Monday - August 21, 2017
"If we but paused for a moment to consider attentively what takes place in this Sacrament, I am sure that the thought of Christ's love for us would transform the coldness of our hearts into a fire of love and gratitude."
- St. Angela of Foligno
TODAY'S READINGS
August 21, 2017
Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Lectionary: 419
Reading 1JGS2:11-19
The children of Israel offended the LORD by serving the Baals.Abandoning the LORD, the God of their fathers,
who led them out of the land of Egypt,
they followed the other gods of the various nations around them,
and by their worship of these gods provoked the LORD.
Because they had thus abandoned him and served Baal and the Ashtaroth,
the anger of the LORD flared up against Israel,
and he delivered them over to plunderers who despoiled them.
He allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies round about
whom they were no longer able to withstand.
Whatever they undertook, the LORD turned into disaster for them,
as in his warning he had sworn he would do,
till they were in great distress.
Even when the LORD raised up judges to deliver them
from the power of their despoilers,
they did not listen to their judges,
but abandoned themselves to the worship of other gods.
They were quick to stray from the way their fathers had taken,
and did not follow their example of obedience
to the commandments of the LORD.
Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge
and save them from the power of their enemies
as long as the judge lived;
it was thus the LORD took pity on their distressful cries
of affliction under their oppressors.
But when the judge died,
they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors,
following other gods in service and worship,
relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct.
Responsorial PsalmPS 106:34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 43AB AND 44
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.They did not exterminate the peoples,
as the LORD had commanded them,
But mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They became defiled by their works,
and wanton in their crimes.
And the LORD grew angry with his people,
and abhorred his inheritance.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Many times did he rescue them,
but they embittered him with their counsels.
Yet he had regard for their affliction
when he heard their cry.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
AlleluiaMT 5:3
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 19:16-22
A young man approached Jesus and said,"Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
He asked him, "Which ones?"
And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
The young man said to him,
"All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
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How to reach heaven
The young man in the Gospel reading today thought he was doing everything right, yet something made him feel uncertain about it. Something made him ask Jesus how to gain eternal life.
When I pose the question to Catholics, "Do you know if you're going to heaven?" many say no, they hope so, but they're not sure. These are good Christian Catholics, not pew-sitters who show up at church only out of the fear of hell, unaffected by the transforming power of the Eucharist, doing little during the week to grow closer to God. These are people who dearly love the Lord, confess their sins, and happily serve the Church with their gifts and talents.
When I ask if they mean they'll probably stop in purgatory first, they usually reply that they just don't know. Purgatory is not the problem. What if -- this is what they ask me -- what if, before they die, due to their imperfections they turn away from Jesus?
Notice that Jesus didn't tell his young questioner that he wasn't going to reach heaven unless he became perfect. Keeping the commandments was enough, but to add treasures to his home in heaven, he would need to detach himself from earthly possessions.
Jesus wasn't concerned about the guy having too much. He was concerned about his priorities. Here was a good lad who dutifully obeyed all the laws. Why? So that he could gain something (everlasting life). Notice that it was all about Self: What do I get out of it?
The real treasures of life are the ones we share with others. Consider which commandments Jesus quoted on this occasion. He left out the ones that focus on our relationship with God. He listed only those that deal with how we treat people. Jesus gave him a challenge that, if he worked on it and wrestled with it and accepted it, would help him outgrow his selfishness.
As long as we love others, we can be sure that we are not turning away from Jesus. And if we love Jesus and understand that he died because he loves us, there's no doubt about it, we will get into heaven (although probably with the help of purgatory's purging), for God is love, and if we have love, we have God, and if we have God, we have eternal life with him.
If our fears are true about someday turning our backs on the Lord, then it's because we're already doing it by turning our backs on the people who need our love. Lawful obedience to God's commandments produces loving actions toward others unless we're obeying merely for "What do I get out of it?"
Our heaven-bound holiness shows up in the way we treat others, what we share with them, and the mercy that we give to those who are difficult to love. This is the treasure we will never want to give up, for it means we have truly embraced Jesus and the reasons why he died. Eternal life in heaven is a sure thing.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Make my heart be always rooted in You. Deliver me from everything that might take away my freedom to follow You wherever you lead me. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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