Tuesday - October 31, 2017
“If anyone does not believe that Holy Mary is the Mother of God, he is severed from the Godhead. If anyone should assert that He passed through the Virgin as through a channel, and was not at once divinely and humanly formed in her (divinely, because without the intervention of a man; humanly, because in accordance with the laws of gestation), he is in like manner godless.”
-- Saint Gregory Nazianzen
TODAY'S READINGS
October 31, 2017
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 480
Reading 1ROM 8:18-25
Brothers and sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees for itself is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees for itself is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
Responsorial PsalmPS 126:1B-2AB, 2CD-3, 4-5, 6
R. (3a) The Lord has done marvels for us.
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. The Lord has done marvels for us.
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. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
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. The Lord has done marvels for us.
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. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
AlleluiaSEE MT 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches."
Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened."
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 13:18-21
Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like?To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches."
Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened."
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The reign of God in the midst of our sufferings
One of the signs that God's kingdom is here, now, rather than only in heaven or after the Second Coming of Christ, is the fact that in times of trouble there is hope. There is faith. There is trust in God. There's even joy!
These proofs of God's reign usually start very small, like tiny mustard seeds or granules of yeast, as Jesus points out in today's Gospel reading. If we have even the smallest hope, a tiny portion of faith, a wee bit of trust, or a little joy, and if we plant it in the soil of our sufferings where our tears water our prayers, or if we knead it in the dough of our struggles and let it rise in the warmth of our friendship with Christ, it grows. We reap countless blessings.
The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of ministry. Jesus ministers to you and asks you to minister to others. The field of our hardships can either produce pointless sufferings and wasted time and destruction, leaving us with scars that never fully heal and grief that never ends, or it can produce a ministry of outreach and compassion, blessing others as Jesus ministers to them through us, and giving us many reasons to rejoice.
To experience the reign of God in our lives right now, right here in our present pain, we must turn to Jesus to be ministered to and allow him to use our sufferings for the sake of others, like he showed us to do by the example of his own life. It's only when we can see good coming from our hardships that our grief becomes joy and our tears become seeds that sprout into blessed fruits of God's Kingdom.
Our first reading today shows us the attitude of one who lives in God: "I consider the sufferings of the present to be as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us." The reign of God is not a quick fix or a snap of God's almighty finger to produce a magical solution that stops every evil that we cover in prayer. It takes time. And for good reason!
As more dough gets added to our lives, more yeast is required, but the result is a bigger bread that can feed more people. The larger the field that gets fertilized and tilled when we get plowed over with life's difficulties, the more seeds of God's Kingdom we can sow, producing a larger crop and providing more of God's Kingdom to the world.
The reign of God is the glory revealed even -- maybe even especially -- in the midst of our sufferings. It's the glory that's revealed in you and me and through you and me. It's, as Saint Paul calls it, hope.
Our hope is based on the redemptive power of Christ's sacrificial love. Someday, our earthly sufferings will end at the redemption of our bodies as we leave earth in the embrace of Jesus. In the meantime, by his redemptive love, our willingness to minister to others transforms all of our sacrifices into great goodness and tremendous glories here on earth.
Prayer
Lord, You have given me the gift of Faith in my baptism. Help me to make it grow every day, surrendering my pain to You, awaiting Your awesome work. 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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