Friday - October 30, 2020
October 30, 2020
Friday of the
Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 483
Reading 1
Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus,
to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,
with the bishops and deacons:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,
praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the Gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right that I should think this way about all of you,
because I hold you in my heart,
you who are all partners with me in grace,
both in my imprisonment
and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.
For God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2) How great are the works of the Lord!
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
He has made known to his people the power of his works,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my
voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and
they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.
In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy.
Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
“Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”
But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.
Then he said to them
“Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?”
But they were unable to answer his question.
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How great are your works for the Lord?
You are a gift from God to the world! You are a gift in every way that you do good and use your talents, your finances, what you learned from your past experiences, your training and skills, your compassion, your knowledge, your Spirit-supplied wisdom, your unique personality, your right choice of words, your helpfulness, your - anything that is you that reflects God's goodness.
Through the words of St. Paul in today's first reading, Jesus is telling you personally: "I give thanks to my Father every time I think of you - which is constantly." He is telling you: "Our Father has begun a good work in you and he will carry it all the way to completion. Rely on him!" He is saying: "I am praying that your love will continually increase and change this world through what you know and perceive about the ways of God."
Jesus recognizes that you are a very important gift to the world. Because of your uniqueness, you are extremely valuable. No one else can do what you can do, the way you can do it. No one else has your particular set of talents and experiences and insights. In partnership with the Holy Spirit, you are awesome!
Satan is free to do evil whenever God's gifts for the world (God's children) say no to using their giftedness in cooperation with God's plans. What are the excuses we use? I'm too busy. I'm too inadequate. I'm too tired. I'm too scared of how I might suffer if I do that. I'm too focused on my own projects. I'm too in need of attention from others. I'm too unwilling to change.
It's the curse of "too-someness". Blessings are found in the "two-someness" of partnering with God. After Christ ascended from the earth, the Holy Spirit descended to the earth so that we could become the Body of Christ - we are his hands, his feet, his vocal chords, his smile, his presence in the world. Our responsorial Psalm today is true because God works his wondrous deeds through us: How great are the works of the Lord!
Look at how Jesus, in the Gospel reading today, dared to use his giftedness when society dictated that he shouldn't. We need to let go of our perceptions of when and how it's okay to be gift for the world. You are very valuable! You are already doing good with the gifts you have. Become aware of Jesus patting you on the back and being very pleased with you. Read again today's first scripture and put your name in there, to make it a personal letter from Jesus to you.
Now, is there anything holding you back from doing ALL that you can do in partnership with God? May your love abound more and more!
Today's Prayer
Forgive me, Lord, for the times that my actions were not motivated by genuine love. Help me to be faithful in every circumstance. Amen.
God Bless You.....
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