Tuesday - September 05, 2017
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.
- Mother Teresa
TODAY'S READINGS
September 5, 2017
Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 432
Reading 11 THES 5:1-6, 9-11
Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters,you have no need for anything to be written to you.
For you yourselves know very well
that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.
When people are saying, "Peace and security,"
then sudden disaster comes upon them,
like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,
and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,
for that day to overtake you like a thief.
For all of you are children of the light
and children of the day.
We are not of the night or of darkness.
Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,
but let us stay alert and sober.
For God did not destine us for wrath,
but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep
we may live together with him.
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up,
as indeed you do.
Responsorial PsalmPS 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
AlleluiaLK 7:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 4:31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!"
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
"What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out."
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
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The Authority of Love
Today's Gospel reading tells us how powerful Christ's authority was -- and still is. We see him heal a man who did not ask for healing.
Why do you think he could cast out that man's demon? Because he was God? Ahhh, but he hadn't yet defeated Satan by sacrificing himself on the cross and conquering death. At this point in salvation history, Jesus had only defeated Satan on a personal level (remember how he faced temptations in the desert).
Was it because the man was ready to repent from the sins that had attracted the evil spirit? There's no indication of this. Jesus often drove demons out of unconverted people. So, where did he get his authority?
Simply put, the Father gave it to him. And then Jesus passed it on to his disciples (see Luke 10:19), which now includes you!
Authority was one of the temptations that Satan had offered to Jesus in Luke 4:5-8. There are two kinds of authority: good and evil. Good authority is based on love. Jesus didn't cast out demons because he could. He did it because he cared.
Demons hate love. They can't stand being around it. That's why they're always fighting against it, always seeking ways to break up marriages and holy friendships. What loving relationship are you in which is under attack?
Perfect love contains all the power of God, because he IS love. Perfect love means caring so completely about others that we're willing to go to the cross for them. A wounded marriage, for example, is healed when both spouses make sacrifices for each other, which is a cross that defeats division.
The cross is never fun nor is it easy. Many of us try to get around it by relying solely on prayers such as "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle ...." Overcoming evil requires more than prayer. It requires personal sacrifice.
Wicked authority seeks to make the self more important. It controls others, it oppresses others, it ignores the needs and wants of others, it rejects opportunities to serve others, it neglects to empower others to use their own God-given authority.
Whenever we intercede for others and pray for help, we can rely on our Savior's authority, but we must not suppose that he's going to do anything other than what is most loving for everyone. This usually means no quick fix, but as we use the time to grow stronger in our ability to love others unconditionally and sacrificially, we get lots of opportunities to learn how to overcome evil with love. In this way, Jesus passes his authority on to us.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to recognize the areas of my life that need to be delivered by You. Teach me, with Your Spirit, the path of hope, simplicity and full trust in You. 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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