Saturday - October 31, 2020
The rosary is said not with the lips alone, muttering Hail Marys one after the other. … For a Christian vocal prayer must spring from the heart, so that while the rosary is said, the mind can enter into contemplation of each one of the mysteries.
-- St. Josemaria Escriva
October 31, 2020
Saturday of the
Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 484
Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
As long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is being proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,
for I know that this will result in deliverance for me
through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
My eager expectation and hope
is that I shall not be put to shame in any way,
but that with all boldness, now as always,
Christ will be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.
And this I know with confidence,
that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you
for your progress and joy in the faith,
so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me
when I come to you again.
Responsorial Psalm
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
I went with the throng
and led them in procession to the house of God.
Amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,
with the multitude keeping festival.
R. My soul is thirsting for the living God.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon
you and learn from me,
for I am meek and
humble of heart.
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.
He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
******************************
We're all getting very tired of the pandemic. What are you doing to receive a boost of endurance from the Lord? Not only for endurance, though -- a boost of joy! And a feeling like you're in a good place despite what's happening in a world that's gone bonkers.
"Oh God, you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you." (Psalms 63:1)
As I said when the pandemic was new, I believe that what we've all been going through is God rebooting the world. We're in a transition between the old, familiar world and what God is creating.
"The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst." (Isaiah 30:20)
Transitions are very uncomfortable and they makes us feel very uncertain and insecure. For those who do not keep their eyes on Jesus, the stress can be too much. For those who have no relationship at all with Jesus, stress seeks an outlet in violence and other unloving behaviors.
To keep your eyes on Jesus, ask him every morning to fill you with his Holy Spirit more today than yesterday. Tell him that you want to live the full life of a faith-filled Christian as God has always intended for us. Tell him that you are willing to repent of the sins that have interfered with your faith. Tell him that you desire to change so that you can become all that God created you to be.
Take your focus off of stress-inducing news. Limit the amount of time you give to all external sources of information unless it brings you closer to Jesus.
This is very pleasing to the Lord!
In my prayer time ever since the beginning of the pandemic, I've heard God saying that the world is being "rebooted" like a computer that had become full of corrupt code. When a computer crashes, when the situation is very bad, rebooting it includes installing new software, which can be a big pain but is so necessary and results in a much better computer.
With the rebooting of our world, the lockdown brought many families together. Instead of parents farming out their children to child care, they became their children's teachers (or at least, facilitators overseeing their kids' online schooling done instead of demanding that the teachers give their kids good marks for doing nothing).
The pandemic also started to turn societies from rampant selfishness to caring about the health of others. The individualism of the old ways are showing signs of disappearing. As soon as we can safely hug others and sit less than 6 feet from them, many more people than ever before will celebrate community life.
When times are this scary and this disruptive, people who ignored or rejected God begin to turn their hearts toward God. It's just such a time as this that will bring our lost loved ones back to the Faith. The Holy Spirit actually told me this while I was on retreat last December (before any of us had heard of a coronavirus). God said that some very tough times were coming soon but to not be afraid. He said that those who have close relationships with Jesus and obey his ways -- those who value growing in holiness instead of rebelling -- would have no reason to fear, and those who have rebelled or rejected Jesus would gain a new way of thinking that would lead them to the Faith.
Who have you been praying for because they have rejected Jesus? Know that the Lord is assuring you that they will be among those who come back to the Faith.
God Bless You.....
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