Sunday - October 06, 2019
Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.
~~St. Padre Pio
October 6 2019
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 141
Reading 1HAB 1:2-3; 2:2-4
How long, O LORD? I cry for help
but you do not listen!
I cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not intervene.
Why do you let me see ruin;
why must I look at misery?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and clamorous discord.
Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
if it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.
but you do not listen!
I cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not intervene.
Why do you let me see ruin;
why must I look at misery?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and clamorous discord.
Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
if it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.
Responsorial PsalmPS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading 22 TM 1:6-8, 13-14
Beloved:
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.
The word of the Lord remains forever.
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.
Alleluia1 PT 1:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.The word of the Lord remains forever.
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 17:5-10
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord replied,
"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, 'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
The Lord replied,
"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, 'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
******************************
Supernatural Faith
This Sunday's Gospel reading is disturbing. After doing a lot of hard work and offering it for the glory of God, the last thing we want to hear from him is: "You're an unprofitable servant."
Think of how hard you work. Whether it's at home or for a business or in ministry, we're never rewarded enough, right? Instead, we're given more work! At home, we try to relax after a busy day but one of the kids or an elderly relative needs help. On the job, we're given more work because our colleagues are either too lazy or they've been laid off. In the parish, most of the work gets done by only 10 to 20% of the people.
Jesus says that our reaction to all this should be: "Lord, I'm an unworthy servant of your kingdom, because I've only done what's expected of me." Is he implying that it's right to be burdened with more to do when we're tired? Not at all! What he is telling us is that there's a difference between doing what's required out of mere obedience and volunteering to go the extra mile because we love and we care.
Resting is important. Jesus took time out to pray and to recover his energy. Delegating work to others is right, too, so that we don't burn out. Jesus is the supreme example of a delegator who is also a servant. Balance is healthy and necessary.
When we stop short of going the extra mile, it's usually because we have an unbalanced view of faith. Unaware that we're serving Christ in our everyday tasks, and unaware that we're serving others with Christ, we settle for a mediocre, half-hearted attitude. We limit our potential. And then we're astonished that Jesus would suggest that we can command trees to cast themselves into the sea! When was the last time you saw that happen?
Here's the connection between doing more than the minimum and having a supernatural faith: For both to occur, we have to know that God's love is complete and unconditional and available all the time and that from this comes his desire to serve us. Knowing this, we're confident that he can accomplish anything he wants in us and through us. If we care like he cares, we want to go the extra mile with him. And then when we get hurt or tired, he restores us. Do you believe that yet?
Today's Prayer
Lord, my faith needs a closer relationship with You. Help me to understand that doing good is a result of a life surrendered to You. 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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