Most
amiable Queen, I, a miserable sinner, also love thee, but I love thee too
little. I desire to obtain a greater and more tender love for thee. Obtain this
for me; because to love thee is a great sign of predestination and a grace
which God does not grant except to those whom He will save ... If thou dost not
assist me, I shall be lost. No. No one can be lost who recommends himself to
thee. In thy hands, therefore, do I place my eternal salvation and to thee do I
consign my soul, which was lost, but which thou wilt save by thy holy intercession.
-St.
Alphonsus Maria Liguori
Most amiable Queen, I, a miserable sinner, also love thee, but I love thee too little. I desire to obtain a greater and more tender love for thee. Obtain this for me; because to love thee is a great sign of predestination and a grace which God does not grant except to those whom He will save ... If thou dost not assist me, I shall be lost. No. No one can be lost who recommends himself to thee. In thy hands, therefore, do I place my eternal salvation and to thee do I consign my soul, which was lost, but which thou wilt save by thy holy intercession.
-St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori
Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 352
Reading 1
I thank the LORD and I praise him;
I bless the name of the LORD.
When I was young and innocent,
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer
I prayed for her before the temple,
and I will seek her until the end,
and she flourished as a grape soon ripe.
My heart delighted in her,
My feet kept to the level path
because from earliest youth I was familiar with her.
In the short time I paid heed,
I met with great instruction.
Since in this way I have profited,
I will give my teacher grateful praise.
I became resolutely devoted to her—
the good I persistently strove for.
My soul was tormented in seeking her,
My hand opened her gate
and I came to know her secrets.
I directed my soul to her,
and in cleanness I attained to her.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (9ab) The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia Alleluia
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Alleluia
Gospel
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Then Jesus said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
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HERE'S GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE UNCERTAINTIES OF OUR TIMES
One of the devil's biggest strategies in our times has been to infect the world with uncertainty. Not the uncertainty that's part of trusting the Lord, where we don't know for sure what he has planned and what the next step is to be on our journey. It's the uncertainty of what is right and what is wrong, what did Jesus say and what has it been twisted into, what is moral and what is immoral.
This is the very first infection that the Devil brought to the world of humanity. He asked Eve what God's command was, and he made her feel uncertain about it by twisting the truth and inserting a variation that sounded logical and legitimate.
We've all become alarmed at the growth of demonically induced uncertainty in society. The boundaries of what was allowed on television, for example, have been gradually pushed farther and farther out. The most blatant case in point is what's happened to the ideology of sex. On television in the 1950s, husbands and wives had separate beds because you didn't dare show on television what was, in real life, very private. By the 1990s, the TV viewers were exposed to very visual, lustful embraces and kissing and touching.
The same pushing away of boundaries has been happening in every area of life. Moral relativism has been expanding so much that it has reached its worst case scenario, its ultimate conclusion: There is no such thing as absolute truth. Whatever I feel like believing, that's my truth and you'd better accept it or else you're the bad guy.
What happens to those who have no relationship with Christ and who do not stand on the solid rock of the commandments of God? How insecure they must feel! While they think everything is "okay" because they believe it is, they are standing on quicksand. There is no certainty in life anymore that they can rely on. No certainty in the future of their marriages, no certainty in their health, no certainty in their livelihoods. A lack of certainty means a lack of security, and security is one of the most basic of human needs.
What this means is good news. No one can enjoy life very long without security and certainty. They will soon look around for solid rocks to stand on. We who have the Solid Rock must be ready to share with others how appealing it is to stand firmly on the truths of God. We must know and explain how wonderful it is to have the certainty of God's love, the certainty of God's commandments (which are protective boundaries), and the certainty of knowing that when we cross those boundaries we can repent and run back to him and be forgiven.
I don't think that moral relativism has reached the point yet where the uncertainty drives most people to look for solid rock. Almost but not quite yet. It looks to me like we're currently in a preparation time, which the Lord has provided. Now is the time that we who have the Solid Rock need to examine our lives and our beliefs and ask ourselves: "Where am I uncertain? Where do I see uncertainty in the culture of my Church? Where can I go to cure the uncertainty?"
If you are uncertain about God's undying love for you, root out the causes of that uncertainty and be healed. If you are uncertain about the teachings of the Church Magisterium, go and read the Catechism; read the encyclicals and apostolic letters of holy popes. If you are uncertain about whether Vatican Council II was legitimate (because there are voices in our Church who are claiming that it was not), go and read the Vatican II documents under the guidance of the Spirit of Truth.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you bring to mind the various areas of uncertainty that you have. Then rely on Wisdom (like in Saturday's first reading) -- the Spirit of Truth -- to deliver you from those uncertainties and to reveal to you what is true and what is not true, what is moral and what is immoral, what are the teachings of the Church and what are misunderstandings about these teachings.
The only things that God wants you to be uncertain about are steps in faith that require you to trust him blindly. He makes everything else very clear.
Today's Prayer
Oh Lord Father God, forgive us for being content with our powerlessness. Thank you for all the trials and darkness in our world today, for they are making us dissatisfied with the old status quo of sub-normal faith. Come forth, Holy Spirit! Come forth from us with Your power! Release Your glory! Super-charge our faith In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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God Bless You.....
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