SAINT QUOTE & READINGS OF THE DAY : Saturday - September 25, 2021

Saturday - September 25, 2021

The nature of water is soft, and the nature of stone is hard; but if a bottle is hung above the stone, allowing the water to fall down drop by drop, it wears away the stone. So it is with the Word of God: it is soft and our heart is hard, but the man who hears the Word of God often opens his heart to the fear of God.

 

 --Saint Poemen

September 25, 2021

Saturday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 454

 

Reading 1                                                     Zec 2:5-9, 14-15a

 

I, Zechariah, raised my eyes and looked:

there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.

I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered, “To measure Jerusalem,

to see how great is its width and how great its length.”

 

Then the angel who spoke with me advanced,

and another angel came out to meet him and said to him,

“Run, tell this to that young man:

People will live in Jerusalem as though in open country,

because of the multitude of men and beasts in her midst.

But I will be for her an encircling wall of fire, says the LORD,

and I will be the glory in her midst.”

 

Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!

See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.

Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,

and they shall be his people and he will dwell among you.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                              Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12ab, 13

 

R.    (see 10d)  The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

 

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,

    proclaim it on distant isles, and say:

He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,

    he guards them as a shepherd guards his flock.

R.    The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

The LORD shall ransom Jacob,

    he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.

Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,

    they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings.

R.    The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,

    and young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourning into joy,

    I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.

R.    The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

 

Alleluia                                                                      2 Tm 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death

and brought life to light through the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Lk 9:43b-45

 

While they were all amazed at his every deed,

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Pay attention to what I am telling you.

The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”

But they did not understand this saying;

its meaning was hidden from them

so that they should not understand it,

and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

 

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Following Jesus in Good Times and Bad

Opening Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I am grateful to have this time of prayer with you. Help me to grow in faith, hope, and love. Let me learn the lessons you wish to impart to me. I need your grace to renew, strengthen, and guide me in my discipleship. I also bring the souls entrusted to my intercession to you in this prayer. 

Encountering Christ:

1. They Were Amazed: It was easy to be amazed at the words and deeds of Jesus. He “taught them as one having authority” (Mark 1:22), and his miracles left people even more astounded, saying, “We have seen incredible things today” (Luke 5:26). Consequently, enlightened by grace, Peter proclaimed Jesus to be the “Messiah of God” (Luke 9:20). When Our Lord’s words inspired and his miracles cured countless people, it was easy to follow him. He was popular and admired, and some of his admiration would reflect upon his closest collaborators. They could feed off the excitement; they could bask in his glory. It is easy to follow Jesus when things are going well, when prayer brings us consolation, and when our ministry meets with success. 

2. The Son of Man Is to Be Handed Over: However, Our Lord warned his apostles on various occasions that his life would suffer an ignominious ending (Luke 9:22 and Luke 17:25). The willingness to suffer with and for Christ is an essential aspect of discipleship.“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). To “daily” take up one’s cross implies that denying oneself is a constant disposition, and not merely reserved for the end of life. There will be many sacrifices required of us when we choose to live like Christ. Self-denial goes hand in hand with living his precept of charity since it seeks to place the needs of others before our own comfort and preferences.

3. They Did Not Understand: Christ’s teaching of self-denial is hard to understand and even harder to live. It goes contrary to our sinfulness, which seeks to affirm oneself at the expense of others. The Catechism states that sin is a “failure in genuine love for God and neighbor [which]… injures human solidarity” (CCC 1849). Therefore, to renew charity in our lives, grace will pull us against the current of our selfishness: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat” (John 12:24). However, it is in dying to self that we can produce “much fruit” (John 12:24). We can only understand this principle with grace and experience. 

Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, throughout my life I have received countless graces from you, which have brought me great joy: consolation in prayer, answered prayers, protection from harm and assistance with many needs, blessings at work and in my family. Help me also to appreciate the blessings that are costly, that challenge my comfort and way of thinking. Let me realize in practice that “all things work for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28).

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will reflect on how some of the difficult moments in my life have brought blessings.

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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!”