"The greater the trials, the more splendidly does the virtue of patience shine forth in them."
--St. Thomas Aquinas
"The greater the trials, the more splendidly does the virtue of patience shine forth in them."
--St. Thomas Aquinas
January 16, 2021
Saturday of the First
Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 310
The word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit,
joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
to whom we must render an account.
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
Responsorial Psalm
R.
(see John 6:63c) Your words,
Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to
bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim
liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus went out along the sea.
All the crowd came to him and he taught them.
As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,
sitting at the customs post.
Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed Jesus.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples;
for there were many who followed him.
Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners
and tax collectors and said to his disciples,
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus heard this and said to them,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
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Where will the Blade of Jesus Strike Next?
The word of God is living and effective.... Jesus is the Word of God (as the first few verses of the Gospel of John explain), living and effective.
Jesus is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit.... He is a blade that cuts into the heart of the matter, and it hurts if we are in sin, especially if we don't want to let Jesus heal the destruction that sin is causing.
No creature is concealed from him .... No one can hide from Jesus. When we feel convicted of our need for repentance, we are feeling the work of the holy blade. When we act on it by becoming willing to let Jesus cut out what he did not give to us, we experience the joy of new freedoms -- freedoms that we did not realize we needed and have been longing for.
Many, many people today are not willing to let Jesus do this for them. They want to be their own god. They do not want to face their need for change.
Eventually everyone -- absolutely everyone -- must render an account. Jesus is Lord, after all, and even those who don't accept his Lordship come face to face with the Truth at the moment of their death.
We should care deeply about the condition of the souls who are rejecting Jesus and his ways. I once had a vision of Jesus crying over a friend of mine who was dying yet still refused to turn to him. If you feel like crying over the state of an unbeliever's soul, you are united to the tears and suffering of Jesus.
When I was a child and first learned about heaven and hell, I thought, "Well, I should be nice to those who are headed for hell, because their earthly life is the only chance they have for goodness and happiness." As an adult, it motivates me to pour endless hours into Good News Ministries.
We are all called to wield the blade of Christ -- not as a weapon that hurts others but as a weapon that frees others. We live in a time when many people feel the blade is too sharp. They fight back or they flee. We must be brave and strong enough in our convictions about Christ to withstand their reactions. Wear the armor of God. It really does deflect most of the pain of their barbs and arrows.
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God Bless You.....
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