SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Saturday - August 31, 2019

Saturday - August 31, 2019

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. 

-- Saint Francis de Sales  

 

August 31 2019

 

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Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 430

Reading 11 THES 4:9-11

Brothers and sisters:
On the subject of fraternal charity
you have no need for anyone to write you,
for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.
Indeed, you do this for all the brothers throughout Macedonia.
Nevertheless we urge you, brothers and sisters, to progress even more,
and to aspire to live a tranquil life,
to mind your own affairs,
and to work with your own hands,
as we instructed you.

Responsorial PsalmPS 98:1, 7-8, 9

R.(9) The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.

AlleluiaJN 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 25:14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"A man going on a journey 
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– 
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master's money.
After a long time 
the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents
came forward bringing the additional five.
He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.'
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
'Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.'
His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master's joy.'
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.'
His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then!  Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"

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Why does God favor the ungodly?  

You might have noted that people we consider to be ungodly are thriving in all their undertakings. They hold high positions in societies, have more than enough money in their bank accounts, etc. while the 'God-fearing' ones are wallowing in abject poverty. In your opinion:

1. What is behind the success of 'bad' people?
2. Do you think God has any merit for loving such people?
3. What should the 'God-fearing' people do to earn the Creator's grace such as that being lavished on 'bad' people?

In my answer, first, I'd like to explain that God does not favor sinners. However, there are times when we who are followers of Christ feel let down by God. We expect to be favored more than sinners. We assume that if we are good, if we are obedient to God, if we follow Christ, if we pray for help, then of course God should reward us with the answers to our prayers and with prosperity and other good things. But we cannot manipulate God. No one can earn God's favor nor his help. It is a sin to try, because it's thinking of ourselves as "better" than God. It's treating God as if we should be able to manipulate him by our good deeds.

What happens when we seek God's help but it doesn't work out the way we expect? When we see non-believers having more success than us in the same things we were hoping God would help us with? We feel like God is treating us less favorably than others. That's a very limited view of what's really happening.  Now I will address the three questions specifically.

1. What is behind the success of 'bad' people? We have all been created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). We are all God's children. Therefore, all have talents that, when put to use, help us become successful. Those non-believers who are very prosperous have been using the talents that God gave them. The same principle is available to believers as much as to non-believers. God wants us to use the talents he gave us, regardless of whether or not we recognize him as the Father of our talents. Of course he wants us to glorify him with our talents, because then we become his partner in making the world into a better place. But when someone fails to glorify him, he doesn't make the sinner talent-less. Some of the things they do with their talents will inadvertently glorify him!

2. Do you think God has any merit for loving such people? God is love, and it is impossible for God to be unloving. It is impossible for God to stop loving anyone. Love is not love if it withholds itself from anyone. And therefore, God is not God if he withholds himself from anyone. See? It is quite impossible for God to not love such people!

It's not about "merit". God is not trying to earn anyone's approval -- not the sinner's nor ours. If by the word "merit" you mean "reason" or "purpose", then yes, he has a purpose: His reason for loving sinners is to be true to himself. He loves because he is love. Beyond that, he loves because love can heal, love can promote change, love can convert hearts. No one is converted -- truly changed -- without love influencing them. No one embraces God and his ways out of fear of God and fear of going to hell. Fear can stop a person in his tracks, but it doesn't turn him toward love.

3. What should the 'God-fearing' people do to earn the Creator's grace such as that being lavished on 'bad' people? It cannot be earned! Grace is -- by its very nature -- a freely given gift by God that helps us grow closer to him. It is withheld from no one, but in fact, followers of Christ are more aware of the grace that he makes available and therefore live in the Creator's grace more than non-believers do.

Keep your eyes on Jesus!
And when you have to look at others, see them through his eyes.  

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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!”