Saturday - November 17, 2018
God refuses only the person who does not admit his own weakness; He sends away only the unhappy proud person. You must "hold him" well and strongly, with a poor spirit, with a poor heart, with a life entirely poor...
--Saint Raphael Kalinowski
November 17, 2018
Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
Lectionary: 496
Reading 13 JN 5-8
Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers and sisters,
especially for strangers;
they have testified to your love before the Church.
Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey.
For they have set out for the sake of the Name
and are accepting nothing from the pagans.
Therefore, we ought to support such persons,
so that we may be co-workers in the truth.
especially for strangers;
they have testified to your love before the Church.
Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey.
For they have set out for the sake of the Name
and are accepting nothing from the pagans.
Therefore, we ought to support such persons,
so that we may be co-workers in the truth.
Responsorial PsalmPS 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaSEE 2 THES 2:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel,
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel,
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 18:1-8
Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, "There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.'
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'"
The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, "There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.'
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'"
The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
******************************
WHY IS GOD SLOW IN BRINGING JUSTICE?
In the parable about the widow who nagged the uncaring judge until he finally complied with her wishes, Jesus asks us, "Will not God (the Judge who does care) then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?" It's a question meant to make us go, "Oh, duh, of course he will!"
"Will he be slow to answer?" he continues. And then, in case we still don't get it, he says: "I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily."
Remember, this is a parable about the necessity to pray always without becoming weary. Think about it: If God were speedy when we call out to him for justice, there would be no need to keep praying. Right? This sure seems like a contradiction!
I have suffered more than a few injustices and, in each situation, I went running to God. And I'm still waiting for justice in most cases. What's up with that? Why he is slow to respond? Have I not nagged him enough? Probably you have encountered the same dilemma, too. Am I right?
The key to understanding what Jesus is teaching here is to separate -- in our minds and in our hopes -- God's justice from the worldly idea of justice. For example, in the guise of "justice", there's a lot of unjust social pressure nowadays to accept homosexual activity and cross-gender behavior as normal and healthy and good. In the guise of "justice", we are not allowed to research into it and look at possible unhealthy causes, and therapists are not allowed to help clients heal from traumatic events that contributed to their sexual preferences -- how unjust! And we who follow Christ, because we refuse to make moral compromises, are accused of being unjust.
My point is: We need to be careful about how we define "justice". There are lots of counterfeits of true justice vying for our acceptance. Vengeance is another one. Entitlement (as in, "give me, give me, give me, and give it to me for free, because I deserve it just for the asking, without working for it") is another. You can think of several more.
In today's world, we all need to examine our consciences for ways we have made compromises with counterfeits.
God is always slow to bring justice to these situations, because he waits for the unjust one to turn to him for repentance and purification before it's too late.
God is the author of holy justice. Holy justice is what Jesus did for us on the cross. It's what God does to bring us to eternal life in heaven. Our "final judgement day" is when we come face to face with Jesus as we pass away from earth. Will he find faith in us? If we want justice -- God's version of justice -- we don't want to accept any counterfeits.
Look to the past with gratitude.
Live the present with passion.
Move into the future with hope.
Find creative ways to proclaim the gospel of joy!
Live the present with passion.
Move into the future with hope.
Find creative ways to proclaim the gospel of joy!
(Wisdom by Pope Francis)
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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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