Monday - August 31, 2020
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
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 2020
Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
| First reading |
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| 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 © |
The only knowledge I claimed was of the crucified Christ
When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.
| Responsorial Psalm |
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| Psalm 118(119):97-102 © |
Lord, how I love your law!
Lord, how I love your law!
It is ever in my mind.
Your command makes me wiser than my foes;
for it is mine for ever.
Lord, how I love your law!
I have more insight than all who teach me
for I ponder your will.
I have more understanding than the old
for I keep your precepts.
Lord, how I love your law!
I turn my feet from evil paths
to obey your word.
I have not turned from your decrees;
you yourself have taught me.
Lord, how I love your law!
| Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12 |
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
| Or: | Lk4:18 |
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives.
Alleluia!
| Gospel | Luke 4:16-30 © |
|---|
'This text is being fulfilled today, even as you listen'
Jesus came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives
and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’
But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me the saying, “Physician, heal yourself” and tell me, “We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own countryside.”’
And he went on, ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.
‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’
When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away.
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How to bring others to conversion
Don't be discouraged when you fail at convincing someone to go to church or to trust in Jesus. The question is: Have you allowed yourself to get caught up in an argument? St. Paul tells us, in today's first reading, to rely instead on "the convincing power of the Spirit". No one is inspired into conversion when debates feel more like arguments than friendly explorations of the truth. People get defensive, because they feel pressured into changing their point of view. Defensiveness closes the ears of their hearts, and then they cannot listen with understanding.
Only the Holy Spirit grants understanding -- it's a gift -- and the Spirit works not in arguments and pushy persuasions, but in love and compassion.
Paul preached nothing but Jesus Christ crucified: with his words and in how he served. However, the crucifixion is not a pleasant topic. And yet, Christ's sacrifice is a far more persuasive reason to believe in God's love than anything we could ever say in a debate.
When unbelievers are ready to see what Jesus did for them on Good Friday, their resistance melts. When they understand why he did it, they experience conversion. But how can we help them see and understand without getting into arguments?
We preach Jesus most effectively by the sacrifices that we make in his name. By serving the needs of others (especially when they've not been kind to us) and imitating Jesus who went to the cross for those who sinned against him, we give a powerful testimony of God's love.
Since there are no quick journeys to faithfulness, we'll probably have lots of time and plenty of opportunities to show that we really care -- repeatedly -- before they are ready to understand the connection between our sacrificial love and Christ's. Then we must be ready to use words to explain God's love. This is much more effective than making them feel guilty about not going to church.
In today's Gospel passage, Jesus begins the synagogue lesson -- and his public ministry -- with: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." It was the Holy Spirit who anointed Jesus and sent him into the world to preach. Likewise, it's the Holy Spirit who anoints you and me and sends us out from Mass to take Christ into the world. And it's the Holy Spirit (not us) who changes the hearts of those we evangelize.
Not everyone will pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing and saying through us. Some will reject the truth no matter how greatly we love them. But when people do experience conversion and spiritual growth, their new faith will be founded not on our wisdom, but on the power of God.
Today's Prayer
Father, I am sorry for the times I have underestimated the gifts You have given me. You anointed me to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth. Please shepherd me with Your love so that I never wander from You, and show me Your will in each of my steps. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
The 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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