Thursday - September 27, 2018
A great means to preserve continual peace and tranquility of soul is to receive everything from the hands of God, both great and small, and in whatever way it comes.
--St. Dorotheus
September 27, 2018
Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
Lectionary: 452
Reading 1ECCL 1:2-11
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays.
The sun rises and the sun goes down;
then it presses on to the place where it rises.
Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north,
the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.
All rivers go to the sea,
yet never does the sea become full.
To the place where they go,
the rivers keep on going.
All speech is labored;
there is nothing one can say.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing
nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.
What has been, that will be;
what has been done, that will be done.
Nothing is new under the sun.
Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!"
has already existed in the ages that preceded us.
There is no remembrance of the men of old;
nor of those to come will there be any remembrance
among those who come after them.
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays.
The sun rises and the sun goes down;
then it presses on to the place where it rises.
Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north,
the wind turns again and again, resuming its rounds.
All rivers go to the sea,
yet never does the sea become full.
To the place where they go,
the rivers keep on going.
All speech is labored;
there is nothing one can say.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing
nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.
What has been, that will be;
what has been done, that will be done.
Nothing is new under the sun.
Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!"
has already existed in the ages that preceded us.
There is no remembrance of the men of old;
nor of those to come will there be any remembrance
among those who come after them.
Responsorial PsalmPS 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 AND 17BC
R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, "Return, O children of men."
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, "Return, O children of men."
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
AlleluiaJN 14:6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 9:7-9
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
"John has been raised from the dead";
others were saying, "Elijah has appeared";
still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."
But Herod said, "John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?"
And he kept trying to see him.
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
"John has been raised from the dead";
others were saying, "Elijah has appeared";
still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."
But Herod said, "John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?"
And he kept trying to see him.
******************************
Curiosity Should Lead To Heavenly Experiences
In today's Gospel reading, Herod is described as "very curious" to see Jesus. By now, he's heard a lot about this miracle worker from Nazareth. He knows that there's something special about him. Herod was like the people who flock to healing services today looking for miracles but not for Jesus. When he finally met Jesus personally, the encounter did not change him. Why not?
The answer is in the first reading. Everything that is not of heaven is only temporary. In the long view of eternity, anything that has no lasting value is meaningless, worthless, and we hold onto it in vain. When we focus on what is temporal, when we base our values on worldly standards, and when we strive only for a more comfortable, easy life here on earth, we cannot see who Jesus really is, we cannot understand his teachings, and the cross seems like nothing more than an instrument of torture and destruction.
We are all creatures of curiosity. We get excited over miracles, and new discoveries fascinate us, but if they don't enhance our relationship with Christ, they only benefit our lives for a short time. Spiritual discoveries benefit us forever. Herod did not want to know Jesus where it mattered, in his spirit. He did not want God's touch to change him. When we don't let Jesus change us - when we don't give him the freedom to affect whatever in our lives is temporal - our accomplishments are ultimately worthless and vain.
We enjoy adventure. We go on pilgrimages and tours to places of new discovery. We attend up-lifting conferences and special church events to get mountaintop experiences, but it's all temporary. While the mountaintop brings us closer to God, the time spent there is wasted unless we're eternally changed by it - a change that is evidenced in the valley.
Your problems are temporary, too, including those that seem unending. But if in your sufferings there's no change that transfigures your soul and radiates Jesus outward, any relief you get from the resolution of the problem is temporary and vain.
If you've ever visited the Holy Land, you've seen the temporal side of Jesus. The places where he once walked and healed and preached the kingdom of God are viewable only as aging churches, faded icons, worn-down Byzantine tiles and crumbling stone. We can stand atop Mount Tabor where Jesus was transfigured, and although we are awed by being there, if there is no change that transfigures our souls and radiates Jesus outward from us, it's been a meaningless and vain experience.
For our lives to be filled with lasting value, we have to be curious about what Jesus wants to do in our spirits. Our excitement must be based on the changes that will bless the kingdom of God forever.
Today's Prayer
Praised be to You, Jesus! You are the Savior and King of our lives. In You is the fullness, reason and strength for all our existence. That's how I recognize You and receive You in my heart. Amen.
God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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