosy.

Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. 
On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said,
“Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel.
Please accept a gift from your servant.”

Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;”
and despite Naaman's urging, he still refused. 
Naaman said: “If you will not accept,
please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth,
for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice
to any other god except to the LORD.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
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 revealed to the nations his saving power.
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 revealed to the nations his saving power.
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 revealed to the nations his saving power.

Reading 2 2 Tm 2:8-13

Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, 
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

Alleluia 1 Thess 5:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In all circumstances, give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed. 
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”

REFLECTION 

THE 90% CONGREGATION

"Where are the other nine?" –Luke 17:17

The Samaritan leper ignores Jesus' command to go show himself to the priest. He follows his heart and not Jesus' order. In so doing, he commits an act of "religious disobedience." Presumably, when told to go his way by Jesus (Lk 17:19), he does follow Jesus' command and shows himself to the priests. This was the prescription given for healed lepers in the law of Moses (Lv 13:9-13). Jesus approves of a grateful heart, telling the healed man that his faith, expressed by praise and thanksgiving (Lk 17:15, 18), has been his salvation (Lk 17:19).

Jesus also asks the whereabouts of the other nine men (Lk 17:17). Could He be asking the same question of the congregation in our Mass today? Are most people in your congregation simply fulfilling their Sunday obligation to obey the Church? Are ninety-percent of the people in your parish attending Mass on "auto-pilot" to mechanically "pray, pay, and obey"? Jesus works many healings through reception of the Eucharist, so attending Mass is always a worthy act, even if done mechanically.

The word Eucharist means "thanksgiving." Therefore, praise, glorify, and thank the Lord today. "Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness" (Col 3:15). Continue to obey the Lord and His Church, but do so with gladness (Ps 100:2), praise (Ps 98:4), and thanksgiving (Col 3:17). Prostrate yourself before the Lord and thank Him.

PRAYER:	Father, let there be an epidemic of praise and thanksgiving in Your Church, "and let it begin with me."
PROMISE:	"There is no chaining the word of God!" –2 Tm 2:9
PRAISE:	Risen Jesus, I fall on my face at Your feet and speak Your praises. All praise, honor, thanksgiving, and glory be to You!

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