SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Friday - September 03, 2021

Friday - September 03, 2021

You ask me a method of attaining perfection.

I know of love – and only love. Love can do all things.

 

– Saint Therese of Lisieux

September 3, 2021

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 435

 

Reading 1                                                     Col 1:15-20

Brothers and sisters:

Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God,

    the firstborn of all creation.

For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,

    the visible and the invisible,

    whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;

    all things were created through him and for him.

He is before all things,

    and in him all things hold together.

He is the head of the Body, the Church.

He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,

    that in all things he himself might be preeminent.

For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,

    and through him to reconcile all things for him,

    making peace by the Blood of his cross

    through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5

 

R.    (2b) Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

 

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;

    serve the LORD with gladness;

    come before him with joyful song.

R.    Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Know that the LORD is God;

    he made us, his we are;

    his people, the flock he tends.

R.    Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

    his courts with praise;

Give thanks to him; bless his name.

R.    Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

For he is good,

    the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,

    and his faithfulness, to all generations.

R.    Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

 

Alleluia                                                                      Lk 5:33-39

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

whoever follows me will have the light of life.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Lk 5:1-11

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,

“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,

and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;

but yours eat and drink.”

Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast

while the bridegroom is with them?

But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,

then they will fast in those days.”

And he also told them a parable.

“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.

Otherwise, he will tear the new

and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.

Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.

Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,

and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.

Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.

And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,

for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

 

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Reconciling Everything Through the Cross

Today's first reading contains a verse that doesn't seem true: Through Jesus, God the Father has reconciled everything -- everything! -- both on earth and in heaven, making peace through the Blood of Christ's cross. Then why is there still evil in the world, and in my life, and in yours? Why do we still have broken relationships? Why do wars rage in the world and in our homes and workplaces and even in our parishes?

 

The answer is: God does not make peace for us, but with us. We have to get involved in the reconciliation process. We have to cooperate with his work of peace-making. We cannot be lazy Christians, neglecting the Sacrament of Reconciliation and behaving like babies waiting for God to snap his almighty fingers to stop evil for us. His covenant with us has always been a partnership and always will be.

 

So, how do we cooperate with his peace-making? By sanctifying everything we do and every relationship we have! To sanctify something means to make it holy, purging it of impurities.

 

Whenever we offer up our daily chores to the glory of God instead of grumbling about it, doing the work as a loving gift for him, we sanctify our labors. This reconciles our earthly work with heaven's work.

 

When we honor God with our lips instead of swearing and saying unkind words about others, we sanctify our lips, thus reconciling our voice with the voice of Christ.

 

When we cherish our human relationships, sanctifying them with unconditional love and self-sacrificing concern, we bring God's reconciling peace into those relationships. However, both persons must cooperate with God's plan in order for the reconciliation to be complete. If we bring Christ and his ways into a troubled friendship or failing marriage, and the other person continues in unhealthiness or sin, full reconciliation might not be possible until heaven. For now, we're reconciled only with God -- and that's very healing!

 

Peace and reconciliation, humanly speaking, are not always do-able here on earth. The greater goal is to gain the peace of Christ within our souls by reconciling with the Father whenever we lose it, which is very do-able.

 

When others refuse to join in the reconciliation process, we can only sanctify ourselves by preferring Christ over the broken relationship. Love for Christ replaces anger toward others. Peace with God replaces our yearnings for what we cannot have here on earth. We have sadness for the wayward person and grief for our loss, but we do not have despair.

 

On the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to reconcile everything in our lives with God. To live in peace, we must keep our eyes on him instead of on the damage that evil has done.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, Help me to recognize Your path through my life and the good news You bring me. I want to receive You in fullness, leaving my past behind. I want to be a new house, where You can dwell for ever. Amen.

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God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”