Do
you want certain salvation? Then have great devotion to the Virgin Mary... She
will guarantee your salvation. She infallibly saves the one who honors her.
-St.
Sharbel Makhlouf
Do you want certain salvation? Then have great devotion to the Virgin Mary... She will guarantee your salvation. She infallibly saves the one who honors her.
-St. Sharbel Makhlouf
Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 351
Reading 1
Now will I praise those godly men,
our ancestors, each in his own time.
But of others there is no memory,
for when they ceased, they ceased.
And they are as though they had not lived,
they and their children after them.
Yet these also were godly men
whose virtues have not been forgotten;
Their wealth remains in their families,
their heritage with their descendants;
Through God’s covenant with them their family endures,
their posterity, for their sake.
And for all time their progeny will endure,
their glory will never be blotted out.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia Alleluia
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
Alleluia
Gospel
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area.
He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,
went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.
Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,
he went over to see if he could find anything on it.
When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;
it was not the time for figs.
And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!”
And his disciples heard it.
They came to Jerusalem,
and on entering the temple area
he began to drive out those selling and buying there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those who were selling doves.
He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.
Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written:
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?
But you have made it a den of thieves.”
The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it
and were seeking a way to put him to death,
yet they feared him
because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, they went out of the city.
Early in the morning, as they were walking along,
they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.
Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look!
The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.”
******************************
Moving Mountains
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus curses the fig tree, and within 24 hours it withers up all the way down to its roots. Wouldn't it be great if we could do that to the weeds in our lawns! There's a burr-bearing bush in my backyard that I can't successfully curse even with potent chemicals. And yet, Jesus says that "if you are ready to believe that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, it shall be done for you."
So why are we such prayer-wimps? We do believe that God can answer our prayers, and we work hard to believe that he does want to answer our prayers, and sometimes we do muster up the courage to say: "I do believe I will receive what I ask for, I do believe, I do believe, I do believe."
But we don't. Not really.
Give yourself a system check. Is your belief system so intact that you have absolutely no anxiety, worry, fear, or doubt regarding each situation that you're covering in prayer? Neither is mine. Okay, so we're falling short of what Jesus told us: "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours." Can't God, whose power and love is infinite, make up for our lack of belief and answer our prayers regardless of how uncertain we feel?
Yes! And he does every day! It's the only reason our prayers have been answered at all. But it's not a lack of belief that causes doubt. It's a lack of love.
We cannot truly believe that God will answer our prayers if we don't fully believe in his loving concern for our needs and our desires. If what we ask for is holy, if what we pray for is healthy, and if it contributes to goodness in the world, then of course God's great love is both an immediate and ongoing response to our prayers. There is no reason why our prayers would fail -- no reason except our disbelief in God's love.
Disbelief in his love is evidenced by our unforgiveness toward others. It's no accident that Jesus instructs us to forgive others while explaining how to move mountains. What we sow is what we reap. If we don't forgive others, we rob ourselves of prayer power because unforgiveness divides us from God.
Unforgiveness means we say no to love. How can we command fig trees or move mountains if we disconnect ourselves from God's love?
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of people you still need to forgive -- and don't forget to include yourself! Then choose to forgive them all, whether they deserve it or not. Forgiving them does not mean you approve of their hurtful behavior. Forgiveness frees up your love, which frees up your relationship with God, which frees up your prayer power.
Pray first for your enemies; then you'll really be moving mountains!
Today's Prayer
Lord, make my faith grow in a heart that's free from resentments, rooted in Your love. May my trust in You surpass all human logic.
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God Bless You.....
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