"Virtues
are formed by prayer.
Prayer
preserves temperance.
Prayer
suppresses anger.
Prayer
prevents emotions of pride and envy.
Prayer
draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven."
-- St
Ephraem
"Virtues are formed by prayer.
Prayer preserves temperance.
Prayer suppresses anger.
Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy.
Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven."
-- St Ephraem
November 13, 2020
Memorial of Saint
Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin
Lectionary: 495
Reading 1 2 JN 4-9
[Chosen Lady:]
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth
just as we were commanded by the Father.
But now, Lady, I ask you,
not as though I were writing a new commandment
but the one we have had from the beginning:
let us love one another.
For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments;
this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning,
in which you should walk.
Many deceivers have gone out into the world,
those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh;
such is the deceitful one and the antichrist.
Look to yourselves that you do not lose what we worked for
but may receive a full recompense.
Anyone who is so “progressive”
as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God;
whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son.
Responsorial Psalm PS 119:1, 2, 10, 11, 17, 18
R. (1b) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Within my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Be good to your servant, that I may live
and keep your words.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Alleluia LK 21:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and
raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 17:26-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage up to the day
that Noah entered the ark,
and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:
they were eating, drinking, buying,
selling, planting, building;
on the day when Lot left Sodom,
fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.
So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, someone who is on the housetop
and whose belongings are in the house
must not go down to get them,
and likewise one in the field
must not return to what was left behind.
Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it.
I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed;
one will be taken, the other left.
And there will be two women grinding meal together;
one will be taken, the other left.”
They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?”
He said to them, “Where the body is,
there also the vultures will gather.”
*****************************************
Staying Rooted in Truth
The norms and regulations of the Catholic Church do provide room for growth, adaptations for special needs, and changes in how we worship based on timeliness and cultures. Canon Law and Church documents mention the necessity of adaptability, as long as moral laws are not broken and the teachings of Christ are not rejected.
Our Church (the "Chosen Lady" of today's first reading) is continually evolving, growing more into the image of Christ as we - individually and collectively - gain greater understanding of God's love and improve how we share it to transform the world.
Signs that more growth is needed are all around us. You have seen it yourself. There are priests who don't even try to be like Christ. There are bishops who exert their authority without compassion and collaboration. There are laity who condemn others while ignoring their own need to advance their own faith life.
God isn't finished maturing his beloved Church.
A huge boost in spiritual growth for our Church came through Vatican Council II, but we're still learning how to apply all of its Spirit-inspired teachings. Some Catholics have tried to go too far with the progress it initiated, others are afraid of change, and many haven't even learned what the documents from the council say. So, God isn't finished teaching and maturing us.
When "progress" means redefining the truth to suit our own purposes, we no longer have God, as today's first reading points out. "Progressive" decisions occur when we allow ourselves to be swayed by the winds of non-Christian influences. We're most vulnerable to this when we don't like what the Church teaches, which happens because we don't understand what the Church is really teaching. To use the analogy that Jesus provides in the Gospel reading, "wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather." We flock to what's decaying, because the world tells us it's appetizing and we choose to believe it.
The "antichrist" or "deceiver" is anyone who rejects the truth. We can discern what is not a truth - what is not truly of God - by its unloving character and its unscriptural basis. However, love and scripture are often claimed as validations for deceptions. We must become better educated, double-checking everything against the documents of the Church (which are readily available on the internet), because these teachings are based upon and help explain the scriptures.
Every day, we're exposed to the ideas and pressures of people who are gambling with their eternal happiness. They are like the folks in Noah's day, as Jesus pointed out, doing what feels right to them up until the very end, without regard to the warnings and commandments of God. They think they're sparing themselves from unhappiness and destruction, but "whoever tries to preserve his life by his own methods will lose it."
The laws, norms, and regulations of the Catholic Church are based on the supreme Law of Love so that we remain eternally alive in the saving love of Jesus Christ. If you doubt any of it, research it. If you doubt the adaptations, research it. If you see Church rules being practiced without love, don't let others dictate your understanding of the rules, research it. There is no excuse for mixing untruths with the truth, not in today's Information Age.
Today's Prayer
Lord, help me to persevere in the good path You suggest to me. Don't let me stray from You. Rather, may my works bear abundant fruit with Your love rooted in me. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
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