Wednesday - November 11, 2020
When we have to reply to anyone who has insulted us, we should be careful to do it always with gentleness. A soft answer extinguishes the fire of wrath.
~~St. Alphonsus Liguori
November 11, 2020
Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
Lectionary: 493
Reading 1
Beloved:
Remind them to be under the control of magistrates and authorities,
to be obedient, to be open to every good enterprise.
They are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate,
exercising all graciousness toward everyone.
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded,
slaves to various desires and pleasures,
living in malice and envy,
hateful ourselves and hating one another.
But when the kindness and generous love
of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
he saved us through the bath of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us
through Jesus Christ our savior,
so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In all
circumstances, give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
******************************
How to Have an Extraordinary Faith
Most of us think we don't have enough faith, especially when our prayers don't get answered the way we'd like or when miracles we seek don't happen.
However, the opposite is true: We have more than enough faith, because it's a gift of the Holy Spirit, but we underestimate our faith. Our faith is mediocre because our lives as Christians are mediocre. We are an extraordinary people, but we're content with living merely ordinary lives so that God cannot ask us to do something outside the box of our comfort zones.
Why is it that converts to Catholicism tend to be more on fire in their faith and more involved in the parish than "cradle Catholics"? They are like the non-Jewish leper in today's Gospel reading, who returned to Jesus full of praise. But even we converts (I'm one of them) take at least some areas of our faith for granted.
This is why the first reading reminds us of our responsibilities as Christians. Sometimes we take for granted God's mercy and so we presume that if we break laws, cooperate with dishonesty at work, complain about others, quarrel, or react rudely, etc., God will so quickly forgive us that he won't even notice it. When we take our faith for granted, we rationalize away the wrongness of wrong-doings. This is the sin of presumption.
One of my favorite rationalizations is the "need" to speed on the highway. I get bored easily and I eagerly look forward to reaching my destination so much that I want to hurry up and get there. If the road is clear and it's safe to drive faster than the posted speed limit, I rationalize that as long as I don't hurt anyone by breaking the law, it's okay to do it.
A long time ago, God reminded me of this scripture from Titus while I was zooming down the highway. "But Lord," I said. "If I slow down to the speed limit, I'll be late." And he replied, "So get into the habit of leaving earlier. Duh!"
I really did not want to hear this. "If You want me to change my attitude about this," I said, "you'll have to recreate me into somebody who wants to obey the speed limit. I see no point in slowing down while the road is safe for a fast ride."
"Okay."
Suddenly, to my surprise, this prayer about my attitude worked! It was quite extraordinary. I even felt excited about staying within the speed limit! (Well, to be honest, I rationalize that it's okay to go just a little faster, as long as it's within the speed in which police officers let you keep on going.)
Converts tend to be more excited about their faith because they gave up something to get it. What have your conversion experiences been like? Even if you've been a Catholic all your life, you've had times of gaining a deeper faith after suffering a loss or sacrifice. This is where your fire burns. This is where your Christian life is extraordinary. Use this gift for the benefit of those who need God's extraordinary touch: Be an evangelizer and let your faith make a difference!
Today's Prayer
Thank You, my Lord, because You come to us, speak to us in a thousand ways and wait for us at the end of our journey. Amen.
God Bless You.....
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