Saturday - September 30, 2017
... all creatures under heaven, according to their nature, know, serve, and obey their Creator better than you; the devils did not crucify him, but you, incited by them, have crucified him, and still crucify him when you delight in vice and sin.
~~St. Francis of Assisi
TODAY'S READINGS
September 30, 2017
Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 454
Reading 1ZEC 2:5-9, 14-15A
I, Zechariah, raised my eyes and looked:there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.
I asked, "Where are you going?"
He answered, "To measure Jerusalem,
to see how great is its width and how great its length."
Then the angel who spoke with me advanced,
and another angel came out to meet him and said to him,
"Run, tell this to that young man:
People will live in Jerusalem as though in open country,
because of the multitude of men and beasts in her midst.
But I will be for her an encircling wall of fire, says the LORD,
and I will be the glory in her midst."
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people and he will dwell among you.
Responsorial PsalmJEREMIAH 31:10, 11-12AB, 13
R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd guards his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD's blessings.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
AlleluiaSEE 2 TM 1:10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Our Savior Christ Jesus destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 9:43B-45
While they were all amazed at his every deed,Jesus said to his disciples,
"Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men."
But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them
so that they should not understand it,
and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
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How to understand what Jesus says to you
Has it happened to you that you do not understand what God tells you or asks you, or that the time he takes to answer your prayers seems like forever? Sometimes it seems like he's not even listening to us. We call, we ask, we pray, we cry and we only feel the apparent silence of God. Isn't it so?
Does he hear what we say, what we ask, what we cry out to him? Yes! He is constantly listening to us and, even when we do not speak to him, he listens to our heart.
In today's world, with all the confusion that we're living through, if we do not cultivate our relationship with Jesus, if we do not get used to talking with him, telling him about our problems and listening to what he tells us, we will not understand where this world is headed. We will not know how to stand up for the truth and face the lies that this world wants us to believe. If we do not have a fluid dialogue with Jesus, through his Holy Spirit, the enemy will confuse us with his human logic and divert our steps from the path that God the Father has prepared for us.
It is more than necessary that we converse with Jesus, that we tell him about our sorrows, our joys, our plans. We need to pour our hearts into him so he can comfort us, restore us, renew us, and help us to walk the right path. We need his Holy Spirit to understand our world today and our role in it. I invite you to meditate and pray to be empowered by the Holy Spirit so that you too may experience the loving company of Jesus and talk to Him. Jesus wants to speak with you and hear from you. He is eager for you to approach him with the intimacy of heartfelt conversation.
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God Bless You.....
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