Saturday - September 19, 2020
Think well.
Speak well.
Do well.
These three things,
through the mercy of God,
will make a man go to Heaven.
-- St. Camillus de Lellis
Think well.
Speak well.
Do well.
These three things,
through the mercy of God,
will make a man go to Heaven.
-- St. Camillus de Lellis
Saturday
of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
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First reading
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1 Corinthians
15:35-37,42-49
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The resurrected body is heavenly by nature
Someone may ask, ‘How
are dead people raised, and what sort of body do they have when they come
back?’ They are stupid questions. Whatever you sow in the ground has to die
before it is given new life and the thing that you sow is not what is going to
come; you sow a bare grain, say of wheat or something like that. It is the same
with the resurrection of the dead: the thing that is sown is perishable but
what is raised is imperishable; the thing that is sown is contemptible but what
is raised is glorious; the thing that is sown is weak but what is raised is
powerful; when it is sown it embodies the soul, when it is raised it embodies
the spirit.
If the soul has its own embodiment, so does the spirit
have its own embodiment. The first man, Adam, as scripture says, became
a living soul; but the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit. That
is, first the one with the soul, not the spirit, and after that, the one with
the spirit. The first man, being from the earth, is earthly by nature; the
second man is from heaven. As this earthly man was, so are we on earth; and as
the heavenly man is, so are we in heaven. And we, who have been modelled on the
earthly man, will be modelled on the heavenly man.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 55(56):10-14
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I shall walk in the presence of God in the light of the living.
My foes will be put to
flight
on the day
that I call to you.
This I know, that God is
on my side.
I shall walk in the presence of God in the light of the living.
In God, whose word I
praise,
in the Lord
whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall
not fear;
what can
mortal man do to me?
I shall walk in the presence of God in the light of the living.
I am bound by the vows I
have made you.
O God, I
will offer you praise
for you have rescued my
soul from death,
you kept my
feet from stumbling
that I may walk in the
presence of God
and enjoy
the light of the living.
I shall walk in the presence of God in the light of the living.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps118:18
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord,
that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.Lk8:15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are those who,
with a noble and
generous heart,
take the word of God to
themselves
and yield a harvest
through their perseverance.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 8:4-15
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The parable of the sower
With a large crowd
gathering and people from every town finding their way to him, Jesus used this
parable:
‘A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some
fell on the edge of the path and was trampled on; and the birds of the air ate
it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no
moisture. Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns grew with it and choked
it. And some seed fell into rich soil and grew and produced its crop a
hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’
His disciples asked him what this parable might mean,
and he said, ‘The mysteries of the kingdom of God are revealed to you; for the
rest there are only parables, so that they may see but not perceive, listen but
not understand.
‘This, then, is what the
parable means: the seed is the word of God. Those on the edge of the path are
people who have heard it, and then the devil comes and carries away the word
from their hearts in case they should believe and be saved. Those on the rock
are people who, when they first hear it, welcome the word with joy. But these
have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of trial they give up. As
for the part that fell into thorns, this is people who have heard, but as they
go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life
and do not reach maturity. As for the part in the rich soil, this is people
with a noble and generous heart who have heard the word and take it to
themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance.’
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STRESSED? REST!
Opening Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of your word. I believe that this word is “living and effective” (Hebrews 4:12). Help it penetrate my heart, take root, and grow into a fruitful harvest for your glory.
Encountering Christ:
1. Gifts of Knowledge and Understanding: Jesus spoke in parables because, although his disciples had been granted the gifts of knowledge and understanding, the rest of the people who gathered to hear him had not. Most people needed to hear the truths of the Gospel in parables to better understand Jesus’s meaning. He did not intend to hide the mysteries of God’s kingdom from the people; rather, he spoke to them using stories to which they could relate. We can pray to the Holy Spirit, asking him to grant us the gifts of knowledge and understanding so that the words of Scripture can deeply penetrate our minds. In this way, God cultivates the good soil of our hearts so that we can bear fruit.
2. Trampled, Parched, and Choked: Have you ever felt trampled, parched, and choked? Weighted down by sin? Parched for spiritual nourishment? Choked by distractions or anxieties? Most people have had these experiences from time to time and in different seasons of their lives. The answer to a weary, tired, trampled body, mind, or spirit is to rest in the Lord—to allow his healing presence to soak in and renew us. One of the best remedies for our soul-weariness is time spent in quiet contemplation before the tabernacle. “There is no doubt that a flood of graces will descend upon your family and the world if more souls would become pupils of the Eucharist” (St. John XXIII).
3. Rich Soil: Our Lord tells us, “But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.” We can’t obtain the “rich soil” Jesus speaks of on our own. We do our part when we clear out the large boulders (habitual sins) through the sacrament of reconciliation, till the soil of our souls by making the sacrifices necessary to conform our lives to the Ten Commandments and the beatitudes, and fertilize and water the soil by regular meditation on the word. In the midst of our gardening, we rely on Jesus to empower us with generosity and perseverance. Only by his grace will we bear lasting fruit.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, when I have sinned, help me to repent and “create a clean heart in me” (Psalms 51:12). When I get distracted from my heavenly focus, please remind me of my upward calling (see Philippians 3:14). When I feel weary, please remind me that your “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When I am anxious, bless me with the grace to trust in you and rely not on my understanding (see Proverbs 3:5). Shepherd me beyond my failures and faults and use my experiences to cultivate good soil in my heart so that I can be your fruitful servant.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will set aside time to rest in you, before the tabernacle if possible, and cast aside all my cares, trusting in you and your providence.
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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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