Tuesday - July 25, 2017
'God inclines to shower His graces upon us, but our perverted will is a barrier to His generosity.'
~~St. Ignatius of Loyola
TODAY'S READINGS
July 25, 2017
Feast of Saint James, Apostle
Lectionary: 605
Reading 12 COR 4:7-15
Brothers and sisters:We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke,
we too believe and therefore speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
Responsorial PsalmPS 126:1BC-2AB, 2CD-3, 4-5, 6
R. (5) Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
AlleluiaSEE JN 15:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 20:20-28
The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sonsand did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her,
"What do you wish?"
She answered him,
"Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom."
Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"
They said to him, "We can."
He replied,
"My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
******************************
The treasure within!
Saint James "the Greater", the Apostle whose Feast Day we celebrate today, was one of the sons of Zebedee mentioned in our Gospel reading today.
James started his Christian journey as a very impulsive, self-centered young man. Even after hearing Jesus preach about unconditional love, he told Jesus to destroy the villages that had rejected them and their ministry. And even after hearing Jesus teach about humility, he dared to ask Jesus (through Mom) for a place of honor in God's kingdom.
Praise God, James eventually developed a true understanding of Christ's message!
We are all earthen vessels -- imperfect, shaped too much by the world around us, easily cracked, not very beautiful -- but nonetheless holding a heavenly treasure within, as it says in today's first reading. That treasure is God's love. It's a treasure that's meant to be shared. Although we are chipped and cracked, we are like the chalice that holds the Precious Blood of Jesus during communion at Mass, pouring Christ out to others.
That treasure is God himself, and as such it makes us holy even when we sin. Unless we deliberately reject God (a mortal sin), we remain essentially holy because we were made in his image and we have been baptized into his likeness. We don't always act holy, but we do always have God's Holy Spirit within us.
How much we act like Jesus is how much we have allowed the Holy Spirit to purify our lives.
The Lord gives us room to learn from our mistakes and repent from our sins. He gives us opportunity after opportunity to figure out what we did wrong -- not to condemn us but so that we can learn from it. Repentance means change. What matters more than confessing our sins is the effort that we put into improving our behavior after we repent of our sins.
If we desire to be holy and we basically keep moving in the right direction, toward heaven's perfection, God is very pleased with us.
Notice that Jesus did not condemn James and John for wanting places of glory. Nor did he criticize their mother for wanting her boys to have the best. He recognized their potential and understood their inability to see the full picture of what it means to be tops in God's kingdom.
As earthen vessels tended by God's loving hands, our cracks are healed through the Sacraments of Confession, Eucharist, and the Anointing of the Sick. Eventually, we will become golden chalices, perfected by the refining fires of Purgatory where demons and temptations can no longer interfere with our purification.
When you get mad at yourself for failing to be holy and perfect, remember Saint James. In fact, ask Saint James to pray for you. He knows exactly how to help you.
------------------------------
God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
No comments:
Post a Comment