Monday - October 11, 2021
“You must know that when you ‘hail’ Mary, she immediately greets you! Don’t think that she is one of those rude women of whom there are so many—on the contrary, she is utterly courteous and pleasant. If you greet her, she will answer you right away and converse with you!”
~~Saint Bernardine of Siena
October 11, 2021
Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 467
Reading 1
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,
called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the Gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts..
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
******************************
Are You a Religious Fanatic?
Our responsorial Psalm today says: "The Lord has made known his salvation." What do you need his salvation for in your life today?
If we want Jesus to save us from whatever evil is going on in our lives, well, what are we waiting for? He's already made his help available to us! If we want him to save us from the inner turmoil or anxieties or addictions or other disabling problems that have a hold on us, why are we still unhealed? He has already offered his power to overcome it!
Do we allow the good news of Jesus to penetrate every area of our lives? Is he really the Lord of our lives -- completely?
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus warns that the example of repentance given by the Ninevites is a condemnation of those who refuse to avail themselves of his saving power. There are always plenty of signs when we're doing something wrong, but unremorseful sinners reject every sign that they don't want to see.
The modern-day Ninevites are those of us who have become excited about God's saving love after recognizing our sins and regretting them, turning to God and finding his forgiveness and mercy. We're so excited that we work very hard to remain in God and to reject unGodly ways. Others call us "religious fanatics", because they feel uncomfortable around our example of holiness. Our zeal for holy living feels like condemnation to those who do not want to live the same way.
There is such a thing as being too fanatical. But we'd better not assume we can judge a so-called fanatic's heart, because we might be condemning ourselves! Years ago, I witnessed a lady shuffling on her knees through the church on a very hard floor every morning as she prayed all the Stations of the Cross. Was she too fanatical? Or was I merely unwilling to offer this kind of penance myself?
When we sin, we're condemned by the ways that other people avoid the same sin. But if we believe in the sign of Jonah (the death and resurrection of Jesus), we are free from this condemnation. There is no condemnation when we give Christ full Lordship over our lives, increase our zeal for holiness, and practice a faith that's charged up from knowing God's love and power.
A true (healthy and holy) fanatic is a Christian who's excited about the awesome partnership of "God and me" working together to overcome every inner turmoil, every source of anxiety, every addiction, and all other disabling problems, while recognizing that this is a long process, and without condemning those who don't work on their own purifications faster.
Lord, help me to become more fanatical!
Today's Prayer
Lord, I want to discover Your will in every situation. I want to surrender all of myself to You. I want You to be the center of my life from now on! Amen.
God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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