Saturday - October 19, 2019
"In
dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her
name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you
may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps.
With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall
never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception;
while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have
nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she
shows you favor, you shall reach the goal."
-
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
October 19 2019
Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
Lectionary: 472
Reading 1ROM 4:13, 16-18
Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
Responsorial PsalmPS 105:6-7, 8-9, 42-43
R.(8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
AlleluiaJN 15:26B, 27A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 12:8-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you,
everyone who acknowledges me before others
the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever denies me before others
will be denied before the angels of God.
"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
"I tell you,
everyone who acknowledges me before others
the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever denies me before others
will be denied before the angels of God.
"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
******************************
Who is the Holy Spirit?
What are the gifts of the Spirit? What are the fruits of life in the Spirit?
Until the disciples of Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the Third Person of the Trinity had not yet descended to the Earth to dwell here. After Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit came down to be incarnated, so to speak, in all believers -- not just the Apostles and not just for special occasions. God's Spirit has been living with us and dwelling within us ever since.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
It is this Person of the Holy Trinity who forgives sins and sanctifies souls. In the confessional, the priest sits in for Jesus and for the whole Body of Christ, the Church. But absolution is an action of the Holy Spirit.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:22-23)
... [Y]ou were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)
The Holy Spirit gives us the love of God, for our own enjoyment and to share with others, even those who are most difficult to love. The Holy Spirit is truth, provides truth, explains truth. The Holy Spirit dwells in our bodies and sanctifies them, therefore, the Holy Spirit will someday raise our bodies from death. The Holy Spirit strengthens our faith.
The gifts of the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the source of graces and gifts. What gifts? There are two kinds: those that sanctify us and those that grant extraordinary favors to help us in our Christian lives and ministries.
The book of Isaiah lists seven sanctifying gifts (Isaiah 11:2-3). In 1 Corinthians 12:6-11 (see also 1 Cor. 12:28-31 and Romans 12:6-8) there are nine extraordinary gifts (charismata) listed. These do not directly aid us in our sanctification, but the Holy Spirit provides them to help us do the will of the Lord in everyday life and in ministry. Unlike the seven sanctifying gifts, they are not bestowed equally among Christians but are provided according to need, our roles and purposes in the Body of Christ, and the specific situations into which Christ leads us.
The fruits of life in the Spirit
In addition to gifts of the Spirit, there are fruits of the Spirit, i.e., the products of a life lived closely connected to the Spirit of God. They are supernatural, because these fruits come directly from the Holy Spirit through our connection to him. The fruit of a life lived in God is good works.
We also have natural fruits that come from our own efforts. These are quite different than the fruits of the Spirit. They are the products of our deeds and works, they are not the deeds and works of the Spirit, which are the products of living in him and with him and through him. As good as they might be, they are not supernatural.
The fruits of the Spirit are good deeds and works that are done joyfully and with a strange peace in the soul. They are actions performed with amazing ease and enjoyment, despite our ordinary, human reluctance or inability. Any displeasure we feel about doing these works disappears, because the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us, is enjoying the work and glad to be doing it. And we, in him, take delight and feel great satisfaction from doing the good we accomplish -- we, in partnership with the Holy Spirit.
"Do not worry about your defense or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you, at the moment need it, what you should say." (From Saturday's Gospel reading)
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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